Bob Beehner has lived his whole life in Dewitt, and now resides in the same house he grew up in on Stanton Drive. He and his wife raised five children, four boys and a girl. His daughter was married at St. David's of Dewitt.

Bob was discharged from the US Army when World War II ended in 1945. He served in the Pacific, including the Philippines, and returned to Syracuse. Bob's father, Ray, was a carpenter, and it was decided to form "Beehner and Sons", including Bob and his brother in the business.

The Beehners were officially in business starting with their first contract, Syracuse based Gaylord Brothers, Inc., to produce high-end library furniture. Before long, the Beehners were supplying libraries and churches with quality wooden furniture.

In Bob's words,

"My wife and I were raised Roman Catholic but weren't happy with that church. After doing some reading we decided to investigate the Episcopalian Church.

We heard about a church that had been formed in Dewitt by a small group of people. They were meeting in one room of a one story wooden building owned by Dewitt Community Church . This was the winter of 1959.

At the first service we attended, fifteen to twenty people were present. The room was heated by a pot-bellied, wood-burning stove and was very hot. People sat on folding chairs, and the altar was a wooden table covered by a white cloth.

The service was usually Morning Prayer conducted by a lay reader. Every now and then a clergyman from a local Episcopal church would come and the service would be with communion. There was steady growth, and the Diocese appointed Joseph Harrison as the first rector at St. David's."

Meanwhile, the St. David's congregation rapidly outgrew their small building. To make matters worse, New York State announced the expansion of Erie Boulevard, and the building used by St David's was acquired and condemned by eminent domain.

The acquisition of land and construction of a new church became a priority. Inexpensive land was available in the area of Jamar Drive, but it was decided at the Diocesan level to limit the purchase to a small amount of land. Likewise, the urgency of need, and the limitation of funds resulted by necessity in the construction of a small, no frills church.

The phenomenon of the "sliding pews", and the continued growth of the congregation, had the result that the new church was all too soon inadequate. By this time Beehner and Sons was also a growing business, so when the need arose for new pews for St. David's Church, Bob Beehner was the obvious solution.

"Money was tight, and the new Church was built small and without frills. The floor of the church was concrete, and covered wall-to-wall with maroon carpet. The pews were old, and had been donated by a church in the Diocese that didn't want them anymore. Parishioners painted them gray. Because of the thickness of the carpet, the pews couldn't be fastened to the floor, and they tended to slide around during Sunday service.

After a few years the carpet had become very dirty, and the "sliding pews" were annoying everyone Therefore, it was decided to dispose of the carpet and pews, and in their place install a tile floor and new pews."

Eighteen red oak pews were constructed to install on Jamar Drive . The church was still growing rapidly, so when the new additions included more space at the rear of the sanctuary, Beehner & Sons provided three more pews. These pews were "flat-bottomed" as compared to the earlier curved benches in order to save money.

The church has no greater stalwart than Bob Beehner. A short stint on the vestry proved unsatisfying - Bob is a doer, not a talker. Today, in the early morning hours, it is not the shadowy form of "the Phantom of the Opera" or Quasimodo, who moves about cleaning the building and putting things right at St. David's. Instead St. David's is fortunate to have the very pleasant and upright presence of Bob Beehner moving behind the scenes, who sought something to do after his retirement. Few parishioners know about Bob Beehner's service, but Bob's reply is "What difference does it make as long as it gets done?"

KDH (Kathy Hughes)

Information about Gaylord Bros., Inc