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Meet Evelyn Hunter-Longdon, a Long-time Supporter of the Masonic Children's Home
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One of the very first things Evelyn Hunter-Longdon and her late husband, Stan Longdon, did as a newlywed couple was pay a visit to the place where Stan spent his childhood years.
It was at the Masonic Children's Home that Stan formed friendships that would last a lifetime, found the strength to pursue his dreams and was given a new outlook on life. To bring his new bride back to his beginnings was the least Stan could do to show his appreciation for the guidance and love he was given as a child.
James Stanley "Stan" Longdon was born in Pittsburgh just before the depression. When the effects of the poor economy started to set in, and Stan's father, who was a Mason, became sick, the family lost their home. Stan was sent to the Masonic Children's Home in Elizabethtown shortly thereafter.
Stan became a Mason in 1928. A few years later, he married his first wife who supported his dedication to the Masonic tradition of giving. Stan was married for 50 years before his wife passed away. He met Evelyn Hunter in 1981 and the couple was married two years later. They lived in North Carolina where Stan became an honorary member of Lodge No. 76 in Greensboro, maintaining his membership in the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. Together, the Longdons became regular supporters of the Masonic Charities and, especially, of the Masonic Children's Home. For Stan, it was just one of the ways he could pay tribute to a place he held so close to his heart.
During their years together, Evelyn's dedication to the Masonic Children's Home and the other Masonic Charities strengthened through her husband. "My interest kept blooming as I got to know more about the Masons and what they did," she said.
When Stan died in 1996, Evelyn pledged to continue to give to the Masonic Charities the way her husband had. Part of her support is realized in the form of an endowment fund for the Masonic Children's Home, which Evelyn started in Stan's memory.
"I think the greatest thing I get from it is being able to continue what Stan started so many years ago," Evelyn said. "I like to go ahead and give what I can and see the joy [the children] get out of it, and the joy I get from seeing them."
Evelyn believes her feelings toward the Masonic Children's Home and other Masonic Charities are simply an extension of her husband's life-long allegiance.
Earlier this year, Evelyn funded the purchase of a new van for the children at Masonic Village. The 10-passenger, Dodge Sprinter was a much-needed addition to the children's home.
According to Gilson "Buz" Cash, Director of Children's Services, organizing group trips in the past was a challenge. "For the first time since the Department of Public Welfare regulation change, we're now able to take a cottage (of eight children) on a trip as a group, without having to divide them because of the size of the van," Bro. Buz said.
At the Youth Appreciation Luncheon on May 27, Evelyn got to ride in the van to the Masonic Children's Home, where she was thanked for her contributions and given a keepsake photo album made by some of the children.
The experience was a fulfilling one for Evelyn, who was able to witness first-hand the effects of her donations to the children's home.
"I think the children are our future and if we don't do what we can for them, who's going to do it?," she said.
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| Evelyn with her late husband, Stan. | Evelyn today |
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