Two Men Receive Diplomas 60 Years After Military Service
BY KAREN BERGER — MIRROR REPORTER
Sigmond Jarvis and Gale Longnecker didn’t walk across the stage to receive their diplomas with the rest of the Class of 1951.
But during the December 12 school board meeting, the two area men finally got their diplomas after leaving school to serve in the armed forces while seniors in high school.
“Boy, that’s great. This takes me back 60 years,” Jarvis said as Anthony Wayne Schools superintendent Dr. Jim Fritz handed him a diploma.
“This makes me feel real good,” said Longnecker, adding that at first he thought it was a crazy idea. “Now that I’ve got it, it kind of puts a lump in my throat.”
Jarvis was 18 and a senior at the newly formed Anthony Wayne High School when he was drafted into the U.S. Army.
He served in the motor pool, mostly in Augusta, Ga., where he had a few glimpses of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower.
After two years, he returned to the area, opening up Airport Carry-Out, which he’s owned for nearly 60 years. His children Jennifer and Clifford both graduated from his alma mater.
Longnecker joined the U.S. Air Force in January 1951 – his senior year.
“I’m kind of patriotic,” he said of the decision.
During his four years, Longnecker trained in the School of Aviation Medicine, then was an identification specialist, using dental records to identify soldiers. Eventually, he was in charge of four dental clinics.
He was married to Deanna for 54 years before she passed away, and they had four children who attended Anthony Wayne Schools.
Longnecker spent 48 years in the masonry business, and then took over his father’s Finzel Road vegetable stand, which is still called Pappy’s.
“Many juniors and seniors dropped out or were drafted into the military,” said Ron Disher, a school board member who suggested adding Longnecker and Jarvis for graduation.
Disher also graduated with the Class of 1951 – the first class for the then-newly consolidated school district.
“Thank you for interrupting your high school education to serve your country,” board president Pam Gerhardinger told the men.
During the November 7 meeting, the board also:
• Voted in favor of making gymnastics a varsity sport. Fritz said the sport met a list of criteria the district uses in order to bump it up from a club activity to an official varsity sport. Faye Kohler was named coach.
• Congratulated the Anthony Wayne girls varsity soccer team for winning the Northwest Ohio Soccer Officials’ Juergen Mudrow Cup – an award for excellence and sportsmanship. The team also won the award in 1996, 1997 and 1998.
• Approved $13,200 in donations from the community for a variety of programs. Since August, area supporters have donated a total of $46,600 to the district.
• Voted in support of a statement voicing opposition to House Bill 136, which Fritz said could drain the district of at least $4 million.
• Approved a two-year contract for Jenny Moneghan as assistant treasurer, a position she most recently held at Gibsonburg Schools. Current assistant treasurer Bonnie Fels retired last year and has worked a few days each week in the interim, but will be finished at the end of the year, treasurer Kerri Johnson said.
• Thanked the students and staff for their generosity, including donations to Lions Club for Christmas gifts, adopting local families for Christmas, food drives and a $2,300 donation to Honor Flight Northwest Ohio.
• Thanked Ron Disher for four years of service on the school board.

The next board of education meeting is Monday, January 9 at 6:00 p.m. at the central administrative office on Bucher Road. but to realize how much his service was appreciated.
“Every time I turned around, someone was saying ‘Thank you,’” he said.
Chilson thanked the students for their donation, and invited them to come to the Grand Aire Terminal at Toledo Express Airport either to send off the veterans in the morning or welcome them home at night.
The welcome back is an amazing sight, with hundreds of family members, friends, scouting troops and other organizations on hand to wave flags, hold signs and give the veterans a proper thank you, Chilson said.
For more information about making a donation, having a veteran’s name placed on the waiting list or becoming a guardian, visit www.honorflightnwo.org or call community outreach coordinator Marti Franco at (419) 382-3569. Donations may be sent to P.O. Box 23018, Toledo, OH 43623.

Whitehouse Lieutenant Resigns, Search For Chief Begins Again
BY KAREN BERGER — MIRROR REPORTER
A year after police chief Ed Kaplan retired, Whitehouse remains without a chief.
During the December 6 council meeting, Mayor Angie Kuhn asked council members to agree on how to interview candidates for the now-open position, as her choice for chief – Lt. Bob Henry – turned in his resignation on December 2.
Kuhn didn’t offer an explanation for Henry’s resignation, but noted later that his six-month probationary period had ended.
Contacted later, Henry said that he was surprised at the resignation himself.
“My probationary period was up and the mayor told me it was better for me to resign. She said I wasn’t a good fit,” Henry said. “In my opinion, it’s all politics.”
In April, Kuhn moved to name Henry, a retired Toledo police lieutenant, as chief. But she didn’t get the five votes necessary to approve her appointment. So in June, Kuhn appointed Henry as lieutenant – the highest ranking officer – as only four votes are needed to appoint a lieutenant.
During the meeting, Kuhn asked for input in order to avoid the same deadlocked situation.
“You need to figure out an inclusive process so you don’t have an appointment that hangs in limbo,” solicitor Phil Davis said.
After discussion, council agreed to review resumes and conduct interviews as a committee of the whole, so that all members would be included, rather than having a smaller personnel committee weed through resumes and present finalists to the council.
Sgt. Ron Shellhammer will serve as interim chief.
During the meeting, council also:
• Held a lengthy discussion about a cost of living adjustment. COLA has not kept up with inflation for several years, council member Jim Miller explained. Employees with stellar performance could be eligible for the maximum, which he recommended at 3 percent. That was voted down, with council member Bill May abstaining.
Figuring into the COLA is a 24 percent increase in health plan costs from Paramount. Council voted 3-3 on having employees pay 10 percent of their health care costs. Mayor Kuhn broke the tie with a yes vote. Even with employees covering 10 percent, the village will still be paying $34,000 more for health care costs, said administrator Jordan Daugherty.
Each 0.5 percent of COLA equals $10,000, Daugherty said.
Kuhn noted that with the 33 employees now taking a hit in having to pay for health care costs, they should have the opportunity to work hard to make that up with a reasonable COLA ceiling.
Maridee Curry voiced concern that the general fund carryover balance would be reduced to $6,000. She believes that number should be much higher, but Daugherty said he can work with any carryover – as long as the village is not in the red.
Curry recommended a 1.5 percent COLA. While the vote was 3-2 with May abstaining, council agreed to discuss the issue at committee, after looking further at models of how insurance, COLA and other factors impact the general fund carryover.
• Approved 6-0 a two-year contract for dental and life insurance from Dearborn Insurance. The dental costs dropped 6 percent and the life insurance dropped 26 percent.
• Accepted with a vote of 6-0 a letter of contract termination from economic development consultant Kirk Kern, who said his full-time position at Bowling Green State University is making it too difficult to continue his contract with the village. A personnel committee meeting will include discussion of possibly hiring another consultant.
• Heard that Kuhn wants to schedule a committee of the whole workshop for returning and new council members to go over requirements.
• Heard from public works director Steve Pilcher that Whitehouse will receive a $108,000 grant and no-interest loan from Ohio Public Works Commission as part of its Issue II. This will be used in 2013 for reconstruction of Texas Street.
• Voted 6-0 in favor of a one-year lease of the village-owned building to Brian Carroll for General’s Ice Cream. Heard that committee members are seeking quotes to refurbish the floor and stop moisture issues.
• Heard that downtown sewer and water work is complete, but crews will return in the spring to seed and finish touch-ups. Providence Street is scheduled for repaving in five years with state funds, but the village could look at using its own funds, Pilcher said.
• Heard from Shellham-mer that the police are now wearing new vests, which are 20 percent heavier and thicker, and able to stop a 45 mm bullet.

The next Whitehouse council meeting is Tuesday, December 20 at 7:00 p.m.