The Mail-Journal, Volume 23, Number 8, Milford, Kosciusko County, 19 February 1986 — Page 4

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THE MAIL-JOURNAL —Wed., February 19,1986

Editorials

Two special Warriors The entire Lakeland Community is proud of two special WarBrad Traviolia and Lance Lantz. They are Wawasee High School Seniors and will represent the green and gold at the state wrestling competition at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis on this weekend. Both young men successfully defended their semi-state titles of 1985 last Saturday to advance to the finals. Traviolia wrestles in the 155-pound class; Lantz in the 167-pound class. Traviolia is now 38-0 and Lantz is 38-1 with his only loss coming in the second round of the regional competition. Those are impressive figures in anyone’s book. A closer look at the pair shows both are honor roll students. Lantz in on the All A roll this nine-weeks; Traviolia is on the regular honor roll. This newspaper and the entire Lakeland area is banking on two state champions at the close of the wrestling competition Saturday. Good luck Brad and Lance. A candy-bar note Candy bars, like fashions, seem to go in and out of style. Today’s biggestselling candy bar, Snickers, was a poor relative to some of its competitors in the thirties. Milky Way, Baby, Baby Ruth, Butterfinger and others seemed more in style back then. Favorite bars become old friends; all these are still around. The second best seller today wasn’t around back then — M & M’s. (the chocolatecovered peanuts outsell the chocolate with chocolate-filling M & M’s). Heath’s toffee bar was and is an outstanding treat; one should see it in more counters. Another overlooked candy bar is Lance’s peanut brittle bar, probably the best around. One often has a hard time finding it. Some favorites have bitten the dust at least in some area. Is there still a Black Cow? Is there still a Bit-o-Honey? The change in popularity may be because of the nation’s eating habits. But Hershey’s chocolate bars (and they’ve added various bars in recent years including Mr. Goodbar) always seem to be in vogue. All that snob business about Holland chocolate, Swiss chocolate, French chocolate, etc., is just that. Not one is better than Hershey’s. Cadbury’s of England is a big seller powdn the U.S. but its taste leans more to cocoa. Some prefer that. | Some bars with the same name are different here and in Europe. for instance, is different (and better) in Europe. Snickers there don’t seem to/be as good. One good thing one can say about American candy bars is that they’re cheaper than European bars. The bars which were 5 cents for so many years and now sell for 35 cents or more are about half the price of similar-sized European bars. They could be even cheaper here if the price of sugar weren’t propped up so high, artifically. How good or bad is the candy bar habit? If one brushes teeth immediately after eating one and eats them for dessert, they’re good, energy-building food, and not harmful. They can save the time and work needed to bake a pie or cake, etc. » But even though America has the greatest selection of candy bars, at the best price, they aren’t really best to eat as snacks between meals — as some ads suggest. And a limit on the number eaten is a good idea. More can be consumed without too much weight gain in winter ... a good thing about winter! What others say — A sick American There are those who claim ours is a sick society; that our country is sick, our government is sick, that we are sick. Well, maybe they’re right. I submit that I’m sick.. .and maybe you are too. I am sick of having policemen ridiculed and called pigs while cop killers are hailed as some kind of folk hero. I am sick of commentators and columnists cannozing anarchists, revolutionaries and criminal rapist, but condemning law enforcement when such criminals are brought to justice. I am sick of being told that religion is the opiate of the people, but marijuana should be legalized I am sick of being told that pornography is the right of the free press but freedom of the press does not include being able to read the Bible on school grounds. I am sick of paying more and more taxes to build schools while I see some faculty members encouraging students either to tear them down or burn them. I am sick of Supreme Court decisions which turn criminals loose on society, while other decisions try to take away y means of protecting my home and family. I am sick of pot-smoking entertainers deluging me with their condemnation of my moral standards on late night television. I am sick of being told that policemen are mad dogs who should not have guns, but that criminals who use guns to rob, maim and murder should be understood and helped back into society.. I am sick of being told it is wrong to use napalm to end a war overseas, but if it’s a Molotov Cocktail or a bomb at home I must understand the provocations. I am sick of not being able to take my family to a movie unless I want them exposed to nudity, homosexuality and the glorification of narcotics. I am sick of riots, marches, protests, demonstrations, confrontations and the other mob temper tantrums of people intellectually incapable of working within thesystem. t , I am sick of hearing the phrases, the same slick slogans, the cnes of people who must chant the same thing like zombies because they haven’t the capacity of verbalizing thought. . I am sick of those who say I owe them this or that because of the sms of my forefathers, when I have looked down both ends of a gun barrel to defend their rights, liberties and their families. I am sick of cynical attitudes toward patriots I am sick of politicians with no backbone. I am sick of permissiveness, of the dirty, the foul-mouthed, the unwashed, the decline of personal honest, personal integrity and human sincerity. Most of all though, I am sick of being told that I’m sick. I’m sick of being told my country is sick when we have the greatest nation that man has ever brought forth on the face of the earth. Fully 50 percent of the people on earth would willingly trade places with the most deprived, the most underprivileged among us.. Take note — all of you. You will not find me throwing a rock or a bomb; you will not find me under a placard; you will not see me take to the streets; you will not find me ranting to wild-eyed mobs. But you will find me at work, paying taxes, serving in the community where 1 NOTE: The author of the following article is unknown, but the thoughts expressed are those shared by many Americans. As we begin a new year, these thoughts are shared that we might reflect on our own beliefs.

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For the second year in a row these two Warrior wrestlers — Brad Traviolia and Lance Lantz — are taking part in state competition.

Court news

Marriage Licenses The following couples have applied for marriage licenses in the office of Kosciusko County Clerk Jeanne Weirick: Burnworth-Nordin Jon David Burnworth, 30, box 412 North Webster, and Alisa Kay Nordin, 21, r 6 box 12, Warsaw Barker-Weiss Thomas K. Barker, Jr., 42, r 1 box 346, North Webster, and Andrea L. Weiss, 30, r 1 box 346, North Webster County Court The following persons have been assessed fines and have paid those fines in Kosciusko County Court, Judge James Jarrette presiding: Disregarding stop sign — Kevin D. Clark, 19, North Webster, SSO Speeding — Mike K. Cannon, 16, Cromwell, SSO; James B. Rider, 29, North Webster, SSO Marriage Dissolutions The following couples have filed for marriage dissolutions in Kosciusko Superior and Circuit Courts: Taylor — Mark A. Taylor, r 2 North Webster, and Lori A. Taylor, r 4 Syracuse. The couple was married May 31, 1980, and separated Dec. 31, 1985. There are three minor children. Earley — Lisa R. Earley, 28446 CR 50, Nappanee, and Bruce D. Earley, r 2 box 193, Leesburg. The couple was married Sept. 25, 1982, and separated Jan. 21,1986. There are no minor children. Superior Court The following complaints have been filed in Kosciusko Superior Court, Judge Robert Burner presiding: Promissory Note State Bank of Syracuse versus David A. Dishman, r 2 box 22, North Webster. The plaintiff is seeking judgment against the defendant for the sum of $5,447.22 plus interest, attorney’s fees and all costs of action, for a promissory note. Promissory Note State Bank of Syracuse versus Donna Lantz, r 5 box 459, Syracuse. The plaintiff is seeking judgment against the defendant for the sum of $6,041.57 plus interest, attorney’s fees and all costs of action, for a promissory note. Promissory Note State Bank of Syracuse versus Nancy Blade, r 3 box 642, Syracuse. The plaintiff is seeking judgment against the defendant for the sum of $2,271.13 plus interest, attorney’s fees and all costs of action, for a promissory note. Complaint Gary Stuckman and Angela Stuckman versus Gary Lewis, Reub Williams & Sons, Inc., Dan Richard, and Kosciusko County, Indiana. The plaintiffs are seeking judgment against the defendants for an alleged assault on Angela Stuckman by defendant Gary Lewis, during an alleged trespass on the plaintiffs’ property by Gary Lewis and Dan Richard on Feb. 15,1984. The suit states that during that visit, Lewis violently assaulted Angela Stuckman, causing severe pain and suffering, nervous shock and trauma. A claim filed with Kosciusko County was denied by the insurance company. Plaintiffs are seeking judgment against the defendants in an amount sufficient for damages suffered, plus punitive damages in an amount which will deter defendants from further wrongful conduct. Plaintiffs are seeking a jury trial and a change of venue from Kosciusko County. Returned Check Augsburger’s Super Valu versus Charles K. Coburn, 607 S.

Front St., Syracuse. The plaintiff is seeking judgment against the defendant for the sum of $327.10 for a returned check. Circuit Court The following complaints have been filed in Kosciusko Circuit Court, Judge Richard Sand presiding: Complaint For Injunctions Fines And Penalties Kosciusko County Area Plan Commission versus Dunnico, Inc., 630 E. Baltimore, Syracuse. Plaintiff is seeking an injunction enjoining defendant from any further use of buildings or structures on defendant’s real estate in compliance with the zoning ordinance of Kosciusko County and the Syracuse Board of Zoning Appeals. Plaintiff is further seeking judgment that' penalties be assessed against defendant consistent with zoning ordinances, plus attorney’s fees and all costs of action. City Court The following fines have been levied and paid in the Goshen City Court: Speeding — Sandy L. Chapkowski, 31, Syracuse, $47.50 72 colls answered North Webster Town Marshal James Felkner submitted ’the monthly police report to. members of the North Webster Town Board, Wednesday, Feb. 12. The following is that report: There were 162 information calls received, 72 calls answered by an officer, 48 calls received for other departments and 88 courtesy services were extended. Officers issued 36 warning tickets and 15 traffic tickets. Accidents totaled 15 for the month. In arrests there were one operating a vehicle while intoxicated arrest and one criminal arrest. Theft reports totaled five with the dollar value at $250. There was one item recovered valued at $l2O. The department received six civil or domestic disturbance reports, 20 disabled vehicles and officer impounded four vehicles, responded to three lockouts and found seven doors open. There were nine bank escorts, six alarms and four animal complaints with two animals impounded. Officers made nine VIN checks and issued four deer kill permits. Officer assisted the Emergency Medical Service and the Fire Department on 11 instances and assisted other departments on 22 occasions. There were 40 fire and EMS calls received. North Webster Police Officers worked a total of 632 hours and the police cars were driven a total of 3,105 (nils using 283.5 gallons of gasoline. THE MAIL-JOURNAL (U.S.P.S. 3258-4000) Published by the Mail Journal every Wednesday and entered as Second Class matter at the Post Otfice at Syracuse. Indiana 46567. Second class postage paid at 103 E. Main Street, Syracuse, Indiana 46567 and at additional entry offices. Subscription: sls per year in Kosciusko County, s2l outside county. POSTMASTERS: Send change of ad dress forms to The Mail Journal, P.O. Box 188, Milford, Indiana 46542 'PO

"CRUZIN AROUND 'CUSE"

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Rev. Richard Dunning became pastor of the Grace Lutheran Church in June of 1985. He and his wife, Esther, are residents ofWaubeeLake.) ? ilw iWjT’ RICHARD MBBCT DUNNING AT A time when a number of communities in the area are celebrating significant anniversaries, Grace Lutheran Church of Syracuse also marks another milestone in its history, the 125th anniversary of its founding in Kosciusko County. Research has revealed that, as it did in many other places, religion played an important part in the history and development of this area, and Grace Lutheran Church is happy to have been a small part of this history. And so as Grace observes its 125th “birthday” in 1986, we also look forward to joining our home town of Syracuse in celebrating its sesquicentennial in 1987. We kind of grew up together in this lovely area located on the shores of Wawasee and Syracuse. The exact details concerning the growth of Lutheranism in the area around Syracuse, including the founding date of Grace Lutheran Church, are not known. Evidently, though, a number of Lutherans came to that area not long after it was opened for settlement in 1837, when the town of Syracuse was platted by Henry Ward and Samuel Crawson. It wasn’t long before a number of businesses and churches began to spring up in Syracuse, including the group of Lutherans who established a place of worship just north of town. To the best of our knowledge Grace Lutheran Church has its roots in that early congregation which was known as the Union Lutheran Church. Records show that when the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Northern Indiana was formed at Columbia City in 1855 one of the initial members was Union Lutheran Church of Syracuse. The church’s delegates to that synod convention were the pastor. Rev. G. Walker, and I. W. Kitson. Kitson was appointed to the committee to write a constitution for the new synod, indicating that Union Lutheran Church had been organized about 1855 or earlier. They called themselves “new Lutherans” because of their revivalistic tendencies. In fact, the church had achieved quite a reputation for holding loud revival meetings, a rather unusual characteristic of Lutherans. The congregation remained in the new Northern Indiana Synod for a few years and then began to fade from the scene. Finally, with the organization of the Evangelical Church at Solomon’s Creek, the Union Lutheran Church of Syracuse passed into history. Thus there had been some formal Lutheran activity in the Syracuse community before Rev. Moses M. Bartholomew organized Grace Church in 1861. Rev. Mr. Bartholomew had come to the northern Indiana area from Ohio and began working with the German Lutherans here. He was quite active in both Kosciusko and Elkhart Counties during the 1850 s. It was through his efforts that First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Goshen was organized. This congregation later divided to become the present day congregations of First English Lutheran and Trinity Lutheran of Goshen. In addition to his work there Rev. Bartholomew also served parishes in Benton, Syracuse, and Harrison township. Consequently, Grace Church was only one of a number of churches which he helped to organize in this newly settled area of northern Indiana. Although we know that Grace Church was organized in 1861, unfortunately no permanent record was made of the constitutional proceedings or of the number of persons who signed the charter roll. Some of the local people who were part of that early venture were: Mrs. Rebecca Kindig, Mrs. Preston Miles, Mrs. Elhannon Miles, Mr. and Mrs. Valentine Kettring, and a Mr. and Mrs. Isenhaur. The membership was quite small and they met in each other’s homes for a number of years. This continued until the members of Grace helped the local Church of God to erect a house of worship and arranged to hold worship services in that building when it was not needed by the other church. Rev. Bartholomew resigned the pastorate of Grace Church in 1866 and was succeeded by Rev. J. Webber. Not much is known of the work of Rev. Webber, but records indicate that the congregation continued to struggle along with a small membership. To add to the difficulties experienced by this young church, they were without pastoral leadership for 11 years following Rev. Webber’s resignation in 1872. As a result, the already small group of Lutherans in the Syracuse area dwindled even more due to this loss of a trained religious leader for such an extended period of time. In 1883 Jesse Dunn, a student of theology, began supplying the Lutheran Church at Benton. Some of the members of Grace journeyed to Benton to attend services there and to prevail upon Dunn to consider the possibility of supplying the church at Syracuse. Dunn consented to the request and began preaching at Grace, at first only once every four weeks, but later every couple of weeks.

In the meantime he completed his studies at the seminary and was ordained to the ministry in 1884. He then accepted the call to become the full time pastor of Grace and proceeded to reorganize the church with nine members on May 17,1885. Over the next few years the congregation began to experience a steady growth for the first time in a number of years. This growth, plus the fact that their present arrangement with the Church of God was not conducive to more aggressive church work, the members began to think in terms of their own facility. And, although reluctant to give up their first place of worship, the congregation decided early in the pastorate of the Rev. Theodore Weiskotten (1904-1906) that they should build a church of their own — one which would provide better Sunday school facilities and a more distinctly Lutheran sanctuary. They planned to construct a building just east of the parsonage that the church had acquired at 200 East Main on a lot donated to the congregation by Mrs. John Stetler. At a congregational meeting on August 16,1904, it was voted to accept the plans for building set forth by Pastor Weiskotten. The church was completed at a cost of about $4,860.00 and all except $245 of this expense had been paid by the time the building was dedicated in June of 1905. This church building has served the congregation well from that time until the present. During the intervening years it has been renovated and redecorated a number of times in order to maintain its appearance and serviceability. The first major change came when the basement area was enlarged and made usable. The building was redecorated in 1938 and again in 1954. Other projects completed during the past years were the installation of carpeting on a couple of occasions, further work in the basement and kitchen areas, a new heating system, and in 1965 a new Rothenberger memorial organ was installed and dedicated to enhance the worship services. Although over eighty years old, the structure has aged well and continues to serve as a reminder of the dedication and efforts of a great many people who wished to make a statement to the Syracuse community of the importance of the Christian faith in their lives as well as in the life of their beloved town. As is true with almost every congregation, the ladies of Grace Church have played an important part in its life and growth. To help further the cause of the church’s mission, the Ladies’ Aid of Grace was organized in 1901 with Mrs. A. H. Arbaugh as its first president. The ladies have rendered great service and without their labors the progress of the church would have been much slower. They have been active in many areas of the church’s program. For instance, from 1962 until 1965 Grace Church helped to support Mr. and Mrs. Rudolph Nelm of Toledo, Ohio, who were serving as lay missionaries in Liberia, Africa. The ladies’ connection with the Nelms was through their daughter, Mrs. Nancy Justus, a member of Grace. The ladies of the church participated in the support .of the missionaries by sewing a great many layettes for use with the children of the Liberian bush people, where Mrs. Nelm taught the African mothers to better care for their babies by using more modern techniques of child care. One son of the congregation has entered the full-time service of the Church. Joel whose father Robert had a drug store on Main Street in Syracuse for many years, was ordained into the ministry of the Lutheran Church in America. He is presently serving a church in North Carolina. Grace Church has had a rather small membership throughout most of its history. Because of limited resources, it has shared pastors with other churches in plural parishes much of the time. For many years it belonged to three-church parishes. Prior to 1924 it was connected with St. John’s of Nappanee and St. Paul’s of Benton; from 1924 to 1937 with St. John’s and Calvary of Cromwell. From 1937 to 1948 Grace and Calvary comprised a joint parish before becoming separate charges. For a brief time from 1976 to 1985, the two congregations again joined forces and were served by the same pastors. With the arrival of the present pastor, Rev. Richard D. Dunning, in June of 1985 Grace once again decided to become an independent church, feeling the need for full-time leadership. A number of events are being planned as the congregation looks forward to celebrating its 125th anniversary. The culmination of the activities will take place in the fall when the members plan a special observance of the occasion that will include the participation of some of the former pastors, an anniversary dinner, and a display of historical items. The members of Grace are grateful to God for His many blessings throughout its history. They have tried to serve Him well in the past 125 years, and with His grace and guidance will continue |o do so in the future. The people of Grace Lutheran Church look forward to many more years of service to the Syracuse community and are happy to have shared in Syracuse’s growth and development. As we celebrate our 125th birthday this year, we join with many others inthe area in wishing our town the very best as we share in its sesquicentennial in 1987. We have come a long way together. May we continue to grow and to go for- z ward in the same way— together, and may our future be as bright as our past. Pastors who have served Grace Church over its 125 years include: Moses M. Bartholomew (1861-1866), J. Webber (1866-1872), Vacant (1872-1883), Jesse Dunn (1883-1897), William Hall (1897-1898), Alonzo H. Arbaugh (1899-1902), Solomon D. Myers (1902-1904), Theodore F. Weiskotten (1904-1906), Harry N. Thompson (1907-1910), Ira R. Ladd (1910-1912), Edward F. Valbracht (1915-1917), Reinhold E. M. Engers (1917-1918), William Boatman (1918-1920), Ralph D. Heim, supply (1922), Russell N. McMichael (1923-1926), Alonzo H. Arbaugh (1927-1931), John A. Pettit (1932-1936), Jerome S. Kaufman (1936-1937), Harvey J. Currens (1937-1940), John H. Schmidt (1940-1942), Ernest A. Slottag (1943-1948), John A. Pettit, supply (1948), Carl Sorensen (1949-1958), Charles White (1958), Carl H. Satre (1959-1965), Theodore L. Hertenstein (1966-1970), Charles Mueller (1971-1973), Askel t Larsen (1974-1976), Steven Archer (1976-1980), Frank Barcus (1980-1984), and Richard D. Dunning (1985-present).