October 27, 1983
Picture #1 – Winter is on its way and wildlife will be looking for handout.
It won’t be too long before winter will be with us again. Officially and by the old timers predictions, it will be a bad one. One prediction I heard was that it would be very cold and wet, presumably meaning that there will be much snow along with cold temperatures.
Be that as it may, man’s wildlife friends, the squirrels and the birds, will need food. It’s not too early to start laying in some extra supplies for them.
If you have nut trees, leave some of the nuts for the squirrels to find and bury. They seem to have the ability to either remember or smell where they bury them. They don’t bury very deeply, and if the snow isn’t too deep or the ground too frozen, they will dig them up when other food is not available.
And, please, car drivers, be more careful about hitting the squirrels on our streets. Often I have seen drivers make no effort to slow down, in fact, I have seen instances where it appeared they deliberately tried to hit them. If traffic permits, this author slows down or stops if necessary to avoid hitting them.
When I take our dog Tippy, for a walk there is often a squirrel or two in our backyard. Often she sees them before me. But, if I see one first, I only need day “there’s a squirrel” and she perks up and starts looking in all directions. She seems to know the word “squirrel”. They usually scurry up into our big walnut tree, and then Tippy stands there alert and anxious, watching their every move.
Wildlife provides lots of pleasure for the little it costs us.
The Review Times special tabloid of Sept. 17 featuring the 1983 area high school marching bands, brought quick response from two members of the Jack Wainwright family; Mrs. Jack Wainwright at Wolcottville, Ind., and from Lynne Wainwright Palmer, the Wainwright’s daughter, better remembered as Betty, residing in Seattle Washington.
Readers, especially those who knew the Wainwrights, will enjoy their letters. Readers are hereby informed that this author’s contribution to the band tabloid was a special Potluck column and had no relation to the rest of the editorial content or band photos.
Dear Paul:…It was a wonderful surprise to find The Review Times Tabloid featuring high school marching bands in my mailbox on Wednesday. And, I was thrilled to see that your Potluck column consisted of a fine biography of Jack, including the story of the National Band Contest in Chicago and other important events in his career. You, and all those who knew him have always been so loyal. It is indeed heartwarming for all of our family to see your expressions of genuine affection and admiration for him.
“I am not sure just what your position is now in regard to The Review Times, but if you were responsible for collecting all those photos and all the data on all those other bands, you really made a wonderful contribution to your community. I was amazed to see how many there are. I remembered some towns, having their own bands years ago, but very many are new to me, demonstrating how enthusiasm for school bands has spread.
I do thank you for presenting me with a copy of this very special edition of The Review Times and the area marching bands..Jeanette Wainwright.
Dear Paul…You were right, we did enjoy the article. The entire family will be assembling this next Saturday, Sunday to celebrate Alan’s 65th birthday, and I anticipate that each member will read and enjoy the article as Alan and I have. Thank you so much for sending a copy to us. It is a fine addition to our memorabilia relating to my dad.
I think so often of the wonderful time we all had at the dedication of the amphitheatre, and am forever grateful to all those who had a part in that affair.
My regards and fondest good wishes to you all!….Lynne
If Corine Speck was still living she would be pleased, I know, with the response that has come from the Potluck article of Sept. 15 about her family of millers.
When the original article, which Ray Dell discovered at public sale, came to my attention, my instinct immediately told me there was a good story. I am still perplexed as to why Corrine never called it to me attention while she was alive.
A copy of the article was sent to J.W. Speck, Findlay, a cousin of corine… He sent the following reply:
Dear Paul: I very much enjoyed your recent article in The Review Times about the Speck brothers and their involvement with milling. Of course I have a personal involvement since my grandfather was A.H. (Alvey) Speck.
I knew some of the history, but not as extensively as reported in your article.
My grandfather operated a mill on the Sandusky River, across from the old Junior Order Home which is now a state hospital in Tiffin. My father worked there as a young man. The mill is since torn down.
My brother painted a picture of it many years ago, which hangs in his home in E. El Paso Texas.
I cannot recall ever meeting my grandfather as he died shortly after I was born, however, I can remember meeting my uncle Harry (H.B. Speck) and I may have met Corrine’s father William.
I intend to devote some time in the next few years to learning more of the family history, and to this end, I wonder if you could provide me with a copy of the original article that was sold at the auction….James W. Speck.
Here’s a letter from Myrtle Vanderhodd Baker, telling about her memories of St. John’s Dam and the old mill once, run by one of the sparks, which stood on the Sandusky River at the dam.
Dear Mr. Krupp…I’ve read all your Potluck stories and really enjoyed them but was surprised to read one I know something about.
I think you will remember me. Until I was about 10 years old my folks lived close to St. John’s Dam. It would have been long ago a long walk to go there by the road, but we could go over the hills and it was not far that way. Just had to go through our backyard and down a steep hill through a ravine, and up a big hill and down the other side through a meadow to a gate, through it, then to the dam. There in a little house the miller and family lived. His name was Ben Walters. He had a daughter about my age and me and my sister played with her. Sometimes we went to the mill and played inside it.
I always loved living there, and we went back lots of times. The mill was there, I think, when I went back when I was about 18, and the covered bridge was there until it went out in the 1913 flood. Then they built an iron top bridge. A few years ago a new modern bridge replaced it. They cut the top off of the hill we used to climb and made a road up to the top.
You should go to the Tiffin Museum some time where I saw a picture hanging on a wall of the Keller Mll, as we called it. The kellers lived in the big brick house in front of the mill which is part of a rest home now.
I have had a mild stroke and living in Good Shepherd Home for about a year now. I am 85 years old so I guess I belong to the old timers club….Myrtle Baker.
In the Kipka Dairy story, the man standing beside the milk wagon, illustrated in the article, was identified by Earl Myers as his father Morris who he said worked for that dairy back when they sold milk by the dipper.
I forgot to ask Earl Myers for his address, and later, when I tried to contact him by phone, I was unable to find a listing in the local directory. Perhaps he will call again, when he see this item.