The Top of the Common Committee Lunenburg Vermont
These events are not sponsored by the Top of the Common Committee but are wonderful gatherings to check out! They are in addition to the annual Maple Festival (March), Open Mic (June-Sept), Wednesdays on the Common (June-Sept), Grub on the Green (Sept), and Gingerbread Bazaar (Dec).
Informational Meeting
with
RuralEdge
Wed. January 22
6:00p.m.
Gilman Senior Center
All are invited to attend an
overview of programs available through
RuralEdge
Session is expected to last 1-1.5 hrs.
For any questions, please contact:
lunenburgtownplan@gmail.com
Four Chaplains Remembrance Ceremony
Saturday, February 1st at 11:00 a.m.
Rev George L Fox Memorial Chapel, 52 Elm St., Gilman, VT
Who were the Four Chaplains? What did they do?
The Four Chaplains were ministers from various U.S. states. After the December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on the American Naval Base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, each of them felt the leading of God to service in the military as Chaplains. They wanted more than anything else to serve God by ministering to men on the battlefield. Each felt great disappointment at being relegated to service in a rear area, in this case the airfields and installations of Greenland.
John P Washington
Alexander D Goode
Clarke L Poling
George L Fox
John P Washington
was on the path to the priesthood by the age of seven. After attending Catholic elementary and high schools, he entered seminary and was ordained in 1935. Due to poor eyesight, he was denied by the Navy, but was accepted into the Army. At the age of 34, he requested overseas duty and was transferred to Camp Myles Standish in Massachusetts waiting for deployment.
Alexander D Goode
was born the son of a rabbi. He planned to followed in his father’s footsteps as a rabbi, earning a BA in 1934 followed by a degree from Hebrew Union College in 1937. While in school he married his childhood sweetheart, Theresa Flax, in 1935. The Navy turned down His application to become a chaplain in1941 but the Army Air Forces accepted him after Pearl Harbor at the age of 31. He received training at the Harvard Chaplain School and was sent to Camp Myles Standish.
Clark V Poling
was born into a prominent family that had produced six generations of ministers. After studying at colleges in Michigan and New Jersey, and Yale University’s School of Divinity, he was ordained a minister in the Reformed Church of America. He left his pastorate in Schenectady NY to enlist in the U.S. Army after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
He went on to Harvard Chaplain School and then to Camp Myles Standish at the age of 32.
George L. Fox
grew up in Altoona, PA in a Catholic family. He enlisted to serve in World War I before finishing high school. His gallant service in that war as a medic earned him the Silver Star, several Purple Hearts, and French
Croix de Guerre. At the end of WWI, he entered Moody Bible Institute in Illinois. After serving as an itinerant Methodist minister, in two student pastorates, and graduating from Boston University School of Theology, he was ordained a Methodist minister in 1934. He pastored in a few towns in Vermont, including Lunenburg and Gilman, where he lived with his wife, son, and daughter and joined the American Legion and become state chaplain and historian. Pearl Harbor drew him back to the military for he knew what horrors the boys would surely face and felt a strong calling to provide spiritual support for them. In July 1942, at the age of 42, he was appointed as an Army chaplain, attended Harvard Chaplain School, eventually being ordered to Camp Myles Standish.
Chaplains Washington, Goode, Poling, and Fox were assigned to the USAT Dorchester
The USAT Dorchester was headed to Greenland, transporting 902 soldiers and civilians and was just 150 miles short of its destination when the ship was torpedoed by a German submarine in the early morning hours of February 3rd, 1943. It was a fatal blow and the ship quickly slipped below the icy waters of the North Atlantic in what has been referred to as one of the worst sea disasters of World War II. Of the 902 men aboard the USAT Dorchester, only 230 survived. When the news reached American shores, the nation was stunned by the magnitude of the tragedy and heroic conduct of the four chaplains.
What did the Chaplains do that this ceremony remembers?
While the ship was sinking, the Four Chaplains kept the soldiers calm, organized lines and handed out life jackets until there were no more, and then they took off their own life jackets and handed it to four terrified young soldiers. They gave up their places on the lifeboats along with their life jackets and any chance of survival. Their courageous actions helped save the lives of 230 young men and as the ship went down, survivors in nearby rafts could see the four chaplains–arms linked and braced against the slanting deck. Their voices could also be heard offering prayers.
The Remembrance Ceremony honors the selfless service of the Four Chaplains, who gave their lives to save others while their ship was sinking. Their actions are a reminder of the importance of humanitarian values and working for the good of all humanity.
The ceremony will be in person and through ZOOM at this
LINK
What is the Rev. George L Fox Memorial Chapel ?
FMI or questions: connect on Facebook,
email at glfoxmemorialchapel@gmail.com,
call or text 802-266-7722
At the Rev Fox Memorial, a non-profit organization in Gilman, VT, we are dedicated to honoring the legacy of Rev. George L Fox, a true American hero. As a non-denominational house of worship and historical Fox family museum, our primary goal is to raise awareness of Rev. Fox's incredible contributions and to restore and maintain the memorial in his honor.
Bingo Enjoy a pleasant evening of bingo
Every
Monday - 6:00 p.m.
(doors open at 5 p.m.)
Gilman//Lunenburg Senior Center
19 Parrish St. Gilman VT in Gilman
event benefits the Gilman/Lunenburg Senior Center
visit their website:
Extended hours in 2025!
Now opening at 9 a.m. on Thursday and Saturday
Story Hour
A time for stories, crafts, learning,
and making new friends
Every Saturday - 10:30 to 11:30 a.m
Alden Balch Memorial Library
24 East Main Street, Lunenburg, Vermont
From past event veteran events:
***
Lunenburg
Veterans Day Ceremony - November 11, 2021 video
recording
HERE
This includes the last reflection given by Major Malcolm (Mac) Downing to the Lunenburg-Gilman students.
***
Lunenburg Memorial Day Ceremony
- May 30, 2022 video recording
HERE
This includes the dedication of flags to the late Major Malcolm (Mac) Downing and the re-dedication of the Civil War Cannon
