[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 74 (Wednesday, June 10, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1095]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              HONORING THE MEADOWOOD RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JON D. FOX

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 10, 1998

  Mr. FOX of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
the Meadowood Retirement Community which has become one of the finest 
retirement communities in the country because it has been developed by 
people who have had a willingness to work, a seriousness of purpose and 
a genuine interest in the well being of others.
  The original root of what has become Meadowood was a response to a 
growing need in my district to enhance the lives of those men and women 
who were becoming older and were seeking ways to live where there was a 
glow in the quality of life.
  As a newspaper editor and publisher from the 13th District, William 
E. Strasburg felt the need to provide retirement living where men and 
women could live and work together and have the benefit of health care 
and the totality of life care.
  Sylvia Strasburg, his wife, had been working with senior citizen 
programs in Montgomery County and was fully aware of the need to 
provide a suitable retirement community.
  Sylvia's parents, Blanche and Malcom Schweiker, had lived on the 
property that is now known as the Schweiker Guest House. It had been 
handed down through her mother's family, the Schultz family, and when 
her father died in 1982, Bill and Sylvia together went to several 
members of the Schwenkfelder Church and the local community to form a 
Board to sponsor such a retirement community which would be separate 
from the Church and yet an outreach of the mission of the Church.
  Richard Schweiker lived with his parents in the Schweiker Guest House 
and began his political career there. He was Montgomery County's 
Congressman for four terms and then United States Senator for two terms 
when he became Secretary of Health and Human Services in President 
Reagan's cabinet.
  To reflect the location, the meadows and the woods, the new community 
would take on the name of Meadowood. The independent living apartments 
would be named for the birds and the trees of the meadows and the 
woods.
  Central to the development and the operation of Meadowood would be a 
mission statement which would reflect the common objective to create a 
caring environment where each person is respected and valued. This 
would be illustrated as a three legged stool where each of the equal 
legs would provide a solid support. The Schwenkfelder Church as well 
recognizes that growth toward spiritual maturity is a life-long 
process.
  Additional land was acquired, permits were obtained, the sewer plant 
was acquired, upgraded and turned over to the Township and financing 
was completed . . . and then in March of 1986 ground was broken for 
Meadowood. The first residents moved into their new homes on a rainy 
day in May of 1988. The dedication took place around the fountain in 
June of 1989.
  The Board has selected dedicated and caring professionals to manage 
Meadowood. Since 1989 Meadowood has been managed by American Retirement 
Corporation Management of Brentwood, Tennessee. This caring dedication 
is a strength that has been woven into the fabric of Meadowood's 
development and continues today.
  God bless the Meadowood retirement community and all of its 
residents. The mission of creating a caring and respecting environment 
has truly enhanced Montgomery County.

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