History display to feature Organ Club

The parish history display in the narthex this weekend is about the St. Paul’s Organ Club

The following summary of the Organ Club is excerpted from the 1980 parish directory which devoted a page to the Organ Club.

In the early days, St. Paul's had no pipe organ so on January 13, 1928 the men of St. Paul's Choir and their wives organized St. Paul's Organ Club. The purpose of the club was to start a fund for the purchase of a pipe organ for the church. Father Boeke, who was pastor then, appreciated good liturgy and music..

The following were present: Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Ruth, Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Loge, Mr. and Mrs. P. L. Gless, Mr. and Mrs. A. C. Gill, Mr. and Mrs. C. J. Schaffer, Mr. and Mrs. E. A. Kibler, Mr. and Mrs. Jos. Lang, and Mrs. J. M. Gresoch. Estell Ruth later became the church organist.

At the next meeting it was decided to put on a St. Patrick's Day program as an entertainment and fund raiser. The club presented programs in the parish hall, Firestone club house and in Garfield High School auditorium.

A well-preserved program entitled "At the Crossroads" from the 1936 show in Garfield auditorium lists the following participants among others, Richard Hunt, Frances Herbst, Robert Dieringer, Frank Enright, Jeanne Doherty, Rose Marie Ruth, Virginia Ruth, Catherine Plazo, Ernestine Armbruster. Laverne Doyle. Elaine Eggert, Beatrice Thoman, Lucille Wells, Edward Bialy, Herman Warner, Mary Ess, Betty Zachardy, and Gilbert Labbe.

Some of the advertisers were the Akron Saengerbund. Averville Dairy, the Southern Theatre and the Grant Beauty Shop where finger waves were offered for the exhorbitant amount of .25 cents or a shampoo for the same.
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The professionalism of the performances, at least in the early days, was due to Mrs. Estelle Ruth and Mr.Norwood Dixon who were respectively musical accompanist and dance instructor.

Parishioner Bob Capanna is displaying items from the parish archives to promote the 90th anniversary celebration planned for October. Raffle tickets are on sale now after the Masses in the narthex for a $1,000 drawing on October 10, 2009. Tickets are $1 each or six for $5. For tickets or other information, contact Ron McAvoy at 330-773-7389