When my mother was barely six years old, her daddy died. Before his passing, arrangements were made for my mother to attend boarding school at the Charles E Ellis School for Fatherless Girls.
Imagine it! A school for fatherless girls! How quaint, some might say. Still, following World War I, there were many fatherless girls and relatively few opportunities for their education and upbringing. Through God’s amazing providence, this school became my mother’s home for eleven years. She was clothed and housed and educated through the generosity of deceased philanthropist Charles E. Ellis. The picture below shows my mother (top row, left) and her classmates in 1942 on the front lawn of their cottage. Mother graduated in 1943.
Unfortunately, the school (now defunct) and its founder have vanished into the black hole of history’s forgotten tales. A writer named Thomas J. DiFilippo compiled a history of the school and it was available online in 2007. (I downloaded the document then.) Though I’ve searched for Mr. DiFilippo to obtain his permission for re-posting the document here, I have been unable to connect with him; perhaps he died. I’m posting the document on this page, grateful for the research he did. This is entirely Mr. DiFilippo’s work and I give him all the credit for keeping the history and memory of this school (and home) alive.
Click on the image below (“Read Now”) and the book will open as a flipbook.
