Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011: We’ll be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first Garden Home class for school children, beginning at 10 am. In 1911 the class was held upstairs in Chris Jager’s store, now the Dairy Queen corner. The original Garden Home School opened the next year, 1912. We’ll display lots of school photos, have a slide show of early Garden Home, display memorabilia, sell our historic calendar and other activities. All parents, teachers and classes are invited to attend. More specific information later. More information below.
Saturday, Sept. 24 from 10 until 2 pm in the gym at the Garden Home Recreation Center. One hundred years ago, 1911, the first Garden Home School children gathered upstairs over Chris Jager’s store (Dairy Queen location). Please join us in celebrating this anniversary!
- Meet your classmates, school staff, friends and neighbors, everyone invited
- Refreshments and lunch $5 in gym, courtesy of Lamb’s Thriftway
- Purchase Garden Home Vintage Calendars for your family. The calendar is filled with wonderful old photos and memoirs you’ve shared with us about the early dairy farms, trains, school programs, church, baseball, and life in early Garden Home. Calendars at this event $12. By mail $15 each for 1 or 2 calendars. 3 or more by mail $14 each.
- Tour the building, special historical displays
- Enjoy slide show of old Garden Home, farms, trains, families, memoirs: 10:45 am
- Review old photos, PTA scrapbooks, class photos, memorabilia (Share some of yours!)
- Brief Program of introductions at 12:00 noon
Request for prepaid calendar orders: They will be mailed after Sept. 24, 2011.
Calendars will be available after Sept. 24th at the Garden Home Library, $12 each.
Calendars by mail: 1 or 2: $15 each. 3 or more to one address: $14 each.
Please pay by check for calendars to be mailed. Make checks payable to: Garden Home History Project. Send to our treasurer: Patsy VandeVenter, 7520 SW Ashdale Court, Portland, OR 97223
Thanks, we hope you can join us for a fun day on Sept. 24th. We look forward to hearing your stories about Garden Home! Please help to notify your family or friends who might be interested.
The Newton Family
L-R: Jim Newton, Robert Newton, Josephine Newton Aust, Rick Newton, Margaret Newton Shrader, Alex Newton
Here is a photo of six of the eleven Newtons who attended Garden Home School; the most of any Garden Home family. Also, for what it’s worth, I am sending under separate cover a story of the recollections of the last of the “pioneer” Newtons.
Again, thank you for all the work you’re doing.
Rick Newton
See also our story about The Newton Boys.
Additional comments from attendees:
Elaine,
It was one of the best events Garden Home has ever had!, I enjoyed it thoroughly and kudos to you and the others for putting it together. Really brought the community together and emphasized what a wonderful, vibrant place we live in. I don’t know what if any contributions I could make to your efforts but please let me know when the meetings are.
Nathalie
Elaine,
I felt I had a superb start in school going to kindergarten and first grade at Garden Home School and the memories remained with me my whole life. Because of that fabulous faculty, I went on to become a primary teacher in the Portland Schools for almost 30 years. Thank you and all the people who helped put this wonderful day together. It was a highlight of my life and I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart. So glad I lived long enough to come and participate.
Barbara
Elaine,
I intend to do more investigating myself. Your project has rekindled my interest in writing the stories of my family. And my son is now old enough (34) to be interested in hearing about his ancestors. If I learn anything significant I will surely pass it on to you; and if I can be of any more help, please don’t hestitate to contact me.
Ione
Elaine,
A big Thank You to you and your committee for hosting a wonderful event on Saturday.
Lee
Garden Home History Project 