The Bluffton news. [volume], January 09, 1947, Image 1

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A Good Place’To Live
VOLUME LXXI
14 ARE APPOINTED
TO VILLAGE POSTS
FOR COMING YEAR
Only Vacancy in Municipal Gov
ernment Occasioned by Res
ignation of Nightwatch
Samuel Bixel Is New Clerk of
Cemetery Board Council
Confirms Appointments
Mayor W. A. Howe’s recommenda
tions to fill 14 appointive municipal
posts were confirmed by Bluffton
councilmen
town’s governmental organization
took shape for the coming year at a
meeting Monday night in the
Toom.
as the fabric of the
Thursday St.
church, Rev. V. C.
tor. Speaker, Dr
Bluffton college.
council
vas a
Maple
etaker
Appointed at the session
new clerk-trustee for the
Grove cemetery board the c#
of the town clock, and 12 members of
the volunteer fire department.
mains to be filled,
the
has
One position
as the result
resignation of R. E. Griffith who
served as nightwatch here for
last seven months. No successor
appointed.
Nightwatch Changes
Griffith’s resignation became effec
tive with the close of his tour of
duty embracing Monday night and
late Tuesday morning, and Albert
Reichenbach, who formerly served as
nightwatch for more than a decade
was on the job Tuesday night by
temporary appointment, pending the
next meeting of the council.
A clerk-trustee vacancy on the
Maple Grove cemetery board was
filled by the appointment of Samuel
Bixel, former municipal treasurer.
Bixel is serving the one-year unex
pired term of Elmer Diller, who died
late last fall. His salary as clerk
is $150 a year. Other members of
the cemetery board are John Thomp
son and William Edwards.
James Benroth was re-appointed
town clocck caretaker, a post held
for many years by his father, the
late Albert Benroth. The salary is
$50 a year.
Twelve firemen were re-appointed,
including C. V. Stonehill, John Stone
hill, Charles Young, Aldine Weiss,
Jr., H. E. Augsburger, Richard Augs
burger, Edward Badertscher, Robert
Dillman, Wilford Gratz, Ross Irwin,
Fred Martin and Lester Niswander.
Fire Chief Guy Corson was appointed
for a two-year term
last January.
of the town’s
employes were
action at the
Salary schedules
regular municipal
boosted by council
meeting Monday night.
Marshal Lee Coon’s salary was in
creased $15 per month, giving him
$115 as cheif of police and $75 as
service supervisor. The nightwatch
salary was upped from $145 to $160
per month. Skilled labor in the fu
ture will be paid 85 cents an hour
instead of 75 cents, and common
bor will receive 75 cents an hour
stead of 65 cents.
/Veic Minister Called
By Church Of Christ
Rev. Read and his family will
move Thursday into temporary quar
ters arranged by his Orange town
ship parishioners until a new par
sonage is built adjoining Bethel
church, it was stated Tuesday.
2-DAY INSTITUTE
TO BE HELD HERE
ON JAN. 22 AND 23
Discussions of Community Prob
lems Features Music and
Drama on Program
Two-Day a Community
Gathering Will Feature
Joint Sessions Jan. 22
Bluffton’s annual two-day com
munity institute, a feature attraction
each winter season, will be held this
year on Wednesday and Thursday,
Jan. 22 and 23.
Offering a varied program of in
structive lectures, discussion sessions
and entertaining features, the in
stitute will follow the usual pattern
of joint sessions on the opening day,
followed by individual meetings of
the men’s and women’s organizations.
Women’s
la
in-
Hold Union Prayer
Services This Week
Universal week of prayer services
which opened last Sunday night are
being held in Bluffton churches this
week each evening at 7:30 o’clock.
Remaining services are:
Wednesday Missionary church,
Rev. R. R. Welch, pastor. Speaker,
Rev. Frank Harder of St. John Men
nonite church, Pandora.
John’s Reformed
Oppermann, pas
L. Ramseyer,
Friday—Presbyterian church, Rev.
E. N. Bigelow, pastor. Speaker,
Rev. E. A. Lehman of the Lutheran
church, Leipsic.
Sunday—First Mennonite church,
Rev. J. N. Smucker, pastor. Speaker,
Dr. J. Ira Jones of Trinity Metho
dist church, Lima.
To Tell Of Work In
European War Relief
Henry Detwiler of Souderton, Pa.,
will address the Bluffton College
vesper service Sunday afternoon at
3 o’clock. He returned last Novem
ber from Europe where he spent
several years in war relief as a rep
resentative of the Mennonite Central
committee and will speak from per
sonal knowledge of what is being
done in Egypt, Italy and northwest
ern Europe.
Detwiler was a former student in
the college here and his wife is the
former Neva Badertscher of Bluff
ton. Previous to his entrance into
war relief work he was connected
with a Souderton building and loan
company.
Trans-Atlantic Trip Home By Air
Enjoyed By Bluffton Business Man
of Cleveland has
pastorate of the
Christ and Bethel
in Orange town­
Rev. C. D. Read
been called to the
Bluffton Church of
Church of Christ
ship, it was announced the first of
the week.
Heading the list of speakers will
be Rev. William Stauffer, of Sugar
Creek, O., a Bluffton college gradu
ate in 1932, and Mrs. Arnold Steva,
of St. Marys.
Varied features on the Wednesday
night program are expected to
a capacity audience from the
munity, and likely will be the
line attraction of the two-day
ing.
Paul E,
Men’s Institute: Rev.
Whitmer, president Albert Augs
burger, vice-president Harvey
Gratz, secretary-treasurer Homer
Gratz, Harry Anderson, Ezra Moser,
Willard Jennings and Harry F.
Barnes, executive committee.
Institute: Mrs. Chris
president Miss Margaret
Gratz,
Guider, vice-president Mrs. Howard
Stager,
Gratz, Mrs. Evan Basinger and Mrs.
Wilford Geiger, executive committee.
secretary Mrs. Harvey
Sechler Takes Over
Pine Restaurant
Leland Sechler, owner of the Pine
restaurant has taken over operation
of the establishment after it had
been operated during the past year
by Herbert Siefield under terms of
a lease. Sechler who was a patient
in Bluffton hospital last summer is
much improved and expects to be
active in management of the
taurant.
res­
Moser Beaverdam
School Board Head
In re-organization of the Beaver
dam board of education for the com
ing year, Clair Moser, Route 2, Co
lumbus Grove, last Monday night
was named president.
William Stephens, Route 2 Colum
bus Grove, was elected vice-presi
dent. Other board members are
Alvin Lamb, Clarence Downing, both
of Route 2, Columbus Grove, and
Roy Herr, Route 5, Lima.
Eunice Smith, of Beaverdam, is
clerk of the board. Regular meet
ings of the group will be held the
second Monday of each month.
Bluffton has headed into a new
year after picking up, during 1946
where it left off before the war so
far as revitalized industrial, business
and residence expansion were con
cerned.
Widespread building activity reach
ing into all three fields, and herald
ing the growth of a larger
better Bluffton, easily qualified
the most newsworthy
review of the old year.
and
as
a
events in
in
Completed and in operation
early fall was the beautifully equip
ped and furnished Carma theatre,
the newest motion picture showhouse
Charles Hankish Comes Home
from Syria in 28 Hours of
Flying Time
Trip Over by Boat Took
Days U. S. Crime, Lynch
ings Overplayed
refuse
draw
com
head-
meet-
Institute Officers
Officers of the institute
tions, who are completing
the meeting, include:
organiza
plans for
15
Home from his first visit to his
land in 42 years, Charles
was
of
to
of
of
native land 42 years,
Hankish, Bluffton confectioner,
enthusiastic about the advantages
air travel ■which brought him
America from Syria in 28 hours
flying time in contrast to a trip
15 days by boat in going there last
fall.
The Bluffton businessman returned
home by air after finding it impos
sage by ship, and
fere at such a
took two months
accommodations 1
premium that it
for him to obtain
Accommodations easily may be
obtained to get to Europe, Hankish
said, but transportation companies
may
In
?r and three
town of Zahl
months ago. One cousin, George
Abde, of Toledo, returned with him,
and the other two will come later.
ian idea of the United
badly distorted by lurid
newspaper accounts of strikes, lynch
ings and crime, Hankish said on
his return. Sensational news about
the more unfavorable aspects of our
society are publicized widely
seas, and Hankish’s relatives
surprised when he told them
occurrences were the exception
er than the rule.
is
While overseas the Bluffton
visited Jerusalem, Damascus,
bek, Nazareth and Bethlehem.
over­
those
rath-
man
Baal-
Syria, formerly under French rule,
now is independent, altho everyone
expects that control will pass on to
England, he said.
The Bluffton man’s return trip by
air was in two stages. He and his
cousin left Zahle on Christmas Day
to go to Beirut. From there they
left on the next day in a small six
passenger plane for Cairo, Egypt.
In Cairo they waited until Tues
day of last week, when they took off
at 4 a. m. in a luxuriously fur
nished 40-passenger plane with com
fortable seats. On the homeward
bound trip, the plane
Athens, Rome, Geneva,
and Paris.
stopped at
Switzerland,
plane
span
flying
New
plane
From Paris the giant
ned the Atlantic in 13 hours,
above the clouds, by way of
foundland and Labrador. The
landed at Boston last Wednesday
night when a landing scheduled at
New
cause of
He and
home by
Bluffton
York City was cancelled be
a snowstorm at that place,
his cousin then came on
train, Hankish arriving in
last Friday.
Births
following births at Bluffton
The
hospital:
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Major, Find
lay, a girl, Beverly Jean, Thursday.
Mrs. Major is the former Mary
Jane Worthington.
Mr. and Mrs. Brice Darbyshire,
Columbus Grove, a girl, Kathleen,
Friday
Mr. and Mrs. Willard Dunson, Mt.
Cory, a boy,
Rev. and
Bluffton, a
Saturday.
Saturday.
Mrs. Robert Welch,
boy, Richard Wayne,
Mr. and Mrs. Roy Keely, Ada, a
boy, John Jeffrey, Monday.
Mr. and Mrs. James Moser, Bluff
ton, a boy, Larry Lee, Tuesday.
Mr. and Mrs. David Hostetter,
Tocsin, Ind., a girl, Judith Kay,
born Jan. 1. Mrs. Hostetter is the
former Ruth Albro Her father, Rev.
A. F. Albro was formerly pastor of
the Missionary church here.
Industrial, Business and Residential Construction
in this area, and one of the finest in
any town of Bluffton’s size in the
state.
Nearing completion is a new
$25,000 plant to be occupied by the
expanded interests of the Bluffton
Cement Block Co., and a $10,000
building addition to the Bluffton
Stone Co. is well under way.
On the eastern fringe of Bluffton
a fine new airport, built and operat
ed by Clayton Bixel, was put into
operation in late fall. At the
generating plant of The Central Ohio
Light and Power Co., located within
the Bluffton city limits, a million-
11 IE BLUFFTON NEWS
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BL
BLUFFTON, OHIO THURSDAY, JAN. 9, 194
NORMAN TRIPLETT Bl
IS NEW MEMBER
OF SCHOOL BOARD
Industrial Executive Selected
By Other Board Members
to Fill Vacancy
Re-organization of Board Com
pleted by Re-electing Waldo
Hofsteter President
Norman A. Triplett, industrial
executive, was seated on the Bluffton
board of education at a re-organiza
tion meeting, Monday night, to serve
the unexpired term of Donavon B.
Conrad, whose death last week
a vacancy on the board.
left
was
four
Triplett’s election to the post
by unanimous vote of the other
members of the board. He will serve
the remaining three years of an un
expired term of four years, started
by Conrad a year ago last January
1.
At the same meeting, ames West
was re-appointed clerk for a three
year term.
In organization of the board,
Waldo Hofstetter was re-elected
president, and Levi Althaus, vice
president. Althaus and Paul Diller
were appointed to the grounds com
mittee, and Leland Diller and Trip
lett were named to the fyiance com
mittee, with President Hofstetter as
ex-officio member.
Monday night’s meeting was for
re-organization only, and no other
business was transacted by
group.
the
Doctors To Speak
At P.T. 4. Meeting
Drs. D. W. English and Walter
Yingling, members of the -biitod
the Allen County Tube culosis as
sociation will address toe Bluffton
Parent-Teacher associati n meeting
next Monday night at o’clock* at
the high school cafeteria.
Dr. English, an x-raf technician,
will speak on tubercuhois and Dr.
Yingling will talk ui^’'ti«e topic
“Deafness in Children.” A
hour and refreshments will
the meeting.
social
follow
Leaving New York
Jan. 15 For Africa
Miss Catherine Gratz, Bluffton
missionary who was scheduled to
leave here Monday enroute to Africa
has received word of postponement
of the date for her departure.
Under the present schedule she
will leave Bluffton Friday for New
York city where she will board a
plane next Wednesday for a trans
Atlantic flight.
Her destination is French Guinea,
French West Africa, where she
previously spent five and one-half
years as a missionary. The station
is operated by the Christian Mission
ary Alliance and she serves as book
keeper in the business office.
Real Estate Deal
The Matter
purchased by
Bentley road
place after it
AND VICINITY
The Bluffton area op Wednesday
went into its seventh consecutive ice
bound day, with sidewalks and
streets remaining hazardous because
of a treacherous icy coating, and
with all but main traveled highways
virtually impassable in the rural
area. 4
Warmer weather on Tuesday, how
ever, finally’enabled trees and shrub
bei y to shake off the icy coating
they wore from Thursday night of
last
vere
to shake off the icy coating
week, when an unusually se
ice storm struck this district.
With temperatures consistently re
maining below the freezing point,
there was no relief from
til late Tuesday. and at
was insufficient thawing
remove the treacherous
Prominent in Fraternal Orders
Funeral at Methodist
Church
Bluffton paid a final tribute to
one of its leading civic and fraternal
leaders Sunday afternoon in the
First Methodist’’® church, at largely
attended funeraj service- for
Donavon B. Conrad, 4f, a member
of the Bluffton ard of1 Education
and a former 1 councilman.
A tireless
betterment, Mr
president of the
Progress associ
same position with the
Recreation committee at the tizrie of
his death.
Active
the
Jerome Herr has purchased
Willis Althaus property, the former
Mrs. Grace Wilson residence at
Jackson and Elm streets and will
occupy the place this spring,
deal was transacted by Mrs.
Althaus.
The
H. W.
acres,
Moser
Follas
Herr sold his farm of 80
better known as the Amos
farm south of Bluffton to Joe
who will move on the place this
spring, vacating the Mrs. Henry
Matter farm on Bentley road which
he tenanted.
farm of 60 acres was
Sam Badertscher of
who will occupy the
is vacated by
Follas
full in
of ten
Farm buyers should obtain
formation about legal rights
ants who are living on the property
Tenants and landlords sometimes
have oral agreements.
dollar expansion program is under
way, with its completion ear-marked
for the coming year.
To keep pace with Bluffton’s
rapidly expanding industrial, busi
ness and residential demands for
electric current, the board of public
affairs
cover
plant.
has sold $125,000 in bonds to
equipment additions to the
old landmark passed, when
One
the Cal Balmer sawmill, operated
here for 45 years, was razed, after
being out of operation for several
years. A major business transac
tion was involved when the Bluffton
i Area Still Is Seeking
Recovery From Severe Ice Storm
the ice un
that there
weather to
ice-coating
Member of Board of Education
and a Former Town Coun
cilman
Donavon Conrad, Bluffton Civic
And Community Leader Succumbs
in comnmnity
ton Community
and held the
Bluffton
He served on the Community
Progress association as executive
(committeeman of the Industry panel,
on which he represented the Bluffton
Stone Co. and the Central Ohio Light
I and Power Co. He was a director
Lad assistant secreiary-trcaMurer of
the Stone company, and was employ
ed in the Findlay office
Central Ohio firm as head
accounting department.
Active In Masonry
in Masonic circles,
past-master of
the
an
of
of
Conrad
Bluffton
was a
Masonic Lodge, and a member of
the higher Masonic bodies including
the Ancient and Accepted Scottish
Rite, Toledo valley Findlay Chapter
No. 58 R. A. M. Findlay Council No.
10 R. and F. M., and Findlay Com
mandery No. 40, Knights Templar.
Uniformed members of the Knights
Templar lodge served as an honor
guard for the casket during the
funeral procession, and the Masonic
committal rites were conducted at
the cemetery.
Death came to Mr. Conrad at 2:15
p. m. last Thursday in Lima Mem
orial hospital where he was a surgi
al patient, after ill health of ap
proximately two weeks. Cardiac
(Continued on page 8)
Returns To Mission
Station In Africa
Returning to the African mission
field where she formerly served four
and one-half years, Miss Viola
Welty, daughter of Mrs. Jacob Haas,
of Pandora, will leave New York
City on Jan. 20, to make the trip
via airplane to Liberia.
From there she will go 800 miles
inland to the Sudan Interior mission
post near the equator. The mission
is an interdenominational unit in a
British colony. Before she left to
come home for a furlough a year
ago, Miss Welty was in charge of
the mission schools.
A step-sister, Miss Mary Haas,
also is engaged in African mission
work, 100 miles south of Miss
Welty’s station. She is the daughter
of Jacob Haas, of Pandora.
Milling Co. sold its interests to the
Farmers Grain Co., and the two
concerns were combined into one
unit.
Residential building really boomed
here, despite widespread materials
shortages, and some of those who
could not immediately find materials
compromised by building garages
and living in them, or
woodsheds and chicken
gether.
Completed
that glazed streets, highways and
walks.
Despite treacherous driving condi
tions, no motor vehicle mishaps of
any consequence ■were reported in
the immediate area.
Power lines in rural areas north
and west of town, snapped during
the ice storm, in some cases could
not be repaired until two days or
more because’of the continued pres
ence of ice on wires. Electric serv
ice had been restored in all districts
by the weekend.
Heavy damage to trees was avert
ed during the six-day period the ice
clung to them only because there
were no windstorms of any conse
quence.
Mrs. Mary B. Schick
Dies Funeral Friday
Mrs. Mary Belle Schick, 65, of
Beaverdam, died at Bluffton hospital
Wednesday morning at 5:30 o’clock
following a one day’s illness. She
was the widow of the late George
Mrs. Schick, who had been appar
ently in good health, was found in
bed unconscious Tuesday morning by
her sister, Mrs. Effa La Rue of near
Beaverdam when she stopped in for
a visit. Mrs. La Rue summoned her
brother, Jacob Wingate, living next
door and the unconscious woman
was removed to Bluffton hospital in
the Paul Diller ambulance.
Mrs. Schick was the daughter of
4X .’fi’hibdore Perry and Mahalia
(Shull) Chidester, pioneers of this
Section. She was married to Geo.
Shick who died June 7, 1941.
She was a member of Richland
grange, the Farm Women’s Improve
ment club and the West Point Meth
odist church and the ladies aid so
ciety.
Surviving are three sons Doit of I
Columbus Coral of Ada and Harold
of Bluffton a sister Mrs. LaRue of
Chidester, Cleveland, John Chidester
and Jacob Wingate of Beaverdam
and six grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at
West Point Methodist church Fri
day afternoon at 2:30 o’clock with
Rev. Arthur officiating. Burial will
be in West Point cemetery.
The body, now at the Paul Diller
funeral home will be removed to the
home of her son Harold
Thursday morning where it
main until time for the
services.
in Bluffton Highlights Past Year
in putting
coops to-
completed
or virtually
building boom were 14
in addition there are
in the 1946
homes and
seven other houses in various stages
Schick,
will re
funeral
Mt. Cory Woman
Dies In Ambulance
Funeral services will be held
this Thursday afternoon in the Mt.
Cory Methodist church for Mrs.
Elizabeth Watkins, 60, who died
early Monday afternoon in an ambu
lance en'rciite to the Bluffton Com
munity hospital from her home in
Mt. Cory.
Ailing from diabetes, Mrs. Watkins
had undergone amputation of her
left leg five weeks ago. She went
into coma about 12 hours before
the /decision was made to return her
to Ihe hospital.
Survivors include her husband,
Jamts Watkins, of Mt. Cory, whom
she’married in 1903 one son, Wayne
of Mt. Cory one sister, Mrs. Rose
Moore, Ft. Wayne, Ind. and two
brothers, Edward Blaksley and Louis
Blaksley, both of Ft. Wayne.
Mrs. Watkins was born April 1,
1886, in Allen county, the daughter
of James and Regina (Sig) Blaks
ley.
Rev. Lenhart, of Rawson, will offi
ciate at the funeral rites. Burial
will be in the Clymer cemetery.
The body will be in the Paul Dil
ler funeral home until time for the
services.
of construction.
Four other citizens solved the
housing shortage by buying houses
in other communities and moving
them here for remodeling to suit
their purposes.
told there are seven other
All
families living In garages erected as
a temporary housing expedient until
their homes can be built.
With the town’s residential areas
expanding in all directions it was
necessary for the board of public
affairs to lay 4,150 feet of new 4
inch water mains during the sum
mer.
To
Good
NUMBER 38
SCHOOL BOARD TO
GET NEW SCHEDULE
FOR TEACHERS PAY
4^.
Plan Worked Out During Holi
days Slated for Considera
tion by Members
Schedule Will Determine Overall
Amount for Salaries and
Distribution 1
A solution to the much-debated
question of how much will be set
aside for teachers’ salary adjust
ments out of the special two-mill
levy passed at the polls last fall—
and how it will be divided among the
members of the public school teach
ing staffs—is expected to be propos
ed by the Bluffton Board of Educa
tion at a meeting this Wednesday
night.
Following a special meeting of
the board on December 20, a spokes
man for the group said that work
on the proposed schedule of teachers’
pay adjustments would be completed
over the holidays, and come up for
final approval at the next regular
meeting, this Wednesday.
Consideration of a plan for salary
adjustments was deferred at the
December meeting because of the ill
ness of Donavon B. Conrad, member
of the board’s finance committee, and
his death since that time has made
it necessary for the board to draft
the new schedule with a
membership.
depleted
Nothing Announced
schedule
pending
Provisions of the new
have not been announced,
final discussion by the board at this
week’s meeting, but informed sources
said the plan appears in shape to be
finally adopted, altho there is always
the possibility it may be temporarily
held for further revision.
Drafting of the new salary
schedule on a basis that will prove
passably satisfactory to all teachers
has been a difficult assignment, for
instructors in the schools have been
divided into two factions of widely
divergent viewpoints as to how in
creases are to be given.*
In one faction are the teachers
with longer tenure on Bluffton
teaching staffs, and the other group
consists of those more recently hired,
particularly within the past year or
(Continued on page 8)
Betty Steinman
Lands In Seattle
Miss Betty Steinman, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Forrest Steinman of
South Lawn avenue enroute home
from Japan landed in Seattle, Wash.,
when the liner Arcadia docked at
that port Monday night. The boat
was delayed for two days because of
She will receive her discharge at
San Francisco this week from the
Red Cross with which she has been
affiliated in overseas service for the
past year. She is expected to arrive
iu Jfiufftpn next week.
£. If. Neuenschwander
Ordained To Ministry
Edgar H. Neuenschwander II, son
of Mr. and Mrs. E. H. Neuensch
wander I, who operated the Neu-Art
studio during their residence in
Bluffton, was ordained to the minis
try of the Missionary Church Asso
ciation, central district,
Indiana, last week
at Yoder,
is serving
Missionary
Rev. Neuenschwander
as pastor of the Yoder
church, where the ordination was
conducted by Rev. Chris J. Gerig,
district superintendent, and Rev. B.
F. Leightner, general secretary of
the Missionary Church Association.
The newly ordained minister grad
uated from Ft. Wayne Bible Insti
tute, Ft. Wayne, Ind., in 1945. He
graduated from Bluffton High school
in 1938, while the family resided
here.
His parents now live in Compton,
California.
Flick Returns From
UNRRA Poland Trip
Robert Flick, 18, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Cecil Flick, of Union township,
returned home last Friday from a
six-weeks trip to Poland, as attend
ant on a ship carrying a cargo of
1,500 horses to be distributed in that
country by UNRRA.
This was his first trip overseas,
and he was in Europe four days,
while the horses were being unload
ed. His ship sailed from Newport,
News, Virginia.
Flick was graduated last spring
from Mt. Cory High school.