MEMORIAL DAY. 2024
On Monday, May 27, 2024, Mayor James Graven, the Olmsted Falls Service Department, Fire Department, Police Department and the Olmsted Falls Parks and Recreation Committee will have Olmsted Falls' annual Memorial Day remembrance. There will be a parade to the Village Green, speakers, and the Olmsted Falls High School Band. At the conclusion of the Village Green ceremony those wishing to may go to the Harding Bridge where carnations will be dropped into Plum Creek.
We revived this old-time ceremony a few years ago. Long ago, on Memorial Day, flowers were dropped into Rocky River on Memorial Day. We moved the brief ceremony to the Harding Bridge to avoid traffic. As you leave the Village Green, stop by. It will only last a few minutes. Our five flags for the five military branches will be on the Harding Bridge. Legion Post 403 American flag will be at the center of the bridge. Five red carnations will be dropped in honor of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard. Three pink carnations for the Merchant Marines, WACS, and WAVES. and then we will have ten white carnations should someone wish to honor an individual.
Fr. Raymond A. Prybis
Fr. Ray Prybis O.M.I., a missionary priest assigned to the United States, was a long time supporter of the HSOF. From the time of the initial idea of starting the historical society to what it was, he was always interested in following our progress. Wherever he was assigned - the Adirondacks in New England, Washington D. C, the South Carolina Appalachians, New York, Minnesota, West Palm Beach, Florida, he followed our progress. He enjoyed receiving the OVER THE FALLS and would pass it around. Maybe some of you may recall seeing him (or his name may sound familiar) as, on the rare occasions when he was able to get back to Ohio, he would say a Sunday or Saturday mass at St. Mary of the Falls. We will miss his enthusiasm and interest in the HSOF.
You may notice this is attached to the last OVER THE FALLS (see Two New Display Cases under "Reports"). It certainly was a rare edition as only five were printed! Maybe because of our room number-5? If so, then the former captains:
U.S.S. CONCORD (AFS-5), Captain 0.0. Will
U.S.S. OKLAHOMA CITY (CG-5), Captain Paul D. Butcher
U.S.S. CLAUDE V. RICKETTS (DDG-5), Commander Robert Powers
U.S.S. VULCAN (AR-5), Captain Spencer
are glad that their ships, officers, and crews are remembered for all they did for us.
Under any circumstances five - FIVE - isn't quite enough. So until somebody takes doing OVER THE FALLS over (and how many years have we been waiting for that???), we'll go back to the old way of getting it out. After R.M.S. TITANIC went down the rule was quite simple: enough lifeboats for everybody.
By the way, the thinking, behind having only 16 lifeboats plus four collapsible was not malicious. The feeling was that if anything should ever happen to her (the greatest ship in the world at the time) the passengers and crew could be transferred to a nearby ship with TITANIC'S 20 lifeboats plus those on the rescue ship. No matter how hard you think you have planned and prepared, the oddity can occur.
WME
May 2024