Village Voice - Winter 2010

VillageVoice www.masonicvillagespa.org

Winter 2010 Vol. 20, No. 1

MASONIC VILLAGE ELIZABETHTOWN, PA

A Legacy of Love

1910-2010

Meet Thomas K. Sturgeon,

118th R.W. Grand Master ... p. 2 Most recent retirement li ving residence op ened on cam pus Sycamore A partments

In this Issue...

Masonic Village at Lafayette Hill Celebrates Eden AlternativeÂŽ . . . . . . . . . . p. 3 The View from Sewickley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 3 Staff Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 4 Lafayette Hill Ridge Railroad. . . . . . . . p. 5 Feast of the Tabernacles . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 5 Village Happenings . . . . . . . . . . pp. 10 - 11 Holiday Happenings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 12 Health Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 13 Masonic Village Hospice Care. . . . . . . . . p. 14 Masonic Village Rehab Services. . . . . . . p. 14 Carrying a Masonic Torch . . . . . . . . . p. 15 Memorial Gifts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pp. 16 - 19 Honorarium Gifts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 19

Former residents of the Masonic Children’s Home share their experiences ...pp. 6 - 9

A publication of the Masonic Villages of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania

Village Voice

A message from

Winter 2010 The Village Voice is published four times per year.

The Masonic Villages, which include the Masonic Village at Dallas, the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown, the Masonic Village at Lafayette Hill, the Masonic Village at Sewickley and the Masonic Village at Warminster, are owned and operated by the Right Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania.

Members of:

American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging Pennsylvania Association of Non-Profit Homes for the Aging Kairos Health Systems Masonic Communities and Services Association

Admissions to the Masonic Villages are governed by the Committee on Masonic Homes, members of which are elected by the Grand Lodge. The Committee on Masonic Homes approves or disapproves applications for admission primarily on the basis of need. Decisions concerning admission, the provision of services and referrals of residents are not based upon the applicant’s race, color, religion, disability, ancestry, national origin, familial status, age, sex, limited English proficiency or any other protected status.

The Masonic Villages is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Village Voice Staff Debra L. Davis

Editor/Public Relations Coordinator, Elizabethtown

Editorial Board Louisa West

Administrative Assistant, Lafayette Hill

Karen Hammond

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Joseph E. Murphy, N.H.A., Chief Executive Officer

t is hard to believe we are 10 years into the 21st century, and even more unbelievable that the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown has been serving the community for 100 years! While much has changed in the way we have delivered services over the past century, the exceptional care remains timeless. Our campus has grown from one guest house for 35 residents to the 10th largest not-for-profit senior living community service organization in the United States with accommodations for 1,700 adult residents. Our number of locations has grown from one to five with 2,105 employees serving a total of 2,564 residents across the state.

The breadth of our services has grown over the years to include retirement living, dementia care, rehab services, an adult daily living center, a cottage for adults with developmental disabilities, home care services and most recently, hospice services. Most importantly, the number of lives touched by the care and services Masonic Village offers continues to expand. You can help us celebrate this milestone by: • Making a donation in honor of our 100th anniversary. Your support will pay homage to our forefathers, those whom we serve today and those who will need our services a decade, or even a century from now. You can do so by visiting our Web site or by contacting the Office of Gift Planning at (800) 599-6454.

• Visiting the centennial extension to the Masonic Villages’ Web site, www.masonicvillagespa.org/centennial.php, for more information, including a timeline, interactive map, photo gallery, a place to read and add your own favorite memories, and a Masonic Village IQ test (no pressure to ace it - I didn’t even know all the answers!). It is not too late to purchase a commemorative 100th anniversary calendar online, available at a 50 percent discount.

• If you have loved ones residing at the Masonic Village, when you spend time with them, consider asking them what they remember about significant events such as World War II, the incident at Three Mile Island and 9/11. To find out how these events affected the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown, read the “Masonic Village: 100th Anniversary” history book available for sale June 25. You can also volunteer at any of our Masonic Villages and spend time talking with residents about their pasts.

• Continue reading the Village Voice, The Pennsylvania Freemason and Order of the Eastern Star’s Good Vibrations for stories and updates on special events.

Masonic Village at Lafayette Hill also has reason to celebrate. The community is now a registered Eden Alternative® site! After a three-year journey which has included renovations and culture change, residents will greatly benefit from this achievement with more opportunities to make decisions regarding their care and environment (read more about this accomplishment on the next page).

Wishing you and yours a Happy New Year!

Sincerely,

Activities Supervisor/Concierge, Sewickley

Cynthia B. Hollinger

Director, Volunteer Services, Elizabethtown

Trisha Lamb

Activities Director, Warminster

Linda Tressler

Executive Assistant, Human Resources, Elizabethtown

NEXT DEADLINE: The deadline for the Spring issue of the Village Voice is Feb. 25.

Suggestions and submissions for consideration can be sent to: Public Relations Department Masonic Village One Masonic Drive Elizabethtown, PA 17022 or e-mailed to pr@masonicvillagespa.org For more information, call (717) 367-1121, ext. 33529.

On the cover: Top photo: Residents of the first guest house at Masonic Village, 1910. Middle photo: Residents of the newest Masonic Village residence - Sycamore Apartments, 2008*.

Bottom photos (l-r): Masonic Children’s Home residents Edith Johns, Arthur Johns and Glenn Beck; Grace Keefer; Robert (Toby) Tobias; Sam McNew; and Joshua Vellon, Austin Wright, donor Evelyn Hunter-Longdon and Colin Knowles-Koltun*. *Photos by Rich Johnson

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Introducing... Thomas K. Sturgeon, R.W. Grand Master T homas K. Sturgeon was installed as the 118th R.W. Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania on Monday, Dec. 28, 2009.

Born in Pittsburgh and raised in Oakdale, Bro. Sturgeon served as President of the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police, was inducted into the Pennsylvania Police Hall of Fame and received the first Award of Excellence in the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association. He recently retired as the Deputy Director of the Bureau of Investigations and Enforcement and Director of the Bureau of Casino Compliance for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Elizabethtown College and a Master of Science Degree in Police Management from Youngstown State University.

Bro. Sturgeon has been a member of Oakdale Masonic Lodge No. 669 for 45 years, serving in leadership positions of several Masonic-affiliated bodies and related organizations. He is an Honorary Member of the Supreme Council, 33°, a degree bestowed upon a selected few Masons in recognition of their outstanding and selfless work performed in the fraternity or in public life. His honors include the DeMolay Legion of Honor and the Order of the Purple Cross from the International Order of Job’s Daughters.

Bro. Sturgeon and his wife, Joan, live in Imperial, Pa. They have six children: Kimberly; Seth, a member of Oakdale Lodge No. 669; Maureen; Michael; Mark; and the late Michelle; and eight grandchildren. They are members of Crossroads United Methodist Church.

A golf enthusiast, Bro. Sturgeon enjoys every aspect of the game from hitting the links to golf club repair. American history is another one of his interests.

Mrs. Sturgeon likes to read, paint and decorate. She is a willing “Masonic widow” and a supportive partner in service to the fraternity. For more information about Grand Master Sturgeon and the 21st Century Masonic Renaissance, please visit www.pagrandlodge.org.

The Village Voice • Winter 2010

Masonic Village at Lafayette Hill Celebrates Eden Alternative® Registration

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fter a three-year journey, the Masonic Village at Lafayette Hill has completed its registration as an Eden Alternative® site, making a public commitment to creating a less institutionalized, healthier environment for residents and those who care for them.

The Eden Alternative® is a cultural movement targeted at improving quality of life for long term care residents and recapturing a meaningful work life for their caregivers. It is dedicated to the creation of communities which eliminate the feelings of loneliness, helplessness and boredom that residents of long term care communities often experience.

The process of “Edenizing” Masonic Village began three years ago with renovations to the nursing care and personal care living areas, new dining rooms, a new therapy suite, a new great room and a new country kitchen which residents and family members use for cooking sessions and private family dinners. With these renovations came adjustments to the dining experience. Food is served restaurant-style with residents selecting food at the time of service, rather than selecting choices a week in advance. The hours when breakfast is served have been expanded so residents can sleep late if they choose and still receive a full breakfast as late as 10 a.m.

Top photo: Lakita Gill, Restorative Assistant; resident Rina Calderone; Ruth Waddington, Living areas have been given less institutional names: the nursing care area has been named Whitemarsh Assistant Director of Nursing; and resident Commons, and units (now referred to as neighborhoods) within this area have been designated as Rose Lane, Nancy Schultz at this past summer’s beach party.

Wisteria Way and Magnolia Drive, all names selected by residents. To include residents in decision making, staff meet monthly with residents from each neighborhood to plan events. Recent activities have included a beach party Bottom photo: Lorraine Hirst with Prodigy Learning Center student Asia Warren. with a wading pool and sand box, and a formal Harvest Ball featuring elegant dining and entertainment.

“Morale has greatly increased, and staff are always looking for ways they can make each day special for the residents placed in their care,” Lorraine Lardani, N.H.A., Administrator of Health Services, said. “Teamwork is not only among staff. Residents and staff have formed a cohesive team.”

Volunteerism is increasing on the campus. Two schools visit with residents weekly. A pet therapist works with the therapy services department, and Pals for Life and the Bark Mitzvah Brigade bring animals to visit with residents. An aviary has been placed in the Whitemarsh Commons, inviting residents and visitors to observe the feathered friends.

The core concept of the Eden Alternative® encourages caretakers to see places where elders live as their home rather than facilities for the frail and elderly. Instead of relying only on pills and traditional therapies, staff embrace a warm culture that is characterized by optimism, trust, generosity and people working together to enhance the quality of life for elders.

Changes have been implemented and staff have been educated through the aid of the Masonic Village’s Eden Associates: Lynn Christ, Director of Social Services; Greg Thomas, Director of Food Services; Victoria Ridge, Director of Nursing; and Lorraine. These four staff members attended a three-day training in the Ten Principles of the Eden Alternative®, the guidelines for implementing the philosophy. Masonic Village’s Eden Alternative® journey is not over. This culture change is a continuous collaborative process among residents, staff of all levels and disciplines, volunteers and family members.

“We’ll measure success by the satisfaction of residents, family members and staff,” Lorraine said. “Masonic Village is a place where loving companionship is ever present and the opportunity to give care as well as receive care takes place on a daily basis. Life revolves around close and continuing contact with plants, animals and children, which in turn give residents the pathway to a true sense of worth.”

Founded in 1991, by Dr. William Thomas, a Harvard-educated physician and Board Certified Geriatrician, the Eden Alternative® has been adopted by more than 10,000 Associates and 270 registered homes in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. The Masonic Village at Lafayette Hill is one of 11 long term care communities in Pennsylvania, including the Masonic Villages at Elizabethtown and Warminster, to be recognized as a registered Eden Alternative® site. Masonic Village at Sewickley is in the process of becoming registered.

The View from Sewickley Through the Village Views newsletter, Will White has been bringing valuable information and a smile to residents of the Masonic Village at Sewickley for more than five years.

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hen Will White and his wife, Lynn, were looking into retirement communities six years ago, one thing they started paying attention to was each community’s newsletter or magazine highlighting events, news and people on campus. Such a publication encourages communication among people in the community and keeps everyone well informed.

The Whites selected the Masonic Village at Sewickley as their new home, which along with the four other Masonic Villages across the state, shares this newsletter, the Village Voice. Will thought residents at Sewickley could also use a newsletter featuring information specific only to their location, sprinkled with poems and anecdotes. After receiving the support of administration and fellow residents, his vision became a reality with the Village Views.

“It’s a good way to become acquainted with the community,” he said. “I receive a lot of help – residents and staff are invited to send me news, poems and jokes. It is a real community effort.”

Published monthly, the newsletter’s November issue included a flu shot update, a listing of new books available in the library, suggestions on local computer repair services and new residents’ telephone numbers. Any nook and cranny included a quote or other words of wisdom. Will, whose background includes work as an advertising copywriter, spends at least one day a week working on the newsletter.

“People seem to enjoy it,” Will said. “It seems to include information they want. I receive voluntary compliments all the time. I’ve been very encouraged in my efforts.”

John Haught, representing the Masonic Village at Sewickley’s Retirement Living Association Executive Committee and all of the retirement living residents, recently presented Will with a plaque recognizing him for his dedication to the Village Views. The plaque includes a clock which, according to Will, gently ticks a constant reminder that another deadline is coming up!

The Masonic Village provided everything the Whites were looking for in a retirement community, including the opportunity to follow through with an idea. In addition to serving as editor of the Village Views, Will is also very active in the art group, teaches computer classes and participates in lifelong learning programs. “This village is very well run,” he Will White and John Haught said. “All the services are quite good. Above all, having new friends is our favorite part. It’s a genuinely nice life.”

The Village Voice • Winter 2010

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Staff Spotlight: Betty Mignona

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A New World

fter the passing of her husband, Betty Mignona, Nursing Assistant at Masonic Village at Lafayette Hill, spent nearly a year mourning his death when she had an awakening. She felt she had to make a really big difference in the world, even if it was for one day. Brought up in an orphanage and raised by nuns, Betty decided she wanted to help children.

Her niece was involved in missionary work, and Betty asked herself, “Why not me?”

On Oct. 17, the one-year anniversary of her husband’s death, she departed for Uganda and found her calling. The trip was organized by Word In Deed Ministries, whose director has had an ongoing Betty with relationship with a church in Uganda since 1980, and other African countries over the last several a residen t of Ntenje years. Since that first church opened, 57 more have been opened, along with four schools and one ru, Ugan da medical clinic, and the ministry has provided aid for developing business training and start-ups.

In preparation for her two-week journey, Betty raised money by selling items at flea markets and yard sales, and sent letters to local businesses and anyone she met, requesting donations such as toothbrushes, toothpaste and small medical supplies.

“You can’t ship supplies into the area because they could be confiscated,” she said. “The clinics depend on people visiting the area to bring supplies with them.”

It took three days of traveling to arrive in Ntenjeru, Uganda, which is approximately 100 miles from Uganda’s capital, Kamapla. “It’s like everything you see on television, and worse,” she said of her first impressions. “It’s dusty, and they cook outdoors on a one-burner grill with wood or coal.”

She stayed in a compound, which was locked at night. Her group experienced no hostility, despite recent uprisings in the area which left 90 people dead. Violence plagues Uganda’s northeastern Karamoja region, where small arms groups have Children hold up their toothbrushes and toothpaste. aggravated banditry and cattle raiding. The country is also still reeling from the reign of Idi Amin, military dictator and president of Uganda from 1971 to 1979, whose regime is estimated by human rights groups to have killed between 100,000 and 500,000 people.

The team’s mission was to deliver supplies, open the medical clinic that Word In Deed Ministries had built and see to the care of the people who came from the surrounding villages. This was an especially significant achievement because there were no other medical facilities within a 100-mile radius, and there is no public transportation available.

Some of the tasks Betty was asked to conduct were teaching basic hygiene habits to children, like washing their hands before meals and brushing their teeth afterwards. She also helped to teach the children Bible studies and new songs.

Once the clinic was open, Betty assisted with admissions. The 30 chairs in the waiting room Ribbon-cutting at the first medical clinic in Ntenjeru, remained full and a line wrapped around the building throughout her entire visit. Anyone was Uganda, before a crowd of more than 500 attendees. welcome regardless of religion, race or income. She distinctly remembers the sound of the chairs scraping the floor as patients anxiously moved up in line, one at a time. The clinic was turned over to the town upon her group’s departure.

“My people skills came in handy,” she said. “The residents were very curious about us. The children love to touch and be touched. We did the best with what we had. There are no cures for many of their ailments. Things like that still haunt me.”

During their time off, Betty and her group were able to see the wild side of Africa on a two-day safari. “Hippos greeted us, crocodiles were 18 feet away and herds of giraffes, elephants, baboons – everything you’d ever want to see – passed us,” she said.

Betty grew close to the other missionaries and residents, including an artist whose education she would love to sponsor. Most of all, she will never forget the children she met.

“It was a gift of a lifetime to work with the children,” Betty said. “There was so much warmth and graciousness from the families. I left with a fullness. I’m happy – happy my husband is rested and not suffering, and happy I was able to focus my time on children. I also came back with a nice tan!

“I’m in disbelief it was over so quickly. I’m going back in 2011 to see what has changed.”

Africa’s Wild Side

Do you know a Masonic Village employee who has gone above and beyond their daily responsibilities to provide care and services for our residents? Do you know an employee who, in addition to dedicating himself or herself to Masonic Village, is involved in an interesting activity outside of work, i.e. a hidden talent, community service, recent award or honor, etc.? We would like to feature him or her as our Staff Spotlight. Please submit names for consideration to Debra Davis, Public Relations Coordinator, One Masonic Drive, Elizabethtown, PA 17022; call (717) 367-1121, ext. 33529; or e-mail ddavis@masonicvillagespa.org.

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The Village Voice • Winter 2010

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ooking to start a model railroad club, residents of the Masonic Village at Lafayette Hill turned to the veterans at the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown, who in conjunction with the local community, have had a model railroad club since 1997. With the donation of an HO gauge track from Elizabethtown, the choo choo enthusiasts in Lafayette Hill are on the right track.

The track, known as the Foster unit, was built by a member of the Masonic Village & Elizabethtown Model Railroad Club for a friend by the name of David Foster, giving the unit its name. Mr. Foster donated it to Masonic Village about 10 years ago.

In the last decade, the Elizabethtown club has built a larger HO gauge track, and having two was unnecessary. Residents from Lafayette Hill visited the club a year ago and expressed interest in starting their own group. To help them get their club up and running, Elizabethtown members donated the Foster unit to Lafayette Hill’s club.

“The fellows in Elizabethtown have been so good to us,” Lafayette Hill club member Don Sirianni, Sr., said. “They’re real nice and happy to help us.” Elizabethtown members include Ray Betz, Dick Fernback, Dick Evans, Ed Allen and Gary Joline. Through the assistance of Adrienne Staudenmayer, Executive Director at Lafayette Hill, and Raymond Tierney, Chief Operating Officer - Retirement Living Services, the club found a home for the track and transportation from Elizabethtown to Lafayette Hill.

It was a rainy Saturday in June when the unit was moved using two large trucks and 10 helpers. Extra movers traveled in a car and the crew headed to Lafayette Hill, where members of both clubs assembled the track in the Retirement Living Game Room. Chief engineer Chris Reynolds, of Lafayette Hill, did much of the carpentry work for the display.

The unit actually includes two tracks. The train on top takes approximately a minute and a half to make one trip around. A second track has been built under the table and is visible through a rectangular window – perfect for

younger train enthusiasts. The wall around the window includes more than 400 “bricks” with the names of people who have donated a dollar or more to the railroad club. Representations of local celebrities Joe Paterno, Penn State football coach, and the Philly Phanatic can be found rounding the tracks.

Once they had the train set up and the model buildings constructed, all the club needed was a name. Through a contest, 147 ideas were submitted.

Residents Eleanor Rankin and Bob Rodgers came up with the winner: Ridge Railroad. In November, members of the Ridge Railroad Club and their guests dedicated the new track. The club purchased conductor hats for members, including pink ones for ladies.

The club is open to all residents and was started with one main goal: get people moving.

“Everyone is very excited and has been dropping in to see what’s happening,” Don said. “We’re starting to get cars out for people to paint.

Residents from the nursing care area came through the other day. It really cheered them up. One woman was so excited because her father used to have trains.”

“Families come to visit, and they always want to see the train,” Chis Reynolds said. “I get calls all the time to come down and run the train.”

Wooden whistles with the club’s name are given out to children who visit.

The group plans to hold regular meetings and work sessions so they can establish by-laws and collaborate on layouts. In the meantime, they have been visiting other train displays in the area and reading articles and books about trains. The club also received additional equipment from the spouse of a local Masonic brother which will be showcased in the near future.

“We’re having fun,” Don said. “Most of us haven’t played with trains in more than 60 years. We enjoy tinkering around.”

For more information about the Ridge Railroad Club or to make a donation, contact Don Sirianni at (610) 941-7041.

(Left) Members of the Masonic Village & Elizabethtown Model Railroad Club load a railroad track onto a truck to be shipped to the Masonic Village at Lafayette Hill. (Center) Members of the Ridge Railroad Club visit Elizabethtown. Back row (l-r): Nelson Williams, Bob Rodgers, George Gilson, Don Sirianni, Wallace Lyall and Norman Day. Front row: Chris Reynolds and Bob Wentz. (Right) Dylan Bottomer, grandson of resident Barbara Shields, looks at the track in its new home at Lafayette Hill.

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Feast of the Tabernacles

he Feast of the Tabernacles, also called Booths, is a Jewish holiday celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei (late September to late October). It is one of the three biblical pilgrim festivals when it was traditional for Jews to visit the Temple in Jerusalem. This is Israel’s Thanksgiving feast in which they acknowledge the fall harvest and God’s provision for them. It is a happy celebration and a time of joy and rejoicing.

In honor of this holiday, the Pastoral Care Department at the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown built a Sukkot booth for its Jewish residents.

“We have begun quite an extensive ministry with our Jewish residents under the leadership of Pastor Gary George, Pastor Margaret Rohnacher and Rabbi Shaya Sackett from Lancaster,” Rev. A. Preston Van Deursen, Director of Pastoral Care, said. “It is Gary and Betty Lou Waters keep warm at the Feast of the something new so we can begin to enhance the lives of our Jewish residents.”

Tabernacles.

According to www.bible-truth.org, the word Sukkot is the plural of the Hebrew word sukkah, meaning booth or hut. The sukkah is reminiscent of the type of fragile dwellings in which the ancient Israelites dwelt during their 40 years of wandering in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt. Throughout the holiday, the sukkah becomes the living area of the house and all meals are eaten in it. On each day of the holiday, members of the household recite a blessing over the lulav, a closed frond of the date palm tree, and etrog, the fruit of a citron tree. The lulav and etrog are two of the Four Species. The waving of the Four Species is a commandment or mitzvah prescribed by the Torah, and contains symbolic allusions to a Jew’s service of God. Masonic Village’s booth did not serve as a dwelling, as traditions dictate, but its location outside the Masonic Health Care Center made it a great educational opportunity for residents and staff of all faiths.

As part of the Feast of the Tabernacles blessing, Rabbi Shaya Sackett, of the Congregation Pegal Israel, stands in front of the Sukkot booth while waving the lulav and etrog.

The Village Voice • Winter 2010

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Masonic Village at Elizabethtown In recognition of the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown’s 100th anniversary, throughout 2010, the Village Voice will feature articles about the village’s past from the perspective of those who have lived at, worked for and given back (or still do) to the organization. Following are the stories of several residents who found care and guidance as children at the Masonic Children’s Home, and have returned as residents or staff. First opened in 1913, the children’s home originally provided for children and their widowed parent (of Masonic relation). As the Masonic Village’s mission has evolved, the children’s home of today is a residence for 40 school-age children who are orphaned, being raised by aging grandparents, or who come from various socioeconomic environments which do not provide the security and support necessary for healthy growth and development. A Masonic relation is no longer a requirement.

Boys Will Be Boys ~ Robert “Toby” Tobias

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n 1934, a packed suitcase rested nearby, but the little boy’s knuckles turned white as he obstinately clutched the doorknob to his home, refusing to leave. A Mason had come to take the boy to the Masonic Children’s Home, although 11-year-old Robert “Toby” Tobias had no intention of leaving his mother and everything he knew. After the man assured Toby he would make friends and have fun at his new home, Toby reluctantly released the doorknob.

When Toby finally arrived at the children’s home, his experience impacted him deeply and made him the man and Mason he is today. But first, as the adage says, “boys will be boys.”

Toby’s reservations didn’t end at his front door. As a child, he couldn’t understand why he had to live at the children’s home, but the realities of the Depression had affected his family greatly. His father, a Mason, had passed away, and his mother couldn’t support Toby Toby (middle row, fourth from left) and other children from the boys’ and his three younger sisters. “It was so crowded at the children’s home at that time during home showing off their Christmas presents, circa 1936. the Depression that the girls’ home was full ... There was no room for my sisters.” They went to live at the Elkins Home for women and children in Philadelphia, while Toby moved to Elizabethtown alone.

“Back in those days, they were concerned with childhood diseases,” Toby explained. Like the rest of the children, he spent two weeks with another boy quarantined at the Philadelphia Freemasons’ Memorial Hospital (now the Masonic Health Care Center) on campus before he was taken to his room in the Brown Home, where he lived for two years before moving to the (smaller) Smith Cottage and the (larger) Smith Building in eighth grade. His mother wasn’t allowed to visit for the first three months of his stay until he became acclimated to his new home. After that, she faithfully traveled by train with the mother of some other boys to see her son every month.

“After a while, I got used to living here. I got to know some of the other guys, and we all got along well. … We did some bad things we got in trouble for,” Toby said.

There used to be a reservoir behind the Brown Home that provided water to Elizabethtown. “I’d just learned to swim … one summer night we went up there to go swimming. I almost drowned, and some big boy pulled me out,” Toby said. “Boy, we got it then!” Major Johnson, the boys’ home counselor, was not happy. Punishments often included being assigned extra details, in addition to the daily responsibilities the boys already had. If the boys were really bad, Major Johnson would get out the switch and spank the boys, as was common and considered an appropriate punishment at that time.

“Major Johnson thought of himself as a weatherman,” Toby said. He had a tool in his office to help predict the weather. Even if it was sunny out, he would make the boys take their rain coats and galoshes to school if he predicted rain. The other children made fun of them. “One day, we decided to put our rain coats and galoshes and everything back behind the bushes and go to school and pick them up on the way home. We were doing that for a while.

One day, we all went back and they were all gone,” Toby said. Major Johnson called everyone back to the gymnasium and the raincoats were piled in the center of the floor. “That’s another thing we got in trouble for,” he said with a chuckle.

While the boys found ways to bend and break the rules, the children’s home was very regimented at the time. The boys were responsible for daily details, had to be punctual and worked during the summers.

When Toby lived in the Smith buildings, he and the other boys ate in the big dining room in the Brown Building. “Everyone had to take their turn doing table detail,” Toby explained. At that time, the children walked to school, and punctuality was not optional. “When everybody got up from the table, [if you had detail,] you had to do the dishes, dry them and put them back on the table and get to school and not be late,” he said. The little boys could not always keep up, so the older one would pick up the children, two boys grabbing the hands of one younger child, to carry them. Lunch was also served at the Brown Home, so the same hustle from the dining room to school repeated at the noon hour.

For lunch and dinner, the food was preset on the table in family style. Occasionally, an unevenly pre-sliced sheet cake would wait in the middle for the hungry boys. “We all had to stand around the table to say grace before we could sit down. We all had a little marker we put in the top of that cake, and nobody better take your slice! One guy put a fork, and the other, a fingerprint. All the pieces were marked. That used to be fun!” Toby smiled as he rested back in his armchair.

Every day, the boys had to scrub the steps, clean the bathrooms and tidy their rooms. “We didn’t have any cleaning help coming in,” Toby said. “Saturday was a day we never got out to play before lunch because we had details to do.” In the afternoons, the children went swimming in the pool along Serpentine Road, and every Saturday evening, they watched a movie. During the summers, the children usually picked green beans every day and took the vegetables to the cannery where the adult residents canned the food for later use. He did not get paid for picking beans. “This was the Depression. They didn’t have money to pay us. We were sort of working for our stay, which I didn’t think was bad. Nobody complained about it,” he said. The government later mandated the children receive compensation for their work.

“After we completed the ninth grade, if I’d had all A’s, they would have sent me to college, but I didn’t have all A’s. The rest of us … went over to Patton to learn a trade,” Toby said.

Toby in 2010

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The Village Voice • Winter 2010

A Legacy of Love When he arrived at the Thomas Ranken Patton Masonic Institution for Boys, Toby had to attend the upperclassmen’s initiation night in the gymnasium, and even the instructors and superintendent were present to ensure all went well. The seniors laid out wrestling mats and threw a rope over a beam to create a pulley. They tied one end to a piece of wood.

“We had to stand up on that wood, and they blindfolded us,” he said. The upperclassmen told the freshman that they were going to lift him up to the ceiling and make him jump. In reality, two older boys only held the freshman about two feet off the ground and faked the rest of the stunt.

When the scared freshman jumped, everyone enjoyed a laugh while the younger boys safely hit the ground.

“We had what they called ‘Senior Rule,’” Toby said. “The instructors would say, ‘Hey, take care of Toby, he messed up today,’ and they’d wait for you.” One day Toby did something bad, so the seniors made him Toby (back row, second from left) on the 1942 Patton School football team and a buddy sing a song. While the seniors sometimes took the role of disciplinarian, there was much camaraderie between the classes.

A typical day at Patton School included waking up early to fulfill kitchen and cleaning details. The freshmen and juniors had shop in the morning and four hours of academic classes in the afternoon, and the seniors’ schedules were reversed. After school, Toby played on the football team.

“We were allowed to go into town on Friday nights and Saturday nights,” Toby said, as long as they had behaved that week. Several of the young men visited their girlfriends in town on those nights.

Around the time Toby moved to the Patton School, World War II began. “We were halfway through our junior year when the Army came and drafted us all,” he said. The administrators argued that the government said the boys could finish high school before serving their military duty, but because it was a trade school, the stipulation did not apply.

Toby spent 2 ½ years in the 3rd infantry division of the Army. When he got home from Europe, he began working as a carpenter in Philadelphia, but he had little work during the winter, so he learned to be an electrician, which enabled him to work during the entire year.

In 1948, Toby found a way to give back to the organization that had given him so much in life: he became a Mason in Mitchell Lodge No. 296, Jenkintown. At the time, Stewart Goodwin, who also grew up at the children’s home, was the Worshipful Master of the lodge. “I always knew I was going to become a Mason,” Toby said.

In 1951, Toby married his wife, Bonnie. He built a summer cottage along the Elk River in Maryland, and later built a house in front of the cottage where he and Bonnie moved after his retirement. Bonnie began to fall ill, so the couple moved to the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown in 1991, in part because of the convenient medical services it offered. They were the first ones to move into their section of the brand new Buchanan retirement living apartments. Bonnie passed away in 1994.

Toby is a member of the Masonic Life Center, the wellness center on campus, and has become very involved in the Roosters’ Corner Woodworking Shop, where he builds intricate tables, chests and other furniture for residents, employees, friends and to sell. When the Smith Building was remodeled into retirement living apartments in 1998, Toby salvaged the wood shelves from his old room to make a keepsake piece for himself – a telephone table.

Toby looks back on his time spent at the Masonic Village as a child with joy and gratitude to the fraternity. While he no longer finds himself in trouble for breaking the rules, Toby has dozens of memories of when he was just a boy looking for adventure at the Masonic Village.

Memories of Mice and Mischief ~Grace Keefer

E

ntering the long, tree-lined boulevard stretching from the train station across the front of the Grand Lodge Hall is something of a time warp for Grace Keefer, a current resident at the Masonic Village who grew up at the Masonic Children’s Home. “Sometimes when I go past there, I can hear us laughing,” she said. “I can really hear us laughing and having, oh, such a good time.” A single tear found its way down her cheek from a glistening eye that still bears the spark of fond and life-altering memories from her childhood.

Grace’s father died when she was 4 years old. “Thank goodness my father was a Mason!” Grace said. This single fact made it possible for her to live at the Masonic Children’s Home. Grace’s mother did not want to send her 5-year-old daughter away, but she had no other option. “That was during the Depression years, and my mother was having a very hard time of it,” Grace explained. “I remember her crying, and three men came in a car and brought me down here.”

When Grace arrived at the children’s home on August 17, 1933, all of the children were on vacation. “I spent a couple weeks here with nobody else but myself, and it was very scary,” she said. Even though the house mothers were still in the building, “I used to cry and hide under the beds.”

Grace was reassured when the children returned. She shared a room with three other girls her own age on the first floor of the Eisenlohr Dormitory (the smaller of the two Eisenlohr buildings).

Grace especially enjoyed the time she spent outside and playing with the other children. At the time, the girls’ home had a large playground with swings, trapeze rings, hopscotch and a sandbox the size of four dining room tables. “I loved playing in that sandbox. It was so nice and cool!” she said as a grin swept across her face. “There was a pine tree near the sandbox, and I used to climb it almost all the way up to the top because there was a robin’s nest up there. I would go up and look at her eggs – I wouldn’t touch them – and then I’d go back down. I loved climbing trees.”

When the children couldn’t play outside, the girls would entertain themselves in the recreation room in the basement of Eisenlohr Dormitory. They took tricycles from outside down there to ride in the winter. The room also had tables for coloring and crafts and a big closet with a shelf for each girl to keep her masterpieces on. The girls played with paper dolls and cut out clothes for them. Grace planned to be a designer when she grew up.

Grace told the story of one particularly memorable day in the recreation room: “I caught this mouse, and I dressed it up. I put it in a doll carriage, and I wouldn’t let it go. I bet that poor mouse was having a heart attack! I kept watching him and taking him for rides, but when we went for dinner, it escaped.” She chuckled as she thought of how the dresses hung off the mouse.

When the snow came, the children bundled up and went sledding. “Daddy Eisenlohr always gave us a present every year for Christmas,” Grace said. The children wrote down what they wanted on a slip of paper and gave it to the house mothers. One year, Grace asked for skis. When she got them, she and her friends would go cross country skiing across the back of the campus around where Eden View Road is now located, and along the

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“What fun I had growing up here, and I’m enjoying myself once again.” farm. Grace never saw Daddy Eisenlohr, but she still praises his generosity that brought hundreds of smiles to children’s faces.

Growing up at the children’s home required taking personal responsibility. “We came back from lunch one day and went in our bedroom for something, and Mrs. Stevens (the house mother) had dumped all my clothes on the floor. The girls who were older than me said, ‘It’s your fault, you didn’t put them away nice.’ … So they showed me how to put them away nicely,” Grace said. Even though Mrs. Stevens regularly checked the girls’ drawers, that was the last time Grace had her clothes dumped on the floor.

By the age of 7, Grace traveled alone by train to see her mother for vacation because her mother wasn’t able to make the trip to pick her up. Grace boarded the only train headed to Erie at 11 p.m., with a tag hanging from her neck stating her name and where she was going. “I didn’t sleep the whole time,” she said. “I was petrified.” The conductor kept an eye on her, and she rode the train like that once a year for nine years.

By age 10, Grace was expected to help pick green beans in the garden so the adults could can them.

Walnuts were gathered and placed in the basement until they ripened. The children’s job was to sit out in the grass on the playground and pound the black, ripe walnuts through holes in small wooden planks to clean them. Even with gloves on, the children finished the task with dark stains on their clothing and skin.

Even with the organization and supervision of the children’s home, the girls found time to cause mischief, normally involving their favorite treats. “We used to swipe potato chips,” Grace said with a reminiscent grin. “We used to open the window and hand the can out the window to the girls outside.

Every Sunday night we got potato chips, and when Sunny, the cook, would go to get them – no chips!”

Grace, around age 14 Sunny started locking the chips in a closet, but that didn’t stop the young girls. They would walk to the edge of the Eisenlohr porch and lean out across the railing to shimmy the closet window open so they could crawl in for their forbidden snack.

The guidance the children received was balanced with opportunities to grow and explore life on their own. This combination helped shape the girls into responsible teens who were expected to work throughout the Masonic Village campus. The youth worked every day in the summer and on the weekends when school was in session.

Grace had a job at the Philadelphia Freemasons’ Memorial Hospital where she worked from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. with a two-hour break in the afternoon.

She assisted the nurses and served and collected trays from the patients. Her efforts earned her $.75 a day, which went into a savings account that she could use, with permission, to purchase trinkets. When Grace was 14 or 15, she also worked the switchboard Saturday nights. “I didn’t get paid, but I thought I was a big shot,” Grace said with enthusiasm that revealed a hint of that same youthful pride. “That was fun. I liked doing that. ... Every place I went to work, everyone was nice to us.”

Grace also enjoyed dancing in the Grand Lodge Hall. The children had dances with festive decorations in the basement for Halloween. The New Year’s Eve Dance was held in the assembly room, and the children danced on the terrace on other occasions. No dance was complete without a live band. The dances were one of the few times the boys and girls from the children’s home congregated together unless they were walking to school.

The children’s home had a room in Eisenlohr where they maintained a collection of gowns for the girls. “I got invited to a Patton dance, and we went up there and picked out the gown. … It was a yellow gown, and the guy who was my partner was impressed when I came down the steps,” Grace said.

One day, a Mason arrived at the Masonic Village to speak to the young residents. His words have impacted Grace to this day. “He had a rock in his hand,” Grace said. “He talked about taking a rock and forming your life on this rock.” She paused to collect herself as she choked on tears, remembering the years surrounding World War II and this man’s bravery and wisdom. “He was a Navy man, and he got killed during the war, but I can still see him.”

After her many meaningful experiences, Grace did not graduate from the children’s home. “Those were very upsetting years. It was during World War II. A bunch of guys were going into the service, and a bunch of guys from the children’s home went to war,” Grace explained. “I spent my senior year at home. I wish I wouldn’t have, but I did. It was a mistake I made,” she lamented. “I decided just before I went on vacation, ‘I’m staying home with my mother.’”

Grace graduated from Erie East High and found a job at the Boston Dry Goods Store where she worked in the cosmetics department, but her childhood remained close to her heart.

“When I was at the children’s home, our cook, Sunny, had a grandson – boy, was he good looking! His name was Paul Keefer. Somehow we got connected, and because he was the grandson of our cook, they allowed me to go on a date with him,” Grace said. She ventured into Elizabethtown with the boy and attended movies. When Paul went into the service, Grace wrote to him the entire time. “And when he got out, we got married,” she said.

Paul and Grace had six children. When the youngest was 9 or 10, Grace began working at the H. B. Reese Candy Co. After 25 years, the passing of her husband and witnessing her children settling into jobs and lives of their own, she took an early retirement and moved to Florida where she worked at Disney World for another 25 years. “I loved working for Disney!” she said with pep. “I took your money with a smile.”

She retired at age 79 when she fell and became ill. After a flight to Pennsylvania, a second fall and a stay in the Hershey Medical Center, Grace moved back to Masonic Village because her son was a Mason. This time, she lives in the Freemasons Building.

“What fun I had growing up here, and I’m enjoying myself once again,” she said. Grace goes shopping on Mondays, and she visits the ceramics studio on Tuesday mornings, where she made many Christmas presents for her six children, 12 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren last year.

In the dining room, Grace sits at what some might consider the “rowdy” table. Friends will sometimes comment that they can hear the laughter and banter of the people at her table across the room. Two turtles in Grace’s room provide constant company, but her pride and joy is her collection of plants growing wildly up her window. “I love plants!” she said, as she pointed out the pink begonias, African violets, coleus plant, and others.

Grace credits the children’s home for her many fun and interesting experiences as a child and for much of the full life she lives today. “I love the way I grew up. … All the things we had, wow!” Grace said. “Mrs. Stevens taught me how to embroider. Sunny taught me how to crochet, and I’m still crocheting. Mrs. Basehore taught me how to sew. … I would spend a lot of time up in that sewing room.

“When I had my children, I made their clothes.” In a way, because of the skills she learned at the children’s home, Grace became the designer she aspired to as a child, and so much more.

Grace in 2010

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The Village Voice • Winter 2010

A Good Thing ~ Sam McNew

W

hen 7-year-old Sam McNew arrived at the Masonic Children’s Home in 1969, he instantly made a name for himself – just not the one he wanted.

Raised mostly by his grandparents, including an especially overbearing grandmother, Sam was somewhat sheltered.

He was accustomed to his grandmother doing things for him, including cutting up his food. At his first meal at the children’s home, not wanting to draw attention to himself or ask for help, he ate a large piece of chicken and began choking.

“This was my first impression in front of 50 new roommates and future friends,” he said.

Sam came to the children’s home after the passing of his grandfather, Clair Overmiller, a member of Good Samaritan Lodge No. 336, Gettysburg. While still living, Clair made his wife, Shirley, promise that upon his death, Sam would be sent to the Masonic Children’s Home. Despite wanting to care for the boy herself, she fulfilled her late husband’s wishes and Sam moved into the Smith Cottage at the Masonic Village.

Sam’s grandmother also made a name for herself at the children’s home. The retired chief of nursing at a large hospital, she was used to having command of every situation. She questioned meal times and furnishings in Sam’s new home, and even demanded to know why it rained on visiting day.

“It was good for me to be at the children’s home,” Sam said. “And for her. I was too much for her to handle alone. I didn’t have any worries here.”

Sam shared a room with four other boys. Each boy had his own bed, dresser and closet. At first, the massive stone Smith Home seemed big and empty to him because the other children were at school. “We had huge bedrooms, a gym and a playroom. It was a big place, but I felt safe in the old stone building,” he said.

Each child had a chore to complete, whether it was sweeping the porch steps or working in the dining room. On Saturdays, their chore was more extensive, such as washing the steps instead of just sweeping them. The kids also had to work in the farm fields on campus during the summer. Older kids picked beans and cherries while the younger ones dug up potatoes. They earned money that went into their savings accounts which they had access to upon graduation.

“We would dig up a bushel of potatoes and then report it for the farmer to tally,” Sam said. “So it looked like we were working hard, we would just dump out the basket and refill it with the same potatoes. At the end of the day, the farmer would have 90 bushels tallied but only 30 in his truck.”

All the youth had to take swimming lessons. During the summer months, when they weren’t working in the field, the kids spent 3 ½ hours in the pool every day. When they traveled across campus for church, movies and other events, they lined up youngest to oldest for inspection and then marched to their destination. “The older boys looked out for the younger boys,” Sam said.

On Saturdays, Sam would listen to “American Top 40” on the radio. He really enjoyed music and his collection included hand-me-down Beatles albums. One of the house parents had the “Jesus Christ Superstar” sound track, which was played often, and still plays in Sam’s head today. Each home also had a television room and the strongest personality was usually the one who picked the programs the group watched. Around 1977, the advent of Pong, one of the earliest arcade video games featuring simple two-dimensional graphics, began Sam’s lifelong love affair with video games.

Bed times ranged from 8 p.m. for the younger children to 9:30 p.m. for the older ones. In high school, if youth wanted to go to a football game or other social activity on the weekend, they could stay up later, if they filled out a permission slip and turned it into the house parents by Wednesday.

Like any typical child, Sam got into his share of trouble, including setting a pile of pine needles on fire after experimenting with a cigar, and kicking a ball through a window.

“Each administrator had his or her own idea how to regulate and punish us,” Sam said. “This included what we wore and our haircuts. There were some limitations like not being able to drive that made us jealous of other kids we went to school with who had these privileges.”

Visiting day was held once a month. This is when Sam’s grandmother would take the train from Paoli to Elizabethtown to see him. During his five-week summer vacation, Sam returned home with her. When he was 13 years old, she passed away, and he went to vacation with his great aunt in North Carolina. Children who did not have relatives to stay with attended a camp during the summer break.

In between the summer vacation and the school year, the children’s home began taking trips to the beach. One Mason allowed them to use his vacation home in Pleasantville, N.J., and time was also spent camping in Cape May. During the holiday season, children were given an allotted amount of money to spend and picked items out of a JCPenney catalog. Lodges generously donated gifts also, and all items were locked in a room until Christmas.

“On Christmas morning, they’d unlock the door and you’d run in this big room full of toys and find which ones were yours,” Sam said. “It was fun because everyone was together.”

Sam graduated from Elizabethtown Area High School in 1980 and went on to attend college, after which he was not sure what he wanted to do or where he wanted to live. His friend Tony Schafer, who grew up with him at the children’s home, encouraged him to return to the Masonic Village in 1984 to work in the kitchen. This is where Sam met his wife, Tammy, and Tony, now a Dispatcher/Kitchen Utility worker, was the best man at their wedding. Currently, in his 25th year at Masonic Village, Sam is a Central Supply Customer Representative.

He served as the Children’s Home/Patton School Alumni Association Secretary for one term and Historian for 10 years, and has attended several Patton School/Masonic Children’s Home reunions.

He feels nostalgic when he drives by his old home, which now provides a home for retirement living residents, while also appreciating the new location of the children’s home on Eden View Road (as of 1994).

“Without the children’s home, it would have just been me and my grandmother,” Sam said. “She was set in her ways, and there’s a good chance I would have rebelled and then who knows where I would have ended up. Without my grandfather’s Masonic connection, I don’t know what I would have done.”

Sam in April 1970

Christmas morning at the children’s home, 1970

Sam and house parent Mr. Rouas, 1970

Sam with his grandmother, 1974

Sam (top row, left) with the Purchasing and Materials Management Department, 2009

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Margaret Talpash, a resident at the Masonic Village at Sewickley, was a veteran of WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) which was stationed in Washington, D.C. Upon her recent passing, her nephew, Bill Petkanics, brought the flag presented to her family at her funeral to the Masonic Village and requested it be flown on the campus. Shown above, Bill (right), who said his aunt’s care at Masonic Village was wonderful, raises the flag with Marine veteran Jim Hughes (left), Security Supervisor.

Village Lafayette Hill hosted an open house in September featuring a “From Opera to Broadway” concert with pianist Alex Ramirez and soprano Michelle Schulman who performed musical selections from Puccini, Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and more.

Shown left at the reception are Norma Leis and Joyce Wallis.

The Masonic Village at Sewickley Advisory Council hosted a Pirates and Princesses party for residents in the personal care and nursing care residences. The afternoon included crafts, a treasure hunt, (the pirates stole all of the princesses’ treasures), refreshments, ballroom dancing and bingo. Shown above is resident and pirate Tom McIntyre.

Residents and staff of the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown donated funds toward the purchase of trees that have been planted along the Conoy Creek which recently underwent legacy sediment removal. The project, the result of a Pennsylvania DEP Growing Greener grant and Masonic Village funding, has restored 3,200 feet of the creek’s floodplain, improved local water resources, re-established wetlands and enhanced wildlife.

In Warminster, Diane Harrer and Doris D’Ardenne are in the Halloween spirit at a party for residents.

Harriet Kline and Mabel Ragan show their Halloween spirit in Lafayette Hill.

Julia Raybold, daughter of Tina Raybold, Director of Public Relations; resident Virginia Appley in her favorite Raggedy Ann costume; and Kimberly Trout, Recreation/Music Therapist, at the Costume Ball in Elizabethtown.

Sewickley resident Wayne Colteryahn enjoys a Trick or Treat visit from Connor Szymoniak, son of Richelle DiVito, Activities Coordinator.

USO Tribute Show

Left, Annie Bisher at Dallas’ annual Halloween gathering. This year’s theme featured a crazy hat contest and pizza party.

The Grey Lions in Elizabethtown and members of the Lancaster County Penn State Alumni Club held a tailgating party before the Nittany Lion’s match up against Michigan State. The Lions were victorious, beating the Spartans 42-14.

Shown to the right are Lynn and Carol Brandt, Russ and Faye Baker, and John Adams.

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The Village Voice • Winter 2010

Residents, staff and volunteers of the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown put together a USO Tribute Show Nov. 7 and 8 in honor of Veterans Day. Performances included comedy skits, musical acts, dance numbers, veterans’ tributes and even Elizabethtown College cheerleaders at the Nov. 8 show. Since 1941, the USO has been providing services for the needs of the U.S. Armed Forces. USO entertainment shows continue to be effective morale boosters and remain just one of the many important services provided by the USO for our service men and women who are on duty around the world.

Donations were collected after the show and sent to a local USO chapter. Shown above: (left) George Miller as Bob Hope; (center) Sassy Steppers Dorothy Tarby, Shirley Sinclair, Peggy Adams, Helen Myers, Carol Belser and Justine Kern; and (right) Charles Hafer as Uncle Sam and Anna Zima as Uncle Sam’s Sweetheart.

Happenings Residents, staff and the community got a jump start on their holiday shopping at Lafayette Hill’s Fall Bazaar in November. Shown above (left) volunteer Margery English and (right) volunteers Cathy Wentz and Hope Day. The event raised $3,434.18 for the residents of Masonic Village.

(L-R) Marge Learn; June Wolbach; Jane Drobin, Server; and Ernie Halikman at Elizabethtown’s Dixieland Jazzfest dinner in October. New Orleansstyle cuisine was served while residents enjoyed the sounds of the Pretzel City Dixieland Band.

Herb Wolstencroft and Monika Daley, of Sewickley, enjoy Martinis with a Twist, a September social which included entertainment by the duo Nostalgia.

In Warminster, Nancy Stephenson, Director of Nursing, presents Audrey Hartenstine with two gift baskets she won in the raffle at the Order of the Eastern Star Festival in November.

The Roosters’ Corner Woodworkers at Elizabethtown presented Virginia Migrala, Director of Children’s Services, a check for $3,000 toward the purchase of a playground for the Masonic Children’s Home.

An item on the children’s home wish list, the playground will be installed and ready for play by next spring. Masonic Children’s Home residents pictured include Austin Wright, Tyler Emlet, Eric Matthews, Nestor Morales, Sonny Bert, Colin Knowles, Daniel Bert, Aba Aggray, Alecia Seitz, Tia Gatewood and Steffanie Seitz. Woodworkers pictured include Ralph Clare, president, Rooster’s Corner; Tom Host; Carroll Rickert; Royal Tyler; Walt Cook; Walter Wright; Robert “Toby” Tobias; and Jim Perotti.

Residents at Lafayette Hill dressed in their best attire for the 2nd annual Harvest Ball. Shown are (left) Frank Calvi, (center) Bea Bosler and Jane Blair, and (right) Marie Krause.

In October, residents of Elizabethtown organized Craft Day to sell their wares including furniture and wooden novelties, paintings, ceramics, crafts and angel pins. Above left, Joan Dellinger, above right, Carroll Rickert and Allen Wenrich, and left, Debbie Larsen.

As part of United Way’s Day of Caring, employees from Yellowbook spent a day with residents from Lafayette Hill at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. They paid for admission and lunch for the residents and any staff who went along.

Martha Redman, of Elizabethtown, recently became a great-great grandmother. Shown with her are (l-r) her son Rick Redman, great-great grandson Conor Tate, great grandson Terry Rogers and granddaughter Gina Rogers.

Residents in Elizabethtown held their annual Show and Tell in October.

Showing off collections and creations, the event allows the residents to get to know one another better and discover what they have in common. Shown above, Tom Merwin shares his collection of old fashion tin toys, all of which still work, and Sylvia Goodling showcases her original oil paintings.

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Holiday Happenings At their annual Operation Christmas Child party, residents in Elizabethtown filled 152 shoeboxes with toys and toiletries for kids in developing countries. Above, Ann Layfield chooses a stuffed animal, while below, Martha Fischer receives assistance from her guide dog, Otto. In addition to the shoeboxes, residents donated $619 toward the project.

Residents in Dallas recently took time to say thank you to their local Dallas Township Emergency Services, including ambulance services and fire department, with homemade cookies. Shown (l-r) are Annie Smith, Nancy Lamberton, Lucille Luksic, Annie Bisher, Mary Lynne Kline and Rosellen Garrett.

In Warminster, residents and their families celebrated the holiday season with goodies and old fashioned carolers. Left, Dorris Francis with Santa (John Kennedy, Driver). Right, Dorothy and Alex Veit with Courtney’s Carolers.

Below, the “Kuckoo Sisters” (l-r) Mildred Winnemore, Ellen Miller, Genevieve Vandermer, Betty Hartman and Christine Kelley gather after a Nutcracker-themed dinner in Elizabethtown. At the event, students from the local e-dance center performed acts from the classic dance.

At Lafayette Hill, Emma Argue and Genevie Cloak ring in 2010.

Maguerite Wert, of Elizabethtown, shares her Christmas wishes with Santa during the annual Festival of Lights at which residents vote for their favorite Christmas tree decorated by staff, departments and residents in the Masonic Health Care Center.

In Dallas, residents gathered for their annual tree trimming and cookie exchange. Above left, residents Nancy Lamberton and Mitzi Muller, and above right, residents Lois Hartman and Rosellen Garrett hang ornaments.

In 2008, members of Frankford Lodge No. 292 rekindled an old lodge tradition of handing out candy to Masonic Village residents during the holiday season. With the economic downturn, lodge members faced the cancellation of the event in 2009 when several other lodges within District D stepped in to keep the “new” tradition alive. Members from Jerusalem Lodge No. 506, Lodge No. 2, Lodge No. 9 and Widener-ApolloKensington Lodge No. 211 all volunteered as Santa’s elves to deliver candy to residents in Elizabethtown, Lafayette Hill and Warminster.

Members of the Committee on Masonic Homes paid a visit to residents in Elizabethtown in December to exchange holiday greetings. Below, Jeff Biddle and his wife, Susan, share a cookie with Betty Pearson.

At Sewickley’s annual Cocktails with Santa, (above left) Eric Gross, Executive Director, greets Carol and Tom Stephenson. Right, Audrey and Don Weibe enjoy their drinks.

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The Village Voice • Winter 2010

A holiday tradition, residents in Elizabethtown gathered to bake cookies to share at various holiday events throughout December. Shown l-r: Charlotte Schmidt, Esther Enck, Jane Geib and Rita Barty.

by J. Kenneth Brubaker, M.D., C.M.D., Medical Director, Masonic Village at Elizabethtown

Preventing Memory Loss A

question I am frequently asked is: “What can I do to prevent memory loss as I get older?” This question is especially common among those who had parents or grandparents who experienced progressive memory loss during the last 5 to 10 years of their lives.

By 2050, the number of persons experiencing memory loss will nearly triple due to people living longer and the aging of the baby boomer generation. At the turn of the 20th century, the average life expectancy was 47 years of age in the United States and, therefore, cognitive impairment was not commonly observed. By the beginning of the 21st century, the average life expectancy rose to the high 70s. It is readily apparent that cognitive impairment is more commonly found among those who are over 60 years of age, and the chart below shows how its prevalence increases with age.

COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT BY AGE Percentage with cognitive Impairment

50 40 30 20 10 0

60

65

70

75

80

85

Age

During the past decade, researchers have been giving more attention to causes of cognitive decline as one ages, and the medical literature has identified a number of factors that contribute to cognitive impairment.

Diabetes, hypertension in mid-life, cerebral vascular disease, elevated cholesterol, depression, and a past history of head trauma are commonly cited risk factors associated with cognitive decline. It is reassuring and comforting, however, to know that successfully treating these risk factors can reduce the prevalence of late life cognitive impairment.

One of the more recent questions being asked is: “Does exercise reduce the risk of cognitive impairment?” This is a very interesting and important question since we have learned that exercise has been shown to be beneficial for those with hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, elevated cholesterol, and/or heart disease. Over the past several years, the geriatric literature has suggested there is in fact a relationship between exercise and prevention of cognitive impairment.

A recent article published in the Journal of American Geriatric Society looked at the relationship of executive function and exercise and how researchers found a positive association between the two.

What is executive function? This is a very special brain function which controls processes such as inhibitions, planning and taking initiatives like carrying out commitments and responsibilities required on a daily basis.

When a person develops early cognitive impairment, it is common for family members and friends to observe a change in the individual’s interest in his/her usual responsibilities. Someone who has been very

engaged in work, volunteer activities or sports becomes seemingly very content staying at home with no intention of keeping previously planned commitments. Often family members will wonder if their loved one is depressed. Though depression is associated with cognitive decline, persons with loss of executive function are not depressed. They are experiencing apathy, a common early symptom of impaired cognition.

Apathy is not the same as depression. A person with apathy lacks initiative to carry out daily tasks that need to be completed, such as doing the laundry, mowing the lawn, washing the car or paying the bills.

Depression is a serious medical condition that affects thoughts, feelings and the ability to function in everyday life.

Since the frontal regions of the brain are the areas most closely associated with executive function, more attention in research has been dedicated to how to preserve the frontal areas of the brain in order to maintain good executive function with aging. Interestingly, exercise has been shown to reduce brain atrophy in the frontal areas of the brain. Older adults with greater aerobic fitness have a higher density of frontal brain tissue than older adults who do little or no exercise, and they demonstrate better executive function.

Tests commonly used to determine impairment in executive function include the Verbal Fluency Test (commonly referred to as the Animal Naming Test or ANT) and the Clock-in-a Box Test (CIB).

The ANT is very simple to do. The examiner will ask the person to name as many animals as possible within one minute. A person who can identify at least 15 animals in one minute will likely demonstrate good executive function. For example, if the person being tested lives in an urban setting, he will name common animals found in homes and then will identify animals found in the zoo. Eventually, he may remember to name common farm animals. In this illustration, executive function means the person is able to move from one domain where animals are found to another area with ease. A person with declining executive function will identify animals found in the home, but fail to remember animals found in the zoo or in the rural areas of his community.

In the case of the CIB Test, a person with poor executive function will have trouble placing the numbers in the appropriate position on the face of the clock. In addition, the person with poor cognition will not be able to accurately place the hands of the clock in a position requested by the examiner, such as 2:30.

Research into cognitive decline and exercise is ongoing; however, I believe there is enough published information that demonstrates a person who is physically active has a lower risk of cognitive decline than a person who is sedentary, especially as one ages. Even durations of exercise training as short as four months can demonstrate improved cognitive performance. Studies also indicate mid-life activity is associated with a lower incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.

There is no simple answer to the question about preventing memory loss. Exercising regularly is very important, but paying attention to other risk factors that can contribute to cognitive impairment as one ages is also essential. It is equally important to maintain normal blood pressure, eat a balanced diet, control one’s weight, treat elevated cholesterol, engage in activities that stimulate one’s memory, maintain healthy social relationships, treat depressions and other mental illnesses, and live a life that serves others.

The Village Voice • Winter 2010

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Introducing Masonic Village Hospice Care Services

Maximize Your Recovery: Short-Term Rehabilitation Services

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s a valuable new step in our continuum of care for residents, Masonic Villages is proud to offer Hospice Care at our Elizabethtown location. In the past, hospice services have been available only through outside agencies. By offering the services directly through Masonic Villages, we are responding to comments and requests received from residents and families. After evaluating the program’s success in Elizabethtown, we will potentially offer these services in the future at other locations.

Hospice is a type of care which focuses on the physical, spiritual, financial and psychosocial needs of any family dealing with a terminal condition. Specially-trained nurses and registered home health aides concentrate on providing comfort, pain control and symptom management while enabling patients to participate in decision-making regarding their care. Masonic Village Hospice Care also provides families with 24-hour phone support, counseling, and spiritual and bereavement support.

“The Masonic Village Hospice team is dedicated to providing our patients with quality care while focusing on the needs of those we serve,” Donna Gobbo, RN, Hospice Manager, said. “The hospice staff considers it a privilege to be invited into your homes and trusts that we can exceed your expectations during the end-of-life journey. Tim Nickel, Bereavement Counselor/Chaplain-Hospice, said it best when he developed our motto, ‘People who care, standing with people who hurt.’”

Hospice is available for patients with a limited life expectancy once their primary physician authorizes care and the patient, family and physician agree the focus should be placed on providing comfort rather than aggressive curative care.

Hospice services are covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance plans. Our staff will work with the patient’s insurance company to coordinate benefits.

As a not-for profit organization, Masonic Village Hospice is committed to providing care regardless of a patient’s financial circumstances. For more information, please call (717) 367-1121, ext. 18449.

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hether it is before or after surgery or following an injury or illness, the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown can provide short-term rehabilitation which enables patients to return home as soon as possible.

These services are available to residents and members of the community.

Short-term rehabilitation is designed to help people recover from a stroke, a hip fracture, total joint replacement, amputation, or other injuries or illnesses that limit their ability to function at their ultimate capacity. Statistics have shown that participating in therapy prior to surgery drastically increases a patient’s recovery process after surgery.

INPATIENT REHAB SERVICES Masonic Village’s individualized inpatient rehabilitation program provides the comprehensive medical, therapeutic, educational and support services patients need to regain their strength, mobility and endurance. Our interdisciplinary team focuses on helping patients attain their maximum level of functional independence so they can return home as soon as possible and resume their regular routines.

PROGRAM SERVICES From the day the patient arrives, treatment is intensive. A team of physical therapists, occupational therapists, nurses, case managers and social workers, with physician oversight, completes a thorough evaluation. The team works with the patient and the family to devise a personalized program based on the patient’s needs and goals. Staff continuously monitors and modifies the plan of care as the patient’s needs change.

WHAT TO EXPECT • Caring, attentive and experienced staff • Around-the-clock care • Access to state-of-the-art therapy, equipment and rehabilitation technology • Comprehensive medical management • Pain management • Conferences and education for the patient and family • Physical, occupational and speech therapy • Professional case management and discharge planning • Mobility, home and community skills training • Self-care training • Use of therapeutic modalities and adaptive equipment • Home safety assessment • Home exercise program HOW TO ARRANGE FOR OUR SERVICES For more information, please call (717) 361-4522 or (800) 422-1207.

MasonicVillage FARM MARKET

1910 - 2010 100 Years and Still Growing The Farm Market is closed for the season, but orders may be placed: • Online at www.mvfarmmarket.com • Over the phone at (717) 361-4520 • Via fax at (717) 361-5592

Apples available in January and February: Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Stayman Winesap, Nittany, Jonathan, Fuji and Rome Beauty.

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The Village Voice • Winter 2010

Orders can be shipped anywhere across the country. For those who live close to Elizabethtown, or plan to visit here, you may pick up your orders at the Retirement Living Country Store in the Clubhouse on the Masonic Village campus, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. or Saturdays, 9 a.m. to noon.

Re-opening for our 100th season April 1!

Carrying a Masonic Torch B

etty Lou Jordan, a resident at the Masonic Village at Sewickley, likes to keep her schedule full, her hands busy and her heart open, characteristics instilled in her at a young age by her parents. Her parents were very active in Masonic organizations and were involved at every level, a tradition passed down from her grandfather.

“I’ll never forget my grandfather saying my dad was to become a [Knights Templar] Grand Commander before he died,” she said. “Between my father and mother, I would say they belonged to 30 Masonic organizations. They believed in the fraternity as a group that stayed together and planned together.”

A biography in The Pittsburgh Press about her father, Bro. Perry LaBarr, stated he devoted his life to three things: banking, Freemasonry and his family. His Masonic memberships included Duquesne Lodge No. 546 and James I. Buchanan Lodge No. 757; Shiloh Royal Arch Chapter No. 257; Mt. Moriah Council No. 2; Tancred Commandery; and Valley of Pittsburgh. He held leadership positions within almost all of these bodies.

Her mother, Mary LaBarr, was Past Matron in the Order of the Eastern Star; past president of the Social Order of Beauceant; a member of the Auxiliary of Tancred Commandery; Past Royal Matron in the Order of Amaranth and Past Queen of the Daughters of the Nile. Betty Lou, who belonged to Eastern Star, Order of Amaranth and the Daughters of the Nile, served as Royal Matron of the Amaranth in 1948.

Betty Lou Jordan She recognizes changes in society, such as more women working, do not facilitate active involvement in multiple fraternal organizations, and she feels discouraged to see the changes in membership numbers. “It takes a lot of time to do the work these organizations do,” she said. “But they do a lot of good and people should belong to them. My mom used to spend a lot of time visiting the ladies in Bellevue at the former Order of the Eastern Star Home.”

The charitable missions of the various Masonic organizations motivate Betty Lou to keep active and contribute any way she can. Her charities include the Shriners Hospital for Children in Philadelphia and the Friend to Friend fund at the Masonic Village at Sewickley, which benefits residents of the village. (See below for more information about the Friend to Friend fund and other ways to give.)

“I think it’s important,” she said. “I try to encourage others to give. There are people here who really need it.”

Her father, full of life, passed away in 2000 at the age of 100. Her mother preceded him in death in 1996 at the age of 94. Her father’s 100th birthday celebration included many friends he met through Freemasonry, including those from great distances. Perry was heard saying the 100 candles on his cake were like a bonfire, and he needed all the wind of the Past Grands to help blow them all out!

At the Memorial Balustre and Elocution of Sir Knight Perry LaBarr, Sir Knight and Rev. David M. Clawson said: “Sir Knight LaBarr maintained a place of dignity and respect. [He was] Loved and admired by many. Always reaching out in his own way to the down trodden, uplifting the self-esteem of others, and yes, setting the example of Christ’s love not only in his heart, but outwardly for others to see and follow.”

Betty Lou, motivated by the work of her parents, also reaches out to others. After her mother, sister and she all survived cancer, she signed up as a volunteer with Family Hospice and Palliative Care in 1980. For more than 25 years, including the years she spent living in Australia, she has been helping patients and their families. “We don’t talk about them dying,” she said. “They’re living until the end.”

As a part of Project Linus, she meets weekly with a group of residents who knit blankets for children in local hospitals and shelters. In her free time, she also visits with residents in the Star Points Building, the personal care residence on campus, and takes them for coffee or to the library, or plays a game with them. She takes part in stretching exercises and the Sit N B Fit class, and plays bridge three times a week. A member of the activities committee, she helps decorate for parties.

“I do anything they ask me to do,” she said. “I’m a gopher. It’s a fun place to be, and you can be as active as you want. I love the food, too. As long as I don’t have to cook, I don’t care what I eat! I don’t like any of the bad four-letter words: cook, bake or dust.”

Betty Lou had big shoes to fill regarding her parents and their compassionate commitment to Freemasonry and everything for which it stands. In their memory, she dedicates herself to her neighbors and others in need every day.

Mary and Perry LaBarr

Giving Friend to Friend A gift of $1,000 or more provides individuals or families an opportunity to make a lasting gift in honor or in memory of someone or as an expression of gratitude, just as Betty Lou has done through gifts to the Friend to Friend fund.

This fund was established to assist residents at the Masonic Village at Sewickley who, in the future, may not be able to pay for all or part of their monthly service fee due to depletion of funds. An inscription is placed on a sand carved beige fieldstone Corian nameplate and prominently displayed on the outside wings of the “Mission of Love” wall in the lobby of the clubhouse at the Masonic Village at Sewickley.

Similar opportunities for support are available at the Masonic Villages at Warminster, Lafayette Hill and Dallas, and with Elizabethtown’s Tree of Life.

Please contact the Gift Planning Officer in your region for more information.

Central Pennsylvania (717) 367-1121, ext. 33437 or (800) 599-6454

Out-of-State (717) 367-1121, ext. 33312 or (800) 599-6454

Western Pennsylvania Eastern Pennsylvania (412) 741-1400, ext. 3011 (610) 825-6100, ext. 1348

or (866) 872-0664

Financial information about Masonic Charities can be obtained by contacting us at 1-800-599-6454. In addition, Masonic Charities is required to file financial information with several states. Colorado: Colorado residents may obtain copies of registration and financial documents from the

office of the Secretary of State, (303) 894-2680, http://www.sos.state.co.us/. Florida: SC No. 00774, A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLLFREE, WITHIN THE STATE, 1-800-HELP-FLA. Georgia: full and fair description of the programs and activities of Masonic Charities and its financial statement are available upon request at the address indicated above. Illinois: Contracts and reports regarding Masonic Charities are on file with the Illinois Attorney General. Maryland: For the cost of postage and copying, documents and information filed under the Maryland charitable organizations laws can be obtained from the Secretary of State, Charitable Division, State House, Annapolis, MD 21401, (800) 825-4510.

Michigan: MICS No. 11796 Mississippi: The official registration and financial information of Masonic Charities may be obtained from the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office by calling 1-888-236-6167. New Jersey: INFORMATION FILED WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL CONCERNING THIS CHARITABLE SOLICITATION AND THE PERCENTAGE OF CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED BY THE CHARITY DURING THE LAST REPORTING PERIOD THAT WERE DEDICATED TO THE CHARITABLE PURPOSE MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL BY CALLING (973) 504-6215 AND IS AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET AT www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/ocp.htm#charity. REGISTRATION WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT. New York: A copy of the latest annual report can be obtained from the organization or from the Office of the Attorney General by writing the Charities Bureau, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271. North Carolina: Financial information about this organization and a copy of its license are available from the State Solicitation Licensing Branch at 1-888-830-4989. Pennsylvania: The official registration and financial information of Masonic Charities may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free, within Pennsylvania, 1-800-732-0999. Virginia: Financial statements are available from the State Office of Consumer Affairs, P.O. Box 1163, Richmond, VA 23218. Washington: The notice of solicitation required by the Charitable Solicitation Act is on file with the Washington Secretary of State, and information relating to financial affairs of Masonic Charities is available from the Secretary of State, and the toll-free number for Washington residents: 1-800-332-4483. West Virginia: West Virginia residents may obtain a summary of the registration and financial documents from the Secretary of State, State Capitol, Charleston, WV 25305. REGISTRATION IN THE ABOVE STATES DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATION OF MASONIC CHARITIES BY THE STATE.

The Village Voice • Winter 2010

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Memorial Gifts August 1 - October 31, 2009 Below is a list of individuals (names are shown in red) whose loved ones have made a gift in their memory to one of the five Masonic Villages located at Dallas, Elizabethtown, Lafayette Hill, Sewickley and Warminster.

Great care has been taken to ensure the accuracy and thoroughness of the names listed below. We regret any errors or omissions. If an error has been made, please contact the Office of Gift Planning at (717) 367-1121, ext. 33003, or by e-mailing giving@masonicvillagespa.org. Thank you.

Kerry S. Abram Donald H. Abram Ralph W. Adams David A. Adams Gene E. Adzima Eureka Lodge No. 290 F. Sayre Amy Kenneth E. Moore James L. Anderson, Sr. Doris G. Anderson William Karl Arnold Marjorie O. Arnold Samuel H. Arrell, Jr. Virginia Arrell E. J. Augustine Robert H. Murset Theodore Axarlis Charles T. Axarlis James Axiom William W. Marshall, Jr. Russell R. Aylor Charlotte H. Aylor Bert H. Bachert Dorothy M. Bachert Harriet Z. Bachman Allen S. Zimmerman Dorothy Bahrt James D. Bahrt Harry Franklin Baird Nelson M. Baird, Jr. Julia E. Baker Lynne Brown Augusta Ruth Balliet Walter Balliet Nettie M. Balsley George J. Balsley Petrea S. Barley Virginia Rainey Edwin A. Barnes Mildred J. Barnes Vera Z. Bartholomee Clara S. Bartholomee Claud Bartholomew Anna Mae Bartholomew Marian L. Baum Oscar W. Baum Phillip and Joseph Beale Clarence A. Beale Robert E. Beck Adele Beck Donald S. Behm Doris A. Behm Joseph Bellamy, Jr. James R. Rodisch Raymond F. Benfer, Jr. Barbara R. Benfer Smith George W. Berry William B. Bliss Abner Beyer Roger C. Shafer Edna Biddle E. Claire Earle

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Harold E. Billet Frederick L. Stroup Adrian Billetdeaux Arthur and Shirley Rowley Matilda Bohme Newton P. Bohme Richard Boone Palestine-Roxborough Lodge No. 135 Elizabeth G. Booth David L. Booth, Jr. Foster E. Boozel Gary L. Boozel Pearl L. Borry Leon H. Borry Yvonne E. Bosserman Clarence L. Bosserman, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. William G. Boswell Sherry S. Boswell George C. Bozarth William B. Luckenbill Elizabeth J. Brimmer William R. Brimmer, Sr. All Masonic Brothers David G. Speed David Austin and Laura Mae Brown Austin C. Brown, Jr. Anna Bruce Friendship Chapter No. 551, O.E.S. Harvey I. Bryson William G. Atherholt Thomas H. Burgess Marcella B. Burgess Anna Marie Burgos Torres Frederick N. Koehler Gerry Burns Arthur and Shirley Rowley Anthony Caschera Frank A. McGinn Gaylon C. Cathcart Michael L. Cathcart Denis M. Chernecki Marge Goode D. Jean Ciccotosto Paul W. Ciccotosto Isabel and Russell Cisney Larry G. Cisney Arthur and Jane Clayton Albert C. Openshaw John A. Coburn, Jr. Darlene Coburn Val and Mary Colaluca Dante G. Colaluca Delbert R. Confer James F. Delavern Carl C. Cook Fred and Lyn Bergdoll Employees of Select Medical Corporation Mearl and Gloria Gross B. Joan Meisenhelder Mary E. Schroeder

The Village Voice • Winter 2010

Kenneth H. Cook Kenneth Cook Family Jessi Cooper Ronald A. Witters Richard E. Coulter Frances E. Coulter William J. Coyle, Jr. Eleanor Coyle Paul P. Crawford Robert L. Plaikner Lester A. Danenhower Gene L. Danenhower Mary E. Danenhower Elizabeth A. “Betty” Dascher Arlo C. Anderson M. Marion Blum William and Alice Clark Jo, Debbie and Billy Dascher Paul E. Dascher Nancy Dougherty and Family Francis and Christine Foley Doris Irwin Nancy E. Miley Frances Pat Sweeney Bob and Jacque Watson Roland R. Day Harry A. Houseman Lodge No. 717 Deceased Brothers Lewis W. White, Jr. Deceased Past Officers Past Officers of Mount Olive Chapter No. 232, O.E.S. Robert C. DeHaven Kurt DeHaven Francis “Bud” Deibert Sherwood and Britta Lennartson Arthur and Shirley Rowley Ann M. Denlinger Jeanette B. Miller Departed Brethren of Lodge No. 479 Carroll S. Arnold Arbie G. Derr Loretta Ann Schneck Francis M. Derrick Ruth Derrick Paul L. Detwiler, Jr. Paul L. Detwiler, III William Carl Dickinson Carl W. Dickinson William A. Diehl Anna Lee Diehl Mildred Mae Dilliplane Betty L. Juskowiak James and Dottie Liufau and Family Anthony DiMichele, Sr. Harry A. Houseman Lodge No. 717 Mr. and Mrs. James Dixon Jack W. Westafer Kenneth B. Dotter Kevin K. Dotter Ralph W. Dowd Sherwood and Britta Lennartson Arthur and Shirley Rowley

Martina K. Doyle Francis C. Doyle Max E. Doyle Donald L. Rothermel Vincent Drace John Barkley Fred Dambach Rich Deleue Thomas Gourlay Al Richart Buzz Williamson Virginia V. Dressler Carl G. Dressler William H. Dudley Aurelia M. Dudley Timothy Dunlap Robert S. Gray Sandra J. Duvall Gerald E. Duvall Florence and Raymond Earle E. Claire Earle Raymond L. Earle, Jr. E. Claire Earle George E. Eberhart May E. Eberhart Edna M. Edsall James H. Edsall Alice D. Edwards Richard M. Edwards Alfred H. Eldredge, Jr. Raymond and Jean Betz Robert Pantazes Forrest and Janet Smoker Lillian Emery Robert T. Emery, Sr. Peter G. Endrigian George P. Endrigian James T. English, Sr. Margery B. English Morton V. Epstein Harry A. Houseman Lodge No. 717 Jimmie G. Erwin Jimmie G. Erwin, Jr. Lavier B. Evans James F. Evans Kenneth L. Everett Marilyn I. Everett Charles S. Fischer Elizabeth J. Fischer Raymond Fischer Lillian Fischer Raymond N. Fisher Harry A. Houseman Lodge No. 717 Ralph J. Hofelich Marylu McEwen Irvin Fister Edwin J. Selby William A. Fleming Florence E. Fleming Dominick Francis Florentine Francis V. Florentine Clayton W. Fontaine Kenneth A. Hollingsworth

Ida Ford John N. Donis Eleanor S. “Ellie” Forney Robert C. Forney Eileen E. Fox A. Kathlene Coe Richard Frampton Maurice W. Frampton Albert P. Frantz Robert A. Frantz Eleanor T. Frazee William R. Frazee Friends Kenneth and Elaine Bleiler Irene Fullerton Harry and Jean Metcalfe Irene Fullerton Florria B. Mohn Roy E. Fulmer Jefferson Hills Police Department and Staff Julia Gabler Old Bellaire Chapter No. 375, O.E.S. Joseph V. Gantz Joseph E. Gantz Conard L. Gardner Paul “Max” Kreamer William B. Getzik Hackenburg Mount Moriah Lodge No. 19 George and Alma Gilbert Darryl S. Rarich Jack L. Gillmore Marynell F. Benson Marcia Brooks Dr. and Mrs. J. Kenneth Brubaker Vicki L. Gillmore Barbara J. Herr Garry and Carol Kauffman Harry K. Longenecker Joe and Barb Murphy Carolyn R. Gills Gerald A. Robison, Jr. John J. Glass, Sr. John J. Glass, Jr. Alfreda Goldblatt Fred H. Goldblatt Robert R. and Margaret Gorrie Bill and Carol Ann Stevenson Martin E. Gotsch Doris M. Gotsch Robert W. Graham Kenneth W. Graham William H. Graham Howard I. Graham William H. Green, Sr. Lewis F. Gramlich Susan E. Kolb Bruce A. Szymborski Harvey and Catharine Greiss Mr. and Mrs. Gary Bowers Dorothy M. Gutermuth Tom and Sue Sauerman William F. Hallman, Sr. William F. Hallman, Jr. Grace Hamaker Earl Derr, Jr. John H. and Helen Gill, Sr. Kathy R. Hamaker Grace Marie Handley Walter E. Handley Alfred R. Hanscom Verna G. Hanscom Bruce A. Harding Southampton Square Club Marjorie J. Harkness Robert L. Harkness

Felix I. Harper Richard J. Harper Sheldon Harper Edna Harper Robert Harper John J. Harvey June H. Harvey Barry L. Hassinger Joan L. Hassinger Howard L. Headland, Jr. Eureka Lodge No. 290 Bob Heisler Andrew P. Townsend Marion Henne Friendship Chapter No. 551, O.E.S. Frederick C. Herb, Sr. Frederick C. Herb, Jr. Virginia R. Herz Paul Herz, Jr. Herbert and Edna Hess Children, Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren O. Marshall Hess Chester Springel Paul Hess Eileen K. Flinn Paul W. Hess Judith A. Hess Harry and Ethel Hileman William P. and Esther Hileman Mary Jane Hittinger Raymond and Jean Betz R. Thomas and Isabelle Croft Charles C. Hughes Mary Anne Klemkosky William S. Marshall, III Lou and Sophia Miller Robert and Alice Pinnock George and Marjorie Vurdelja William C. and Clara K. Hoar J. William Hoar J. Richard Hollinger David L. Hollinger Eric Thomas Holloway Marc T. Holloway Virginia S. Holt Beverly Baraniak Mildred I. Baraniak Loren and Lois Beatty Julia T. Burnett Carol Culp H. Lawrence and Mary Culp, Jr. Danaher Foundation Jack and Marlene Eichler Martin and Nicci Gafinowitz Surendra and Rajni Goel Helga Heidingsfelder Charlotte R. Helms Richard A. Holt Mary Anne Klemkosky Phil and Pattie Knisely James A. Lico Family Edward and Constance Nelson Todd Richardson W. Lee Richardson Martin and Kelly Marie Skelly John and Jennifer Tesoro James Hopkins Fred D. Hopkins Grant Hornberger William C. Dunleavy George V. Hughes Shirley T. Hughes Leo L. Hughes Thomas M. McHenry Walter B. Hughes Robert L. Hughes

Autumn Leigh Hunt James and Bette Wenrich Susan L. Hurtt Sherwood and Britta Lennartson Virginia M. Hyatt Emerald Chapter No. 135, O.E.S. Rowland Ikpoh Timothy A. Nickel Vincent J. Irace Alfreda Jean Gaiser Palestine-Roxborough Lodge No. 135 Christian and Constance Reynolds Richard W. Rigler, Jr. Edward H. Jacob Florence E. Jacob Donald L. James Robert S. Pinnock Walter R. Jones Bradford D. Houchins, Jr. Fannye Pindar Kahl John and Joan Gaylord Richard and AJ Watson Stanford Kaplan Robert S. Blum Marie V. Karchner William D. Karchner, Sr. Edna Kauffman Friendship Chapter No. 551, O.E.S. Paul H. Keiser Dorothy I. Keiser Dave Kelly John T. Florey Thomas F. Kenney Stephen L. Kenney Maurice V. Kennie Frederick J. Kennie Harvey B. Kimmel, Sr. Joshua P. Jones Dean D. King Joseph E. Fair Matthew W. Kitz, Jr. Harry A. Houseman Lodge No. 717 Norman Kivitz Hackenburg Mount Moriah Lodge No. 19 Louise E. Kivler Donald C. Kivler Ronald R. Klemkosky Mary Anne Klemkosky Robert E. Koelle, Sr. Juniata Lodge No. 282 Carl A. Korn, Jr. Jean H. Korn Ralph Krause David P. Rabold John O. Kreischer John and Jean Kreischer Dennis G. Kriner David G. Kriner, Sr. Donna Kruel David H. Rosensteel Rachele Stiffler Frank and Elnor Kulikosky Terry and Tamara Loeb Oscar D. Kunkle Richard A. Fisher Beatrice R. Kunst Ewald P. Kunst Elmer Lahr Judy Lahr Charles N. Lambing Harry A. Houseman Lodge No. 717 Southampton Square Club Bernard Lang, Jr. Gregory P. Pappas George F. Lebegern, Jr. Patricia L. Lebegern

John C. Leinbach Beverly B. Leinbach Louis Levin Hackenburg Mount Moriah Lodge No. 19 Frances Trout Levis Richard T. Levis, Jr. John V. Lewandowski Robert A. Zupanovich John (Jack) W. Linn, Jr. Carroll F. Shick David C. Locke James M. Locke, Sr. Russell C. Loeb, Jr. Grace L. Loeb Nick Logreco Walter L. Sykes Franklin D. Longenbach Mark A. Keller Benjamin Loscher Robert A. Loscher John D. Lucas Shirley J. Lucas David Ross Luckock Raymond E. Luckock Stella Lulias Victor and Sandra Capooci James and Brenda Ernette Charles and Marilyn Grimm Joe and Barb Murphy Helen Lumsden Jonathon R. Fritz Thomas Lunger Edward C. Kasten, Sr. Gus Maier Robert L. Seitzinger, Jr. Geoffrey E. Mann Horace L. Mann Pasquale J. Marino Harry A. Houseman Lodge No. 717 Anthony C. Markette Donna M. Markette Florence E. Maugans Michael P. Maugans Benedict J. Mauro Marilyn J. Mauro Margaret McCauley Friendship Chapter No. 551, O.E.S. Gertrude D. McClafferty James W. McClafferty Roy McClure Robert L. McClure Jack E. McCrae Edward P. Pfendner Joseph L. McCullough Harry A. Houseman Lodge No. 717 William F. McGonigal, Sr. Terpolilli Sawyer, P.C. Margaret Widger Harry D. McKeehen, III Jane A. McKeehen Kenneth E. McMillen Larry C. Tibbens Francis E. McMullen Freeland E. McMullen Rita K. McNamara Raymond and Patricia Bergman Stephen and Nancy Miklos Quaker Valley QVX Retired Teacher’s Group Gene and Virginia Sullivan Bruce and Jen Wilson Donald and Kathy Wilson Glenn and Judy Wilson Continued on next page

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Philip Mendelsohn M. Marion Blum Keith and Linda Locker Friends of Judy Marcus Harry and Mary Millinghausen Patricia Panzera Christian and Constance Reynolds Thomas H. Mercer, Jr. Helen D. Mercer Jerry Migrala Anthony Schafer Rachele Stiffler Charles H. Miller Jeffrey D. Miller Harold T. Miller Benjamin B. Shankroff Justin W. Miller Willard H. Miller Richard Miller Boyd H. Butz Harry S. Mills, Sr. H. Sinclair Mills, Jr. Stephen D. Minichuk Debra G. Minichuk Lori Ann Mogyorosi Joseph J. Mogyorosi Melvin Moore John and Alice Steiner Roy D. Moore Henry W. Moore Walter and Jessie Moore Ronald R. Moore Raymond F. Mordan Shirley M. Mordan Joshua R. Morrow Nancy Morrow Bea Mouganis Arthur and Shirley Rowley Louis Movic Alexander F. Kadar Alma Madora Peterson Moyer Francis K. Moyer Orange L. Mulhollen Betty J. Mulhollen Melvin E. Mullen, Sr. Melvin E. Mullen, Jr. Lester Mumma Joseph M. Martin Benjamin J. D. Murphy William K. Corl, Sr. Edgar Musselman Kristopher P. Musselman Nicholas Musulin Edwin J. Selby Joseph E. Myers, Sr. Mary H. Myers Warren L. Nace Rhys Mussman James R. Rodisch Jeffrey L. Nale James R. Doughten Friends and family Sara Negley Thomas O. Richey George R. Newall Robert D. Bissey, Jr. Anna K. Newcomer Stewart-Becker Properties David and Barbara Chasteen Emma K. Grimm Linda Hines Herbert and Sandra Jenkins, Jr. Robert and Lorraine Klinger Joe Miller, Sr. and Family Linda M. Pyle

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Shady Lane Homeowners Association Inc. Donna L. Smoker Shirley M. Urban John and Margaretta Yohe Inez M. Noel William J. Noel Paul F. Nye Karen L. Nye Rosemary C. Oberholtzer William R. Oberholtzer Ruth Ogens Jeff and Lorena Lees James and Mary Anne Siti Dean and Evelyn Soderberg George and Maria Sullivan Joel and Jeanette Ward Rusty and Sara Olson B. Howard Fyock Carl W. Opitz Marjorie O. Arnold Barbara J. Paisley Brunner’s Garage and Company Kenneth R. and Beatrice Faux, Sr. Frank and Janet Kratochwill James and Trude Mancini James R. and Deborah Marshall, Jr. Past Matrons of Carrick Chapter No. 231 Steven and Pamela Speca Parents H. George and Ruth Cherry, Sr. Ann B. Parker Family of Ann B. Parker Roy H. Parker Ronald E. Parker Mary Janet Patterson Harry E. Patterson Emma Jane and Marshall Peck Harry E. Peck, III Linda K. Peck Harry E. Peck, III Harry Eugene Peck, Jr. Harry E. Peck, III Paul M. Peet, Sr. Arthur and Shirley Rowley Dennis J. Penn Virgil D. Penn, III Mark Pentony Thomas Pentony Steven L. Peterson Merrill L. Peterson John Pfendner Edward P. Pfendner Howard E. Phillips, Jr. Howard E. Phillips, III Homer O. Potter Terry E. Mascho David W. Powley William S. Snyder Lodge No. 756 John D. Pratt, III Elizabeth H. Pratt Ann D. Proietto Stanley R. Goldman Michael and Mary Jacobs Margaret V. Stahl Judith A. Walter Robert S. Rarich Darryl S. Rarich Samuel S. Raup Edith M. Raup Richard B. Ream Marian J. Ream Virginia L. Reilly Family of Virginia L. Reilly Howard M. Reinard Ellen M. Gallagher

The Village Voice • Winter 2010

Doris M. Repsher Herbert D. Repsher William R. Ressler William H. Ressler Corinne C. Richards Richard M. Lefever Margaret Rickards David L. and Georgene Snyder Oswald Richards Edwin F. Davies Herbert E. Riemenschneider Charles E. Stewart Thomas F. Ringler Iris N. Ringler Donald J. Robb Violet J. Robb David W. Roberts Gordon J. Roberts Lillian M. Robinson John J. Robinson Jay T. Rodham Robert E. Younkins Sandra V. Rothermel Donald L. Rothermel Charles and Elinore Ruhl Mary K. Ruhl Mary A. “May” Rust Sonia A. Dohrmann John A. Sachse Donald W. Weaver Fern L. Schade Robert J. Schade David M. Schirm, Sr. David M. Schirm, Jr. Donald W. Schmidt Adele E. Schmidt John F. Schumacher Ronald J. Schumacher Hugh R. Scott John F. Scott Dr. John H. Scott Anthony G. Ortiz Joseph Martin Sendef, Sr. Sammy A. Stephens Marianne G. Serposs Haig A. Hagopian Patrick Sexton Charles P. Sexton Charles J. Shafer Roger C. Shafer Edith and Warren Shank Lillian S. Fausnacht Thomas and Esther Shields William and Esther Hileman Frank Simms John W. Smith James S. Simpson Anna Mary Simpson Millie Sinopoli Henry D. Sinopoli Samuel Sitelman Arthur Sitelman John Sitzler Gerald D. Evans Robert J. Skoda Donald P. Perrard Bob Smales Thomas F. Sheridan Arthur and Violet Smith Kenneth I. Renninger Christopher L. Smith, Sr. Harry A. Houseman Lodge No. 717 Jack W. Smith Barbara A. Smith Ralph Smith Maria Smith

Willis Smitley William R. Smitley Jane L. Snyder Dale R. Snyder Janet Sode Friendship Chapter No. 551, O.E.S. Pauline Spangler Delbert L. Skinner Debbie Spangler Ronald D. Spangler Earl J. Speicher George J. Martin, Jr. James R. Spence C. Vincent Milnik, Sr. C. Richard Spieth RADM and Mrs. E. Boyd Acklin Ken and Gloria Bevan, Sr. Joy A. Cullum Richard P. Dewane Delma M. Evans Michael Gervasi Donald and Margaret Grubb Doris Heinly Lockheed Martin Corporation Sophia C. McCrone Zack and Cecilia McLane Thomas and Suzanne Romano Stephen and Dorothy Swartchick James H. Staver, Jr. Nellie D. Staver James E. and Edith Stevenson Bill and Carol Ann Stevenson Margaret K. Stine Robert K. Stine Mary H. Straka Emil G. Straka Paul F. Strong Joseph A. Kolligian Harry Homer Stuart Scott A. Stuart Mary A. Stumpf Hodge Family - Jessica, Bill, Kellen and Ruth Nicklous J. Sutlage Juniata Lodge No. 282 Dolores Ann Swemley Paul K. Swemley George B. Tamski, Sr. Darla Lee Tamski Frank S. Teal Hackenburg Mount Moriah Lodge No. 19 Delmont R. Thompson Eureka Lodge No. 290 William E. Thorne Thomas A. Thorne Eugene Tierney Garlock Sealing Technologies, LLC The College at Wooster Thomas Tooma John P. Ippolito Marie M. Towner Marion M. Towner Al Trautmann Harry and Mary Millinghausen Harry B. Troutman Amelia E. Troutman Susan T. Crawford Ungerman Emma C. Glaze James A. Vargo, Sr. Margaret G. Vargo Agnes M. Vensel Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Draper Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Haines Mr. and Mrs. Ed Lewis John and Pauline Lewis

Gerard Vernose Reuben Mimkon Joan Wagner Mr. and Mrs. Richard C. Deik Martin M. Sacks Walter A. Waite, Sr. Gean Waite and Sons - Walter, Jr. and Wayne Abby Wall Geary E. Trout Ernest J. Walter Hackenburg Mount Moriah Lodge No. 19 Wesley R. Wanwright Lester G. Nefferdorf

Elvin M. Warner, Sr. Elvin M. Warner, Jr. Karl K. Wehr Mark M. Wehr Miriam Weiman Morton A. Weiman Louis Weisman Helen Gwen Weisman Terry L. Welch Barry L. Welch William R. Welder Warren B. Welder Ada L. Wentz Bob and Cathy Wentz

Mr. and Mrs. Ray Westafer Jack W. Westafer John Whitlatch Ralph F. Latta Elizabeth B. Whitley Fred H. Whitley, Jr. Helen Wiegand Robert W. Wiegand James J. Williams John R. Williams John H. Williams Shirley P. Williams David E. Winter Loretta M. Winter

Elmer C. Wissner John E. Wissner Janet F. Wolfe Dale E. Wolfe, Sr. Elizabeth “Betty” S. Worrell John C. Worrell Arthur A. Wyland Juniata Lodge No. 282 Michael A. Zebrowski William C. Zebrowski Emily E. Zimmer Walter J. Till Richard S. Zimmer Walter J. Till

Honorarium Gifts August 1 - October 31, 2009 Below is a list of individuals (names are shown in red) whose loved ones have made a gift in their honor to one of the five Masonic Villages located at Dallas, Elizabethtown, Lafayette Hill, Sewickley and Warminster.

Great care has been taken to ensure the accuracy and thoroughness of the names listed below. We regret any errors or omissions. If an error has been made, please contact the Office of Gift Planning at (717) 367-1121, ext. 33003, or by e-mailing giving@masonicvillagespa.org. Thank you.

Moosic Lodge No. 664 James W. Jumper, Sr. M. Gregg Abbott Thomas G. Abbott Perry and Linda Bates Grand Guardian Council of PA, I.O.J.D. Miriam Bennett Shirley A. Fober Deb Brockman Sham R. Bajina Williamson-Corinthian Lodge No. 368 Mr. Brody Harold Lefcourt Betty Carr Thomas J. Von Nieda Jack Cassabaum William E. Zinkel Herbert and Joanne Charles Catharine J. Horn

Jacob L. Cohen Charles A. and Beverly Laubach, Jr. Chester and Marian Derk Chester A. Derk, Jr. Ruth Fassett Warren P. Reeves Mary Frampton Maurice W. Frampton Vicki L. Gillmore Marynell F. Benson Grandchildren John A. Bartle, Sr. Marie E. Grube Sham R. Bajina James J. Hardy Austin C. Klopp David L. Horst Clifford K. Mark Paul R. Kantner, Sr. Paul R. Kantner, Jr. Raymond Keener Dale R. Stump

Living Past Officers Past Officers of Mount Olive Chapter No. 232, O.E.S. Michael McGinnis William R. McGinnis Melita Lodge No. 295 Drew L. Mallick Lou, Bill and Rosalie Larry G. Cisney Louis D. Miller Jane Boltz Joseph Minor James T. Minor Mabel O’Hara Alexander Riccardo Thomas James Pentony Thomas Pentony Maureen Riccardo Alexander Riccardo Earl J. Smith’s 90th Birthday Blanche Smith

Henry K. Staiger Donna Jamison Anne Stoloski Patricia A. Tretiak U. S. Armed Forces Thomas L. Fletcher, Jr. William H. Vockroth William R. Turner Carroll R. “Bob” Wentz, Jr. C. Craig Samtmann Samuel C. Williamson Adam D. Croumer Claude R. Wilston Gary W. Wilston Wilson Wirth Merritt G. Yorgey Nancy Witters Ronald A. Witters Catherine V. Zimmerman Barry L. Zimmerman

Sycamore Square Marketplace Welcomes First Tenant

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n 1922, a pump house was built at the Masonic Homes in Elizabethtown to provide water for the 341 residents, as well as staff and their families who lived on campus. This station, which had a maximum daily pumping capacity of 600,000 gallons of water, was later converted to a maintenance storeroom as needs and technology evolved.

In 2006, the building, along with the former power plant, machine shop/garage and laundry facility, became part of a joint business venture between Masonic Village, Susquehanna Real Estate LP and Wagman Urban Group, known as Sycamore Square Marketplace.

In early October 2009, the former pump house became home to Dellinger, Dolan, McCurdy & Phillips (DDMP) Investment Advisors, LLC, the first tenant of the awardwinning marketplace. The 2,720 square-foot, 1 ½ story office building includes a half-story mezzanine, two conference rooms, multiple offices, a reception area, a break room, two restrooms, a media center and storage area.

DDMP specializes in the areas of asset management for individuals, qualified retirement plans for companies (401K plans) and asset management for not-for-profit organizations. To date, DDMP has attracted $150 million of client assets.

The stone buildings which make up the marketplace were constructed from 1911 to 1922 and offer between 1,100 and 5,780 square feet of space for offices, restaurant or other retail businesses. Up to four new commercial buildings from 3,900 to 22,000 square feet will be built on site. The project was recently awarded the Lancaster County Historic Preservation Trust Urban Award for Preservation and it is also a past recipient of the Envision Lancaster County Leadership Award for a Large Project in the Sustainable Growth Category. The Masonic Village’s Sycamore Apartments, featuring 126 accommodations, are located adjacent to the marketplace.

More information about the marketplace may be found at www.sycamoresquare-etown.com.

The Village Voice • Winter 2010

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Masonic Village One Masonic Drive Elizabethtown, PA 17022-2199

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Haiti Relief

he Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti has left nearly 1.5 million people homeless after much of the Port-au-Prince infrastructure collapsed in the quake. The Sell Chapel Outreach Committee, with leadership from the congregation of Sell Chapel, recognizes the extreme needs in Haiti and wishes to offer support to families who have been affected by the earthquake who are related to people within the Masonic Villages communities.

The committee invites residents, staff, volunteers, friends and family of the Masonic Villages communities to join them as they contribute financially throughout the next three months to raise funds to provide the support Masonic Villages family members need to rebuild their lives after the immediate crisis is over.

If you would like to contribute, please make your check payable to “Sell Chapel Outreach” and write “Haiti” on the memo line. Please send your check to: Masonic Village at Elizabethtown Attn: Preston Van Deursen, Pastoral Care One Masonic Drive Elizabethtown, PA 17022 Any funds received for Sell Chapel Outreach that are not designated over the next three months will be used for this effort.

We understand the immediate need in Haiti, and ask if you feel compelled to act now, to do so by contributing to an established relief agency. It is the feeling of the Sell Chapel Outreach Committee that our organization’s relief efforts will be most effective by caring for those affected in Haiti after the immediate crisis is over.

Share your own Masonic Village History ...

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ith more than 3,100 people living and working at the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown, and even more individuals volunteering and visiting each day, many people have interesting, meaningful, unique or funny experiences at the Masonic Village that are rarely shared with others.

The Masonic Village is collecting and sharing 100 favorite memories from the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown in honor of each year it has provided services and care.

Please try to limit your memory to two to three sentences.

Memories may be mailed to the Public Relations Office, One Masonic Drive, Elizabethtown, PA 17022, or they may be submitted online at www.masonicvillagespa.org/ centennial.php, under Share a Memory. This page will be updated throughout the year so be sure to check it often for new memories.