Community Matters The Glen at Aberdeen Heights
April 2019
Alice Kalb breaks ground on the first Presbyterian Manor.
Presbyterian Manor system to celebrate 70 years On April 19, Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America (PMMA) will celebrate its 70th anniversary. Our first very first community opened in Newton, Kan., on April 19, 1949, nearly two years after 90-year-old Alice Kalb of El Dorado, Kan., asked the United Presbyterian Synod if it would consider opening a home for the aged. A small exploratory committee formed to look at the idea and determined it had merit. To raise funds for the Newton effort, a dedicated offering throughout the synod took place on Mother’s Day in 1948. The practice of raising funds for Presbyterian Manors on Mother’s Day continues today. The first resident, Mrs. Frances Belle Townsend of Smith Center, Kan., moved into the first Presbyterian home for the aged on April 19. ANNIVERSARY, continued on page 4
Marian Thomas, Marjorie Green, Bill Allan, Joan Murphy, Joan Beck, Eleanor Long, Dottie Mill, and Bill’s wife Mary Knickmeyer. Bill and resident Marjorie Green realized they had a connection. Bill was in the same local chapter of Battle of the Bulge Veterans as Marjorie’s late husband, Don Green. The two will stay in touch. It is not hard to make a connection here at Aberdeen!
Digging documentaries Documentaries are always popular in our community. Subjects are generally chosen by the time of year or season, and in some cases, subjects are chosen as they relate to our residents at Aberdeen Heights. In the month of February, residents watched films about Ronald Reagan, Thomas Edison and Johnny Cash, but none hit as close to home as the documentary we watched with resident Bill Allan called “Brick by Chance and Fortune, A St. Louis Story.” This hour-long documentary by local filmmaker Bill Streeter, showcases the many brick structures in St. Louis and chronicles the city’s rich history as both a producer and user of a building material. Once a leader in the U.S. brick-making industry, St. Louis is still an oasis of brick houses, bungalows, mansions and commercial buildings. The movie highlights the diversity and beauty of these beautiful and often historical buildings and shows a city of great architecture and character. DOCUMENTARIES, continued on page 2
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