|
History of Merry Manor
Merry Manor School of Childhood is the dream of Avis (Merry) Ettinger and her husband Bill. The dream started in her home at 1026 S 17th Street under the name of "Harmony House Nursery School." Harmony House started as a half-day education center with an opening enrollment of 5 children. Enrollment quickly grew, and soon there was a long waiting list. Some mothers were calling to be added to the list as soon as they found out they were pregnant.
Merry and Bill made the decision to expand and build a larger day care center. The new, larger center would be located at 320 N 48th Street, which was nothing more than a cornfield at the time. Only a few buildings dotted the landscape in the area of 48th and O Streets, and R Street had not yet been built. Parents wondered why they were moving to the country. This was the only place they could find enough land for the type of child care center and playground they wanted to build.
After just 2 rows of cement blocks were laid, a builder's strike halted construction for nearly a year. To keep their promise to the parents, the Ettingers rented a house at a third location to provide child care for those on the waiting list. While waiting for the completion of the building, Merry and Bill cut and painted their own picket fence to border the playground.
Merry Manor finally opened its doors in 1952 and immediately was at full capacity. The KOLN television station opened the same year, and for the next 5 years, Merry and Bill conducted a television show for children. It was known as the Merry and Mr. Bill Show. At the beginning, children featured on the show were only from Merry Manor enrollment; however, later participation was opened to the general public.
When first opened, Merry Manor was licensed for 60 children and only utilized 2/3 of the building. The unused portion was leased to several other businesses over time. As demand increased, the center expanded and took over the leased portion of the building, allowing the licensed capacity to rise to 90 children. The interior of the building was completely remodeled in 1993. Smaller changes, like new equipment and playground renovations, have taken place over time as well.
Over the years, the dedication of Merry Manor and staff to the children and their families has remained a top priority. Since its conception, Merry Manor has only had 3 different administrators, with the current administrator having worked under the founder, Merry Ettinger. Merry Manor's administration and staff continue to follow the examples set by the founder. They work every day to keep her dream alive of providing the best quality care available to the children and families of Lincoln and surrounding areas. Merry Manor will continue to make this dream a reality for many years to come.
|
