Eugene Masonic Cemetery Association eNewsletter
Hope Abbey Mausoleum
 

In This Issue
Hunting for Condon
Gift to Hope Abbey
Kay Holbo Reminiscences
Music To Die For
Did You Know?
Sam Friendly, one of Eugene's most illustrious early citizens, is interred in Hope Abbey.

He owned a successful department store on Willamette Street, served as Eugene mayor, and was president of the Board of Trade. Instrumental in bringing the university to Eugene,

Friendly served on the UO's Board of Regents for 34 years and was an enthusiastic Duck supporter. 
  

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Hunting for Condon
By Charley Wright, EMCA board member 
Thomas Condon
 
Earlier this fall, I was walking by the cemetery's garden cottage when I saw a man and a woman studying one of the many visitor's brochures available there. When I offered to help them, they said they were looking for the grave of Thomas Condon, Oregon's first state geologist. Condon's headstone is easy to see from the cottage, and as we walked together to his grave, I asked why they were interested. It turned out they were from the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center at the John Day fossil beds in Eastern Oregon and were taking advantage of a visit to Eugene to check on Condon's whereabouts.
 
The man, Nick Famoso, the current Chief of Paleontology at the center, had worked with the Condon fossil collection in his studies at the UO, and he asked after some of the professors from those days. I was able to point out the grave of former UO president Bob Clark, author of the biography The Odyssey of Thomas Condon, just a few feet from the Condon plot. The other people he mentioned are, I think, not yet cemetery residents.
 
As I headed Nick and his mother up the hill toward other notable graves, I thought what a pleasure and privilege it is to show people what our cemetery has to offer.
New Marble in Hope Abbey
By Denny Hellesvig,  EMCA Board Member
During the decline of the Hope Abbey Mausoleum prior to 1995, one of the worst things that happened was the vandalism of the marble shutters that fronted the crypts and niches. The marble was not just soiled and stained, but was smashed in places or taken away for vandal's personal "uses". We lost at least 20% of the marble. This marble was unique. It was quarried in Alaska and has not been available since 1941. This presented a problem.
 
But, here is the good news! Eugene Lodge No.11 A.F. & A.M. has given us a specific gift to make a major start on the repair and replacement of the damaged and missing marble. Their gift of $20,000 has allowed us to place the order for the replacement and installation of all the missing crypt and niche shutters. Our contractor, OM Stone of Hillsboro, has been able to find marble that will closely match the original. The marble should be on the way and we expect the installation to be completed by the annual Memorial Day open house on May 27-29.
 
Since 1997 we have been working on the restoration of the Hope Abbey Mausoleum. The most visible work to date has been the replication of the 77 stained glass windows. The addition of marble restoration will make a substantial change in the quality of the interior appearance. And plans are progressing because of expected major fundraising to work toward the completion of the Hope Abbey interior restoration. Stay tuned for more. 

Old Car Found in Masonic Cemetery  
By Kay Holbo, Retired Board Member
It's true.
 
Back in the "bad old days", before 1995, and before the present Eugene Masonic Cemetery Association formed to rescue the cemetery, this ten acre site was so densely overgrown that a work party once unearthed an old car covered with vegetation. No record on how the old clunker was removed.
 
On another occasion, a cleanup crew found a thriving marijuana plot, nicely camouflaged with masses of ivy, Poison oak, Scotch broom and tall grasses in the southern sunnier part of the cemetery.
 
More recently someone cut down a small tree, created a lean-to, dug a latrine and brought in a hibachi, thus becoming a modern day settler in a pioneer cemetery.
 
And most recently, a well intentioned but inattentive local scout leader identified the least developed part of the cemetery and began teaching survival skills-including fire building-- to his scouts.
 
More to come in what will be occasional reminiscences of Kay Holbo, now retired first President of the Eugene Masonic Cemetery Association.
2017 Music To Die For 

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The 5th season of the popular
Music To Die For music series will resume in June, 2017. At this time, we have two performance groups scheduled with more to come:  

June 25th: Linda Danielson & Janet Naylor
July 30th: TBA
August 27th: TBA
September 24th: Ensemble Primo Seicento
October 29th: TBA

There will be more information later on the individual groups and how to find the Eugene Masonic Cemetery and Hope Abbey.

All Music To Die For programs at Hope Abbey Mausoleum are on the last Sundays of the Summer months, June through October. The concerts are free to the public. Programs begin at 2 PM.
Sincerely,
John Bredesen
eNewsletter Editor