Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society
History Quarterly Digital Archives


Source: January 1988 Volume 26 Number 1, Pages 37–38


Notes and Comments

Page 37

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New Officers Elected

At the annual dinner meeting last October, the club officers shown on the Table of Contents page were elected for a two year term. To the retiring officers -- Leighton Haney, Wally Weaver, Mildred Kirkner, Claire Etherton, and George Winthrop - we say "Thank you" for all the work you did and the contributions you made to the Club during your terms in office.

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Navy Cruiser Named for Devon Man

The new guided-missile cruiser, the USS Thomas S. Gates, was recently commissioned by the United States Navy in ceremonies at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia. It is named in honor of the late Thomas S. Gates of Devon.

A native of Philadelphia, during the Second World War Gates served as a Navy officer in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters, earning two Bronze Stars and attaining the rank of Captain. After the war he was a partner in the banking firm of Drexel and Company before being appointed Undersecretary of the Navy in 1953 by President Eisenhower. In 1957 he was named Secretary of the Navy, and in 1959 Secretary of Defense, where he stressed "modernized management, weaponry, and tactics". Returning to the banking business, he then became president and chairman of Morgan Guaranty, but in 1976 was appointed by President Ford to head the United States Liaison Office in the People's Republic, of China, where he served for more than a year.

Page 38

The new cruiser, built at the Bath Iron Works in Maine, is 567 feet long, and has a crew of 33 officers, 30 chief petty officers, and 324 enlisted personnel.

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A Letter from Ryerss' Infirmary

"We, the members and officers of the Ryerss' Board," William A. Cave, its president, wrote after receiving the October issue of the Quarterly, "are most appreciative of your extremely accurate and heart-warming description of the events and circumstances affecting Ryerss' throughout the years. Please accept our thanks and good wishes for the continued success of the Tredyffrin East town History Club."

With his letter he also enclosed a copy of the announcement of the farm's new location, near Coventryville on Route 23, approximately 2.3 miles west of Route 100. Its new address is Ridge Road, R.D.4, Pottstown.

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Club Member Designs ARC Christmas Card

This year's Christmas card for the benefit of the Association for Retarded Children of Chester County was designed by Linda McNeil, a Club member and artist whose work has been shown in a number of local art shows. The card features a reproduction of a painting of the Great Valley Mill on North Valley road, north of Paoli, in Tredyffrin township.

Mrs. McNeil, who is the library/media specialist at the Valley Forge Intermediate School, has also made paintings of other historic buildings in Chester County, including the Diamond Rock School and the spring house at the Great Valley Mill.

 
 

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