In working on our annual Senior Living advertorial (September-October issue of Lancaster County Magazine), we met residents of local retirement communities who have incredible talents, interesting hobbies and creatively designed living spaces. We hated to see all of Nick Gould’s wonderful photographs go unseen, so we are sharing them through online blogs.
– Sue Long
Nick and I love to visit the Spohns (this was the second time they were featured in United Zion Retirement Community’s portion of the senior living advertorial). They’re so much fun to talk with and Clarence’s knowledge of history and antiques is beyond impressive.
The Spohns have a rather entertaining “meet-cute” story. Single mom Marcia became a teller at Farmers First Bank, where Clarence was a regular customer. One of Clarence’s co-workers had become aware that he had a crush on Marcia and, unbeknownst to Clarence, invited her to a gathering that was being held at a local restaurant in celebration of his birthday.
Marcia accepted the invitation, but since she was a fan of the TV show Dallas, said she would meet them later in the evening. She arrived and took a seat in the bar, assuming that’s where the party was being held. She sat there for a time, all the while the group was in one of the dining rooms. After a period of time, she left. Clarence, unaware that she was coming, thought his promised mystery “birthday present” simply didn’t materialize.
Fortunately, the two had a matchmaker working on their behalf, Clarence’s co-worker. She gave Clarence two tickets to Christmas at the Cloister and told him to take Marcia as his guest, which he did. The rest, as they say, is history.
Interestingly, Clarence had a connection to another bank, Ephrata National Bank, long before Marcia came along. He grew up on Washington Avenue in Ephrata, where the Spohns’ neighbor happened to be J. Harry Hibshman, who launched his banking career as a teller at the bank and went on to become its president, serving in that role until his death in 1963. According to Clarence, Mr. Hibshman, having grown up in Ephrata, was an authority on Ephrata’s history, and he spent countless hours sharing his knowledge with his young neighbor.
Clarence absorbed Mr. Hibshman’s love of local history and was motivated to forge a history-oriented career of his own, namely the 26 years he spent with the Pennsylvania Historical Museum Commission as a tour guide and later a museum educator at the Historic Ephrata Cloister. He is also a past president of the Historical Society of the Cocalico Valley and is the author of numerous articles, journals and books (including a two-volume history of the former Mountain Springs Hotel) that relate to the history of Ephrata. He also was the mayor of Ephrata during the early ’80s.
Before moving to United Zion Retirement Community, the Spohns resided in a Victorian home in Lititz for 29 years. Their home reflected Clarence’s love of history and their shared passion for collecting antiques and mementos of their travels, including to Asia and Africa, but especially those made to Germany, through which they collected miniature, hand-carved wooden figures made by German artisans.
The challenge in making a move to United Zion Retirement Community centered on their individual mindsets. While Clarence was ready to move, Marcia was reluctant to leave her beloved home. Working together and supporting one another through the process, they scaled back their collection of antiques, keeping what they purchased as a couple over the years. Although parting with many items through auction was difficult, it brought them peace knowing that a new generation of collectors would become the “stewards” of those well-loved treasures.
One of Clarence’s collections was purchased by the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietists Studies at Elizabethtown College. The Clarence E. Spohn Collection includes rare imprints from printers active in Ephrata from 1745 to approximately 1830; artifacts pertaining to the Ephrata community (Ephrata Cloister); and manuscripts relating to legal transactions, etc. relating to the property. Spohn’s copious research notes were also part of the collection. According to the Center’s website, the collection is the “single most important grouping of imprints from the various printers who worked at Ephrata, including the Cloister press and the Baumann and Ruth presses that followed. Two rare objects in the collection include a woodblock engraving of the Ephrata seal used in printing and a wooden communion chalice and bread plate (paten).” The collection is housed at the Hess Archives in the High Library at Elizabethtown College.
There is one item, however, that Clarence has no plans to part with. When he became aware that the owner of an Ephrata barber shop had in his possession ENB bank president Harry Hibshman’s shaving mug, he made repeated offers to buy it from him. Finally, the day arrived — 40 years after he made his first offer — when the late barber’s daughter contacted Clarence and said the mug was his.
Mitch Bashore, United Zion Retirement Community’s director of marketing & community outreach, is happy to report that despite Marcia arriving with a high level of skepticism, she and Clarence both love their home at United Zion and can’t imagine living anywhere else. They continue to pursue their passion for traveling and collecting antiques, too!
For more information about United Zion Retirement Community, visit UZRC.org. United Zion will be a stop on this year’s Explore Retirement Living Tour, which is being held October 19, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. For details, visit exploreretirementliving.org.
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