A Brief History of Sunny Willow Swim Club
As we celebrate a very special year in the life
of Sunny Willow, our 25th Anniversary Year, we felt it would
be
appropriate to reminisce and recollect how
our club came into
being. Way back
in 1957, the concept of a swim club in the area was a gleam in the eyes
of a
handful of people living in the Willow Manor and
Sunnycrest
developments.
Instantaneously, the idea caught fire and the nucleus was expanded to
include
all area within a reasonable radius. The name of the
organization, Sunny
Willow Swim Club, was a unanimous decision – shortening of the two
areas
wherein the idea was conceived – Sunnycrest and Willow Manor.
members, obtaining bids for building,
clearing legal
entanglements, drafting a Constitution and By-Laws, Rules and
Regulations for
operating, etc. The midnight oil
burned week after week,
utilizing the various
expertise of these dedicated people. Services of all kinds were
rendered
gratis, including legal fees, architectural drafting,
secretarial, printing,
etc. Furnishings for the office and other areas were also
donated. All this is
indicative of the dedication of the many people involved in the
creation of our
club,. The first fifteen member
Board of Directors was elected in
April 1958,
and served until the first annual meeting after the opening of the pool.
In August, 1958, the Upper Dublin Commissioners
approved the purchase of our 8 acre wooded tract from Louis and
Angelina Pettaluga
for the sum of
$27,959.09. By this time we had enrolled our full
compliment of
350 families, all of whom were paying $13.00 per month to designated
appointed
people, toward
the purchase of their bond. Most of them had
invested in the
concept long before our ground purchase, relying solely on the
integrity of
the founding fathers. Most of
these charter members were
families with young
children and newly purchased homes which is why the system of payment
was
devised to ease the financial burden
and allow everyone who so desired
to
become part of the organization.
In November, 1958, a
contract was
signed with Neptune Pool Enterprises for construction of our two pools
at a
cost of $34,100.00. Subsequently contracts
were signed for
constructing
buildings, fencing, equipment , and electrical needs. School
Lane, all
adjacent homes, and the Thomas Fitzwater School were
nonexistent. Our
right of
way to our acreage was by means of a 30’ wide dirt road from North
Hills Avenue
which, I might add, was the cause of many flat tires. It
was not
until August,
1961 when we sold our road to Upper Dublin School board for access to
the
planned Thomas Fitzwater School, that School Lane became our
means of ingress
and egress.
1959 was a busy time
for many of
our charter members. Starting in early spring, families would
gather and the
pool site, clearing debris, cutting trees and
bushes, in preparation
for
sodding and in fact, doing everything and anything necessary to make
our
present pool site a place pf joy and comfort. The female
contingent provided
hot dogs, hamburgers, sandwiches, beverages, etc. so that
those physically
involved could continue their labor of love. Again, these
services
were
gratis.
Preparation for the opening now loomed as a
reality. However, a final snag gave us quite a jolt. Initially we
planned to
operate from two deep wells on our
property, but when they ran dry we
converted
to our public rates hook-up. Unfortunately the water was not
purified
sufficiently to permit pool usage on opening day
but the site of a
finished
product, so beautiful in its natural setting, lit up the hearts of the
hundreds
present on that glorious day.
Saturday, June 6, 1959, was the official opening
day at which there was a ribbon cutting ceremony and blessing of the
pool. Even
though swimming was
prohibited, some big splashes occurred at the close
of
ceremonies when all fifteen board members were unceremoniously tossed
into the
pool, fully clothed, thus giving
credence to the fact that Sunny Willow
was an
actuality. Dedication was on Sunday, June 14, 1959, at 2:00pm at
which there
was a representation from the Upper
Dublin Commissioners and local
clergy. Swimming
and diving performances were rendered by representatives from Manorlu,
Oreland,
Valley Club and Abington
High School.
To finance our operation the first two years, we
negotiated loans with the Bank of Old York Road in the spring of 1959
and fall
of 1960 for $15,000.00
and $2,000.00 respectively, both which were
repaid in 6
months.
Now, 25 years later, we are still a proud, happy
and active club, traditionally carrying out the dreams of those first
350
families. It is up to us, the present
members, to continue to
work together
and preserve this family oriented club so that we can be as proud of it
in the
next 25 years as we are today.
Sunny Willow Swim Club History
Taken from the minutes of the board meetings from the early 1960’s
Permit to build the pool was obtained by Robert Miller, chairman of the building committee on July 13, 1959
Sunny Willow was founded as a swim and ice skating club
The name Sunny Willow comes from two neighborhoods that helped form the club. Sunny Crest (Behind Sam’s deli) and Willow Manor (lower end of Jill Road)
The first season the pool operated was 1960, despite thirty one days of rain, there were 35,981 persons entering the pool, plus 2831 guests
In 1960 there were 117 families on the waiting list
In 1965 there were 183 families on the waiting list
Ice skating started in 1963, this only lasted two years
In 1960 every bond member was assessed $10.00 to cover lack of funds
Dues in 1960 were $13.00 per person up to four family members. Each additional family member was an additional $1.00
Well water was used until 1963
In 1963 it was decided to paint the black strips on the pool bottom
In 1963 the snack bar personnel were paid $1.00 per hour
The pool burned its own trash until 1963
In July of 1963 the first ever teen night was held on the pool grounds. 560 teenagers attended
1963 – the recent prolonged dry spell would have been disastrous to the pool had we not tied in with the Springfield water, as our wells have been dry for five days.
Fall 1962- weather permitting, ice skating
will be
permitted from December 1st to March 31st,
between the
hours of 4:00 and 9:00 on weekdays, and 1:00 and
9:00 on weekends. No
charge to
members but guest fees will be .25 cents each
Spring 1963- a report on the ice skating
revealed that
there were 32 skating days over the winter which drew a total of 3000
people,
thus indicating that
Sunny Willow has many skating enthusiasts as well
as
swimmers.
1963- President Walters acquainted the membership
with a
move afoot to build another swim club adjacent to our property.
Apparently a
group from Parkview
Gardens has signed an agreement of sale with the
proviso
that it gets zoning approval. We were asked for our waiting list so
they could
enlist membership in their
proposed club. One of our members Ray
Miller, whose
property abuts the tract in question, was approached to sell them some
of his
acreage. He not only refused
but also registered his disapproval of
their even
considering an operation in such close proximity to two already
established
clubs (Burn Brae and Sunny Willow.
Twining Valley golf course had a
swim club
at this time called Burn Brae) certainly this is of great concern to
Sunny
Willow, so close contact should be kept with
the township on this
matter.
July of 1961 the school board of Upper Dublin
Advised Sunny
Willow that a change in the school location of the new school (Thomas
Fitzwater)
was necessary.
Test borings on the original site were not good enough
for a
firm foundation making it necessary to move the school from the
Woodland Ave
side of their property to
the opposite side. It will now be fronted by
Sunny
Willow’s access road (at this time Sunny Willow has an access road from
North
Hill Ave into our parking lot)
On July 16th 1962 Sunny Willow sold
their access
road from North Hills Ave to Upper Dublin for one dollar. This road is
now
known as School Lane.
Compiled By: Gerry Davis Club member since 1969