Local Legends: A voice for the aged

Alamay, sometimes recorded as “Alla May,” Janet (Warren) Thrasher dedicated her life to serving others and used her voice to both sing to and advocate for the aged.

Thrasher was born in Decatur, Alabama on Sept. 15, 1903. Her parents, David L., a plasterer, and Addie (Jackson) Warren were both natives of Alabama with her father being born the same year that Reconstruction officially ended.

Early arrivals of the Great Migration, which brought a plethora of Black southern families to the North looking to escape oppression and work in factory jobs in the decades leading up to World War II, the Warrens were in Oxford by Thrasher’s sixth birthday. She grew up in the village, attended the local public schools and, in 1923, began attending Miami University’s Normal School for teacher training. Thrasher completed her sophomore year before entering the workforce in 1926 as a cook for Miami.  

Her first husband was Elmer Thorpe Finnell, whom she married at some point prior to the birth of their only child Elmer Finnell Jr. in 1928. By 1930, both Thrasher and her husband, a veteran of World War I who had come to Oxford via Kentucky in 1923, were working as cooks for Miami. After reaching adulthood and prior to serving in the U.S. Air Force, Elmer Jr. also worked in the family business, cooking at Miami.  

Thasher cared for her ailing husband for three years prior to his death from heart failure on April 16, 1953. She remarried within three years, wedding Earl Monroe Thrasher, who had also worked as a cook, as well as a janitor, at Miami.

Thrasher continued working at Miami and rose to the position of food services manager and hostess at the University Center. In that role, she oversaw the service provided for dinners at the Towers, Heritage, and 1809 Rooms at various times throughout her career. She may have served Martin Luther King Jr. in 1959 when he visited Miami and spoke at the University Center.

Elm Street Christian Church played an important role in Thrasher’s life, and she dedicated herself to the church, leading the choir as well as serving in other capacities. In 1957, she worked on the committee to dedicate Elm Street’s new church building, replacing the original building that had been destroyed in a fire in late 1952.

After retiring from Miami in 1964, Thrasher dedicated her last 30 years to community philanthropy. She was a member of the Improvement Club, Mr. and Mrs. Club, Music Club, NAACP, the Oxford Federation of Clubs and Church Women United, helping plan prayer meetings for the latter organization.

She was also a long time member of the Fortnightly Club, once participating in a fashion show put on by the club for which she made her own dress and purse. She had helped organize the Order of the Eastern Star Fidelity Chapter No. 94 in 1953 and was a member of the organization all the way up until 1982, when it was absorbed by the OES Syene Chapter No. 61 in Hamilton.

As a member of the hospital’s auxiliary, she volunteered at McCullough-Hyde Hospital, assisting with special programs and even transporting patients to the hospital for appointments. She regularly visited retirement homes as well where she sang and played piano for residents. An unnamed staffer at one of these retirement homes spoke about the impact of her volunteerism, “she is a friend and an inspiration to many and has done much to bring the black and white communities closer together.”

Along with her volunteerism and club memberships, Thrasher also served as a board member for the Board of Elections and Oxford Welfare Advisory Board, as well as a trustee for the Oxford United Way. However, her lasting legacy of service was with the Council on Aging. In addition to serving on the Butler County Council on Aging, she was also a member of the advisory council for the Cincinnati Area Council on Aging.

Having been nominated by Oxford Senior Citizens Inc., Thrasher received the honor of being invited by the local Council on Aging to serve as a delegate to the 1981 White House Conference on Aging in Washington, D.C. In acknowledging the honor she said, “The Lord has blessed me with the opportunity to enjoy life in spite of age…I do like to be part of what’s going on.”

Although Thrasher enjoyed the trip, the people she met and the discussions that were had, she was left uneasy about some of the final recommendations included in the conference’s report.  She described the voting process as contributing to this uneasiness, “There was a lot of unhappiness about the vote because conference rules forced delegates to vote on a package instead of considering separate issues.” One of Thrasher’s ideas, to include wellness programs within the scope of already funded senior centers, was included in the report.

While she didn’t seek notoriety for her service, Thrasher’s efforts were recognized by the Oxford community, resulting in her being named Oxford Citizen of the Year in 1977 and a runner up in 1973. In 1979, Thrasher received the Bishop Distinguished Medal from Miami University. Presented by President Phillip R. Shriver, the medal was awarded for her “dedicated and inconspicuous service to the people of the (Oxford) community.”

Earl died on April 6, 1990. Sometime after his death, Thrasher moved from her family home at 310 N. Main St. to Oxford View Nursing Home where she lived for the remainder of her life. She died there on July 3, 1994 at the age of 90 and was buried in Woodside Cemetery in a family plot alongside other members of the Warren Family.

The Oxford Press once captured Thrasher’s views on her life of service, "It's a joy when you like people and really want to work with people, it gives you a full life.”

Brad Spurlock is the manager of the Smith Library of Regional History and Cummins Local History Room, Lane Libraries.  A certified archivist, Brad has over a decade of experience working with local history, maintaining archival collections and collaborating on community history projects. He also serves as a board member for Historic Hamilton Inc. and the Butler County Historical Society.