A great Gretnan: Polly Dunn

Giving Back after a life-long enjoyment of Gretna

We’ve lost a lot of Great Gretnans over the years. We mourn every one of them.

When Polly Dunn passed away October 21, 2021, her will stipulated that a very generous bequest be given to the Chautauqua in memory of her happy times here in Gretna. She gave to Gretna as a volunteer while living, and provided a very generous contribution to the Chautauqua in her will.

Polly Dunn was born June 25th, 1928. Her first memory of Mount Gretna was a visit here at the age of four to the Diller-Dunn family cottage on Columbia Ave.. (A cottage that has been continuously owned by her mother’s family since it was built in 1902.) Polly’s family came to the cottage in the summers. She suffered from asthma, and the only time she could breathe comfortably was in a rowboat in the middle of the lake. Subsequently, when her family would visit Gretna, Polly often went to another relative’s for the duration of the visit, though she knows for certain that she celebrated her sixth birthday here. Her grandparents invited every child they could find, including another small girl named Nancy Besch, who became a lifelong friend.

Polly and her husband, Mike, moved into the family cottage when he started his residency at Harrisburg Hospital in 1953. The cottage was close to Polly’s old friend, Nancy, and they were often found on each other’s porches. One of their standing dates was Sunday afternoon after services. Nancy’s daughter, Kathy, shared that Polly never left a scrap of cherry pie behind during those afternoon visits, even going so far as to scrape the pie plate to make sure none went to waste. (Note: Polly’s son, Larry, remembers that his mother didn’t care for sweets, so this is a special testament to Nancy’s cooking skills!)

Polly actively attended Chautauqua Summer Programs including Chautauqua University for a Day, and was also a generous supporter of the Mt Gretna Historical Society. After Mike died, Polly had a hard time coming up to the cottage without him. Eventually, though, she came for the entire summer. Friends and neighbors, no doubt, helped with her feelings of loss.

When people speak of Polly, they mention her generosity, outspokenness, sense of humor, and endless curiosity. She enjoyed meeting new people, something that stood her in good stead as a social worker, and later, after retirement, as a hospice visitor.

Polly played French horn in local community orchestras, and in 1977 attending her first of many annual International Horn Society workshops, which led to worldwide travel and many long-lasting friendships she liked to call her “horny friends.” Imagine how pleased she would be by the newly formed Mt Gretna Marching Band.

Mike and Polly had three children. Their remaining son, Larry, lives in Denver, CO. They enjoyed a long and happy life together, traveling the world, and, of course, spending treasured time in Mount Gretna. Larry still comes to Gretna to visit with old friends and family, with multiple cousins who live in the area who also enjoy the cottage.