Dr. Robert Beatty Ellison was devoted to the field of medicine and the care of mankind. He not only allowed, but demanded that his job dictate his life style. He was on duty twenty-four hours a day, every day, all year long, always putting the welfare of others ahead of his own needs.

While keeping busy with regular business hours at an office on North Main Street, he also quickly learned the importance of making house calls. He became known for his compassion in caring for the the sick and infirm and for his comforting way of dealing with those suffering from personal tragedies and sorrows. Countless individuals still take pride in admitting they are Ellison babies. It is possible, but not confirmed, that three generations of the same family were brought into the world with Dr. Ellison's assistance.

He found time to be involved with several activities from the local community and on the national level. He was a member of the Peebles Village Council from 1933 to 1939, and the Peebles Local School Board from 1945 to 1955. He was affiliated with the American Heart Association of Southwestern Ohio, a member of its Executive Board and of the Board of Trustees since 1964.

Dr. Ellison's professional memberships included the American Academy of General Practice, the American Medical Association and the Adams County Medical Society. He also had joined with the Nu Sigma Nu fraternity, the Free and Accepted Masons, a 32^nd Degree Mason, The Peebles Lions Club, of which he was a past president, and the Commons Club. His years of devotion and service were not only an inspiration to the people of Peebles, but also to the citizens of Adams County. From 1937 to 1970, he was a member of the Adams County Board of Health and served as county health commissioner for several years. During that time his dream of a hospital for Adams County became a reality. In 1948, he was appointed by then-Ohio Governor Thomas J. Herbert as one of four trustees to oversee the construction and equipping of what became the Adams County Hospital. A $250,000 bond issue was approved by 85 percent of the voters in the county. The hospital was built and the first patients were being treated in September 1952. He spent countless hours serving on the Building Board of the Adams County Hospital from 1950-1952, and the Adams County Hospital Board of Trustees from 1952, until his retirement in 1973. During that time he also continued to take care of his own patients and eventually constructed a new modern medical office on Elliott Avenue in 1965. The property is still in use today as a rural health clinic named ACRMC Family Medicine (Adams County Regional Medical Center).

His life and accomplishments have been remembered and celebrated with the development of a community park for the village of Peebles. The Peebles Citizens Committee announced in September, 1971, that the facility would be located on four acres of land located on Nixon Avenue. Plans called for the park to be equipped with picnic tables, outdoor playground equipment, two shuffleboard courts and three horseshoe courts. There were also plans in the final design for a wading pool, bathhouse, a parking lot and a swimming pool. Federal funding was obtained from the Economic Development Administration, amounting to $68,000, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources provided $74,000, and matching funds provided by the citizens of Peebles and surrounding area added up to $80,000.

After twenty-two years, and with lots of use, the pool and park fell into need of a fair amount of repair. Specifically, the pool had been having problems with water leaks. Another campaign to raise money for restoration was begun. A large granite monument became the symbol of the fund drive along with inscribed blocks and bricks. The individual granite blocks list those who donated $500 or more, or recognize those in whose memory the funds were donated. The blocks were put in place around the monument to create a base. The blocks are surrounded with a large number of red bricks that have wording and the names of donors of other smaller amounts of money. Over $31,000 was given to refurbish the pool and other facilities at the park.

A re-dedication ceremony led by Peebles Mayor Dean Bailey was held Memorial Day weekend, 1997. The program included comments from Dan Ellison on behalf of the family. He stated, “We're very appreciative of this fact that you've not let my Dad's memory fade. And that would have, you know, since none of us live here anymore, that would have been the easy thing to have had happen. But you rekindled his memory, and you rejuvenated the park, and I think that's important for the community. It takes effort and commitment to keep a park, a pool, or anything worthwhile working in a community. You've met the challenge... Thank you for letting us be a part of this.”

The Administrator of the Adams County Hospital, Phil Hanna, spoke of Dr. Ellison's and other doctors' connections to their community, that not only made them special doctors, but very special people: “These men and women, they were not about special recognition. They lived in the community. They supported the community. And they took care of their neighbors. Often they would go from house to house, bringing us into the world, bringing babies, helping us grow, taking care of us when we were ill. And ultimately, for those people that died, they would often sit by their side. And once they had passed, then they would help the family to continue to live. These men and women, very simply, were called to the service of others in the most noble way.”

As the pool and park aged and the village continued to evolve, various issues resulted in changes to the facility that included filling in the pool area so it could have a new life as a skateboard course.

The Ellison Children

Paul Ellison was stillborn in April, 1939. He is buried next to his parents at the Locust Grove Cemetery.

Mary Lou Ellison was born January 26, 1941. She grew up without the use of her left arm as a result of polio at the age of four and a half. After high school graduation, she attended Denison University in Granville, Ohio and earned a bachelor's degree in English in 1962. She taught eighth grade at Anderson Junior High School in Cincinnati for four years then returned to college at the University of Wisconsin and received a masters degree in curriculum and instruction in 1967. She met her husband, Peter Nelson Davis, in Wisconsin and they married in 1968. They settled in Columbia, Missouri where Mr. Davis started a teaching career at the Missouri University School of Law. She focused on her family, raising their two daughters, even taking part in their pre-school activities. For many years, Sunday school was spent teaching the junior high classes at the United Methodist Church. She sang in the church choir for fifteen years and was a member of the MU Choral Union Group for 25 years. Once the girls were in school full-time, she taught part-time at Hickman High School and worked for many years as a legal research assistant at the university's law library. She was placed in charge of the library's rare book room until 2003.

Most notably, she was responsible for the broadcast of 'Sesame Street' on television in Columbia. She was a charter member of Citizens for Sesame Street, a group that went door to door to raise $10,000 a year to pay the production company for the show. They also were successful in finding a station that would donate the air time for the program.  It was a program that stations said would not bring in enough advertising revenue to pay for itself. Also at the time, there was an issue with the show's 'celebration of diversity.'

Mary Lou died December 29, 2014, affected by Alzheimer's, like her father. She was 73.

Daniel Robert Ellison was born in Hillsboro, Oh. in April, 1942. After graduating from Peebles High School he attended Ohio Wesleyan University, graduating in 1964 with a history degree. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy and became an Air Intelligence Officer, and after completing his military service, moved to Fort Collins, Colorado where he obtained a master's degree in public administration from the University of Colorado, while working for Larimer County as zoning administrator. He also obtained a wife, marrying Katharine M. “Kitty” Walker. The couple settled In Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where Dan worked for the Routt County Planning and Building Departments, became Town Manager of Hayden, Colorado, and ran his own energy consulting business. Ellison was elected Routt County Commissioner for three terms, from 1995 to 2007. A fellow commissioner made note of Ellison's work on the creation of planning tools used to preserve open spaces and traditional agricultural practices. His goal was to prevent urban sprawl in the county and to protect landscapes. He also was active at the United Methodist Church, The Steamboat Springs Kiwanis Club, The Routt County Habitat for Humanity and several state and regional boards. Dan and Kitty had two daughters.

Dan died October 3, 2015, affected by Alzheimer's, like his father. He was 73.