82-L«ncaster Farming, Saturday, October 21, 1995
Flying Farmer Heads Lebanon County Farm Women
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
LEBANON (Lebanon Co.)
Almost 70 years old, married SO
years, the mother of 8, grand
mother of 10, and a great grand
mother should give Eileen Keller
the license to slow down.
Instead, this Hying Farmer
heads both the Pennsylvania Hy
ing Farmers with its 102 members
and the Lebanon County Farm
Women Society with its 337
membership.
Since that doesn’t keep her busy
every minute, she volunteers at
Hershey Medical Center, serves
meals at the fairgrounds, cooks
and waitresses for the Schaeffer
stown Fire Company, and oversees
sewing duties for the Midway
Church of the Brethren.
That, of course, doesn’t cover
everything Eileen does, but it does
show that she puts her grandpa
rents’ advice to practice.
She said, “My grandparents
always said, ‘Don’t be afraid to
work.’”
Bom in Maryland, Eileen was
only 16 months old when her
mother died. She was raised by her
grandparents who moved to Lan
caster County, and, when Eileen
was 16 years old, toa farm in Leba
non County.
The farm was next door to the
family who owned Keller Bros.
Motor Co., which was the family
of Eileen’s husband-to-be Mark.
The couple married in 1945, and
shortly thereafter, moved into a
converted school house on Pre
scott Road where they continue to
live.
World War II had just ended,
and the adventure of flying cap
tured Mark’s attention. The GI
program made it easy for him to
take a flying and written test for a
pilot’s license. When Mark heard
Homestead
NOTES
Lebanon County Farm Women Hold Convention
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Fanning Staff
SCHAEFFERSTOWN (Leba
non Co.) —“You’re an exception
al group of ladies who do many
things quietly,” Lois Bohn told the
hundreds of women who attended
the annual convention of the Soci
ety of Farm Women in Lebanon
County.
In a recap of the many service
projects completed by the 337
county members, Bohn said that
the society’s strength lies in the
members who quietly go about
helping others.
During the all-day convention
held at the Schaefferstown Fire
Hall, members elected new offic
ers, honored 80- and 90-year-old
members, and reviewed die socie
ty’s accomplishments and treas
ury. Doug Allen, Channel 8 weath
er man, and Banjo Bob entertained
the group.
In a humorous talk, Allen
explained how weather patterns
are determined and why weather
reports sometimes go awry.
Presidents from other county
groups also attended the conven
tion. Naomi Bupp of Yoik County
reported that 20,000 Pennsylvania
Farm Women Cookbooks have
been sold. This year, profits from
New officers for the Society of Farm Women of Lebanon County are from left: Eileen
Keller, president; Nancy Bennet. vice president; Susan Hawley, second vice presi
dent; Eunice Reist, secretary, and Feme Hitz, treasurer.
about the Flying Fanners’ Chapter
that was being organized at Stale
College, he flew to the meeting.
The chapter met monthly and it
wasn’t long before the wives of the
pilots decided to accompany their
husbands to the meetings. Right
from the beginning, family
involvement became synonymous
with Flying Fanners.
“Every month we’d gather on
some farmer’s airstrip on a Satur
day. Sometimes, we’d (members)
stay overnight. Local farmers
would open up their homes and
pack us in spare bedrooms, pull out
cots or pile blankets on the floor,”
Eileen said.
The Kellers remember flying
with as many as five of their child
ren to these monthly events.
“I’d always keep my eyes open
for a field in case we needed to
make an emergency landing,”
Eileen said. Weather conditions
did require them to make a landing
in someone’s backyard, but, Eileen
said, “We never had any really
close calls.”
Although, Eileen never found
time to pursue training for a pilot’s
license, she became a full-fledged
member of the Flying Farmers and
worked hard to promote the orga
nization. She served as a past
queen, which required her to save
as hostess and attend many of the
conventions in other states. She
has also held offices as secretary,
vice president and two toms as
president
Back home, Mark worked for a
Reading aviation company for 10
years and then for a Harrisburg
aviation company for nine years.
“I was co-pilot for twin engine
airplanes and logged more than
5,000 hours of flying time,” he
said.
In 1975, Mark returned to the
(Turn to Page B 4)
Eileen’s garden includes several stalks of sunflowers that she uses to feed the
birds and squirrels on their farm.
At the International Flying Farmers’ Convention held this
summer, Eileen won this tractor.
Eileen and Mark Keller
celebrated their 50th
anniversary this year.
cookbook sales provided six
$l,OOO and six $250 scholarships
for children and grandchildren of
Farm Women members.
Lebanon County has 337 mem
bers who are affiliated with the
(Turn to Pago B 5)
Doug Allen speaks at the
convention.