Home on 114 North Vine Street

Photo taken by fellow WHS '62 grad Benjamin Bennett.  That's Benjamin's shadow at the bottom as he uses his iPhone to take the photo.  Thanks Benjamin!

Towers Hall

Otterbein University, Grove Street, Westerville, OH.

Westerville High School Class of '62

This was the first high school we attended our freshman and sophomore years.  It is now Handby Elementary School and is located at 56 South State Street.

This is the new high school that we attended our junior and senior years.  It is now called Westerville South High School and is located at 303 South Otterbein Avenue.  NOTE:  Classmate Benjamin Bennett pointed out that the new high school was originally named Westerville Lowell High School in keeping with the policy of naming schools after famous literary figures (Longfellow Elementary, Emerson Junior High, etc.).  The school was renamed Westerville South, probably when Westerville North High School was built.

Benjamin Hanby House

This watercolor painting was given to my mother, Grace L. Stallings, by its creator, Lora Robinson.  The note [lower left corner] reads

"Hanby House
150 West Main Street
Westerville [OH]
Built 1848 [1846?]
Benjamin Russel Hanby
b. 1833 – d. 1867"

The Hanby House was one of numerous "stations" on the Underground Railroad.  To read about Benjamin Hanby, click here.

John A. Mowder Obituary

John A. Mowder, age 88, of Westerville, Ohio, passed away peacefully November 12, 2015.  Attended a one-room schoolhouse in Alledonia, Ohio; graduated from Beallsville High School, Muskingum College, and received a Master of Arts degree from The Ohio State University.  U.S. Navy veteran of World War II.  Retired from Westerville City Schools as an administrator.  A 50-plus year member of the Church of the Messiah United Methodist and member of Westerville Rotary Club with 54 years of perfect attendance.  Survived by his wife of 62 years, Donna Jean; daughters Jane Mowder of Reynoldsburg, OH, and Susan Mowder of Chicago, IL.  Preceded in death by son Mark.  Visitation held November 16 at the Moreland Funeral Home, 55 East Schrock Road, Westerville.  Funeral service held November 17 at Church of the Messiah United Methodist, 51 North State Street, Westerville, with Reverend Jim Wilson officiating.  Interment Blendon Central Cemetery.

[The Columbus Dispatch, November 14-15, 2015.]

Otterbein University Pennant

This Otterbein "Fighting Cardinal" used to adorn the wall in my bedroom at home.  I gave it to Thelma Orr, an Otterbein alumna.

Hanby House, Westerville, Ohio

Photo by John Holliger

The Hanby House was the residence of Benjamin Hanby, minister, song writer, and abolitionist.  It was one of the many stations on the Underground Railroad helping runaway slaves who had made it across the Ohio River escape to freedom in Canada.  It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is located at 160 West Main Street in Westerville, Ohio.  For more information about the Hanby House, visit hanbyhouse.org.