| JULY 11, 2012 -- When Alma and Frederick Brooks were invited to join Winchester Grange they put it off for a while until one day Fred said- “Oh, go ahead and sign that application and let’s join.” It was probably one of the best things they ever did! They soon became a team with Fred serving as Master and Alma as Lecturer of Winchester. Everyone called him Fred or Freddie- Alma always called him Frederick! She was a real lady from the “old school” and it showed in everything she did.
When Alma became State Lecturer it was soon noted she did not put on programs- she presented productions filled with clever ideas, pageantry, and design.
If Alma had any faults at all it was her way of changing things (especially small details) at the last minute in order to make it “better.” She was usually right and the end result of a program or a drill was almost always perfection.
She was proud of her Swedish heritage and a visit to her lovely home almost always ended with the serving of a special baked treat (Swedish, of course).
A great sadness came to the Brooks Family just before a New England Lecturers Conference was to take place with Connecticut hosting. Their son had taken a summer job working for a utility company and while he was on duty he stepped back into a live wire and was killed! He was 18 years old. This strong lady carried on and it wasn’t too long before she started the contest for Grange Youth where a young man and a young lady from each Pomona competed for the title of Grange King and Queen (later called the Prince and Princess Contest). It was in honor of young Fred.
Her love of young people led to her being chairperson of the State Grange Student Loan Program for a long period of time.
Following completion of her term as State Lecturer, she took on the task of directing the Sixth Degree Rose Drill- and continued that job for years. Frederick worked closely with her and we could write a book about the rose drill rehearsals and trips to “Friendly’s” following.
Their only other child, a daughter, married and presented them with a grandson. Eleanor developed a debilitating illness and died very young. Another tragedy.
Early in their Grange life they moved from Torrington (which Alma always called home) to Manchester. Activities in Winchester Grange and Mountain County Pomona were limited, but she always considered Winchester her Grange home and visited as often as she could over the years. After Alma lost her Frederick her many Grange friends saw to it that she got to events in her part of the state.
We remember Alma and programs such as the traveling counties which concluded with the assembling of the State Map you remember from seeing it in the Connecticut Room of the New England Grange Building at the Eastern States Exposition (Big E). We think of Alma as a friend, a real lady and a true Granger.
Do remember Alma Brooks! |
