School Children 100+ Years Ago

 

Pictured above is a group of children from classes 3-A and 4-B at Sycamore School in 1919. Most of the young people look very serious. While the students have not been identified, we know that Polly Smith is among the children in the picture. Sycamore School was built in 1876, and hosted students for more than 100 years, until the building was repurposed into apartments in 1984.

The four young men above were on the second team of the Eagles basketball team in 1920. (We don't have information about the team, but it may have been in a recreational/intramural league.) The surnames of the boys were listed on the back of the original picture. From left to right are: Meinzer, Schemenaur, Stephens, and Pusateri.

The students above were in class 3-B from Campbell School in 1919. There are 45 children in the group, but only one person has been identified. Thomas Rotsinger, the donor of the photograph, is the fourth person from the left, second row from bottom.

The Eighth Ward School, later known as Campbell School, was built in 1885 by Adam Feick and brothers and designed by J.C. Johnson. The building is now home to Nehemiah Partners of Sandusky, a nonprofit group that serves area youth.

The students above were in the first grade class at Monroe School (Ninth Ward) in 1911. The Monroe School was built in 1894 to serve the students of what was then the Ninth Ward of Sandusky.

The Only Legal Execution in Sandusky

On a day in May 1840, the peaceful life in Sandusky was shattered by an unprovoked, unmotivated murder in the heart of downtown. Four months later, the murderer paid for his crime in a field on the east side of the city. 

John Ritter, a veteran of the War of 1812, operated a grocery store and saloon in an alley that ran east of the Lucas Beecher house, bisecting the block west of Columbus Avenue from Washington Row to Market Street. He had a large family, and was well-liked in the neighborhood. Fewer than two thousand people lived in Sandusky at this time.

Next to Ritter's shop was a tailor shop. The owner of the shop had an assistant with long experience in tailoring, but who had been in Sandusky less than a few weeks. 

Although the alley where Ritter's shop was no longer appears to exist in this 1875 photo, it was on this block that the murder occurred in 1840

John Evans never stayed in one place for very long. Born in Newfoundland in 1811, his childhood was marked by frequent changes of address and the loss of both parents before he reached his teens. He spent the remainder of his youth in bound servitude, first in farming -- where he lost a leg -- then as a tailor. It was as a tailor that he spent the remainder of his working life, when he worked at all. From his youth, he lived an itinerant life, traveling from New England to the South, up and down the Mississippi, and eventually to Ohio. Finally, in late April 1840, he arrived in Sandusky to try his luck here. Being addicted to alcohol, and with a violent temper, he needed some luck, and some self-control, but he lost at both.

On May 5, 1840, John Evans lost control of his life and ended the life of John Ritter. By Evans' own account:

Having been in the place only eight or ten days, I got into a "spree," spending my money freely, offered my bundle of clothing for twenty-five cents, attempted to burn, and finally did burn it, when my employer becoming alarmed with my threats, called in an officer to arrest me.

Ritter went into the alley to see what was the commotion, and was confronted by Evans, who stabbed him in the heart "with a Spanish knife" (possibly a folding-blade "Navaja" style knife). Other reports claim that Evans had demanded liquor from Ritter, who refused to serve him. Evans was quickly apprehended and placed on trial for the murder.

Evans was convicted by a jury on July 5, and on July 12 was sentenced by the court to be executed by hanging on September 30. Before the date of his execution, he composed his "confession," describing the tragic circumstances of his life and his plea for forgiveness from Mrs. Ritter. This confession was published as a pamphlet and is now in the collections of the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. (The first page is above. You can read the full text of the confession in our online archives catalog.)

The execution of John Evans was probably conducted in the unoccupied block to the left of the railroad tracks.

On the day of the execution, sometime between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM, Evans was brought to an open plot of land south of Jefferson Street and east of the railroad tracks on Warren Street. (Today, this is the block within Jefferson, Perry, Madison, and Warren Streets. Some reports have said that the execution was actually at the nearby Huron Park.) He was then hanged in front of a crowd of onlookers. A Sandusky Register article from 1885 claimed that Evans "was buried near the railroad and probably soon carried off by the body snatchers."

Famous "Visitors" at the West House

 

The West House was Sandusky's first "high-rise" hotel, opened in 1858 at the corner of Columbus Avenue and Water Street (now the site of the State Theatre). Its location in the heart of downtown near the waterfront and railroads made it a popular location for travelers in Sandusky.

The Sandusky Library Archives Research Center is fortunate to have the guest registers of the hotel from 1860 to 1878. Names of guests are recorded with their signatures in these books; often, the names of traveling entertainment groups accompany the signatures, as seen above with the New Orleans and Metropolitan Opera Troupe. Some names familiar to local historians and other researchers can be found in these pages, making them a useful and interesting research source.

Some signatures can be more interesting than others, for reasons you might not expect. . . 

If you look carefully at the page above from May 1860, you might see a familiar name from that time. Yes, there is a signature that says James Buchanan, destination White House. For those who know their history, James Buchanan was President of the United States in 1860. And for those who really know their history, John Floyd, the name below him, was the Secretary of War for President Buchanan. The President and Secretary of War visited Sandusky in 1860? Why have we not seen a report of this? This is something I'll need to research, I thought; but first, let's keep looking at the guest register.

So, a few pages later, we found other Presidents "visiting" Sandusky. . . 

Unfortunately, President Washington had been dead for over sixty years by then. Martin Van Buren was still living, but was an elderly 78 years old. And did you notice the similarities in handwriting among the presidents? Considering that each of the signatures were the last ones of their respective days, and the handwriting seems to be from the same person, we can speculate whether it might have been the work of a bored night clerk at the West House, who wanted to provide some entertainment for those in the future who read this guest register. It worked for us!

Rene J. Zouary, A Popular Concessionaire at Cedar Point

Cincinnati Enquirer, Sept. 4, 1965

Rene J. Zouary was born in Bordeaux, France in 1886. In an article in the September 4, 1965 issue of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Rene told about his long career in show business.

My father started in the World's Fair in Paris, I wasn't born yet, and in 1878 came to the World's Fair in Philadelphia," Rene says, then rattles off dates of expositions in St. Petersburg (now Leningrad) Russia, Sweden, Norway, Hungary, Rumania, Berlin and others in which the family took part. Rene came to the United States in 1901 to operate an exhibit at the Pan American Exhibition in Buffalo, N. Y. He intended to return to France but was attracted to New York's Coney Island where he set up shop and stayed from 1902 until 1904. After the St. Louis Fair his odyssey of shows took him all over the country and back to Coney Island several times. His memory for reciting the various fairs, expositions and amusement spots and their dates in chronological order is a tribute to the clear mind of a man who will be 80 next April 28. Among the concessions that made R. J. (the nickname Rene acquired somewhere along the way) famous were his ‘Streets of Cairo,’ ‘Chinese Village,’ and ‘Tunisian Village’ (with Bedouins from North Africa merchants, artisans and others presenting their works). If there is any one of the many concessions, R. J. recalls more fondly it was the ‘Bouquet of Life,’ an embryological exhibit that traced life from the beginnings through the various stages of development. ‘This was done by photographs, dozens of them, and we had nurses and others explaining the show. It always drew thousands,’ he says. In 1941 R. J. went back to Cedar Point, Ohio, where he had two fun houses and an animal show. I also had a 'Honeymoon Express', a 'dark' ride, and the Eli Ferris wheel, but in 1960 a new management took over, and most of us concessionaires had to sell and get out," R. J. says, with a dark frown. ‘All of us took a loss.’ 

An article in the Sandusky Register Star News of June 4, 1941 lists the attractions that R.J. Zouary featured on the Midway and Concourse at Cedar Point in the summer of 1941.

 

Often Rene’s brother assisted him with various attractions. An article in the Sandusky Register Star News of June 6, 1951 indicated that Ellie Zouary was the trainer of the monkeys in Rene J. Zouary’s midget auto attraction, and that two of the monkeys had become ill.

Ellie Zouary died on September 1, 1961, and was buried in Sandusky’s Oheb Shalom Cemetery.

After new management at Cedar Point did away with the concessionaires, Rene took out an advertisement in Billboard on August 22, 1960, to sell off his performance equipment.

For a time, Rene J. Zouary worked at LeSourdesville Lake, near Middletown, Ohio. Rene’s wife Maria, who was born Countess Marie Bentivolglio of Italy, died in Ohio in 1964.  Rene eventually moved to California, where he died on November 26, 1965.

Nearly All of the Loeffler Family Died in the 1849 Cholera

St. Joseph's Cemetery, Sandusky

According to the book, Sandusky Then and Now, in the course of a few days, John Loeffler, his wife Catherine, and four children all died from cholera in the summer of 1849. The only member of the family to survive was the youngest child, Johannes/John Loeffler, Local residents took the young child in, and the younger John Loeffler lived in Sandusky until his death in 1928 at age 82. He never married, and he worked as a gardener, tending to gardens and lawns all over Sandusky.

The elder John Loeffler came from Rentheim, Baden, Germany to Sandusky in 1835. He married Catherine that same year. Eventually, he ran a tailoring business, in conjunction with a tavern and grocery store at the corner of Fulton and Market Streets. John Loeffler was the first in the family to die from cholera, on July 24, 1849. On July 26, Catherine, Frank and George died. The last child to die was Conrad, who passed away on July 28, 1849.

John Loeffler, the young child who survived the deadly epidemic, made a career as a caretaker of lawns and gardens, and was buried at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Sandusky in 1928.

Though no stones have been located, St. Joseph’s Cemetery records list all six members of the Loeffler family as having been buried in Section B at St. Joseph’s Cemetery. A total of 357 persons died from cholera in 1849, and smaller epidemics took place in 1852 and 1854. While many have tombstones at Oakland Cemetery and St. Joseph’s Cemetery, most victims were laid to rest at the Cholera Cemetery on Harrison Street. An historical marker was placed at the Cholera Cemetery in 1966.

You can read more about the cholera epidemic in Sandusky in Hewson Peeke’s book, A Standard History of Erie County, Ohio (Lewis Pub. Co., 1916.)

When Cable TV Offices were in the Boeckling Building

From the early 1970s until 2000, the historic Boeckling building, at 105 West Shoreline Drive, was the home of cable TV in Sandusky. The business, originally known as North Central TV, Inc., later became Buckeye Cablevision, and now Buckeye Broadband. 

This building was constructed in 1928 to serve as the winter administrative offices of the Cedar Point Resort Company. It became known as the Boeckling Building, named after G.A. Boeckling, then the President and General Manager of the Cedar Point Resort Company. The Boeckling Building has Spanish features, with a red tile roof and arched windows. Aquatic symbols adorn the sides of the building which face east and south.

In recent years, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Office of Coastal Management has had its offices at this location. Future development plans are in the works for this grand building.

105 W. Shoreline Drive in 2015

To learn more about other historic buildings in Sandusky, see Treasure by the Bay: the Historic Architecture of Sandusky, Ohio (Bucknell University Press, 1989) by Ellie Damm.

George William Doerzbach, General Contractor

G. William Doerzbach is pictured above with a youngster and dog in an undated picture. Mr. Doerzbach was born in Sandusky in 1852 to Christopher and Louisa Doerzbach, both natives of Germany. Hewson Peeke wrote in A Standard History of Erie County (Lewis Publishing, 1916), that “G. William Doerzbach is a man who has largely been the architect of his own fortune.” As a youngster, he worked for the Western Union Telegraph Company. His first trade was cabinet maker, and then he became a carpenter. Eventually he studied in Philadelphia under a leading architect. When he returned to Sandusky, he worked as a general contractor. 

In 1894, G.W. Doerzbach built a bridge crossing Mills Creek. An article in the December 24, 1894 issue of the Sandusky Register reported about the new bridge.

After working independently for several years, he formed a partnership with his brother Fred C. Doerzbach in 1900. Together G.W. Doerzbach and Brother built many important buildings in Sandusky and beyond. The Sandusky Register of December 31, 1922 describes several of their projects:

The Hotel Rieger was built by the Doerzbach brothers in 1911.

Right across the street from Hotel Rieger, G.W. Doerzbach and Brother built the Sandusky Star Journal building (now occupied by the Sandusky Register) from 1920 to 1921:

Now home to Bailey Legal Group, this Market Street building was originally built by the Doerzbachs as Third National Exchange Bank:

Mr. Doerzbach never married. His office and home were located at the corner of Monroe and Camps Streets.

Image courtesy Google Maps

George William Doerzbach died in 1932, and his brother and business partner, Fred C. Doerzbach died in 1934. Both were buried in Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery. Though the Doerzbach brothers have been gone for decades, many buildings in Sandusky still stand as a testament to their excellent workmanship as general contractors.

The Martin Eldis Family

Martin Eldis (originally Itlis) was among the earliest of German born residents to settle in Sandusky. In 1828 he opened a bakery and provision store on Water Street, next to a hotel. The hotel had many different names through the years, including the Exchange Hotel, Hotel Wayne, the St. Lawrence, and much later the Porterhouse. His bakery was located on Lot 29, bounded to the north by Water Street and Wayne Street to the west.

Pictured below is the Hotel Wayne, which was at one time next door to the Eldis property. The structures that once were the Eldis bakery and this hotel no longer stand. Where they once stood is now a parking lot for Civista Bank.

In the fall of 1852, Martin Eldis died, leaving Mrs. Louise Eldis a widow with several children. According to the History of Erie County, edited by Lewis Cass Aldrich, Mr. Eldis left his wife and children “an abundant share of earthly goods.” Louise carried on the bakery on Water Street for several years.

An article in the January 14, 2002 issue of the Sandusky Register stated that Mrs. Eldis received compensation for losses which occurred when the 103rd Regiment of the New York Volunteers occupied her building from November 1863 to May 1864 during the Civil War. Mrs. Eldis died on December 19, 1888. She was thought to be the oldest resident of Sandusky at the time of her death. 

Martin and Louise Eldis and their children are buried in Lot 8 of Block 9 at Oakland Cemetery. As you view the Eldis monument, you can read the names of their ten children on the panels of the tombstone. 

There are also individual stones for several members of the family.

You can read about the Eldis family and many other former Sandusky residents of German heritage in the book Sandusky Then and Now, available at the Sandusky Library in both the German language (Sandusky Einst und Jetzt) and its English translation.

The Phil T. Beer Cafe

 

A mirror from the Phil T. Beer Café has a saying at the top, “Look at yourself, but think of us.” Phil Beer (a great name for a tavern owner) operated the tavern from about 1910 to 1919, at 301 East Market Street. Grace Episcopal Church now operates a thrift shop at this location. In an advertisement in the Sandusky Register on June 28, 1912, readers were informed that they could “while away an idle hour” or play pool, or eat a meal at Phil’s Café.

At the end of May in 1919, the state of Ohio became a “dry” state, several months before the 18^th Amendment became a law on October 28, 1919, prohibiting the manufacture, sale or transportation of intoxicating liquors throughout the United States. 

The article below from the May 24, 1919 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal reported on the mock funeral for “John Barleycorn.”

A group of men were to meet at midnight, and pay their respects to old man “Booze” who died from an “overdose of votes.” There was a procession that was to start at Washington Park, and then go to Water Street, past Dan Nolan’s, Baldwin’s, Ted Lauber’s Mulharen’s, the Pabst and the old West House. Next they would shed a tear at the old Annex Cafe, pass by Werner & Wagner, and play slow music as they passed by Phil Beer’s Cafe. It was expected that there would singing and speeches, concluding with the song “We’ll be dry for a long, long time.”

Later in 1919, Phil Beer ran a cigar shop at the Rieger Hotel. 

Mr. Beer died in September, 1959, and was buried at Oakland Cemetery.

You can read more about the residents of Sandusky and Erie County at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center, which houses microfilmed copies of decades of local newspapers. A ClevNet database, Newspaper Archive, provides online access to many historical newspapers as well.

Tribute to John J. Carroll of G and C Foundry

 

John Joseph Carroll, former president of the G. and C. Foundry, died on June 26, 1936. Funeral services were held first at his home at 1412 Columbus Avenue, and then at Saint Peter and Paul’s Catholic Church, with Father William F. Murphy officiating. The Sandusky Star Journal featured a tribute to John J. Carroll in its June 30, 1936 issue.

 A transcription of the remaining portion of the tribute is below:

 

It was one of the largest if not the largest funerals held in Sandusky. 

The funeral Mass was celebrated by the very Rev. William F. Murphy, pastor of the church, who also preached the sermon.

Father Murphy and Mr. Carroll were close friends. In youth they played baseball with and against each other. The friendship between the two grew firmer as the years rolled by.

Father Murphy’s tribute to Mr. Carroll was masterful. That it came from the heart was apparent. Now and then the venerable churchman’s voice seemed to falter. Many eyes were dimmed with tears.

The church was packed. In the gathering were representatives of every walk of life. There were friends and business associates here from Chicago, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Dayton and many other cities – friends and business associates of many years.

There were so many flowers that it was impossible to get them all into the Carroll home. Many of them came from cities, towns and communities far removed from Sandusky.

Honorary pallbearers were L.K. Burge. Chief John D. Curtis of the fire department, Carl F. Denzer, T.O. Edwards, E.F. Emmons, Congressman, William S. Fiesinger, James F. Flynn, Jr., Herbert F. Farrell, Dr. H.B. Frederick, Sidney Frohman, B.T. Gagen, Norman Gagen, E.B. Gangware, Dr. A.R. Grierson, Dr. George A. Heiler, William H. Hommel, Alfred Huntley, August Kuebeler, Jr., Norber Kuebeler, A.J. Little, John D. Mack, Dr. Frank J. Maher, William McLain, Charles F. Miller, Frank Mulheran, Frank W. Myers, John McCrystal, Sr., William J. Py, John Quinn, Russell Ramsey, William H. Ritter, John F. Rosino, Charles F. Mischler, Martin L. Ritter, Gil Rossmaan, C. Webb Sadler, Alfred Schnurr, George J. Schade, George A. Schoepfle, Ralph J. Smith, Edward A. Smith, Werner G. Smith, the Rev. Theo J. Stellhorn, the Rev. Dr. Donald Wonders, the Rev. Gates E.M. Young, Charles A. Thornburgh, Chief of Police C.A. Weingates, Major C.B. Wilcox, and John G. Wohlers, all of Sandusky; Fred and Phil Frankel, M.F. Gartland, T.A. Gartland, W.A. Greenbaum, William E. Rayel, L.R. Robinson, D.J. Ryan, Fred D. Ryan, Charles and Walter Seelbach, M.J. Sweeney, T.H. Terry, H.J. Trenkamp, and J.W. Wilbur, of Cleveland; H.P. Blake and C.W. Inches, of Canton; Charles H. Graves collector of internal revenue, Toledo and Port Clinton; P.F. Gartland of Indianapolis; F.J. Gartland and L.F. Gartland, of Marion, O.; W.J. Giuss, William F. McCarthy, and Robert J. Wiseley of Chicago; C. J. Miller of Fremont; and Anthony and John Haswell and C. E. Swank of Dayton.

 The active pallbearers were Carey W. Hord, Franklin D. Hohler, Rol G. Sloat, George Richter, Harry W. Gosser, Fred Schafer, and Edmund A. Andres, of Sandusky, and William Quinn, of Whitmore.

The city commission members attended the funeral in a body as did the officers and employees of the Third National Exchange Bank of which Mr. Carroll was a director.

The bank was closed while the funeral was being held.

 

The Carroll family plot at Oakland Cemetery is in Block H.

James Ross, Educator and Author

From 1916 to 1933, James Ross was a history teacher at Sandusky High School. For several of those years, he also served as the faculty treasurer of the athletic department. Prior to moving to Sandusky, Ohio, Mr. Ross had been an educational administrator at West Chester Schools, Adams Township Schools in Champaign County, and Fort Recovery Schools in Mercer County, Ohio. An excerpt from History of Mercer County, Ohio (Biographical Publishing Co., 1907) had the following description:

Mr. Ross is not only a superintendent of marked executive ability and good judgment, but a teacher of force and power. He makes no radical change but lays a firm foundation and then progresses. Unassuming in his ways he has the ability, by his devoted, unselfish interest in his pupils, to inspire them with noble ideals and to keep them firmly as friends of the school, and through the pupils he seldom fails to reach the parent. He is an educator in the highest sense of the word.

An article in the December 21, 1940 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal stated that it was largely through the efforts of Mr. Ross that when Sandusky High played Findlay High School’s football team on Thanksgiving Day in 1925, it was the largest crowd that ever attended an SHS football game up to that point in the school’s history. 

In 1930, Mr. Ross wrote a book, The Heart of Democracy: The American Public Schools. An autographed copy of this title is now in the collections of the Follett House Museum.

The Sandusky Register of February 15, 1931 published excerpts of several positive reviews of the book, which had gained national attention. E.J. Jensen, field secretary of Adelbert College, said “It’s the first ‘meaty’ book on education that I have read with a feeling of intense enjoyment instead of from a sense of duty. Its style is so lucid and entertaining that it should have a very widespread appeal.” 

After his retirement in 1933, Mr. Ross and his wife Winnie moved to Brooklyn, New York, living with a son. Mr. Ross died on December 14, 1940. Funeral services were held at a Brooklyn crematory, and his ashes were taken to Fort Recovery, Ohio for burial.

Fred Kranz, Sandusky Businessman

Fred Kranz was born in Nassau, Germany in 1841; in 1848 he came to the United States with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Balthasar Kranz. The Kranz family settled in Perkins Township of Erie County, Ohio.  Fred was raised on the family farm, and at the age of fifteen he was trained in the tinner’s trade. 

In the 1860s, he worked for Flood, Geasen and Company, tinsmiths in Sandusky. By 1884, he was the senior partner in the company. The advertisement for F. Kranz below appeared in the 1884 edition of the R. L. Polk & Company’s Marine Directory of the Great Lakes.

A biographical sketch about Fred Kranz, which appeared in History of Erie County, Ohio, edited by Lewis Cass Aldrich, stated that Mr. Kranz had an extensive and well-equipped establishment, and he specialized in lime kiln work. In 1894, he had the contract for Faultless Furman boilers. also that year he installed a heating system in the Edward Jarecki residence on Central Avenue. Before that, in 1884, he installed a heating system at Holy Angels Church. There were two supply coils, and one-half coils under each seat, in a system which was devised by Mr. Kranz. 

By 1896 Fred Kranz was the proprietor of the Sandusky Metal Works.

The advertisement from the 1896 Sandusky City Directory indicated by F. Kranz was a wholesale and retail dealer in plumbers’ supplies; gas and steam fitter; and also did tin, copper, and sheet iron work. he seemed to adapt his skills as the needs of his customers evolved through the years. 

On May 5, 1899, Fred Kranz died at his residence at the age of 55. He left behind a wife, the former Caroline Traub, and four children. An obituary which appeared in the Sandusky Star of May 6, 1899, read in part, “During his long residence in Sandusky Mr. Kranz had won the esteem and respect of all who knew him. His private life and business methods had made many friends who will learn of his death with sorrow.”  To read more about the Kranz family and other Sandusky residents of German origin, see the book Sandusky Then and Now,  housed with the genealogy books at the Sandusky Library.

Dr. Bartel H. Reinheimer, Episcopal Bishop

 

Sandusky High School graduation photo

Born in Sandusky in 1889, Bartel H. Reinheimer was the son of Alfred and Beatrice Reinheimer. Alfred was the son of German immigrants, and made his living by manufacturing cigars.

 

Sandusky High School Class of 1907

In his youth, Reinheimer spelled his first name Bartelle. He graduated from Sandusky High School in 1907, where he served as editor in chief of the Fram in his senior year. The verse below lists his many high school activities:

 

“Here is Reinheimer – sure you know him! Twice “of course,”

You’ve heard “rooters” yell for him ‘till they were hoarse?

A “star” in athletics, a Scrooge in the play,

Brimful of school spirit-whatever you say.

A strong voice the chorus, now head of the Fram,

He’s able to play either lion or lamb.

Though now he is aiming to be a school teacher,

Some day our Bartele may become a great preacher

Then we to his parish will speedily go

To hear and rejoice with an “I told you so!”

Bartel Reinheimer graduated from Kenyon College in 1911, and Bexley Hall Divinity School in 1914. He indeed did become a minister, serving churches in Shelby and Dayton, Ohio, before being appointed as the executive secretary of the General Episcopalian Council in New York City. Rev. Reinheimer served as Bishop of the Diocese of Rochester from 1938 through 1949. When he was consecrated as Bishop, the services were broadcast by WTAM Radio of Cleveland, Ohio. He also was a trustee of the University of Rochester, and had been a chancellor of Hobart College. He died in Rochester, New York in 1949, shortly after he retired his duties as Bishop.

While a student at Sandusky High School, he was a member of the football team, shown here in 1906.