January 2006 South Jersey Post Card Club Newsletter Page 2
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2005 in Review Card of the Month Contests How many do you remember? March April June 1 . No. 6 . Revised Vol Sal Fiorello Bob Duerholz Don Pocher January February May Steve Martorano Don Pocher Steve Madara September November October Serving Post Card Collectors Since 1971 Mimi Fridie 6 Newsletter Tom Kearney 200 Lynn McKelvey Emily Divento July August December January Featured Card PoCax 2006 Program Cover Bob Duerholz Steve Martorano Kevin McKelvey SJPCC Newsletter Card of the Month Contests for 2006 - It’s time for something new!!! Published Quarterly in A new format for the monthly Card Contests January, April, Because much of America’s cultural experience is measured by the movies we see and the July and October TV programs we watch, starting in January the monthly topic will be determined by you, based on the title of a movie or the name of a TV program. The topic will not be an assigned person, place, Please send inquires, and Letters to the Editor to: event, or thing. You will enter cards that are important to your concepts of American culture. 1111 E. Pine Street Each month you will be given a movie title and a TV show. This means you may enter two Millville, NJ 08332 cards each month, one movie card and one TV card, although both cards will be judged as part of or email: [email protected] one contest. To see your new challenges and examples of how it works. See page 7. January 2006 South Jersey Post Card Club Newsletter Page 2. The Chew Mansion (Cliveden) Remember seeing this card in the October issue? the home of Benjamin Chew and the Battle of Germantown. The challenge was … if you attended school in this by Tom Kearney building and sent a story about what you learned to the Newsletter you could win a free, one-year membership. Since winning ‘the card of the month’ for October ’05, I have delved into the history of this beautiful home built by The winner is Bud Plumer Benjamin Chew between 1763 and 1767. As usual I thoroughly enjoyed the October Newsletter. In Chew held various offices in his time, including fact, I just interrupted my packing for a 15 day trip to Italy to Attorney General and Chief Justice of respond. the State of Pennsylvania. Justice I graduated from Central High School in Philadel- Chew fell into disfavor amongst the phia in January 1943, a member of the 179th class, which Revolutionaries during the War of was the 179th class to graduate from the school. By Independence and was placed under coincidence, we graduated 179 students. The building house arrest in 1777 and paroled to shown in the newsletter was the third location of the school. the Union Iron Works in New Jersey. It was at Broad and Green Streets, now the location of the Shortly after his arrest, his Benjamin Franklin High School. We were the first class to family was evicted and the home was occupied by His enter the new building in 1939 at Ogontz and Olney Majesty’s forces - soldiers under the command of Colonel Avenues, the fourth location of the school. The old building Musgrave. At the same time, General Washington and his was demolished. forces were encamped northwest of the city in the vicinity I am the Class Treasurer, and was recently of the Bethlehem Pike in Whitemarsh – an area now known honored by my class with a surprise luncheon for over 62 as Fort Washington. years service as treasurer and organizing class reunions. Washington was planning an assault on General Central was founded in 1836, the second oldest Howe’s troops in Germantown, and on October 2, 1777, he public high school in the country. The first was the Boston led his soldiers into the city and south onto Germantown Grammar School. Today, as when I attended, it is an all Avenue. Most of the assault was hampered by a severe academic school, but today it is co-ed, whereas in my day it fog, but a large force attacked the mansion at Cliveden was all male. A decision by the U. S. Supreme Court since they were coming under heavy fire from Musgrave’s changed that about 20 years ago. 75 members of my class troops. For some inexplicable reason, they repeatedly became doctors, dentists or lawyers. Many prominent attacked the British, fortified in the mansion, and were people in the sciences, entertainment profession, and beaten back every time. This diversion of attacking Chew’s judiciary, graduated from Central, including several Nobel mansion and the lack of communication due to the fog went Prize and Pulitzer Prize recipients . away from Washington’s plan and the subsequent loss of The building in the postcard illustration was forces prevented him from continuing the battle. dedicated by President Teddy Roosevelt in 1905. A retreat was called and the Revolutionary Army Another family connection is the illustration of the marched back to their encampment in Whitemarsh, soundly Philadelphia Normal School then at 13th and Spring defeated. General Howe pursued them as far as Hope Garden to Green Streets . My mother, Mary B. Plumer Lodge, another magnificent home in the area, but was graduated as a teacher from there in 1921. She was born afraid to open fire with cannon, fearing the return fire would in London in 1902 and came to this country when she was destroy the Lodge, remembering that Cliveden was all but eight years old. She taught fifth grade at the Mt. Vernon ruined. The British returned to defend and occupy School at Third and Catharine Streets in what is now Philadelphia while Washington and his men headed west known at the Queen Village section of Philadelphia. The for a winter stay in Valley Forge. Normal School was operated by the School District of Cliveden was restored to its grandeur after the war Philadelphia and as a tuition free school kept the system and the Chews and their descendants lived there until supplied with an ample supply of teachers. I don't know 1972. Today Cliveden is one of Germantown’s most when it was discontinued, but I believe some time in the visited “living museums.” early 30's. The building was eventually changed to the * * * Stoddard Junior High School. My mother eventually retired A sidebar to the Cliveden story. General Washington, like the from teaching and joined my dad in the real estate British commander, made his headquarters in a stately home near business, which he founded in 1923. his encampment at Whitemarsh. It was the home of George By the way, Central High School issues a BA Emlen. There are postcards of the Emlen house too - a story of degree to graduates with a good grade average. that home is one for another time. January 2006 South Jersey Post Card Club Newsletter Page 3. PoCax 2005 - Redux outh Jersey Postcard Club’s annual S show and exhibit celebrated its 34th renewal last October with an amazing exhibit of nearly fifty boards. That exhibit once again was proof that SJPCC members own, not only an eclectic (and some times, eccentric) collection, but an aesthetic one as well. For many the exhibit is a favorite part of PoCax because it is one of precious few opportunities to share our collections with others. Part of the ‘fun’ for those who see the exhibit is guessing which board belongs to whom. [A personal note from the editor: this was the first year in many that I was unable to participate in the exhibit; but as I watched and listened, there were many who thought Judi Kearney’s board belonged to me. You sure surprised lots of people, Judi - including me.] Congratulations to Bob Duerholz!!! Bob took home the Best of Show award - his second in three years . Bob’s board of real-photo, fantasy-aviation cards won the people’s choice. The Board is a wonderful exam ple of how important real-photo post cards were as vacation souvenirs in decades past. The majority of the cards are “sea-shore” studio photos of vacationers who paid ten cents or a quarter to dress up and have their pictures taken. Bob’s collection is not only an example of these cards , but a reminder of the variety and how difficult it is to find souvenir cards . Two examples from Bob’s board are, “Lovers in a Basket” and “The Channel Scorcher.” Honorable Mention Medals were won by Judi Kearney, Emily DiVento, and Lynn McKelvey. Judi offered a board of French postcards from a Series – “La Normandie Pittoresque,” showing The Faces of the French Country Side. These cards portray a wonderful innocence of an era gone-by. They also remind us of just how enthusiastically the French embraced the concept of Carte Postales in every cultural entity. The titles are in Old French – a language that is much different from the one spoken today, but with a little help from a French dictionary, I can suggest that the translations are reasonable. See how older brother is reminding his sister that it is . “especially important to remember all the instructions given us by mother.” And, how a kiss on the cheek . “reminds us of the passage of time.” Lynn entered the exhibit competition for the first time in 2005, and of course with her collection of dandelion post cards, oh wait, I mean sunflower post cards (inside joke, folks), she won an Honorable Mention for her board entitled Fantasy Sunflowers. An example from her board is this artist- signed card showing a sunflower worshiping the sun, entitled Soleil.