August 13, 1981
Picture #1 – 107th Cavalry Band photo, taken summer of 1926, at Camp Perry, Ohio. Front row, left to right: first two buglers unknown, not from Fostoria, Don Sheldon*, John Simpkins*, next two buglers unknown, not from Fostoria. Second row, Part Burtscher*, Orrin Carrol, Wade Lowe*, Walter Bristow, George Schlatter*, Nick Kiebel*, Wilbur Shultz, Joseph Arnold, Ralph Cramer*, Mohlon Sheller*, John Hayfield*, Lyndon Abbott, Jack Wainwright*. Back row: Raymond Cole, Neil Coffman, Floyd Muench, Norman Muench, Harry Scott*, Glenn Hill, William Franke, Calvin Francis, Lawrence Bredbeck*, Robert Warren*, Dan War- ren*, William Richards*, Austin Kuhns, Myron Liebengood, Paul Stein*, Harold Hartley*. (Asterisks indicate known deceased).
In 1979, when ‘Potluck’ presented a series of articles about Jack Wainwright and his years of music in Fostoria, there was one segment of that story which was not dealt with…and several readers reminded me of it later.
I refer to the 107th Cavalry Army Band, which was made up of those who had played under Jack in the Fostoria High School Band, except four buglers who may have played under Jack elsewhere, and who cannot be identified now.
Credit for bringing the story to light, along with the accompanying photo, be- longs to Lyndon Abbott, Dayton, who was one of Jack’s band boys back then, and also a member of the 107th Cavalry Band.
Lyndon was in town earlier this summer, looking up old friends, and attending t the Fostoria Historical Society meeting. I was out-of-town, but he left with Mary Fish, the photo of the Army Band. Since then, Lyndon and I have ex- changed correspondence, and along with several others, including Walt Bristow and Jim Carter, we have established the identification for those in the photo.
HOW DID BAND START?
No one seems to know all of the details about how the 107th Band was formed and why it was made up almost exclusively of Fostoria boys.
Wainwright and his “boys” had become National Champions in 1923 in Chicago, but Jack had become well known in band circles before that. He was director of the U.S. Naval Reserve Band, Cleveland, which came to Fostoria in 1918 to give a concert and promote the sale of War Bonds to further the U.S. part in World War I. In fact, the concert here resulted in superintendent of schools F.H. Warren extending an invitation to Jack “to come back some time and start a school band”–which he did in 1919.
The 107th Army Division, part of the Ohio National Guard, did not have a band, and presumably it was natural for the Army to seek out Jack…or vice versa. Colonel Lathrop of the ONG had seen the band perform in Fostoria.
According to Lyndon, Captain Thomas Norris of the ONG came to Fostoria June 24, 1924 to register all those FHS band boys who would enlist. On July 12 they left for Camp Perry where they spent two weeks, and it was reported that “they took up with the routine of military life in fine style.”
Lyndon said his own record with the 107th Band started June 21, 1924, and end- ed January 31, 1927.
JIM CARTER TOO YOUNG
Jim Carter, Summit Street, has always regretted that he didn’t get to be part of the 107th Band because he was a little too young.
Harold Cole, Gwilym Road, brother of Raymond Cole, who appears in the band photo, told me that Raymond stayed with the band for several years after he was out of school and working.
The accompanying photo, taken in 1929 according to Abbott, is not the only one taken. Others may have been members of the band during other years.
From Fostoria 15 in the photo are known as deceased, but others may be too. Even so, there are many people who are still interested in the Wainwright years in Fostoria and the members of his various bands, and consequently this article will get wide circulation.
The photo for today’s article came from The Adjutant General’s Department, Public Information Office, Worthington, Ohio.
Lyndon Abbott’s address is 1956 Burbank Dr., Dayton, Ohio 45406.
SOME WILL RECALL
Sometime ago, Weldon Fruth, one of my faithful readers, gave me an item from a newspaper which I mislayed until a day or two ago when I was cleaning out my terribly littered file basket.
The item concerned Doris Fern Augustine (Tong), once a teacher in Fostoria schools. She will be remembered by many who were pupils and others who knew her.
“Fern” as she was known to many, married lat in life to Golden M. Tong, Carey. She died some years ago.
Tong, according to the story, has bequeathed $250,000 to Fairhaven Home, operated by United Church Homes, a non-profit agency of United Church of Christ. The memorial is in memory of his mother and wife.
United Church Homes are in Ohio and Indiana. The fund is to assist home resi- dents unable to meet full cost of them care in the homes.
MAIN STREET STORY
Joan (Weber) Gray, 121 W. Fourth St., wrote to say that the owner of Weber’s Yellow Cab, mentioned in that was her father…William F. Weber. He just passed away in February 1981.
Here are some excerpts from her letter, and other information I got by tele- phoning.
“Dear Mr. Krupp: Want to tell you we enjoy your articles. In all the old paper files did you happen to find an article on the big fire on Center Street?”
She referred to the time when Cook Carriage burned in 1939. Cook Carriage was located east of the alley across from The Review Times parking lot.
Mrs. Gray told me her family lived in an apartment in the building which was where The Review Times parking lot is now. The fire spread across the alley to that building and it was severely damaged.
“Our little dog carried on, waking us up. The curtains in my room burned off the windows before we got out,” said Mrs. Gray. She was only six years old then, and her sister was younger.
She said her uncle “Skip,” Harold Kaltenback, who lived in a front apartment in the same building, helped get her family…mother, Mildred, and sister Alice…out safely and took them across the street to the Sherwood Hotel, at that time owned by Mr. Brombley.
Mrs. Gray at one time working in The Review Times circulation department.
LUTHERAN CHURCH BELL
…Article presented in ‘Potluck’ July 23…Walt Lewis, 427 College Ave., told me he recognized many names in the list of Fostorians who contributed to purchase the bell.
Incidentally, Lewis was born in 1903, baptized in the Hope Church and has been a member ever since. That makes him one of the oldest living members. Con- gratulations Walt.
FOSTORIA LIGHT CAR
A few weeks ago, I saw Mr. and Mrs. Curtis Strouse, former Fostorians, now living in Florida in winter and Catawba Island in the summer. They both read ‘Potluck’ regularly.
Curtis told me that when they saw the article about Fostoria Light car they sent a copy to his brother Kenneth, who was named in that story as “chief test driver.” Kenneth is reported to have laughed when he read it saying, “Heck, I was the only test driver.”
Shortly after the article came to Kenneth’s attention, he died in Florida, where he had been living. Many older Fostorians will remember him.