The Bluffton news. [volume], August 13, 1959, Image 1

About The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current

Image provided by: Ohio History Connection, Columbus, OH

                
Yoakam, Vernon
Rt, #2
Bluffton, Ohio
Jan.60
BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Live
84 YEAR NO 17
ft ft
RICHARD COOKSON has
been named campaign chair
man for the third annual
United Fund drive which will
be held this faU. He was an
assistant to Arden Baker,
who was chairman of last
year’s fund raising cam
paign.
Mr. Cookson is a past
president of the Bluffton
Lions club and has been ac
tive in Boy Scout work. He is
presently the junior warden
of the Bluffton Masonic
lodge. He is a bulk distrib
utor for Ohio Oil company.
Harmon Field
Will Be Lit
For Softball
Complete new lights for foot
ball and the first steps towards
a lighted softball diamond at
Harmon field will be completed
by early September.
An entirely new 144,000 watt
system will be used for the foot
ball field. Old lights and poles
from the field will be-installed
at the present baseball diamond.
Wiring and installation of trans
formers for the baseball lighting
will be completed later when
funds are available, superintend
ent of schools A. B. Murray said.
Expenditure of $11,392.80 to cov
er the new lighting was approved
last week at a special meeting
of the Board of Education. The
contract was awarded to Cart
right Electric Service, Tiffin.
The winning bid was one of
three submitted to the board, two
by the Tiffin firm. Cartright’s bid
to install the new system and
store the old lights for future use
by the board was $10,992.50
An extra $300 was asked to in
stall the old lights at the base
ball diamond and the board vot
ed to accept this option, boost
ing the contract to its final fig
ure.
Cartright also bid $5,078 to re
build the present lighting system.
He would have used all the pres
ent poles and lights adding the
extra crossarms, floodlights and
wiring necessary to boost the
lighting capacity to 144,000 watts.
The other bid came from Rey
nolds Electric company. They
asked $10,725 to install a 96 flood
light system with 144,000 watt ca
pacity or $11,749 to install a 128
floodlight system with 192,000
watt capacity. These bids were
based on the use of equipment
presently in place at the field.
If this bid had been accepted
the board would not have had the
existing lights for future use at
the baseball diamond.
Eight new 60 foot light poles
will be installed at the football
field, with 96 new 1,500 watt
floodlights to be installed.
The new system will have 33
per cent more lighting power
than the present football lights.
There are eight 1.500 watt flood
lights on each pole presently,
providing a 96,000 watt capacity.
No extra poles will be erected
but each pole will have a third
bank of four 1,500 watt flood
lights, boosting the power to 144,
000 watts.
Midget Football
Backers To Meet
Adult backers of Bluffton’s
midget football program will
have their organizational
meeting Thursday at 1:30
p. m. in the American Legion
hall.
Everyone interested in the
recreation program for Bluff
ton’s pre teen age boys is in
vited to attend the meeting,
Jim Clark, president of the
adult sponsors organization,
ha announced. A meeting
was held two,weeks ago but
the turnout was so small the
officers decided, to call an
other meeting.
United Fund trustees added a new member agency,
set a campaign goal and date, approved fund requests of
member agencies and appointed new personnel at a sweep
ing meeting last week.
This year’s goal is $7,392.03, the same as the 1958
goal. Budget requirements of members exceed this by
nearly $1,090 but the trustees said
they hope to pay the addition
al money out of the UF surplus
of $2,000 accumulated in the first
two drives.
Projected needs for the parti
cipating community agencies in
1960 is $8,119.22.
Three days of solicitation will
begin October 20. A final meet
ing of United Fund solicitors
will be held October 19 to pre
pare them for the campaign.
New Member Agency
New member agency is the
Bluffton Community Hospital
Auxiliary. The trustees decided
to combine the Auxiliary and the
hospital itself, which was ad
mitted last year, into one agency.
The Auxiliary’s request for
$700 and the hospital’s $300 re
quest will be lumped into one
payment of $1,000 to be made to
the hospital. The group will ap
pear as “Bluffton Community
Hospital Auxiliary” on the pledge
card of the United Fund. Each
person who contributes to the
United Fund will automatically
be a member of the auxiliary
group.
Carl Smucker, vice president
of the United Fund, noted that
the Auxiliary’s original request
for $700 was the amount usually
raised by their Tag Day sales.
Campaign Chairman
Richard Cookson has been ap
pointed campaign chairman. He
was an assistant to Arden Baker,
chairman of the 1958 campaign.
Mr. Cookson is a past president
of the Bluffton Lions club and
has been active in Boy Scout
work and the Masonic lodge.
Appointment of Don Lytle as
a trustee representing the Ex
Cell-O corporation was also ap
proved by the trustees. He suc
ceeds Byron Fritchie, who was
transferred to the Detroit offices
of the oompany.
Only slight increases were
noted in the new fund requests
from members, Garnette Foltz,
chairman of the budget and ad
missions committee noted. Fund
request of the Girl Scouts was
$142.81 less than last year’s
$1,450. Other groups showed
slight increases.
The major increase will go to
the Community hospital. Last
year the hospital received $500
but the figure will be doubled
this year as a result of the ad
mission of the Hospital Auxiliary
(See “United Fund”, p. 4)
1960 FUND REQUESTS
Red Cross .....................$1,450.00
Heart Fund .................. 600.00
Girl Scouts, Brownies .. 1,245.22
Boy Scouts, Cubs, Ex
plorers ....................... 1,825.00
Salvation Army............. 825.00
CROP ............................ 325.00
Bluffton Hospital Auxiliary
1,000.00
YMCA (Hi-Y and Tri-Hi-Y) 165.00
USO ................................ 84.00
Administration expense 400.00
Medical Research (optional)
................................................ 200.00
Total ..............................$8,119.22
A beauty contest winner, a for
mer movie star and a radio sta
tion manager will head the list
of judges for the second Miss
Buckeye contest later this month,
contest chairman James Szabo
has announced.
Selection of the judges was
completed last week when Miss
Sally Allen, Ada, and Mrs. Ar
thur Orchard Jr., Lima, agreed
to appear here.
Clark Dozer, North Canton,
was previously announced as
chairman of this year’s judging
committee. Mr. Dozer manages
radio stations in North Canton
and Peru, Indiana*
Chosen as this year’s Miss Sci
oto Valley, Miss Allen was a fi
nalist in the Miss Ohio contest
held last week end in Mansfield.
She was this year’s May Queen
at Ohio Northern university.
TRASH COLLECTION
The regular village trash col
lection will begin Monday, street
commissioner William Gaiffe has
announced. Residents are asked
to have their trash containers
at the curb by noon.
Sewer Rates
Up, Water
May Follow
Bluffton sewer service charges
were raised 20 percent by village
council Tuesday evening, amid
hints from the Board of Public
Affairs that an increase in water
rates will be necessary soon.
Passed as an emergency mea
sure, the new rates will be ef
fective October 1.
At the same time a proposal to
increase the sewer service fees
for homes where cisterns are
used for part of the water supply
was abandoned.
Harvey Bauman of the BPA
said only a few hundred dollars
would be realized by this plan
and it would probably cost more
to set up and administer than it
would yield.
Sewer service charges will
now be 120 percent of the pres
ent water rates. Red ink figures
for the sewage system in the
first six months of 1959 made
the increase necessary, BPA
president Clayton Harkness re
affirmed Tuesday evening.
A request for increased water
rates may come from the BPA
very soon, the members hinted
Tuesday evening. Added ex
pense in installing new lines and
necessary repairs to the water
works building on Harmon road
will bite deeply into their re
ceipts. City water rates have not
been raised since 1950 although
operating costs have skyrocketed.
This was the third straight
week Mr. Harkness had attended
council to point out the need for
a rate increase. Income has fal
len below the level satisfactory
to mortgage bondholders who
financed the interceptor sewer
system and they are asking that
action be taken to lift the in
come back to satisfactory levels.
Bondholders’ trustees notified
the BPA on April 3 that their in
come should be increased but
they did not ask council for a
rate increase until July 28.
Council delayed action for two
weeks, first suggesting that cis
tern users should pay a higher
rate for their sewer service. I
(Sewage rates are based on the
amount of city water used each I
month..
The matter was returned to the
BPA for study. No action was
taken at last week’s meeting al
though the councilmen did study
statistics presented on the num
ber of cisterns in use in the
village.
The request for the rate in
crease was brought up Tuesday
for the third straight week but
definite action was not taken
until clerk A. J. B. Longsdorf
read a letter from bondholders’
trustees outlining their position
in requiring an increase in in
come.
Beauty Queen, Actress, Radio Manager
Will Judge Miss Buckeye Beauty Show
She graduated with honors
from ONU in June. A talented
singer, she sang “You’ll Never
Walk Alone” as her entry in the
talent contest in the Miss Ohio
pageant.
Mrs. Orchard, who rose to
fame in the movies as Baby Val
Laire of the Our Gang comedy
series, is now with WIMA-TV in
Lima. She headed the judging
committee at the 1958 Miss Buck
eye contest.
Master of ceremonies at the
Miss Buckeye contest will be
Arden Baker, who has been ac
tive in many community promo
tions in the past years.
Four new candidates for the
Miss Buckeye contest were nom
inated this week, bringing the to
tal to 30. Added to the list were
Betty Taylor, Pauline Motter,
Donna Jean Klingler and Jane
Steinman.
Miss Taylor is the ward of Mr.
and Mrs. Elmer Collins, Beaver
dam, and is sponsored by Mam
ma Electric Shop. Miss Motter,
sponsored by Klay and Amstutz
Construction, is the daughter of
THE BLUFFTON NEWS
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
BLUFFTON, OHIO THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 1959
United Fund Will Shoot for $7,392 Goal, Church Discipline, Racial Stress, Atomic Energy
Hospital Auxiliary Added to Membership Among Problems Mennonites Face During Conference
FORMER BLUFFTON res
ident Joe Smucker will re
turn to his old home to de
liver an illustrated report
on “A World of Misery in
Asia” next Monday evening
as one of the features of the
Mennonite conference being
held here.
Mr. Smucker, a graduate
of Bluffton high school and
Bluffton college, is the son of
Rev. and Mrs. J. N. Smtick
er. His father was pastor of
the First Mennonite church
here from 1942 to 1950.
Over 200 Take Part in Centennial
Pageant To Be Presented Sunday
More than 200 persons will
have parts in the Mennonite Cen
tennial Pageant, “We Are Pil
grims,” which will be presented
at Founders hall two times Sun
day, at 3 and 7:30 p. m.
The historical production starts
with Menno Simons at Witmars
um, Holland, where, still a priest
in the Roman Catholic church,
he is tom by conflicts and doubts
as he searches for the fellowship
of believers.
As worshipers stream through
the doors of Witmarsum church.
Menno prays for wisdom and
courage, and then leaves. Where
he is going, he cannot say for
sure he knows only that he must
go by faith.
In the second episode the pil
grim is the Pennsylvania school
teacher Christopher Dock. In this
scene appear several local child
dren directed by Mrs. Harvey
Bauman. Taking part are Mary
Purves, Suzanne Hilty, Karyl
Gratz, Susan Lehman, Judy Leh
man, Gene Lehman, Ricky Em
mert, David Smucker, Donnie
Patterson and Rickey Ewing.
A third scene depicts a union
of faith, the organization of the
General Conference Mennonite
church in 1860 by pioneers in Io
wa. In the fourth episode, Men
nonites from Russia in 1873 look
for a new home in America.
Plan Reception
For New Pastor
A reception for the Rev. John
T. Hiltz, new pastor of St. Mark’s
Catholic church, will be held at
the church Sunday evening from
7 until 9 p. m. The public is in
vited to meet Father Hiltz.
Mr. and Mrs. Myron Motter. Miss
Klingler, the daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Harold Klingler, is spon
sored by the Benroth Dari-Delite.
Miss Steinman, sponsored by A.
C. Burcky Insurance, is the
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Loren
Steinman.
Four new candidates have
brought the list of entries in the
Tiny Tot contest to 13.
Latest on the list for this pre
school age contest are Debra
Collins, the daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Elmer Collins, Beaverdam,
sponsored by Clark Buick Jean
Ellen Everett, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Lyle Everett, sponsored
by Everett Accounting Service:
Thea Jo Benroth, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Noland Benroth, spon
sored By Bob Williams Chevro
let, Inc., and Susan Brooks,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gerald
Brooks, sponsored by Swank Bar
ber Shop.
The beauty contests will be one
of the features of the annual pic
nic of the Bluffton Business Men’s
association to be held Thursday,
August 27 at the municipal swim
ming pool.
S
llllgl
THE EXACTING JOB of
president of the General Con
ference Mennonite church is
held by Rev. Erland Waltner
of Elkhart, Indiana. He is
also president of the Men
nonite Biblical seminary.
Overall responsibility for
the nine-day meeting which
has attracted 1,500 Menno
nites to Bluffton rests with
him.
Other General Conference
officers are I. I. Friesen,
vice president Walter Ger
ing, secretary and P. K.
Regier, executive secretary.
The final episode brings to life
a scene in a modem draft office
where conscientious objector Don
Snyder says, “We believe that
the way of love is better than
the way of hate.” Don explains
the pilgrimage of Mennonites
through the years and across
many nations in search for a
place to live the love of God.
As the epilogue makes clear,
pilgrims do not always know
where they are going. The cen
tennial pageant, in portraying
pilgrims of past years illuminates
Mennonites’ destiny as sojourn
’ers and pilgrims, never too
much at home in the world, but
ever seeking for the City of God.
The pageant was written by
Maynard Shelly, Newton, Kan
sas, and Dr. Harold Moyer of
Goshen college prepared the mu
sical score. Prof. Earl Lehman
of Bluffton college, is rehearsing
a special choir for the pageant
and is directing the orchestra.
German To Return
For One Sunday
Sunday school lessons taught
in German are expected to
attract a large number of
local residents and visitors
to Bluffton college’s Ram
seyer chapel Sunday at 9:30
a. m.
Rev. J. J. Thiessen, pastor
of the Mennonite church in
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan will
teach the lesson, which has
been specially prepared for
the Mennonite conference
being held in Bluffton.
The lessons in German are
intended primarily for the
many Canadian Mennonites
who still use the mother
tongue regularly in their
churches but the general
public is invited to attend
this class, which will be the
first worship service in Ger
man to be heard in this area
in many years.
J. J. ENZ will discuss
“What Insights Does the
Anabaptist-Mennonite Tradi
tion Have for Christian Edu
cation Today?” during Fri
day morning’s program at
the week-long Mennonite con
ference here.
He iw professor of Old
Testament at the Mennonite
Biblical seminary.
As the General Conference
Mennonite church meets for its
three-yearly session in Bluffton
this week, its more than one
thousand delegates have a num
ber of crucial issues for their
study. Included in these prob
lems are matters on church dis
cipline, racial problems, the use
of atomic energy, and further co
operation with other Mennonite
groups.
A lengthy statement of church
discipline will be presented to
the Conference encouraging a
moderate and wholesome pro
gram of church discipline. This
report will be made by the Rev.
Jacob T. Friesen, Bluffton, chair
man of a special committee ap
pointed to study church dis
cipline. Other members of the
committee are A. E. Kreider,
Goshen, Ind. Cornelius J. Dyck,
Elkhart, Ind. and Henry Poet
tcker, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The practice of church disci
pline is for the purpose of main
taining the spiritual health of
congregations and their mem
bers. The report warns against
the vindictive use of discipline
and pleads for a spirit of repent
ance and prayer on the part of
all members in their approach
to problems in religion and mor
al life.
Studies in Church Discipline is a
book sponsored by the committee
which has been widely studied in
Mennonite churches.
Mennonites have sponsored
mission work and benevolent pro
grams among people of other rac
es for many decades, but most
of this has been in other coun
tries. Only in recent years has
attention been given to work
among the negroes in America.
Proposals will be made to
strengthen the denomination’s ne
gro work in Mississippi and Chi
cago. The extent to which racial
prejudice is prevalent among
Mennonites has not been meas
ured, though the fact that until
recent years the group’s mem
bership was almost totally in all
white communities is an indica
tion of some aloofness. Delegates
will be asked to subscribe to a
statement supporting racial
equality.
The use of atomic energy will
also be discussed in this session.
Mennonites have a long history
of resistance to war. a doctrine
which has encouraged alternative
service rather than military serv
ice for its young men. A vote
will be taken on a statement call
ing for the outlawing of atomic
weapons.
Among Protestants the Menno
nite bodies have been noted for
their divisiveness and exclusive
ness. The General Conference
Mennonite church was organized
one hundred years ago in an at
tempt to unite all Mennonite bod
ies. In the shadow of their Cen
tennial celebration, the group will
soberly assess their limited suc
cess in achieving this goal.
They will also need to evaluate
more recent ventures in Menno
nite co-operation including the es
tablishing of the Associated Men
(See “Conference”, p. 10)
Births
The following births were re
corded at Bluffton Community
hospital during the past week:
Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Miller.
Lima, a girl, Cheryl Ann, born
Saturday.
Mr. and Mrs. James Reese,
Pandora, a boy, Daniel James,
born Tuesday.
Mr. and Mrs. Larry Shcpler,
Mt. Cory, a boy, born Tuesday.
SINGLE COPY 8c
Council voted 6-0 to accept Ex
Cell-O’s bid for a three year
lease.
The sale to Triplett apparently
foundered when the councilmen
were not satisfied with the BPA
plans to house their water pump
ing equipment if the building
were sold.
A new pumphouse with office
and garage space has been pro
posed by the BPA while coun
cil favors remodeling the present
building if the facilities are ex
panded.
Triplett’s bid would have per
mitted the village to lease their
present pump space in the base
ment for $100 a year for five
years. The agreement would
have been renewable if both
parties consented.
The BPA advised selling the
building and renting the pump
space for the first five year
term. A decision on whether to
build the new building or renew
the lease could be made before
the first lease expired. They said
they would study the costs and
methods of financing a new
building before definitely going
ahead with a new plant, indicat
ing it might be better to rewew,
Conference Speakers Cover Many Fields
DR. S. F. PANNABECKER
will present an illustrated
lecture on Mennonite life at
7:30 p. m. Sunday in the
Bluffton high school auditor
ium.
He is dean of the Menno
nite Biblical seminary. A
former Bluffton resident, he
is the father of Dr. Richard
Pannabecker
ANDREW SHELLY, who is
to become executive secre
tary of the Board of Mis
sions of the General Confer
ence Mednonite church will
discuss “Our Commitment
for a New Time” next Wed
nesday afternoon as part of
the Mennonite conference
here.
BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Trade
BEHIND THIS MODERN front is the headquarters of the
General Conference Mennonite church in Newton, Kansas. This
building houses the general offices for the work of the con
ference, including missions, education, publications, relief and
administration. Located in the business district of Newton, a
town of about 15,000, the offices have been in use for 15 years.
Council Rejects Light Plant
Sale, Offers Lease to XLO
A $22,500 bid by the Triplett Electrical Instrument
company for purchase of the old light plant building was
rejected Tuesday evening.
Village council voted instead to lease the building to
the Ex-Cell-0 corporation for $100 a month for the next
three years.
Council’s action reversed a I
unanimous recommedation by
the Board of Public Affairs that
the building be sold.
A split vote of 4-2 against de
feated the motion to sell the
building to Triplett Charles
Hankish Jr. and Francis Reich
enbach supported the motion.
Wilbur Amstutz, Charles Auker
man. Edgar Chamberlain and
William McKibben voted against
selling the plant.
As soon as the sale proposi
I tion was rejected Mr. -Reichen
bach said “We just lost $10,000
for the town,” then moved to
accept the Ex-Celi-O bid to
lease the plant. He said it was
better to get some income than
to have the plant stand idle.
the lease at its expiration, if
possible.
The village will be liable for
taxes and exterior maintenance
of the building under terms of
their lease with Ex-Cell-O. Har
vey Bauman of the BPA said
the old smokestack at the build
ing is in daqgerous condition and
should be repaired before the
new lease is begun.
Confessed Forger
May Hold Answer
To Local Crimes
I A forgery confession by Charles
Shumaker, Lima, has solved the
June 13 burglary’ of Brooke
Motor Sales, and may be a solu
tion to the Western Auto Asso
ciate store break-in of the same
date, and other earlier Bluffton
burglaries, police chief William
Gaiffe said Tuesday.
Shumaker pleaded guilty to
forgery’ Monday in Findlay mu
nicipal court after being arrested
by the Findlay police department.
He admitted signing the name
“Floyd W. Brooke” on a Brooke
Motor Sales check written on the
Citizens National Bank. The
charges were filed by Richard
Eakin, assistant manager of the
Goodrich Tire company, Findlay,
one of several firms to receive
bad checks written on the local
bank since the burglaries in June.
The Bluffton police chief said
Shumaker will be questioned
concerning a number of burg
laries which have occurred here
in recent months including the
Vida Vidella shop and Ems
berger Jewelry.
The arrested man has already
revealed a string of other un
solved burglaries in a Jenera
hardware store, the Umphress
Jewelry store in Ada, and a
furniture store in Columbus
Grove.
w
Bj
C. J. DYCK will discuss
“Our Concern for Loyalty to
Conference Commitments”
as part of the meeting
of the Board of Busi
ness Administration of the
General Conference Menno
nite church next Wednesday.
He is director of the In
stitute of Mennonite Studies.