By Judge Duncan

In the evening of Feb. 6, my son and I both took notice of the several fire trucks that were racing past our home on the way to what for us at the time, was some unknown destination. While a fire truck or two going past is not unusual, this occurrence stood out as it lasted for several minutes and seemed to include “countless” rescue vehicles. We concluded that there must be a devastating fire “somewhere”, and we hoped that everyone was okay. In the early morning of Friday, Feb/ 7, 2025, a friend texted me with a news screenshot of a burned out structure and one simple line, “R.I.P. BETHANY HOUSE.” This prompted me to immediately turn on my television at which point the connection between the events the night before and my friend’s text became obvious. And although the news was reporting a devastating fire in Reserve Township, let’s be abundantly clear, the Bethany House was Northview Heights (NVH).

For me, growing up in Northview in the 1970s, there were five structures that housed the programs that provided the foundations for education, socialization and countless happy childhood memories. Those structures were the Northview Heights Elementary School, the Recreation Center (the “rec”), the Ernest T. Williams Center (a.k.a. the Vineyard), the Harambee House and last but certainly not least, the Bethany House. Sadly, with the devastating fire of Feb. 6, three of the five structures are now only memories and the elementary school stands wastefully vacant after more than a decade of disuse. Despite this, I can’t help but smile when I think about how blessed the children of NVH were in the ‘70s, to have not only one, but four community centers and an elementary school all within walking distance of any and every unit in the housing complex.

From the time my family moved to NVH, in April of 1969, these four centers, the “rec,” E.T.W., Harambee and Bethany combined to provide offerings such as summer camps, after-school programs, Boy and Girl Scouts, boy’s and girl’s clubs, meals programs, hang-out spots, educational activities, social activities, sports, cultural activities and a myriad of programs so that every child in NVH always had a place to go and something positive to do. On Feb. 7 and thereafter, social media was abuzz with the many wonderful memories of the Bethany House and many testimonies of how this program impacted the lives of so many. Not surprisingly, many of the comments also asked the question, “why is the news saying ‘Reserve Township’ when the Bethany House is in Northview Heights.”

The truth is that, regardless of what the address said, the Bethany House was ours. Longtime NVH resident Jamie Parham livestreamed the event from his apartment as it unfolded and could barely contain his sadness and emotion as he described for us what was happening in real time. NVH Alum and Northside community leader Bill Gandy proclaimed in a news interview that it felt like “a piece of his heart was gone.” Another NVH Alum lamented that he lived about 100 feet away from the center until 1983 and that he and his friends “lived in that place after school.” Magic Mike Williams, NVH Alum, surmises that having a community hub like the Bethany House “probably saved so many lives that people don’t even know about.”

Personally, for me, growing up in NVH and now serving as Magisterial District Judge in this same district, I can’t help but feel the great loss both for the current community and for those who cherished the Bethany House so long ago. Still, the memories of childhood joy and innocence experienced at Bethany will always bring a smile to my face. And with that, I will echo the sentiments of the friend who broke the news to me by simply saying “R.I.P. Bethany House” and if I may also add… “thanks for the memories.” n