A Dozen of the 14 Were Wilmington College Alumni
During and after World War I, 14 local Quaker men volunteered to do medical, reconstruction and agricultural relief work in war-ravaged Europe. Their choice to relieve the suffering of war will be recognized at a program Wednesday (Sept. 21) on campus.
(PICTURED) Dana Andrews, the College's head groundskeeper, prepares the stone before installing the plaque honoring the 14 local relief workers from World War I.
A number of their descendants are expected to attend the public event planned for 4 p.m. at the T. Canby Jones Meetinghouse in the Meriam R. Hare Quaker Heritage Center.
Complementing the program will be the debut of a boulder featuring a plaque honoring the 14, a dozen of which served through the then-fledgling American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) in France and two with the YMCA in England and France. Twelve were Wilmington College alumni.
The men and their WC graduation year, if applicable, include: Truman D. Arnold Sr. ’20, Francis H. Farquhar ’11, Loren S. Hadley ’21, Joseph J. Hoskins, Harold M. Jay ’22, Thomas R. Kelly ’13, Richard A. Larkin ’20, Maynard J. McKay ’16, Mark E.C. McMillan ’18, Herbert B. McVey ’21, Alfred W. Milner ’20, Clyde A. Milner ’21, Thomas L. Scott and Luther E. Warren ’17.
The Kelly Center for Religious Life at Wilmington College is named in memory of the theologian/educator Kelly and Warren, who died in 1997 at age 106, worked at the College in several capacities. He is honored as namesake of the Luther Warren Peace Trail in Wilmington. While one died from Tuberculosis while serving in France, most of the other 13 pursued careers in education or theology upon returning to America.
Neil Snarr, emeritus professor of sociology at WC, came up with the idea to honor the group at Wilmington College. The boulder with the plaque is located near the Isaac and Sarah Harvey statue that depicts the legend of the Friends’ journey to discuss the abolition of slavery with Abraham Lincoln at the White House in the mid-19th century.
“I read about these groups (AFSC and YMCA) performing relief work and was impressed with the work they did, so I thought it would be nice to another recognition of Quaker commitment to peace on the campus,” said Snarr, noting the AFSC went on to win the 1947 Nobel Peace Prize for its World War II relief work and — 99 years after its establishment —remains an important force for relieving suffering around the world.
Snarr enlisted assistance from former College Board of Trustees chair Christine Hadley Snyder and Pam McCoy, a current trustee and daughter of the late Robert and Helga McCoy, former longtime members of the WC administration and faculty, respectively.
Melvin Stone donated the boulder and the relatives of the men contributed to paying for the plaque. Snarr said he collected two boxes of letters and photographs associated with the relief workers that he hopes one day to turn into a book.
