The Journal

This Is Your Life ... Edward L. Merry

After serving more than 25 years as president of The Farmers & Merchants bank, Edw. L. Merry retired the first of the year in this capacity. He was honored with a dinner Thursday evening at Ogle's Maple Shade Inn, Dexter City, by employes and directors of the bank. Mr. Merry was presented with a beautiful piece of luggage. The following poem was written by W. C. Garrett of Summerfield, in his honor and is as follows:

To-night we've assembled, as folks often do,
Your stock holding buddies, as well as the crew,
From the Bank you have guided, thru trouble and strife
So it's time now E. L., for "This is your life".

Born on a farm, with a hollow and hill.
In the township of Center, near old Sarahsville.
You, early in life, went to its grade school
And proved to the teachers, you were a book larnin fool.

You loved the farm life. from the very first start
And still have a yen for it, deep in your heart.
Your background was sprouting, beginning to grow,
When you finished grade school, you felt on you should go.

You charted your course, that you wanted to steer,
Your aim and ambition. was to be-engineer.
So off to the college, with your hopes and your clothes
Four years of study, but this gap you did close,

In just ninety weeks, with no sign of remorse,
For five hundred dollars, you finished the course.
Then to practice the art, you labored to learn
You surveyed our old county, from its stem to its stern.

Romance came along. and how it did bloom.
Kathryn was the bride. and Ed. was the groom.
More money was needed, for connubial bliss,
So you started contracting, with luck hit and miss.

For some of your jobs, took more rock and more dirt
Sometimes your losses, cost almost your shirt.
Then in the meantime. the stork came to bless
And you had two small angels, to love, feed, and dress.

But to it you stuck, not a contract you'd slight.
In the sweet by and by. you came out alright.
Then came the hard times. in old thirty-three.
When you served without pay, our presidency.

With calmness of nerve, we were thrown for a loss,
But your counsel prevailed, and you were the boss.
Your faith in our future, was never misplaced
Soon the budget you balanced, and our loss was erased.

For twenty-five years, we're all well aware,
You helped us to prosper, with deals on the square.
You made our community, take a mighty long stride,
By discharging civic duties, along on the side.

When industries came, just flexing their might,
You helped to convince them, Caldwell was the site.
Assisting in charity, in drives by the score,
You led the "March of Dimes" and, so many more.

So here in this nutshell, we've skimmed off the cream
It may be unique, but it shows our esteem.
And so we must close, this guite lengthly sonnet
It's time to sign off, "dad gum" and "doggonit"

But everything started. must come to an end.
We've waited till last, for our big dividend.
Best wishes we give. to your mate and you, Ed.
There are many fine things, still left and unsaid,

We've had a good time, we hope you did too,
This then is your life, "Good Luck", we are thru.