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Coming Full Circle
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William and Dorothy Stout might be new to retirement living at Masonic Village in Elizabethtown, but they certainly aren't new to the campus. More than 60 years ago, both Bill and Dot grew up in the Masonic Children's Home. Today, they are back "home," living in one of the new cottages on Ford Drive.
At the age of 12, Bill moved from Philadelphia to the children's home in 1938. A year later, at the age of 10, Dot Slothower, as well as her brother, Jack, moved here from Mechanicsburg. Both their fathers had passed away, and their mothers, on limited incomes, were unable to financially care for them.
At that time, the girls lived in the Charles Eisenlohr Building and the Louis Eisenlohr Building, while the boys resided in the two Smith Buildings.
"It [living at the children's home] was a good experience," Bill said.
During World War II, the children's home youth worked at various areas on campus to cover for employees who went to war. Bill remembers picking apples, peaches and beans and working at the power plant. Dot worked in the Philadelphia Freemasons Memorial Hospital (now the Masonic Health Care Center), Grand Lodge Hall Dining Room and laundry room, as well as picked beans and apples.
"We learned a lot here," Bill said. "We learned how to take care of ourselves, how to pick up after ourselves and how to respect others."
"We learned how to work," Dot added. "I felt very independent - like I was on my own since I was 10."
The Stouts fondly remember other experiences at the children's home, including trips to Hersheypark in the summers, shows in the auditorium and swimming. "We had a lot of good times," Dot said. "We enjoyed having all the other kids around. There were 45 girls and 55 boys living here back then."
Even though Bill and Dot spent the next six years as residents of the children's home, Bill didn't pay any attention to Dot or most of the other younger girls.
"I remember Bill, but because he was three years older than me, he didn't pay any attention to me," Dot said.
After living in the Smith Building for three years, Bill moved to the Patton Campus. In November of his senior year, Bill enlisted in the Army Air Corps, and in March 1944, he was called to duty.
"I went to school 12 hours a day, seven days a week so I could finish before I had to leave," he said.
After serving in the Army Air Corps for two years, Bill attended an Alumni Picnic in 1947, where he was reunited with Dot's brother, Jack, a former roommate and classmate. Jack was attending George Washington University and worked in the Registrar's Office. He encouraged Bill to enroll at the university.
"I enrolled at George Washington and worked in the Registrar's Office with Jack," Bill said. "I even lived at his mother's house in Bethesda, Md."
At that time, Dot was attending Shippensburg University. When she came home for summer and holiday vacations, she became friends with Bill. "We played a lot of double solitaire," she said. "We still play a lot of cards."
As the months passed, their friendship blossomed into romance. They were engaged and set a wedding date of January 28, 1950, a month after Dot graduated from Shippensburg University with a degree in secondary history education. They selected Sell Chapel as the location for their nuptials.
"We wanted to get married in Sell Chapel not only because it was a convenient location for our families but also because of our ties to the children's home," Dot said.
Serving as one of Bill's groomsmen was Robert Tobias, a former children's home resident and a retirement living resident in Elizabethtown for the past 14 years. The newlyweds enjoyed a reception in the Louis Eisenlohr Building, where Dot had lived as a youngster.
The next two decades for the Stouts were eventful. Bill transferred to the University of Pennsylvania and graduated in 1952 with a degree in traffic management. They had a daughter, Diana, in 1953. Dot graduated with an elementary education degree from Temple University in 1955. They welcomed their son, Raiford, in 1962. In the 60s while working at Mushroom Trans. Co., Bill went to night school and eventually earned his master's degree in industrial arts from Trenton State College of New Jersey. He became the printing and drafting teacher for Bristol Township School District, where Dot had been an elementary school teacher. In 1972, Dot became the junior high librarian after earning a library science degree from Drexel University.
"For one year, we even ended up in the same building," Bill said.
Bill and Dot retired from their positions in the school district in 1988 and 1990, respectively.
The Stouts led prosperous lives in Levittown, Pa., but they never forgot their connection to the Masonic Children's Home. Each year, they returned "home" for Alumni Picnics, and they both still serve on the Masonic Homes-Patton School Alumni Association. Dot served as secretary of the alumni association for 17 years until 1996. They helped to establish the Masonic Homes-Patton School Alumni Association Scholarship Award Program to provide computers and books for the children's home. "We're very proud of that scholarship," Bill said.
When the Stouts discussed retirement options a few years ago, they didn't have to think twice about coming home to Masonic Village. "I think we always knew we'd come back here to live," Dot said. "The Masonic Village is part of our life."
So three years ago, the Stouts put their name on the waiting list for a retirement living cottage. They were thrilled when the Marketing Office called them last summer to inform them they were No. 28 on the waiting list for selecting a new cottage. They moved into the cottage of their choice on January 13, 2005, just 15 days shy of their 55th anniversary.
"We love it here in our new cottage," Dot said. "They take good care of us. The driveway is always shoveled and plowed, and the lawn is mowed. We enjoy the food and meeting new people."
Bill has joined the Masonic Village and Elizabethtown Model Railroad Club and golfs with friends and other residents. Dot enjoys yoga classes, reading, doing puzzles and playing computer games.
The Stouts are very happy living here … again.
Elizabethtown retirement living residents William and Dorothy Stout in Sell Chapel on their wedding day on January 28, 1950, along with fellow resident Robert Tobias (far right), who served as a groomsman.
The Stouts and Bro. Tobias in Sell Chapel in June.
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