Hershey Industrial School

The Great Class of

1950

                                            MAY 2009

RAY THURSTON

Thank you to Ray for a check for $100 to help with the newsletter expenses. Ray has never been back to Hershey for Homecoming, but we hope he comes this year.

With his check Ray included a business card which read in part: “CREATIVE WOODCARVING by RAY THURSTON.” Ray makes and sells carvings and driftwood.

In 1994 Ray was scheduled to have heart surgery. However, before the operation they did another test and told him he didn’t need the surgery. He and his wife, Phyllis, are still in good health.

 Also, Ray now has a summer address and a winter address. He travels to Florida in October and returns to Ohio in April.

Email: thurstonrap@aol.com

Summer:7231 Chillicothe Rd., Mentor, OH 44060

              Telephone: 440-974-2049

Winter: 770 Spruce St., Englewood, FL 34223

             Telephone: 941-474-9140

 

JOE AND FRAN POPE

In a telephone conversation Joe said he had a spot on his lung which a test revealed was cancer. However, a recent test showed he is now cancer free. He feels especially blessed as he is able to take care of Fran who fell last August and broke her shoulder and collar bone. Both of them are enjoying their four children, seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

 

HALE JONES

In his monthy column Just For The HALE of It in the March issue of his magazine FT (Financial Advisors) Hale wrote:

“Obama’s program will rapidly expand the money supply so as to create violent and prolonged inflation, which will be devastating for an aging population (that’s us – Charlie). There’s no better way to “punish” seniors trying to scratch out a living on a fixed income.”

Thank you, Hale, for the warning. I’m looking forward to the April issue with the hope that Hale tells us oldsters how to protect our quality of life during prolonged inflation – Charlie

 

SAVING $$$$$$

Like many others, MHS has been hit by the economy slowdown (recession). Many companies in the portfolio have reduced their dividends, thereby reducing MHS’s cash income. Further, the Deed of Trust does not allow the school to dip into the endowment, but may only use the income.

On April 18, the PNC ATM was removed from the Human Resource Founders Hall, saving $20,000 a year. Also, beginning this summer all thermostats will be set at 75 degrees. In the winter they will be set at 68 degrees. This is expected to save the school $200,000 a year.

 

SCOTLAND SCHOOL

Milton Hershey School staff is reaching out to students from the Scotland School for Veterans’ Children who will be looking for a new school next year because of Gov. Ed Rendell’s plan to close the Franklin County school to save money in next year’s budget. Scotland School was founded in 1895 to educate the children of Civil War veterans. Scotland students will still have to meet MHS income requirements.

 

JUST LIKE THE OLD DAYS!!

Remember the good ol’ summer times at H.I.S. When milking was done we worked the fields bringing in crops and taking out manure.

Summer 2009 is a little different. Students are being given a choice of three history trips available. They are Gettysburg on June 22-26; Washington D.C. on July 6-10; Boston on July 20-25.

Students must maintain a C average in Social Studies/World Cultures in order to be included. Also, they are “expected to be in good standing both academically and behaviorally in school, as well as demonstrating good citizenship in their student homes.

 

BUY A BRICK

Built in the 1930s, the School Health Center opened it doors to the local community in 1941 when the Hershey Community Hospital in the Community Center became inadequate.

The building was in use until July 2008.

Serious structural problems prevent MHS from renovating the facility as previously planned and the building will be demolished this Spring.

Keepsake commemorative bricks from the facility will be sold as fundraiser for the Student Government Association (SGA) Fund for Charitable Giving.

Members of the school’s SGA will personally clean and prepare bricks before plaques are affixed. To order your brick, please call 520-2060 or email Wanda Hurst at: hurstw@mhs-pa.org.

 

100^th ANNIVERSARY DATES

May 20 – MHSAA Golf Tournament

August 16 – Community Service Day

September 11-13 – Homecoming

November 9-13 – Founders Week Celebration

 

IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING

Our big 60^th homecoming anniversary will be next year (2010) on September 24.

PETE GURT

On March 2, Milton Hershey School Vice President of Student Life Pete Curt was recognized at the Coalition of Residential Education National Conference as its 2009 Administrator of the Year

“Besides being the true ‘Headmaster’ of our school, Pete lives and breathes the mission of MHS and is extremely humble about his own success making him a prime choice for such a high honor,”  said MHS President Johnny O’Brien who nominated Gurt for the award

An MHS alumnus Gurt has served the School for over 17 years, and his firsthand experience as a student provides a strong foundation for his passion and ability to motivate others. He is in charge of every facet of life for our 1,800 students, leading Home Life, Scholastic and co-curricular and Student Support Services departments.

 

PURITY HALL – HARPERS

by SUSAN ALGER

Coordinator of School History, MHS

Many Milton Hershey School student homes have fascinating histories; yet one home is distinguished not only by a rich history, but also by a unique purpose and location. Student home Harpers was different than any other home, past or present, because it was located in Lebanon County along the Swatara Creek approximately ten miles from the Hershey Industrial School. The property was one of six that Mr. Hershey bought in the area (the others were dairy farms) with the intention of building a trolley line from Hershey to the farms near Jonestown. Harpers, built in the 1880’s by bachelor Jacob Uhrich for he and his two sisters, featured a beautiful three-story home with a mansard roof, 12-foot ceilings, arched double doors, a carriage house, and other out buildings. Although it is not known how long Uhrich owned the property, Milton Hershey purchased Harpers, consisting of the house, outbuildings and four acres from Samuel Fry and William Glick on March 31, 1917.

School records state that Mr. Hershey thought the home would be useful as a “hospital in the event of an epidemic in the school of a serious character which would necessitate the segregation of the boys from the main. This building is splendidly adapted for this purpose should the necessity arise." For this reason the home was called Purity Hall. There was a flu epidemic in 1918 and Purity Hall became an off campus infirmary. School Superintendent George Copenhaver converted the first floor of the carriage house into a schoolroom so the boys could keep up with their studies while they recuperated.

When the epidemic had passed, the home, now known as Harpers, became a Sub-Kindergarten (Pre-K). Harvey Deitrich, class of 1934, arrived at Harpers as a new student to the School on April 13, 1921 at the age of five-and-a-half only speaking Pennsylvania Dutch. He remembers the housefather putting him on a swing to distract him when his mother left. The young boys were cared for by two houseparent couples; younger children in other homes were cared for by women called matrons. Since the home was so far removed from the central campus, it would have been necessary for both men and women to look after not only the boys, but also the house and grounds. In the mid-1920’s, there were 25 boys living in the home.

By 1930, Harpers was used for third and fourth grade students who experienced a separate, yet cohesive environment. Rev. Dr. Clark Hobby, class of 1947 was a student in the last group of boys to live at Harpers and fondly remembers his time there. According to Hobby, the separation of the group from the rest of the School enabled him and his fellow students to grow “very close to one another, learning to depend on each other.” Although teachers came to conduct Bible and music classes, the only interaction with the rest of the student body was when the boys from Harpers attended chapel in the Hershey Theatre on Sunday mornings.

The expansive grounds gave the boys an opportunity to explore an island in the creek, fish, and for Dr. Hobby, to have his first encounter with a snake. Hobby remembers Marian Snavely (later Mrs. Ellenberger), the teacher during that time, as “a marvelous teacher, whom I adored.” Miss Snavely exposed her students to the exciting world of literature; she read the boys daily chapters from Oliver Twist, other books by Charles Dickens, and Heidi. In an oral history recorded by the Hershey-Derry Township Historical Society, Miss Snavely recalled that every time she saw Mr. Copenhaver come up the drive for a visit, she made sure the blackboard was clean; in fact Copenhaver once asked Miss Snavely if she ever used the board. Miss Snavely continued teaching at the School until her retirement in 1970.

The home was closed at the end of the 1937-38 school year and was sold in 1941. During the 1940’s and 1950’s the home, known as “Hemlock Hall,” was used as a tourist home. After a complete renovation beginning in 1986, Dick and Susan Hess are the current owners and proprietors of the Swatara Creek Inn Bed and Breakfast. They value its historic past and tie to the Milton Hershey School. A new MHS student home Harpers is home to senior high girls with an alumna as housemother. New becomes old and old becomes new again at Milton Hershey School.

 

HISTORIC MILTON HERSHEY ANTIQUE

The desk once used by Milton Hershey in running his Lancaster Caramel Company in the 1890s is now on permanent exhibit in the office of the President of Milton Hershey School. The main writing surface of the desk is protected by glass. Copies of several pages of the Deed of Trust (including the page containing signatures of both Milton and Catherine) have been placed under the glass as a reminder that it was Mr. Hershey’s success, coupled with his value system, that led to the creation of the school.

THE HERSHEY STORY

Downtown Hershey has gotten a little sweeter with the opening of its newest attraction, "The Hershey Story, The Museum on Chocolate Avenue. On Friday, Jan. 9 the new museum, which celebrates the life and legacy of chocolate magnate and philanthropist Milton S. Hershey, opened its doors to the public at 10 a.m.

The Hershey High School Band heralded the opening as students from Milton Hershey School and St. Joan of Arc School were the first to ceremoniously walk through the doors of the new museum.

The $23.5 million museum is devoted to everything Hershey.

A two-story grand lobby modeled after the Columbian Exposition Hall at the Chicago World's Fair where Mr. Hershey found his first chocolate-making equipment, ushers visitors into the new space.

The first floor houses a sleek Chocolate Lab, devoted to teaching children and adults about chocolate, while mixing in geography, economics, science and history lessons.

Inspired by Milton Hershey's own candy-making apprenticeship and his flair for experimentation, the Lab explores the unique qualities of chocolate through playful, hands-on experiences. Participatory classes include grinding cocoa beans by hand, tempering, molding and dipping. School children can use chocolate's raw ingredients and various tools to learn about geography, history, economics and science.

Visitors can also explore unique merchandise at the Museum Shop, as well as enjoy light fare at Café Zooka, which is named for an early Milton Hershey chocolate novelty. While in the Café, guests can experience warm drinking chocolate from around the world in the Countries of Origin Chocolate Tasting area.

The building's first floor will also pay tribute to Milton Hershey's character, values and vision through an awe-inspiring, two-story painting to be completed in spring 2009.

Upstairs, the experience continues with the main attraction – an admission-only, permanent exhibit of Milton Hershey's life, legacy and his town.

Walking through five distinct areas - Failures and Fortunes, Sweet Innovations, Power of Promotion, Hershey Builds Hershey and Living Legacy –  visitors will hear never-before-shared stories of Mr. Hershey's innovation and determination and discover how he revolutionized the production of milk chocolate.

The journey begins with "Failures and Fortunes," an exhibit that talks about Mr. Hershey's family, heritage, his early business failures and his eventual success with his caramel company and then his chocolate factory.

The area features four large building facades representing places important to Mr. Hershey's life, including the Homestead and the chocolate factory.

As the journey continues, visitors walk through the doors of the factory and into a second exhibition area called "Sweet Innovations," which explores Mr. Hershey's leadership style and how he encouraged his employees to be creative and more efficient. It features a working Conche machine and an original Hershey's Kisses wrapping machine that contains an interactive element.

Visitors next enter "The Power of Promotion," an exhibit exploring the various ways The Hershey Company marketed chocolate, from the beginning of the 20th Century throughout Milton Hershey's life.

"That section is very interesting because it has five large kiosks, each with a theme," said the museum's associate director Amy Bischof. "They include an artifacts case on one side and a touch screen on the other, which will allow visitors to access additional information and to design their own candy wrappers."

Visitors will also find three life-size storefronts from the early 1900s featuring point of purchase displays.

The journey next takes a look at "Hershey Builds Hershey," the fourth exhibition area that documents the development of his model community.

Through a short film, visitors learn the differences between a model and a company town, why Hershey succeeded while others failed in creating a successful town and how Milton and Catherine's trips to destinations around the world influenced the development of the town.

The exhibition area also explores who built the town, how it was developed and why certain things are here, including The Hotel Hershey, Hershey Theatre, Hersheypark and Hershey Gardens.

A state-of-the-art large round theater, containing a six-foot-by-six-foot map of the town, offers guests an interactive tour of the town's buildings. Using a touch screen, visitors are able to move across a map and click on 13 different buildings to view historic film footage, blueprints, photographs and artifacts.

"One of the things we wanted to get across to people is that a lot of this museum is about things that happened in the past, but Hershey is still a thriving community," said Bischof. "Things that were around 50 years ago are still around today and thriving."

The story concludes with "A Living Legacy," an exhibition area paying tribute to Mr. Hershey's philanthropies, including his beloved Milton Hershey School.

Here, sometimes emotion-packed video snippets of 40 interviews conducted with current and former Milton Hershey School students are shown on three life-size screens.

The museum is located on Chocolate Avenue, adjacent to the Hershey Press Building, making it a centerpiece of a revitalized downtown Hershey. It is the first landmark building to be built on Chocolate Avenue in the last 75 years. For additional information, visit www.hersheystory.org.

FOUNDERS HALL

In late April Founders Hall received some alteration work in the two alcoves just off the rotunda. The one alcove is close to the President’s office and the other near the Heritage Room. The alcove near the president’s office will feature items from the History Department while the other one will be under the guidance of the Alumni Relations office.

This is the first alteration at Founders Hall since it opened on Sept. 13, 1970. The major renovation, planned for next year, has been postponed until the economy and the school’s income recovers.

 

MHSAA NEWS

Three students of MHS representing the Student Government Association (SGA) attended the March meeting of the MHSAA. 18 board members were in attendance.

The purpose of the SGA is to improve student life on campus. A number of examples were given such as transitional living curfew, improved communications with home life administrators  (Did we ever improve communications with Ben Olena and John O. Hershey?), active participation in the presidential search process, a memoirs project, trying to improve the retention rate at MHS and fundraising for Chloe Meliott.

Ralph Carfagno gave a brief report on the Milton Hershey birthday celebration. On Sunday, Sept. 13 there will be a church service at Founders Hall followed by a birthday party in the old Arena. Following the party all people attending the party will be admitted free to Hersheypark.

At the meeting there was much discussion about endorsing a candidate for president of MHS. No candidate was endorsed.

On Aug. 16, 2009 all MHS students will be engaged in community outreach projects. All alumni are asked to participate in this National Day of Volunteering.

A new documentary on the school and Mr. and Mrs. Hershey is nearing completion and should be available in the August 2009 time frame.

Jack Swofford, MHSAA treasurer, reported the treasury is in good shape, but should be better.

John Halbleib reported there are now 2,800 registered users of the MHSAA website.

 

HARRISBURG PATRIOT EDITORIAL

The last few years at Milton Hershey School read like a Harvard Business School case study in institutional turnarounds.

At the end of the 1990s, alumni were literally at the school gates in protest that the institution had moved away from Milton Hershey's vision and become a boarding school.

Tensions flamed when the Board of Managers proposed the creation of a "Catherine Hershey Institute for Learning and Development." While a noble idea, alumni questioned why the vast wealth of the trust was not being used to help more students at the school.

The disagreements between alumni and the Board of Managers escalated to court cases. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court had to step in and rule in 2003 that the alumni association had no basis to question the running of the Hershey charitable trust in court. The case was thrown out, and the state Attorney General's office was left to mediate between embittered sides.

Fast forward to 2009. The school is months away from its centennial, and the alumni association and administration are on friendly terms planning for the occasion and working on mentoring current students.

Much of the credit goes to the dedicated staff, house parents and current president John O'Brien, a 1961 alum, who came in 2003 to try to get things back "on mission."

School enrollment has grown from about 1,200 to 1,800 during the last six years. It has gone back to a full-year residential program and plans are underway to continue growing to a goal of 2,000 students by 2013.

The students today are from families with lower incomes -- about half are under the national poverty line and all are below 150 percent of the poverty line. This was seen as key to Hershey's mission compared with the 1990s when students were coming from families with increasingly middle class profiles.

There has been a return to instilling students with service and work ideals and connecting them to the wider Derry Twp. community, as Mr. Hershey outlined in his will. Students have to "earn" their college scholarship money through behavior inside and outside of the classroom. They do internships and help maintain the campus.

While this newspaper's editorial board did support the Catherine Hershey Institute proposal a decade ago, it is clear that the alumni of the school had a different vision that has come to fruition with more disadvantaged kids receiving the education and nurturing support of such a unique place.

But the "roots are still fragile" as O'Brien noted in a recent meeting with The Patriot-News editorial board. So many changes in a short span of time do not come without critics.

O'Brien will step down as president in July. The transition and new leadership are critical. The school needs someone with a deep understanding of the facility's traditions and also its recent politics who can manage all the ambitious growth underway.

It's a steep mandate, but the board, alumni and staff now seem united to make it work.

 

THE HERSHEY COMPANY

Higher prices helped the 1^st-quarter profit surge 20 % for the goose that laid the golden egg.

The Hershey Co., the nation's second-largest candy maker, said it also benefited from a later first quarter that captured more Easter sales but was hurt by higher commodity costs and a strengthening dollar.

MHS INDEPENDENT EVALUATION

An independent, statewide team of educators who evaluated Milton Hershey School has commended the School’s leaders for getting the School back on mission.

The educators applauded the school for “the effectiveness with which the President and the leadership team, with strong support from the Board of Managers, has realigned the School’s direction with the vision of its founder, Milton S. Hershey,” the evaluators said.

“Most of all, the entire community has been reenergized as evidenced in the genuine sense or purpose and the authenticity of pride that filters through every aspect of the organization,” according to the report.

Milton Hershey School received re-accreditation from the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools after a yearlong review and examination, which included a three-day, onsite visit by 30 educators from a variety of educational institutions.

Evaluators praised the school for assembling a group of talented, educated adults who live the School’s mission” and applauded the 1,800 students “who are actively engaged in the educational process, proud of their School, and appropriately grateful for the impact MHS is having on their lives”.

“About eight years ago, our alma mater had drifted away from Mr. Hershey’s Deed of Trust,” said John Hanawalt, ’70, president of the Milton Hershey Alumni Association. “Under President O’Brien the current leadership team has worked hard and made tremendous progress to ensure Mr. Hershey’s greatest legacy has been refocused and remains strong.”

“It is heartening to have an objective evaluator recognize the tremendous progress our dedicated people have made,” said MHS President John O’Brien ‘61.

PAlS evaluators review a school’s program in accordance with state standards for independent schools. The accreditation process ensures that private schools meet and maintain specific standards of excellence.

In its list of recommendations, the PAIS team urged the Board of Managers and school administrators to make certain “that continuity of vision is maintained and the good work that has begun is affirmed and allowed to grow.”

 

“KEEP IT NEAT AND CLEAN” – M. S. HERSHEY

Milton Hershey wanted his town to be neat, clean and unique. He didn’t leave that to chance.

by BECKY LeFOUNTAIN

Excerpted from the HUMMELSTOWN SUN

According to the book, “Hershey,” by Mary Davidoff Houts and Pamela Cassidy Whitenack, Mr. Hershey wanted his employees to feel that they had a personal stake in the community. He had houses built for them to rent or purchase and he sold lots to them to construct their own homes. Mr. Hershey was proud of his model town and he did not want it to represent other company towns where all houses resembled one another. When the first worker houses were built, located on Trinadad Avenue, only two plans were used. To add visual appeal, Mr. Hershey instructed that additional designs be used for future building.

A well known anecdote is the time when Mr. Hershey returned from a journey and was appalled to find that during his absence several homes in a row had been constructed in cookie cutter fashion. He immediately ordered that the workers return to those houses and vary their facades by such means as the addition of distinctive windows, porches, etc. in order to add uniqueness to each house and visual interest to the street.

Mr. Hershey loved his town and felt the community was a reflection of himself. He was known to drive through the residential areas admiring the neighborhoods. It has been noted that on occasion he would come across a residence that he found distasteful. In those cases, he would have one of his employees call the owners and request that they get things in order. Mr. Hershey, who had never grown up in a stable home or in one location for long, could not understand how someone could be so unappreciative of the luxury of owning their own home that they would allow their premises to be unsightly.

As Mr. and Mrs. Hershey began to sell off parcels to residents of Derry Township, they wanted to ensure that the community would remain an ideal one. Evidence of this is in the deed they drew up for purchasers of the land.

The deed stated that the buildings, improvements, woods, ways, rights, liberties, privileges, remaining rents, issues and profits would be conveyed in all sales. Mr. and Mrs. Hershey wanted to assure that accessibility to properties for issues related to utilities and services, which were then run under the umbrella of the Hershey Chocolate Company. Here they stated that the said Milton S. Hershey, his heir, and assigns, (further referred to as Mr. Hershey et al.) or his agents, employees, or workmen, had access to the premises to lay, repair, renew, or remove any water pipes, drains, or sewers for the distribution of water or for drainage. Further, they had the “free right, use, liberty and privilege to erect poles and string wires for the purpose of lighting the streets, and supplying the distributing light, heat and power, or any of them, by electricity or other means” to the public.

Along these same lines, the buyers were required to maintain in good condition a sidewalk that was considered to be substantial, and of “the same material, character, and construction, built and maintained by the owners of other properties in the same neighborhood.” Further, if the buyer failed to do so, Mr. Hershey et al. had the right to build and maintain the sidewalk at the expense of the buyer. The buyer also had to agree to “hereafter forever leave unbuilt upon and unobstructed, except by steps, cellar doors, piazzas, bay windows, fences, trees, or shrubbery.