Alabama School Yearbooks by State and County
Elmer M. (Barney) Wolf
Died: Friday, August 08, 2003
Age: 84
Elmer M. (Barney) Wolf, age 84, of Beavercreek, died Friday, August 8, 2003 at Heartland of Beavercreek.
He was born October 1, 1918, in the Beavercreek Township farmhouse where his ancestors homesteaded in 1807. With parents Daniel W. and Effie M. (Harner) Wolf and siblings Alfred and Catherine, he helped with the daily farming activities while attending Beavercreek Schools. He graduated from Beavercreek High School in 1936.
On June 28, 1941, he married Wanda J. Hess of Bellbrook. They continued to live on the Wolf family farm and had three sons.
Barney enjoyed farm life and actively served his community by volunteering as a Beavercreek fireman beginning in the 1940s. He also volunteered as a 4-H Club adviser and served on the Greene County Agricultural Society Board of Directors (Fair Board) from 1946. In addition to the farm work, he took time to drive a school bus for several years.
Except for a life-changing event on Thanksgiving Day, 1951, he would probably have been a lifetime farmer. While hunting, he stepped in a hole and twisted his back. Within two days he was paralyzed and for the remainder of his life confined to a wheelchair.
Despite this drastic change, he continued to serve his community as volunteer fire and police dispatcher until 1968 and as a Director of the Greene County Fair until resigning in 1996 after serving for 50 years.
Suddenly, being unable to continue farming, Barney, at age 33, was forced to redirect his energies. He took several courses and became qualified to sell insurance with the Farm Bureau Insurance Company (later to become the Nationwide Insurance Company), retiring after 33 years of service. He also developed a bookkeeping, notary public, and tax return preparation business.
He supported the youth of Beavercreek through his sponsorship of the Beavercreek Community Athletic Association Little League baseball program at Nutter Field. As his insurance business grew, and with Wanda also working, the family was able to purchase a home, build an adjacent office building and put their three sons through college. His new office building, completed in 1961, was handicapped accessible and also had a large meeting room on the lower level. It was after the Xenia Tornado on April 3, 1974, that several insurance adjusters set up an office in this lower level to settle many claims for the Xenia residents.
Barney was a member of the Knights of Pythias Lodge #668 of Beavercreek since 1947; member of the Kentucky Colonels, Greene County Chapter; member of the Law Enforcement Dispatchers Association; member of the Beavercreek Chamber of Commerce. He was a former member of the Byron Church and then later associated with the Hawker United Church of Christ. He received many awards and recognition for his outstanding service to the community including the Beavercreek Chamber of Commerce Businessman of the Year award in 1972; the Beavercreek Chamber of Commerce E.G. Shaw award in 1991; the Ohio State Agricultural Fair Managers Outstanding Director award in 1992.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Wanda, on May 10, 1991, and brother, Alfred, in 1980. He is survived by a sister, Catherine Hawker of Dayton, sons and daughters-in-law, Drs. E. Dan and Marja Wolf of Tampa, FL, Dwight and Ann Wolf of Beavercreek, Duane and Robyn Wolf of Vandalia, grandchildren; Richele Stroop (Bobby) of Hillsboro, Renee DeLory (Joe) of Beavercreek, Tonya Kelley (Brian) of Beavercreek, Grace Wolf of Vandalia, Adam Wolf and Aida Wolf of Tampa, FL; great-grandchildren, Tabitha Kelley, Noah Kelley and Aaron DeLory of Beavercreek and Aubrey Stroop and Gavin Stroop of Hillsboro. Also surviving are numerous nieces and nephews and other relatives and friends.
Philip M. Landwehr
Died: Friday, July 25, 2003
Age: 77
Philip M. Landwehr, 77, Cape Coral, FL, formerly of Xenia, passed away Friday afternoon, July 25, 2003, at Hope Hospice in Cape Coral. He was born November 10, 1925, in Ransom, KS, the son of Philip and Elizabeth Gader Landwehr.
He retired from WPAFB, was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, serving in World War II, member of the Moose Lodge in Cape Coral and former member of the Knights of Columbus, St. Brigid Church.
He is survived by his wife, Bernice K. (Igo) Landwehr, a son and daughter-in-law, Mark and Pam Landwehr, two daughters and a son-in-law, Cathy and Mike Devitt, Gena Hayslip, all of Xenia, seven grandchildren, two brothers, Ralph Landwehr and Victor Landwehr, both of Ransom, KS, and two sisters, Margaret Landwehr, Ransom, KS, and Catherine Leiker, Augusta, KS. He was preceded in death by two brothers, Albert Landwehr and Lawrence Landwehr, and a sister, Gertrude Landwehr.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 31, at St. Brigid Church, 312 Fairground Rd., Xenia, with Rev. Sandy MacPherson officiating.
Visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 30, at the Neeld Funeral Home, 1276 N. Detroit St., Xenia.
Burial will be in St. Brigid Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Hope Hospice, 2430 Diplomat Parkway East, Cape Coral, FL 33909.
Ernest Russell Smith
Died: Friday, July 25, 2003
Age: 96
Ernest Russell Smith, age 96 years, of Inverness, passed away Friday, July 25, 2003, in Inverness.
He was born in Hamilton, Ohio, on July 20, 1907, to a very loving, wonderful mother and father, Sarah Mahler and Thomas Jefferson Smith, being the eighth out of their nine children. (Four girls, five boys.)
The family moved from Hamilton to Fairfield, Ohio, in 1912. I can remember being very proud of sitting on the front seat of the horse-drawn wagon which was used for the move. Just one year later the disastrous 1913 flood washed away the house that had been our home in Hamilton. Fate and our maker was kind to us.
The new home was close to the Wright Brothers airplane hangar and Patterson Field. I recall that there we had an enclosed barn lot with hens, roosters, a duck and some very small pigs in the same pen. One little pig got a tin caught over its head and could not get it off. The little pig squealed and made a big fuss along with all the other animals. Mother lifted me over the fence and I caught the little pig and lifted it up to Mother, who removed the can and freed the little pig so it could run again with the other little pigs.
Another time, (at approximately five and one half years) I was warned by my father not to use matches to look for clothes in the closet. He wanted me to go outside to play and needed a jacket since it was cool. He couldn’t see into the closet because it was dark. He took a chance and used just one match and the closet caught on fire. It took Father quite a while to put the fire out and he got the well-deserved punishment.
Another event sticks in my mind. At graduation time from high school the 24 of us that were to be graduated were asked to go to Dayton (a distance of approximately 10 miles by Traction Car) to get our class pictures made, which we did. After the picture taking was over, six of us (four boys and two girls) decided we would take in the Burlesque Show while in this "big" city. Someone squealed on us for doing this forbidden thing, so we were told by the school superintendent that we had a choice; we could take a licking from the school principal or not receive our diploma. The penalty was to lean over a desk and be hit with a large wooden paddle wielded by the school principal. We four boys chose to accept the penalty but the two girls chose not and were expelled without a diploma.
After graduation from high school and some business college, he obtained a job at Patterson Field (which later became known as Wright-Patterson Air Force Base) as a laborer and ended up, after receiving many promotions, awards and citations, as an executive at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Headquarters until retirement 30 years later in 1961.
Upon retirement, he found he had time on his hands so decided to get into the real estate business. After passing the brokers exam and receiving a license, he opened Ernie Smith Realty, Inc. In time, having several salesmen, we needed a secretary. We advertised and Breeze applied and was hired - the rest is history. He moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in 1967, and then Citrus County in 1970. We’ve had a lot of wonderful times in our almost 31 years of marriage.
Mr. Smith was raised to a Master Mason February 20, 1930, in Yellow Springs, Ohio, Lodge No. 421 and received his 32 degree in the Dayton, Ohio, Consistory Scottish Rite; he later was one of eight charter members of Michael L. Finnell Lodge No. 711 F & A M, Fairborn, Ohio, where he served as Master in 1937. He then became a Shriner at Antioch Shrine Temple, Dayton, Ohio, later transferring to Egypt Shrine, Tampa, and Citrus Shrine Club. Mr. Smith was a member of the Hernando Church of the Nazarene.
Surviving are his wife of 36 years: Mrs. Velma Louise (Breeze) Brisendine Smith, Inverness; a son: Mr. Dale Martin Smith, New Carlisle, Ohio; a daughter, Sarah Ellen Smith, who died January 25, 2003; two step-daughters: Mrs. Kathy Kelly, Ocala; Mrs. Debbie Olsen, Miami; three grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; four step-grandchildren; and two step-great-grandchildren.
Funeral Notice:
The Service of remembrance for Mr. Ernest Russell Smith, age 96 years, of Inverness, will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 30, 2003, at the Hernando Church of the Nazarene, with the Rev. Larry Brincefield officiating. Internment will follow in Oak Ridge Cemetery, Inverness. Friends may call from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Inverness Chapel of Hooper Funeral Homes, where Masonic Services will be conducted at 7 p.m. by Citrus Masonic Lodge No. 118 F & A M. Friends, who wish, may send memorials to the Hernando Church of the Nazarene Building Fund or the Shriners Hospitals for Crippled Children.
Austin Eldon Knowlton
Died: Friday, July 25, 2003
Austin Eldon Knowlton died June 25, 2003, at Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He was born July 23, 1909, in Athens, Ohio, the second son of Clarence L. and Vertura Cundiff Knowlton, grew up in Bellefontaine, Ohio, resided at Emerald Farms in Delaware County, Ohio, and retired to Ford Lauderdale, Florida, a few years ago. Also known as "Dutch" Knowlton, he was the owner of the Knowlton Construction Company originally of Bellefontaine, Ohio, Vesta Company, and Austin E. Knowlton Company. He was a member of the Board of the Cincinnati Bengals NFL Football Team, and Trustee of the Austin E. Knowlton Foundation.
Mr. Knowlton married Phyllis Coulon in 1933. They lived in Hamilton, Ohio, and Bowling Green, Ohio, before purchasing land known as Emerald Farms in Delaware County, Ohio, in 1947.
They raised championship American Saddlebred horses, which Mr. Knowlton showed in harness and his wife and children showed under saddle. Phyllis, his former wife, died in 2000.
He is survived by: three children, Peter M. Knowlton, J.D., of Springfield, Ohio, Suzzanne Knowlton Schultz, of Miami, Florida, and P. Valerie Knowlton of Loxahatchee, Florida, and Delaware, Ohio; and by four grandchildren, Evan N. Schultz, Christopher W. Knowlton, Alexander W. Knowlton and Elizabeth Knowlton Koncki; and by four great-grandchildren, Alexander W. Knowlton, Jr., Allison Knowlton, Emily Schultz and Christian Schultz. He is also survived by his son-in-law, Duane R. Schultz, Ph.D.; his daughter-in-law, Norma Jean Cole Knowlton; and by Evan’s wife, Baerbel Kuchelmeister Schultz; and Alexander’s wife, Ashley Kuhlman Knowlton; and Elizabeth’s husband, Jeffrey S. Koncki.
He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers, Donald (age 4) and Ernest, and sister, Dorothy Farrell.
He is survived by his sister, Virginia Fite, of Piqua, Ohio.
Austin E. Knowlton had a long career in the construction industry and was a builder and investor in commercial real estate developments nationally. He entered the Ohio State University, class of 1931, but went home to work with his brother Ernest in his father’s company, the Knowlton Construction Company.
He received a Bachelor of Architecture Engineering Degree from the Ohio State University later. He assumed ownership of The Knowlton Construction Company, a trade union labor company, and employed men on a nondiscriminatory basis before any requirements were legislated.
In the 1940s he calculated his "bid" for construction projects with his slide rule and was able to add long columns of figures in his head, overcoming dyslexia. Under his leadership, the company built, designed and financed more than 160 college and university buildings on nearly every major college campus in Ohio and more than 100 elementary and secondary schools.
Knowlton built more than 600 buildings in his career.
He obtained a franchise to sell Beechcraft airplanes in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan in the late 1940s, naming the company Ohio Aviation.
Austin E. Knowlton and
the Austin E. Knowlton Foundation have contributed to many institutions of higher education in Ohio, and he supported his alma mater, the Ohio State University, in activities involving its hospitals, architecture, and athletics. In 1994 the Ohio State University renamed its School of Architecture the "Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture."
University President E. Gordon Gee praised a gift from Knowlton, which he said made it possible for OSU to provide the finest architectural education possible. A new building for the school is under construction and will open in the fall of 2006.
A sportsman, Knowlton, in addition to raising and showing saddlebreds, raced thoroughbred horses and had an avid interest in football and baseball. He was a significant, but minority, owner of the Cincinnati Reds baseball team in the 1970s.
He was instrumental in building Riverfront Stadium. When he was squeezed out from possible majority ownership of the Reds, he became cofounder with Paul Brown, and was the largest shareholder, of the group that obtained the original NFL franchise for the Cincinnati Bengals.
He was Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bengals for 20 years.
In 1996 Knowlton received an Honorary Doctorate of Architecture from the Ohio State University. He was named Citizen of the Year, 1995, Bellefontaine Kiwanis Club, Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame, 1995, and was Trustee of the Brown Jug Society, which runs the Triple Crown for Standardbred pacing horses in Delaware, Ohio.
Among his many memberships were the Athletic Club of Columbus, The Columbus Club, The Columbus Country Club, the Scioto Country Club, the New Albany Country Club, the Ohio University Presidents Club, OSU Alumni Association Life Member, OSU Presidents Club and Presidents Council, OSU School of Architecture Alumni Society, OSU School of Architecture Advisory Board, Alpha Rho Chi Fraternity and Tau Sigma Delta Honorary.
A Memorial Service will be held at Gray Chapel, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, Oct. 4 at 1 p.m. Burial will be Aug. 1, 2003, at Bellefontaine Cemetery at 2 p.m.
Funeral services for the family and all who were workers, tradesmen, suppliers, subcontractors, neighbors and friends of Austin E. Knowlton and family will be at First United Methodist Church, Main Street and Sandusky Avenue, Bellefontaine, Ohio, seating at 11 a.m., service at 11:30 a.m., Friday, Aug. 1, 2003. There will be a lunch buffet at the church immediately following.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Knowlton Library of Bellefontaine, Ohio, which Mr. Knowlton established in memory of his parents.
