A hundred or so alumni and friends of Hampden DuBose Academy’s boarding school days gathered for the school’s biannual reunion. Part of the reunion schedule was on Saturday, October 15, when Hampden DuBose Academy alumni visited Sydonie Mansion in Zellwood, which was associated with their H.D.A. high school years. In a few cases, alumni had attended in lower grades at H.D.A. as well.
H.D.A. provided bus transportation for reunion attendees from Lake Yale Conference Center to the Zellwood property.
Clark Frogley, present owner of Sydonie Mansion, welcomed the group, gave a brief history of the building and conducted a tour of it. The tour provided a nostalgic glimpse into part of the setting of the visitors’ high school years.
Many of these visitors had been the children of missionaries or had parents who were in full time Christian service. So it follows that many of them traveled from distant places across the world to attend the boarding school. Likewise, quite a few of the friends and graduates of the boarding school had come from faraway locations ranging from the Philippines to California to attend the school’s reunion.
Sydonie Mansion was once the home of steel industrialist James L. Laughlin and his wife Sydney Page Laughlin. The mansion was part of Hampden DuBose Academy back when it was an all-girl boarding house known as Ewell Hall.
December tours
For those who will be in the area this December, Frogley announced that although Sydonie is not routinely opened for tours at this time, he and wife, Amy, are planning to decorate the mansion for Christmas.
Mansion tours may be scheduled by appointment during a week or so in early December.
For details, check the Sydonie site www.sydoniemansion.com, email sydoniemansion@gmail.com or contact the Frogleys at the mansion’s address, 5538 Sydonie Drive, Mount Dora, 32757.
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