Sunday, December 25, 2011

Santa in a Plane at the Reinhardt Ausmus Residence

The unique Christmas decoration featuring Santa Claus as the pilot of an airplane once appeared on the roof of the home of Reinhardt Ausmus. While we do not know the exact date of the picture, Sandusky City Directories indicate that the Ausmus family resided at 1102 Buckingham Street in Sandusky, Ohio for over forty years, arriving in Sandusky in 1915. "Reiny" (as he was known by his friends) built and flew his first airplane at the age of 16. He went on to become a flight instructor during World War I, and he continued to teach after the war.

In 2007, Reinhardt Ausmus was inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame. He was recognized for his "distinctive contribution to the progress of early aviation" as well as for his services contributing "to the well being of veterans and other citizens of the Sandusky area."
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1 comment:

Ed Daniel said...

I grew up (1936-1954) next to the Ausmus house and will always remember the airplane on their roof at Christmas time. Our family were very frequent visitors in their home, as our parents and Reiny and his wife Mary (Williams) were each other's wedding parties in 1924. My brother Bob did much of the research that was the basis for Reiny being inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011 at 11:19:00 AM EST

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