Ora Eaton Anderson

ANDERSON Ora Eaton Anderson, 94, of Athens, Ohio, died Wednesday morning, August 16, 2006 at The Lindley Inn, The Plains. Born October 5, 1911 in Hendricks, Kentucky, Ora was preceded in death by his parents Proctor Knott Anderson and Martha Green Anderson; two sisters, Nelda Beiderman and Dolores Ross and his beloved wife, Harriet Jacoby Anderson. He is survived by his sister, Onda Armstrong of Columbus, Ohio; two daughters, Jan Leonard (James) and Susan Scott (Dave), both of Xenia, Ohio; four grandchildren, Richard Leonard, Charles Leonard, Caryn Rasey, and Pamela Humble; six great-grandchildren, Miles and Olivia Leonard, McAllister and Taggart Humble, Amelia and Caden Leonard; and many nieces and nephews. A 1929 graduate of Catlettsburg High School, Catlettsburg, Kentucky, Ora began his long and varied career as Reporter/Editor of the Jackson Herald, Jackson, Ohio; thereafter he was editor of Farm and Dairy of Salem, Ohio, Director of the Ohio Dairy Products Association, and Executive Vice President of the Ohio Bankers Association in Columbus, Ohio. During these years he served on many professional and public boards. In addition, he played a leading role in the creation of short-term schools for bank employees at various Ohio universities (Ohio, Miami, Kent State, Bowling Green). He served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of a short-course school of banking anchored at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with outreach to banks in sixteen states. He retired as Executive Manager of the Ohio Bankers Association in 1972. Following his retirement he and his wife returned to Athens County and the family farm they loved so much. An avid spokesman for the cause of nature, he served as a trustee of the Ohio chapter of The Nature Conservancy and was later appointed Honorary Lifetime Director. He worked tirelessly as a citizen advocate for management programs for the Wayne National Forest. He was active as well in the Ohio Arts Council and the Dairy Barn Cultural Arts Center of Athens. He and his wife were instrumental in the preservation, restoration and development of The Dairy Barn. A strong supporter of the arts, he encouraged many local artists and students by allowing them to create works of art in the fields and woodlands of his farm. He received many honors including the Eusebia Hunkins Award for Life Time Support of the Arts in 1994, The Ohio Designer Craftsman Outstanding Achievement Award and Ohio Arts Council Governor's Award for the arts in 1999. An accomplished and prolific bird carver, Ora produced more than 1,000 birds over the last 50 years. They are avidly collected and treasured across the country. He continued to pursue his love of writing throughout his life, composing a constant flow of essays about nature, family and travels. His writings have appeared in several publications including Bird Watchers Digest, the Christian Science Monitor, and the Athens Messenger. Listeners of WOUB public radio in Athens know him for the broadcasts of his charming essays and memories. His lifelong interest and curiosity about birds is suitably reflected in a book of his essays to be published by Ohio University Press in the spring of 2007. He was recently featured in the video documentary, 'A Forest Returns: The Success Story of Ohio's Only National Forest as Told by Ora E. Anderson', where he recalls the conditions and events he witnessed that led to the development of the Wayne National Forest. He was a member of the Athens Church of Christ. His passion for life and his love of home, nature, family and friends will long be carried in the hearts of many. A memorial celebration of his life will take place at The Dairy Barn Cultural Arts Center, 1 Dairy Lane, Athens, Ohio, at 1 p.m. on Saturday, August 26, 2006. Memorial contributions may be made to either The Dairy Barn Endowment Fund in memory of Ora Anderson or The Wayne National Forest "Ora Anderson Memorial Fund".