In Memory of Modene Fern Hays Murphy

Modene was the inspiration for this website. She had been a Butter Dish Collector for many years, beginning in 1980s.

After retiring from our jobs in Missouri in 2004, we moved to North East Ohio to be close to our grandchildren. In 2005 She confided in me that she wanted to write a book on EAPG Butter Dishes. We talked it over and I suggested that we create a website where people could identify their glass.

As I had earned three Microsoft Certifications on installing, configuring and administering Microsoft Networks, I would install and configure a Microsoft web server and a Microsoft SQL database server. I would also write the code for the website and the code that would access the database and display the information on the web pages. We started with her collection of Butter Dishes and other forms that she had bought on EBay and at many antique malls. After working several months, the eapgpatterns.com website went live on January 1, 2006.

Over the years she photographed the pieces she had purchesed to display on the web site as well traveling throught the United States photographing EAPG glass in personal collections, glass museums and antique malls.

From the very beginning, we set the rule that we would not accept any third party photographs for our website because we wanted to maintain the photographic quality throughout the website. So Modene photographed every item listed on the website. (Later we added a page on the website that would allow subscribers to post a photo of an item they would like identified.)

Modene would then identify each item, edit the photographs and have me upload the photos to the website and enter the pattern, the form, the manufacturer (if known), the date manufactured (if known), a full description of the item, and any additional comments that were known about the piece (such as AKAs, etched, enameled, color names, frosted, etc.) into the database.

Later we added the Sampling of Carnival Glass and Sampling of Depression Glass pages to the website as many EAPG collectors also collect these two genres of antique glass.

Over the years we have had the pleasure and honor to meet and become friends with many EAPG collectors. We have traveled as far west as Dallas/Fort Wort, Texas and northern Iowa, as far south as South East Florida and as far east as eastern Pennsylvania.

Over 4,500 subscribers have enjoyed using our site, and many have expressed appreciation for the site in helping them identify the glass that they owned. In some cases, the glass had been handed down for generations and no one in the family had any information about the identify or history of the piece.

Modene was my beloved wife of just over 58 years. She was the foundation and motivator for the creation and continued development of the site. I will miss her greatly, as will those collectors who had the honor of meeting and talking with her as we photographed their glass collections.

Glenn A. Murphy September 8, 2025
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