There are boxes and boxes of children’s books in the lobby. They are all generous donations from our parish to replace some of the books that were lost to mold in the undercroft. Prior to this summer, there was a room in the undercroft where often the kids would read, play with legos, and hang out before Sunday School started. Many enjoyed this tucked away reading retreat. A plaque on the door let you know that it was the David Edward Roberson Library – but who was David?
David was a child of St. Thomas’s Parish. He was born on Advent Sunday 1984 at Saint Francis Hospital, Wilmington, Delaware, just as the regular St. Thomas’s Sunday services were taking place. David was soon diagnosed with Down Syndrome and several months later with having significant heart defects (a common condition related to Down Syndrome). Over his first three years David had two open heart surgeries and a nearly fatal bout with Sepsis. The next six years were relatively free of major medical issues and David was an active presence at St. Thomas’s. In March 1994 David contracted meningitis and died on March 23rd of that year. Holy Communion was celebrated at David’s bedside at AI du Pont Hospital with many friends from St. Thomas’s and elsewhere just before he passed away.
David loved books. He is depicted in one of his favorite reading positions in the stain glass window on the right side of the chancel. “Good Night Moon” was mandatory bedtime reading. He was enrolled in a special education class at Downs Elementary School and the book time was a favorite part of his day. In 3rd grade he became the first special education student to attend a mainstream reading class albeit at the first grade level. His favorite book that year was “Jim and the Beanstalk” (not a typo….there is such a title).
Sunday school was a favorite activity and he loved the teachers and the other children. They reciprocated and incorporating a child with special needs was a positive growing experience for all. The curriculum was an experiment with the Godly Play model. David was drawn to the Good Shepherd story in particular, and according to the Sunday school leaders at the time, David’s excitement for and love of the Interactive nature of Godly Play led to the adoption of that curriculum for a number of years.
The organist in David’s last several years kept a small rubber alligator under the organ cover and placed it on top of the organ during any service with music. At the end of each service the organist would signal David to join him. David would race up to the organ and together they would put the alligator “to bed” back under the roll top of the organ.
David’s funeral was attended by an estimated 300 people, with folks standing in the great hall and on the portico listening as best they could. There were about 8 clergy present with at least 5 vested. David is interred in St. Thomas’ cemetery. David forged many friendships in his short nine years (with both adults and children), and some might say of his life “the student became the teacher”.
As part of the undercroft refresh, David’s library is being relocated upstairs, to a corner of the Great Hall. While the children’s library was named as a memorial to David, it’s true purpose is to allow generations of our children to learn to love reading and mostly to love learning (especially about Jesus). May we pray that will be so. Amen!
Prayers may be powerful, but they can’t clean floors. That’s why churches employ sextons to manage day-to-day maintenance tasks. Sextons have worked in churches for many centuries. For example, the gravedigger in “Hamlet” describes himself as a sexton, although the tasks of a modern sexton may vary significantly from those performed by their predecessors. Today, a sexton is much more likely to spend his days cleaning and dusting than digging graves.