Wilbert W. Henkelman, Community Engineer

According to Who’s Who in Engineering (John W. Leonard Corporation, 1922), Wilbert W. Henkelman was born in Sandusky, Ohio on July 31, 1892 to Henry and Amelia Henkelman. In 1915 he earned a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the Ohio State University. During World War I, he served as a Corporal with the 1st Replacement Regiment Engineers. He married Leora Holzaepfel in 1920.

In his long career, Wilbert Henkelman worked as an engineer for several different communities, including Huron, Willard and Vermilion. From 1939 to 1944, he was the District Deputy Director for the State Department of Highways for Huron and Erie Counties, and for a number of years was associated with the Judson Engineering Company.

After the building of the Commercial Banking and Trust Company in Sandusky in the 1920s, Mr. Henkelman obtained a bound booklet containing 39 photographs of the bank under construction. He donated the booklet to the historical collections of the Sandusky Library. Below are two of the photographs of the historic building project.

The first photo was taken June 15, 1923:

The second photograph was taken November 28, 1923:

Because of Mr. Henkelman's foresight, we can view the progress of the building of the Commercial Banking and Trust Company, now home to Vita Sandusky. The interior details of the building including chandeliers, marble floors, and copper sculpted ceiling can still be seen today.

The July 31, 1962 issue of the Sandusky Register reported on a surprise birthday party held for Mr. Henkelman after a Huron Council Meeting.

Wilbert W. Henkelman died on February 12, 1965, following a brief illness. He had been a member of the First Congregational United Church of Christ, Ohio and American Society of Professional Engineers and Surveyors, Perseverance Lodge 329, Erie County Conservation League, and the Huron Chamber of Commerce. He was survived by his wife, two daughters and a son, seven grandchildren, and a sister. His final resting place was Oakland Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio.

Robert Wagar, Former Sandusky City Manager

Robert Lincoln Joseph Wagar was born in Lakewood, Ohio on February 12, 1880, to David and Margaret Wagar. He was a descendant of one of the earliest settlers of Lakewood, Mars Wagar.

At first he studied law, but later decided to become an engineer, working as a civil engineer in Sandusky by 1910. His wife was named Bertha, and they had two children, Geraldine and Robert, Jr. (Sadly Geraldine died in 1927.)  In 1911, Mayor George Lehrer selected Mr. Wagar to be city engineer for Sandusky. In 1916 he helped to found the construction company of Homberger and Wagar, where he was enployed for sixteen years. 

Mr. Wagar became Sandusky City Manager in 1933 and served in this position until 1936. He served again in the position from 1938 to May of 1941. 

In the December 30, 1934 issue of the Sandusky Register, Robert L.J. Wagar explained how he had two middle names.

In 1942 Mr. Wagar moved to Bellevue, where he served as safety service director and city engineer. He improved the quality of the water supply in Bellevue with the construction of a 700,000,000 gallon reservoir. It was under Wagar’s direction that Goodrich Road was constructed, and by his efforts that a soy bean plant was brought to Bellevue. 

On May 3, 1950, at the age of 70, Mr. Wagar died at the Bellevue Hospital after suffering from heart disease. Funeral services were held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Bellevue, and burial was at Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery. Mr. Wagar had been a member of the National and Ohio Society of Professional Engineers, Kiwanis Club, Elks, Masons, Sandusky Garden Club. One of his favorite hobbies was the propagation of dahlias, to the point that he was originating new varieties. Mr. Wagar will long be remembered for his leadership role in the communities of both Sandusky and Bellevue.

Clifford Marshall King, Engineer

Clifford Marshall King was born in Sandusky on December 17, 1879 to Judge and Mrs. Edmund B. King. After attending Oberlin College for a time, Clifford M. King graduated from Western Reserve University in 1901. He earned his civil engineering degree from Cornell University in 1904. After college, he worked for the United States Reclamation Service in the west. From 1908 to 1911, he was the engineer for the city of Sandusky, and later became the Erie County Engineer. Mr. King was the engineer in charge of the construction of the Cedar Point Chaussee.

In 1917, Mr. King was commissioned a captain in the U.S. Engineers. During World War I he was an instructor in an officers’ training camp. He served overseas with the 528^th Battalion of Engineers. After returning home from military service, Mr. King worked for the city of Cleveland in its engineering department. 

On January 2, 1922, Clifford M. King died at Charity Hospital in Cleveland, after a brief illness. He was only 42 years old. Mr. King was survived by his parents and his wife, the former Edith Davis. Funeral services were held at the Masonic Temple in Sandusky, and burial was in Oakland Cemetery.  Mr. King accomplished much in his brief life, and he was sadly missed by his family and friends and associates.

Walter F. Rittman, Chemical Engineer

Walter F. Rittman was born in Sandusky in 1883 to Christ and Louisa Rittman. Walter was an excellent football player while at Sandusky High School. He worked his way through Ohio Northern University, and then went on to complete his Master’s Degree at Swarthmore College in 1909. At Columbia University, he earned his doctorate. Dr. Rittman was pioneer in the field of chemical engineering, and was considered one of the outstanding chemical engineers of his time. In 1915 he gained national attention for his invention of a process which increased the output of gasoline from crude oil. He also perfected several other processes used in the explosive and dyestuff industries, which were used by the U.S. government during World War I.  He wrote several articles about the application of chemistry to industrial processes. From 1921 to 1933, Dr. Rittman was connected with the engineering department of the Carnegie Institute of Technology. He also served as a trustee of the Ohio Northern University from 1928 to 1941. For a time, Dr. Rittman was an instructor in chemistry at Columbia University, and later he worked as a chemist in the U.S. Bureau of Mines. On September 26, 1954, Dr. Walter F. Rittman died in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. He was survived by his wife Anna, two sons, a daughter, and a sister, Mrs. Elmer B. Otto of Sandusky, Ohio. Dr. Rittman was buried in Chautauqua, New York, where his family had a summer home.