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ARTHUR B. POOLE
AWARD
1983 Honoree
KATHRYN
C. BLOOD
Forty-two years
of community service has earned Kathryn C. Blood this
year’s award.
Miss Blood moved to Harwinton 42 years ago after receiving
a degree in Physical education from Sergeant School
(now Boston University) and working with Girls Scouts
for several years in Massachusetts.
She arrived in town several months before the bombing
of Pearl Harbor. When the war effort began, Miss Blood
“answered many calls for volunteer help and canvassed
for everything.”
One of her first duties was to serve as an airplane
spotter on Wildcat Hill Road. She also made sure the
watch was maintained by other volunteers around the
clock.
Because of the shortage of wartime volunteers, Miss
Blood served in the hospital, arranging flowers, running
the elevator, folding laundry (“thousands of diapers”)
and manning the reception desk.
Due to gas rationing, as well as for recreation, Miss
Blood and her friend, Anne Kirchofer, relied on bicycling
for transportation. Miss Blood remembers using the bike
while canvassing for photograph records, which contained
materials needed for the war, and visiting in Burlington,
a round trip of at least 15 miles.
Miss Blood began teaching Sunday school at the Congregational
Church and was called on to direct the Children’s
day pageant. To this day, (1983) she still directs the
rehearsals and the event, and each year distributes
flowers to all the children.
She has served as Sunday school superintendent since
1961 and directed the annual strawberry festival since
that year. She continues to serve on the church council,
the Board of Christian Education and the Woman’s
Fellowship. She was also one of the church’s first
deaconesses.
The Rev. Richard Giragosian, minister of the church,
said Miss Blood “is so efficient at organizing
the Sunday school, it enables me to spend more time
with the teenagers and adults.”
Many friends consider Miss Blood a member of their families.
Mrs. Kirchofer’s family had “Grandma Kay”
as a teacher and would frequently ask her age. He reply
was always “66.”
Another recipient of Miss Blood’s generous service
has been the Hungerford Library. During the 40’s
she was the Librarian and was elected a life member
of the board of directors.
She has conducted a weekly story hour, a summer program
for preschoolers and a “mobile library,”
in which she takes 60 books to senior citizen’s
meetings. The mobile library has fallen by the wayside
but Miss Blood said she hopes to reinstitute is soon.
For 20 years, Miss Blood has served as chairman of welfare
services for the Salvation Army, helping to distribute
Christmas baskets to the needy. She is there in emergencies
to provide food, fuel and temporary housing. Each year
she organizes a drive for mittens, hats and canned goods
for the group.
Other housing groups Miss Blood has helped include the
Public Health Nursing Committee, Torrcon Woman’s
Club, Harwinton Woman’s Club and the Historical
Society.
Soures:
Harwinton Historical Society Scrapbook
The Republican American Newspaper
For Photos
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