The Bluffton news. [volume], April 24, 1947, Image 1

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BLUFFTON
A Good Place To Live
VOLUME LXXII
PLAN SURVEY OF
TOWN’S NEEDS IN
ELECTRIC SERVICE
Each User to Get Postal Card
From Board of Public
Affairs.
Results to be Aid in Determin
ing Expansion Program of
Plant.
Analysis of the electrical require
ments of Bluffton domestic consum
ers, in a survey to lie made this
month by the Board of public af
fairs, will be used in mapping the
expansion program of Bluffton’s
municipal light and power plant,
spokesmen for the board said this
week.
What Bluffton' households have in
the way of electrical home appliances
and what they plan to add to their
equipment in the near future will be
determined in the board’s survey,
the first of its kind made here since
1939.
A postal-card inquiry, on which
electrical equipment is to be listed,
will be mailed within the next week
to all domestic consumers, with the
request that the card be marked and
returned to the board’s office when
the next electric light bill is paid.
A copy of the card appears in a
board of public affairs advertisement
appearing in this week’s issue of
The News.
Ask Users To Cooperate
Answers of domestic users will be
helpful in determining future policy
of the board in installing equipment
for increased generating capacity at
the municipal plant.
The last preceding survey of this
type was made by the board in 1939,
which provided data that remained
substantially unchanged thruout the
war years when electrical appliances
were hard to get.
Now that appliances are beginning
to be generally available, an indica
tion of additional home installations
is needed by the board to adequately
make plans for future electrical load
demands.
Industrial users regularly keep
the board of public affairs posted on
what their needs may be, but in
creased household demands can be
determined only thru surveys, it was
pointed out.
Births
The following births at Bluffton
hospital:
Mr. and Mrs. Rolland Stratton,
Bluffton, a boy, Rolland Kipton,
Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs. John Dearth, Ada,
a boy, John Russell, Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs. Noah Zimmerman,
Bluffton, a girl, Mary Ann, Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Shakelford,
Sr., Williamstown, a boy, Ralph
Levi, Jr., Friday.
Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Kear, For
rest, a boy, Warren Gene, Friday.
Mr. and Mrs. Wm Amstutz, Jr.,
Bluffton, a boy, Larry Dean, Thurs
day.
Mr. and Mrs. Wayne B. Topham,
Newton, Kansas, a boy, Thomas
Barlett, born at that place April 16.
Mrs. Topham is the former Helen
Soldner, daughter of G. T. Soldner.
She was formerly a nurse at Bluff
ton hospital.
Rev. and Mrs. Russell Mast,
Wadsworth, a boy, James William,
born at that place. Mrs. Mast is
the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C. D.
Hilty of Spring street.
Ft, Wayne Girls
Chorus At Pandora
Girls chorus of Ft. Wayne Bible
institute will appear in a program
at the Pandora Missionary church,
Sunday night at 7:30 o’clock. They
will also have charge of the youth
fellowship meeting at 6:45.
The chorus is directed by Prof. C.
A Gerber, instructor in voice at the
institute and accompanied by Prof.
R. L. Pfundstein, instructor in piano,
organ and theory.
Music Program At
High School Friday
Vocal and instrumental numbers
will be heard on a program of Bluff
ton high school musical talent at the
auditorium, Friday night at 8 o’clock
directed by John Martin, music su
pervisor.
On the program will appear num
bers by boys and girls glee clubs and
a mixed chorus together with those
solo and ensemble groups which ap
peared in the northwest district mu
sic contest held at Bowling Green
last Saturday.
Sail Thursday From
New York For India
Dr. and Mrs. Bradford Steiner
and daughter Nanette and Rev. and
Mrs. Chas. Warren and daughter
Beth Ann will sail from New York,
Thursday enroute to India where
they will join Rev. and Mrs. Ezra
Steiner, formerly of this place, en
gaged in foreign mission work.
Dr. Steiner, a physician, and Mrs.
Warren the former Anita Steiner,
are the son and daughter of Rev.
and Mrs. Steiner.
Rev. Warren and family spent last
summer here when he was supply
pastor at the Ebenezer Mennonite
church.
After sailing from New York on
the freighter Flying Enterprise, they
will be on the water about 28 days.
After .landing in India they will be
gin a long overland trip north to the
Tibetan border, a wild and moun
taineous region, the last 100 miles
of which must be made on foot or
horseback.
For many years Rev. and Mrs.
Steiner have been engaged in mis
sionary work among the natives of
that district.
SPRING BUILDING
BOOM GETS OFF
TO EARLY START
Three New Houses, Under Con
struction Excavations for
Four Others
Activity Centers in West Elm
and East Jefferson Street
Districts
Stolen Bluffton Car
Found At Wapakoneta
A Chevrolet coupe belonging to
William Edwards, manager of the
Basinger furniture store stolen here
Monday morning was found undam
aged at Wapakoneta in thQ after
noon.
The car disappeared shortly after
Edwards had parked it on Vine
street near the side entrance to his
place of business.
Continued Rains Prolong Delay In
Spring Tillage Already Month Late
With three new houses started in
late winter in various stages of com
pletion, and excavations completed
for four other structures, present
indications are that this spring and
summer will see BlufTtva’s most act
ive building boom since the pre-war
era when the town’s residential ex
pansion program was in high gear.
Acute shortage of houses in the
tdwn, plus the availability of car
penters now’ rather than later in the
season, has precipitated an unusual
(Continued on page 2)
Harold Montgomery, wrho operates
a newsstand on North Main street
reported seeing three youths furtive
ly examining cars a short time be
fore Edwards’ coupe disappeared.
Wapakoneta police w’ho found the
Bluffton car abondoned reported a
Wapakoneta car was missing, indi
cating that thieves who took the
coupe here continued their flight in
another car.
College Announces
Graduation Speaker
Dr. Clarence Macartney of Pitts
burgh will deliver the class address
at the commencement, exercises of
Bluffton college on Monday morning,
June 2, it was announced the first
of the week by Dr. Lloyd Ramseyer,
president of the college here.
Dr. Macartney, pastor of the First
Presbyterian church of that city for
the past twenty years is prominent
in the denomination also as an auth
or and lecturer.
Plans for the latest proposed resi
dential building addition to the town
struck a snag this week, with decis
ion by the municipal council that the
depleted condition of the village
treasury will not permit shouldering
an extensive financial outlay re
quired in filling in two deep ravines
for a street thru the Mrs. Sarah
Matter subdivision, running east
from the bend of Kibler street.
Starting at the Kibler street
curve, the proposed addition would
consist of 13 lots, 60 feet wide and
175 feet deep, along the line fence
on the Matter farm. A street fol-
Farmers Await Clearing Weath
er to Begin Long Overdue
Plowing.
Oats Acreage Facing Drastic
Cut Large Acreage Planters
Hard Hit.
With the spring tillage season al
ready delayed more than a month
by the inclement weather of March
and April, farmers who had taken
on additional acreage for this sum
mer’s operations were busy revising
their crop plans as it became ap
parent all of this year’s plowing
must be gotten out of the way in
a comparatively short period of
time.
Filling Required For Street Causes
Hitch In Plans For Matter Addition
Altho the late spring has compli
cated work schedules on all area
farms, those hardest hit have been
farmers who rented additional land,
banking on a season similar to that
of 1946 when there was an early
spring.
Now, with tillage barely started,
except in especially favorable spots,
farmers with a lot of acreage are
busy re-mapping their crop schedules
to suit the seasonal complications
that a late spring has brought.
Oats Acreage Cut
That little oats will be sowed is
a foregone conclusion, and ground
intended for the grain will be used
instead as meadowland or for com
or soybeans, farm observers pointed
out this week.
Once a break in the weather per
mits farmers to get into their fields,
tractors will run day and night, in
an effort to make up some of the
time lost, but operators who have
extended their operations this year
will find themselves hard-pressed to
keep up with the rush of concentrat
ed spring work.
Patricia Huber
Weds Olin Herr
Miss Patrician Joan Huber, daugh
ter of Mr. and Mrs. Waldo Huber,
of near Bluffton, became the bride
of Olin Herr, of Bentley road, in a
quiet ceremony restricted to the fam
ily last Sunday afternoon in the St.
John’s Evangelical and Reformed
church.
Rev. Vernon C. Oppermann, pastor
of the church, officiated at the dou
ble-ring ceremony.
Attendant of the groom was James
Lewis, a nephew, and Miss Dorothy
Lugibihl was bridemaid.
The bride entered on the arm of
her brother, Wade Huber, who gave
her in marriage. Miss Margaret
Groman played nuptial music and
the wedding march for the ceremony.
Donald Herr, another nephew of the
groom, sang.
The bride wore a two-piece aqua
crepe dress and a white rose cor
sage, and the bridesmaid was in a
dusty rose crepe dress, with white
rose corsage.
Following the wedding a recep
tion was held at the home of the
bride’s parents. After a short wed
ding trip, the young couple will
make their home in Lima where both
are employed.
Heermann Trio To
Play Here Tuesday
Appearing as the final presenta
tion in the 1946-47 Bluffton College
Concert series, the Heermann trio
will present a concert at 8 p. m.
Tuesday night of next week in the
Ramseyer chapel.
In the celebrated trio are Emil
Heermann, violin Walter Heermann,
violincello, and John Quincy Bass,
piano.
Emil Heermann is concertmaster
of the Cincinnati Symphony orches
tra and his brother occupies first
stand in the Symphony. All three
musicians who will appear here are
on the faculty of the Cincinnati Con
servatory of Music.
lowing the fence would be joined
with Jackson street, under the pro
posed plan for the subdivision.
Action taken by the council was
in the form of an alternative pro
posal whereby the building addition
would be accepted if the owner
would agree to do all filling required
for the street, with the council to
do finish grading and surfacing.
It was pointed out at the meeting
that the town’s financial condition
does not permit expenditure of funds
for streets in new building additions
over and beyond the finish grading
and surfacing.
IHE BLUFFTON NEWS
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
BLUFFTON, OHIO THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 1947
2,000 HIGH SCHOOL
STUDENTS COMING
FOR MUSIC MEET
Northwest District Audition at
High School Here This
Saturday.
Forty-one Schools Are Sending
Delegations to Music
Contest.
Approximately 2,000 students
representing 41 high sch-.ols will be
in Bluffton Saturday for competition
in the annual Northwestern Ohio
High school music auditions, to be
held in the Bluffton High school
building under auspices of the Bluff
ton college department of music.
Entered in the various classifica
tions are 53 choruses, 20 bands and
three orchestras. Three sessions will
be required for choral group compe
tition, with the start of programs
set at 8 a. m., 1 p. m. and 7 p. m.
The morning and afternoon sessions
will be in the high school auditorium,
and the evening program in the
gymnasium.
Morning and afternoon competition
is scheduled for instrumental groups
in the gymnasium.
75 Piece Band
Largest groups expected to appear
in the all-day session will be the
Lima South band of 76 pieces, and
the Toledo Libbey chorus of 67
voices. Bands appearing will be in
uniform, with an average of 50
musicians in each unit. Choruses
will average 50 voices, and orchestras
have an average of 35 players.
School competition will be in
Classes A. B. BB, and CC, depend
ing on enrollment, it was announced.
Prof. Russell A. Lantz, director of
the college music department, said
here has been a high school music
contest here every spring for the last
15 years.
Competing schools and music
directors of the institutions include
the following:
Bluff ton,, JphpH. Swriin 1’andora,
Earl Lehman, Bluffton College grad
uate Ada, Orlo O. Springer Col.
Grove, Betty Lusk Rawson, Mary E.
Stearns McComb, Frank Spirk
Vanlue, Ralph Balmer, Bluffton Col
lege Student, Senior Continental,
Pauline Spuser Delta, Richard W.
Damback Ohio City, Melvin R.
West Wren, Richard E. Weldon
i Deshler, Ruth Burkhard, Bluffton
College graduate Ottawa Hills, Carl
L. Snyder Holgate, C. M. Wilson
Hicksville, C. W. Zimmerman Con
voy Dorothy Hofner Malinta, Hoyt
C. Sprow.
Haviland-Scott, Richard M. Cof
felt Ottawa, Winnifred M. Jones
Grand Rapids, Harold L. Will Ris
ing Sun, Margaret Clifford Tontog
any, Josephine Davis Wayne, Mar
jorie Engle Libbey, Harold Mc
Clure Mt. Blanchard, Ralph Balmer
Delphos, Max Brillhart Leipsic,
Charles H. Garster Lafayette, Doyt
Yoakam Shawnee, Homer Mitchell
Van Wert, Harold E. Mohr Galion,
F. A. W. Liddell.
Kenton, Herbert A. Murphy
Crestline, Mrs. Gregg Pennington
Fostoria, Richard Downes Kalida,
Janet Bigler Perrysburg, L. B.
Peters Vaughnsville, O. C. Reihl
Lima, Harold Clark, Lima Central
I Lima, Charles E. Luoma, Lima
South Hoaglin-Jaekson, Owen Rob
erts Union Township, Owen Roberts.
Swiss Folk Program
Here Friday, May 2
Swiss songs and stories will be
featured in a Swiss evening program
to be presented in the Bluffton High
school auditorium at 8 p. m. Friday,
May 2.
The entire program will be con
ducted in the Swiss language, with
Swiss songs and stories featured on
the program. Accordion music will
be another feature of the presenta
tion.
On the committee making plans
for the evening are Hiram Kohli,
Philip Hilty, Levi Althaus and Wil
helm Amstutz.
Real Estate Deals
John Klingler has purchased the
Gazette property at North Main and
Washington streets and is remodel
ing the residence.
Carl Devier of Lima, formerly of
Bluffton, has purchased the Rolland
Stratton property on South Main
street and will move here in June.
The Stratton family will move to
Lima.
Tea Leaves
All tea, green and black, grows on
the same kind of bush. Different
varieties result from differences in
climate, location, soil and methods
of processing the leaves.
Mr. and Mrs. Wilson Hawk, pio
neer Bluffton residents will observe
their 65th wedding anniversary at
Uleir home on South Jackson street,
Sunday. A family dinner will be
held at noon in honor of the occa
sion.
Mrs. Hawk, the former Electa
Hall, is aged 83 years and her
husband 88. The couple were mar
ried at her home near Lafayette on
April 27, 1882. Both are natives
of the Lafayette area.
They have lived in Bluffton for
60 years, the last 53 of which were
at their present location. For many
years Mr. Hawk was engaged in the
livery business and also operated a
bus service.
The couple have two sons, Guy
Hawk of Belvidere, III., and Edmund
of Bowling Green and one daughter,
Mrs. H. H. Huser of Bluffton.
Mrs. Hawk has one sister, Mrs.
Florence Bogart of Bluffton and two
brothers, B. F. Hall of Lafayette
and J. C. Hall of San Antonio,
Texas.
New Auto, Tractors,
To Be Sold A
Sale Here on May 3 Will Be
Largest of Kind Held In
This Area.
Many Scarce New Items and
Long List of Used Merchan
dise Will be Sold.
House-to-house solicitation for used
items to be offered in Bluffton’s Com
munity Auction sale, which has
grown to huge proportions, will be
started this Friday by campaign
workers representing the Presbyter
ian church talent program, sponsor
of the auction.
Bluffton Couple Will Observe Sixty
fifth Wedding Anniversary Sunday
Articles will be sold at the auction
on Saturday, May 3 on a commission
basis, or as a donation, whichever
plan is agreeable to the contributor.
A telephone canvass of the rural
area also will be made by the church
workers.
Many hard-to-get new items, still
on the post-war shortage list, will
be features of the auction offering,
including a new automobile, two new
tractors, a new refrigerator, wash
ing machine, electric range, etc.
As plans for the auction took
final steps this week, the sale com
mittee also was receiving contribu
tions of used merchandise, and there
was every indication the sale will be
the largest of its kind ever held in
this area.
A partial listing of the many items
which will go to the highest bidder
is in this week’s issue of The Bluff
ton News.
Endorsement of the auction as an
advertising medium and sales pro
motion venture for the town has
been made by the Bluffton Business
Men’s association, and merchants
are cooperating in the consigning of
merchandise to be .offered for sale.
Participation is open to all resi
dents of the area having new or
used items for sale, including furni
ture, livestock, farm produce, house
hold appliances, etc.
Items to be offered for sale are to
be listed with Clair Fett, chairman
of the auction committee.
200 Women Attend
Presbyterial Here
More than 200 women from 26
churches in Lima Presbytery attend
ed the annual spring meeting of
Lima Presbyterial held in the Pres
byterian church here Wednesday.
Morning and afternoon sessions
were held.
Principal speaker at the afternoon
session was Dr. Emilio Rodriguez
Busto, superintendent of Presbyter
ian school in Cuba who spoke on
educational conditions in that coun-
try.
Three Bluffton High school stu
dents received “superior” ratings,
and four others were classed as
“excellent” in Northwestern Ohio
district solo music auditions held
last Saturday at Bowling Green
university.
Students rated “superior” in the
competition are eligible to compete
in state finals at Columbus next
month.
Bluffton students in the “superior”
class included Paul Bixel, flute solo,
and Eleanor Linden and Mary K.
Bauman, piano solo.
College Booster
Banquet May 12
Bluffton college booster banquet,
an annual affair which was dropped
during the war, will be resumed this
spring with the first post-war dinner
to be held in the high school gym
nasium on Monday night, May 12.
Announcement was made by Hi
ram Diller of Pandora, chairman of
the committee on arrangements.
Other committee members are Armin
Hauenstein and Edwin Amstutz of
Bluffton.
L. L. Rummell of Cincinnati, pub
lic relations director of the Kroger
company and dean-elect of Ohio
State university college of agricul
ture will be the after-dinner speaker.
Rummell was formerly editor of the
Ohio Farmer, an agricultural publi
cation.
Toastmaster will be Dr. Oliver Dil
ler of the Wooster Experiment Sta
tion, Bluffton college alumnus.
Refrigerators
Community Auction
ROGER HOWE IS
NAMED AS HARMON
FIELD SUPERVISOR
Three Months* Playground Sea
son from June 1 to Sept. 1
Announced
Community Recreation Com
mittee Outlines Plans for
Coming Summer
Plans for a continuation of organ
ized recreational activity at Harmon
field during the coming summer sea
son were mapped last week by the
Bluffton Recreation committee, a
group sponsored by the Bluffton
Business Men’s association, which
last year revived the program after
several years of inactivity.
Roger Howe, Bluffton college
athlete and a veteran of World War
II, was named recreation director by
the group, and will head up the
three-months’ summer program.
Howe is a graduate of Bluffton High
school, and since his return from
military service has starred on
Bluffton college sports teams.
Kent Cotterman, Bluffton High
school coach, who served as recrea
tion director last summer, was not
a candidate for the position this
year.
The field will be opened to child
ren of the town, under direction of
Howe, on June 1, with the summer
program continuing a full three
months until September 1.
Organized play, however, such as
softball leagues, etc., will not start
until mid-June and will end about
August 15, the recreation committee
decided.
Three Bluffton High Musicians Get
Superior Ratings In District Meet
Average daily attendance at the
field last summer for children’s
activities numbered 75, and about
100 men and youths of high school
age participated in softball league
play.
To provide facilities for tennis, the
Harmon field courts will be kept in
shape this year. W. A. Howe was
employed as caretaker.
Hire Engineer For
High School Building
Bluffton board of education has
hired Paul Clark of Grove and Jack
son streets as engineer at the high
school building at an annual salary
of $1,800.
Clark, who took up his duties at
the school Monday, fills the vacancy
caused by the death of Wesley Ever
sole who died suddenly two weeks
ago, the victim of a heart attack.
Those in the “excellent” class were
Mary Smucker, violin Treva Alt
haus, alto solo Donald Herr, bass
solo and Ruth Irene Diller, piano
solo.
Lyman Hofstetter was rated “very
good” in the tenor solo class.
Other awards in the district were:
Jeanne Sumney, Lafayette, and
Phyllis Lenz, Beaverdam, excellent
in the alto solo class: Allan Lacock,
Beaverdam, excellent in piano solo
Robert Niswander, Richland, very
good in baritone solo.
BLUFFTON
A Good Place To Trade
NUMBER 1
HARRY F. BARNES
DIES WAS ACTIVE
IN CIVIC AFFAIRS
BKilUon Agriculture Teach Also
Served on Board of Public
Affairs.
Death at 1 a. m. Sunday Fol
lows Third Attack of Heart
Trouble.
Harry F. Barnes, 53, member of
tlid board of public affairs and Bluff
ton High school vocational agricul
ture instructor, died unexpectedly in
his home Sunday morning at 1 oclock
after suffering three heart attacks
within a space of about four hours.
Apparently in good health until
Saturday evening, Barnes suffered
the first attack about 9 p. m., anoth
er at 10:30, and the third immediate
ly preceding his death.
An instructor in Bluffton High
school for the last 18 years, he had
been active in community affairs. He
Was serving his second term as a
member of the board of public af
fairs, and was a candidatee for re
election on the Republican ticket in
next November’s election. He also
was a member of the Lions club. Ha
was also secretary for many years
of Bluffton’s Mid-Winter fair.
Honoring his services as an over
seas veteran of the first World War,
a uniformed squad made up of mem
bers of Bluffton post, American Le
gion, conducted military funeral ser
vices at his grave in Maple Grove
cemetery.
Funeral Tuesday
Funeral services w’ere held Tuesday
afternoon in the First Presbyterian
church, with school classes dismissed
for the afternoon. Rev. Ernest Big
elow, pastor of the church, officiated.
Bom September 20, 1893, Barnes is
survived by his father and step
mother, Mr. and Mrs. Wilson A.
Barnes, of Huntsburg, Ohio.
Also surviving is his widow, the
former Alice M. Kathary, whom he
married December 24, 1917 and two
daughters, Mrs. Rosalie Rakosky, of
Bluffton, and Miss Rosemary Barnes,
of Gallipolis. A brother, lives in
Huntsburg.
The municipal council will name a
successor to serve the remainder of
Barnes’ term on the board of public
affairs. Expiration date of the term
is December 31 of this year.
A replacement candidate on the
Republican ticket for next fall’s elec
tion may be named by the party com
mittee, under provisions of Ohio
election laws.
Mrs. Polly Painter,
88, Dies Here Monday
Mrs. Polly Painter, 88, one of
Bluffton’s oldest residents, died in
her home at 8:05 a. m. Monday, fol
lowing a short illness.
Funeral services were held in the
Paul Diller funeral home at 2:30
p. m. Wednesday, with Rev. E. J.
fPenfiorwood officiating. Burial in
the Hasson cemetery.
Born in Orange township, she
married Samuel J. Painter, who pre
ceded her in death.
I Sufvivors include four daughters:
Mrs. Jennie Geiger, Bluffton Mrs.
L. M. Grant, Hudson, Mich. Mrs.
Ora Smith, Akron and Mrs. Nora
Miller, Toledo and two sons, Frank
Painter, at home, and Edward
Painter, Lima. There are 33 grand
children 112 great-grandchildren,
and 39 great-great-grandchildren.
Rev. Harmony Resigns
As Lutheran Pastor
Rev. W. L. Harmony, pastor of
the Evangelical Lutheran church,
Bluffton, and the Findlay Trinity
Lutheran church, for the last 14
years, has resigned to accept a pas
torate in Springfield.
Rev. Harmony’s resignation be
comes effective on May 18, and his
faintly will move to Springfield
shortly after that date. He became
pastor of the local church in June,
1933.
Butter Drops To 61
Cents On Wednesday
Butter retailed in Bluffton for 61
cent® a pound Wednesday, a drop of
six cents under the price a week ago.
Price of butterfat to dairy farm
ers took a sharper drop. Wednes
day morning’s quotation of 57 cents
was 11 cents lower than the price
of 69 cents one week previous.
Dealers here said the price slump
was nationwide, being a combination
of anticipation of a larger supply
of butterfat coming in May and
June and also consumer resistance to
high butter prices.