Historian's Dedication

 

     The history of our Church has been largely preserved by our first Historian, Lee G. Van Blargan. After serving on the 100th Anniversary booklet committee in 1963, he was officially appointed to this position which he served for just over 25 years until his death in 1989. (See obituary at left, click to enlarge)
     In addition to his professional credentials, Mr. Van Blargan held a keen interest in History as a hobby. 
     In a lengthy feature article in The Lima News ( November 8, 1987) titled 'Common man' makes uncommon mark on Lima, Lee tells his motivation for the Church Historian mission:
    
     "I found some of the archives in the church were gathering dust in the belfry. I thought it was time to look after them or they would get lost." 

     Among the many scattered papers, he found the original Church Constitution. And with great diligence continued to collect documents, artifacts, and wrote articles about our past compiled in a booklet "Down Memory Lane." His research provides one of the main sources of information for this Blog.    
     Lee was a kindly Faithful man, with humility and a sense of humor, as we read further in the aforementioned article:

     On a clear day, Van Blargan can look out his office window and see the Lima skyline... "When I lean out my window, I can see my church out there," he added with a laugh, "so I have to be good."

     There is no doubt Lee lived a life of good works. And his legacy will long be remembered in our community and Church archives.