Bar stool buckaroo makes underdog history

Licking County Ohio has as its trademark the name “Land of Legend” to commemorate famous folks like the drummer boy of Shiloh and Johnny Appleseed, whose stories live on. So far, one of the most interesting of its famous people has yet to be recognized as anything but a ne’er-do-well and a sot. Such is the lot of Kile Wygle, former owner, driver, and wrecker of a widely renowned motorized bar stool.

So far, Kile has to his credit a four-page police report, a nine-stanza poem by Carl Vine, a 4-minute song by country singer Bryan Lewis,

a write-up in Smoking Gun, the wrath of Licking County Child Support Enforcement Agency, about 227 media reports according to a Google news search, punishment for DUI, and the chagrin of having his famous wheels taken from him by a court and auctioned at eBay to pay his debt for child-support.

And all because he drank 15 beers before ripping off a 20-mph ride on a motorized bar stool and dumping himself onto the street. In general I’m for underdogs, and if there ever were a guy whose lot in life is “Underdog,” it’s Kile: He can’t win for losing.

Something he’ll never lose, however, are bragging rights that he has done more than anyone else in recent years to bring fame to Newark and Licking County. That has to be worth at least a mention in local history books forevermore.

The days of black & white TV in Newark

There’s an interesting article at this WCLT web page about the old Newark City Schools’ TV station on Horn’s Hill.

Entitled “Live from Newark in Black and White,” it was written by Bill Clifford, who was for many years a reporter for WCLT. Now he’s been called out of retirement to serve as News Operations Manager.

Bill has extensive knowledge (and a good memory) about long-ago people and events, and particularly about WGSF-TV since he was closely associated with it.

Anyone who remembers those good ol’ days, anyone interested in local history, anyone who just likes to read interesting features will enjoy this report. But before you go there, take this little test to see how much you remember:

What is the name of the TV-engineer who kept WGSF patched together and where is he now?

Who was the NCS coach with a blood type called TV - Newark’s version of Jimmy Crum?

What two local newsmen did the final show in 1976?

What do the letters “GSF” in WGSF stand for?

Local artifact butchered by inattention

A sweet, but little-known local artifact was butchered last Saturday because historians failed to rally.

Baughman Memorial Park, a 63-acre out-of-the-way outdoor "art" gallery near Frazeysburg was carved up among buyers at an auction and split in different directions, never again to serve as a quaint tribute to the herculean work of a local sculptor.

Much was made of this place when Longaberger bought it ostensibly to preserve it for evermore. Nothing was made of it when Longaberger sold it to a logger last February for $310,000. Had they cared, Longaberger people could have prevented this disaster.

The Dispatch did a good report on on it at this link.

Here's another major loss to this area because this news came after the fact, not before, and preservationists weren't on guard.

New info on the past from Bill Clifford

A photo display in the Newark Tea Party Replay Gallery has been updated with new information, thanks to Bill Clifford, former radio newsman. There are two photos from an event held at the Joe Sinsabaugh estate showing Ronald Reagan, William Buckley and John Ashbrook. Here's the link.

Bill was kind enough to remind me of some of the details, along with lots of other little things in Bill's and my history. He worked for WCLT in the early 70's and again in the mid-80's. He served on Newark City Council from 1976-79 and was an auxiliary fire chief.

That was during the years when Gene Malloy and Tom Bader served as chiefs of Newark Fire Department. Gene is featured in one of the Gallery Replay pages at this link.

Turns out they all get together for breakfast once in a while. Here's what Bill said about it:

(Remember: Radio guys always write in caps (so they'll be heard?))

CHIEF MALLOY IS 83. HE WILL BE 84 ON CHRISTMAS DAY. HE AND HIS WIFE, MARY, LIVE IN NEWARK AGAIN AFTER A NEVER TO RETURN MOVE TO FLORIDA IN ABOUT 1978. THEY HAVE BEEN BACK FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS.

WE HAVE BEEN CLOSE FRIENDS, ESPECIALLY SINCE LOSING MY MOM AND DAD NEARLY FIVE YEARS AGO. IN FACT WE MEET FOR BRUNCH NEARLY EVERY SATURDAY AT SOME LOCAL RESTAURANT. HIS WIFE JOINS US ALONG WITH TOM BADER WHO BECAME CHIEF WHEN GENE RETIRED. ALL ARE IN VERY GOOD HEALTH FOR THEIR AGES.

Bill also had more info about the totem pole featured recently at this link.

MY LATE FATHER, TIM CLIFFORD, WAS PLANT MANAGER AT LICKING LAUNDRY ON JEFFERSON STREET WHEN THE RACCOON CREEK FLOODED THE WEST SIDE OF NEWARK FROM NEAR 6TH STREET TO CHURCH STREET ON THAT FATEFUL JANUARY DAY.

THE RISING RIVER ASSOCIATION CONSISTED OF NEWARK BUSINESSMEN WHO RAISED MONEY TO HAVE AN INDIAN FROM ALASKA CARVE THE POLE TO KEEP THE EVIL WATERS OF THE LICKING WITHIN ITS BANKS. I THINK HE MAY HAVE COME TO NEWARK TO CARVE IT AND SEE THAT IT WAS ERECTED PROPERLY.

THE LICKING, SINCE THAT TIME HAS NEVER FLOODED TO THE DEGREE OF THE 1959 FLOOD.

IT LOOKS LIKE NEWARK’S FLOOD PROTECTION PROJECT HAS DONE A GREAT JOB FOR 46 YEARS, ALTHOUGH A COAT OF PAINT MAY BE HELPFUL.

Bill also told me that about 1964 or 65 ...

NEWARK SCHOOL TEACHER RON CALLENDINE HAD SET UP HIS HOME-MADE TELESCOPE FOR HIS SCIENCE CLASSES AT ROOSEVELT. I CAN’T REMEMBER IF IT WAS 8TH OR 9TH GRADE. I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE NEAT TO SEE IF WE COULD GET A PICTURE OF THESE YOUNG SCIENTISTS LOOKING AT THE STARS. I GOT A HOLD OF YOU AT HOME, YOU CAME UP AND TOOK SEVERAL PICS AND AT LEAST ONE WAS PUBLISHED IN THE ADVOCATE. THIS WAS DONE AT JOHNNY CLEM SCHOOL YARD, ON JEFFERSON ROAD. I WAS ABOUT 14 OR SO.

JUST TO PROVE I HAVE “NEWSMAN” BLOOD, I REMEMBER A PROJECT EACH OF US HAD TO DO IN THE FIRST GRADE AT BEN FRANKLIN IN 1956-57. CAPITOLA LOUGHMAN WAS OUR TEACHER. I DID A THERMOMETER, BECAUSE I WAS FASCINATED BY, OF ALL PEOPLE, JOE HOLBROOK AT CHANNEL 10. JOE IS RETIRED NOW, BUT WENT BACK A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO TO A TRIBUTE TO FLIPPO THE CLOWN, WHEN FLIPPO (BOB MARVIN) DIED.

THERE ARE SO MANY EVENTS TO REMEMBER, AT AGE 57, ITS HARD TO BELIEVE WHERE TIME HAS GONE.

Your memories and input are greatly appreciated, Bill. I'm sure you are well-remembered and you could write a heck of a blog here, even if it would have to be in all-caps.

Howard LeFevre may have tamed the Licking River

Maybe it was small potatoes among Howard LeFevre's accomplishments, but to me it was big stuff when he planted his totem pole. Also, it serves as a reminder to me of my first meeting with Mr. LeFevre. Here's the link.

Why preserve our heritage, when we can profit from it it?

Let the sale in New York City of the White photographs be a wake-up call to local folks who assumed, like I did, that the local historical society is being run by people who always make good decisions. It is not.

But this catastrophe at least opened new vistas for government and quasi-government fund-raisers. Now that the Historical Society has discovered this novel way in which to make money, namely selling valuable items from the community's heritage, one might expect them next to sell the Webb House. This would be really big bucks for historians to use "to collect and preserve, or encourage the preservation of, all that pertains to the social, political, educational, agricultural, industrial, and archaeological history of the ... County," as is their mission.

If that works out for the Historical Society, its deciders might find even more profits by developing condos along the rim of Sixth Street Park.

Maybe the idea will catch on and the city could find paving money by selling off the Courthouse lawn for permanent shanties as rentals to itinerant merchants.

Then the state might awaken to the potential wealth of Newark Earthworks. Sell the buggers. California might buy them and if not, China would. Ship them out of here because, after all, it's only our local heritage - and what's that, compared to money?

Sale of Clarence White prints: A disservice in more ways than one

Thanks to the Advocate, Licking County recently learned that its historical society is selling 13 photographs created by Clarence White, world-famous photographer whose career started in Newark Ohio. Here's the link to that Advocate report.

Also, I had written about the sale at this link and about the work and reputation and local connection of Clarence White at this Newark Tea Party gallery.

Part of the rationale for that sale, according to the society's curator, Emily Larson, is that few Newark residents are familiar with him. “'I bet if you walked around town and asked people if they had heard of Clarence H. White, they’d say no,' Larson said" in the Advocate report.

Which should have led to the question: "What's the difference?" and "How many historic icons represented in the Society's collections would be so recognized?" and "On what are you basing that statement?"

The other part of the rationale for the sale of these once-in-the-history-of-photography-and-of-Newark photographs was "lack of gallery space and proper equipment ..."

Larson was quoted by the Advocate as saying: "Profits from the sales will go toward a Clarence White Endowment that will aid in the society’s efforts to preserve permanent collections." I think the "s" on the end of the word "collection" is significant. I think it means that instead of devoting all the profits of this sale to the preservation and display of the White collection, it means, instead, that the money is for all the stuff being held by the Society.

If that's what it means, the White photos are merely one grand and very lucrative yard sale for the enrichment of the Society.

Exactly how much is realized from this sale and what it's used for will, in the end, reveal the significance of that little "s." And calling the loot from this sale a "Clarence White Endowment" is in no way going to compensate for Licking County's loss of this irreplaceable, world-class heritage from Clarence White.

Further, this sale will surely have an effect on folks with historical items that might be donated to the Society. For one thing, I hope - and I urge - the holders of the Walter White photographs, another world-class photographer whose Tea Party gallery you can see here, will never entrust them or any part of them to the Licking County Historical Society. The same with any other item that donors might suppose would be permanently kept in Licking County. The Society has done itself a great disservice in more ways than one.

The Works museum complex keeps getting better

A visit yesterday to The Works reminded me how blessed we are in Newark Ohio for places to go and things to see.

I had not toured this museum/educational center for many months and I am amazed at the improvements in quality and scope of the displays. One could not wish for a better synopsis of local manufacturing history or a more appealing presentation. Science exhibits geared for children are of COSI type and quality, where kids do scientific stuff either as tourists or as participants in the many educational programs.

Old-time skills, art shows, modern media instruction, banquets, lectures, deli, art shop, sawmill, railway car, wood shop, glass-blowing demonstrations ... you can visit often and learn a lot.

My applause and appreciation for great facility still very much in the growth stage go to Howard LeFevre and the many local leaders who've helped him convert a bunch of old buildings into a show place that shouldn't be missed.

By the way, there is a list of tourist attractions within easy driving distance of Newark. Designed for folks who stop by The Newark Tea Party from faraway places, it's also a reminder to those of us who live here how close we are to so many worthwhile places to spend time. Here's the link.