The Barclay Blog

Given Donahue’s own commitment to public service, it is easy to see why she recognized and supported Barclay’s contributions — from documenting the early years of Oak Park and River Forest to championing local causes.

 

The Philander Barclay Collection at the Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest includes a couple of letters Donahue wrote to Barclay after leaving the Chicago area and moving to New York City. In one dated April 6, 1938, she reflected upon their early acquaintance and wrote that Barclay was “a power for good always — and had you been endowed with riches you would have impoverished yourself to help others.” [18] High praise from a society editor who understood the value of community service.

 

When The Oak Parker published its “Historical Number” on November 11, 1927, celebrating the 25th anniversary of Oak Park’s incorporation, Barclay provided 17 photographs, for which he was credited. More than likely, Barclay also supplied much of the information for the short unsigned articles that accompanied the photos.

 

The photos and articles must have caught Donahue’s attention. In a letter to the editor published December 9, 1927 in The Oak Parker, Donahue believed that Barclay ought to be made:

 

the official custodian of the village in recognition of his voluntary service for many years as village historian.

Mr. Barclay is the logical person to collect and preserve in perpetuity the photographs and the date [sic; data] of early Oak Park as he has made it his hobby through all these years. Doubtless, few events of interest have failed to be recorded by this tireless worker who has never accepted an honorarium for his services. [19]

 

Later, in 1933, Donahue wrote an editorial letter in the Oak Leaves. She had been invited by Barclay to attend a Borrowed Time Club meeting. The gathering honored the birthday of the club’s founder, Edward Robbins (1816-1910). At the meeting, Barclay played the 1905 oral history recordings he recorded (on wax cylinders) of Robbins and Elijah Hoard (1812-1908), the two oldest members in the club at that time.

 

Donahue’s letter was a tribute to Barclay. She praised Barclay’s “tireless efforts to make the Borrowed Time club the most progressive of all such organizations, with the unique feature of recording member’s voices.” (In 1905, home recording was considered a novelty and not all that common.) Barclay preserved the voices for the enjoyment of the members who remembered Robbins and Hoard.

 

She felt that Barclay’s preservation of photographs and data pertaining to Oak Park’s growth was “highly commendable and is of untold value to the community.”

 

Donahue credited Barclay with a “Safety First” initiative — The How to Cross the Street Club — which taught children safe practices around trains and automobiles.

 

More importantly, Donahue’s tribute captured Barclay’s character with warmth:

 

Mr. Barclay, modest and retiring, was well pleased to have accomplished his purpose of safeguarding life and sought no personal glory or recognition. He is a rare soul with a wealth of love for his fellow man and his home town. His friendship is treasured as something very precious by those who have long had the privilege of knowing him. His life dedicated to others, with no thought of compensation other than the joy of service, merits its reward in the form of public acknowledgment and appreciation. [20]