Draper Family Reunion – 1999
In about 1999, one of the Draper women, I’ve forgotten her name, decided to organize a family reunion, to be held during the Thanksgiving weekend. She lived in New York City, as did Bill Draper. It was probably Bill who put her in touch with Paul Curran to help organize the event at this end. Paul called Elaine Malloy (director of the Bancroft Library at that time) and asked for a suggestion as to where they could have lunch on Friday, after their tour around the center of town. Elaine said she could make lunch for them and serve it at the library. Paul decided that it was a good idea. Elaine was assisted by Judy Brown, Mary Saras and Helen Hammond. After lunch, many of the thirty-eight family members who attended, browsed through the scrapbooks and various Draper items at the library.
Most of the Drapers at the reunion had never visited Hopedale, although two of them had grown up here. They were Bill, (in the picture at the top of this page he is wearing a hat and appears to be pointing at one of the kids) and his sister, Lilla Joy Draper Scharnberg. Lilla, wearing black gloves, is to his left. Bill and Lilla’s parents were Clare and Matilda Draper. Their home was where Memorial School is now. General William F. and Lilla Draper were their grandparents.
I wish the pictures were better, but they were taken with an early digital camera. It was a Sony that saved the pictures on a 3.5 inch floppy.