July 7, 1983
Picture #1 – A long-ago Fostoria firm’s name and address shows up in this advertisement for Westvaco
A year alo, Herbert Opitz, 902 Leonard St. and an employee of Gray Printing Co., called to my attention a multicolor photo advertisement by Westvaco Corporation, Fine Papers Division, in “Graphic Arts Monthly” magazine.
Attracted to the advertisement by the color and variety of items in it, Opitz spotted in the central portion of the ad a shipping container with the name and address of Campbell & Sons, Fostoria Ohio.
Knowing as a reader that the “Potluck” column contains a variety of subjects, Opitz brought the magazine to me. He wanted to know what Campbell & Sons was.
My answer to him was that Campbell & Sons had a drug store at Main and Center Streets, where there were many other drug stores continuously up to and including the time of Edison’s which readers today will recall.
In the series of articles about West Center Street, there was a photo showing the period of history when the drug store at that corner was Campbell & Godfrey. Campbell & Sons was at that location as long ago at 70-75 years.
It is quite obvious from the advertisement that the shipping carton with Campbell & Sons name on it was shipped to Fostoria because the postage can be seen in the upper right hand corner.
How did it get back to New York and then become photographed? That’s the unfathomable mystery.
I wrote to Westvaco and its corporation advertising department replied: “Dear Mr. Krupp: I haven’t the slightest idea where any of the props for the photograph were obtained. The photographer, Phil Marco, hires a stylist who is extremely resourceful in scouring the city for the items in our advertisements. I’m forwarding your letter to Phil Marco in the hope that he or his stylist recollects where the items, particularly the box, were obtained”. Sincerely, David W. Fream, Group Advertising Manager.
I never heard from any of the New York people, so at this late date it seemed time to tell readers about this unusual circumstance.
Bev Campbell, the “son” in the partnership at one time, could possibly shed some light on it if he were still living. He passed away June 2, 1948.
READER FEEDBACK FLYING FORTS WERE B-17’S NOT B-29’S
In last week’s article about World War II and Clarence Lonsway, the biy Flying Fortresses described therein were B-17’s. In one place in the article they were named as B-29’s, which was an error. It was my mistake.
Also, the large photo of the B-17 showed smaller planes above and in the background. I said they were support fighter planes. That was also an error they were all B-17’s flying in formation.
Without naming readers, many expressed their interest in the article and appreciated for it – hoping like Lonsway and myself, that it would build support for American patriotism and preparedness for the country.
HORATIO ALGER LIVES ON
…in books, that is. Readers will recall the Horatio Alger article that was published in this column last year.
Many readers were interested and occasionally someone telephones to add a comment. The most recent call was from Geraldine Thompson, 1002 S. Poplar St. who bought one of Alger’s books. “Brave and Bold” at a garage sale. She said it was in excellent condition.
BROWN FAMILY MEMORABILIA
Too late to add to one of the series of articles about the Brown house and family. I learned from Elizabeth Porter, West Fremont Street, that she had bought furniture at a public sale when that house was being broken up. The items included a valuable dropleaf dining table (with extra leaves) and charis and a high poster bed with chest of drawers. She said that at the time her husband wondered why in the world she bought that stuff.
In one of the articles about the Brown house, it was reported that Mamie had done the needlepoint for dining room chairs for the Henry Geary Sr. family on West Fremont Street. When writing that particular item, I could not confirm if the chairs were still in the possession of the Geary family. It can now be confirmed they are no longer there. Henry Geary II has no recollection of what happened to the chairs.
I heard a report after one of the Brown articles appeared that when Mamie died, her niece from New York came to Fostoria to arrange for the funeral, but never paid the bill!
That report was false since Mrs. Stein named in one of the articles, told me that Mamie had given her sufficient funds for burial prior to death and she (Mrs. Stein) made arrangements and paid in advance.
ANNA BECK STILL SINGING
Mrs. Denver (Helen) Wilcox, daughter of Anna Beck, reported that many people telephoned her after the story about Anna’s 95th birthday appeared in the column.
Anna was all smiles and really surprised when they brought her into the room where the family had assembled that day to sing “Happy Birthday” and eat cake and ice cream, both of which she enjoyed.
I visited Anna, after that, but she wasn’t feeling so well, not her usual big smile. However, after we chatted briefly, she sang her favorite song: “In Times Like These You Need a Saviour”.
LOVERS LANE SCHOOL REPORTS
Florence Evans telephoned the information sought earlier, but never discovered until the article appeared in print – “When was the school demolished?”
When Les Basehore read the article he telephoned Ray Peter that the school was demolished in 1925 and he (Basehore) salvaged the bricks and sold them to National Carbon to build a heat-treating furnace.
I learned from Mrs. Evans that I either failed to type from original copy or missed the name of May (Manecke) Fenwick, which should have been included with the other names of Maneckes who attended Lovers Lane. She had resided in Lakewood and was the last of that generation.
A reader reported that in a conversation with Mrs. Ray Kassing, North Union Street, she recognized and remembered many of the names that appeared in the Lovers Lane School article, including all of the Maneckes.
ABOUT DON KINNAMAN FAMILY
There hasn’t been space for some of the “Feedback” in recent months. Here is some from Don Kinnaman who grew up in Fostoria, now living in Phoenix, AZ. It is excerpted from a letter:
…I have another “Jack Wainwright” in the form of my trombone/baritone horn playing son Tom. Tom is bandmaster and instrumental music instructor at Dysart High School here in Maricopa County (which is just about filled up with Phoenix and its environs). Tom lives in Glendale, which is about 10 miles from our home and his school is another 20 miles further west near Luke Air Force Base.
His students all come field workers who pick cotton, oranges and other citrus but the most part have now bought homes in the district and send their kids to school at Dysart. His band is about one-third Mexican-American, one-third black and one third white. Many of them have had trouble reading music and Tom often had felt like giving up.
His concert last Thursday night surely shows he has the instinct in him to get things done. His band of 35 pieces played the following very difficult numbers in their entirety and unabridged: “Procession of the Nobles” by Rimsky-Korsakov and “El Matador March”. We used to play that under E.E. Smith at FHS.
My charismatic son Gary is really working hard in the Lord’s work. Gospel Echoes is the home church with almost 2,000 members now. When we first joined it had only 50 members. Gary is now associate pastor and preaches sermons at a new branch church in Mesa. They are filling it for standing room only.
My son Dave is working for the Phoenix papers and finishing his college work at Grand Canyon College here in Phoenix. Grand Canyon is a Baptist school affiliate and has the No. 1 basketball, baseball, and tennis teams for small colleges in the United States. Their music program is outstanding as is the rest of their offerings.