Sentimental Sunday - One Hundred Years ago today....

My father was born.  Yes, he would have been 100 years old today had he not left us much too soon.
So in tribute to his life during 69 of these years, I am dedicating this post to him.

Donald Edward Ormsby was born on 30 December 1918.  His parents were Harold Basil and Jessie Marie (Hill) Ormsby.  He was born in Casey, Illinois.  When he was just over 3 months old his father died.  A few years later his mother moved to Toledo, Ohio with the boys.  She remarried and had five more children. 

Donald Ormsby with his father in early 1919

Don grew up spending time in both Toledo with his mother and in Casey with his paternal grandparents.  He attended schools in both places at various times.

Dorr school in Toledo, OH - Don seated at far left in 1930

Donald Ormsby wearing his Casey High School sweater

On 13 December 1941 he married Nadine Darling.  They had a son Larry and were divorced a few years later.

Nadine and Donald Ormsby in 1941

In 1942, he joined the Army Air corps.  He received a medical discharge in 1943 before seeing any combat.

Donald Ormsby 1942

After his military stint, Don attended the Internationl Training Institute in Chicago where he learned the skills necessary to repair large appliances.  He moved back to Toledo and opened a business, Efficient Refrigeration with a man named "Red" Richards.  This business was in the building that had been Collingwood Bottled water company, and they soon realized that the bottled water business was better for them.

Original Collingwood Water Company building on Prescott St in Toledo, OH/

On 4 January 1950, he married Ruth Steinbrecher. 

Ruth and Donald Ormsby in 1950

Don and Ruth had 2 daughters - myself and my sister Robin.

Don with wife Ruth and children Larry, Robin and Kim in 1981

Sadly, he died of complications of aneurysm surgery on 2 July 1988.  He was only 69 years old.

Dad, we still miss you.

Donald and Ruth Ormsby 1988

Wisdom Wednesday - My first institute!

In looking over my blog posts for the year, I realize that I never published this one.  So, better late than never :-)

In July I attended my first Genealogical Institute.  This was something that I had wanted to do for a few years, but could never fit it into my schedule.

An institute is a week-long course on a given topic.  The course is coordinated by one instructor, but there are usually several "guest" instructors lending their expertise.  There are several courses happening at the same time.

The course I chose to start with was on Pennsylvania Research.  It was offered at LaRoche college in Pittsburgh.  This is a small private college and our institute took over for the week.

We began with check-in on Sunday afternoon.  Our accomodations were dorm rooms and we ate in the school cafeteria.  We had a welcome session on Sunday evening where we got to know the instructors and fellow students.

Classes began first thing Monday morning and continued all day with a couple of small breaks, and a break for lunch.  In the evening, we could work on homework (yes, there was homework!), attend some optional genealogical lectures, or just mingle with other genealogists.

There are also some informal get-togethers of other groups while we're there.  For example, people who had completed ProGen study met for lunch one day.

One evening I took a walk around campus.  It is in a lovely hilly area north of Pittsburgh.  And, as a bonus, there is a cemetery on the grounds.

We finished at noon on Friday.  I came home that week a little tired, but having made new friends, and ready to dig into my Pennsylvania families. 

www.gripitt.org

Society Saturday - The Suffragists

At a recent fundraising luncheon for another DAR chapter in the area, we were entertained by Annette Baldwin who portrayed several suffragists in "The Long Road to Victory".

She began as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and talked about how women in 19th century America had no rights of their own.  She told of meeting Susan B. Anthony and planning the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848.

Then, a quick costume change (while she continued to talk), and she became Susan B. Anthony.  As Susan, she told us how she had tried to cast a vote but was arrested and fined for doing so.  She gave portions of each ladies' speeches in their own words.

Next, she moved into the 20th century and portrayed Alice Paul.  As Alice, she told us about the Women's March in Washington in 1913, the silent pickets outside the White House, and being jailed at Occoquan Workhouse.

Finally, she spoke as Carrie Chapman Catt.  Carrie used different approaches with each state based on their political climate to help pass the 19th Amendment and later founded the League of Women Voters.

It was a nice overview of several suffragists.