Humans of the Swarthmorean: Bill Menke

Bill Menke is the artist behind the Swarthmorean’s “Guess the House” sketches. Photo courtesy of Bill Menke

We moved to Swarthmore when Carol and I worked far apart: I was in downtown Philadelphia and she in West Chester. We checked out towns on the rail line between the two, and Swarthmore was our top choice.  

We put an ad in the Swarthmorean offering ourselves as resident caretakers, and the woman who owned 133 Ogden let us know that we would be perfect for the ground floor apartment. Soon after, we had our two daughters — 18 months apart — and were looking for homes of our own in Swarthmore. Carol kept a book with possibles. 

We were looking into homes that could accommodate a home office (we opened Menke & Menke, a landscape architectural and planning office, in 1982). Carol drove around, and, if a property looked a bit shabby, she looked into its ownership and often found it to have last changed hands long ago. Quite often, the residence came onto the market soon after.  

Our incomes, however, never quite achieved the goal. Home prices rose at a higher rate than our resources. So, we stayed at 133 Ogden for 10 years. We loved the place, by the way, which had a huge yard for the children. We took care of the landscape.

Then Carol found a home — also on Ogden — that was on the tax-delinquent list. She wrote the owner, Joan Piccard, a note, saying that we would be interested in buying the residence if she should ever wish to sell. Joan had acquired the property when her mother died, and lived there for five years before selling to us in 1987.  

The second floor (the attic) was unfinished, but there was a room up there with an electrical outlet and a light, where we put our starter office. As we made more money, we put on an addition and finished off the spaces. Our daughters each had a bedroom and thrived in the local schools.

We have found that most residents love the town and its people, and the schools are as good as any. Being close to Philadelphia and to the airport are pluses to be sure. 

This past June, I bought a large motorcycle. I have been touring with my moto friends, mostly on back roads, and loving the landscape.