Evonne E. “Vonnie” Henninger has written five books to date.
She has written “Brush Valley,” “Brush Valley II” and “Brush Valley III.” In 2017, Henninger published “The Penns Valley Area, A Trip Down Memory Lane: 1700 to 2000 Noted Events.”
Her latest book tells the story of the men and women who were members of The State College Little German Band and those who fill its ranks today. The band was formed in 1960 by Albert Brogdon. The book is dedicated to Brogdon and in memory of manager Richard Greene and director Guy Rachau.
When her husband, John Henninger, joined the LGB in 1964, Henninger said she knew it would change their lives.
“The wives were invited along on many of the gigs and I spent 52 years on the sidelines and marveled at the commitment and expertise of these men who played the ‘oompah music,’’’ Henninger said. “When my husband passed away in 2016, I knew that if I was ever to hear that music again, I needed to join the band. By this time, women were welcomed. So, I dusted off my cornet, bought a new dirndl and filled a chair for the band.”
To write this fifth book, Henninger delved into her collection of notices and other items she saved over the years. She handled the correspondence for the LGB and saved notices in notebooks from the 1960s through the ’90s. By then, computers were becoming the means to notify the band members of assignments and dates.
When Miles Township was preparing for its bicentennial in 2009, Vonnie Henninger heard that there was no book in the works to mark the occasion.
“I went home from a planning meeting and told my husband that there must be a book, if I had to write it myself,” she said.
And she proceeded to write her first book, “Brush Valley — Remembering the Past.”
That first book commemorates the Miles Township bicentennial, 1809-2009, with 100 old postcard photos of the valley. After an initial run of 800 books, there have been five reprints to that one. Next, Henninger looked at Brush Valley and felt another book was needed. “Brush Valley II” was published in 2010. The cover of this second book featured her family’s farm, purchased in 1945. “Brush Valley II” is a pictorial history of the farms of the valley, including the owners, renters and events across the years.
In 2012, Henninger published “Brush Valley III — Memorable Stories and Photographs of Miles Township” and followed that one with “Penns Valley Area — A Trip Down Memory Lane – 1700-2000.” However, this local “keeper and sharer of history” did not stop there.
“I have overseen finances, mailing lists, membership lists, cemetery lists, etc. for about 20 organizations, and have a genealogy base of 132,000 people connected to the Penns Valley Area. This newest book’s subject matter is different,” Henninger said.
“I am so lucky to have been connected to the Little German Band and marvel at the dedication of the people who have played the ‘oompah’ music for so many years,” said Henninger. “They have dedicated so much time, playing in every state that borders Pennsylvania and many more. They have played as many as 60 to 70 jobs a year. Band members who worked for HRB arranged to have the lederhosen sent in 1962 from Germany so that they could be worn in our shows. There is just so much love and dedication in the group. That’s why I had to devote a book to them.”
To order books, call Henninger at (814) 349-8960. The books are $15 and $5 for shipping and handling.
