Rear Left to Right: Mikey, Jim, Jean, Ed, Gerry, John Stanley, Eric Dashiell - Front Left to Right: Pete, Ramona, Alan

Dear Olney Classmates,

     There are only a few of us who are geographically close enough to Ed to be able reasonably  to attend the memorial service he had on Saturday 10/20 for his wife Ellen who died two months ago.

     So for those who could not be there whose e mail addresses I have, I just wanted to send greetings from those of us who were fortunate enough to be able to be there and let you know about it from my (limited) perspective.   
 
     The weather on Saturday was still unseasonably warm.  (or globally warmer?)  It was a perfect day for a drive from Bucks County, PA down to Easton, MD home of Ed Simonoff,  halfway down the Delmarva Peninsula.  A trip of approximately 130 miles.

     John Stanley (who lives 10 miles up the road from me on the Jersey shore of the Delaware (a few yards from the site of Washington's 1776 crossing), came down about noon.  We had a quick bite of lunch before leaving  around 12:30.  I was so glad to have John to navigate for me.  I had printed out directions from Google maps a couple of weeks ago, but they were no longer fresh in my mind and there are a couple of route changes going through Delaware which are a little tricky on the first pass.

     To me it is a really fine thing, discovered only two years ago,  having another Olneyite so close.  Dana has Bill.  Ed has Eric Dashiell.  I now have DR and Wayne Stanley's younger brother (Class of 71) whom I have very much appreciated getting to know over the last two years, and whom I have described-- to his face-- as the supreme gadfly of Olney alumni--- the kid seems to know nearly everyone and nearly everything.  In fact he has done a lot for the school over the years.   He's the one who discovered the company that was thereupon engaged to produce the new alumni directory.  I think people are rapidly finding that directory to be very useful.  I have.

     We got down to Ed's just before 3PM.  Google Maps said 3 hours.  We made it in two and a half.  When we got there Ed introduced us to Ellen's two sisters who have been there all week helping Ed   In fact we actually met them first.  They were working on something outside the house.  After visiting a few minutes, John and I got out for a walk which I really needed.  Ed is a couple blocks south of Easton's main street where the county court house is.  It is a very pleasant little historic  town with some brick and some frame houses.   A few houses have historic plaques dating them from the 18th century.

     After returning to Ed's John and I took the short drive down to the Third Haven Meetinghouse and arrived just before 5.  The memorial was scheduled for 5:30.  Could have walked the half mile, but wanted the car handy for a timely departure. (unfortunately)

     The meeting house http://www.thirdhaven.org/ is about a half mile south of Ed's street, and is set back about half a block from the road on perhaps 3 or 4 acres of land. It is quite a lovely tree-shaded setting.   

     John and I took a few moments to step into the white frame 1682 meetinghouse.  I noticed that it was definitely a 17th century building, distinct from later, more familiar 18th and 19th century meetinghouse structures I have known.  (Something about it seemed to resemble Pennsbury Manor, William Penn's 1686 estate (reconstructed as a WPA project in the 1930's)  on the Delaware River in Bucks County  between Northeast Philadelphia and Bristol.).  Third Haven Meeting has the familiar meetinghouse benches, the two-level gallery facing benches, and the "shutters" the wood divider panels which could  be raised or lowered to separate the men's and women's meetings for business.  But it seemed smaller and somehow not as well-built or well-finished as the 18th century stone meetinghouse where I went as a child, Willistown Meeting, Chester County, PA http://www.willistownfriends.org/history.htm

As we arrived, we spied two figures from a distance who were touring the graveyard, leaning over to view the low Quaker headstones,  It turned out to be Jim Henderson and his wife.  Then Ramona (her husband was away somewhere else) and Jean and Pete and Mikey all arrived about the same time and we  had a joyous quick visit for a few minutes.  Eric Dashiell and his wife also appeared, and Eric, steeped in the tradition of Southern hospitality, was ready to give us an Easton tour. (Next time, Eric, and there will be a next time.)  Then Ed arrived with his sisters-in-law and escorted us into the community room and started the proceedings

Be sure to look at the pictures on the Third Haven Meeting website. http://www.thirdhaven.org/ 
There is an automatic slide show when you enter the site.  The white frame meetinghouse dates from 1682.  The 19th century brick building is  where we were.  

The first floor room of the brick community house is  something like a hotel meeting room with long folding tables and chairs   Ed and his sisters-in-law each spoke about Ellen and how she had affected their lives.  It was well done, gave some sense of who Ellen was to those of us who had not known her, and was just long enough.  The memorial service was followed by a buffet supper in the same room.  Very nice.  So we had further chance to visit.  It was such a pleasure.

     There were about 25 people present, I would guess.  The number from our class who came was 7--  Alan Steytler (who flew in from Cleveland), Jean Parker Swaim, Ramona,  Jim H., Pete Reid all from Maryland, Mikey from New Jersey, and myself from PA... 

Counting Ed, himself, the total from the Class of 65 was 8. 

I told Ed, that although we regretted the reason for being there, his gathering was far better than Homecoming the previous week!   (Only Dana, John M and I represented '65 at Homecoming).  

Also, in addition to our class, there were two additional Olneyites, Eric Dashiell (67), of course, who lives a few short blocks from Ed,  and John Stanley (71) from NJ.

Total Olneyites 10.

It was absolutely especially beyond wonderful to me at this time (you remember what kind of year I've had)  to reunite again with Olney classmates, some of whom, one sees,  are  hardly changed, and at least one of whom has bloomed anew with added years.  I'm going to maintain tact and not name names!.  We all know.  But that is superficial, anyway.    The fundamental thing was that we were together again, and I've gotten to the point that I  regard these moments as a bit of a miracle. 

It was not lost on Ed that out of his grief sprang the flowers of renewed fellowship which he values immensely.  It is a sort of miracle.  Well, there, I said it again!    Ed is very grateful for you all.   And so am I.

It was especially good to see Alan Steytler who came all the way from his home near Cleveland.  After staying in touch with Ed over the years and more recently getting in touch  with John Morgan, he had summoned the courage to return to Olney for the very first time-- after 42 years-- at Commencement in 2006, and was welcomed with joy by those of us who were there..  Yesterday he still  expressed a bit of  reticence or uncertainty about being welcomed and included in the class.  Silly, you may say.  I thought of my own much regretted long absence, and my growing conviction that in the long run the lasting bonds of our group render time irrelevant, and I   said to Alan, "you know it's like the Mafia.  Once you're in, you can't get out!  You're stuck with us."

Because John Stanley had a flight to catch the next morning and I needed to get busy with yard work as well as pressing continuing education studies on Sunday, we had to leave early (before 7:30).  We made it back to my place by 9:45 which would allow John to drive back to his home by 10:15. 

I very much regretted not being able to stay longer to visit with classmates, but was tired from driving and glad to get to sleep after a very nice day.  And now I should get back to reviewing the course I'm supposed to be studying and before long to sleep.

Best wishes and love to all
Gerry.