A display of sheet music from the 1890s to 1945 will be on display at the annual dinner of the Sayre Historical Society on Tuesday, March 13 at the Sayre High School. Photo credit: Sayre Historical Society – Mary Truesdale Collection.
A unique collection of over 40 pieces of sheet music recently donated to the Sayre Historical Society by Mary Truesdale will be on display at the museum’s annual dinner on Tuesday, March 13 at the Sayre High School cafeteria. A program on “The Great War” by World War I historian Nancy Schaff of the Descendants and Friends of the 314th Infantry will be the featured program.
Reservations for the dinner and program can be made by calling Mary Sargent at (570) 888-6081 or Tom Collins at (570) 888-6821. The deadline for reservations is this weekend, and the cost is $20.
The sheet music collection covers the years from the 1890s to 1945 and includes examples from World War I such as “If I’m Not at Roll Call (Kiss Mother Good-Bye For Me)” by George L. Boyden and “Oh, Johnny! Oh Johnny!” by Ed Reese and Abe Olman.
The collection was donated in memory of Mrs. Truesdale’s youngest son, Michael “Mickey” Park, who graduated from Sayre High School in 1977 and attended Williamsport School of Technology before enlisting in the United States Army Air Force.
After basic training, he was sent to California and became fluent in many Chinese dialects learned at the U.S. Army’s Presidio of Monterey. He served two years in South Korea and 17 years in Hawaii. He retired from the Air Force after 20 years of service. He was son of Mary and Grant Truesdale of Sayre and Robert Park Sr. of Texas. He passed away on Dec. 7, 2009.
“Songs from World War I” including “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary,” “Keep the Homes Fire Burning,” and “Over There” will be played prior to the dinner. World War I-related items including a framed photograph of the “Dough Boy” monument in Howard Elmer Park, a commemorative coin set from World War I and a commemorative stamp set will be raffled to benefit the Sayre Historical Society. Copies of the Bradford County Historical Society’s book, Defending Democracy: Bradford County in World War I, A Centennial Remembrance, will be available for purchase at the dinner.
The dinner will be prepared by the Nutrition Group and will consist of chicken breasts in herbed sauce, meatballs with sauce, pasta alfredo, green beans, salad, rolls, apple crisp, brownies and ice cream. Doors will open at 5 p.m. with dinner served at 6 p.m. and the program following dinner.
An exhibit, “The Fight for Liberty: Sayre in World War I,” will open at the Sayre Historical Society on Saturday, April 7 and run until Sept. 5. Selected artifacts slated to be on exhibit at the museum in April will be previewed at the dinner including a World War I uniform worn by Nathan Johnson and donated by Eugene Cole. The museum exhibit will focus on the Sayre Machine Gun Company, the Sayre Red Cross Canteen, the Welcome Home Parade in 1919 and the dedication of the “Dough Boy” monument in Howard Elmer Park.
The Descendants and Friends of the 314th preserves the story of the World War I infantry unit serving with the American Expeditionary Force, including men from Sayre and the surrounding area.
The Sayre Historical Society is member-supported and receives funds from the Bradford County United Way and the Bradford County Tourism Promotion Agency.
Visit www.sayrehistoricalsociety.org for more information.
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