She came to Lincoln in July of 1967
with her husband, Robert, and 4-year-old daughter Constance. Darlene
and Robert had met in Rockford, where they both worked for the same
company. They married in 1953. Robert was already deeply involved in
the IOOF, and Darlene soon joined him in what turned out to be a
lifetime commitment to the organization.
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows
is a service organization that was founded in England. It was the
first charitable organization founded by the middle class to help
others in the same station in life. That seems to be the origin of
the Odd in Odd Fellows, because until it was founded, charitable
organizations were the domain of the wealthy classes.
The IOOF came to the United States
in the second decade of the 19th century. The Lincoln branch was
started in the second half of the 19th century. Its original
building, now home to the Lincoln Art Institute, still stands next
to the post office. The three interlocking rings that are the IOOF
symbol are still visible at the top of the façade of the building.
Perhaps the Lincoln chapter is best
known for the children's home that was located on Wyatt Avenue. The
semicircular drive contained buildings for a gym, dormitories for
the children, a school and a home for the administrator.
Robert Wick was on the board of the
children's home while he and Darlene lived in Rockford. When the
position of administrator and matron opened, Darlene and Robert
decided to accept the position and moved with their daughter to
Lincoln on July 15, 1967.
The IOOF Children's Home was a
place of refuge for kids who had no parents and for children whose
parents were not able to care for them. The matron was the surrogate
mother.
"A matron was responsible for
working directly with the children," Darlene said.
She made sure they were properly
attired, looked after their hygiene and made sure they had the
necessary doctor visits. She also made sure that they all attended
school, and she monitored their progress. At one time, the children
were educated on-site, but during Darlene's tenure as matron, they
attended Lincoln public schools.
She also arranged for her charges
to become members of the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts and to attend
the church of their choice. The IOOF also helped those who wanted to
go to college after graduating from Lincoln High School.
One thing that Wick did while
matron was to take a photograph of each child. This proved to be a
marvelous idea. When her charges became adults, they often returned
to Lincoln with their own children to show their kids where they
grew up. Darlene would then give them a photo she had taken of them
when they lived at the home. Her former kids were always thrilled
with the memento of their childhood on Wyatt Avenue. And their
children were able to see where their parents had grown up and the
woman who had such a profound impact on their lives. The daughter of
one of the returning children was thrilled to receive a photo of her
dad as a child.
When asked about memories of the
children she cared for, Darlene Wick smiled and said, "I have a
few."
One child graduated from Lincoln
High, attended college and became the band director in Cedar Rapids,
Iowa, for 26 years.
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Darlene recalled that one
Thanksgiving, when she and Robert planned to travel back to Rockford
for the holiday, they noted that some of the children did not have a
family to spend the day with. She and Robert got busy and loaded all
of the kids on the Odd Fellows bus and made sure that each one had a
family to spend the holiday with. They contacted friends and friends
of friends along the way to Rockford and dropped the children off
with a family who volunteered to take them. At the end of the day,
they reversed course and picked up the kids on the way back to
Lincoln. Each child had a Thanksgiving family and a warm memory to
take with them forever.
On one occasion, one of the former
children at the home stopped by with his 7-year-old son. While he
was telling his son what a wonderful time he had with Darlene and
with the other children at the Odd Fellows home, Darlene nudged him
and quietly said: "But you ran away three times." He grinned at her
sheepishly and said, "Yes, but don't tell my son!"
One young man at the home told
Darlene that he was going to run away. She quickly replied that if
he did, "I'm going to call the authorities and they will bring you
back." He decided not to go. The next day he asked her if she really
would have called the authorities. She said, "No, you are 18 and can
make your own decisions now. I was just bluffing." He said "I'm glad
you did." He was thankful he had someone who cared about him.
Times change and the rise of foster
care reduced the need for the residential children's home. But the
elimination of the residential program certainly did not slow down
Darlene Wick's commitment to the IOOF. She had joined the Rebekahs
while still living in Rockford, and in fact is still a member of
that chapter. Rebekahs are the women's auxiliary to the Odd Fellows.
Back in the day, women could not join the Odd Fellows, like many
service organizations of long ago. That changed, and women and men
can now belong to both organizations.
The Rebekahs have always been a
charitable organization in their own right. They donate food to the
local food pantry and help raise money for Lincoln Youth Football.
They also plant trees. Darlene said their motto is "Plant a tree for
he who comes after me."
Wick has been involved with the Odd
Fellows Rebekah Scholarship, an Odd Fellows program that gives
scholarships to Illinois residents for postsecondary education. She
became secretary of the scholarship program in 1985 and still sits
on the committee that selects the recipients. Thirty-four
scholarships were distributed last year.
She is also the editor of the
award-winning newsletter of Illinois Odd Fellows.
She is responsible for rescuing all
of the records of the Odd Fellows residential children's program
dating from the 19th century. Those records have been an invaluable
source of information to families doing genealogical research.
The Independent Order of Odd
Fellows has an insignia of three interlocking rings with the letters
F, L and T emblazoned within the rings. The letters stand for
friendship, love and truth. Darlene Wick has lived this Odd Fellows
motto for over 60 years and has touched the lives of countless
people. She still has a passionate commitment to the IOOF, and when
she speaks of the IOOF, her dedication becomes apparent.
She resides at Friendship Manor,
whose construction might arguably be Robert Wick's crowning
achievement in Lincoln. The thought of her late husband providing
for her brought a smile, and a moment of quiet reflection.
[By CURT FOX] |