(RETURN TO THE TITLE PAGE) BIOGRAPHICAL HARVEY S. FIRESTONE Among the men who have helped to make Akron the world's rubber center Harvey S. Firestone takes rank both as an early pioneer and a latter-day leader. Since the night of July 26, 1900, when a little group of Akron men laid the foundation of what is now a world enterprise, Mr. Firestone has been intimately connected with the development of the industry and the city. The story of his own career really becomes the story of the industry itself, because the two are closely woven together. He had been a resident of Akron but a few months when that meeting of July 26 took place. The great age of transportation was at hand and he began as a pioneer. Mr. Firestone's connection with the development of the rubber industry since that time is peculiarly the story of Akron. He was born on a farm in Columbiana county, Ohio, December 20, 1868, and worked as a bookkeeper, then as a salesman. The Columbus Buggy Company sent him to the Detroit branch and there he became the owner of a rubber-tired buggy, the first one seen in the city. He decided that rubber tires would be an improvement for all buggies, in place of steel tires, and so determined to enter the business. With two partners and fifteen hundred dollars of capital, he established the Firestone-Victor Rubber Company in Chicago to equip old-fashioned buggies with the new-fashioned tires. His undertaking prospered. The rubber world was beginning to experience the changes that always mark a period of growth. In a brief time the business, started in a shop on Wabash avenue, was sold at a substantial price, bringing Mr. Firestone forty-five thousand dollars as his share. That was the time he turned toward Akron. Several of the companies were actively operating here. All of them had their own plans and patents to overcome the problem of attaching tires to buggy wheels. James A. Swinehart, an Akron man, also had an idea and a patent. But none of the established companies would test his invention. The night of July 26, 1900, brought - 5 - 6 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY about the meeting that was to give the rubber industry new force. Mr. Firestone met Mr. Swinehart, Dr. L. E. Sisler, county auditor, M. D. Buckman, a deputy auditor, and James Christy, Jr. After some discussion the company was formed, Mr. Firestone putting in as his share ten thousand dollars and the option on a local company's tire department, while the other partners contributed ten thousand dollars and the patent. From that time forward the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company has been an active factor in the industry. Sales the first year amounted to one hundred ten thousand dollars. The company bought its tires from the older rubber concerns, but as trade grew in volume a manufacturing plant became essential. The last of the Firestone capital went into the business, and the enterprise was moved to South Akron, where an old foundry building at Miller and Sweitzer avenues provided a home. The wooden shed nearby served as an office. A few second-hand machines were installed and the manufacture of tires became an accomplished fact. By 1903 the business yielded a small profit, amounting to eighty-five hundred three dollars; sales reached two hundred thirty thousand dollars. The future held rich promise. Pneumatic tires and motor cars were developing fast. The Firestone organization took an early leadership in developing scientific methods of designing and manufacturing both tires and rims of all types. Year by year the business outgrew its quarters, its resources and equipment, but never its possibilities. Although a corporation, it bore the stamp of an individual enterprise. Personality might be termed one of its principal assets. In the day of corporations, when men's names have disappeared to such an extent from the business world, the name of Firestone became fixed in the public mind as an inseparable part of rubber. Mr. Firestone foresaw the day of transportation by truck and in the war period launched the ship-by-truck movement that helped to relieve rail congestion. Its development really was an era within an era, giving the motor car age a meaning that it never could have had confined to passenger transportation. If the success of a business organization is to be judged by the extent of its operations, plants and resources, it becomes interesting to note that the enterprise, started with the barest necessities, produces more than one hundred millions of dollars in rubber products annually. The sales figure for 1926 was one hundred forty-four million dollars. Along with this development other AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 7 enterprises have grown out from the main trunk until Mr. Firestone stands at the head of twenty-odd corporations. He employs thirty-five thousand workers in all parts of the world. In Akron, as the business expanded, additions not only were made to the main factory, but new plants were constructed. The total floor space occupied by Firestone industrial units equals almost five million square feet, and the factories have an aggregate production capacity of more than fifty-five thousand tires and sixty-five thousand tubes daily. Plant Two in Akron, a model of its kind is devoted to the manufacture of tires for light cars and has a capacity of twenty-five thousand tires per day. The Firestone mechanical building is one of the modern engineering plants of the country, while the Firestone Steel Products Company is the largest manufacturer of tire rims. As early as 1905 Mr. Firestone began experimenting with a demountable rim and he later developed and patented such a rim for truck tires, as well as for passenger cars. His name is one of the familiar trademarks of American business, and his philosophy is well known to the American public. As an observer of men and events he has acquired an understanding of his age that he sometimes reveals from the platform and by means of the printed word. If this philosophy could be summed up briefly, it might be said that he is a believer in the principle of hard work leading to success and satisfaction. He has defined ambition as "taking off your coat and dragging yourself up to the point that you want to reach, whatever it is." He holds money to be a necessary part of modern affairs, yet a poor measure of satisfaction by itself. His own greatest happiness has been in the effort to create, to do things in a better way. He takes an abiding interest in men, especially the men who make up his organization or who come under his personal observation otherwise. It is a matter of record that Firestone executives have been developed inside the business, rather than outside, though there are outside men in the family circle, or they used to be outside men, before they entered that circle. In dealing with men the head of the business is quick to reward those who find a better way to results. Having the gift of imagination himself he is prompt to sense that quality in others. Perhaps this inclination has had no little to do with the readiness of the Firestone organization to try new methods. In 1917 Mr. Firestone inaugurated a new plan in the industrial world when he established the employe stock savings plan. 8 -AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY Any employe has the right to buy two shares of common stock in the company, paying for it in installments from his pay envelope. The employe stockholder is entitled to borrow on his stock in case of emergency and should he leave the company's employ before the purchase price has been fully paid, he receives his money back with six per cent interest. The Firestone company is the only concern of its size in the world in which every employe has a stock interest. Another employe welfare plan inaugurated by Mr. Firestone is the insurance protection plan. Under this system each employe receives without cost a graduated scale of life insurance running from five hundred to one thousand dollars, depending on length of service. With the expansion of the business, which called for the manufacture of millions of tires, Mr. Firestone saw the necessity of controlling the sources of crude supplies and established rubber buying offices in Singapore, the crude rubber headquarters of the world. A washing and refining plant was erected there, and a new method of drying rubber installed, revolutionizing the previous system. Cotton being almost equally as important a factor as rubber in the manufacture of tires, Mr. Firestone purchased mills in Fall River and New Bedford, Massachusetts, producing the finest quality of cord fabric. The New Bedford Mill, with one hundred fifteen thousand, two hundred spindles, is the largest and most modern tire fabric mill in the world. Additional tire factories have been erected in Los Angeles, Hamilton, Ontario, and London, England. These factories are models in their respective fields. At Hudson, Massachusetts, the Firestone Footwear Company operates one of the largest factories of the kind in the country with a capacity of thirty thousand pairs of shoes daily. In the post-war days of 1921, with rubber dropping to a low price of twelve cents per pound, the British government passed legislation known as the Stevenson Restriction Act, designed to curtail production and artificially raise the price. This act went into effect in November, 1922. The price of rubber was forced to $1.23 a pound. Mr. Firestone opposed the Stevenson Act as economically unsound and unjust and led the movement which eventually caused the annulment of this legislation. Mr. Firestone declared that "Americans should produce their own rubber" and inaug- AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 9 urated a world search for suitable rubber growing territory where he might establish plantations free of the foreign rubber monopoly. He also interested the United States department of commerce, and congress appropriated five hundred thousand dollars for a government survey of sources of rubber supply. In December, 1923, Mr. Firestone's attention was called to the republic of Liberia on the west coast of Africa. His representatives reported a two thousand acre plantation already yielding and their survey showed that the conditions of the climate, soil and labor in Liberia were equal to, if not better, than rubber producing areas in the far east. After conferences with the Liberian government, Mr. Firestone reached an agreement to lease one million acres and with characteristic energy started preliminary operations. Harvey Firestone, Jr., vice president of the Firestone Plantations Company, took active charge and Liberia, almost forgotten to the world, is coming into its own. After a little more than two years of organized operation the Firestone forces have brought two fifty thousand acre plantations under development. Lying about two hundred miles apart, on the Du and Cavalla rivers, both are connected by coastwise steamship service and radio telephone. The Du plantation, in turn, operates a trans-Atlantic radio station connecting with another station on the roof of the Akron factory. A power plant has brought electric current to the jungle. American-type bungalows are rising on cleared land that soon will be covered with rubber trees. The families of American workers are bringing the institutions of American life to this primitive land. The principal enterprise has given rise to a dozen others. The American forces will be fed in part, as time advances, from their own farms, modelled on the American plan. The highways already bear a look of home, with cars and trucks turning every corner. American stores are selling the products of home to natives and white workers. Mr. Firestone's interest in the country extends to many matters. Better sanitation, education and medical control are included in the program of development. In fact, the success of the central undertaking involves the conversion of a primitive world. American business has not engaged in an undertaking on this scale since the great days of the railroad builders. Although engaged in the direction of many enterprises Mr. Firestone has found time to be a leader in the civic affairs of Summit county and the city of Akron. He has served as a mem- 10 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY ber of the City Planning Commission and for many years has been chairman of the grade separation committee of the Chamber of Commerce. During the World war he was a member of the Ohio Council of National Defense and was instrumental in organizing the rubber division of the war industries board. His contributions to business and commerce were recognized by Mount Union College in 1926, which conferred upon him the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration. Mr. Firestone, always a leader in civic enterprises looking to the growth and betterment of Summit county and the city of Akron, is especially interested in the constructive work of the church. For several years he was president of the Ohio Council of Churches. Although an Episcopalian and a warden of St. Paul's Episcopal church, he recognizes no denominational lines in the constructive work of the church as a whole. In Firestone Park he has assisted in the development of St. Paul's Catholic church, St. Peter's Episcopal church, Firestone Park Methodist Episcopal church and First Church of Christ Scientist. Mr. and Mrs. Firestone recently made a donation of three hundred fifty thousand dollars to the Akron City Hospital to build and equip the Idabelle Firestone Nurses' Home. This gift served to stimulate public interest in raising additional funds for much needed facilities. Mr. and Mrs. Firestone also have made generous gifts to the new Children's Hospital and St. Thomas' Catholic Hospital. Besides his Akron residence, Harbel Manor, Mr. Firestone maintains a winter home, Harbel Villa, at Miami Beach, Florida. In 1928 the Miami Beach Committee of One Hundred presented him a gold medal for "the greatest achievement of the year" in having, practically single-handed, won his five-year campaign against the British Rubber Restriction Act. Near Harbel Manor are the Firestone farms for fine stock and modern dairying. Mr. Firestone has never relinquished his interest in pure bred cattle and among his herds has famous prize winners. His stable of thoroughbred saddle horses and polo ponies is one of the finest in the country. Such is a running summary of an eventful life. Mr. Firestone was the second son of Benjamin and Catherine (Flickinger) Firestone, and his paternal forbears came to the colonies in 1752 from Berg and Thall in Alsace. For many generations the Firestone family has been made up of farmers and land owners, first in Pennsylvania and Virginia, then in Columbiana county, Ohio. AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 11 Mr. Firestone attended grammar and high school at Columbiana and the Spencerian Business College in Cleveland, getting ready to enter business. While in Detroit he met the future Mrs. Firestone, Miss Idabelle Smith, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George T. Smith of Jackson, Michigan. Mr. Smith was the inventor of the process that turns out "Patent" and "Half-Patent" flour. Mr. Firestone was married November 20, 1895, being then twenty-seven years old and already rated a successful business man. Mr. and Mrs. Firestone have six children ; Harvey Samuel, Jr., born in Chicago, Illinois, April 20, 1898; Russell Allen, born in Akron, Ohio, December 3, 1901; Leonard Kimball, born in Akron, June 2, 1907; Raymond Christy, born in Akron, September 6, 1908; Roger Stanley, born in Akron, June 25, 1912; and Elizabeth Idabelle, born May 18, 1914. Harvey S. Firestone, Jr., was graduated from Princeton University in 1920, and in 1921 married Miss Elizabeth Parke, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Guy James Parke of Decatur, Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Harvey S. Firestone, Jr., have two daughters; Elizabeth Chambers, born July 16, 1922, and Martha Parke, born September 16, 1925. Russell Firestone also is a graduate of Princeton class of 1924. In 1925 he was married to Miss Dorothy Lee Bryan, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Morgan T. Bryan of Fort Worth, Texas. Mr. and Mrs. Russell A. Firestone have one son, Russell Allen, Jr., born July 29, 1927. Service has ever been the dominant factor in Mr. Firestone's life both as a citizen in the service of developing his community and as industrial leader. His code has been expressed in a maxim : "Every useful occupation gives ample opportunity for service. The happiest men in the world are those who are making their jobs mean more than simply an endless routine of work and wages. The whole structure of business is based upon making useful things for others—this is service." EDWARD J. STUHLDREHER Edward J. Stuhldreher has been, through his long and active connection with the real estate business, a large factor in the development and upbuilding of Barberton and is widely recognized as one of its most influential and successful men of affairs. He was born at Massillon, Ohio, on the 29th of May, 1879, a son of Augustus F. and Sophia (Scharber) Stuhldreher. He at- 12 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY tended the public and high schools of his native city and took a commercial course in the Massillon Business College. He entered the employ of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad as assistant freight agent at Barberton, which position he held for four and a half years, and in 1900 embarked in the real estate and insurance business in Barberton in partnership with his brother, Augustus F. Stuhldreher, whose death occurred December 1, 1926. This became one of the leading firms in its line in Summit county and built up a large and substantial business. Edward J. Stuhldreher now confines his attention to the teal estate and insurance business, in which he is meeting with well merited success. In 1922 Mr. Stuhldreher organized the Barberton Real Estate Board, of which he is now president, and he is also a member of the board of directors of the Guardian Finance Company. On January 29, 1916, Mr. Stuhldreher was united in marriage to Miss Marie Longfellow, and they are the parents of two children : Paul, born in 1916, and Rita, born in 1923. He is a republican in his political alignment and served for twenty-seven years as judge of elections. He is a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Loyal Order of Moose, the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the Knights of Columbus, and belongs to the Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of St. Augustine's Roman Catholic church. He gives his hearty cooperation to every movement for the advancement of his community along material, civic or moral lines and is well worthy of the high place which he holds in public confidence and esteem. CLARENCE IRVING BRUNER Strong in his ability to plan and perform, strong in his individuality and strong in his honor and his good name, Clarence Irving Bruner is justly accounted one of the foremost citizens not only of Akron but of Ohio, and his position as chairman of the board of the First Trust & Savings Bank gives him classification with the leading financiers of his native state. He was born on a farm in Montgomery county, October 23, 1855, and is a representative of two of Ohio's well known pioneer families, his parents being John H. and Catherine (Patten) Bruner, both of whom were born in this state. The father followed agricultural pursuits in Montgomery county until 1864, when he estab- AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 15 lished his home in Indiana and some time later conducted a grain and elevator business in Wabash, that state, buying grain which he shipped to Toledo, Ohio, by way of the old Wabash canal. A few years later he became a hardware merchant of Wabash and there spent his remaining days, while his wife passed away at the summer home of the family in Bay View, Michigan. Clarence I. Bruner was a lad of nine years when the family home was established in Indiana and after attending the public schools of Wabash he spent two years as a pupil in Wilbur Academy at South Wabash. Early in life he gained mercantile experience by assisting his father in the hardware store, taking up that task when seventeen years of age. He closely applied himself to the mastery of the business and the conduct of the trade and on attaining his majority was admitted to partnership under the firm style of J. H. Bruner & Son. In 1888 he transferred his activities to Kokomo, Indiana, where for five years he was senior partner in the hardware firm of Bruner & Coate. It was during that period that he first entered the field of finance by becoming one of the organizers of the Citizens National Bank of Kokomo and a member of its first directorate, also serving as a member of its building committee. His activities throughout his business career have constantly broadened in scope and volume and have become increasingly important as factors in the constructive development of communities as well as in the upbuilding of his own fortunes. In the latter part of 1893 he took over the management of the Kokomo Wood Enameling Company and later in the year entered into a selling arrangement with a company engaged in a similar line of manufacture at Ludington, Michigan, and with the Baker & McMillen Company of Akron. The three companies established a central sales office in Akron and on the 1st of January, 1894, Mr. Bruner returned to his native state to take charge of the selling end of the business in this city. The arrangement between the three companies was discontinued in 1896, at which time Mr. Bruner turned his attention to the real estate and loan business by becoming a partner in the firm of Wilcox & Noah. He purchased the interest of Mr. Noah, who retired from the firm, and the business was then incorporated under the style of the Wilcox-Bruner Company. With the withdrawal of Mr. Wilcox, whose interests were taken over by N. P. Goodhue and F. M. Cooke, the business was incorporated under the name of the Bruner-Goodhue-Cooke Company, with Mr. Bruner as president, and in this connection he displayed marked 16 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY executive ability as well as keen business foresight in directing the operations of the corporation. Again he entered into the banking business by becoming secretary of the Akron Savings & Loan Company and assumed further responsibilities in connection with its management when he was elected president. It is characteristic of Mr. Bruner that he closely studies every business situation, laboring earnestly for future as well as present-day development, and his efforts have been far-reaching and resultant. No history of financial activity in Akron would be complete without extended reference to him, for his work in this connection has been a most influential and vital force. While he was filling the office of secretary of the Akron Savings & Loan Company he was elected cashier of the Citizens National Bank and when, several years later, the Citizens National and the Second National banks were merged under the name of the Second National Bank, Mr. Bruner was chosen vice president of the new organization. In 1908 he succeeded to the presidency of the institution upon the death of Byron W. Robinson, and foreseeing possibilities for still further expansion of the bank's business, he was largely instrumental, in 1915, in promoting the negotiations that resulted in the consolidation of the Second National and the First National into what became known as the First-Second National Bank, of which he was made vice president, while on the 1st of January, 1916, he was elected to the presidency. In the previous year the First-Second National took over the Peoples Savings & Trust Company, of which he became president. In 1909 he aided in the organization of the Second National Building Company and was elected to the presidency. It was during Mr. Bruner's regime that the Akron Savings and Loan building was erected, also the Peoples Savings & Trust Company building at South Main and Exchange streets. With the changes that have occurred in the development of the banking business he has been closely and prominently associated and is now the honored chairman of the board of the First Trust & Savings Bank, the largest bank in the interior part of Ohio with assets of over $35,000,000. At various periods he has assisted in the control and management of other corporations in Akron but in later years has concentrated his efforts and attention more and more largely upon the banking business and is numbered among the foremost financiers of the state. In 1883 Mr. Bruner was united in marriage to Miss Nellie AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 17 Pettit, whose father, Judge John V. Pettit, was a distinguished Indiana jurist, and in the Hoosier state Mrs. Bruner was born and reared. To Mr. and Mrs. Bruner were born two daughters : Marian is now the wife of C. A. Dielhen, of Cleveland and has a son and daughter, John Clarence and Marcia. Julia is the wife of E. D. Andrews, of Akron, and has a son, James Patton. Mrs. Bruner died July 20, 1924. In the social circles of the city the family has long occupied a position of prominence and as a clubman, too, Mr. Bruner is well known, having membership in the Portage Country Club, of which he has been president, the Congress Lake Country Club and the Akron City Club. As a member and director of the Akron Chamber of Commerce he has labored effectively for the promotion of the projects fostered by that organization. He belongs to both the Ohio and the American Bankers' associations and enjoys in unqualified measure the high regard of his contemporaries and his colleagues in the financial circles of the state. He has ever been keenly interested in the welfare and progress of his adopted city and stands stanchly for all those movements which are a matter of civic virtue and of civic pride. His influence has indeed been far-reaching, and the thoroughness of his knowledge upon any subject in which he takes an interest is one of his dominant characteristics. Gifted with a keen business insight and a broad grasp of affairs, Mr. Bruner has had a career of unusual activity and of notable success. He has been for years an outstanding figure in banking circles of this section of the state and has a wide acquaintance among financial men throughout the country. Mr. Bruner's residence, "Overlook Lodge," is on Twin Oaks road. R. H. LATHER, M. D. In no line of human effort is there demanded more exact knowledge, a greater degree of concentration and a broader measure of humanitarianism than in that of the practice of medicine. These qualifications have been well exemplified in the professional career of Dr. R. H. Cather, of Barberton, who is regarded as one of the leading physicians of Summit county. The Doctor was born in Flemington, Taylor county, West Virginia, on the 19th of July, 1887, a son of John B. and Sarah E. 18 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY (McDonald) Cather. After completing the course of the grade and high schools, he attended West Virginia Wesleyan University, and then matriculated in the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Baltimore, Maryland, from which he was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1914. He served one year as interne in the Mercy Hospital in Baltimore and two years at the Montana State Hospital at Warm Springs, Montana, and later did four months postgraduate work in Paris and nine months at the Manhattan Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital in New York city. Since coming to Barberton, Dr. Cather has built up a large practice, covering a wide radius of the surrounding country, and he is specializing in diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat, in which he has no superior in this section of the country. On August 1, 1924, Dr. Cather was united in marriage to Miss Hazel Muzum, who was born and reared in West Virginia, and they are the parents of a daughter, Emily. The Doctor is a Mason, and is a member of the Mystic Shrine and the American Legion. He belongs to the Barberton Medical Society, the Summit County Medical Society, the Ohio State Medical Society and the American Medical Association. He is a veteran of the World war, having served twenty-three months overseas as a captain in the medical unit of the First Division, taking part in the historic activities in which it was so prominent. For his splendid field service he received the Croix de Guerre decoration from the French government. Dr. Cather gives his political support to the republican party and, though his profession makes heavy demands on his time, he has shown a good citizen's interest in affairs affecting the welfare of his community, and he stands deservedly high in public confidence and esteem. CHARLES HERBERICH Charles Herberich, one of the outstanding figures in Akron's financial circles and a man whose extensive interests touch various lines of the city's banking, insurance, industrial and real estate activities, has had a career of unusual activity and notable success. Mr. Herberich was born in Germany, April 4, 1878, and was but four years of age when his parents, David and Lena (Fuchs) Herberich, came to the United States in 1882, and established AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 21 their home in Akron. David Herberich was one of the city's prominent business men and highly respected citizens and for years conducted the leading business of its kind in Akron. He founded the real estate and insurance business of D. Herberich & Company, of which he was president from its organization until his death in 1923. His wife's death occurred June 17, 1913. They were the parents of twelve children, eight of whom are still living : Charles, Walter, Mrs. J. C. Glather, Mrs. John Metzger, all of Akron; Alfred, an attorney of Akron, mentioned elsewhere in this work; Helen, now Mrs. G. C. Walker, of Akron; Mrs. Charles Sprague, of Brimfield, Ohio; and Mrs. James Black, of Akron. Charles Herberich attended the public schools of Akron, while later he pursued a course in a business college by attending the evening sessions. At the age of fourteen he started out to provide for his own support, working for the American Hard Rubber Company, with which he remained for seven years. In 1899 he left the employ of that company to enter the insurance and real estate business as secretary of the D. Herberich & Company, and in 1909 was made vice president of that company. Mr. Herberich has been president of the Herberich, Hall & Harter Company since 1923, succeeding his father upon the latter's death, and has been an important factor in the magnificent success of this company. This is one of the largest real estate, insurance and loan companies in the state, employing more than eighty people, and occupying finely appointed and commodious quarters at Main and Exchange streets. There are various departments, and Mr. Herberich as chief executive of the company directs its activities in its manifold branches, his sound judgment and clear vision being manifest in the continued growth and success of the business. Among his various other business interests, he is president of The Herberich Realty Company, which he organized in 1913; vice president of the Depositors Savings & Trust Company, of which he was one of the organizers in 1907, when it was the Depositors Savings Bank; was one of the organizers of the Bankers Guarantee Title & Trust Company, of which he is vice president and chairman of the executive committee; president of the Ohio General Fire Insurance Company; and treasurer of The General Tire & Rubber Company. On the 25th of September, 1902, Mr. Herberich was married to Miss Veronica Storz, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Storz of Akron, and they have become parents of two sons and four 22 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY daughters, all of whom were born in Akron : Grace L., who was educated at Wellesley College and is the wife of Russell Farley; Richard C., who was born in 1906 and was graduated from Williams College in 1928 ; Gertrude H., who is attending the Western Reserve College; Marjorie; Marion H.; and Charles, Jr., the last named born in 1917. Mr. Herberich is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, of which he was formerly president. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity, is a Knight Templar and Consistory Mason and a Shriner. He is also a member of the Portage Country Club, the Rotary Club and the Akron City Club. While his business affairs demand his close attention, Mr. Herberich yet finds time to devote to civic affairs, in which he takes a deep interest. He has for years taken a keen interest in the work and support of the Young Men's Christian Association and for the past decade has been one of the trustees of that organization. He has been a trustee of the Better Ohio Federation since its organization in 1918, and was treasurer of the War Chest. One of the organizations in which he has taken a great pride and of which he is a past president is the Boy Scouts. A native genius for organization, a broad grasp of affairs and aptitude for successful management have been dominant characteristics in his business affairs. He is not only a successful business man but a man of high ideals, whose personal worth is recognized by hosts of friends, many of whom have known Mr. Herberich from his boyhood. His activities have been a distinct contribution to Akron's progress and development and have long since placed him among the city's strong and able business men and foremost citizens. The elements were happily blended in the rounding out of his nature, for he unites the refinements of life with the sterner qualities of manhood, and his efforts are resultant factors in everything that he undertakes. Mr. Herberich's residence is at No. 1211 West Market street. PAUL W. LITCHFIELD Paul Weeks Litchfield is one of the foremost technical experts in the rubber industry in America, particularly in the manufacture or tire and rubber fabrics. His services have been identified with the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company of Akron for fifteen years or more, covering its greatest growth and develop- AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 23 ment, and he is now vice president and factory manager of that great Akron corporation. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, July 26, 1875, a son of Charles M. and Julia (Weeks) Litchfield, both of whom were natives of Maine. The Litchfield family goes directly back to England, the first Americans of the name having come over in 1636. Charles M. Litchfield's mother was a Soule, descended from George Soule, who came over in the Mayflower. Through her Mr. P. W. Litchfield is eligible to membership in the Mayflower Society and the Sons of the American Revolution. Charles M. Litchfield is now deceased and his widow resides with her son at Akron. Reared in his native city of Boston, Paul W. Litchfield graduated from the English High School in 1892, and is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with the class of 1896, receiving the degree of S. B. in Chemical Engineering. For twenty years his services have been almost entirely in the field of rubber manufacturing. In a rubber factory at Reading, Massachusetts, he learned all the technical details of manufacturing rubber tires and cloth, and was afterwards with the L. C. Chase Company, manufacturers of tires at Chelsea, Massachusetts, until 1898. In that year he was made foreman of the New York Belting & Packing Company of Passaic, New Jersey. In 1899 he was made superintendent of the International Tire Company at Chelsea, Massachusetts. Mr. Litchfield came to Akron in July, 1900, to accept the post of superintendent of the factory for the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. He is still superintendent of the factory and in December, 1915, was made vice president of the company, and he is also a director of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company of Canada, Great Britain and South America. He is president of the Killingly Manufacturing Company of Killingly, Conneticut, manufacturers of tire fabrics. During his residence at Akron Mr. Litchfield has been a prominent factor in various organizations outside of his immediate business. He is a member of the board of trustees of Akron University, is a former president of the University Club of Akron, president of the Technology Club of Northern Ohio, and is first vice president in 1916 for the Akron Chamber of Commerce. He also belongs to the Masonic Club, is affiliated with Akron Commandery of the Knights Templar, and is a member of the Portage Country Club. On June 23, 1904, Mr. Litchfield 2-VOL. 3 24 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY married Florence Pennington Brinton, daughter of Capt. J. B. Brinton of Ashland, Ohio. They have two daughters: Katharine Pennington and Edith F. JOHN C. HOPE John C. Hope, vice president of the Campfield-Hickman Company and manager of its branch at Kenmore, is an expert undertaker and since coming to this city has taken his place among its progressive and public-spirited citizens. He was born in Guernsey county, Ohio, on the 24th of February, 1877, and is a son of Crawford and Mary (Henry) Hope, both of whom are deceased, the father dying in 1899 and the mother in 1923. Mr. Hope attended the public schools and also a normal school. He took two courses at the Massachusetts School of Embalming; also studied at the New York School of Embalming, and then located at Antrim, Ohio, where for four years he followed the undertaking business. Going then to Dayton, this state, he became a member of the firm of Farr & Hope, undertakers, and remained there seventeen years, at the end of which time he came to Kenmore as the local manager for the Campfield-Hickman Company. He had acquired an interest in this concern, of which he was made vice president. The CampfieldHickman Company was originally incorporated October 1, 1917, by F. M. Hickman and W. L. Campfield, the latter serving as president of the company until his death in 1920. Mr. Hickman then became president, filling that position until his accidental death, in November, 1927, since which time Joseph R. Hope, brother of John C. Hope, has been president. The main office of the company is at Barberton. The present splendid mortuary building at Kenmore was erected in 1922 and is in every respect well adapted to its purpose. John C. Hope received unusually good preparation for his life work and was a member of the first class licensed in 1901 under the embalming law of the state of Ohio. On October 5, 1898, Mr. Hope was united in marriage to Miss Pearl Miller, of Guernsey county, Ohio, and they are the parents of three children, namely : Mrs. Margaret Scruby, a resident of Dayton, Ohio ; Mildred, who was graduated from the Kenmore high school in 1926; and Edward. The republican party receives Mr. Hope's earnest support, AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 25 while his religious membership is with the Reformed church. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, the Junior Order of United American Mechanics and the Kenmore Kiwanis Club. A man of high civic ideals and with the best interests of his community at heart, he is never lacking in his support of measures for the advancement of the public welfare and is regarded as one of Kenmore's most useful and worthy citizens, while socially he is deservedly popular throughout the community. OSCAR SMITH In mercantile affairs Oscar Smith has found a field well suited to his talents and is now one of the officials of the C. H. Yeager Company, the owners of "Akron's Quality Store." He was born August 13, 1878, at Newton Falls, Ohio, and his parents, C. H. and Susanna Frances (Diehl) Smith, were also natives of this state. The father was a dealer in shoes and clothing and one of the leading merchants of Newton Falls, where his business activities were centered for many years. Death summoned him in 1907, and the mother passed away in 1927. They are survived by five children : Harry and Oscar Smith, Mrs. Katie Trueman, Mrs. Grace Munson and Mrs. Nettie Guenther. Oscar Smith was a pupil in the public schools of Newton Falls and for two years was in the employ of a druggist. On the expiration of that period he went to Cleveland, Ohio, and took a course in the Spencerian Business College. After his graduation he was identified with the wholesale drug business for a year and on June 1, 1901, came to Akron to take charge of the office of the C. H. Yeager Company, at that time a small concern. Mr. Smith has progressed with the business, to which he has given the best years of his life, and is now secretary of the firm. When he first came to Akron he was the sole occupant of the office but now has over forty employes under his charge. The work of his department is thoroughly systematized and his well directed efforts have constituted a vital factor in the development of the business, which is located at Nos. 56-70 South Main street. Mr. Smith was married November 28, 1901, in Newton Falls to Miss Anna Rea, a daughter of Richard and Fannie Rea and a member of one of the prominent families of Newport, Ohio. 26 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY Mr. Smith is connected with the York and Scottish Rite bodies of Masonry and holds the thirty-second degree. He is a member of the Masonic Club and the Akron Automobile Club, while his religious views are indicated by his affiliation with the North Hill Methodist Episcopal church. His life has been one of quiet devotion to duty, and he is esteemed for the qualities that have made possible his success. WILLIAM ALEXANDER JOHNSTON William Alexander Johnston, prominent in the real estate circles of Akron, owes his success entirely to his own efforts. Diligene and perseverance have been outstanding features in his career and what he has accomplished represents the fit utilization of his innate powers and talents. His birth occurred May 30, 1864, at Story Farm, on Oil Creek, where Oil City, Pennsylvania, now stands, his parents being Joseph J. and Louise C. (Kilgore) Johnston. The family is of Scotch-Irish descent but has long been established in America, for representatives of the name aided in winning American independence in the Revolutionary war. His father engaged in mercantile business in Oil City, Pennsylvania, but afterward became prominent as an attorney and counselor at law at Greensburg, Pennsylvania. He passed away in 1901 and was long survived by his widow, who died April 13, 1928, at the venerable age of ninety years. William A. Johnston was the third in order of birth in their family of eight children, and in his youthful days he pursued his education through the various grades of the public schools of Greensburg. At fifteen years of age he had entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad in the engineering department and during the succeeding decade he had the unusual advantage of working under every superintendent from Pittsburgh to New York. He was in the Johnstown district at the time of the great flood and devoted eight weeks to working with the chief engineer of the railroad system in rebuilding the line through the Huntington Valley section. Having given proof of his ability, he won rapid promotion, serving as assistant supervisor and as supervisor. He withdrew from active connection with railway engineering interests, however, in 1890 in order to become engineer and manager of the Barberton Land and Improvement Company and while serving in that capacity laid out the city of Barberton AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 29 and directed the construction of many of its important buildings, including the Barberton Inn, which for'many years was a famous hostelry. He also assisted in selling out the town lots. In his engineering capacity he surveyed and planned the Walsh Electric Line from Akron to Barberton and to Cuyahoga Falls, afterward operated under the name of the Mountain Line. He also surveyed and laid out the town of Kenmore and became the owner of much valuable real estate there. Subsequently he concentrated his efforts and attention upon the real estate business and has since owned and laid out Coventry, Allenside and many other industrial centers where he has handled and sold large property interests. He is now a member of the Ohio Real Estate Board and of the Akron Realty Association and there are few men so thoroughly informed concerning realty conditions in Ohio and particularly in this section of the state, his labors being an important element in the development and progress of Akron and of Summit county. On June 9, 1890, Mr. Johnston was united in marriage to Miss Minnie B. Cassell, a daughter of George and Anna (Mullein) Cassell and a representative of one of the old families of Pennsylvania. They have become parents of two sons. Joseph J., born in Barberton, May 14, 1891, was educated in the schools of Akron and Purdue University and is now a well known contractor of Akron. During the World war he followed in the footsteps of his ancestors who had protected American interests in the Revolution, the War of 1812, the Mexican war, the Civil war and the Spanish-American war. He was commissioned a captain and went to the Mexican border, while later he was detailed for overseas service and was promoted to the rank of major. He is now active in the State Guard. He married Miss Elizabeth Jackson of Akron and they have one child, Joseph Jack, born January 1, 1919, in Akron. The younger son, George E. Johnston, born in Barberton, March 15, 1893, supplemented his public school education by graduation from Washington and Jefferson College. During the World war he entered the officers' training camp, was commissioned a first lieutenant of the Royal Flying Corps, was on active duty overseas and received his discharge in 1919. Mr. Johnston has always been helpfully interested in civic affairs and is identified with the Akron Chamber of Commerce. He is also a member of the Portage Country Club. He has earnestly supported many projects that have proven of great benefit 30 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY to the community, and his labors have at all times been an element in the steady development of this section of the state. Mr. Johnston served as chairman of the joint commission, in 1928, at the time Kenmore's annexation to the city of Akron was being planned. His comprehensive knowledge of engineering problems has constituted a valuable factor in his success as a real estate dealer and promoter. Many districts have been developed as the result of his enterprising spirit and his labors have been far-reaching and beneficial. WILLIAM T. ADAMS William T. Adams is numbered among the progressive and successful farmers and business men of Summit county and has long been regarded as one of the enterprising and influential citizens of his section of the county, taking an active interest in public affairs and standing for all that is best in the life of the community. Mr. Adams was born in County Mayo, Ireland, on the 4th of July, 1872, a son of Thomas and Ann (Sadler) Adams, the former of whom was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and the latter in County Leitrim, Ireland. The mother died about 1875, and in 1880 the father, who had lived in various localities in his native land, came to the United States, bringing with him two sons and four daughters. They settled first in Oswego, New York, but later moved around considerably. Despite this fact William T. Adams, who was about eight years old when he came to this country, succeeded in securing a fair common school education. In 1897 he came to Summit county and located on the farm which he now owns and operates, it being at that time owned by William and Mary C. Hurst, of Cuyahoga county, this state, with whom he lived for twenty-two years and was regarded by them as a son. Mr. Hurst was a native of County Leitrim, Ireland, whence he came to the United States in 1826, settling in Hudson, Summit county, Ohio. He became a prosperous farmer, acquiring large land holdings, and was numbered among the most highly respected men of his locality. In 1858 Mr. Hurst married Miss Mary C. Spa fford, a daughter of Nathan and Mary (Morrison) Spafford, the ceremony being performed by the Rev. William Leet at the home of her parents in Northfield township, Summit county. The Spafford family was numbered among AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 31 the pioneer settlers. of Ohio, Nathan Spafford, a native of New York state, having come to Twinsburg, Summit county, in 1827. He was a veteran of the War of 1812, and his father fought in the war of the Revolution. William Hurst died January 22, 1886, and his widow remained on the home farm until her death, which occurred March 10, 1910. She was known among her friends as Aunt Mary Hurst and was beloved by all who knew her. She and her husband were representatives of the highest type of manhood and womanhood, being people of the strictest integrity and giving freely and gladly of their time and means in their support of all worthy objects, while their private deeds of kindness earned for them the gratitude and love of many less fortunate than they. Since coming to Summit county, Mr. Adams has continued his farming operations and, being methodical and up-to-date in his ideas and methods, has gained a worthy success. He has also done considerable contracting and building for a number of years and in this way has directly contributed to the growth and development of the community. A good business man and energetic in his work, he has lived an active and useful life, and the success which has come to him has been well merited. On March 28, 1900, in Wheeler, Michigan, Mr. Adams was united in marriage to Miss Susie May Hackett, who was born in Columbiana township, Lorain county, Ohio, September 24, 1881. Her parents, Lafrancis Elmer and Susannah (Warner) Hackett, were natives of Ohio, the Hackett family having come to this state from New York, while the Warners were from Vermont. Mrs. Adams' grandparents, Samuel and Amanda Warner, were early settlers in Cleveland. To Mr. and Mrs. Adams have been born three children, namely : Forest Glee, who is associated with his father in business and resides in Twinsburg, Summit county, was born March 13, 1901, and was married June 16, 1926, to Miss Grace Chambers, by whom he has one child, Fay Louise, born August 13, 1927. Fern Evangeline, born July 30, 1906, was married March 5, 1927, to William R. Selleck, a radio operator and electrical engineer of Cleveland. Lafrancis Hackett, the youngest of the family, was born March 18, 1922. Politically, Mr. Adams is a democrat on national issues, but in local elections he maintains an independent attitude, voting for the candidates whom he believes to be best qualified for the offices they seek. He is a member of the Grange and is a communicant of the Protestant Episcopal church. He has 32 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY been capable and efficient in his business methods, and his course has been characterized by integrity and honor in all of its relations, so that he commands the respect and good will of all with whom he has been associated. W. EDWIN PALMER W. Edwin Palmer, who has long been a prominent representative of manufacturing and financial interests in Akron, has continuously served as secretary and assistant treasurer of the Seiberling Rubber Company since 1921, while in banking circles he is known as a director of the Ohio State Bank & Trust Company of Akron. He was born at Hudson, Ohio, August 31, 1874, and is a son of James and Malissa (Wireman) Palmer. The father was a native of Connecticut and was a railroad man of long experience. In 1860 he established his home in Summit county and was in the service of the Cleveland, Akron & Columbus Railway Company to the time of his retirement from active business in 1876. He passed away in Hudson in November, 1896, and was survived by his wife, a native of Wooster, Ohio, until February, 1923. In Hudson, his home town, W. Edwin Palmer attended high school and the Western Reserve Academy and soon after his textbooks were put aside started out in the business world in Akron, entering the employ of the Enterprise Manufacturing Company. After filling several minor positions with that corporation he became bookkeeper for the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in January, 1899. His services became increasingly valuable to the corporation during the critical years of its development and in 1909 he was made assistant treasurer, while in 1915 the duties of assistant secretary were also assigned him and a little later he was made treasurer, while about 1919 he was chosen secretary of the company, continuing as such until 1921, when he became secretary and assistant treasurer of the Seiberling Rubber Company which was organized in that year. He has since taken active part in the further development and expansion of the business, which has enjoyed a steady growth, with splendid outlook for the future. As a director of the Ohio State Bank & Trust Company of Akron he is well known in financial circles. On the 8th of June, 1898, Mr. Palmer was united in marriage to Miss Mary Gertrude Ramp, a daughter of John Ramp, of AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 35 Cuyahoga Falls, and they have become parents of two children. Their son, Elmer J., enlisted as a radio operator in the navy during the World war and was commissioned ensign. He was in the service for eighteen months and was executive officer on sub-chasers out of Norfolk. In 1919 he was graduated from Dartmouth College, where he became a member of the Sigma Nu. He married Ruth Maginnis, of Akron, and, like his father, is a Royal Arch, Knight Templar and Consistory Mason. The only daughter, J. Kathryn, is a graduate of Penn Hall, of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and she also attended the University of Akron. She is now the wife of Harry P. Schrank, of Akron, and they have two sons: Edwin Palmer Schrank, born July 6, 1926; and Harry Paul Schrank II, born October 21, 1927. Mr. Palmer is not only widely known through his business connections but is also one of the most prominent Masons of Ohio, having been active in the order for many years. He belongs to Adoniram Lodge No. 517, F. & A. M., of Akron, of which he was worshipful master in 1911. He took the degrees of capitular Masonry in Washington Chapter No. 25, R. A. M., and was high priest in 1915, while on the 6th of October of that year he was consecrated a member of the Ohio Grand Council of Anointed High Priests. He received the degrees of cryptic Masonry in Akron Council No. 80, R. & S. M., in 1909 and of that organization has served as steward and captain of the guard. He attained the Knight Templar degree in Akron Commandery No. 25, K. T., and was eminent commander thereof in the year 1917-18. High honors have come to him in the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Ohio, for he was grand warden in 1918, grand sword bearer in 1919, grand standard bearer in 1920, grand junior warden in 1921, grand senior warden in 1922, grand captain general in 1923, grand generalissimo in 1924, deputy grand commander in 1925 and grand commander in 1926. He also represents the Grand Commandery, K. T., of Minnesota near the Grand Commandery of Ohio. In the Scottish Rite he is identified with the Northern Jurisdiction of North America, Valley of Cleveland. He received the Ineffable Grades (1 to 14 degrees) October 7, 1910, in Elidah Lodge of Perfection at Cleveland, Ohio; received the Ancient, Traditional Grades (15 to 16 degree) October 28, 1910, in Bahurim Council, Princess of Jerusalem, at Cleveland, Ohio; received the Philosophical Grades (17 to 18 degree) November 17, 1910, in Ariel Chapter, Rose Croix, H. R. D. M., at Cleveland, Ohio; received the Modern Historical and Chivalric 36 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY Grades (19 to 32 degrees) November 18, 1910, in Lake Erie Consistory, S. P. R. S., at Cleveland, Ohio; was crowned a Sovereign Grand Inspector-General (thirty-third degree honorary) at Boston, Massachusetts, September 17, 1918; and served as secretary of the Society of Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of the Thirty-second Grade of Akron, Ohio, from December 6, 1915, to December 5, 1927, when, on account of other duties he retired. Mr. Palmer has been vice president and director of the New Masonic Temple Company of Akron for many years and was appointed a trustee of the Ohio Masonic Home at Springfield by M. W. Henry Hagelbarger, grand master of Masons in Ohio, for a term of three years, beginning January 1, 1918, was reappointed for a second three years' term January 1, 1921, for a third term of three years beginning January 1, 1924, and for a fourth term of three years beginning January 1, 1927. He was made a Noble in Al Koran Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Cleveland, June 22, 1911 ; became a charter member and treasurer of Tadmor Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., at Akron, Ohio; and a charter member of Yusef-Khan Grotto, No. 41, of Akron. He is also a charter member of Cleveland Court, No. 14, Royal Order of Jesters, at Cleveland, Ohio; charter member and the first director of Akron Court No. 80, Royal Order of Jesters, of Akron; and a member of St. Benedict Conclave No. 34, Order of the Red Cross of Constantine, in Cleveland, which he served as sovereign during the year 1927. He has membership in the First Congregational church of Hudson and that he is appreciative of the social amenities of life is indicated in his membership connection with the Akron City Club and the Portage Country Club. He has ever held closely to the high standards promulgated in Masonry and his life has ever commended him to the confidence, respect and honor of his fellowmen. His residence is at 1282 Jefferson avenue, Akron. LEO G. WALTER A business man of broad experience, Leo G. Walter has demonstrated his ability to successfully manage varied and important interests and is now directing the operations of a brick, builders' supply and specialty company, which is closely allied with building activities in Akron and vicinity. He was born in Canton, Ohio, August 8, 1890, a son of Philip and Mary Catherine AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 37 (Shively) Walter, the former a native of Cincinnati, while the latter was born in Carroll county, Ohio. They were married in Canton and later removed to Akron. The father was a talented musician, and his ability won for him more than local prominence. Death summoned him in 1921, but the mother still resides in Akron. She has four children : Frank, George, Elizabeth and Leo G. The last named was educated in the public schools of Canton and began his commercial career with the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. His duties were of a clerical nature, and he was stationed in Minerva, Malvern and other towns of Ohio. For three years he remained with the road and then became a clerk in the Malvern office of the Robinson Clay Products Company. His industry and ability were rewarded by successive promotions, and in 1908 he assumed the duties of manager of the order department at Akron, while in 1909 he was made assistant superintendent of factories Nos. 8 and 9. After eleven years of faithful, efficient service he tendered his resignation and became assistant superintendent of the Imperial Electric Company, a position which he filled with ability for three years. He then opened a retail grocery store on West Exchange street and successfully conducted the business for three years. On the expiration of that period he became sales manager for The Derr Company, wholesale dealers in builders' supplies, and acted in that capacity for three years. In the spring of 1928 he formed the Walter Brick & Clay Products, Inc., which announced its formal opening for Saturday, May 19. The firm's large and attractive display room at No. 177 South Broadway contains a varied assortment of built-in features for the home. These accessories, which were designed to eliminate labor and save space, include McDougall kitchen units, ready built fireplaces, porcelain tile, roll-a-way beds, medicine cabinet, ironing boards, breakfast sets, the Sands automatic water heater, Majestic garbage cans, incinerators, metal columns, exterior lighting fixtures, flood lights, metal gas stations, bird baths, sun dials and garden fixtures. In addition the company handles Western Pennsylvania cement, lime, plaster, brick, sand and gravel. Mr. Walter is president of the company, which has been incorporated, and under his expert administration the success of the business is assured. He is a tireless worker and his plans are carefully formulated and well matured. Mr. Walter was married July 7, 1914, in Akron to Miss Mar- 38 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY garet May, a daughter of Joseph J. May, and they have become the parents of seven children : Charles Edwin, who was born in 1915 and is attending the Annunciation school; Mary Catherine, who was born in 1916; Eugene, born in 1919; Donald Leo, born in 1920; Richard, born in 1922; Mildred, born in 1923, and Betty May, born in 1926. Mr. Walter adheres to the Catholic faith and holds the third degree in the Knights of Columbus. He is eminent lecturer of Akron Council and also belongs to the Knights of Columbus Luncheon Club. Throughout his career he has closely applied himself to the work in hand, never undertaking a task unless he considered it worthy of his best efforts, and therein lies the secret of his success. Mr. Walter is a business man of high standing and a good citizen who has gained a wide circle of sincere friends in the course of a busy and useful career. JOHN P. LIND For more than thirty years John P. Lind has been intimately associated with construction activities in Akron, doing much to improve and beautify the city, and his reputation as a contractor extends far beyond the limits of this locality. He was born July 27, 1873, in Wadsworth, Medina county, Ohio, and is a son of Jacob L. and Maggie (Ziegler) Lind, natives respectively of Northampton and Harmony, Pennsylvania. They drove from that state to Ohio, casting in their lot with the early settlers of Medina county, and the father became one of its prosperous farmers and stock raisers. He still makes his home in that county but the mother has passed away. She is survived by five children : Mrs. Augusta Ash, Mrs. Katie Blosser, Norman, Monroe and John P. Lind. The last named was a pupil in a country school of Medina county and the high school at Wadsworth, where he attended the normal school for a year. Afterward he came to Akron for the purpose of learning the business in which he is now engaged and in 1897 started out for himself. Through well formulated plans, tireless effort and good management he fostered the growth of the business and is now classed with the leading contractors of this district. A number of large and small buildings in Akron are testimonials to his skill as a builder and he has also done considerable work in other parts of the country. The business is AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 39 conducted under the style of the J. P. Lind Construction Company as general contractors, of which he is president, and the office of the firm is located at No. 595 Carroll street. Mr. Lind adheres to the spirit as well as the letter of an agreement, and no detail of the work done by his company is ever slighted. He is a good judge of character and the men in his employ are competent and trustworthy. Mr. Lind was married October 8, 1905, in Birmingham, Alabama, to Miss Katie M. Laatsch, a daughter of Carl Laatsch of that city, and they have become the parents of four children. The eldest, John P., Jr., was born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1906 and attended the public schools of Akron, continuing his studies in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He is serving in the United States Army and at the present time is stationed on one of the Hawaiian islands. His brother, Arthur Louis, was born at Birmingham in 1909 and is pursuing his studies in Gettysburg. The daughters are : Katherine, who was born at Shawnee, Oklahoma, in 1910 and is a high school pupil; and Margaret, who was born at Shawnee in 1912 and is attending the West high school of Akron. Mr. Lind is a Mason, belonging to Henry Perkins Lodge, No. 611, F. & A. M. ; Washington Chapter, No. 25, R. A. M.; and Akron Council ; and Yusef Khan Grotto. He is also a member of the Liedertafel Society and the Elks. He is also a member of the Akron Chamber of Commerce and the local and national organizations of the Builders Exchange. His interest centers in his work and while he has neither sought nor held public office, he has nevertheless rendered service of direct value to his city, in which he is widely known and highly respected. FLOYD S. DUTT No resident of Barberton stands higher in public esteem than does Floyd S. Dutt, who is efficiently filling the office of city auditor, one of the most responsible positions in the municipal government. He was born in Richmond, Pennsylvania, on the 28th of August, 1880, and is a son of Israel and Charlotte (Ras-ley) Dutt, both of whom are deceased. After completing his education in the public schools, he clerked in a general store at Richmond, in which was also located the postoffice, and he was employed there for three years. For one season he was with 40 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY the Slate Belt Telephone Company at Bangor, Pennsylvania, after which, in 1900, he came to Barberton, Ohio, and obtained employment as a clerk in a store. Four years later he went into business on his own account, opening a grocery store on Cornell street, which he ran for four years, and then entered the employ of the Paul & Henry Coal & Ice Company, with which concern he remained seven years. He served as billing clerk for the Ohio Insulator Company for eight years and in 1925 was elected city auditor of Barberton on the republican ticket. He proved the right man for the place and so satisfactory was his performance of his official duties that in 1927 he was reelected without opposition. In 1903 Mr. Dutt married Miss Carrie Seaver, of Doylestown, Ohio, and they are the parents of a daughter, Ada M., who is an employe of the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company in Barberton. Mr. Dutt is a member of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics, and his religious faith is that of the Church of Christ. He possesses to a marked degree the essential qualities of good citizenship and has consistently stood for the best things in community life, being regarded as one of Barberton's dependable men. CHARLES EMMETT JELM, M. D., F. A. C. S. High on the list of Akron's professional men appears the name of Dr. Charles Emmett Jelm, a distinguished surgeon and urologist, who is a native of the west but has spent the greater part of his life in this state and is a citizen who would be a valuable addition to any community. He was born November 15, 1887, in Holyoke, Colorado. His father, Charles James Hjelm, was a native of Sweden and during his boyhood left that country. He adopted the present form of the name after coming to the United States. For a time he lived in Rock Island, Illinois, and then went to Harvard, Nebraska. He afterward married Miss Rosa O. Jackson, a native of southern Ohio. While at Harvard, Mr. Jelm was the proprietor of a hardware store and established an excellent business. His adventurous spirit next took him to Colorado and for many years he followed agricultural pursuits in Phillips county, spending the remainder of his life in that AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 43 state. He was long survived by his widow, who returned to the Buckeye state and passed away at Mason in 1926. Their only child, Dr. Charles E. Jelm, attended the public schools of Mason and during his free hours was employed in a drug store. His tasks were congenial and after his graduation from high school in 1905 he matriculated in the Ohio State University, in which he completed a pharmaceutical course in 1907. Later he entered the medical school of the University of Cincinnati and in 1912 won the M. D. degree from that institution. For a year he was an interne in Christ Hospital of Cincinnati and then went east to continue his education. His studies were pursued in the New York Post-Graduate Hospital for two years. It was his intention to locate in Dayton, Ohio, but after a visit to friends in Akron he changed his plans and since 1916 has been a resident of the Rubber city. Dr. Jelm is learned in the science of his profession, particularly in that branch in which he specializes, and enjoys an enviable reputation as a urologist. A skillful surgeon, he has successfully performed many delicate operations and is frequently called in consultation. His practice is extensive and he is a member of the medical staff of the Akron City Hospital, also delivering lectures before the nurses in its training school. He is chief of staff of Akron City Hospital for 1928-1929. Dr. Jelm was married March 2, 1915, in Fostoria, Ohio, to Miss Nelle M. Landis, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Landis of that city. Dr. and Mrs. Jelm are the parents of three children, all born in Akron : Theodore Emmett, who was born December 11, 1918, and is a pupil in the Rankin school ; Charles Robert, who was born June 4, 1921, and is attending the same school ; and Mary Elizabeth, whose natal day was June 18, 1923. Dr. Jelm is interested in politics but has never consented to become a candidate for public office, although he champions all movements for the benefit of Akron, which he considers a most desirable place of residence. His fraternal affiliations are with the Masons and the Elks, and along social lines he is identified with the Portage Country Club and the University Club of Akron. He belongs to the Alpha Kappa Kappa Greek letter society. In 1925 the American College of Surgeons conferred upon him a fellowship and he is also a member of the Summit County and Ohio State Medical Societies, the American Medical Association and the American Urological Association. He is a devotee of golf and a football fan, while his hobby is the collecting of 44 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY antiques. Throughout life Dr. Jelm has remained a student, constantly striving to broaden his scientific knowledge, and his pronounced ability has placed him with the foremost exponents of his profession in Ohio. His residence is at 309 Rose boulevard. LEWIS C. McFARLAND Lewis C. McFarland, one of Akron's best known florists, is successfully continuing the business founded by his father. He was born October 15, 1887, in Springfield, Ohio, and his parents, William P. and Martha (Crumbaugh) McFarland, were also natives of this state. His father was one of the pioneer florists of Akron and a business man of high standing. He continued a resident of the city until his death in 1924 and had long survived his wife, who passed away in 1896. Lewis C. McFarland, their only child, attended the public schools of Akron and after his education was completed entered his father's establishment. He was thoroughly trained and since 1924 has been sole owner of the business, which is the second oldest of the kind in Akron. It is located at No. 491 Wooster avenue and conducted under the style of McFarlands, Florist. The greenhouses contain many fine varieties of flowers and plants and are classed with the largest in the city. An expert florist, Mr. McFarland utilizes scientific methods of production and has instituted well devised plans for the development of the business. The firm has always maintained a high standard of service and its prestige has constantly increased. On August 31, 1911, Mr. McFarland was united in marriage to Miss Sadie Yoey, of Akron, and they have become the parents of a daughter, Martha Rose, who was born in this city in 1916 and is a public school pupil. Mr. McFarland is a thirty-second degree Mason and an exemplary representative of the order, in which he has filled important offices. He was chosen master of Henry Perkins Lodge in 1921, monarch of Yusef Khan Grotto in 1927 and high priest of Washington Chapter in 1928. He is also a member of Akron Council No. 80; Akron Commandery, No. 25, K. T. ; Tadmor Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S. ; and Lake Erie Consistory, S. P. R. S. He is also affiliated with Nemo Lodge, I. O. O. F., and McPherson Lodge, K. P. In 1927 he served as president of the Exchange Club of Akron and is also an active member of the Chamber of AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 45 Commerce. In 1922 he was elected president of the Masonic Club of Akron and is also a member of the Vista del Lago Country Club. His religious views are indicated by his affiliation with the First United Brethren church. He loyally supports those projects which are destined to prove of benefit to Akron and is highly esteemed in the city in which practically his entire life has been spent. THOMAS D. EVANS It is rarely that a person in middle life changes from a manual occupation of many years to a vocation of intellectual requirements and meets with success. However, Thomas D. Evans, of Barberton, has proven in a decisive way that this can be done, and today he stands in the forefront of the successful real estate men of his community. Mr. Evans was born in Stark county, Ohio, on the 9th of April, 1871, and is one of the nine children of D. W. and Margaret (Harris) Evans, both of whom were natives of South Wales. The father was a mechanic. He and his wife are deceased, as are also five of their children. Thomas D. Evans attended the district schools and completed his studies in the high school at Norton Center, Ohio. On September 1, 1891, he opened a blacksmith shop at Barberton, which proved a successful venture, and he carried on the business for thirty years, building up a large patronage. He was a good manager and wisely invested his money and in 1921 he quit the blacksmithing business and turned his attention to the general real estate business, in which he is still engaged. He has made an outstanding success and has handled a vast amount of city and country property, and, possessing an accurate knowledge of land values, has been in a position to be of real service to prospective buyers. Mr. Evans married Miss Clara M. Cory, and they are the parents of a son, Nelson, a veteran of the World war, who is married and has three children. Mr. Evans is a republican in politics and has been active in public affairs, having served as a member of the city council and the board of education. He is a member of the Masonic order and his religious connection is with Trinity Baptist church. He is a director of the Great Northern Building & Loan Company and a member of the Barberton Real Estate Board and has been effective in his efforts 46 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY for the advancement of his city and county. Because of his fine business record, his loyal citizenship and his exemplary character, he is held in the highest confidence throughout his community. CARL ROSSOW STEINKE, M. D. With a thorough and comprehensive training and an association with some of the most eminent American surgeons, Dr. Carl Rossow Steinke has developed his powers as to rank with the foremost representatives of his profession not only in Akron but in the state. He has always performed his duties with a keen sense of conscientious obligation and his labors have been attended with most gratifying results. Dr. Steinke reversed the usual order of procedure by coming from the west to the east. His birth occurred in Atlantic, Iowa, April 29, 1883, his parents being Theodore G. and Frances A. (Cotton) Steinke, the former a native of Prussia, whence he came to America in early life. He had learned cabinetmaking in his native land and for a number of years he followed that business, after which he took up merchandising, devoting his attention to the clothing trade and to tailoring in Atlantic, Iowa, where he conducted a most successful business to the time of his demise. His wife, who was born in the Empire state, has also passed away. The Doctor was the youngest of their three children, the others being Fred C., still a resident of Atlantic, Iowa ; and Roslyn Marie, now Mrs. C. C. Ball, of San Antonio, Texas. The father became a prominent resident of his adopted city, where he was closely and helpfully interested in many civic projects. His religious faith was that of the Presbyterian church and in Masonry he became a Knight Templar and a thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Mason, while he also held membership in the Mystic Shrine. The public schools of his native city accorded Dr. Steinke his early educational opportunities, and after leaving the high school he attended Coe College at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, from which he was graduated in 1905, with the Bachelor of Science degree, while in 1909 the Master of Science degree was conferred upon him. After a mental review of the broad field of business, with its various opportunities along industrial, commercial and professional lines, he decided to take up the study of medicine and went AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 49 east, enrolling as a student in the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania, there winning his professional degree in 1909. He served as interne in the Episcopal Hospital of Philadelphia, thus putting his theoretical knowledge to practical test. During his college days he had become a member of the Nu Sigma Nu, Delta Phi Epsilon and Sigma Xi, the last named being an honorary scientific society with a chapter at the University of Pennsylvania. He was also president of the University Undergraduate Medical Association and was secretary of his class during the senior year. When he had completed his interneship he went to Rochester, Minnesota, where during 1911 and 1912 he held a fellowship, doing special work in surgery in the Mayo Brothers' clinic. He was then associated with Dr. Charles H. Frazier, professor of surgery in the University of Pennsylvania, for three years, thus completing a splendid training which well qualified him for the onerous duties that have since devolved upon him. In September, 1915, Dr. Steinke came to Akron, where he has since devoted his attention to the profession, specializing in surgery. He is now serving on the staff of the Akron City Hospital and the Children's Hospital and is consulting surgeon to the Springfield Lake Sanitarium, in addition to which he has an extensive private practice. His high professional standing is indicated in the fact that he is now a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He also belongs to the Summit County Medical Society, the Ohio State Medical Association and the American Medical Association, and thus he keeps abreast with the trend of modern professional thought and practice, being widely informed concerning the result of medical and surgical research and investigation. Aside from his professional interests he is known in business circles as a director of the First Savings & Loan Company, and the Akron Citizens System Company. On January 18, 1913, Dr. Steinke was married in Philadelphia to Miss Ruth M. Gordon, a daughter of M. S. Gordon, of Loma Linda, California. She was born in Texas but is a graduate of the Drexel Institute of Philadelphia. They have become parents of two children : Eleanor Gordon, who was born in Philadelphia, June 12, 1914, and is now a student in the Old Trail school; and Ruth Frances, who was born at Akron, Ohio, October 21, 1917, and is attending the same school. On the 1st of October, 1918, Dr. Steinke was commissioned a first lieutenant in the Medical Corps and spent some months at