Archiving Our
Church History - Bernice Lemley
The history of First
Presbyterian Church of Parkersburg
is now in the hands of Bernice Lemley.
She is now busily engaged in research with
Frieda Owens, (PhD, Philosophy); who is writing the updated history of
the church for the 50-year Homecoming Celebration 2011 of our newest
church home. Frieda
is recently retired from her post as Assistant Superintendent of Wood
County Schools.
The church archives has recently been moved
into secured, accessible space where researchers and planners are
welcome to search through wonderful materials in preparation for the
Homecoming and other church events.
Mail to: Bernice R. Lemley, at the church
address: 1341
Juliana Street, Parkersburg, WV, 26101.
Email:
archives@fpcparkersburg.org or
brlemley@suddenlink.net. Phone
messages for appointments may be left at the church number:
304.422.5426.
Bernice's archival interest started as an
avocation with three downtown Presbyterian churches in
Rochester
New York
which merged in 1974.
Professionally she administered an
epidemiologic patient registry at the
University of
Rochester Cancer Center.
When
the churches merged, she worked with Rev. David K. McMillan (Central
Church
pastor) to rescue the archives of First, Central and
Brick
Presbyterian
Churches
whose foundings pre-dated the city (1815-1823).
Their archives
documented the history of Rochester's
founding.
First
Church
was the mother church of every Presbyterian Church in the region.
Central
Church
reflected its solidarity in social justice, from the abolitionist
movement with member & publisher Frederick Douglass,
to
the women's movement with member Susan B. Anthony and the civil rights
and Vietnam War protestors of 1960-1970's. Brick Church
founded the city's commercial life and
social mission, e.g., Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross
Avocation became vocation
at the American
College
of Physicians in Philadelphia
in 1979
where Bernice organized the archives and
records management program.
Retiring in 1997,
she organized the Solis-Cohen
family collection on a grant at
Thomas
Jefferson
University
before returning home to
Vienna,
WV,
where she later joined the choir at First Presbyterian. Beginning
professional life in music education (1956), her response to the
question, "What do you do?" has always been "Medicine's my living,
music's my life."
|
A Few Photos from the Past (Click on Photos to Enlarge)
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
