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PIX #1 - Joshua H. Williams

PIX #2 - Roscoe "Cap" Carle

PIX #3 - Robert Harley

PIX #4 - Albert S. Bryan

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Two weeks vacation and no Potluck columns in The Review Times prompts this note. The last column provided reminiscence by Ruth Geere Walker, a 1929 grad of FHS. That column also promised a review of a mini- reunion Al Bryan, former newsman on The Fostoria Times; Robert Harley, also once employed by The Times; and this author had this past summer when Harley was in Fostoria attending his high school class (1929) reunion.

Reunions are important! They always have been. It appears that at this point in time, high school reunions are in "first place" as evidenced by the number of them reported in The Review Times.

Some years ago, family reunions were important events during the summer and often held at Meadowlark Park, Bascom; Reeves Park, Arcadia; and at Fostoria City Park.

Grandparents, parents with children, aunts, uncles, cousins and distant relatives came with well filled baskets of good things to eat...fried chicken, salads of all kinds, pies, cakes, and everything imaginable.

I don't believe family reunions are being observed as in the past. Why? Probably a variety of reasons, but perhaps because the old-timers who originally started them are gone, and maybe because of the variety of other activities that take up most of the available time.

ARE FAMILY REUNIONS ON DECLINE?

It is too bad that family reunions have lost their importance. They provided the younger generations an opportunity to learn about their ancestors...what they looked like and talked about. Those things were important in building "family trees" and for genealogy footnotes.

Many old albums and photo books provide memorabilia of the past.

There are a few other groups in town that have continued to have reunions. The ones I recall right now are the Bell Telephone employees and employees of The Fostoria Screw Co.

Of course, there comes a time when age and death takes its toll, and then there's no more to "reunite".

OPINION ABOUT SCHOOL REUNIONS

About school reunions...the committees that plan them have double fun...at every committee planning meeting, and then the big day when old classmates arrive.

Some school committees often go overboard in planning and expenses and may fail to get the best attendance because of high cost. Our class (1923) kept the cost low...no orchestra and dance...no liquor added to the bill. I have never seen anyone attend our reunions and be disappointed.

Those who return for reunions want to see what classmates look like now, how much change if any, what they have done through the years and to learn about spouses. The like to tell and hear about events of school days.

An important part of one of our reunions was a car tour through town, to see how it has changed, new housing developments, new industrial structures, old landmarks, new landmarks, etc.

Instead of dance music, we played some of the music recordings of the school days era, or sang some of the old popular songs of the past.

3 "OLD" NEWSPAPER EMPLOYEES REUNITE

In last week's article I mentioned the "small" reunion that Al Bryan, Bob Harley and I had the day after the 1929 class reunion.

A comical note: I went to the L & K Motel to meet Harley and to drive to Findlay to see Bryan. I had not seen Bob since he left Fostoria to enter Ohio State. Had I seen him on the street, not in the room where he registered, I would have passed him by without recognition. He was about my size when we were young. Now, he is about twice the breadth...and bald. He had a full head of hair back then, Oh My!

Al Bryan hadn't seen Bob either for too many years. He told me later he probably wouldn't have known him either.

We really had an enjoyable time visiting at Al's house, and then later over lunch, after which Bob went on to Springfield to visit his mother in a nursing home, and to see his daughter who also lives in that city and looks after her grandmother.

CAP CARLE PUBLISHED FOSTORIA TIMES

What did we talk about? One subject was The Fostoria Times, published by Roscoe Carle, better known as Cap.

Bryan went to work there after graduating from Ohio Wesleyan. He stayed until about the time The Times was purchased and merged with The Review. Then Bryan went to work for The Findlay Courier until his retirement. Many readers never knew that Al Bryan came from a family of newspaper people... his father and grandfather both were in that business in Washington Court House before him.

We recalled that others that worked for The Times. In addition to being established the editorial policies, write a column of his own and read copy proofs. He spent considerable time on the street talking with people and gathering "bits" for his column.

CARLE FAMILY ALL DECEASED.

In our reminiscing, we remembered that the Carles had two children, Stanton and Constance. Stanton worked on The Times after graduation from college. Then, when it was sold to The Review, he bought a small weekly in Illinois with a job printing department. He continued to be active until the time of his death in 1977. Constance Carle Leonard is also deceased.

J.H. "Josh" Williams, business and advertising manager, had newspaper experience before coming to Fostoria to join the Times. Prior to coming to Fostoria, he owned newspapers in Sidney and Washington Court House. He also worked for papers in Akron, Dayton and Bellevue.

The Williams had four children in order, Alwyn, who was associated with N.W. Ayer Advertising in Philiadelphia for many years and was a major-general in the Army; Aline, a nurse, wed to Ted Hynson, a doctor with the U.S. Health Service; Betty, who became Mrs. Paul Stearns; and Hugh, an engineer with Fostoria Industries. All are deceased.

In our reminiscing, we remembered that the brothers Roy and Ray Hartsook were both printers at The Times, as were Bill Lederer, Charles Walter, Jack Rowe and Cinvent Beck. J.E. Dixon was mechanical superintendent of the latter group, only Charles Walters and Rowe survive.

Harley gives Al Bryan much credit for tutoring him when he worked at The Times...teaching him the "ropes" as an aspiring newspaper man. the effort must not have been wasted. Harley, after graduation from OSU in journalism, spent up to retirement in his chosen profession.

HARLEY EXPERIENCED EDITOR-WRITER

Harley saw service at the following papers: Springfield Daily News and Sunday News-Sun; Marysville Tribune; Fremont Messenger, then owned by law of Lucian Kinn; The Journal, Lorain; buffalo Evening News; Akron Beacon Journal; The News, Indianapolis; and The Detroit News, for 26 years, where he retired.

He was also on the Ohio State Lantern staff and spent two years with Hearst's

Actually Harley isn't retired. When he retired from the Detroit News, he couldn't stand loafing after the fast pace newspaper business, so he works for Metro Detroit Printers. he's back in the world of writing, printing, proofreading, etc....putting out a publication that goes to printing plants.

I would guess his most enjoyable task there is his column "Harley's Happenings". The accompanying head for his column with a sketch of his likeness, is a good reproduction of what greeted me.