A Wonderful Legacy
When Rev. Justin Hartman retired in 1983, a number of ladies and three men of the church made a truly beautiful quilt in honor of Justin and his family. That work of art now hangs over the children’s library in Hartman Hall. Each square has a story to tell, and Justin’s daughter Beth Hartman Ganz has filled me in on these stories.
Numbering the square from 1-30, top to bottom, left to right, here are a few tales:
The biggest story is about #3, the steeple of the Henley-on-Thames church in England, at which Justin did an exchange with Rev. Colin Baxter, who came to Acton.
Here is a quote from Justin’s Christmas letter, telling the story of the steeple renovation:
“I had written to the local newspaper seeking gifts to help our church in Henley restore the steeple so that the weathervane surmounted by a gold rooster could be put back up at a cost of $4,400. Guess who read my letter? George Harrison, one of the Beatles and a Henley resident. In response to his gift, I wrote him our thanks, invited him to come see the church and, for good measure, invited him to tea!
A few days later, we had a 30-minute notice of his impending visit. I had meant to ask some men to clean up the Tower Room but had forgotten. Now I dashed over to the church with broom and plastic bag, soon filled it with dead pigeons and hunks of plaster. Peggy frantically started tea preparations, and our two retired music teacher guests disappeared upstairs to change their clothes and put on fresh makeup. It was a 2 ½-hour visit with a tour of the church and a long discussion of music, theology, and Henley’s architectural heritage---one of his major interests. He and his wife loved Peggy’s American cookies! We agreed we could tell the church people about his gift, but not the newspapers. A very likeable couple, but one we had not expected to entertain while in England.”
The four corner squares are Bible verses. Square #15 is the choir, with Katy Pearson clearly depicted. #17 is the Children’s Choir with one of the more rambunctious children recognizable.
The center square was cross-stitched by Nancy Warner; it shows the Hartman family as they were in 1962. Nancy was by far the youngest person to work on the quilt.
Justin describes the quilt as “the most spectacular present” of the gifts they received. He says that “the quilting alone required 200 hours of labor---some 40 people altogether had worked on it for 5 months. It now hangs beside Peggy’s grand piano in the family room and evokes many happy memories.”
Some of those who worked on designing or quilting the quilt are: Sue Nordhausen, Nancy Warner, Anne Becklean, and Mabel Grekula.
Liz Carley,
Music Coordinator and Organist
(and long-time ACC member)
