Restoring Jefferson Union memories
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STEUBENVILLE -- Virginia Glenn loves history.
She embodies a passion for the past -- and does whatever she can to preserve timeless pieces.
From being instrumental in moving the New Somerset school bell to Knoxville Park, to writing publications as a means of earning money for the care and upkeep of local monuments, Glenn's latest project has been a long one.
She has never failed to reach out and contact whomever she can in order to get a task accomplished.
Commissioners, mayors, public officials, local organizations -- Glenn has approached them all in order to acquire any necessary funding to preserve historic memorabilia.
And today, she is reaching out to the community for help.
Her mission began last year when she started looking for class photos of seniors at Jefferson Union High School.
The photos contain individual pictures of all students in that year's graduating class. The years range from 1940 to 1995 with the exception of 1989, which is missing.
Glenn had no luck in locating them, so she sought the assistance of Aaron Richardson, Edison Local's school board president.
"We had to find them, assess them, figure out how much the project would cost to have them fixed and then figure out where they would go," Glenn said.
Richardson contacted her and explained the photos were located at Nelson Fine Arts and Gifts on Lincoln Avenue.
And they had been for six years.
He told Glenn she would have to go and see the 58 photos in person so she could sort through them and decide what to do, as they were in poor condition.
Throughout the years, some of the photos deteriorated with time.
Glenn explained approximately six years ago, Ellen Swickard, a teacher at the school, had moved the 1940s photos off the wall to prevent them from getting wet or ruined during the school's renovation.
Another teacher, Mary Dye, took the photos and placed them inside her classroom.
High school students then took the photos to the Richmond Historical Society due to renovations, and they were ultimately taken to Nelson's where they have been sitting for quite a while, Glenn explained.
She was unaware of what transpired with the photos, as they had made several moves from where she originally knew them to be. Her search continued for approximately a year.
"Once they were found, I asked how to handle this," Glenn recalled. "I didn't know what to do and was told it would cost $10,000 at first."
The $10,000 would cover the labor and materials needed for the restoration of the photos, as well as the frames of each. Every frame needs some work due to their current state, officials said.
Glenn explained each class chose its own frame, so every class to graduate from Jefferson Union is different. "A few of the photos are completed."
Glenn commented upon seeing them for the first time, "I was just flabbergasted. They are just so beautiful."
What's more, the cost went down by half of what was originally estimated.
That has a great deal to do with the generosity of one man's heart.
Patrick McLaughlin, Nelson Fine Arts and Gifts' art room supervisor, stated he is going to perform the labor for Glenn free of charge.
He commented how he does a lot of volunteer work in the area and for nonprofits and he loves to give back.
"I want to be that person who always asks, 'What can I do to help?'" McLaughlin said.
He will take the photos all apart and re-frame them at no charge. He added "Mark and Gretchen (Nelson) allow me to be able to do this. They are just wonderful, giving people."
The approximate time to do one photo is 45 minutes, McLaughlin commented. Madeline Stutzman is the lead graphic designer who is archiving the photos, he added.
"We are gonna do everything we can to get this project done," McLaughlin concluded.
Tom McConnell, Edison Local transportation supervisor and Salem township trustee, noted Glenn should see about having the photos kept at the Glenn Mills Senior Citizens Center outside of Richmond.
Glenn stated she wanted the photos to go to a place where they would be hung up and viewed by many. She did not want to see part of this area's school history stored in a room or placed in an area where they couldn't be appreciated.
To date, Glenn has received $1,400 in donations toward the photo restoration project.
She stated the J.U. class of '57 closed out its alumni account, giving $365 toward saving the photographs.
Others making a contribution include Connie Crawford, Class of '65, $200; the Glenn family, who donated $300; and Bill and Marsha Cable, who donated $300 for the project.
Glenn stated her family contributed as her father, husband and three children went through Jefferson Union and Edison Local schools.
Glenn's father, John Boyd, graduated in 1943; her husband, Curt Glenn, 1963; her son, Charlie Glenn, 1989; Carl Glenn, 1991; and Rachael Glenn Granatir, 1995.
Granatir was in the last class for which the district did class photos, Glenn said.
She noted the year 1989 is missing and cannot be located at this time. But Nelson has a remedy to fix the situation.
Glenn stated Edison teacher Jamie Evans has yearbooks from 1989. These will be given to Nelson and the business will be able to make a composite for the wall.
Anyone wishing to sponsor someone in a graduating class, whether it be a loved one, family member, friend or to simply make a donation, can send a check or money order to: Save the J.U. Photos, c/o Salem Township Trustees, P.O. Box 47 township Road 216 Richmond, OH 43944.