Refurbishing Delbert's Fountain

Delbert's Fountain, newly repainted

First Presbyterian is blessed to have a group of conscientious volunteers who clean up our grounds every Saturday morning in preparation for Sunday worship services.  They also handle minor repairs and landscaping.  This week they went above and beyond their usual duties to brighten the church courtyard.

The buildings of the church campus roughly form a hollow square which contains the Memorial Garden and columbarium to one side, and a central courtyard that includes Delbert's Fountain.  The fountain was donated by the Scruby family in memory of Delbert Scruby, the church's first treasurer, who died while rock hunting in the Superstition Mountains.  (Click here to read the whole story.)  Over the almost 50 years since the fountain was installed, the mineral-laden Arizona water had badly stained the surface of its central statuary.  The Saturday crew had made previous attempts to remove the stains, but without success.

Yesterday Gabe Conwell (with assistance from the rest of the crew) repainted the center of the fountain so that it is now an unblemished white.  The whole courtyard looks brighter and cleaner as a result, and the fountain is once more a fitting tribute to one of the founding members of our church.