Without Them
A Tribute
to Someone Special
A
Tribute to Raeburn Ann (O'Malley) Cannon
by David Goodknight
When Ted Pedro asked me to write a tribute to my grandmother, Raeburn Cannon, I jumped at the chance. Chickie (this is a family nickname for her) is one of the most amazing individuals I know. I cannot recall a time when she has not been actively involved in at least three activities which would benefit others. Whether she is volunteering weekends at the hospital reception desk, teaching English to petite Japanese women in our living room, or counseling small business owners and entrepreneurs, my grandmother is constantly sharing her talents with her environment. She does all this and still manages to counsel her children and grandchildren, sew buttons on shirts and fix great lunches. This lady is a dynamic, vibrant personality and is an inspiration and example to many, including myself. My grandmother is supposedly ninety, but don't let that fool you. She is timeless. Chronological age means little to her.
For those of you wishing to get a better idea of the scope of Raeburn Ann O'Malley Cannon's service, I have compiled a list of some of her accomplishments. This is by no means a complete list, but it will suffice to get the point across.
Let's see . . . she's been an active member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church for over forty-five years, served as secretary of the 1958 Mercy Hospital Building Fund Drive, founded and directed Indiana's first high school choral speaking group (the Trojays), was co-chairman of Elwood's Centennial Celebration, and was active in Elwood's Civic Theater and the Camera Club.
Raeburn wrote the column "For Goodness' Sake" for six years in Our Sunday Visitor, served on the Board of Directors of the Madison County T13 Association, the Lafayette Diocesan National Council of Catholic Women board during the tenures of Bishop Bennett and Cardinal Carberry.
She was Central Indiana Girl Scout Commissioner, Kikthawenund Council; a member of the Indiana Chapter of American Association of University Women and its Speakers Bureau; taught journalism, English, and Spanish at the university level and developed a remedial reading program which is still in use today.
Raeburn and her husband, my grandfather, had a number of business endeavors. The first was a shoppers home service called Kiddie Korner, which was followed by Dress-A-Day Doll Company. They finally settled on a lamp designing and manufacturing business in 1959 which was called Cannon Products Inc. They shipped nationally and internationally. This business was very successful and when my grandfather was killed in 1984, Raeburn took over as CEO.
She is a member of the Women's Press Club of Indiana and the National Federation of Press Women. She has served as treasurer of these organizations at both the state and national levels. She was the Indiana Press Women's Kate Milner Rabb Award honoree in 1983 and Women of Achievement in 1987. Her biography is listed in Who's How of American Women; Who's Who in Finance and Industry; Who's Who in the Midwest; and the Dictionary of International Biography. Who was awarded Indiana's highest honor, the Sagamore of the Wabash, on her eightieth birthday, July 20, 1990.
More recently, Raeburn was awarded the 1999 Volunteer of the Year for Community Visiting Nurse Association Hospice in Elwood. She had 262.75 hours of service. On October 11, 2000, she was named one of the first recipients of the Madison County Bar Association's Community Service Award.
Currently, she volunteers for Mercy Hospital, the VNA Hospice, Madison County Literacy Coalition, a free lance writer, a consultant in the American Association of Retired Persons state S.C.O.R.E. program. She is a widow, a mother, a grandmother, a great grandmother, a friend to many, and an all-round radiant soul.
Raeburn O'Malley Cannon has enriched our community in so many ways and continues to do so. I am honored to know this extraordinary woman who gives so much of herself in service to others.
*A special thanks goes to Ted Pedro and David Goodknight for providing this information to the Panther Den.