TRIBUTE TO SADIE HENDERSON BY BROTHER
JERRY HAMILL CLASS OF 1960
The author: Brother Jerry Hamill class of 1960 writes about Sadie during years
1955 to 1960 . After much searching the archives the following is written about
the years 1955 to 1960. I am sure many of the brothers have many of the
same memories.
Sadie was born April 18, 1897 in Princeton West
Virginia. After being widowed she moved to 36 Campus Drive to become the
housemother of Alpha Theta in 1954. She had her one bedroom apartment on
the first floor of the house.
Her radiant smile and silver gray hair struck
each and every fraternity member, especially those that lived in the house.
She planned all the meals and special parties of the fraternity. She
also supervised the housekeepers to make sure at least the first floor and the
recreation room in the basement were always spotless. Brother Dick
McCreary also furnished some of the furniture through his family business in
Wellsburg.
Sadie's daughter and son in law lived in Morgantown
and she visited them often.
She was a member of Eastern Star and the
Housemothers’ Association. She was very fond of Mrs. Wilkenson
(Wilky) as she was with one of the three fraternities on Sunnyside part of
town. Wilky was house mother of Alpha Gamma Rho.
Sadie was one of a kind and managed to keep the fraternity going along
with the SMC. The two SMC’s I knew and remember best
are Sheldon Hopkins and Tom Wetzel.
The brothers had the utmost respect for
her and would stand every time she entered or left a room. She was always
escorted into the dining room and sat at the head table with the SMC.
Her meals were outstanding and several of the brothers living off campus
chose to eat with us. She carefully planned the meals with Esther Van the cook.
Always remembered was the dinner that was late one night because Esther
had cooked the ham still in the can. Esther had a few drinks the night before.
When the fraternity decided to have a stag movie, Sadie would stay overnight
with her daughter, but she would always leave saying, "Don’t do anything you
can’t take a picture of."
She will be always be remembered for coming to the home of Brother
Hamill to attend the wedding of Brother Larry Sanders and Pam Mergen in 1967.
Sadie danced up a storm on that night.
Sadie loved to play bridge and was always looking to become a fourth when
the brothers needed one. She sometimes asked Brothers Hamill and Bob
Simmons and Bill Ball to play with her in her apartment.
She was like a mother away from home and always encouraged the brothers
to stay in school. She would sew our buttons on and even sneak you into the
kitchen if you missed dinner.
It was only fitting that in 1963, Alpha Theta dedicated their fire engine in Sadie’s
name.
In 1990 some 30 brothers from the 1950's and 1960's had a reunion at Lakeview
Country Club in which Sadie’s granddaughter was a special guest.
Four years later in 1994, 35 of those same 50’s to 60’s brothers met at Wilson
Lodge in Wheeling and paid tribute to Sadie.
Sadie passed away in November of 1974 at the age of 77. She called Brother
Hamill on the day she died and talked to his wife, Judy. When Jerry came home,
he called her only to find her gone. Brother Hamill was one of the pallbearers
at the funeral and Esther Van was there also.
AN OPEN LETTER
The following posthumous open letter from Jerry Hamill to Mom Henderson was read to
those in attendance at the reunion held in 1994, at the Wilson Lodge, Wheeling,
West Virginia
Dear Mom,
Since I didn’t get to say goodbye, I just wanted to write and thank you for coming
into my life.
From the very first time I met you, you sensed I needed a mom away from home.
I remember your silver hair and warm smile, as you said, "So nice to have you
and won't you come back soon." How lucky I was to be asked to come back and
live with you on Campus Drive.
Oh, what you taught me in four short years. You first taught me RESPECT,
something you gave to hundreds of boys with whom you lived. You taught me
LOVE, to love one another as you loved each of us in your own special way.
You taught us TOLERANCE, the giving and taking of living in the same house
with forty others, not to mention the alligator and the monkey. You taught us
FORTITUDE, to strive ahead and never to give up because someone does care.
You taught us ETIQUETTE, in everyday necessities of becoming a mature
person. In essence you really taught us to be a MAN.
You were always like a real "mom" to all of us. You had time to listen, to sew a
button on or to sneak someone into the kitchen when they missed dinner. You
even became a fourth for bridge.
I remember how we used to fight for your arm to march you into dinner and
how embarrassed you used to get when we stood up when you entered any
room.
You never pried into our social lives but I remember how sometimes you mistook
the names of our dates for last week's date. These were all special days in all our lives.
I am sorry I missed your last call, but as I laid you to rest, I couldn't help but
think of you as my Mom. You will always be a part of my life. You will always be
my other Mom.
With Love,
One of your boys from Campus Drive
Jerry Hamill, Class of 1960
JERRY HAMILL CLASS OF 1960
The author: Brother Jerry Hamill class of 1960 writes about Sadie during years
1955 to 1960 . After much searching the archives the following is written about
the years 1955 to 1960. I am sure many of the brothers have many of the
same memories.
Sadie was born April 18, 1897 in Princeton West
Virginia. After being widowed she moved to 36 Campus Drive to become the
housemother of Alpha Theta in 1954. She had her one bedroom apartment on
the first floor of the house.
Her radiant smile and silver gray hair struck
each and every fraternity member, especially those that lived in the house.
She planned all the meals and special parties of the fraternity. She
also supervised the housekeepers to make sure at least the first floor and the
recreation room in the basement were always spotless. Brother Dick
McCreary also furnished some of the furniture through his family business in
Wellsburg.
Sadie's daughter and son in law lived in Morgantown
and she visited them often.
She was a member of Eastern Star and the
Housemothers’ Association. She was very fond of Mrs. Wilkenson
(Wilky) as she was with one of the three fraternities on Sunnyside part of
town. Wilky was house mother of Alpha Gamma Rho.
Sadie was one of a kind and managed to keep the fraternity going along
with the SMC. The two SMC’s I knew and remember best
are Sheldon Hopkins and Tom Wetzel.
The brothers had the utmost respect for
her and would stand every time she entered or left a room. She was always
escorted into the dining room and sat at the head table with the SMC.
Her meals were outstanding and several of the brothers living off campus
chose to eat with us. She carefully planned the meals with Esther Van the cook.
Always remembered was the dinner that was late one night because Esther
had cooked the ham still in the can. Esther had a few drinks the night before.
When the fraternity decided to have a stag movie, Sadie would stay overnight
with her daughter, but she would always leave saying, "Don’t do anything you
can’t take a picture of."
She will be always be remembered for coming to the home of Brother
Hamill to attend the wedding of Brother Larry Sanders and Pam Mergen in 1967.
Sadie danced up a storm on that night.
Sadie loved to play bridge and was always looking to become a fourth when
the brothers needed one. She sometimes asked Brothers Hamill and Bob
Simmons and Bill Ball to play with her in her apartment.
She was like a mother away from home and always encouraged the brothers
to stay in school. She would sew our buttons on and even sneak you into the
kitchen if you missed dinner.
It was only fitting that in 1963, Alpha Theta dedicated their fire engine in Sadie’s
name.
In 1990 some 30 brothers from the 1950's and 1960's had a reunion at Lakeview
Country Club in which Sadie’s granddaughter was a special guest.
Four years later in 1994, 35 of those same 50’s to 60’s brothers met at Wilson
Lodge in Wheeling and paid tribute to Sadie.
Sadie passed away in November of 1974 at the age of 77. She called Brother
Hamill on the day she died and talked to his wife, Judy. When Jerry came home,
he called her only to find her gone. Brother Hamill was one of the pallbearers
at the funeral and Esther Van was there also.
AN OPEN LETTER
The following posthumous open letter from Jerry Hamill to Mom Henderson was read to
those in attendance at the reunion held in 1994, at the Wilson Lodge, Wheeling,
West Virginia
Dear Mom,
Since I didn’t get to say goodbye, I just wanted to write and thank you for coming
into my life.
From the very first time I met you, you sensed I needed a mom away from home.
I remember your silver hair and warm smile, as you said, "So nice to have you
and won't you come back soon." How lucky I was to be asked to come back and
live with you on Campus Drive.
Oh, what you taught me in four short years. You first taught me RESPECT,
something you gave to hundreds of boys with whom you lived. You taught me
LOVE, to love one another as you loved each of us in your own special way.
You taught us TOLERANCE, the giving and taking of living in the same house
with forty others, not to mention the alligator and the monkey. You taught us
FORTITUDE, to strive ahead and never to give up because someone does care.
You taught us ETIQUETTE, in everyday necessities of becoming a mature
person. In essence you really taught us to be a MAN.
You were always like a real "mom" to all of us. You had time to listen, to sew a
button on or to sneak someone into the kitchen when they missed dinner. You
even became a fourth for bridge.
I remember how we used to fight for your arm to march you into dinner and
how embarrassed you used to get when we stood up when you entered any
room.
You never pried into our social lives but I remember how sometimes you mistook
the names of our dates for last week's date. These were all special days in all our lives.
I am sorry I missed your last call, but as I laid you to rest, I couldn't help but
think of you as my Mom. You will always be a part of my life. You will always be
my other Mom.
With Love,
One of your boys from Campus Drive
Jerry Hamill, Class of 1960
