Scarsdale Congregational Church Remembering the Scarsdale Congregational Church About the SCC

Good Morning!

It was brought home to me that I've been a member here since 1959. That sort of makes me a senior. That's good, and it's not so good. It makes you realize how old you really are. But the years I've spent here, the early years particularly...I recall so many memories.

I recall my daughter being married here, as I was telling Nancy Washburn. And when we joined in 1959, the children were in Sunday School. Then a couple of years later my daughter was old enough to be in the Senior Youth Fellowship, and we had a retreat at Croton Point. My wife and I were advisors to the Senior Youth Fellowship.

George Calvert, who was also a member of this church, and is a pastor down in Harlem, gave quite a talk at the retreat about the need for assistance in Harlem. So my daughter, Linda Graham, and Margaret Willard (and I forget the names of the two boys) said, "Oh, sure, we had a nice talk, but we're not going to do anything."

And they sort of shamed me into calling George Calvert who said, "there's nothing you can do here, but there is a program in the East Harlem Protestant Parish for tutoring." And this church became the genesis of this tutoring program which turned into a community program. More than 200 children over the years went every Saturday and established a relationship with a disadvantaged person and tutored them. In some cases they became very friendly with them. And in other cases it affected their career.

One girl, whose name I won't mention, became a physician. And she decided she wanted to be a physician in a disadvantaged area of Seattle, not in a suburb like Scarsdale. I remember talking to Becky one day; she was crying on the sidewalk in Harlem. She was saying, "We have so much, and they have so little." I said, "Now listen; stop it. If you're going to do this, you can't come any more." That's the same girl who later became a physician.

In the meantime, Betty, my wife, who was very active in the life of the church, was (I won't say the word) bent on a ramp for this church. Oh, she pestered everyone in this church, eveyone in authority. "When are we going to build a ramp?" Well, of course we now have a ramp. I like to think that my wife had something to do with that.

Also, she deplored the fact that we had congregants who had young children and therefore couldn't come to church. So we started downstairs, next door, taking care of young children so their parents could go here to church service. I'm very proud of that.

My wife is the one who is responsible for both those things. I just went along. You know how it is when your wife suggests something: you better do it.

Betty became ill, quite ill. And this church was very nice - particularly one person - whose name I won't mention. She would call me personally each day, send flowers, and is probably still doing it for other people who are in unfortunate circumstances. I won't mention her name, but "thank you Bonnie."

At that period, my wife was in the nursing home for over eleven years and Rev. Washburn went to see her. Penel Adelmann organized a group of ladies, Florence Zuhr and others, Ruth Mackey, Virgina Crone. They used to come up to that nursing home and say prayers and sing songs...a group of ladies from the Guild. I'll never forget that.

And before Betty went to the nursing home, the Guild used to host her. "Don't worry, we'll take care of her." She didn't know what was going on. But they had her at the meetings and took good care of her. I'll never forget the church for that.

I had another tragedy occur in my life when my son became quite ill and needed hospitalization. "What will I do? I have a wife in the nursing home, and now this. 'Too much." I called my good friend and pastor, Rev. Washburn, who did arranging at St. Agnes Hospital. My son is now down South, doing very well. The climate is better for him down there. Happily married, got married a year ago - wanted his Dad to be his best man, which I was.

I said, "Nah, you don't want me for your best man! You want someone more your own age. You don't ask fathers to do this."

He said, "In this case we do." And he's coming up this Thursday, and I'm sure one of the things he'll want to do is to be in touch with Rev. Washburn. They have become friends, and I think they still communicate with each other from time to time. It's heart warming.

In the 40 years I've spent in this church, and I'll admit I don't come as much as I used to, I love this place.

I remember another episode - the blind. We were meeting at the Legion. That was not a suitable place. I said, "How about the Congregational Church?" And sure enough, I came here and they were very receptive. At that time we were meeting twice a month, then once a month. And now we meet only twice a year. But we still meet here, and Rev. Washburn and Nancy and their children performed a program which I remember very fondly. You've always been supportive of that, too, for which I am very grateful.

My son, now, doing very well, and coming up this weekend, is working for the DeKalb Medical Center in the Atlanta area. He works there as a health coordinator and a counselor. My daughter is married and is an attorney. She was married here; I vividly remember that scene. She and her husband are both attorneys in Maryland.

My life is pretty full. I've been here 40 years out of the 75. So I feel rather privileged.

God Bless America. We'll think about the people in Turkey; we've had a lot of tragedies happen recently.

God Bless the leadership of this church and you people. And may the Scarsdale Congregational Church continue to be the sort of "shining light" not only for this community and the communities around here, but through the outreach program, I think we touch the whole world.

Maybe, you say, "that's a small thing." But a lot of small things put together make a great big contribution, don't they?

Thank you very much for listening to me. I was nervous. I was asked yesterday, "Are you nervous about tomorrow?" "Somewhat," I said, "but then I remember that our masthead says 'ministers, all the people.' and I'm one of 'all the people'."

God Bless You!

Transcription by Lucy Werner