Academic Booster Club of Bryan City Schools Fund

The Academic Booster Club of the Bryan City Schools began as a result of a conversation between former school board member Orville Boucher and the Superintendent Richard Ross.  Mr. Boucher felt that the school system was lacking, in that it had organizations supporting and boosting athletics, music and other areas, but nothing specifically designed to support academic areas.

From this conversation a steering committee was formed including people from the school system and the public.  As a result of their input the first slate of officers was elected in January 1992 and the organization known as Academic Booster Club of the Bryan City Schools (know as ABC) was born.

The founding principal of the organization is to encourage and support, both functionally and financially, academic projects and activities within normal school programs as well as the annual Young Authors Conference.  This is a day when students can actively participate in listening to and interacting with an established notable author.  During this day students have an opportunity to learn about the life of an author, stretch their own creative skills and experience the fun in reading and creating.

Other projects of ABC are financially supporting students as they pursue summer academic programs at universities, art schools, writing schools, theater programs and any other academic program in which they may wish to participate.  With an annual budget of nearly $20,000, ABC is attempting to impact the largest possible number of student academic programs.

ABC also contributes annually to a graduating senior’s first year at college.  Through participation in the Bryan Area Foundation, ABC is building a fund that will allow an annual continuing grant toward a student’s further education.

Catherine Markey Anderson Library Fund

Marquard J. Anderson Memorial Community Fund 

Catherine (Markey) Anderson was born March 10, 1921 in Bryan, the daughter of Ruth (Edwards) and John Clifton Markey.  She attended Pine Manor College, Boston, Massachusetts and graduated from the University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.

While in Arizona she met Mark Anderson.  At the time, each was engaged to someone else.  They were married in 1945.

Marquard J. Anderson was born April 15, 1920 the son of Anna (Carlson) and Carl John Anderson in Clariton, Pennsylvania.  Mark was a graduate of the University of Pittsburg and served in Europe as a captain in the Army Air Corps during World War II.

Mark joined the Aro Equipment Corporation in 1945 as assistant sales manager and held various positions with the Company founded by his father-in-law, J.C. Markey.  When Mr. Markey became chairman of the board in 1956, the board of directors elected Mark president of the corporation.  He became chairman of the board in 1968 and retired in 1983.  Noted for his knowledge in the industrial world, Mr. Anderson served as director of several corporations.

A believer in the free enterprise system, Mark was among those instrumental in bringing the first Junior Achievement program to Bryan High School in the early 1960’s.  He was a member of the board of director of JA, served on the board of the Bryan Area United Way and was a member of the Bryan Area Foundation.   Mark was a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary and a 32^nd Degree Mason.

Following in the footsteps of her mother, Catherine was very active in the Bryan Public Library and served on the board of directors.  She was a trustee of Defiance College.   When her children were younger, Catherine was active in scouting.

Mark and Catherine were very supportive of education and lent their knowledge and concerns to several college boards.  Mark served on the board of Northwest Technical College before it became a community college.  Although private about their philanthropic deeds, the Anderson’s often helped students to further their careers through college. 

“They insisted on excellence but were not flashy or dazzling.”

Mark and Catherine were honored by the Bryan Area Foundation as “Good Citizens of the Year.”

They had two sons, Carl and John and a daughter Ruth (Anderson) Johnson who passed away in 1995.  Catherine died January 25, 1995 at the age of 74.  Mark died October 18, 1996 at the age of 76.

Helen Spangler Anderson Memorial Community Fund

Helen Spangler Anderson, the daughter of Susanna (Hall) and Harvey Fernando Rodgers, was born in Evansport on January 6, 1895.  She died March 4, 1989, at her residence, 520 Oakwood Avenue, Bryan, at the age of 94

Beginning in her high school years, she lived in Bryan and was a 1914 Bryan High School graduate.  During her adult years, she spent summers at Clear Lake, Indiana, and winters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

On June 20, 1916, she married Arthur Garfield Spangler in Bryan.  He died in a boating accident on Snow Lake, Indiana, with three Bryan friends, on August 30, 1945.

She married Carl J. Anderson on October 19, 1950, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and they lived in Bryan.  Mr. Anderson died March 29, 1964.

In 1981, she was Grand Marshall of the Bryan Jubilee Parade honoring the Spangler Candy Company’s 75^th anniversary.  The firm was founded by her husband, Arthur Spangler.  She was active in the First Presbyterian Church of Bryan. 

She had a daughter and son-in-law, Betty and Dr. Neil Levenson of Bryan; a son and daughter-in-law, Theodore R. and Doris Spangler of Bryan; five grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

George M. and Maxine Armbruster Memorial Community Fund

George Armbruster was born in Williams County on August 18, 1906.  He was the son of Dora (Maneval) and Martin John Armbruster.  Mr. Armbruster was a farmer and a long time member of the Wesley United Methodist church and Bryan Moose Lodge.  Mr. Armbruster died June 27, 1994.

Maxine Ewing was born November 11, 1909 in Kunkle the daughter of Arthur and Leah (Traxler) Ewing.  She married George Armbruster and they had three sons, George Allan, Ronald Martin, and Philip Rick.  After Maxine’s death on January 23, 1978, George remarried Geneva Krill on November 18, 1979.

Maxine was a former employee of Bryan Cameron Community Hospital and the Aro Corporation.  She was a member of Wesley United Methodist Church and Bryan Senior Citizens Club.  In addition to farming, Mr. Armbruster was an employee at the Williams County Courthouse and on their custodial staff.  Family and friends consider them to be kind, quiet, friendly and generous.

Howard L. and Laurena L. Arnos Memorial Community Fund

Howard L. and Laurena L. Arnos Memorial American Heart Fund

Howard L. and Laurena L. Arnos Memorial  American Cancer Fund

 he Howard L. and Laurena L. Arnos Fund was established by Laurena L. Arnos (Dehnke).   Howard L. Arnos died February 17, 1989 and Laurena L. Arnos died November 6, 2006.  They had been residents of Williams County for their entire lifetimes and had lived in Bryan since 1937.

Mr. Arnos was a contractor and built many homes in this area and Mrs. Arnos was a homemaker.  Mr. and Mrs. Arnos were members of the First Presbyterian Church of Bryan.

Mrs. Arnos wanted the funds to be used “for any needed community projects.”

ARO Employees Foundation Donor Advised Fund - No biography available

ARO Employees Foundation Scholarship Fund - No biography available

Mark V. Attenweiler Memorial Community Fund

Mark V. Attenweiler was born December 13, 1954 in Piqua, Ohio to John and Margaret Attenweiler.  He started working for Uhlmans Department Store in Piqua as a stock boy while still in high school.  After graduating from Lehman High School in 1973, he was offered the position of assistant manager at Uhlmans.  For the next several years he worked in Piqua.

On June 12, 1982 he married Jayne Doss, also of Piqua.  They had one son, Jason, born in 1986.

Also in 1982, he was offered the position of manager of the Uhlmans store in Bryan (now know as Pebbles).  From his first step into Bryan, Mark loved the town.  He became a member of the Bryan Rotary Club and served as a director of the Bryan Chamber of Commerce and President of the Bryan Retail Merchants Association.  He also was a member of the United Way Board.  One of his proudest accomplishments was participating in the building of the Imagination Station.  To him, it was just one example of what the people of Bryan could accomplish by working together.

In 1991, Mark and Jayne opened their own business, Special Occasions, in downtown Bryan.  Jayne ran the new party and gift store, while Mark continued working at Uhlmans and offered her physical and mental support.

Mark died suddenly on March 31, 1995 at the age of 40, of a heart attack.  At the time, he was manager of the Uhlmans store in Bryan and supervisor of the Uhlmans stores in Napoleon, Ohio and Rochester, Warsaw, and Marion, Indiana.  He and Jayne were also still owners of Special Occasions.

Mark will be remembered for his congenial personality and sense of humor.  His energy and enthusiasm for any project he took on and his love for Bryan and the community are qualities that will always be remembered by those who loved him.  He would be proud of having a memorial fund within the Bryan Area Foundation.

 Edward and Elma Auchard Fund

 Edward and Elma Auchard came to Bryan in 1975.  He was pastor of First Presbyterian Church 1975-1988.  They continued to live in Bryan and established the Edward and Elma Auchard Fund with the Bryan Area Foundation in 2005.

Edward (born 1920) and Elma Breckenridge (born 1921) were natives of Kansas with roots going back to pre-Civil War “Bleeding Kansas.”  They were each reared in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, which became EUB in 1946 and United Methodist in 1968.  Both were grammar school students in one-room country schools in Kansas.

Elma Breckenridge attended Kansas State University in Pittsburg, Kansas and taught in one-room schools prior to her marriage to Edward D. Auchard, July 23, 1944.

Edward was educated in Kansas State University and York College in Nebraska where he graduated summa cum laude in 1941.  He attended Eden Theological Seminary, (St. Louis), Bonebrake – now United Theological Seminary in Dayton (now Trotwood, Ohio) for the Bachelor of Theology degree in 1948 (now Master of Ministry).  He received his Master of Theology degree from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in 1952.  He served United Brethren Churches as a student pastor while in college and seminary and Riverdale United Brethren Church in California, 1941-1944.

In 1949 Edward and Elma transferred to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and he became pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, 1949-1953.  He served as associate pastor of historic First Presbyterian Church in Pontiac, Michigan, 1953-1957.  He was pastor of the Orchard Lake Community Church, Presbyterian, in suburban Detroit, 1957-1975.  Edward represented the Detroit Presbytery in General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 1959 and 1967.  He was moderator of the Detroit Presbytery in 1967, the year of the riots.  He became pastor in Bryan in 1975.

The Auchards are the parents of one daughter, Wilma Joanne, now Mrs. William Mark Senefsky.  Today (2007) they have three adult grand children and two great-granddaughters.  They all reside in Southern California.

The Auchards have visited the Holy Land in 1962, 1979 and 1981.   In 1962 they also visited Rome, Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Israel.  Edward had a pulpit exchange with Gwnfai Jones of St. Rollox Church of Scotland, Glasgow, Scotland in the summer of 1982.  They have traveled in Europe, Mexico and Canada.

Since retirement the Auchards have visited Turkey, tracing the journeys of the Apostle Paul in Asia Minor.  They have visited areas of Presbyterian missions in Thailand, Korea and Japan.  They have visited the Church of Christ in China.  They have served with Wycliffe Bible Translators’ Pastors Beyond program, ministering to missionaries in Kenya, Colombia, Brazil, Suriname and Mexico.  He has preached in over 20 churches of eight denominations in northwest Ohio and southern Michigan.

Yasuko Yamamoto (now Mrs. Kenzo Kitajima) and her brother, Hisashi, were exchange students with the Auchards in 1961-1962 and 1967-1968.  They have maintained lifelong relationships with the Yamamoto and Kitajima families.

Since 1991 Edward has written a weekly column for The Bryan Times.

Funds for the Edward and Elma Auchard Fund contribute to projects of the Bryan Area Foundation, to the First Presbyterian Church of Bryan, to the Worldwide Ministry of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Audubon Society, both the National Audubon Society and the Black Swamp Chapter of the Audubon Society.

Dale R. Bard Memorial Scholarship Fund 

Dale Randolph Bard was born near Bryan in 1885.  He began his working career at the Bryan Hardware Sheet Metal Shop.  In 1906, he moved to Sacramento, California to operate a large metalworking shop, turning out a variety of components for oceangoing vessels.

He returned to Bryan in 1908 and was united in marriage to Otha Young.  In 1914 he founded the corporation which would soon become known as Bard Manufacturing Company.

Dale Bard’s inventiveness stood him well, and he came up with many patentable furnace components.  One of these, and oil-fired package unit, became a vital part of the company’s product mix, and brought about marked increase in sales.

The growing company was passed into the hand of Dale’s two sons, Randolph and Lawrence, and his two grandsons, Richard and James.

Recognizing that good engineering talent is essential to the growth of any company, the Bard family set up a scholarship to aid students who major in this field.

James and Joan Bard Donor Advised Fund

Jim was born in Bryan, Ohio to Randolph and Naomi (Moore) Bard.  Joan was born in Tampa, Florida to Vincent and Eva Fette.  They have two children: Michelle (Russell) Geary of Granite Bay, California and Pamela (William) Steel of Bryan, Ohio.   They have five grandchildren.  Jim and Joan are members of Wesley United Methodist Church.

Jim earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Indiana Tech in 1960.  Joan helped put him through college while working at the Magnavox Corporation.  Upon graduation from Indiana Tech, Jim joined the family business, a third generation manufacturer of heating and air conditioning products.  Bard Manufacturing Company has grown to be the largest U.S. manufacturer of wall-mounted HVAC products.

In 2001, Jim and his brother Richard were recognized for their company’s achievements and received the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Jim retired in 2003, but remains on the Board of Directors.  The company is presently managed by the fourth generation of family members.  In 2004, the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute presented Jim with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his career dedication to the industry, crediting him with strengthening the HVAC industry through his dedication of time and resources.  Jim has been involved in many ARI leadership positions.  He served as a director-at-large on ARI’s Board of Directors from 1977 to 2003.  He was elected as a vice-president on ARI’s Board in 1987, chaired the Unitary Small Equipment Product Section in 1988 and chaired the Certification Programs and Policy Committee.

In 2006, Jim received an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Indiana Tech and established the James R. Bard Scholarship to support Tech students with financial need.

In the community, Jim was involved as President of Rotary, a Paul Harris Fellow, a member of both the United Way and Junior Achievement Boards, and as trustee and President of the Bryan Area Foundation.

Before the grandchildren were born, 4 in one year, triplets plus 1, Joan was involved in the community as a leader in Brownies, Girl Scouts, President of Civic League, President of the Hospital Auxiliary and President of Newlyn Quest Federated Club.

The James and Joan Bard Fund has been established in the Bryan Area Foundation to aid children with disabilities.

Randolph O. Bard Scholarship Fund 

Bard Manufacturing Company was incorporated in 1914 under the name of Bryan Plumbing and Heating Company, originally a residential-commercial plumbing and heating contractor.

Randolph O. Bard, born in 1910, is the son of the Founder, Dale R. Bard (1885-194

In 1926, the company began to manufacture wheelbarrows, and in 1931 the first oil furnace was patented.  In 1935, the company was relocated from uptown Bryan to its present location on Evansport Road.  1n 1943, the company’s name was changed to the present name of Bard Manufacturing company.

While in high school, Randolph Bard worked during summers in the company, learning the business.  Upon graduation from Bryan High School he immediately went to work for his father, helping him to manage the business.  Not having any further education than High school, his business experience was self-taught while on the job. 

Randolph Bard wore many hats throughout his career…Purchasing Agent, Advertising Manager, Sales Manager, Assistant Secretary-Treasurer, President, and Chairman of the Board, retiring in 1981 after 54 years.

He is a charter member of the Bryan Rotary which was organized April 17, 1941.  He has held offices in the community including past president of the Board of Public Affairs (1942-43)Bard Manufacturing Company has steadily grown, and is now one of the foremost leaders in the heating and air conditioning industry.  It is because Randolph O. Bard’s creativeness and business sense, that a scholarship has been named in his honor.

Randolph and Naomi Bard Fund

Randolph O. Bard was born in Bryan, Ohio March 2, 1910 to Dale Randolph Bard and Otha (Young) Bard.  Randolph graduated from Bryan High School in 1927.  Due to his father’s failing health, he immediately went to work for his father in the Bryan Plumbing and Heating Company, later known as Bard Manufacturing Company, a manufacturer of heating and air conditioning products.  Not having any further education, his business experience was self-taught while on the job.

Naomi (Moore) Bard was born in West Unity, Ohio October 14, 1912 to Clarence and Myrtle (Gaskill) Moore.  She graduated from Bryan High School in 1930 and attended Toledo Business School to practice as a court stenographer.

Randolph and Naomi were united in marriage in Bryan, Ohio on June 16, 1932.  They raised three children, Richard, Jim, and Kathryn Martinez.  Naomi was involved mostly with raising her family and seeing that the children received an advanced education.

One of Randolph’s main objectives was to see that the company his father founded successfully continued into the future for the next family generation.  After 54 years, having held many positions within the company from Purchasing Agent and Sales Manager to President and finally Chairman of the Board, Randolph retired in 1981.  In 2002, he was awarded the highest distinguished manufacturing award ever given by the Modular Building Institute, recognizing his leadership as a manufacturer of quality and innovative air conditioning and heating products to the modular building industry.

Randolph was a charter member of the Bryan Rotary Club (Paul Harris Fellow) and Bryan Area Foundation.  He was also past president of the Bryan Board of Public Affairs (1942-43).

Randolph and Naomi both passed away in 2003.

The Bard family has established a fund in the Bryan Area Foundation in their honor to be used for the betterment and future of the Bryan community.

Beattie – Cooper Memorial Community Fund 

Mr. and Mrs. John L. Beattie, Jr. have established the Beattie – Cooper Memorial Fund in the Bryan Area Foundation.  This fund is in the memory of Rev. and Mrs. John L. Beattie, Sr. and Mr. and Mrs. Orion E. Cooper along with other members of the Beattie – Cooper families.

Freeman L.  and Ora I. Bechtol Memorial Scholarship Fund 

Freeman L. Bechtol was born on October 7, 1878 and Ora I. (Fried) Bechtol was born on February 5, 1878, both in Williams County, Ohio.  Freeman and Ora were united in marriage on August 12, 1899.  Following their marriage, the Bechtol’s spent their lives in or near Montpelier, Ohio.

In his early years, Mr. Bechtol was a farmer.  He later became an automobile salesman and then ran the general store at Ainger, Ohio for many years.  He later owned and operated a gasoline service station in Montpelier.  Mrs. Bechtol was a homemaker.  The memorial gift was made in their memory by their daughter, Dorothy B. Ness, a resident of the Bryan area.

F.I. and Mary Bell Community Memorial Fund  

Mary C. Bell was born in Mt. Sterling, Ohio, on December 17, 1902.  She died in Bryan at the age of 97 on September 25, 2000.

Mary attended Miami University and graduated from Ohio State University.  While in college, she was a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority at Ohio State University.   Upon graduation, she came to Bryan in 1927 and taught home economics at Bryan High School.  She later taught kindergarten in Bryan for many years.

She was a member of the Wesley United Methodist Church in Bryan.  She was a Taine Club member, active in the International Friendship Club, and a member of the Williams County Retired Teachers Association.

Mary married Francis I. Bell in June, 1928, and he preceded her in death in 1974.  Mary and her husband spent five years in India involved in the International Farm Program. They spent winters in Mexico after retirement.  They had two sons, James Bell of Michigan City, Indiana, and Dr. David Bell of Cincinnati, six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

 The Benedict Family Community Fund

Bruce and Joan Benedict, along with their children, Gregory, Andrea, Lori and Scott and their families, have established the Benedict Family Fund as their way of giving something back to the community.  Bruce and Joan have always tried to instill in their family a strong sense of responsibility to other people, and felt that a gift to the Foundation was one way of helping others, and was a fitting tribute to their family.

Bruce, Joan and Greg, moved to Bryan in 1957 upon completion of Bruce’s military service as an Air Force pilot.  He joined his uncle’s firm, Fisher Automatic Service and eventually purchased it.  Andrea, Lori and Scott were born in Bryan and all, including Greg graduated from Bryan High School.  Greg received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado and his doctorate of law from the University of New Mexico.  The other three followed in their parents’ path and graduated from Michigan State University.

Bruce is a founding member of the Bryan Area Foundation.  He served as president of the Foundation and achieved his goal of reaching $1,000,000 in assets during his tenure.  He has served as member of the executive committee of the Shawnee Council of the Boy Scouts of America.  He is an elder in the First Presbyterian Church, past president of the Williams County Kidney Foundation; member and past president of Orchard Hills Country Club and Bryan Rotary Club.

Joan’s activities include former member and past president of Northwest Ohio Community Action Commission and of Northwestern Ohio Family Planning, member and past president of Bryan Community Hospital Auxiliary and Bryan Civic League.

Greg Benedict Memorial Education Fund  

Gregory B. Benedict was born in San Antonio, Texas, on June 16, 1955.  He moved to Bryan with his mother, Joan (Baker), and father, Bruce Benedict, in January of 1957. 

Greg graduated from Bryan High School in 1973.  He then attended the University Of Colorado School Of Business.  While there, he worked as a member of the Lake Eldora National Ski Patrol.  Following his graduation in 1978, he went to work for John’s Automatic Vending in Adrian, Michigan.

On November 25, 1978, he married Rita Willefski at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Bryan.  After leaving his position with John’s Vending, he attended the University of Toledo for one year followed by the University of New Mexico where he earned his juris doctorate.  Greg went into private practice as an attorney in Raton, New Mexico.  He and Rita returned to Bryan in 1988.

Upon his arrival in Bryan, Greg became an employee of Fisher Automatic Service, Inc.  He was serving as president and chairman of the board at Fisher at the time of his death.  He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Bryan where he served as a deacon, an elder, and treasurer of the church.  He was the treasurer of the Bryan Rotary Club and chairman of the Bryan Area Foundation Scholarship Committee.

Greg served as a member of the board of the Black Swamp Area Council, Boy Scouts of America.  He was active with the County Watershed Program and with the CATO Institute, located at Dartmouth University in Ithaca, New York.

Greg was an avid fisherman.  If Greg wasn’t telling a story about a recent fishing trip, he was busy planning the next one.  He finished fourth in the 2001 Professional Amateur Walleye Tournament in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.  Greg will be remembered fondly by many friends for the fun adventures that were had while on fishing trips.

While Greg enjoyed a great fishing trip and freely gave service to his church and community, he was first and foremost a family man.  Greg was a loving son, faithful husband and devoted father.  He and Rita had three children, Elizabeth, Zoë and Erin.  If asked, Greg would say that his family was the most important thing in his life, and he demonstrated it every day.

This fund was made possible by numerous friends and family members who wanted to see a lasting tribute to Greg’s life.  Although his life was tragically cut short by an automobile accident on October 23, 2001, this fund in Greg’s honor will continue to enhance the quality of life for people in the Bryan area forever.

Dana J. Bennett Memorial Scholarship Fund  

Dana J. Bennett was born in Bryan, Ohio, August 26, 1951 to Carolyn (Leinard) and Dallas Jacques.  A 1969 Bryan High School graduate, she participated in band, A Capella, Senior Girls’ Ensemble, GAA and Y-Teens.  She attended Tennessee Temple University, Northwest State Community College and Defiance College. On June 12, 1971, she married Curt Bennett of Bryan, and they had one daughter, Lynsey, born in 1983.         

From 1971 to 1999, she was employed at Citizens National Bank/Ohio Citizens/National City Bank in a variety of banking positions from teller, new accounts, loan secretary, manager of the Pioneer branch office, and manager of the Bryan office/assistant vice-president.  Mrs. Bennett was an active participant in numerous community organizations.  She had been a member of the YWCA finance committee, member and president of the Business Professional Women’s Club and the first woman in Williams County to hold membership in the Lions Club.

Interested in the advancement, leadership and development of young people, Dana served as president, vice-president, treasurer, and fund drive chairman of the local Junior Achievement.  She served as trustee and treasurer of the United Way of Williams County, a member of Business Networking International and a member of New Hope Community Church

At the January 1999 Bryan Chamber of Commerce Banquet, she received the Athena Award for advancing the role of women in the business world as well as the community.  Mrs. Bennett had been an active member of the chamber board and the first woman to hold the office of president of the Bryan Chamber of Commerce (1994).

Dana died November 7, 1999, after a two-year battle with cancer.  Mrs. Bennett gave much time as an adult to the Bryan community and felt that memorials to the foundation would be a means for her to continue to give to her community after she was gone.

Dorothy Bentley Memorial Community Fund

Dorothy Bentley was born in Bryan on February 13, 1898 and died at age 94 on February 1, 1993.  She resided at 420 West Bryan Street in Bryan nearly all her life.  She lived with her parents for many years and never married.

Miss Bentley worked at the General Telephone Company as a telephone operator for 35 years.  She did not have any brothers or sisters or any other close relatives surviving her.

Dr. Jeffrey Berus Memorial Scholarship Fund  

Dr. Jeffrey Joseph Berus was born in Whittier, California, on August 2, 1958.  He grew up in Akron, Ohio, where he was an Eagle Scout.  Jeff graduated in 1976 from Green High School and received his B.S. in food science and nutrition from Ohio State University in 1981.  In 1982, he married Barbara J. Brown in Botkins, Ohio.

Dr. Berus received his medical doctorate in 1985 from the Medical College of Ohio and served his residency until 1991.  He was an orthopedic surgeon, replacing knees and joints and repairing fractures.  His favorite work was surgery on hands.

While at MCO, the chief resident asked him to consider working in Bryan, and he drove out for a look “just to be nice” his wife said.  She was teaching home economics at Springfield Middle School, and he was the team doctor for the high school football players.  They planned to stay close to Toledo, but on that visit to Bryan, Dr. Berus fell in love with the Williams County area.

 At the age of 40, Dr. Berus died on September 16, 1998, from complications from a brain tumor.  Dr. Berus and his wife were half finished building their dream home in a wooded area northwest of Bryan. 

The Berus family donated the funding for a pergola in Garver Park next to the hospital in Bryan.  Their sons Ryan, Matthew, and Nicholas would often play in Garver Park while Dr. Berus was in surgery.

Dr. Berus was president of the William County Medical Society for five years, president of the Bryan Swim Team, chairman of the United Way professional division and co-chairman of the Partners in Progress of the YWCA professional division.  He was a member of the Bryan Rotary Club and St. Patrick’s Catholic Church.

 With his wife and sons, he water skied near their cabin in Michigan, snow skied in Boyne, Michigan, and in the west, and he rode a bicycle-built-for-four around Bryan.  He coached one of his son’s baseball teams, and he loved racquetball.  He and his wife along with several friends once sailed around the West Indies for 10 days.

 In a letter on his home computer that he had asked his best friend to show his family when he died, he told his sons they should never be content with average.

“That’s too easy.  Make yourself special in some way.”

David Joseph Betts Memorial Scholarship Fund

David Joseph Betts was born December 10, 1986 at Toledo Hospital but spent 19 of his 20 years growing up in Bryan, Ohio.  David loved God, his family, his friends and life.  He always had lots of energy and loved to play and compete.

David was both an outstanding student and an outstanding athlete at Bryan High School; he was active in National Honor Society and lettered in cross country, basketball and baseball.  He received all-league honors, district honors and numerous Coaches’ Awards.  He was also a great musician and was first chair trombone all four years at BHS in the Symphonic Band and Symphony Orchestra and he also participated in Jazz Band.  He taught himself to play the guitar and enjoyed playing during any down time.  He continued with this love of music at the university level, playing in the Jazz Band at Bluffton University.

However, David’s greatest attribute was being a great person.  He had a personality that touched the hearts and minds of everyone he met, and he had a truly engaging smile.  He had tremendous empathy skills and always seemed to know how others were feeling and what they needed to feel better.  David was a happy person who wanted to share that happiness with others.

His family is proud to have known and loved him for 20 years, 2 months and 22 days.  He left this world on March 2, 2007 traveling with the Bluffton University Baseball Team on their annual spring trip to Florida.  Though he lost his life in Atlanta when the bus crashed, he died doing what he loved best: playing baseball, surrounded by his teammates who were also his friends; it was one of the happiest times of his life.  The year before he had not qualified for the trip, but this year he had worked his way up to being the second baseman.

David loved anything connected to baseball and was training to become a certified umpire prior to the accident.  He was still unsure of his ultimate career goals but was thinking of teaching, athletic training, a medical profession, or possibly umpiring.  He enjoyed being around people and helping others.

Dr. Glen and Ivah Biddle Memorial Community Fund

Dr. Glen W. Biddle was born in Wauseon, Ohio on August 19, 1889, to Sam and Ella (Kessler) Biddle.  On October 7, 1915 he was married to Ivah Bard.

 A graduate of Toronto University, Dr. Biddle practiced veterinary medicine in Wauseon for a time and then moved to Bryan.  He soon became recognized as an outstanding practitioner by fellow members of his profession.  On one occasion he was offered the post of state veterinarian at Columbus, but declined the honor.

His vocation helped him pursue a lifelong interest in horses.  With two other Bryan associates, Henry L. Taylor and George Mellott, he organized the Williams County Horse Breeders’ Association.  He helped stage the annual county horse shows, and served as association secretary.  Biddle was widely known among saddle and racing horse breeders in the area.

When local interest in horses began to decline after 1940, he had to join in disbanding the association, whose funds were turned over to the Bryan Recreation Park Fund.

 In his private life he was a member of the Masonic Blue Lodge and the Loyal Order of the Moose in Bryan.  Dr. Biddle died in 1958.

Black Swamp Audobon Sanctuary Fund

 The Black Swamp Audobon Society, a chapter of the National Audobon Society, consists of members of five counties of northwest Ohio (Williams, Defiance, Henry, Paulding and Putnam).

The chapter has developed its own wildlife sanctuary bordering the Maumee River near Antwerp.  It consists of over 70 acres including a floodplain woodlot, a grassland prairie, a butterfly garden and a wetland habitat.  Future projects include constructing a large pond, a shelter house and parking area.

Chapter meetings are held monthly during nine months of the year.  Numerous field trips are scheduled throughout the year.  The chapter is also involved in two Christmas Bird Counts, a nationwide National Audobon Society activity, which is the primary source of determining national bird populations.

Dean B. and Carol A.  Blaser Community Fund

Dean and Carol Blaser were both born and raised in Akron, Ohio.  They have three grown daughters and six grandchildren.  Dean attended Akron University and taught school in the Akron system for a number of years before moving to Cincinnati, Ohio and working in the toy business for Kenner Products.  They moved to Bryan in 1972 and bought a small business in 1974 that grew and developed into Potter Inc.  Both Carol and Dean have been active in various civic organizations and Wesley United Methodist Church.  They were involved in many youth activities while raising their children.  Dean and Carol feel they have been richly blessed in many ways from living and working in Bryan.  They have chosen to use an unrestricted fund for their gifts, which allows the Foundation to address a wide variety of needs in the Bryan area.

Ryan John Boomer Memorial Scholarship Fund

Ryan was born in Bryan, Ohio on February 11, 1979 to Dr. John and Joan (Krutch) Boomer.  He was the younger brother of Amy and Brandon.  Ryan graduated from Bryan High School in 1997 with numerous academic and athletic honors, including the Jack Greene Memorial Golf Award.  While attending Ohio University’s School of Business in the fall of 1997, Ryan died suddenly on November 19, 1997 of a rare heart condition.

Ryan enjoyed all sports, but he had a special interest in golf.  He was a member of the 1995 and 1996 B.H.S. golf team, which finished second both years in the State Golf Tournament.

We will remember Ryan’s desire and drive, always trying his best each day to excel in whatever he was doing.  His contagious smile, kind eyes, and magnetic personality enabled him to touch so many lives in his short time here with us.  He showed us the importance of living life to the fullest and to make each day count.  His compassion and ever present concern for others, especially young children and older adults, will be thought of often.  But mostly, Ryan will be remembered as an extraordinary young man, an example of a good, honest and moral person, who we strive to emulate.

 Ryan’s memorial scholarship through the Bryan Area Foundation was established in 1998 with generous contributions of friends and his family.  The joy and laughter Ryan shared with us will be in our hearts forever.

Laura Lee “Lolly” Benner Booth Memorial Fund

Laura Lee Benner Booth, known as “Lolly,” was born to Harvey Franklin and Bertha Winegardner Benner on May 2, 1921, in Toledo, Ohio.  Her parents moved to Bryan, Ohio, where she spent most of her early years.  She graduated from Bryan High School and later attended the University of Toledo.  While in high school, she acted in many of the high school plays.

At the University of Toledo, she met Charles H. Booth, Jr., during a chance encounter in the school’s student union building in 1939.  After three years of courtship, which involved her future husband commuting 256 miles between Toledo and Pittsburgh, the couple was married in 1942.

After moving several times during Mr. Booth’s tour of duty as a pilot with the Air Force, the couple returned to New Kensington, Pennsylvania, in 1945, where they established their home and raised seven children.  Mrs. Booth was an active golfer for many years and belonged to Hill Crest Country Club of Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania, and the PGA West of LaQuinta, California.  She also belonged to the Pittsburgh Athletic Association and the Duquesne Club of Pittsburgh.

Mrs. Booth was survived by her husband Charles H. Booth, Jr., two sons, Charles H. Booth III, Harvey F. Booth, five daughters, Laura Lee Montevere, Susan Jennette Cochran, Mary Kathryn Friday, Elizabeth Ann Rotzler and Barbara Jean Weil, 20 grandchildren and seven great-granchildren.

Lolly enjoyed her home, children and pets along with world traveling.  She enjoyed flying, not only with her husband in his plane, but also on the Concorde.

Vincent Bordner Memorial Community Fund

Vincent Bordner was a prudent grain farmer.  He carefully took care of his land only as one would who intended to leave it in as good a condition as it was when he started.

Vincent and his wife never had any children which left a gap I their lives.  Unfortunately she had a relatively short life.

Vincent was a longtime member of the Williams County Planning Commission.  His regular attendance and keen, clear thinking helped make this organization a real asset to this county.

He was proud of the great stand of timber on his land, and he took pride in managing it so that it was carefully and timely harvested.  The harvesting was done without waste and with an eye to the future.

The Redbone Coon Hounds were a part of Vincent’s lifelong joy of hunting.  People who like dogs will understand what a real part of life these dogs were to him.  Vincent Bordner died in 1996.

Robert A. Boucher Memorial Community Fund

Bob Boucher was born in Toledo, Ohio on May 26, 1923.  He was the son of Charles and Alta Boucher.  He attended Bryan High School and was a veteran of the United States Army having been honorably discharged on December 26, 1945.

Bob was a resident of Bryan all of his adult life and was a retiree of the ARO Corporation.  Upon his death on July 12, 1990 he was survived by several brothers and sisters.  His will left one-half of his estate to the Bryan Area Foundation.  This was Bob’s way of expressing his gratitude to the community in which he had lived all of his life.

Fred I. Bowman and Jeanne E. Meyer Memorial Community Fund

 Fred I. Bowman was born in Cassopolis, Michigan on July 31, 1888.  He served his country in World War I before coming to Bryan in 1925 to work for the Bryan Washing Machine Company.

In 1929, Fred purchased the business and built a new facility at 938 West High Street under the Delite manufacturing name.  Delite washing machines were manufactured in Bryan until 1940 when production was dropped.  He operated the business as a washing machine repair service until his retirement in 1956.  His son-in-law Charles Meyer took over the business and Speed Queen Appliances were added under the name of Charley’s Appliances.

 Fred was a charter member of the Bryan Rotary Club and served as a Bryan City Councilman for six years.  He also served as president of the council.

After the death or his first wife Gertrude in 1950, he married Treva and they spent their retirement years in Sun City, Arizona.  He died at the age of 93 in Arizona.  He was preceded in death by his daughter Jeanne E. Meyer in 1970.

 The Fred I. Bowman trust was established with a portion of the income to be used for community charitable purposes by the Bryan Area Foundation as a memorial for his only child Jeanne E. Meyer.

 Jeanne was born in 1916 in Elkhart, Indiana.  She lived nearly all her life in Bryan and was united in marriage to Charles Meyer on January 7, 1940.  One daughter, Linda, was born to their marriage.
 

She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Bryan.  She was employed as a secretary of Delite Manufacturing and also worked for Everhart’s Restaurant in Bryan.

She died October 22, 1970 at the age of 53.

Boy Scouts Endowment Fund

The Black Swamp Area Council Boy Scouts of America serves 13 counties in Northwest Ohio.  The council serves over 9000 youth every year and maintains two camp properties:  Camp Lakota in Defiance, Ohio and Camp Berry in Findlay, Ohio.  It is the mission of the Boy Scouts of America to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the scout oath and law.

Brown Cemetery Memorial Fund

A special fund has been established for the benefit of Brown Cemetery, located at Ohio 34 and County Road 12.  The purpose of the fund is to maintain Brown Cemetery at its highest possible level to honor and respect the lives of those who have completed their lives among us.

Brown Cemetery, located in Center Township, depends on the Center Township budget allocation for general maintenance.  That arrangement will not be changed.  To make it possible to provide additional maintenance, which otherwise could not be provided, the Center Township trustees will receive a check each year from the Bryan Area Foundation to provide additional maintenance, thus enhancing the beauty of the cemetery. The degree of additional maintenance which can be accomplished each year will depend on the amount in the special fund.  Only income from the fund will be used.  The fund itself will be permanent.

The initial amount of $25,000 has been provided by Victor and Helen Harman Schieber.  It is anticipated that others who are interested in Brown Cemetery will add to the initial amount through memorials, bequests, or any method chosen by the donor.

Dr. George G. and Julie A. Brown Community Fund  

Julie came to live in Bryan as a nine-year old when her parents, F.A. and Kathleen Stockwell, and family relocated in 1952 to work for Aro Corporation.  Her first memory was  dinner at Brownies Drive-in with “frosties” served in cups with brownies on them.  George was the son of its owners, G. Grant and Kathryn Brown, and helped at the restaurant from the time he was twelve.  George and Julie were 1960 and 1961 graduates of Bryan High School and began dating during George’s senior year.  Both served their school as president of Student council.

Throughout their college years at The Ohio State University, they lived next door to one another in the Delta Tau Delta and Kappa Kappa Gamma fraternity houses.  Julie earned her B.A. degree in international studies in 1965 and worked for the Defense Department in Columbus while George earned his B.S. and D.D.S. degrees in 1967 and 1969.  George Grant Brown II and Julie Ann Stockwell were married in Bryan, Ohio on June 19, 1966.  They spent two years in the U.S. Army stationed at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina, in a clinic preparing soldiers for duty in Vietnam.  Their first child Laurie was born there in 1970.

George and Julie always knew their hearts were in Bryan and returned in 1971.  Their son Scott was born in 1972.  George joined the Bryan Dental Group and quickly became involved in the community.  He was a founding officer of Bryan Jaycees and served as president of Bryan Community Pre-School.  As a Chamber of Commerce director, he helped establish Bryan Development Corporation, becoming its first chairman in 1976.  In 1974 he began a weekly commute to OSU for a two-year orthodontia residency.  During this time, he coordinated the drafting of a renovation plan for Bryan by the OSU School of Architecture.  Bryan Development Corporation continues to implement those guidelines.

Dr. Brown joined the Defiance orthodontic practice of Dr. Jerold Behringer and built a second office in Bryan.  George served on the school board for eight years while Julie helped lead Literary Forum, Williams County Panhellenic, and Bryan Civic League.  Both Julie and George are members of Wesley United Methodist Church where they have taught Sunday school and serve on leadership boards.  They especially enjoyed activities shared with their children including leadership in Bryan Baseball, Bryan Swim Team, Bryan Music Boosters, coaching Little League and basketball.  Julie served on the first YWCA board beginning in 1984 and was president for two terms.  She has chaired the Toledo Symphony performances in Bryan for many years.

When their children left for OSU, George returned to his interest in the Chamber of Commerce serving as Christmas decorating chairman and president.  He remains an active member and past president of Bryan Rotary.  Service to his national orthodontic associations has taken George and Julie too many parts of the U.S. and Canada.  They both serve the OSU Alumni Association in Columbus and Bryan on various boards.

Dr. Brown’s practice, Behringer, Brown, Herman and Eckhardt, has offices in Bryan, Defiance and Wauseon.  Julie serves the Bryan Area Foundation as chairman of the grant making committee, a position made more special because her late father-in-law, G. Grant, also held it.  In their home in Norlick Place, they have hosted hospital and Republican fundraisers, school levy meetings, rotary exchange visitors, and a special Swedish student.  Visits from Laurie, Scott, his wife Emily and their son Brandon are always a highlight.  George and Julie were taught that to whom much is given, much is expected.  They plan to continue living up to that family tradition knowing that their fund will enhance the quality of community life after they are gone.

The G. Grant and Kathryn Brown Memorial Community Fund 

G. Grant Brown was born October 11, 1910 to George A. Brown and Lottie (Stough) Brown.  His birthplace was a farm one and one-half miles south of Pioneer.  In June, 1919 the family moved to Bryan.  Grant graduated from high school there in 1929.

For the next 11 years he worked at the Citizens National Bank, and then left to enter the Army.  He served in the European Theater of Operations in WW II, and was discharged in December, 1945.

After his return he opened Brownie’s Drive-In restaurant at the corner of Walnut and Butler Streets.  He sold the business in April, 1975.

 His deep-rooted interest in Bryan and area community affairs led him into service on many boards, committees and other groups all marked by a common interest in making Bryan and the county outstanding places in which to live.  Grant’s service includes four years on Bryan City Council and 12 years on the Williams County Board of Commissioners.

 In his 65 years’ membership in Wesley United Methodist Church, he was a lay leader, a member of the board of trustees and Sunday school teacher.  In the community, he has been a member of the Masonic Lodge for more that 50 years, was a member of the Bryan Service Club during that group’s existence, and was an active member and past president of the local Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club.  While on the Board of Commissioners he was appointed to the State of Ohio Executive Board, serving as its president in 1966.

After his retirement in 1975, he devoted his time to the development of Norlick Place sub-division.  This became the first sub-division in the county to have blacktop streets with curbs and gutters, its own water system, sanitary sewers and sanitary plant.  It also had its own storm sewers and underground electrical wiring.

He was married in 1937 to Kathryn Long of Ottawa, Ohio.  Of their four children, George and David live in Bryan.  Beth Roberts lives in Alexandria, Virginia and Bettina Grandey lives in Denver, Colorado.

Bryan Area Foundation Community Fund

Gifts to the unrestricted endowment fund provide the most broad-based support to our community.  Unrestricted Funds also provide the most flexibility in grant making.  Tomorrow will present our community with new opportunities and challenges.  Unrestricted funds position the advisory committee to meet those new challenges and capitalize on those new opportunities.  Gifts to the unrestricted endowment fund may be made by anyone in any amount.  Donors may establish an unrestricted named fund with a gift of $5,000.  Named funds may be built over time.

City of Bryan Senior Center Building Endowment Fund  

One man issued a challenge and the community responded.  Charles Mallory established this fund in 1999 by making a challenge gift to the senior citizens of Bryan.  His significant gift was contingent upon the community raising enough money to construct a center specifically for the use of senior citizens in Bryan.

 His vision was realized in 2002.  The Bryan Senior Center serves as the focal point for providing social interaction between seniors, nutritious meals, transportation to medical appointments, health programs, information about services, referrals to other agencies for senior citizens, and special planned activities.

Bryan Area Business Women Scholarship Fund  

The Bryan Area Business Women’s Club is open to all employed women interested in business and community affairs.  This fund exists to support the club’s many charitable activities in and around Bryan and for scholarship support to area students.  The Bryan Business Women’s Club invites anyone interested in supporting the activities of area business women to contribute to this fund.

Bryan Lions Club Allied Health Services Scholarship Fund

The Bryan Lions Club is one of 38,000 clubs that make up the International Association of Lions Clubs.  The local club was chartered in February 1949, and now has about 85 members of which Russell Cayton, Theodore Ihrig, Thomas Johnston, Robert Kerr, George Kuehne and Donald Reineke are the last of our active Charter Members.

 Today there are 1,350,000 members in more that 150 countries serving in Lions clubs.  They engage in a wide variety of humanitarian activities, including several major emphasis programs such as drug awareness, diabetes education, sight conservation, working with the blind and deaf, citizenship services ( scouting, boys state), educational services (scholarships), social services (food collection via “Porchlight”) and more.      The Lions motto is simply, “We Serve”.   The Bryan Club serves with involvement in many community activities, such as United Fund Drives, American Field Service Suppers, Music Boosters, and Al Can and Glass Collections. Several fund raising events are held such as Broom and Light Bulb Sales, Birthday Calendar Sales, Food Stand at Day in the Park, Pepsi at the Parade, Be Thankful You Can See Seals, and more.  The money collected from the public are deposited in a fund and returned in numerous ways through purchases of eyeglasses, grants for eye research, college scholarships, Bryan Chemical Drug Abuse Program, to help purchase a Fitness II Vision Tester to use with school children in Williams County, support Junior Achievement, the YMCA building fund, and more.

The Lions Constitution mandates that all clubs diligently purse each of the following six objects.

            -To create and foster a spirit of understanding among the peoples of the world.

            -To promote the principles of good government and good citizenship,

            -To take an active interest in civic, cultural, social and moral welfare of the   

             community.

            -To unite the clubs in the bonds of friendship, good fellowship, and mutual

              understanding.

     -To provide a forum for the open discussion of all matters of public interest,

 provided, however, that partisan politics and sectarian religion shall not be

 debated by club members.

 -  To encourage service-minded members to serve their community without  

 personal financial reward, and to encourage efficiency and promote high ethical  

 standards in commerce, industry, professions, public works and private

 endeavors.

Bryan Youth Activities Fund

 The Bryan Youth Activities Fund was established in 1994 with funds remaining from the old Bryan United Way.  A new United Way of Williams County replaced all the United Way Funds of the county.

The income from this Fund is used to support Bryan youth sports activities.  It was anticipated that in the future years, the United Way of Williams County would significantly reduce its support for these sports programs and one of the purposes of this Fund is to make up some of the anticipated reduced support.  The fund has also been a yearly supporter of the Bryan City School’s Safety program.

 The Youth Activities Advisory Board includes two members of the Bryan Area Foundation, one officer of the Bryan Baseball Association, one officer of the Bryan Soccer Association and one officer of the Bryan Girls Softball Association.

 The Advisory Board meets at least annually for the purpose of providing the Trustees of the Bryan Area Foundation with a recommendation for disbursements from the Fund.

John W. Burchfield Memorial Scholarship Fund

John W. Burchfield had been a resident of Bryan since 1974.  He died in an automobile accident on December 23, 1985 in Coatstown, Pennsylvania.

Mr. Burchfield served as principal at the Bryan Junior High School from 1974-80.  He was principal at Lincoln Elementary School from 1980-84.

Born in Mifflintown, Pennsylvania on February 10, 1934, he was a 1951 graduate of Juniata High School, a 1961 graduate of Shippensburg State, a 1966 graduate of the University of Delaware and attended Penn State from 1968-70.  He was the recipient of a Ford Fellowship grant to implement innovative teaching in a pilot school project at Mt. Pleasant Junior High School in Wilmington, Delaware.

Before moving to Bryan, Mr. Burchfield taught at Union Park Elementary School in Orlando, Florida, Marshalltown Elementary in Wilmington, Delaware, Mt. Pleasant Junior High in Wilmington, Delaware, Brandywine-Wallace Elementary in Downington, Pennsylvania, and Bluffton Elementary in Bluffton, Ohio.

Mr. Burchfield was a member of the Wesley United Methodist Church, Bryan Kiwanis Club and the Buckeye Association of School Administrators.  He also served in the U.S. Navy for four years.

He is survived by his wife Katie; two stepchildren Todd Augsburger and Starr Augsburger; two daughters, Mrs. Dawn Hamman and Mrs. Wendy Doherty; his parents; Mrs. Cleo Hendrickson and Mr. William Burchfield; a brother Larry Burchfield and a stepsister Mrs. Doll Ann Bowersox; and four grandchildren.

Roger O. Burkholder Memorial Fund -No Biography Listed

Gayle R. and Myona Gwendola Calvin Memorial Community Fund 

Gwendola Calvin was born in Waldron, Michigan, on September 16, 1916 to Estelle Woodward and Bert Wheeler.  She married Gayle R. Calvin on October 30, 1937.

Mr. Calvin was born July 16, 1901 to Albina (Scott) and E.E. Calvin in Metz, Indiana.  As a small child, his family moved to Bryan, Ohio.

During his working years he was a partner in Calvin & Gotshall, a plumbing and heating business in Bryan.  He retired in 1954.  Mr. Calvin served on Bryan City Council for 2 ½ terms.

On retirement they spent their winters in Clearwater, Florida.  Mrs. Calvin died on April 26, 1990.  Mr. Calvin died in his home at 234 N. Cherry St., Bryan at age 90.

Lawrence E. and Alice Canter Memorial Community Fund

Lawrence E. Canter (Larry) was born to Orlando and Gail Canter in Bethel, Ohio.  Raised in Milford, Ohio, he was an outstanding athlete in basketball and baseball at Withrow High School in Cincinnati.

 After attending Ohio Wesleyan University, Larry eventually owned and operated Canter’s; a Furniture, Appliance, and Flooring business in Sidney, Ohio.  While a resident of Sidney, Larry was a member of many organizations there.  He was a member and Trustee of the First United Methodist Church, co-founder of the Sidney Chamber of Commerce, Director of Wilson Memorial Hospital, member of the local Masonic Lodge, member of the Epicurean Club, and President of Sidney Rotary Club.

In 1965 Larry purchased Scott Port-a-Fold in Archbold, Ohio and moved to Bryan.  While in Bryan, Larry served on the Finance Committee of Wesley United Methodist Church and has the distinction of being the first person to “shoot his age” at Orchard Hills Country Club golf course.

Alice L. Canter was born to Charles and Alice Grisier in Wauseon, Ohio.  She was active in drama and literary organizations as a student at Wauseon High School.  Alice attended Ohio Wesleyan University (where she met Larry when they were both students) and completed graduate courses at Johns Hopkins University.

Alice was very active during the 26 years the Canters lived in Sidney, Ohio.  She served on the Citizens’ City Council Candidate Recruiting Committee, and the Land Committee of the Sidney City School System.  Alice co-founded the A to Z Investment Club, and was a member and officer of Charity League, Book & Travel Club, Shakespeare Club, and the Sidney Girl Scout Council.

Since coming to Bryan, Alice has volunteered for over 20 years with the Hospital Auxiliary and served on the Scholarship Committee of the Bryan Panhellenic Group.

Both Alice and Larry have commented often that they appreciate the richness of life to be found in Bryan.  They admire both the opportunities here and the people.  Their gift to the Bryan foundation is an attempt to return something to the community that has been so welcoming to them.

Harvey D. and Helen Carlin Memorial Community Fund

Helen (Gates) Carlin was born in Williams County on a farm near Stryker, Ohio on December 12, 1900, to Arthur P. and Lydia Peugeot Gates.  Her first eight years of schooling were in a one room school near her home.  She graduated in 1919 from Stryker High School and attended Bowling Green Normal College.  She taught 2^nd grade in the Stryker Public School for 5 years.

Harvey D. Carlin was born on February 28, 1903 in Williams County, and remained a county resident all his life.

He was united in marriage to Helen G. Gates on February 21, 1925.  Two children were born to their marriage, Donna E. (Carlin) Bever and Wayne E. Carlin.

Harvey and Helen were in farming all of their married life.  Their Williams County farm grew from 100 to 1,500 acres.  They custom farmed and owned one of the first mechanical corn pickers and self-propelled combines in the area.

Harvey operated his own sawmill, and performed custom sawing in the winter time and Helen enjoyed cooking, crocheting and working in her garden besides helping with the farming.  Harvey was widely known and respected for his advice and expertise in farming.  Many of the areas young farmers came to him for advice.  Also he was an early pioneer in the practice of financial planning in all phases of farm operations.  Because of his astute judgment he was elected a member of the board of directors of the Farmers State Bank of Stryker, Ohio, a post he served for many years.  For a period of time he was the president of the bank.

His favorite vacation pastime was hunting in Pennsylvania and Wyoming.  Harvey and Helen were active in the Pulaski Methodist Church and the Lick Creek Church of the Brethren.  Helen passed away on April 7, 1991 and Harvey passed away on November 9, 1982.  They loved and served their community all of their lives.

Wayne and Lucille Carlin Community Fund

Wayne Carlin was born on May 30, 1931 near Bryan, Ohio where he lived and farmed all his life. On September 10, 1951, he married Lucille Clark of West Unity.  They have three children: Douglas, Ronald and Barbara Carlin Saul.  They also have several grandchildren.

Wayne is very interested in the betterment of the community and has, therefore, served on