Sun Photo by Tony Derrick
Until
severe arthritis slowed her, LeGai Gilby-Cutting, 84, of Lakewood was known
and respected statewide and locally for more than a half century of services
to organizations and individuals.
Gilby-Cutting will receive a Martha Washington Medal from the Western-Reserve Society Sons of the American Revolution on Saturday at the Cleveland Skating Club, when the SAR hosts the annual Washington’s birthday Combined Celebration with the two dozen hereditary, civic and veterans groups as co-sponsors.
This patriot is best known as a nationally accredited genealogist, a parliamentary law authority and teacher, and an active leader of hereditary based groups here and at the state level.
At one time, Gilby-Cutting belonged to almost two dozen hereditary groups. She has been regent (president) of the Lakewood Daughters of the American Revolution, and brought in some 25 members. She was president of the DAR’s local Spinner’s Guild, which made Red Cross bandages and raised more than $1,000 at a Lakewood City Hall fund-raiser.
She is a past president of the Commodore Perry Daughters of the War of 1812 here.
Gilby-Cutting was state president of the Sons and Daughters of the Pilgrims when they won the national organization’s “big silver cup” for state membership growth.
When she was state president of the Dames of the Magna Carta, membership jumped by almost 100 full and auxiliary members. In fact, auxiliary members moved up to full membership when the relative who had full membership died.
Gilby-Cutting is a past state president of the Dames of the Court of Honor and the Colonial Dames of the 17th Century. She recently said that, before she advanced to president of the latter group, she was instrumental in starting seven chapters in the state, each of which had to have at least 21 charter members.
While state president, she was elected national president of the state’s presidents group.
A native of Valley City, Gilby-Cutting attended schools there and graduated from Liverpool High School. She went to night school at Western Reserve University to become a genealogist. She has helped trace lineal roots for dozens of individuals, including two sons, a nephew and others, some of whom became members of the Western Reserve SAR.
One son is deceased.
She taught parliamentary law extensively here and across the state in group lectures and one-on-one. She founded the Lakewood-West Shore Parliamentary Unite about 20 years ago.
After being widowed, she met architect Richard H. Cutting at several group sessions, and they married four years ago. Cutting is a member of the Western Reserve SAR, and state past president, Founders and Patriots of America, for both Ohio and Florida. His daughter and friends honored him several years ago by establishing the Richard Cutting Chapter, Colonial Dames of the 17th Century, based largely in the Shaker Heights area.
Principal speaker at the SAR Washington’s Birthday occasion will be Agnar Pytte, president of Case Western Reserve University.
Under the title “Leadership in Times of Change” he will reflect on challenges to effective and ethical leadership in our society, drawing on examples from words and deeds of George Washington and other noted leaders.
LeGai Gilby-Cutting presented a program on Parliamentary Procedure at Lakewood Public Library Main Branch on July 23, 1998 at 7:00 p.m.
This article appeared in the Lakewood Sun Post Thursday February 19, 1998. Reprinted with permission of the Sun Newspapers.
LeGai Gilby-Cutting died January 16, 2000. An obituary appeared in the Cleveland Plain Dealer January 20, 2002, page B-8.