Moment in Time (originally submitted to ThisWeek News for publication August 17, 2016)

The Brotherhood of the Rook was established by male students in Grandview in 1915, as a boys' social club. They purchased an historic log cabin and moved it to the Bronson property at 1096 Wyandotte Road. Mr. Bronson died in 1920, the property was sold, and the new owner declined to rent the property to the club. Worried that they would have to disband without a clubhouse, they developed a plan to build a house. They had the plans reviewed by Ohio State University Architect, Howard Dwight Smith, who had just designed Ohio Stadium. Early in 1921, The Rook House Company was incorporated with Lyman Markel as President, and Ted Eaton as Secretary, with a capital stock of $2500. George Urlin donated $300 for a lot at 1347 Elmwood Avenue, and shares (inset) were sold for as little as $10. Fundraising events raised money for building materials, and work teams of students and family members were organized. The foundations were dug, concrete poured, and a frame building with wood siding and a large fireplace was completed by 1922 (drawing by Bill Arter). In 1961, a new Ohio law prohibited high school fraternities and sororities, and the Rooks lost their official standing. The house was sold in 1965, and the proceeds formed the nucleus of the funds of the Brotherhood of Rooks-Ted J. Eaton Scholarship Foundation, established in 1966. It still funds scholarships for Grandview Heights/Marble Cliff students today.