Alumni Child Residents of the Ohio Masonic Home(OMH) celebrated their 30th Reunion this past summer. They met in the Community Center where they renewed friendships and reminisced of their days at the Home. They then assembled on the steps of Bushnell Hall where Jerry Guess took pictures, first of the Alumni then of their families.
There were 18 Alumni who braved the hot weather. It was a toss-up who came the farthest, either John Koehler (1934-1945) from the state of Washington or Jack Smith (1938-1944) from southern California. Others came from Virginia and Connecticut, but most still live somewhere in Ohio.
Following the pictures the Alumni settled in the dining area of the Community Center where a delectable meal was served. After lunch, a short business meeting was held. The Alumni who passed on since our last reunion were read and Cynthia (Whitacre) Cameron (1947-53) gave a prayer, not only for those who are no longer with us, but also for us who are looking forward to being with those Alumni in paradise. It was voted to meet in the fall of 2014 for our next reunion to escape any hot weather.
During the meeting, a slide show was shown of pictures taken of several buildings, most no longer in existence. It is believed that the pictures are circa early 1920s as one showed the dairy barn under construction. Several pictures showed children of various age groups including boys on the steps of the Hillman Building. The last picture shown was the Home Boy Scout Troop No. 23 raising the American flag.
As always in past reunions when “Abie” Armstrong (1920-35) was among us, we gathered to sing “Til We Meet Again” before we departed to our homes. But Abie wasn’t with us this year so we gathered across the hall where Joyce(Miller) Koopman (1943-54) led us in singing our departure song. We gave our hugs and goodbyes and well wishes for another successful reunion.
For our readers who may wonder about the orphanage at the Masonic Home, the first child was admitted in 1896; the last child left in 1956 and the total number of children who lived at the Home was 740, comprising 437 boys and 303 girls.
Alumni Child Residents of the Ohio Masonic Home(OMH) celebrated their 30th Reunion this past summer. They met in the Community Center where they renewed friendships and reminisced of their days at the Home. They then assembled on the steps of Bushnell Hall where Jerry Guess took pictures, first of the Alumni then of their families.
There were 18 Alumni who braved the hot weather. It was a toss-up who came the farthest, either John Koehler (1934-1945) from the state of Washington or Jack Smith (1938-1944) from southern California. Others came from Virginia and Connecticut, but most still live somewhere in Ohio.
Following the pictures the Alumni settled in the dining area of the Community Center where a delectable meal was served. After lunch, a short business meeting was held. The Alumni who passed on since our last reunion were read and Cynthia (Whitacre) Cameron (1947-53) gave a prayer, not only for those who are no longer with us, but also for us who are looking forward to being with those Alumni in paradise. It was voted to meet in the fall of 2014 for our next reunion to escape any hot weather.
During the meeting, a slide show was shown of pictures taken of several buildings, most no longer in existence. It is believed that the pictures are circa early 1920s as one showed the dairy barn under construction. Several pictures showed children of various age groups including boys on the steps of the Hillman Building. The last picture shown was the Home Boy Scout Troop No. 23 raising the American flag.
As always in past reunions when “Abie” Armstrong (1920-35) was among us, we gathered to sing “Til We Meet Again” before we departed to our homes. But Abie wasn’t with us this year so we gathered across the hall where Joyce(Miller) Koopman (1943-54) led us in singing our departure song. We gave our hugs and goodbyes and well wishes for another successful reunion.
For our readers who may wonder about the orphanage at the Masonic Home, the first child was admitted in 1896; the last child left in 1956 and the total number of children who lived at the Home was 740, comprising 437 boys and 303 girls.
