The sights there were devastating and the statistics frightening . Their guide , a Polish man who had once been the Ambassador to England , had spent six years in seventeen different camps . Years later , Eloise was asked how she felt about this experience . “ I don ’ t really know ,” she responded . “ After seeing the results of torture , it still is inconceivable that there could have been human beings capable of such monstrous acts . To say the least , I was soul sick . I cried for hours until a very wise , older regular Army nurse slapped me , shook my shoulders , and said , ‘ You are going to be a basket case .’ That was the second time she had done that – the other was the first time our own American boys were brought in to the hospital from the battlefield and I was shocked , shaken by the sight . So was she , but she was more mature and wiser .”
Following the war , Eloise and her late husband , Howard , settled in West Los Angeles . I asked her what attracted them to Westwood United Methodist Church and she laughed , then said , “ Howard and I used to read to each other every night before we went to sleep . We had been reading a book by the theologian Rupert Jones , and we happened to drive along Wilshire and saw that Reverend Mel Wheatley was preaching on this man the next day . We attended the service and never stopped going to this church .”
Through the years , Eloise was involved in nearly all phases of church life : working with Children ’ s Ministries , Friends of the Preschool , Staff-Parish Relations Committee , Administrative Board , Membership and Evangelism Committee , and The United Methodist Women . For years she has opened her home for church picnics and choir parties and frequently volunteers to coordinate receptions following Memorial Services – always providing grace and elegance .
As a former pastor , Reverend Dr . Jim Lockwood-Stewart , stated so eloquently , “ My very first event at Westwood when I came as an Associate Pastor in 1968 was a youth pool party at Eloise and Howard ’ s home . Their daughters , Suzanne and Lisa , were members of the youth groups at that time . And , of course , Eloise was one of the leaders of the farewell reception when Odette and I left Westwood to move to Berkeley in the summer of 1992 . In between , and I know before and since , Eloise has filled just about every important role that a pastor and a church community can ask . From Sunday School classes
to property care , from personnel concerns to hospitality , from an analytical voice to a supportive presence , Eloise has been all of these and more . The hard question would be to find any important aspects of the life of Westwood UMC that have not felt the touch of Eloise ’ s skilled and caring hands . To know her is a great gift indeed .”
Most recently , Eloise was honored by the Westwood Village Rotary Club as Rotarian of the Year for her more than forty years of service . She is the first woman to receive this prestigious honor .
I believe that Eloise ’ s thoughts best summarize her life of service . She wrote : “ What did I learn from these ( war ) experiences ? I think I was too young to have answered that then , but later I think my philosophy was partially molded from those three years in the service . And that is : the importance of home , family , and our faith in God . The fundamental principles of morality and the enormity of the experiences are something never to be forgotten . Perhaps , as Dr . Albert Schweitzer said , ‘ The purpose of life is to serve , to show compassion , and to be willing to help others .’”
God bless you , Eloise , for your life of service and the example that you provide to all whose lives you touch !
Bette Caldwell is Assistant Principal , Secondary Counseling Services , at San Pedro High School . She has served as Editor of The Spire and the Los Angeles District page of Circuit West , as well as Chi State News , a publication of The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International . She has been a member of Westwood UMC since 1964 .
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