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June 1, 2008. I added what little I knew of this publication |
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THE CHURCH CHRONICLE |
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ARUBA CHRONICLE |
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ARUBA FRATERNAL ASSOCIATION |
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It has had many names over the years, and many people over the past fifty-one years, have been associated with it. Regardless of what it is called or who started it or acted as editors, this publication was the "glue" that kept the Ex-Lagoites informed and abreast of what people were doing and where they were. It was started before the internet was born, mailed to hundreds of families around the world, and I am sure enjoyed by all who were on the mailing list. My family, when we lived in St. Croix, U. S. Virgin Island; Madison, GA; Woodbine, GA and then Savannah, GA were always eager for its arrival. When it did arrive, we read it from the front page to the back page with great interest. My first wife, Lee, was not from Aruba, got to know all the Aruba names by reading the Chronicle.. |
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Names that I have found to be associated with the publication include but I am sure are not limited to: Margo Oliver, Trudy Ward, Don and Kay Evans, Sue Humphreys, Dean and Doris Thompson, Bennie (Fox) Overgaard and of course Gene and Ginger (Dorward) Bassett. |
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From this probably incomplete list, I have only been able to contact Ginger Bassett and Margo Oliver. Ginger has supplied me with some information and Margo, whos husband is sick as well as building a new home, says when she has some time she will give me some more of the history. The others who were associated with the publication, I have be unable to find email addresses for. |
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At best I can only put together a "Sketchy History" for the publication. So, please, if anyone can add information to my "Sketchy History", let me know. If others were involved and I failed to mention your name, again, it is because I just did not know, so, please let me know. Here now is that "Sketchy History". |
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| The Aruba Chronicle was a continuation of The Church Chronicle began in Aruba in about 1955. I understand that The Church Chronicle was born at a cocktail party in Aruba because folks were telling stories about visiting various Lago friends who had retired and returned to the United States. It was mentioned that others would probably like to know this information and from this party and that conversation the Church Chronicle was born. I was told that Trudy Ward was one of the initial instigator but Marge Oliver is the one, I believe, who over the years, really made it happen. In addition to these two ladies there were several others involved, persons who worked on writing, editing, printing and mailing The Church Chronicle from Aruba. | |||||||||
| In about 1975 Marge Oliver put out her final issue, she had been produced The Church Chronicle for over twenty years. In her last issue she asked if anyone was interested in take it over. Ginger Dorward living in Virginia at the time. She called Sue Humphreys, who was living in Houston, to see if Sue was interested in doing the publication with her. Sue said she was, so in 1975 Sue Humphreys and Ginger Dorward we took over The Church Chronicle and began to produce it here in the States. | |||||||||
| It was Sue who suggested they change the name to Aruba Chronicle - she had not attended the Lago Church and felt others may object to it being tied to the Church. Thus, The Church Chronicle, became the Aruba Chronicle. | |||||||||
| After seven years of joint editorship of the Aruba Chronicle, it was 1982, Sue said she did not have the time to continue with the project, so Ginger took it on. This was the same time that she met Gene and they married. | |||||||||
| Gene's first gift to Sue was a database he wrote on a Tandy Model 3 (TRS3) computer. Since then the database has been converted to ACCESS, however, Ginger says she still does the Chronicle in WORD. The database includes Names (first, last, maiden, spouse), address, year of high school graduation if a student in the Lago School system (whether graduated or not); year of death; year arrived in Aruba and year left; department (up to 3) for the employees; also there are notes Ginger uses to help her memory. In the notes section she keeps information about siblings and parents for Lago kids and kids for the Lago parents. She says she hopes to someday find time to make this latter information into another data element. She says that It really helps when writing memorials since so many folks don't include that information. Unfortunately, she says, I don't have this information on all the Lago families but as I receive information I keep adding it to the database. I also keep encouraging people to fill in the blanks on those who have been deceased for years - it is my desire to eventually have everyone who ever lived in Lago Colony included in the database. | |||||||||
| That is the extent of my "Sketchy History" of this great publication. So, Please, if you can add to the story, do so. | |||||||||
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Dan Jensen |
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The attached copies of the different Chronicles over the years were supplied by Don Gray. |
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DIRECTORY OF CHRONICLES ON THE WEB SITE |
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