Central Moravian Church - From the Pastor

From the Pastor

by Douglas W. Caldwell

In Honor of Maude Herman and Ed Rondthaler

This past year Central member, Maude Herman turned 105. She has been a strong, resilient member of our church and is the mother of Betty Hittinger and mother-in-law of her husband Bill who are members of our church family. Bill and Betty own a cottage at Moravian Village. As the skilled care nursing unit was opened at Moravian Village within the past several weeks, Maude Herman became the first resident of this new facility! It is a historic moment for any congregation and Moravian Village. Maude has been a long time member of the Busy Workers’ Society.

Recently Barbara and I received a note from another Central member, Edward Rondthaler. He too is a most remarkable person! He lives at Croton-on-Hudson, New York and attends worship services as frequently as he is able. He was often present with his wife Dorothy until her death in February 2002.

Edward Rondthaler is a son of North Carolina and comes from a distinguished family of Moravian clergy. Yet he has resided in the North most of his life following in the steps of Benjamin Franklin as a printer and as a crafter of typography. He has been a designer of alphabetical letters and is a pioneer in the legibility and esthetics of print. He has also been a champion of "Fonetics." Years ago Ed Rondthaler sent me one of his books entitled "Dictionary of Simplified American Spelling, an Alternative Spelling for English, Written As It Sounds, Pronounced As It’s Written" (1986.) Ed Rondthaler was aware that America was becoming a multi-cultured nation which needed a common, understandable language. As an English major, I have cherished and respected his publication!

Recently, Ed gifted Barbara and me with another publication which he wrote on his 100th birthday. It is a remarkable collection of "Glimpses of 100 Years of Radical Change." He writes many articles in this collection. One which I found fascinating is entitled "Celebrities." I now pass it on to you for your enjoyment. Ed recalls, "Surely the most memorable ride I ever had was in Mr. R. J. Reynold’s Perce Arrow in 1913. Helen Keller, the blind and deaf young woman who had learned to speak, gave a talk to the Salem College students. Next day she was going to Slater College to address the students there. Mr. Reynolds heard about it and offered to send down his Pierce Arrow since our college had only horses and a carriage. I was watching when Miss Keller, her mentor Mrs. Macy, and Dad got into the Pierce Arrow. Dad saw me and asked if I wanted to go along. Of course I did! I jumped into the front seat and off we went.

"When we crossed a bridge over the Southern Railroad tracks Miss Keller smelled the locomotive smoke and commented on it. Later we passed through a tunnel under the Norfolk & Western and I realized that Miss Keller, being blind and deaf, didn’t know we were in a tunnel.

"At Slater we were all put on the platform to hear the students sing black spirituals. Mrs. Macy asked me to move a chair up by Miss Keller so she could hold onto it and feel the vibrations of the singing. You never forget such a little-boy experience.

"Since I myself was never a college president I had no way to expose our three children to luminaries. But driving home from Delaware in the late 40s I picked up a hitch-hiking American Indian in army uniform. He told various stories of primitive life in the West. He was headed for New York, but had no place to stay and it was after midnight. I saw this as a chance to give our three boys a little exposure to an interesting person at breakfast next morning. So I invited him home.

In the morning I was dead sleepy, but I heard Dot getting up and thought I should warn her. So I said Dearie, there’s an Indian in the playroom. End of story."

Happy birthday Maude Herman and Ed Rondthaler. Thanks for the memories!