The recent purchase of the GreatStone Castle, formerly known as
the Whitby Place by Frederick and
Judith Keller has brought back many memories for Sidney residents concerning the home
itself and the persons who resided there. Perhaps most people would name as its most
famous resident
W.H.C. Goode, the
industrialist who was the longtime owner of the American Steel Scraper Company and other business interests
in Sidney and elsewhere. History, however, tells a different story.
In 1875, a young lady named Ida
Haslup graduated from Sidney High School. She then obtained a degree from Illinois
Wesleyan University and thereafter returned to Sidney to begin a teaching career at the
age of 27.
Haslup taught at the high school for
eight years. Toward the end of her tenure there, she became the first female principal of
a high school in Ohio when she assumed that position in Sidney in the late 1880's.
Afterward she accepted a similar position in Pueblo, Colorado. Haslup returned to Sidney in 1899
and shortly thereafter married W.H.C. Goode, whose first wife had died. Ida promptly
assumed the responsibility of raising all five of the Goode children and assisting Mr.
Goode with the business at American Steel Scraper Co. as well.
Not content to raise children and
help run the family business, Ida Goode later launched a second career of missionary work
for the Methodist Church when
she was over 60 years old.
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Ida Haslup
Goode |
William Henry
Collier Goode |
After serving as president of
the West Ohio Conference of Women's Home Missionary Society, she became the national
president of the Women's Home Missionary Society in 1926. She was responsible for
directing the merger of the various missionary activities of the Methodist Church into
what became known as the Methodist Women's Society of Christian Service.
She continued
to serve as national president of this organization until 1947, when she reached 89 years
of age. In her career, Goode supervised mission activities throughout the Western
Hemisphere, traveling often to Alaska, Hawaii, the West Indies and many other points in
between.
In recognition of her dedicated
service over the years, missionary schools in Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Alaska, Kentucky and
several other southern states bear her name. A mountain in Alaska is also named after her.
Although
she only taught for eight years at Sidney High School, she was so well respected that her
former students formed the Ida Goode Association in 1946 in honor of her contributions.
The association met on a regular basis for a number of years.
She carried her interest in
education into her mission work as well, serving as head of the educational board of the
Methodist Church throughout the country for many years. Goode taught the value of
community service to members of her family as well. Her stepdaughter Frances Goode
graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University and promptly volunteered to drive an ambulance for
the YMCA in France during World War I. Goode's outstanding record of public service was
recognized across the nation. In 1938, at the age of 80, she received she received an
honorary doctorate from Ohio Wesleyan. Similar honors were bestowed on her from Bennett
College in 1940 and Illinois Wesleyan University in 1942.
As a member of its board of
trustees, Ida Goode was also a major force behind the growth of Bennett College, a university located in North Carolina
that focused on educating Negro women. She supervised its growth over 14 years from 10
students to an enrollment in 1940 of 350. In awarding her the honorary doctorate degree at
that time, President David Jones described Ida as a "courageous statesman-like
leader of women throughout the difficult period in the history of her church, a
broad-visioned counselor and co-founder of a college for women, wise mother, constructive
citizen and unfailing friend."
Locally, she organized the Shelby County
Women's Club and was one of the first members of the New Century Club. Well into her 90's,
Ida Goode once gave a book review to the members of the New Century Club after she had
completely lost her eyesight.
After the death of W.H.C. Goode, she
took over operational control of the American Steel Scraper Co. and ran it successfully
for a number of years. Until the month before her death in 1958, Goode attended Sunday
school and church at the Methodist Church on a weekly basis. She died quietly in her 99th
year, leaving behind an unmatched legacy of community service.
Above are Frank and
Charles, two of Mr. Goode’s four sons. His youngest boy passed away at 18 months
and
his eldest daughter did not survive beyond her early 20’s.
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