Employees' Memories
1. Joseph Murphy, chief executive officer
"It is hard for me, after 35 years of working here, to share a favorite memory because my favorite memory is a collage of people-oriented special moments. I feel blessed to be associated with people who do extra things every day that make a difference in all of our lives."
2. Jim Heckman, director of gift planning--central Pa. region
"My favorite memory is the beauty of caring shown by so many inspiring people in their generous help to others through Masonic Charities. This is the true Mission of Love, and it is all over the place at the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown - great people and a great place!"
3. Ginny Migrala, director of the Masonic Children's Home
I have many great memories of the years I have been at the Masonic Children's Home. My top three favorite memories would be our trip to Masonic Children's Home in Covina, Calif., in 2001; our trip to Disney World in 2005; and every year's Youth Appreciation Day in May.
4. Tina Raybold, director of public relations
"Masonic Village truly is a second home for my family and me. Over the 13 years I have worked here, I've gotten married (by our Director of Pastoral Care) and had three beautiful daughters, all of whom have benefitted from the quality services of the child care center, intergenerational opportunities with "the grandmas and grandpas," walks through the beautiful campus gardens, trips to the farm market, picnics in the grove and swim lessons at the pools. Both my grandmother and my mother received services in the Masonic Health Care Center, where they were cared for by the most loving and capable staff whom I'm proud to call my co-workers."
5. Rich Johnson, creative director
"After having been a designer for ad agencies and industry for so many years, it is a great feeling to know that my abilities are finally being used for the benefit of mankind versus commerce. The human equation makes the effort worthwhile."
6. Blake Banta, public relations administrative assistant
"I very much enjoyed working with my USO dance crew. We had so much fun together, and we really got to bond. To watch them go from having no confidence dancing to becoming superstars will forever make me smile."
7. Carol Kauffman, executive assistant
My Masonic Village memories center around how caring of a place this is to work, even during the unusual events that happen here:
Maybe 8 years ago, there was a flock of turkeys roaming the Berks Building parking lots and scratching the hoods of employees' cars. It was a bright spot in our day as we watched our security staff scramble with garbage cans trying to catch and relocate these turkeys! A second memory was when I found out a baby groundhog had crawled under my car - he ended up in the engine compartment. It took security and maintenance several hours before the little guy scampered out and across the road into the lawn.
8. Debra Davis, public relations coordinator
"Every day when I come into work and I'm greeted by a smiling face at the Visitors Center, I'm reminded why I love my job. Every time I interview a resident or family member who is brought to tears while sharing their story of gratitude for care received here, I'm reminded why our Mission is so important. And the time I locked my keys in my car after one of those interviews, and the resident drove me back to my office so I could call AAA reminded me that kindness is a way of life here."
9. Lindsay Hench, public relations coordinator
"During my interview to work at the Masonic Village, a resident politely knocked on the door and shared a joke with the group. It made us all laugh in surprise. That's when I knew I had applied to work at a wonderful and friendly organization."
10. Stacy Schroder, director of wellness and prevention
When the Masonic Life Center won the NuStep Pinnacle Award for Outstanding Wellness Program, we had a formal program in the MHCC Assembly Room, and we honored some of our residents for their dedication to wellness. The Grand Master agreed to hand out the awards to our residents, and they each got their picture taken with him. The residents still speak of that day and how excited they were to receive the award and have their picture taken with the Grand Master!
11. Gary George, assistant in pastoral care
One of my favorite memories is the time I locked myself out of my house while I was grilling a beautiful steak on my grill. I walked over to the Bleiler Cottage in a flimsy tee shirt, grey shorts and flip flops. Since it was summer, their windows were open, and I heard one of the residents cry out, "There's Pastor George, and it sure doesn't look like him." I got a good laugh and proceeded to use their phone to phone security - needless to say, my beautiful steak didn't survive the excess grilling, and my dressed-down experience will be part of Bleiler Cottage lore for years to come.
12. Ann Dinsmore, supervisor of music therapy
My favorite memories are making music with residents, family members, staff, visitors, students and volunteers over the past 11 years. Music has made "magic moments" possible nearly every day: a couple dancing together to "their song"; someone able to organize his thoughts, movements and words; people singing and playing music successfully despite significant limitations; residents proudly performing a Bell Choir concert for their families; a person relieved of pain and anxiety; several generations dancing/singing/playing instruments together and sacred voices around the bedside of an individual at the end of her life....these are just a few of the blessings I have celebrated because of Masonic Village!
13. Mark Eyer, director of retirement living
I was in the first group to be certified as an Eden Associate, and we had been working for more than a year educating staff about the principles of the Eden Alternative when we decided to pick a date and have a big kickoff celebrating our new Eden Philosophy in the assembly room in the Masonic Health Care Center. Residents and staff worked together on that celebration and came up with a theme of the Wizard of Oz. I believe we even had one of the television crews come and do a story on it, and we still have a video of the celebration.
14. Vickie Brown, L.P.N., Adult Daily Living Center program manager
The Adult Daily Living Center is a unique setting where we have clients from 18 years on up that interact well with each other. There are some clients that have a grandparent-grandchild relationship. Each day is different, and I enjoy my job.
15. Laura Hertzog, R.N., nurse manager
Two stories come to mind. Because of a huge snow storm, our volunteers could not get here to do their Wednesday sing-a-long with the residents, so Donna Heisey, L.P.N., and Dr. Baer improvised and did a sing-a-long with the residents so they would not be disappointed. Just recently, one of our long-term residents passed away. The music therapist came to the bedside just moments after she had passed, and she stayed with family and staff and played the guitar quietly and sang familiar songs/hymns to aid in our healing. It was quite beautiful.
16. Cheryl Schafer, L.P.N., charge nurse
My memory of Masonic Village goes back to 1978 when I first graduated from nursing school. I moved into the nurses' home and was provided a room and three meals a day for $67 a month! What cheap living! I worked here ten years until I met my husband, Anthony. He came to Masonic Village at the age of four and lived at the children's home until he graduated from high school. Anthony moved into the Mckee Building and began working in the GLH kitchen. He currently works in the Commissary and drives the big white truck that you see delivering food to all the kitchens and dining rooms on campus. Together Anthony and I have 61 years of service here (31 years for me and 30 for him!) at the Masonic Village. This place is home to us!
17. Megan Caldwell, software support specialist
Masonic Villages has been a part of my life since I was in my early teens starting out with Job's Daughters. I served as Honored Queen of Elizabethtown's Bethel #15 and worked as a dietary worker at the Masonic Health Care Center. After college, I started my job in the Information Technologies Department which has provided me with not only employment, but a second "family." In 2001 my grandfather, a Past Worshipful Master of Ashara Lodge No. 398, received the quality care exemplified by the Masonic Villages mission. We never had to worry about the quality of care here; it's top notch! Even my son is now benefitting from the services offered here through the Hildebrandt Learning Center. Through the time I have spent here with Job's Daughters and as an employee, I can easily say that Masonic Villages truly is a "Mission of Love".
18. Jill Luzier, social worker
I will never forget the day that the statue of Ben Franklin moved from the Health Care Center to the Freemasons Cultural Center. Everyone was watching as he travelled down the road to his new location.
19. Lori Seiders, director of O.D. and Training
One of my favorite memories was when I was hired on September 30, 1996. I think I was here only two or three days when Mark Pagano asked if I would speak at the Employee Years of Service event in October! I was thinking, "boy they don't waste any time taking volunteers do they?" I look back on that experience and still remember my sweaty palms!
20. Claudia Stephens, chief human resources officer
I was just out of school, was hired by Masonic Homes and had no place to live. I moved into the "Nurses Home", now the Village Green Apartments, and had all three meals in the Masonic Health Care Center for $60 a month.
21. Anonymous
On May 5, 1995, Chester and Ethyl Minick, both at the age of 95, hosted a reception for their family and friends on the occasion of their 70th wedding anniversary. After the reception, there was a sit-down dinner for family, and the most touching moment came when Ethyl stood a gave the blessing before the dinner was served. This was a very joyful day and one that we will never forget.
22. Rose Snyder, child care director
It is so hard to narrow the many wonderful memories to just a single one! After 21 years as child care director, I think I have to say one of my fondest memories happened one year after a campus-wide weather emergency drill. After I was done explaining to the children why we had to sit in the hall for a "TORNADO" drill, one of the children told a playmate who still was still a bit worried, "It's ok, the grandmas and grandpas are safe from the TOMATO drill too!" Then he turned to me and said, "Is the TOMATO drill all done?" It still makes me smile as I picture residents and children dodging the falling tomatoes! Out of the mouths of babes!
23. Dr. Ralph E. Aldinger, Jr., D.O., former employee
Being born and living at the Masonic Homes/Village, I worked in the vegetable garden from age 8 to 22 and then left to go to medical school. I did some of my graduate work at the MHCC under Dr. Longenecker. The vegetable garden grew 85% of the vegetables used at the Masonic Village. I remember helping my dad catch large snapping turtles at the lower lake. We took them to the Grand Lodge kitchen where Chef Gerhart cleaned them and made snapper soup. A few memories follow: the asparagus picker, the large equipment to process the fruits and vegetables, the pea huller, cherry seeder, red beet topper, bean snapper, the peach peeler and the cooking and canning. I also played on the Masonic Village softball team. A great place to live and work. Congratulations, Masonic Village.
24. Miriam M. Aldinger, retired employee
I lived at the Vegetable Garden for 40 years, (now the O.E.S. office) where my husband was the gardener. When he started, he was paid $100 per month plus two quarts of milk per day, two dozen eggs, one bushel of potatoes per month, vegetables and rent. We received our electric from the Power House which sometimes made the lights bright and sometimes dim. ... My children played at the hospital. ... I worked at the Grand Lodge Hall as a housekeeper and later in the MHCC in the Activities Department where I taught ceramics. There was only one pastor at the Masonic Homes (Pastor Lacquement), and when he wasn't available, I would teach Bible Study. Masonic Homes/Village was a great place to live, work and raise my children.
25. Lin Roussel, former employee and parents are current residents
In 1982, I worked at Masonic Village and got married in the Formal Gardens. I'll never forget my father coming down the Garden's cement stairs wearing a bright blue suit and white shoes. Many Masonic Village staff were watching from Grand Lodge Hall and cheering us on!
26. Celeste Martin, RTL housekeeping
Oct. 19, 2010, will be 31 years that I have been working for the Masonic Villages. I was a nurse's aid on 3 North (11 p.m. - 7 a.m.) and there wasn't any air-conditioning. The West Wing's elevator had a metal wire door (that was spooky). There have been many, many changes in the years gone by. Now I am in retirement living housekeeping in the Smith Building. I've made many friends with employees and residents. This is my home away from home.
27. Donna Hershey, director of care & outcomes
I remember spending Dec. 31, 1999, (Y2K) here as we all waited for something big to happen while praying that nothing would. Just before midnight I took glasses of "bubbly" (sparkling apple juice) to see Colonel John Clemson. He was an amazing and accomplished man who at 100 years of age, could say on Jan.1, 2000 that he lived in three centuries. His goal was to live to see the new millennium and indeed we toasted together. John passed away very peacefully a few months later, having reached his goal.
28. David Kerderine, former employee
My mother is a resident, my father was a Mason and my brother, Henry, Jr., and I were involved with DeMolay which helped build our character. We both worked in the strawberry fields during the summer. We also picked cherries and tasted some every now and then! We rode our bicycles here to work to save money for college. We remember Mr. Amos Landis as a very nice man to work for.
29. Jeanne Devine Bolewitz, former employee
What a friendly and beautiful place to work! My oldest daughters, now 21 and 19, still remember feeding ducks and fish, visiting the grandmas & grandpas, traveling the tunnels in winter, and making their first friends - the children of my co-workers. Congratulations on a magnificent milestone - 100 years!
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