ROLE MODEL
By: Stan Jordan
Over the years, I’ve been asked a number of times about who influenced my life. Lots of people have, some more than others.
First, I came from a fine Christian family of five children and we all knew right from wrong, as we heard it every day. Church and Sunday school were always a must.
My friend and neighbor was a probate judge, Fred Carr, and I was awed by him being a judge at the court house.
At the Antwerp High School was Mr. Bell, Mr. Horney and Mr. Carter and the older I get, the smarter they get. They stomp through my memories every once in a while.
My father always talked about going to school and learn to march and sing. He talked about it everyday, but he was right, you have to get an education and the state of Ohio offered a good one, free.
At the Doering and Long Grocery Store, these people taught me a lot about meeting people. I will always give them credit for that.
By that time, I had a steady girlfriend, who later became my wife. Her parents Thurman and Ola Powell, were some of the best people I ever met. When the Japanese started the war, we all wanted to quit school and enlist, but Thurman wanted me to graduate and I did. One of the best things I’ve ever done.
But the guy who was my role model, and I have always looked up to him, was my brother Jack.
He was born in Ohio City in March of 1922 at the age of 34. I mean, he always thought like a grown up person. He always had energy and could work all day. He worked for a lot of farmers for fifty cents, and some for a dollar a day, but he would work all day. He never seemed to have to rest.
He worked one summer and saved some money and bought a Sears Elgin bike for twenty one dollars. It came by railway express.
In looking back, I certainly did look up to him and I knew not to bother or tease him, but he always left Jim and I alone.
Our father died in December of 1939 of peritonitis. Jack took over the family and quit school and got a job at the PA Railroad for 62½ cents per hour. He kept the family together and he was only 18. I have looked back over the years, and like I said, he was much older than his years.
He worked there till fall of 1942 and he was called into the army in the Ohio Division. He was paid $50.00 per month, but some of that he sent home. Then I enlisted into the army in November of 1942.
At this time, my brother Jim was in the South Pacific with “A” Co. of the Ohio National Guard called the 37th Division. Those boys were from Paulding County, having been activated in 1940.
Jack was in England and went in on the second day of the invasion. I was in Virginia in the anti-aircraft training post. I liked Virginia. Yorktown, Williamsburg and all the history.
Jack was wounded and taken prisoner from July to March. A Russian woman tore all the fences down with her tank and then left. The boys didn’t know where to go, stay or eat. It took a lot of walking and asking but they finally got to the Black Sea and got on a friendly ship.
Jack didn’t like the Russians much. They were dirty, nasty and would kill a civilian for no reason.
That left mom with two little girls, one 10 and one 8.
Maybe another day, another story.
See ya!
LOCAL SNOWY OWL
By: Stan Jordan
This fine picture of the snowy owl was given to us last week along with two other good photos. We were very glad to get them.
This fellow is sitting on the lid to the filler spout on a grain bin on CR 144 between Road 83 and 87. We are just as proud of these pictures as we can be.
The young man that took this picture had to work for it. The owl was looking the other way and the man had to climb up the ladder to the top while carrying the camera and made a soft whistle and the owl turned around and looked right at him. It was about eighteen feet away, that is close because those wild birds are really flighty.
We here at the West Bend News think this is an older male because he is quite white. A white-white.
The other day, Cork Hughes stopped in the office. He said he had seen a pair of snowy owls on the next road over. So it was probably the same family.
I hope we can get a nest of owls in that area. I feel pretty sure there is a nest up on the state line area.
The young man said when the owl turned and seen the camera and camera man, he took off and flew away. But the fellow got to within eighteen feet of the owl. That, in itself, is good news.
I am very proud of this picture. Thank you old friend!
See ya!
LADY SCHOOL TEACHERS ARMED? NO WAY
By: Stan Jordan
The idea of letting the school teachers carry arms…I’m against that right away, quick. To me that is a bad idea.
Now to me, classroom teachers are mostly ladies and I don’t think we could train them enough to get past their kind spot. What I mean is, they want to help a wounded person, maybe, instead of getting her gun and shooting.
I’m afraid that before she could get to her pistol and find the safety and get unlocked and aimed, she herself is a casualty.
Hardly any school districts can afford to have an armed guard in each classroom, and are they needed? Or have an armed man on each floor? That would be ideal but it’s not going to happen.
I have given this a lot of thought and probably some schools have already installed a similar system, and that is to have an alarm button in every room that has regular classes. This button could be under the teachers’ desk in the center of the room. It is wired to a room at an office with a wall chart that has a little light for every room and all of these rooms are numbered and there is at least one person in the room at all times. All rooms would have their number on the door and the chart in the office. The room numbers would correspond to the floor such as 14 would be number 4 on the first floor and 38 would be room 8 on the third floor, you know something simple. Now I imagine some schools already have a system such as this. So if we had a disturbance in 24 and the officer could inform the other person in the room that he was going to room 24. The next man in would go to the room with the chart and if there was another disturbance he could go to that next room or go down and help at 24.
There is no cheap or easy way to handle the fact that any one, all schools, could have a problem and some disturbance at any time.
See ya!
DRIFTING ON THE MAUMEE
By: Stan Jordan
For years I have been urging people to take advantage of the scenic Maumee and all of the other parts of nature here in the Tri-state area.
Here in the Antwerp area, in good weather, Louie Beregszazi will operate his business Maumee Rentals consisting of canoe and kayak rentals, as well as primitive campsites, available by appoiontment. This will operate all season. In July, Dan Bowers will have his raft race on the Maumee and we will have more on both of these activities later.
As of this date, all of that is out of the question. The river is out of the banks. It is very high and full of driftwood and the temperature is too cold. I guess another weekend of television and basketball.
See ya!
