'78 Blizzard - Dave's Midwestern Ohio Memories

Series of Guest Blogs by an out-of-state Fish Report reader originally from this area about fond memories of growing up in Midwestern Ohio during the 50’s & 60’s

Blizzard of ’78

Last week marked the 45 anniversary of the 1978 Blizzard that overwhelmed Ohio and most of the midwest. We lived in Michigan and only received a fraction of the snow without the high winds and subzero temps that midwestern Ohio experienced over a three day period in late January of that year.

My siblings all vividly recalled that historic blizzard. Here are their stories:

From my brother: Mom & Dad were stranded by themselves on the home farm without power, water, heat or phone. They hunkered down in the kitchen with a mattress on the floor using candles and lanterns for heat and light. They blocked off the other rooms with blankets over the various access points to keep the heat in the kitchen. Note the rosary on the kitchen table in the photo below, so they also did a lot of praying!

Dad had to drain the baseboard heating system in the house to keep it from freezing and would go to the barn periodically to break the ice in the water tank for the beef cattle he was raising. I recall him telling me he would put snow into the water tank to melt and replenish any water consumed.

Finally, my brother was able to head over to Mom and Dad’s on his snowmobile and noticed the makeshift bedroom living area in the kitchen, an inconvenience they seemed to handle very well in an upbeat manner.

If you lived through the Great Depression immediately followed by WWII, a couple days of no power and water seemed nothing for them. For sure, "the Greatest Generation”.

Dad eventually plowed out the long lane with the tractor, no doubt a real challenge in the cold and wind.

Fortunately, Dad had sold his milk cows a few years earlier, otherwise he would have had to milk them by hand under light from the kerosene lantern, like Mrs. O’Leary back in 1871 Chicago, but God-forbid without the same consequences. Legend has it that incident is linked to a famous square dance tune.

My middle sister’s husband also visited his parents, but his truck slid into a huge snowdrift and was stuck, so he walked the rest of the way. My sister had no idea what happened to him as the power and phone lines were down, so she and her two young children ages 1 & 4, were by themselves in their home to weather the brunt of the storm. Her husband finally walked back late that evening reporting that his parents were ok and he fortunately found my sister and their kids ok as well.

My youngest sister reported that everyone kicked in to help neighbors during the blizzard. They stayed at a neighbor’s place who had a fireplace to keep warm. At the time, she was working at Fair Haven nursing home in Sidney, but could not get to work for 3 days. The trips to and from work that winter were very challenging due to the high snow drifts that kept recurring with just a little wind. Her shift started very early at 5:45am so she had to travel those back roads between Ft. Loramie and Sidney well before the snowplows were out. Needless to say she did not stay at Fair Haven long after that winter, finding nursing employment elsewhere. But she reported it was nice being with Grandma and Grandpa who resided at Fair Haven. She'd spend her lunch with them to provide comfort in their final years, just as she did so faithfully for both our parents when they went to the nursing home.

My eldest sister also indicated they had no power and phone service for three days. Mom was the first person she called after getting the service restored. Both were so relieved and thankful to learn everyone was all right.

My brother also indicated how treacherous the roads were all that winter due to the drifting snow. He drove a truck at that time making deliveries and recalled a road in Indiana that did not open for two weeks after the storm and then only one lane. The drifts were higher than his truck!

Share your Blizzard of ’78 saga by clicking this link.

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Comic Books - Dave's Midwestern Ohio Memories

Series of Guest Blogs by an out-of-state Fish Report reader originally from this area about fond memories of growing up in Midwestern Ohio during the 50’s & 60’s

Comic Books

In the recent issue of the Knights of Columbus magazine, I was surprised to see an article entitled “Pow! The Knights Behind a Comic Book Revival”. As a kid, comic books were a favorite form of reading and entertainment so I had quite a collection, all since destroyed by my brother or thrown out by my mother, so the K of C article attracted my attention. The author of the article interviewed fellow Knights who had worked in the comic book industry over the years creating many of my favorites and concluded with the interesting point that young children can be introduced to and positively influenced by Christian-based comic books. Children's attention is better maintained with dynamic visuals to complement the written word. The conclusion reached is that evangelization of children to the Christian faith is enhanced through comic books.

My favorite comics growing up were Archie & Jughead, especially characters Veronica and Betty for obvious reasons shown in the edition below. Loved those bikinis!

Next favorites were the super hero comics like Spider Man, Bat Man and Super Man, battling the forces of evil while portraying the ideals of courage, strength and self-sacrifice. Peter Parker, Adam West and Clark Kent became my alter-ego’s, but their superpowers evaded me!

Robin Hood was another favorite comic book and recall creating a makeshift bow and arrow. Another Robin, Batman’s sidekick, used a sling shot, which I also made as a kid. My sling shots never seemed to last long, as either the rubber made out of an old inner tube tore or the connection of the rubber to the Y shaped tree limb failed. Regardless, the bow and arrow and sling shot provided many hours of fun and enjoyment as a kid before getting a BB gun for Christmas at about age 10 or so.

The BB gun inspired me to be attracted to another series of comic books about westerns, such as the Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Hoppalong Cassidy, and more. But before the BB gun, bow and arrow and sling shot came cap guns as toys and playing cowboys and Indians was tons of fun as a kid with my friends. My sisters loved the Annie Oakley comics, especially since she was a native of nearby Willowdell.

My sisters also like comics about Bugs Bunny, Woody Woodpecker and the Disney characters, especially Cinderella.

And my wife fondly recalls her dad reading the comic book about Nancy to her as a young child.

Another source of comics were in bubble gum packages. Each comic also included a pithy statement as well as an offer for a free item if you send in enough comic strips. I fell for several and no surprise, they were all junk!

Far from a super hero, bumbling Army private Beetle Bailey was also a fun comic book read. Note the sling shot in Beetle’s back pocket of this vintage comic book cover.

There were some religious comic books back then but I never recall buying any of them. Maybe I should have read this one!

Classic Illustrated comics came in handy as they could be used as a shortcut to reading the novel. That never seemed to work because the teacher was typically onto us so asked a question on the test about something not in the comic book. Curses! Foiled again.

Here’s a comic book that’s new to me, but sounds interesting! Go Blue!

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Seminary - Dave's Midwestern Ohio Memories

Series of Guest Blogs by an out-of-state Fish Report reader originally from this area about fond memories of growing up in Midwestern Ohio during the 50’s & 60’s

Seminary

The Fish Report always shares photos and articles about local high school reunions from around the area. But here’s a well written article from outside our area about a reunion of seminarians from the classes of 1966 & 67. As touched on in prior blogs I attended the Society of Precious Blood’s Brunnerdale Seminary, pictured above, located in Canton, Ohio for the first two years of high school and can recall about 10-15 others from local midwestern Ohio communities who were in the seminary at the same time, including several cousins. Those who had left early were invited to attend the reunion but I couldn’t due to a family wedding.

The class stays connected thanks to a fellow classmate by the name of Mike Ploetz, who unfortunately is currently undergoing treatment for brain cancer. The photos above show Mike at the reunion and him ringing the bell after his last chemo treatment. The article's author, Gary Brown of the Canton Repository, does a great job recounting seminary life back in the 1960’s.

Memories of Brunnerdale Seminary

Reunions of seminary classes held at Glenmoor Country Club

1966

2017

Memories of the road to the priesthood were told over the weekend when the 1966 and 1967 classes at Brunnerdale Seminary held a reunion at Glenmoor Country Club -- the transformed site of their religious experience five decades ago.

Some 30 members of the two graduating classes, along with 15 spouses, came together at the place where the men attended Brunnerdale, which at the time was a high school for boys intending to become Catholic priests or brothers.

"When our class graduated it was the largest in the history of the seminary," said Michael Ploetz, organizer of the reunion and a member of the 1966 class. "Our two classes were at Brunnerdale when it was most busy and most crowded. We were actually over capacity with more than 300 students and dozens of priests, brothers and nuns as staff.

Sister Leoclaudia

"After that it tapered off until there were only a couple of dozen in the 1980s and they had to close the school."

The last principal at Brunnerdale, Brother Benjamin Basile, was a classmate of Ploetz at St. Joseph's College in Indiana, the Catholic college for religious vocational training that followed schooling at Brunnerdale.

A little history

The website for Glenmoor Country Club tells the history of Brunnerdale Seminary High School.

About the end of the 19th century a priest named "Father Brunner" left Germany and immigrated to the United States, the history notes.

"His purpose was to establish his faith among the German people in Pennsylvania," explains the Glenmoor history. "The order was to be 'The Society of the Precious Blood.' Their descendants have kept alive the Society and established Brunnerdale Seminary High School for boys preparing for the priesthood. They named the school in honor of Father Brunner.

"The original site for the school was donated by two bachelor brothers by the name of Race, who owned the farm which surrounded the school," the history continues.

"The classic Gothic building was built during the years 1930-1931 with the first class starting in late October of 1931. The building contains approximately 167,000 square feet. For those of you who remember the depression you can realize how much an edifice of that magnitude meant to Stark county and Canton, Ohio. The building contains Belden Brick, East Canton Tile and Republic Steel, not to mention all of the labor force required to complete such a building."

Few priests

At some point during the four years of education and training for become a priest or brother at Brunnerdale about 140 students were members of the 1966 graduating class, estimated Ploetz.

"We started freshman year with 103 and over the years another 40 would come and leave," Ploetz recalled. "Of those 140 or so seminarians, there was only one who became a priest, Fr. Bert Woolson. We had two who became brothers, but only one practicing priest. When we started they told us that only one in 10 would make it to priesthood or become brothers, and it turned out to be less than that."

Father Woolson

Ploetz and others recently visited that priest, who lives in Indiana and was unable to attend the reunion because of health reasons (note: Fr. Woolson has since died)

The 1967 class "did a little better," Ploetz noted. Two members of that class were ordained as priests in the Society of the Precious Blood order and continue to practice. One of them, The Rev. William O'Donnell of St. Henry parish of Mercer Country in southwestern Ohio, was expected to say Sunday morning Mass for those attending the reunion, a service held in the chapel at Glenmoor.

Reasons that "very few went on to the priesthood" were varied, said Ploetz, who dropped out of the priesthood program himself after education at St. Joseph's.

"Some left very early because they were homesick," Ploetz said. "Some guys decided they really liked girls. There were a few who had trouble making grades. Quite a few in the class decided that the priesthood was not for them. And there were some who were asked to leave because of their conduct."

Life inside

Smoking and bad language were two of the most common conduct violations. In the 1960s, Brunnerdale was "more like a monastery than a high school," recalled Ploetz.

"We were not allowed to have radios. We weren't allowed to watch television, except for special occasions. They would bring television out for things like the Cuban Missile Crisis, but not when you just wanted to watch TV. When we did read a newspaper it was The Canton Repository, but that was not often. It was considered not in our best interest."

Students regularly wore clerical clothing. Cassocks were the priestly garb of choice.

"We had to keep silent at night, from after evening prayers to after breakfast in the morning," Ploetz remembered. "It was a very strict environment for young men."

School course work was challenging.

"We got a good education," Ploetz said. "But we didn't learn much about girls. We never saw any."

Losing touch

These and other memories were exchanged during the past weekend's reunion, which was born out of a gathering last year in Mercer County.

"We've had reunions over the years. Our class had a 15-year reunion and the class of 1967 had a couple of reunions. We thought, wouldn't it be great if we got the two classes together for a reunion?"

The combined classes gathered last year near Dayton.

"A lot of the guys said they'd really like to see Glenmoor," explained Ploetz.

Glenmoor Country Club, with its clubhouse, banquet facilities and lodging units, has been host through the years of a number of reunions related to Brunnerdale Seminary. It provides those attending with a view of how the seminary has been reborn.

An opportunity to golf on the Jack Nicklaus course was afforded the most recent reunion. Tours of the buildings were arranged, Ploetz said. A dinner Saturday night was held in the Glenmoor banquet facility. It was an opportunity for fellowship.

"A lot of the guys we haven't seen for a long time," Ploetz said.

Keeping the faith

Though not priests, many of the seminarians of the 1960s have remained strong Catholics, Ploetz said.

Ploetz, who recently retired from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is happily married with four children and five grandchildren.

"I was 13 years old when I started on that path (to priesthood)," he said. "I was 22 years old when I left. Your views on things are different as you get older. After awhile I decided that a different vocation was right for me. I think that's the case with most of the guys who left."

Those decisions to leave the seminary resulted in a variety of career choices for members of the 1966 and 1967 classes. (Note: One classmate, now deceased, found the wrong side of the law and was arrested 8 times! Mug shots below)

"We've had every occupation you could think of -- doctors, a pilot, businessmen, teachers, lawyers," said Ploetz. "One fellow is a farmer. One of the fellows was a brain surgeon."

Both classes, Ploetz said, had a member killed in the war in Vietnam.

One member of the class, although he got married instead of being ordained as a priest, still bolstered the ranks of the priesthood, Ploetz noted.

"We have one guy in the class who had 12 kids, and two of them became priests."

Postscript: A favorite memory from those times was several of us seminarians breaking into the altar wine locker. That's about all I recall of the incident as I was only 14 and definitely wasn’t used to drinking; however, I do recall we never got caught! Here are some more Brunnerdale photos from the family album thanks to sister Lucy.

About to Leave for the Seminary

Me Freshman Year at Brunnerdale

Weekend Visit by my Family l-r Sara, Lucy, Ann, Dad

Summer Picnic on Brunnerdale’s Back 40, Now a Jack Nicklaus-Designed Golf Course

Brunnerdale Dormitory

Definitely a Stretch!

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Cataract Surgery - Dave's Midwestern Ohio Memories

Series of Guest Blogs by an out-of-state Fish Report reader originally from this area about fond memories of growing up in Midwestern Ohio during the 50’s & 60’s

Cataract Surgery

Last month while driving back to Michigan at night after we visited my 93 year-old mother-in-law at Fair Haven in Sidney, I noticed double vision in my right eye, It was the first time driving at night for awhile, since with daylight savings time, most of my driving is durng the day. My wife suggested making an appointment with her ophthalmologist, which I did the very next day. He discovered a cataract in my right eye that was likely causing the double vision and he recommended surgery.

My diagnosis brought back memories of Mom undergoing cataract surgery back in the 1970’s, having spent a day or so in the hospital after surgery with sand bags positioned to keep her head steady and then having to wear a patch over her eye for more than a month until the eye healed and the stiches removed. After that process, she never did have the other eye done. Don’t blame her!

Back then, literally the eye lens was cut out, a replacement put in place and then the eye stitched up, which meant until the eye was healed, the patient had to be very careful not to re-injure the eye. My sisters did all the work around the house during her recuperation, so she was appreciative of their help; however, not being able to move about or go out was a challenge for her, as this was likely the only time in her life until then that she wasn’t active doing something. And if you knew my Mom, she never sat still, always wanting to be involved in some activity. My wife knows the same feeling with me! Glad to have these blogs along with tennis and golf each week to channel my energy now that I’m fully retired.

So my cataract surgery was scheduled a week or so later and it went very smoothly taking all of 8 minutes. While researching the surgery on-line, not a good idea I know, but that’s not the way I’m wired, found that the latest cataract surgery technology does not require drops for the typical three weeks afterwards, but my ophthalmologist did not subscribe to that methodology, being somewhat old school. As evidence, he was taught in med school by an MD neighbor of ours Doc Ray M., who was the head of ophthalmology at the University of Michigan Medical School. Unfortunately Doc Ray died suddenly while fly fishing in the Rockies 20 years or so ago. My eye surgeon had fond memories of Doc Ray and also his widow who still lives in our neighborhood. Plus, I play golf with his son. Old school or not, my doctor performed a flawless surgery and after several weeks of 4 a day drops, I have 20-20 vision in my right eye.

My left eye is not ready for surgery yet, so off to Florida we went last week, with a pair of old glasses that work just fine for the left eye but literally mess with my new perfect vision in the right eye as a result of the surgery. But thankfully, the double vision is gone and night-time driving is much better.

On Sunday, friends of ours invited us on their boat to travel up the Florida coast to view the devastation from September’s Hurricane Ian on Sanibel Island and Ft. Myers Beach both of which incurred 120 mph winds and 15’ surge. My eyesight was perfect, but seeing the terrible devastation from offshore was disheartening. Having been to those areas numerous times over the years and seeing the destruction was gut wrenching. We’re so fortunate our place south of those areas came out relatively ok, even though we lost a car to the 9’ storm surge and 80 mph winds. Our condo lobby and pool area were totally inundated with flooding, to the point that a stray boat pictured below had floated into our parking lot. There are still remnants of the storm evident in our area in Naples, but thankfully nothing like the devastation we observed on Sanibel Island and Ft. Myers Beach.

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