His vision became Friendship Haven, which debuted on July 3, 1950, when its former East Building opened.

Now 75 years later, the Friendship Haven community is holding a series of special events to celebrate the milestone anniversary. One of those events occurred Wednesday afternoon, when Friendship Haven residents, staffers, local officials, and the Ambassadors from the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance came together to dedicate a bell from the former Chapel on the Hill to Tompkins’ memory.

“This bell now stands as a permanent symbol of the Rev. Dr. Clarence Tompkins’ vision and passion,” said Julie Thorson, president and chief executive officer of the retirement community.

Two of Tompkins’ grandchildren –Clarence Tompkins and Laura Tompkins Reitan — were on hand for the event.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
Laura Tompkins Reitan, left, and Clarence Tompkins, right, two of the grandchildren of Friendship Haven founder the Rev. Dr. Clarence Tompkins, were present Wednesday for the dedication of a bell at the Friendship Haven campus. With them in the center is Kimberly Tompkins, wife of Clarence Tompkins.

“Oh my word, it’s beautiful,” Tompkins Reitan said when asked what she thought of the Friendship Haven campus.

She said she had not been to the campus since 1996. Since her last visit, the site has been dramatically transformed, with all of the major buildings replaced with new ones.

Tompkins Reitan said she and her brother, Clarence Tompkins,used to spend every summer with their grandparents in Fort Dodge up until they were about 9 years old. She recalled that her grandfather used to take them to Friendship Haven frequently.

“He was so proud to have his first set of grandchildren,” she said.

The bell at the center of Wednesday’s event came from a bell tower that stood next to the Chapel on the Hill. The chapel and bell tower stood roughly where today’s River Ridge Apartments and the Celebration Center come together. The bell was used to welcome people to church services.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
This plaque honors the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Clarence Tompkins, founder of Friendship Haven. It is mounted on the brick base that supports a bell dedicated Wednesday in his honor. The bell came from the bell tower from the Chapel on the Hill which once stood on the Friendship Haven campus.

The chapel and bell tower were demolished in 2003 as part of the transformation of the campus. The bell was saved and for awhile it sat on a pallet in a garage at Friendship Haven.

The 75th anniversary provided the motivation to do something with it.

E. John Zuerrer, a Friendship Haven resident, made a gift to pay for restoring the bell and building the base it now stands on.

Kallin-Johnson Monument Co., of Fort Dodge, donated the plaques mounted on the base, which is made of brick.

The bell now stands in front of the main entrance to the Welcome Center. That is where the group gathered for Wednesday’s event.

“We celebrate a mission that has spanned generations,” Thorson said. “We celebrate the people, the progress and the passion that brought us to this milestone.”

Tompkins, she said, “dedicated his life’s work to this special place we call Friendship Haven.”

She also described how the place got its name. The board members had a meeting at which different ideas for names were jotted down on a chalkboard, she said. But the board members were struggling to come up with a name they liked. Then Sally Snyder, the wife of one of the board members, walked in. She looked at the chalkboard, then picked up a piece of chalk and drew a line connecting the words friendship and haven, Thorson said.

“And that is how we became Friendship Haven,” she said.

Mayor Matt Bemrich read the proclamation he issued at Monday’s City Council meeting declaring Friendship Haven week.

“This is a very special day for Friendship Haven which means it’s a special day for Fort Dodge,” he said.

Matt Johnson, the chairman of the Friendship Haven board, said two of his grandparents lived there, so he got to see on a personal level just how special the community is.

“Seventy-five is an amazing milestone,” he said.