Newspaper Page Text
BUY VMITM IUTM VOLUME NO. LXX BUILDING BOOM IS LAUNCHED TO BEAT HOUSING SHORTAGE New Homes, Garages for Resi dential Use, Prefabricated Units in Program Building Boom of Many Phases Comes As Answer to Living Accommodation Needs Residential building in boom pro portions is under way in Bluffton this spring, in spite of post-war material shortages. In fhe flourishing building program to provide sorely needed living ac commodations for the town’s bulging population, construction activity runs the gamut from regular permanent residences through prefabricated houses, garages used as temporary dwellings, moving houses to town for remodeling and conversion of build ings that formerly were used for other purposes. New houses completed or nearing completion will accomodate five fami lies three prefabricated units will provide quarters for five more family groups garages will temporarily house three families one house is being moved to town, and a former projects bulding on the Bluffton col lege campus has been revamped into a two-family apartment. Three new houses completed this spring now are occupied by families. Mr. and Mrs. William Lahman, who came here from Findlay last fall and lived in a house trailer, now are in their new home on South Main street. New Homes Occupied The Clifford Houtz family has moved into their new home in the Garmatter addition, north of Elm (Continued on Page 8) Pastor Here Named To Presbytery Office Rev. E. N. Bigelow, pastor of the Bluffton and Rockport Presbyterian •churches was named vice-moderator of Lima Presbytery at its spring meeting held at Van Wert, Monday. He "was appointed to the position by Major Robert B. Harriman, Army •chaplain who was elected moderator of the Presbytery for the coming year. Major Harriman will receive his discharge from the service short ly after which he will resume his former position as pastor of the Rockford Presbyterian church. Rev. Bigelow, former overseas Army chaplain with rank of captain was released from the service this spring. His office as vice-moderator of Lima Presbytery will be for one year. With Service Men James Gratz, son of Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Gratz has received his dis charge from naval service at Great Lakes, III., and returned to his home here. Sgt. LeRoy Lugibihl who spent six months in Guam is spending a 30 day furlough with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Lugibihl west of Bluffton. Capt. and Mrs. Woodrow Barclay returned from Porto Rico the first of the week and will make their home for the summer with her mother, Mrs. Edith Powell of Orange township. Capt. Barclay will receive his Army ^discharge at Camp Atter bury this week. He has been sta tioned at Porto Rico for the past three years while Mrs. Barclay has been at that place since last August. T. Sgt. Howard Diller who was stationed at Manila will arrive at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Diller on a 60 day fur lough. Robert Ewing former Bluffton Grade school teacher who served in Europe has received his Army dis charge and joined his wife here. Halsey Hutchinson who served in Germany has been discharged by the Army and returned to his home in Beaverdam. S. Sgt. John Johnson, son of Mr. and Mrs. M. B. Johnson of South Main street was discharged from the Army at Camp Atterbury, Saturday. Collect Fats For Making Relief Soap Bluffton College students during the coming week will make 150 pounds of soap to be sent to Europe for relief in war stricken districts. Anyone having fats to donate for this purpose should telephone the College business office or Miss Edna Ram seyer at Ropp hall by Thursday, when students will make rounds collecting all donations. Easter Week Brings Spring Wardrobes 1 Easter Egg Hunt For Kiddies On Saturday Bluffton kiddies will scatter cut thru Harmon field in the wake of the Easter rabbit at 2 p. m. Satur day afternoon in a community East er Egg hunt sponsored by the Amer ican Legion Auxiliary. In case of rain, the event will be held in the Legion hall, but child ren of grade school age and younger are hoping for fair weather in order that they may enjoy all the thrills that come from an outdoor hunt. Bluffton Boy Scouts will assist the Auxiliary in hiding eggs and help ing to conduct the hunt. Each member of the Legion and Auxiliary is providing two dozen colored eggs. Contributions of eggs from others in the community are welcomed. All eggs are to be left at the Clark Hat Shoppe before 1 p. m. Saturday. NEW GYMNASIUM^ AUDITORIUM ON COLLEGE CAMPUS Committee Named by Trustees to Launch Campaign This Summer Plan Large Auditorium Which Could Be Used for Athletic Events Campaign to raise funds for a new building to house a gymnasium and auditorium for Bluffton college will be launched early this summer it was announced Tuesday by Dr. L. L. Ram seyer .president of the institution. President Rasmeyer’s statement amplified action taken by the college board of trutees at its semi-annual meeting last week when a committee of board members was appointed to employ an architect to draft plans for the proposed structure and begin solicitation of funds. Members of the committee are Wm. Mohr of Bethlehem, Pa. D. W. Bixler of Bluffton and R. J. Rich of Wash ington, Ill. The committee will meet next month to outline a plan of pre liminary action. Seating Capacity 1,500 to 1,800 The new building will include an auditorium with a seating capacity of between 1,500 and 1,800 which could be converted into a gymnasium floor for basketball and other athletic events. Construction, iU is planned, would be started after the building situa tion returns to normal. As a gymnasium the new’ building would replace the college “barn” a frame structure erected nearly 30 years ago principally by student vol unteer labor and used since for stag ing of athletic events. As an audi torium it would supplement the chapel in the Main building which has only a limited seating capacity. Driver Escapes In Produce Truck Crash Roger Berky, of Wooster, former Bluffton college student now working for the K. and M. Produce Co., of this place, escaped with minor injuries at 4:30 a. m. last Wednesday when a K and Produce company’s truck he wTas driving was w’recked three miles south of Larue. The mishap occurred on Route 37 w’est of Marion when Berky lost con trol of a light pickup truck, and the vehicle was demolished when it struck a tree beside the highway. Berky was unconscious for about an hour, until a passing motorist revived him. A load of empty egg cases was almost completely destroyed in the crash. Berky was enroute home from Newark. The K. and M. Produce Co. is own ed and operated by Robert Murray and Charles Kinsinger, of this place. Beaverdam Graduation Exercises On May 15 Commencement exercises for Beav erdam High school seniors will be held at 8 p. m., Wednesday, May 15, in the school. Albert H. Crom bie, of Columbus, will be the class speaker. Baccalaureate services are sched uled for Sunday, May 12, W’ith Rev. Ernest Bigelow, of the Bluffton Rockport Presbyterian churches preaching the sermon. The senior class play, “People Are Funny,” will be presented in the high school auditorium at 8 p. m., Friday, April 26. Church Activity, md Eggs For Kiddies Special Services Sunday and Union Good Friday Program Mark Season Bluffton Public Schools and Bluffton College Will Have Easter Vacations Easter will be observed here next Sunday in its traditional role as one of the outstanding events on th£ church calendar. Approach of the holiday is seen in the pre-Easter activities absorb ing in the interest of the community th'is w’eek, against a background of considerable significance the event customarily brings in mercantile cir circles. Special services in churches, new’ Easter wardrobes, and a rekindling interest in home gardening springing from the holiday’s traditional rela tionship to the advent of spring all are linked with the town’s observ ance of the season. Good Friday Service Union Good Friday services, with Bluffton ministers filling the pulpit for a series of 30-minute w’orship periods, will be conducted in the Presbyterian church from 1 to 3:30 P. M. Business generally will be sus pended in the town during the Good Friday services. A decision to close, as in past years, was reached at the last meeting of the Bluffton Busi ness Men’s association. Easter holiday recesses have been announced for Bluffton public school and Bluffton college students. Grade and High schools will be closed all day Friday, and the college vacation will start at noon Friday and con tinue until Monday morning. An Easter sunrise service will be held Sunday morning at 6:30 o’clock in the First Mennonite church. The service is sponsored by the Bluffton Youth Federation. Plenty of Colored Eggs For the kiddies, Easter this year will mean very few chocolate eggs, but dyes are plentiful to assure an abundant supply of home colored eggs. Egg supplies will be “more than ample” for the first time since the war began, trade sources said, and dye-makers promise plenty of bright coloring. For the first time since the war, there will be jelly beans in a limited quantity. Good Friday Pageant At Methodist Church “Challenge of the Cross,,’ a Holy w’eek pageant will be presented at the Methodist chuxch on Good Fri day night at 8 o’clock by a cast of young people. Music will be fur nished by a mixed quartet. The cast: Evangel, Glenna Swick 1st disciple, Virginia Augsburger 2nd disciple, Harriet Cooney 3rd disciple, Mary Alice Farnsworth 4th disciple, Marjean Todd 5th disciple, Annabel Weed 6th disciple, Hildred Eversole. Pre-School Clinic At Beaverdam On Friday Free smallpox vaccination and diphtheria immunization will be pro vided for children starting to school next fall at a pre-school clinic in the Beaverdam school, Friday. Pre-School Clinic Here Friday,May 10 Preschool clinic for Bluffton child ren will be held Friday, May 10, at which children who will enter school next fall will receive vaccinations for small pox. immunization for diphtheria and physical examina tions. The work will be done by Dr. Gail Miller, Allen county health commissioner, and County Health Nurse Agnes Lovett, and in some cases local doctors. Brothers With Relief Shipments To Europe Two brothers, Otto and Herbert Klassen, sons of Prof, and Mrs. John Klassen of South Jackson street are engaged in trans-Atlantic trips caring for livestock shipments of UNRA. Otto, who recently returned from a trip to Trieste, Yugoslavia, where he was sent as one of the custodians of a shipload of cattle has resumed his studies in Bluffton college, but may resume his connection with UNRA this summer. Herbert is now on his first trip to Danzig, Germany, with a boatload of horses sent for relief purposes. rHE BLUFFTON NEWS A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY BLUFFTON, OHIO THURSDAY, APR 18, 1946 EXPANSION NEEDS ARE FACING BOARD OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS Growth of Town’s Electrical Current Consumption Re quires New Boiler Three-fold Problems Discussed by Board Members at Coun cil Meeting Bluffton’s continued residential growth and expansion of the town as a flourishing industrial community has forced three new problems on the Board of Public Affairs in plan ning a continuation of adequate ser vices offered by the municipal water works and light plant. At a meeting Monday night with the town council, the board pointed out pressing demands for: 1—Expanded electrical genera tion facilities at the light plant to assure uninterrupted service at peak loads, in the form of re quirements for installation of a new boiler. 2—Repairs to the town’s 50 year-old water tank—plus the fact that the State Bohrd has re commended erection of a new, larger tank in a more central lo cation in the village. 3—F u u e consideration of chlorination treatment of the vil lage’s public. water supply, a recently reiterated recommenda tion of the State Board. Boiler Major Need Major problem facing the board at this time is the immediate need of a new boiler, installation of which was recommended in May, 1945, by the Toledo engineering firm of Froehlich and Emery, engineering consultants for the board of public affairs. Plant requirements are for addi tion of a 37,500 pounds per hour boil er, according to the engineering sur vey. Largest of the three boilers w’ith which the plant now is equipped, a 20,000 pound per hour unit, would then be retained fdri'Stkndby use. General details of the proposed ex pansion program were discussed with the council, and permission was asked to proceed with an investigation of costs, availability of materials, etc. (Continued on Page 8) Church Of Christ Calls New Pastor Rev. A*. S. Lenhart of Fostoria has been called to the pastorate of the Church of Christ here. He will con tinue his residence in Fostoria and fill the pulpit of the Bluffton church on alternate Sundays, according to present arrangements. Doris Garmatter New Assistant At Hospital ___ Miss Doris Garmatter, registered nurse, has been appointed assistant superintendent of the Bluffton Com munity hospital. She is a graduate of Bluffton High school and the nurse’s training school at Bloomington, Ill., and has been serving as night supervisor at the local hospital. At present the hospital also has openings for two registered nurses and an office girl, it was announced by officials. The plan of continuing one year’s training in practical nursing also is being continued for high school graduates. Applications now are being received for the class starting in June. Report of Superintendent Sylvia Biederman showed that in March the average number of patients in the hospital per day was 26.6. the highest in history. Normal capacity of the institution is 29, altho the number reached a mark of 32 dur ing the month, and some were turned away. Births The following births at Bluffton hospital: Mr. and Mrs. Coie Russell Swick, Lima, a boy, Steven Bennett last Wednesday. Mr. and Mrs. John Beach, Jenera, a boy, SundAy. Mr. and Mrs. Paul Joseph Peter son, Rt. 5, Lima, a girl, Rosemary Ho, Monday. Mr. and Mrs. Ivan Dale Marriott, Ottawa, a boy, Robert Lee, Monday. Mr. and Mrs. John Carl Phillips, Ottawa, a boy, Ralph Dean, Tues day. Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Keifer, Lima, a girl, Jean Ann, Tuesday. Mr. and Mrs. Lester W’ilch, Je nera, a boy, this Wednesday morn ing. The wife of a Bluffton officer sta tioned in Germany will sail this week from New York city to join her husband overseas, under Army provisions for permitting service men's families to live with them during foreign service. First Lt. Wayne E. Yoakam, son of Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Yoakam, and his wife, the former Luella Smith, of Jenera, are the first cou ple from this area to be reunited overseas as the result of the Army program, providing free trans portation for servicemen’s families. They will live in a five-room du plex apartment in Kitzingen, Ger many, where Lt. Yoakam is sta tioned. The Bluffton officer is in the electrical laboratory of the army air orces occupation troops and has signed for a two year period over seas. Both Lt. and Mrs. Yoakam form erly worked at The Triplett Elec trical Instrument Co. here. 45-Year-Old Sawmill Gives Way To Need for Additional Homesites Here Building Lots Will Be Laid Out Along Mound Street in Old Sawmill Grounds One of Bluffton’s oldest industrial landmarks, the Cal Balmer saw mill, is being razed this week, to permit plotting a portion of the four-acre sawmill tract at South Mound street and East College ave nue into building lots. Built 45 years ago by Moses Steiner, the lumber mill for many years was one of the town’s sub stantial industries, employing in peak seasons as many as 22 men. It was operated for many years as a partnership by the late Cal Balm er and his son, James, who closed it after his father’s death, four years ago. Calvary Jordan, of Orange town ship, present owner of the mill and grounds, plans to lay out. building sites this spring on land facing Mound street. No decision has been announced yet relative to disposition of the rest of the grounds, facing College avenue and adjacent to the Nickel Plate raidroad. A. O. Badertscher, Bluffton build ing contractor, is razing the old saw mill. Equipment was sold by Balm er before he disposed of the grounds. Lions Minstrels In Two Night Run Final rehearsals are under way for staging of the Georgia Jubilee min strels by the Bluffton Lions club in a two night •run at the high school auditorium on Tuesday and Wednes day nights of next week at 8:30 o’ clock. The cast is made up of well known Bluffton men who will appear in black-face comedy benefit perfor mance for the high school band uni form fund and the Harmon field re creation program. The production is directed by Prof. R. A. Lantz of the College depart ment of music assisted by the high school band. Special Drive Here For Cancer Control Special collections to finance a nation-wide campaign for cancer control will be made all next week at The Star theatre In Bluffton, un der auspices of the Red Cross. The drive is being conducted in all thea tres throughout the country during the week. Triplett Record Cited At Safety Congress Safety record of employes of The Triplett Electrical Instrument Co., who won the 19th Allen County In dustrial Safety campaign ending la^t January 1, was lauded Tuesday at the annual All-Ohio Safety Con gress in Columbus. Special recognition of the local firm's outstanding safety attainment was accorded at the Conference ban quet Tuesday night, and the plaque presented for winning the campaign was featured in a conference dis play. Triplett employes closed 1945 with out a lost-time accident, the second time they have won in the county campaign. Wife Sails From New York To Join Bluffton Army Officer In Germany Razing Of Sawmill Marks Passing Of Old Industrial Landmark Here May 24 Best Time for Corn Planting Here, Expert Says XT AY 24 is the best time to 1 plant corn in Allen and ad joining counties. You have this on authority of D. F. Beard, extension agrono mist at Ohio State university who names this date as the one determined as the result of years of field tests by the school’s ex periment station. Farmers, he said should delay corn planting until danger of cold soil and corn borer damage have passed.. Altho unusual weather conditions have permitted farm ers to prepare the ground for planting, the seed should not be sown yet, Beard stated. Corn planting dates announced by Beard range from May 12 in southern Ohio to May 24 in the northern district. Hold Union Services During Holy Week Union services are being held this week in Bluffton churches sponsored by the Bluffton Ministerial associa tion. Remaining services are: Wednesday, 8 p. m.—St. John’s Reformed church, Rev. Arthur Ro mig, Lima, speaker. Thursday, 8 p. m.—Methodist church, union communion service. Friday, 1 to 3:30 p. m.—Presby terian church, Good Friday service, Bluffton ministers speaking. 1 p. m., The Cross and Forgiveness, V. C. Oppermann 1:30 p. m., The Cross and the Christian’s Hope, Paul Shelly 1:50 p. m., The Cross and Human Relations, E. N. Bigelow 2:10 p. m., The Cross and Suffering, Eli Steiner 2:30 p. m., The Cross and Our Need, L. L. Ramseyer 2:50 p. m., The Cross and Redemp tion, J. A. Weed 3:30 p. m., The Cross and Self-surrender, J. N. Smucker. Sunday, 6:30 a. m.—First Men nonite church, Easter sunrise serv ice sponsored by Bluffton Youth Fed eration, speaker Rev. Oppermann. Sunday, 7:30 p. m.—St. John’s Re formed church. Easter musical pro gram by union community choir di rected by Mrs. H. P. Mann. Last Rites Tuesday For Mrs. Dudgeon Last rites were held Tuesday afternoon in the Presbyterian church for Mrs. Susan Jane Dudgeon, 60, of Cherry street, wife of Otha E. Dudgeon, who died Sunday in the Bluffton Community hospital follow ing an operation, on Tuesday. Born in Grover Hill on June 28, 1885, Mrs. Dudgeon came to this community in November, 1920. In addition to her husband she is survived by three children: E. C. Dudgeon, Dayton and Melvin Dud geon and Mrs. Lloyd McCarty, both of Bluffton. Tw’o sons, Larry and Calvin, are deceased. Also surviving are five sisters, Mrs. Viletta Michael, Miss Mary Taylor, Mrs. Ida Krohn, all of Grover Hill Mrs. Manelvia Ve’- milya and Mrs. Clara Scherwinski, of Dayton and one brother, Thomas E. Taylor. Mrs. Dudgeon was a member of the Red Cross organization, the American Legion Auxiliary, Social club of the Presbyterian church and the Allen County Historical Society. Rev. E. N. Bigelow, pastor of the Presbyterian church, officiated at the funeral service Tuesday. Burial was in Maple Grove cemetery. Business Men Will Meet Next Wednesday Closing hours for Bluffton busi ness houses during the coming sum mer months will be considered at a meeting of the Bluffton Business Men’s association, at 8:30’ p. m. Wednesday of next week in the Wal nut Grill. Announcement of the meeting wa§ made by Silas Diller, president of the association. Advance In Charges For Grave Digging New schedule of charges for open ing and closing graves at Maple Grove cemetery, recommended by the cemetery board of trustees, was adopted Monday night at a meeting of the municipal council. In the future the charges to resi dents of the town will be $20, an ad vance of $5 from the previous rate. Out-of-town residents will pay $25. unit** NUMBER 52 TWO FROM HERE ARE INDUCTED IN APRIL DRAFT CALL Men from Bluffton and Colum bus Grove in Group of Nine Inductees Another Bluffton Registrant Included in 15 Taking Phys ical Exams Two Bluffton area men were in a group of nine Allen County Draft Board No. 3 registrants inducted into the armed forces in the April call, it was announced Tuesday. Inducted from here were Paul F. Reichenbach, of Route 1, Bluffton, and Melvin H. Lammers, of Route 2, Columbus Grove. One Bluffton registrant David Stearns, 108 S. Spring street, also was in a group of 15 who took pre induction physical examinations this month. Inductees in addition to the two Bluffton area men included William Parlette, Harrod Jack Lytle, Arthur Orchard, Robert Price and Walter Miller, all of Lima Glenn Shaffer, Spencerville, and Norman Knippen, Delphos. The group forwarded for preinduc tion physical examinations included Merlin Herring, Willis Wright, Leo Fray, Edmund Conrad, Wayne Strawn, Norbert Stippich, Billy Hous ton, Thomas Williams, Charles Hen non and Billy Line, all of Lima Harold Cray and Advas Prichard, Harrod Robert Jones, Gomer and Lester Foust, Delphos. Richard Mumma To Be Ordained Here Richard Mumma, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ray Mumma will be ordained to the ministry at services to be held in the Presbyterian church here Sunday night, May 26. An nouncement to this effect was made after he had appeared for pre ordination examination before a meeting of Lima Presbytery at Van Wert, Monday. Mumma will be graduated from McCormick Theological seminary in Chicago on May 18. Last month he was awarded a seminary fellowship in the sum of $1,500 for scholastic excellence which will be used for two years of graduate study at Columbia uni versity and Union Theological sem inary in New’ York city. He will also serve a Presbyterian church in that area. He and his wife, the former Wilma Nonnamaker and their daugh ter expect to go to New York thia summer where they will establish a residence. College Is Given House Near Campus Gift to Bluffton college of a resi dence property near the campus was announced Tuesday by Dr. L. L. Ram seyer, president of the institution. The property formerly ow’ned by the late Jacob Hochstettler and lo cated on High street near Ropp hall, girl’s dormitory, was purchased from Frank Stalter, the present owner and presented to the college by Rev. Jerry Sauder of Grabill, Ind., a member of the institution’s board of trustees. The residence will be occupied by Rev. Harry Yoder, new fieldman for the college and assistant to the presi dent. Rev. Yoder is moving here June 1 from Carlock, Ill. The Stalters will move to Ft. Wayne. fl Week To Get Tickets For Alumni Dance Plans for a dance in connection with the Bluffton high school alumni reunion May 24 will depend upon advance sale of tickets during the coming week, it is stated by the committee in charge. If a sufficient number of tickets are sold by April 26, the committee will proceed to engage an orchestra otherwise recorded music will be provided for dancing. In order to have time for booking an orchestra it will be necessary to complete the advance-ticket sales by Friday of next week. Those inter ested in obtaining an orchestra should purchase tickets before that time from any of the following com mittee: Eileen Moser, Carolyn Romey, Joan Buckland, Donna Hag erman, Don Patterson, Ned Schultz, Roger Howe, Wade Mumma, Wilford Geiger, Wm. Mericle, James StonehiH or C. A. Biery.