The Bluffton news. [volume], June 08, 1950, Image 1

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BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Live
VOLUME LXXV
ESTIMATE COST OF
PROJECT WILL RUN
$20,000
Newly Organized Junior Cham
ber of Commerce is Promot
ing Proposal
Representatives Confer with
Council on Details at Meet
ing Monday
A drive will be launched early
this summer to raisef unds for con
struction of a new municipal swim
ming pool here, members of the
Bluffton council were told Monday
night by representatives of the newly
organized Junior Chamber of Com
merce.
With the Jaycees spearheading the
campaign, all community organiza
tions will be represented in planning
of the pool, selection of the site and
the solicitation program, it was an
nounced.
Approximate cost of the pool will
range from $20,000 to $40,000, de
pending on the size and facilities
provided, spokesmen for the Junior
Chamber of Commerce said.
Trustees For Funds
Councilmen were requested to co
operate by naming one member of a
board of trustees to receive and
handle the funds, and appointed
James F. West, cashier of the Citi
zen’s National Bank, as their repre
sentative.
Two other ti-ustees also will be
named: One by the board of educa
tion and the other by the Junior
Chamber of Commerce.
Details of the solicitation cam
pa’Jlgn will be announced within the
next few weeks and the drive will
get under way sopn, the council was
told.
Representing the Jaycees at the
meeting were Robert Simcox, Charles
Hankish, Jr., and Paul Reichenbach.
Swank Elected As
Legion Post Head
Gerald Swank was chosen com
mander of Bluffton Legion post for
the coming year at the annual elec
tion of officers held Monday night.
Other officers are:
Vice commander, John Stonehill
adjutant and treasurer, James Stone
hill chaplain, Rev. Paul Cramer as
sistant, Quinten Burkholder service
officer, Stanley Basinger Sgt.-at
arms, Paul Geiser color bearers,
Chas. Hankish, Jr., and Charles
Conrad.
115 In Vacation
Church School
Enrollment of 115 is reported in
the community vacation church
school which opened Monday morn
ing in the grade school building.
Sessions are being held daily
starting at 9 a. m. Activities of the
opening day were devoted to regis
tration, division into class groups
and othei* preliminaries.
In addition to the regular church
school staff a number of young peo
ple are assisting as helpers in the
program, and others are invited to
participate.
Recreation for the students is di
rected by Robert Hearne, Bluffton
recreation director for the summer
season.
Addresses State
Lions Convention
Dr. Gordon Bixel, Bluffton optom
etrist ,was one of the speakers at
the state convention of Lions clubs
held at the Gibson hotel, Cincinnati,
Sunday and Monday.
The Bluffton man addressed the
meeting Sunday afternoon on the
subiect of Telebinocular Technique.
Those from Bluffton attending the
convention were Dr. and Mrs. Bixel,
Mr. and Mrs. Forrest Steinman and
Dwight Spayth.
BLUFFTON MARKETS
Wednesday Morning
Grain (bushel prices) Wheat,
$1.97 com, $1.40 oats, 85c soys,
$2.95.
Eggs—Large white, 27c large
brown, 25c medium white, 22c
medium brown, 21c pullets, 19c.
Poultry—Heavy hens, 19c Leghorn
hens, 16c heavy fryers, 28c Leghorn
fryers, 22c heavy stags, 11c Leg
horn stags, 10c.
Butterfat—No. 1, 56c No. 2, 51c.
Bluffton’s population in the 1950
census climbed to a mark of 2,411,
a gain of 334 over 1940, according
to incomplete, unofficial figures re
leased Saturday.
With the population increase of
334 representing a 17% boost over
the 1940 census total of 2,077 Bluff
ton’s gain during the last decade
was greater proportionally than in
any other Allen county municipality,
the unofficial report shows.
The bride’s father will perform
the open ceremony at 4:30 p. m.
and a reception for relatives and
close friends of the family will fol
low in the Musselman Library im
mediately after the ceremony.
In event of rain the wedding will
take place in the college chapel. The
ceremony will be open to friends ot
the family.
Miss Helen Burgess will be maid
of honor, and bridesmaids will be
Mrs. Robert Blank and Mrs. Jerome
Herr, sisters of the bride, Miss Paul
ine Shaw, and Mrs. John Clark, sis
ter-in-law of the bride. Flower girls
are to be Barbara Lamphier and
Paulette Clark, nieces of the bride
elect.
Robert Sommers will be best man.
Jerome Herr and Robert Blank,
brothers-in-law of the bride-eject,
Samuel Buhler and Lester Kliiger
will serve as ushers. David Blank
and Robert Blank, nephews of the
bride-elect will be the ring bearers.
Song Recital At
Findlay College
Mrs. Don Winterrowd will pre
sent Margaret Diller and Robert
Sinsher, both college seniors in a
song recital Thursday at 8:30 p. m.
in the Findlay College auditorium.
Advanced students appearing on
the first half of the program at 8
p. m. are David Wagner, Keith Mil
ler, Charlene Young, Robert Weaver,
Don Sutton, Peggy Paul and Bon
nie Wedge.
Accompanist for Miss Diller will
be Jean Ann Szabo. Miss Diller
will sing:
Lascia ch’io pianga Handel
Caro Mio Ben Giordani
Still Wie Die Nacht-... Bohm
Solvejg’s Song Grieg
Lullaby Scott
Four Ducks on a Pond Needham
Do Not Go My Love .....Hageman
Love Went-a-Riding Bridge
Couple Weds In
Methodist Church
Wedding of Miss Carolyn Stone
hill, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Clar
ence Stonehill of South Main street
and Richard Bucher, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Sylvan Bucher of Lima took
place in the Methodist church here
Saturday afternoon* at 2:30 o’clock.
The pastor, Rev. Paul Cramer, offi
ciated. The couple was attended by
Mr. and Mrs. Donald Ruggley.
Following the ceremony the couple
'eft on a short wedding trip after
which »they will reside at 84712 W.
Spring street, Lima.
The bride is a graduate of Bluff
ton high school and employed in the
office of the Lima Ordnance plant.
The bridegroom is employed at Fol
land-Hall auto sales, Lima.
Hearing On Lantz
Case Is Postponed
Court hearing in the Mrs. Mabel
Lantz suit to collect back salary and
obtain reinstatement as a teacher in
the Bluffton public school system was
delayed again this week with post
ponement of a scheduled trial in
Allen county common pleas court.
Originally set for Monday morn
’ng of this week, the trial was re
scheduled for 9 a. m. Monday, June
26.
The postponement was made by
Judge Tudor, of Kenton, who will
hear the case, following a request
in which attorneys representing both
narties in the case agreed.
Summer Campaign for Swimming Pool Fund
Based on incomplete returns from
Plan Outdoor
Wedding Sunday
Miss Carol Jane Clark, daughter
of Rev. and Mrs. J. Paul Clark, of
South Main street, will become the
bride of Lewis R. McPheron next
Sunday afternoon at 4:30 on the
Bluffton college May Day grounds.
The bridegroom is the son of the
late Nelson McPheron and Sylvia
May Putnam of Cleveland.
Bluffton s Gain of 17 Per Cent in
Population is Largest in County
!the town’s two enumeration districts,
the Bluffton population total is
subject to revision upwards when
final tabulations are completed, ac
cording to census workers.
Were You Missed?
Complete tabulations will- be draft
ed within the next week, and anyone
missed in the village enumeration is
requested to promptly contact the
county census office, 114 N. West
street, in Lima, so that final re
turns will give a true picture of the
town.
All enumeration portfolios are to
be shipped to Washington D. C. by
the end of this month.
In the incomplete returns, Beaver
dam’s population count was set at
453, a gain of 76 during the last
10 years. Cairo’s population of 490
represented a gain of 56. Lafayette
gained 32 residents for a total of
443.
Outside of Lima, population 49,100,
and Delphos, population 3,415 (Allen
county portion), Bluffton is the larg
est town in the country. Spencer
ville ranks next to Bluffton with a
population of 1,826.
Bob Burkholder To
Coach At Jackson
Robert Burkholder, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Harvey Burkholder, west of
Bluffton, and a guard last winter on
Ohio State university’s Big Ten
chamiponship basketball team, has
been named head basketball coach at
Jackson, Ohio, high school.
In addition to his basketball du
ties, Burkholder also will serve as
baseball coach and assistant football
mentor at the school.
An outstanding athlete at Bluffton
High school, Burkholder went from
here to Ohio State, where he was a
varsitja basketball guard for three
seasons Last winter he received
honorable mention on the all-con
ference team.
Last year Burkholder served as
Harmon field recreation director,
and had been rehired for the coming
season. He resigned last week.
Real Estate Deal
Roger Berky has purchased the
Weldon Deppler property on Bent
ley road. Mr. and Mrs. Berky and
family will occupy the residence and
Mr. and Mrs. Deppler and family
will move to the Chamberlain apart
ments. The transaction was band
ied by Mrs. H. W. Althaus.
Triplett Softball Teai
Jenera Here
To fill an open date in their
league schedule, the Triplett soft
bail team will play a non-loop tilt
with Jenera under the lights at
Harmon field next Tuesday night.
The contest will start at 8:30
p. m.
In a Tri-County league game last
Tuesday night, the Triplett nine
copped a 2 to 1 decision frpm Co
lumbus Grove Jeeps, at Columbus
Grove.
Gene Beach, of the Bluffton out
fit, had the better of a pitcher’s bat
tle with B. Parsons and came up
with his second win of he season.
Beach gave up only three scattered
hits in the seven-inning game, while
his mound opponent was granting
six.
Winning margin of the Bluffton
team came as a result of the heavy
clouting of Coach Red Lowry, play
ing in the outfield who pounded out
a home run and a double in three
official chances.
Score by innings:
Bluffton 011 000 0—2
Grove 000 001 0—1
Bluffton’s outdoor summer recrea
tion program got under way Tues
day after Robert Hearne, a 1950
graduate at Bluffton college, had
beeg hired a srecreation director for
the next three months.
Hearne’s appointment to the
recreation position came within a
week after the resignation of Robert
Burkholder, director of playground
and field activities last summer. He
resigned on May 27 after being
named head basketball coach at
Jackson, O., for the coming winter.
In this summer’s recreation pro
gram launched Monday, morning
activities will be conducted on the
THE BLUFFTON NEWS
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
BLUFFTON, OHIO, THURSDAY, JUNE 8, 1950
Higher Telephone Rates Now in Effect
POST OFFICE WILL
MAKE MORE MAIL
SERVICE CHANGES
Two Deliveries in Business
Section Will Start Next
Monday
Windows to lose at 530 p. m.
Last Outgoing Mail Closes
at 6:30
Additional changes in Bluffton’s
postal service, to comply with a
nation-wide campaign to reduce post
office department expenditures, were
announced this week by Postmaster
Ed R. Reichenbach.
Beginning next Monday, windows
at the local office will close one
half hour earlier Monday thru Fri
day, at 5:30 .m. instead of 6 p. m.,
as in the past.
Windows will close on Saturday at
o’clock noon, instead of 1 ,m. as
in the past.
Business Deliveries
Twice-a-day deliveries will be
resumed in the business district,
after a once-daily trial period during
the last five weeks. The residential
district, however, will continue to
receive mail only once a day.
The business district in which
there will be deliveries twice daily
except Saturday is north on Main
street from the post office to Mil
ler’s Buick garage and the Steiner
Chevrolet garage at the Elm street
intersection, it was announced.
Last collection of outside mail for
dispatch on the evening train, begin
ning next week, wifi be at 6:30 m.
instead of 7:30 .m., as previously.
Hours Reduced
Hours of extra employes at the
postoffice will be slashed as a re
sult of the curtailment in local
delivery service.
Nation-wide curtailment in postal
service was ordered by the Post
master General to reduce postal ex
penditures, and the final program is
to be in operation in all communities
by July 1 of this year.
SERIOUSLY ILL
A. L. Baumgartner is seriously ill
at his home on South Main street
following a stroke ten days ago.
n To Play
Next Tuesday Night
Births
The following births at Bluffton
hospital:
Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Hutchinson,
Lima, a girl, Judith Ann, Thursday.
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Hilty, Pan
dora, a boy, Jeffrey Alan, Friday.
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Rosebrook,
Ottawa, a girl, Jennifer Ann, Fri
day.
Mr. and Mrs. Warren Rankin,
Dunkirk, a boy, Thomas Reed, Sun
day.
Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Patterson,
Fincftay, a girl, Linda Suzanne, Mon
day.
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Haban, Jr.,
Bluffton, a girl, Catherine Ann, Mon
day.
Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Short, Lima,
a girl, Diane Allyn, born at St.
Rita’s hospital May 30. Mr. Short
is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Elmer
Short here.
Program Opens at Harmon Field
grade school grounds. Afternoon
recreation at Harmon field is schedul
ed from 1 to 4 .m. for children.
Softball Leagues
An attempt will be made to
organize a softball league for boys
of high school age, and Recreation
Director Hearne also is investigating
the possibility of setting up a league
for men, to play under the lights.
Anyone interested is urged to con
tact Hearne, and if there are enough
players the league will be launched.
Swimming trips by bus to Schoon
over lake in Lima are planned, be
ginning late rin the month, with the
starting date set for June 20. Free
transportation for youngsters will be
Class Speaker Tells Commence
ment Audience Faith and
Ideals Still Stand
America. World’s Richest Na
tion Filled with Anxious
Fear-ridden People
Reliance on faith and ideals rath
er than material things to rescue
the world from its present morass
of international relations was recom
mended by Dr. D. Elton Trueblood
in the class address at Bluffton col
lege graduation exercises in the
First Mennonite church, Monday
morning.
His subject was “The Responsi
bility of the Enkindled.”
Dr. Trueblood, president of Earl
ham college, Richmond, Ind., and a
distinguished author and speaker
spoke to an audience which jammed
to capacity the church auditorium.
Appearing in a light summer suit
without academic robes, the speaker
looked the part of a successful busi
ness executive who might have been
outlining a new commercial venture
to a group of associates.
Presents Quaker Viewpoint
Himself a Quaker, coming from a
line of Quaker ancestry and head
of a Quaker college he gave a mas
terful presentation of the position of
his denomination as he indicted na
tions for their failure to achieve
peace on the basis of material re
sources.
All the more damning was his in
dictment because of the dispassionate
and factual presentation of his evi
dence as he pointed to successive
failures which he charged stemmed
Five Man Panel Named by
Director of Education to
Hear Case
Bluffton, Orange Township and
Hancock Board Members
Represented
Petitioned transfer of sections of
the west half of Orange township to
the Bluffton school district has been
taken under advisement by the Ohio
Department of Education, following
a hearing Wednesday of last week in
Columbus.
The petitioned transfer, which
earlier had been refused by the Han
cock county board of education, was
heard by the Ohio assistant director
of education, R. M. Eyman, and four
members of the state department.
During the hearing, representa
tives of the petitioners presented a
map of the affected districts for
consideration by the state depart
ment.
After consideration by state school
officials, the matter will come to a
conclusion without action if they
agree with the Hancock county board
of education’s refusal to transfer the
affected areas to the Bluffton district.
Should the state board decide
there should be further investigation
of the merits of the case, a hearing
will be ordered to be held in Orange
township during the summer.
Among those at the Columbus
hearing last week were Supt. A. B.
Murray and Rev. V. C. Oppermann,
president of the Bluffton board of
education Hancock County School
Supt. H. S. Joseph, and a group
representing Orange township peti-i
tioners including Jesse A. Anderson.
Carl Marshall, Truman Bixel, Amos
Klingler, Harry Anderson, Will
Beagle, Evered Bish, C. W. Klingler
and Adrian Pifer.
provided each Tuesday and Thurs
day.
College Grad
Hearne, who graduated this week
from Bluffton college, is a resident
of Beaverburg, where he lives with
his wife and one child.
A veteran of World War II, he
played football and baseball at
Bluffton, and was in charge of col
lege intra-mural sports for the last
two years.
In employing Hearne for the com
ing summer season, the Bluffton
Recreation committee, sponsor of the
program, set his salary on an hourly
basis. He will receive $1 per hour,
not to exceed 40 hours a week.
Money And Guns Have Failed To Solve
World’s Problems, Says College Speaker
State Department Hears Petitions
For Transfer Of Orange School Area
from a reliance on guns and money.
“America,” he said, “most modern
nation in the world, richest in his
tory, with all the food we can eat,
all the cars we want, education free
for the asking, more clothing than
we can wear and winners of the big
gest war in history—not happy and
contented but full of anxiety and
looking apprehensively to a third
world war.”
Russia Wins by Preaching
Conversion of China to commun
ism he termed as especially tragic—
the country with its millions that
looked for generations to this coun
ry as their example is now lost to
the western world.
“We tried to block the spread of
communism with money and guns—
we failed—Russia did it by preach
ing its ideals and won,” the speaker
said.
“The world thinks of us as stodgy
old people, protectors of privilege
and upholders of the status quo.
This is not our position—Americans
have traditionally been preachers of
faith—not dispensers of guns,” he
continued.
Directing a challenge to the record
class of 70 seniors, Dr. Trueblood
emphasized that the institutions of
learning and faith—schools and the
church—are the only ones which can
“build up” a world-wide moral
responsibility.
“Irresponsible men anywhere on
the globe can jeopardize the lives of
the world’s population, and absolute
power without moral responsibility
can mean the end of the world,” the
class speaker declared.
Combat Materialism
“The central core of communism is
not the politics but its philosophy of
direlect materialism,” he continued.
(Continued on page 10)
ZVeic Traffic Light
Cost To Be $191
Replacement of Bluffton’s three
downtown traffic lights on Main
street saved the town approximately
$1,100 by purchasing new signals
instead of attempting to repair the
existing lights, it was pointed out
this week.
Total cost of the three new lights,
including installation, will be $494.35.
To repair the old system, includ
ing remodeling lights and installa
tion of a new cable, would have en
tailed an expenditure of $1,654.10.
With the new light system, a separ
ate cable is not required and the
control is attached to the regular
Main street lighting circuit.
Installation of an automatic block
ing device to turn all lights red in
case of fire runs, which has been
considered, would cost extra.
Waste Paper Drive
To Be Held Saturday
Bluffton Boy Scout Troop No. 56
will conduct a waste paper collec
tion drive in Bluffton next Saturday
morning, and householders are re
quested to have papers ready for the
tiucks early in the morning.
Proceeds from the drive will be
used to help finance the scout camp
ing period this summer.
It is planned to start the collec
tion of paper at 10 a. m. and com
plete the drive as near noon as pos
sible.
New Walk For
Jefferson Bridge
New planks in the walk across
the Jefferson street bridge will be
put into place this week by the
town street crew, and repairs are
to be effected to the walk on the
College Avenue bridge across Big
Riley creek.
Alhough the county maintains the
floor for vehicular traffic on Bluffton
bridges, responsibility for the walks
is the town’s.
Reunions
Spallinger-Garmatter 20th annual
reunion at Ada park, Sunday, June
11. Basket dinner at 12:30 p. m.
Pres., Eli Garmatter sec., Leland
Basinger.
Augsburger family’s 23rd reunion
at Lafayette Park, Lafayette, Sun
day, June 11. Pres., Milton Bader
tscher Sec., Dale Grismore.
Annual Haas reunion will be held
Sunday, June 11 at Pandora high
school building. Melville Basinger,
Sec.
The 22nd annual reunion of the
Nicholas Schaeublin family will be
held Sunday, June 18 at Richland
Grange hall.* Pres., Emma Gratz
Sec., Evelyn Gratz.
BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Trade
NUMBER 8
NEW SCHEDULE
OF CHARGES ON
MONTHLY BILLS
Bluffton Patrons Get First
Notice of Change in Billing
Wednesday
Monthly Increase in Rates Will
Range from 50 Cents to
$2.50
The State Public Utilities Com
mission has granted the increase in
rates sought by the Bluffton Tele
phone company and patrons who re
ceived their monthly statements in
the mail Wednesday morning were
billed at the higher rate.
First news of action of the com
mission in Columbus came when
official word to that effect was re
ceived by* Mayor W. A. Howe and
read at the town council meeting
Monday’ night.
The telephone company’s current
billing for the month of June at the
higher rate followed action of the
commission dated May 31, making
possible the June billing at the
advanced schedule.
Manager Here Not Advised
Maurice Mahoney, local manager
for the company’s properties here
said that he had received no word of
action in regard to the higher rates
until he received copies of the month
ly billing Wednesday morning.
Findings of the commission stated
that the rate increase is justified
since the previous changes were “in
sufficient t» provide the applicant
(Telephone company) with an ade
quate return on the value of its prop
erty* used and useful in the furnish
ing of said service”.
Present rates show an increase in
monthly Willing from 50 cents for
residential users on four-party lines
to a boost of $2.50 for business
places, an increase from 25 to 83
pe cent. 4
New Rate Schedule
New rates now in effect (not in
cluding federal excise tax) are:
One party’ line—Business $6 for
merly $3.50.
Two party’ line—Business $5.50
formerly $3.
One party line—Residence $3.50
formerly $2.25.
Four party line—Residence $2.50
formerly $2.
Rural party line—Business, $4.50
formerly $3.50.
Rural party line—Residence, $2.50
formerly $2.
Altho there was widespread objec
tion from patrons who signed peti
tions claiming that the poor service
facilities provided by the company
did not justify the advance rates, the
town council was advised by’ City
Solicitor John Romey that this would
not be a factor in the decision of the
state commission.
The commission’s decision, Romey
pointed out, would be based entirely
on a study of invested capital of the
utility and its rate of earnings.
At the hearing held by the com
mission in Columbus on May 23,
there were no representatives of
Bluffton groups opposed to the rate
boost.
Karl Huber Hurt
In Auto Accident
Karl K. Huber, 71, of Route 1,
Bluffton, is in the Community hos
pital with injuries suffered at 4:30
p. m. last Saturday in a two-car
collision three miles east of Beaver
dam on the Lincoln highway.
His grandson, Darrel L. Huber,
suffered a loceration on the left eye
lid and was released from the hos
ital following treatment.
Howard Noble, 40, his wife, Thel
ma, 41, and Miss Lillian Watkins,
26, all of Ft. Wayne, passengers in
the other car, received treatment at
the hospital and later were taken in
an ambulance to their homes in Ft.
Wayne.
State patrolmen said Noble was
traveling west on the Lincoln and
Huber was going south on the Bent
ley road when the cars collided.
The elder Huber received a bump
on the head and shock. Both cars
were badly damaged.
Graduates From Case
School In Engineering
Norman Beidler, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Harvey Beidler of South Lawn
avenue was graduated Saturday from
the Case Institute of Technology,
Cleveland.
He will be employed by the Ohio
State highway’ department June 16
with headquarters at New Phila
delphia.