THURSDAY, NOV. 2A
BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Live
84 YEAR NO. 33
Work Begins
On Ex-Cell-0
Nuclear Job
Assembly of large banks of
control rods for nuclear reactors
began this week at Ex-Cell-O’s
second plant now located in the
old municipal power plant build
ing on Hannon road.
For the widely diversified Ex
Cell-O corporation, the Bluffton
project is its initial entree into
the nuclear field, and local Plant
Manager Joe Browne has hopes
that it may be a beginning of
larger things to come.
Actual assembly work started
Business Group
To View Plant
Members of the Bluffton
Business Men’s association
will probably have an op
portunity to view Ex-Cell-O’s
new nuclear equipment oper
ation when they hold their
first meeting of the new year
at the plant on Wednesday,
January 6.
The group will not meet dur
ing December because of
shortage of time during the
pre-Christmas shopping rush.
Nfw officers will be elected
at the January meeting,
President Maurice Fett, has
announced.
here Monday although the com
pany has spent a great amount of
manpower in making the old
building spotless for the project
ahead. Because it is critically
important that the equipment not
be contaminated in any way with
any foreign substance, the plant
and employes must be kept fas
tidiously clean.
The entire interior of the plant
has been washed with acid. Parts
to be assembled are brought into
the building, each individually
sealed in plia-film covering. Em
ployes must keep their work
clothes immaculately clean.
The equipment being assembled
at the second Ex-Cell-0 plant
consists of a bank of 10 control
rods some 25 feet long actuated
by a devise which travels them
30 inches up and down at slow
and rapid rates of speed.
Corn Cobs Plague
Town Street Crew
Corn cobs, the annual fall
plague, have turned up again
to create a problem for
harrased street commissioner
WilUam Gaiffe.
Cobs, falling off farm wag
ons have plugged sewers and
catch basins, adding several
new jobs for the local street
crew. The street commis
sioner has asked that farmers
cooperate whenever possible
by covering their load to pre
vent the loose cobs from fall
ing in the streets.
n
Two sieges of illness have kept
Mr. Sousley at home and in Lima
Memorial hospital for a total of
17 weeks and away from his job
at the Farmers Grain company.
He expects to return to work by
January 1.
Neighboring farmers and co
workers from the elevator de
cided to take things in their own
hands Saturday and they turned
out in full force, completing in
less than a day what would prob
ably have taken two days of
good weather to complete normal
ly.
Miss Anderson qualified for the
traveling award with more than
800 hours of time in the air dur
ing the past year, participation
in two air races, passing of tests
and other aviation activities. The
trophy, which was held during
the past year by Edy Maxim,
Cleveland flyer, was transferred
to the Bluffton woman for pos
session during the coming year.
The presentation was made at
the All Ohio Chapter meeting
held in the Ohio Aviation Board
building at the University airport.
DUTY CALLS MARRY IN’ SAM
AI
IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN a woman’s world and weekend
activities at Bluffton college have merely lent a little more
support to this notion. Sadie Hawkins Day was the occasion and
the girls could actually go out and pursue their men, Instead of
doing it in the regular feminine way of dropping subtle hints.
Gentleman in the tall silk hat, the Mennonite version of
“Marryin’ Sam,” is Jim Weaver, who Is handing a “marriage”
license to Jim Burry, of Bluffton. Jim is the captive of Eileen
Schultz, South Bend, Indiana. The semi-willing captive in the
rear is Fritz Sprunger, Kidron, Ohio, who has been snapped up
by Ellen Hostettler, Smithville.
Given a 60 second head start, the tnen started running for
their hiding places, but the girts were quickly turned loose and
managed to root out 58 of the cowards.
Their reward: a date for the evening. The cost: only the
25c required for the license, proceeds going to the college
Recreation club.
A
Nag?
rHLEGt
I
LOADING THIS TRUCK from the Farmers Grain company, several of Ralph Sousley’s neigh
bort do their share In harvesting his corn Saturday afternoon. Twenty-one of his friends and neigh
bors gathered to bring iii the crop for Mr. Sousley, who is recoyering from recent surgery.
Willing Hands, Machinery
Harvest Sick Neighbor’s Corn
Giving time and effort to help a
sick neighbor, 19 Richland town
ship farmers gathered on the
Ralph Sousley farm southwest of
Bluffton last Saturday to bring
in 18 acres of corn.
Two trucks and an elevator
were contributed from the Far
mers Grain company and at
various times eight tractor-pulled
corn pickers, 12 wagons and four
other tractors were in action in'
the Sousley fields.
Planned four times, the neigh
borhood good deed had to be
postponed each time because of
bad weather.
Lending a helping hand were
Merle Arnold, Fred Arnold, Mal
colm Ewing, Burke Moser, Joe
Follas, John Follas, F. L. Hoch
stettler, Walter Hochstettler,
Jesse Augsburger, Francis Ba
singer, Homer Miller, Evan
Steiner, Clair Moser, Harry Mc
Cullough, Emerson Neff, Bob
Fruchey, Bob Matter, Doyt Han
thom, Jack Reigle, Oliver Stein
er and Mel Amstutz.
Ohio 9s Women Flyers
Honor Local Aviatrix
Women flyers of the All Ohio
Chapter of Ninety-Nines honored
Bluffton aviatrix Dorothy Ander
son last Sunday in Columbus in
presenting her with the annual
Achievement Award Trophy giv
en each year to the Ohio woman
who has been foremost in flying
activities.
Mrs. James J. Foley, Worthing
ton, sister of Mrs. Milton Ed
wards of this place, made the
presentation. A special cake
carrying a frosting replica of
Dottie’s well-known blue Coman
che plane was baked for the oc
casion.
During the past year Miss An
derson participated in the Michi
gan Small Race and the Cincin
nati Trophy Race for women
flyers. She also passed her in
strument rating tests signifying
her qualifications for instrument
navigation.
The Ohio Chapter of Ninety
Nines meets monthly at various
airports through the state. They
are scheduled to meet in Bluff
ton next June. More than 50 wom
en flyers are members of the or
ganization, the largest member
ship in the group’s history.
Von Brauchitsch
Speaks at Chapel
The Rev.. William von Brauch
itsch was the speaker at the
Thanksgiving chapel service at
Bluffton high school Wednesday
morning.
Special music for the program
was furnished by the high school
Girls’ Glee ckib. Gale Benroth
led the group in the pledge of
allegiance to the flag and Terry
Marshall presented scripture and
prayer.
Local Tax
Rate Climbs
On New Bill
National TV Show Salutes
Triplett Instrument Co.
Local television viewers xtuned
to WIMA almost in unison Sun
day afternoon to watch familiar
faces and places march across
their screens. The town’s oldest
and largest industry made a
natipn-wide hook-up for Drew
Pearson’s show, “New Horizons.’’
The Bluffton viewers were part
of a national audience estimated
at ten million who saw the dra
matic .film story of the place the
Triplett Electrical Instrument
has won as a leader in the elec
tronics industry in its 55-year
history.
The 15-minute presentation
opened with President W. R.
Triplett being interviewed by
Pearson, long known as Wash
ington’s top news reporter and
columnist. Mr. Triplett described
the wide variety and unusual
uses made of Triplett electrical
measuring instruments, and paid
a glowing tribute to the Bluffton
men and women who produce
them.
THE BLUFFTON NEWS
-______________ .__________ A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
BLUFFTON, OHIO THURSDAY, NOV. 26, 1959
Town May Acquire
Street Sweeper
Chances of buying a used street
sweeper will be studied by Vil
lage council during the next two
weeks.
Churchill Construction com
pany, Lima, has the sweeper and
is willing to sell it. Councilmen
will inspect the equipment and,
if the price is right, may ask
for a demonstration on Bluffton
streets.
Three out of four tax rates in
the immediate area will fall
when December tax bills come
out, but residents of Bluffton will
feel the bite of a boost of $1.80
per thousand dollars of valuation,
county auditor Russell Hire has
announced.
While Bluffton corporation
rates jump, taxes will decline in
Beaverdam and all of Richland
township.
Reflecting the two mill increase
for street improvements, the new
Bluffton rate will be $27.10 per
thousand. This is a boost from
the present rate of $25.30 and a
four dollar jump from the $23.10
paid as recently as 1958.
A 10 cent decrease in state tax
es and a 30 cent decrease in the
school levy for debt retirement
will be felt in Bluffton and the
part of Richland township which
is in the Bluffton school district.
This 40 cent drop will ease tax
rates for rural residents, who will
pay only $21.80 per thousand dol
lars.
Beaverdam corporation and
Beaverdam school district resi
dents in Richland township will
both enjoy a relief of one dollar
per thousand, a result of a de
crease in Beaverdam school tax
es for debt retirement, and the
small state tax cut.
The new rate for the Beaver
dam corporation will be $28.10,
while the rural residents of that
school district will now be pay
ing $25.10.
Each subdivision pays identi
cal state taxes of 40 cents and
county taxes of $2.40. The town
pays 20 cents to the township and
the rural areas pay $1.40 to the
township.
School district rates are $17.60
for the Bluffton district and $20.
90 for the Beaverdam district.
Bluffton corporation rate is $6.
50 and Beaverdam rate is $4.20.
The TV camera then focused
on various points of interest in
the community the new ele
mentary school and the college,
and then told the story about the
highly technical business in
which the Bluffton firm is en
gaged.
Despite the fine and intricate
nature of the work at the local
plant, the film presented it in a
dramatic and interesting fashion.
As the camera picked up
scenes in various parts of the
plant viewers saw the company
founder, R. L. Triplett, his sons,
W. R. and M. M. in conference
with N. A. Triplett of the sales
department.
Others who were recognized in
close-up shots were Lynn Car
mack, Janice Triplehom, Gene
Basinger, Ruth Gilbert, and Len
don Basinger.
Ben Schiffke, Art Lewis, Em
(See ‘TV SHOW’ on P. 10)
St. Nick Sets
Saturday For
Annual Visit
Gay, happy, white-whiskered,
old Santa Claus is coming to
Bluffton Saturday afternoon a
pretty miraculous feat, consider
ing that everyone’s friend is
booked for Christmas season ap
pearances in about 5,000 other
fully-believing American com
munities on the same afternoon.
While the Bluffton Business
Men’s association isn’t quite
smart enough to figure out how
Santa Claus does it, they do have
his assurance that he'll be here.
And an assurance from Santa
Claus should be good enough for
anyone boy, girl, or business
man.
His arrival is timed for a free
theatre party to be held in the
Carma theatre at 2 p. m. The
doors open at 1:30 to reveal
Santa in all his glory. At 2 p. m.
an afternoon of free cartoons’and
a feature will be presented to
entertain area youngsters. Pre
school childem and school pupils
through the eighth grade will be
admitted free, while the older
children will pay 25c for the
privilege.
The pictures, “Mother Goose”
and “Ben and Me” have been
scheduled along with a group of
Walt Disney cartoons for the
Saturday matinee program.
Santa himself will be in the
lobby to greet the children and
the businessmen are urging
mothers to bring their children
to town for a visit with Mr. Claus.
As a sidelight to Santa’s ap
pearance, Saturday is also view
ed as a more-or-less official
kickoff for the Christmas shop
ping season in Bluffton stores.
The best of the season’s merchan
dise will be ready, the stores
will be fully stocked and Christ
mas promotions will be started
in earnest.
Extra shopping hours for the
Christmas season will also begin
next week. All businesses will be
open every Thursday afternoon
December before Christmas.
They will also open for extra
hours on Wednesday, December
9 and Wednesday, December 16.
Stores will stay open on Monday,
Tuesday and Wednesday nights
of Christmas week, as well as
the customary Saturday night
hours.
Former Bluffton
Man Killed In
California
Funeral services were held
Monday afternoon in San Gabriel,
California for Samuel G. Buhler,,
28, of San Gabriel, who was
killed Thursday morning of last
week in a motorcycle truck
accident while at work.
Buhler, a native of Bluffton and
graduate of Bluffton high school,
was the son of Mr. and Mrs.
Gerhard Buhler of Freeman, S.
D. His father was formerly prin
cipal of the high school here for
many years.
Buhler had reported for work
Monday morning and was riding
a motorcycle to take a can of
gasoline to a fellow truck driv
er, who had run out of gas. The
accident occurred when a pick
up truck made an illegal left
turn into the fast lane of traf
fic in which Sam was traveling.
The truck was also hit by anoth
er car at the same time.
Buhler died three hours after
the accident of concussions and
internal bleeding.
The former Bluffton youth was
employed by the Citizens Trans
portation company delivering
food to the various wholesale
houses in Los Angeles and San
Diego.
He was a graduate of Bluffton
high school, Class of '49. He was
married to Inez Risser of Los
Angeles in 1950, and they have
two children, Douglas, 7 and
Debra, 4. The Buhler residence
is at 1169 North Muscatel ave
nue, San Gabriel.
Besides his family, he leaves
his parents and sister, R#th, of I
Freeman, S. D., and sisters, Mrs.
Peter Fast of Fresno, Calif., and
Mrs. Leland Voth of Laegu, Ko
rea.
He was a member of the West
Hollywood Baptist church, active
in its youth program and music
of the church.
Funeral services were held in
the Church of the Hills at For
est Lawn in the Hollywood sec
tion, and burial was in Forest
Lawn cmetery.
SINGLE COPY 8c
Deer Hunters
Report Poor Luck
Bitter cold weather that mark
ed the opening of the Michigan
deer season last week found
the game under cover and local
hunters who journeyed north re
turned home empty handed. Rol
land Koontz, who hunted near
Harrison, reported having sight
ed one buck out of range.
Births
The following births were re
corded at Bluffton Community
hospital during the past week:
Mr. and Mrs. Larry Dearth,*
Pandora, a girl, Dawn Rosann,
bom Thursday.
Mr. and Mrs. Trina Flores,
Col. Grove, a girl, Cynthia Sue,
bom Friday.
Mr. and Mrs. LeRoy Lugibihl,
Bluffton, a girl, Beverly Sue.
born Sunday.
AIL EARLY
4
Pool Earnings Pay $1,000
On Old Construction Bill
Heavy Equipment Clearing I
For College’s New Music Hall
Workmen with a power shovel,
bulldozer and large tumapull
tore a yawning gap in the wood
ed area in front of College hall
last week to make room for the
new music building.
It w’as the beginning of con
struction work which the general
contractor, C. M. Dingledine,
Lima, hopes to bring to a con
clusion before school opens again
next fall.
The Georgian style one-floor
building will provide modem fa
cilities for the college music de
partment in strong contrast to
the old frame residence now in
use on College avenue. A floor
plan printed in the recent issue
of The College Bulletin showed
a large General Purpose room in
the center of the bulding, with
three large classrooms on the
east side, five studios along the
west wall and eight small prac
tice rooms and a recording room
in the interior surrounding the
General Purpose room.
Total of all bids on the new
building amounts to $174,366, ap
proximately $18,000 in excess of
the architect’s estimate.
In addition to the general con
tract which went to Dingledine,
the heating contract was awarded
to Boughan Brothers of Lima
the electrical contract to Subur
ban Electric, Lafayette.
The college has approximately
$145,000 on hand for construction
of its latest building, leaving
$30,000 to be raised for comple
tion of the building without furn
ishings and equipment.
(See floor plan drawing on
page 8.)
400 New Books
Go On Display
At Book Fair
Nearly 400 of the new’est books
offered by the publishers will be
on display at the second Book
Fair to be held at the Bluffton
Public Library December 1-5, it
was announced this week by Miss
Ocie Anderson, librarian.
The Book Fair is sponsored by
the Library club, a reading club
organized among Bluffton high
school students. In addition to the
book display, which is arranged
according to age interests, the
Fair will also offer free movies
in the evenings from 7 until 8
p. m. The movies include: “The
Story About Ping,” “Camel Who
Went for a Walk,” “Valiant Little
Tailor,” and “Pilgrim's Travel.”
Doris Gellert is general chair
man of the Book Fair, assisted
by Thomas Griffin, Richard
Thomas and Rudy Steiner. Fi
nance chairman is Charles Jor
dan. and assisting him is Craig
Edwards. Sandra Dye is publici
ty chairman with Roberta Welch.
1
ANNUAL SUBSUMPTION
BY MAIL tt.H
I mprovements
Eyed in Future
A major step towards paying
an old bill and plans for improv
ing the municipal swimming pool
were brought out by the village
recreation committee at Tuesday
evening’s council meeting.
A surplus of more than $1,200
from this year’s pool operation
enabled the committee to turn
over $1,000 to the Jaycee fund to
pay the long overdue bill on the
bathhouse slab.
Jaycee officials attending the
meeting said the bill is still
$1,618. The $1,000 payment to
their bathhouse fund was auth
orized by the council on the rec
ommendation of Ben Schiffke,
chairman of the recreation com
mittee.
This is the second straight year
the recreation committee has
been able to turn over $1,000 for
payment on the slab bill. Orig
inally $4,439, the bill is owed to
Green and Sawyer for work done
while they were building the
swimming pool in 1956.
Mayor David Risser comment
ed, “It’s about time we get this
paid off and start working few a
bathhouse.” Later in the meeting
his suggestion of financing a bath
house through interest payments
made on the swimming pool
bonds was rejected by the coun
cilmen, who said they preferred
to have a major expenditure like
this begun by the new council,
which takes office January
Underwater Lights
Addition of underwater lights
and installation of a new life
guard station are proposed im
provement projects for 1960, Mr.
Schiffke told the council as he
presented a tentative budget of
$5,900.
Underwater lights may be in
stalled in the quarry, giving far
more protection for the deep
water swimmers and eliminating
some of the lifeguards' blind
spots.
Installation of a lifeguard
station along the outer limits of
the quarry swimming area is
also being considered. The new
chair would be mounted on a
raft and installed along the outer
buoys, giving lifeguards clear
views of the pool from two sides.
The recreation committee also
plans to cement the small sand
area near the lower walkway, a
$200 project. Mr. Schiffke said
this follows a recommendation of
the state board of health.
(See ‘POOL’ on P. 4)
Jaycees Announce
Another Outdoor
Lighting Contest
Plans for the annual residential
Christmas lighting contest were
being studied this week by the
Bluffton Junior Chamber of Com
merce, it has been announced.
Officials of the organization
said details of the 1959 contest
will be announced next week.
The outdoor lighting contest
has been conducted for 10 years
by the Jaycees.
Winners in last year's contest
were the Winfield Ziesslers,
who live south of Bluffton on old
Jordan and Dave Bash on route 25. Second place went to
committee. Projectionists are
th Baker, Larry Zimmerly
(See ‘BOOKS’ on P. 10)
MRS. WILFORD STEINER, 1959 Christmas Seal campaign chairman for Allen county, re
ceives the year's first contribution to the campaign, a $100 check from the Allen county CIO coun
cil. Presenting the check is Fuller P. Williams, president o fthe county council.
At left is W. Fred Hudson, board member of Allen county Tuberculosis and Health associa
tion. At the right is young Dawain Pratt, a patient at the district TB hospital, who wrote this
year’s Christmas Seal appeal letter.
Mr. and Mrs. Aldine Weiss and
third place went to Mr. and Mrs.
Herbert Reichenbach.
I