Hello all, I debated whether to comment on this calendar matter and decided that it was important to say a few words. I have long been offended by advertisements put out by pharmacies (etc.) at Halloween that associate the holiday with cemeteries by selling mock tombstones for placement in front yards. I was also offended back in 1998 when MTV was featuring music videos depicting "dark themed" songs being sung in cemeteries. I do not even have to look at the images from this calendar to know that I would object to the use of their cemetery in this manner simply to raise funds. It would have been far more appropriate for them to have researched their "residents" and tried to locate photos of the people and stories of their lives to put in a calendar along with a photo of the person's grave stone. What better way to show the beauty of their city of the dead and to educate the community and tourists as to who settled their town or village? Instead, they've mimicked the gals from Britain (and others) by posing "seemingly" nude, and in the process have actually done the type of thing that offends me, as a cemetery preservationist, the most. They have used their cemetery in a way they would not want anyone else to use it. It is like prostituting the place for a quick fix giving no forethought to how the calendar might be perceived by others and using humor in an inappropriate manner. I can envision that some errant teen will see these calendars and think this is a cool thing to go do. Oh, yes, and let's bring some friends and some beer (or worse) and have a party doing it. To me, this type of project is a recipe for promoting vandalism. Sue Silver California ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rhonda Stoffer" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2004 5:56 AM Subject: [INPCRP] A novel way to raise money for a cemetery > Got this from a National Genealogy Society newsletter. Any one want to do a > calendar for INPCRP? > > > Oakwood Cemetery Fundraiser is All an Illusion > > Posing with a Civil War saber beside the grave of Gen. George Thomas, the > only > Union general in the Civil War never to lose a battle, retired Army Col. > Charles > Johnson, 72, appears to be wearing nothing but his Army boots, a World War > II > helmet and a Vietnam-era backpack. > > The photo of Johnson, vice president of the Oakwood Cemetery board of > trustees, > plus photographs of other "seemingly n*ked" board members and prominent > residents of the community were used to create an inventive fundraiser. > > Founded in 1848, the Oakwood Cemetery covers more than 600 acres of > protected > land overlooking the city of Troy in upstate New York. It is one of the > largest > rural cemeteries in America and contains four man-made lakes, extensive > lawns, > two residential structures, two chapels, twenty-four mausoleums, and > monuments > and statuary for nearly 60,000 gravesites, with over half the gravesites > filled > in the 19th century. > > Although the historical value of the Oakwood Cemetery is tremendous, so are > the > maintenance bills. To help raise funds for repairs, the Oakwood Cemetery > board > of trustees decided to take a few risks and produce the "Cemetery Illusions > Calendar 2005." Selling for $14.95 the calendar is carefully designed to > create > a dignified illusion of n*de models taking part in tea parties and other > activities among the tombstones and cemetery structures. But it's all an > illusion. > > "They look n*ked, but they were told to put on Speedo bathing suits," said > Terry > Page, president of the Oakwood Cemetery board of trustees. "That's why it's > called 'Cemetery Illusions.' " > > To view a slide show and/or narrated video clip showing several scenes from > the > calendar and discussing its purpose, visit > http://www.nbc10.com/news/3767302/detail.html > > "Cemetery Illusions Calendar 2005 is available on the Internet at > http://www.oakwoodcemetery.org/calendar.htm > > To learn more about Oakwood Cemetery's history, the many things that can be > learned by visiting it, and the need to protect and preserve it for all > time, > read "Listening to Oakwood" at http://members.aol.com/oakwoodcem/nielser.htm > > Contributed by Carla Ridenour, [email protected] > > Note: An * replaces specific letters in this article so that UpFront won't > be > nabbed by junk mail filters. > > > > > > Rhonda Stoffer > Head of Indiana History and Genealogy Services > Marion Public Library > > > > ==== INPCRP Mailing List ==== > To UNSUBSCRIBE, send message consisting only of > "UNSUBSCRIBE" to [email protected] > or to [email protected] (for DIGEST version) >

Dear Sue, So glad to read your opinion and commentary...I too felt the calendar was in terrible taste and only promotes the thing we all hate to see, VANDALISM......what a desecration to our forefathers..... John Roush Marion, Indiana ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sue Silver" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2004 9:45 AM Subject: Re: [INPCRP] A novel way to raise money for a cemetery > Hello all, > > I debated whether to comment on this calendar matter and decided that it was > important to say a few words. > > I have long been offended by advertisements put out by pharmacies (etc.) at > Halloween that associate the holiday with cemeteries by selling mock > tombstones for placement in front yards. I was also offended back in 1998 > when MTV was featuring music videos depicting "dark themed" songs being sung > in cemeteries. I do not even have to look at the images from this calendar > to know that I would object to the use of their cemetery in this manner > simply to raise funds. > > It would have been far more appropriate for them to have researched their > "residents" and tried to locate photos of the people and stories of their > lives to put in a calendar along with a photo of the person's grave stone. > What better way to show the beauty of their city of the dead and to educate > the community and tourists as to who settled their town or village? > Instead, they've mimicked the gals from Britain (and others) by posing > "seemingly" nude, and in the process have actually done the type of thing > that offends me, as a cemetery preservationist, the most. > > They have used their cemetery in a way they would not want anyone else to > use it. It is like prostituting the place for a quick fix giving no > forethought to how the calendar might be perceived by others and using humor > in an inappropriate manner. > > I can envision that some errant teen will see these calendars and think this > is a cool thing to go do. Oh, yes, and let's bring some friends and some > beer (or worse) and have a party doing it. > > To me, this type of project is a recipe for promoting vandalism. > > Sue Silver > California > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Rhonda Stoffer" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2004 5:56 AM > Subject: [INPCRP] A novel way to raise money for a cemetery > > > > Got this from a National Genealogy Society newsletter. Any one want to do > a > > calendar for INPCRP? > > > > > > Oakwood Cemetery Fundraiser is All an Illusion > > > > Posing with a Civil War saber beside the grave of Gen. George Thomas, the > > only > > Union general in the Civil War never to lose a battle, retired Army Col. > > Charles > > Johnson, 72, appears to be wearing nothing but his Army boots, a World War > > II > > helmet and a Vietnam-era backpack. > > > > The photo of Johnson, vice president of the Oakwood Cemetery board of > > trustees, > > plus photographs of other "seemingly n*ked" board members and prominent > > residents of the community were used to create an inventive fundraiser. > > > > Founded in 1848, the Oakwood Cemetery covers more than 600 acres of > > protected > > land overlooking the city of Troy in upstate New York. It is one of the > > largest > > rural cemeteries in America and contains four man-made lakes, extensive > > lawns, > > two residential structures, two chapels, twenty-four mausoleums, and > > monuments > > and statuary for nearly 60,000 gravesites, with over half the gravesites > > filled > > in the 19th century. > > > > Although the historical value of the Oakwood Cemetery is tremendous, so > are > > the > > maintenance bills. To help raise funds for repairs, the Oakwood Cemetery > > board > > of trustees decided to take a few risks and produce the "Cemetery > Illusions > > Calendar 2005." Selling for $14.95 the calendar is carefully designed to > > create > > a dignified illusion of n*de models taking part in tea parties and other > > activities among the tombstones and cemetery structures. But it's all an > > illusion. > > > > "They look n*ked, but they were told to put on Speedo bathing suits," said > > Terry > > Page, president of the Oakwood Cemetery board of trustees. "That's why > it's > > called 'Cemetery Illusions.' " > > > > To view a slide show and/or narrated video clip showing several scenes > from > > the > > calendar and discussing its purpose, visit > > http://www.nbc10.com/news/3767302/detail.html > > > > "Cemetery Illusions Calendar 2005 is available on the Internet at > > http://www.oakwoodcemetery.org/calendar.htm > > > > To learn more about Oakwood Cemetery's history, the many things that can > be > > learned by visiting it, and the need to protect and preserve it for all > > time, > > read "Listening to Oakwood" at > http://members.aol.com/oakwoodcem/nielser.htm > > > > Contributed by Carla Ridenour, [email protected] > > > > Note: An * replaces specific letters in this article so that UpFront won't > > be > > nabbed by junk mail filters. > > > > > > > > > > > > Rhonda Stoffer > > Head of Indiana History and Genealogy Services > > Marion Public Library > > > > > > > > ==== INPCRP Mailing List ==== > > To UNSUBSCRIBE, send message consisting only of > > "UNSUBSCRIBE" to [email protected] > > or to [email protected] (for DIGEST version) > > > > > > ==== INPCRP Mailing List ==== > To UNSUBSCRIBE, send message consisting only of > "UNSUBSCRIBE" to [email protected] > or to [email protected] (for DIGEST version) >