Name/Title
87th Annual Bull Family PicnicEntry/Object ID
002725Tags
William Bull and Sarah Wells Stone House AssociationScope and Content
Event Overview
What: The 87th annual reunion of the Orange County Bull family.
When: Wednesday, August 25, 1954.
Where: The "Stone House" in the Town of Hamptonburgh, New York.
Attendance: Approximately 300 people attended from multiple states (including California, Wisconsin, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Jersey, and New York), with 30 to 40 attending for the first time.
Key Highlights & Property Updates
Grounds Improvements: The driveway from Craigville Road was widened by road commissioner Fremont Cornell to improve safety and visibility.
House Renovations: The house was recently re-decorated under the direction of Jean Vogelbach, and resident Louis E. Brown repainted the front stoop and outdoor trim.
Decorations: Historical gifts were rearranged in the Long Room by Miss Laura F. Craft, and gladioli were provided by I. Harold Houston.
Meeting & Elections
Opening: Following lunch and a grace said by the Rev. James L. Getaz Jr., the annual business meeting was called to order by the Rev. Charles Beattie Thompson.
Board of Managers: Genevieve Decker Nave was newly elected to the Board. Hamlet S. Roe and the Rev. Charles Beattie Thompson were re-elected.
Officers: All existing organization officers were unanimously re-elected during the subsequent Board session.
Endowment Fund: Three memoriam gifts were added to the fund from Mrs. Samuel Carlisle Goodrich, Miss Sarah M. Eager, and Mrs. Meredith Littlefield.
Notable Attendees & Absences
First-Timers: Notable new attendees included William Oshima (a citizen of Japanese descent from Cleveland, Ohio), Col. Oliver F. W. Cromwell VIII and his daughter Constance, Dr. Ralph W. Stone and family, and Mr. Edward V. B. Conklin and family.
Furthest Traveled: Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Hunter from Laguna Beach, California. John Milton Bull also traveled specifically for the event from Poynette, Wisconsin.
Oldest Member: Whitfield H. Bull of Washingtonville, N.Y. (84 years old).
Youngest Member: Frederick George Condit (born May 12, 1954), closely followed by Eleanor Lindsay Vogelbach (born April 8, 1954).
Notable Absences: Mrs. Elizabeth Bull Greene (92 years old, absent due to illness after previously attending every picnic) and Clarence H. Crist.