(RETURN TO THE TITLE PAGE) 150 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY In a word, he never stopped short of his objective. He had determined to secure a liberal education, knowing how valuable it is as an asset in the business world, and he did not hesitate to do the work so necessary to provide him with needed funds. With the completion of his course at Columbia he again entered into active connection with the National City Bank, with which he remained continuously to the time of his death. The part that he played in the upbuilding and development of this institution constitutes an important element in the financial history of Akron. He was steadily advanced until he became vice president and one of the directors of the institution, having under his supervision every department of the bank with the exception of the loan and trust departments. All of the employes of the bank were under his immediate supervision and he had their complete confidence. He was their counselor and friend and the one to whom they confided in matters relating to their employment, nor was it unusual for them to come to him for advice upon matters that were strictly personal. He gave them wise counsel and they felt that they had his warm friendship. He did everything in his power to aid and encourage them and his wise counsel and helpfulness were acknowledged by all. On the 6th of February, 1909, Mr. Findley was united in marriage to Miss Mame Esselburn, of Akron, who survives him. Mr. Findley belonged to the University Club and for several years served as one of its directors and as treasurer. He was likewise a member of the City Club, the Masonic lodge, the Loyal Order of Moose and during the World war was a member of the Akron Home Guard. For years he served as secretary and treasurer of the Akron Clearing House Association and he was a valued member of the Chamber of Commerce, filling the office of treasurer at the time of his demise, while on various occasions he did important committee work and at all times furthered those activities which were of great benefit to the city. He became a charter member of the Council of Boy Scouts, was on the executive board and was treasurer of the organization for many years. His entire life was actuated by his Christian faith. He was long a devoted member of the First Congregational church, which he joined in childhood and for which he diligently labored throughout his remaining days, regularly attending its services and taking active part in its work. For fifteen years he acted as treasurer of the church and did everything in his power to promote its growth and extend its influence. His entire life was AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 151 marked by constructive measures and he builded even better than he knew, for he was active in building the character of those about him through his counsel and his influence. His home life was a supremely happy one, for he and his wife shared kindred sympathies and interests and ideals. He found his greatest happiness at his own fireside and his greatest pleasure in the companionship of her to whom he had given his name seventeen years before. His was a life dominated by the spirit of love—love for the right, love for honorable achievement, love for the highest ideals and love for his fellowmen—and thus it is that his memory is enshrined in the hearts of all and remains as a blessed benediction to those who knew him. FRANKLIN CLAYTON RABER Franklin Clayton Raber, a teacher in young manhood and later for a number of years identified with the building and contracting business, is now a factor in financial activity of Akron as the first vice president of the Security Savings Bank. He has done well whatever he has undertaken and each step in his career has been a forward one, bringing him a broader outlook and wider opportunities until he is now a substantial figure in the banking fraternity of his adopted city. He was born in Green township, Summit county, Ohio, February 1, 1877, his parents being Millard F. and Sarah J. (Stover) Raber, also natives of this state. They were reared, educated and married in the Buckeye state and the father is now residing in Akron, but the mother has passed away. Their family numbered three sons and two daughters : Oscar O. and Nelson O., both of whom are residents of Akron; Franklin C., of this review; Mrs. Emma Wagner, living in Greentown, Ohio; and Mrs. Pearl Wallace, who makes her home at Canton, this state. The youthful days of Franklin C. Raber were spent on a farm in Green township and he began his education in a country school of that locality. Later he attended the high school of Greentown until graduated at the age of seventeen years. He next became a student in Valparaiso University of Indiana, pursuing a teachers' course, and later he taught in the country schools of Summit county, following the profession through twelve terms in Green, Coventry and Springfield townships. He gave up educational work, however, to enter the field of general contracting, building 152 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY and financing enterprises of this character. He had previously learned the trades of cabinetmaking and building and he continued in the general building and brick contracting business in Akron for sixteen years, having within that period erected many fine structures that stand as a monument to his ability. In 1924, however, he gave up operations in that field to become one of the organizers of the Security Savings Bank, of which he is now the first vice president and manager, and his executive ability and progressive spirit have contributed to the growing success of this institution. He is also the president and one of the organizers in 1919 of the Investors Building Company of Akron and his position in business circles is an enviable one. Mr. Raber is pleasantly situated in his home life, having been married on the 29th of November, 1899, to Miss Mary E. Swartz, daughter of Manias and Amanda (Bolender) Swartz, of Akron. They are members of the South Akron Church of Christ and Mr. Raber is chairman of trustees, chairman of the official board, a deacon and teacher of the men's class for four years. He is also president of the choir, and a member of the male quartette of the South Akron Church of Christ. In politics Mr. Raber is a republican and is identified with the South Akron Board of Trade. He has taken the degrees of both the York and Scottish rites in Masonry, is a charter member of Tadmor Temple, Mystic Shrine, is a member of the Masonic Club and belongs also to the Junior Order of American Mechanics. His personal qualities make for friendship and popularity wherever he is known and his fellow townsmen attest the sterling worth of his character, while his capability is shown in his business record, which has brought him by way of the teaching profession and the building industry to a commendable place in financial circles. WILLARD N. FITCH Willard N. Fitch, who was widely known in Akron and who passed away in Cleveland, January 2, 1926, was born in Medina, Ohio, in 1872 and remained a lifelong resident of this state. He came to Akron in young manhood and early secured a position as paymaster with the Diamond Rubber Company. He afterward joined the B. F. Goodrich Company as a safety director and continued with the two organizations for twenty-eight years. He went to Cleveland as safety director for the Fisher Body Com- AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 153 pany and became actively engaged in safety endeavor there. In the fall of 1925 he directed the national safety congress in Cleveland and he was also vice president of the Cleveland Safety Council. Mr. Fitch was united in marriage to Miss Nellie May Huber, who passed away in December, 1919, in the faith of the Trinity Lutheran church. She left two sons, James Huber and Robert Phelps. The former is with the time study department at the Firestone plant. He married Virginia May Pflueger and they have a daughter, Harriet Louise. The younger son, Robert Phelps, is with the Union Central Life Insurance Company. About 1922 Mr. Fitch was united in marriage with Mrs. Lydia G. Astrop, who survives him. E. BOYD GILL E. Boyd Gill, organizer and treasurer of the Federal Oil & Gas Company of Akron, is a prominent representative of the oil interests of Ohio, and has been an important factor in the development of one of the largest oil producing companies in the state. Mr. Gill is a native of Wooster, Ohio, born November 18, 1878, a son of Samuel G. and Clara (Sidle) Gill, both of whom are also natives of Ohio. Samuel G. Gill has for many years been a highly successful teacher in the public schools of Wayne county, having instructed the younger generations of that section through more than sixty terms. He has two sons, E. Boyd and Ray R., both of Akron. E. Boyd Gill was reared in Wooster, Ohio, attended the public schools of that city and completed his education at Wooster College, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree as a member of the class of 1901. A business rather than a professional career appealing to him, he turned his attention to the manufacture of woodenware products and was successfully engaged in that line of business for sixteen years. Disposing of his interests in that industry, he entered the oil business, organizing the Federal Oil & Gas Company, which is a producing company, owning and operating more than four hundred producing wells. As its general manager and treasurer he has contributed substantially to the success of the corporation and is regarded as a highly capable man in his line of business. 154 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY On the 30th of June, 1914, Mr. Gill was married to Miss Mary B. Peet, a daughter of Lester and Harriet J. Peet, of a well known and prominent family of Richwood, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Gill are members of the First Congregational church and he is a Knight Templar Mason and member of the Mystic Shrine. He also belongs to the Rotary Club, while along strictly social lines he is a member of the Portage Country Club, the Akron City Club and the University Club. He occupies a prominent position among the representatives of important interests in Akron and is accorded a most creditable place among the city's best citizenship. FRED RUSSELL ORMSBY Prominent among the progressive and successful lawyers of Akron is Fred Russell Ormsby. For a considerable period he has been accorded a large clientele and has specialized in insurance law, few being able to speak with greater accuracy or authority concerning this branch of legal practice. His progress has been continuous from the beginning and has led to his connection with business interests of importance outside the realm of the bar. His birth occurred in Mahoning county, Ohio, April 24, 1877, and he is a representative of one of the oldest of the pioneer families of the Mahoning valley. His great-greatgrandfather was Joseph Ormsby, a native of Scotland, who on coming to the new world took up his abode in Milton township, Mahoning county, in the early part of the nineteenth century. His descendants are still found in that section and it was there that Alexander Newton Ormsby, father of Fred R., was born. After attaining his majority he wedded Lodema Russell, a daughter of Enoch Russell, who was born in Milton township, Mahoning county, in 1828 and there maintained his residence on a farm until after he had passed the ninetieth milestone on life's journey. Both Alexander Newton Ormsby and Lodema Russell were born in 1852, the former on the old family homestead then the property of his father, George Ormsby, in Mahoning county, while the mother's birth also occurred in Milton township. They have ever resided within the borders of this state and Mr. Ormsby has always given his attention to farming, in which he is still actively engaged in his native county, although he has reached the age of seventy-six years. To him and his wife have been born four children : Emerson, now deceased; Fred R.; AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 157 Owen, who was a prominent member of the Ohio bar and passed away in January, 1924; and Robert, a practicing attorney of Akron. In his youthful days Fred R. Ormsby attended the country schools and in vacation periods worked on his father's farm, early becoming familiar with the labors of the fields and the best methods of caring for the crops. He was but seventeen years of age when he took up school teaching, a profession which he followed for six years, early giving demonstration of his capability in imparting clearly and readily to others the knowledge that he had acquired. While engaged in teaching he became principal of the schools at Petersburg in Mahoning county, and during his career as an educator he devoted his leisure hours to the study of law, beginning his reading in 1899. It was in that year that he was graduated from the Mount Union College on the completion of two courses, receiving a degree for a special literary course and also completing a course in pedagogy. He next accepted the position of principal of the schools of Petersburg, Ohio, of which he was afterward superintendent, but three years later he resigned to seriously undertake the study of law and for forty weeks was a student in the Ohio Northern University at Ada, where he was graduated with the LL. B. degree. In 1903 he was admitted to the bar and in August of that year located at Akron, where he has since remained, devoting his attention assiduously to his duties as an attorney. He is well versed in all branches of the legal profession but largely confines his attention to corporation law and has among his clients some of the large manufacturing corporations of Akron and of this state. He is regarded as a wise counselor as well as a strong advocate before the courts and his practice is now large and distinctively representative in character. For a time he was associated with George W. Auten, under the firm style of Auten & Ormsby, but after five years this association was discontinued. On the 1st of January, 1917, he entered into partnership relations with Charles P. Kennedy under the firm name of Kennedy & Ormsby. He has attained an enviable position, his ability being widely acknowledged by all who know aught of the history of the bar of Akron. He has given especial attention to insurance law and, moreover, he is president and chief counsel of the Industrial Fire Insurance Company of this city. He is likewise president and chief counsel of the Akron City Laundry & Cleaning Company, president of the Summit Beach Park Land Company, president 158 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY and legal counsel of the Albright Smokeless Coal Company and also identified with several other of the leading enterprises of this section of the state. His sound judgment is a valuable element in their profitable control and in their continuous growth, and thus in business as well as in legal circles he has become a prominent factor. On the 7th of August, 1899, Mr. Ormsby was married to Miss Icie D. Royer, of Orrville, Ohio, a daughter of N. L. Royer. She passed away August 15, 1925, leaving two sons. Ross Royer, born in Akron February 27, 1906, is a graduate of Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, and now a law student in the Western Reserve University. He belongs to the Sigma Chi fraternity. The younger son, Wade Emerson, born in Akron, September 26, 1919, is attending the Portage school of Akron. Fraternally Mr. Ormsby is connected with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and McPherson Lodge, Knights of Pythias, and his social nature finds expression in his membership in the Akron City, Portage Country and Akron Automobile clubs. He belongs to the Akron, Summit County, Ohio State and American Bar Associations and is in thorough sympathy with the high purposes and ideals of the profession. His career is one of notable achievement, crowned with merited success, and his progressive spirit has made him a leading figure in the professional and business life of his adopted city. Mr. Ormsby's residence is at No. 33 Grand avenue. CHARLES EZRA PERKINS No name is more closely associated with the history of Akron than that of the Perkins family, for their contribution to the growth, development, progress and prosperity of the city has been most substantial since the town was founded by Simon Perkins, the grandfather of Charles Ezra Perkins, who came into prominence as a civil engineer. The ancestral line is traced back to John Perkins, who came to America with Roger Williams in 1661, and the family was represented in the Revolutionary war. The great-grandfather of Charles E. Perkins served with the rank of captain in the American army. He married a Miss Douglass, who was a descendant of William Douglass, one of the little colony that left Boston, Massachusetts, to found the town of New AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 159 London, Connecticut. The grandfather, General Simon Perkins of Warren, Ohio, commanded the forces that were raised in northern Ohio for the defense of the frontier in the War of 1812. He was born in Lisbon, Connecticut, September 17, 1771, and became a resident of Oswego, New York, in 1795. Three years later he was employed by the Erie Land Company to explore the "Connecticut Western Reserve" and as agent for the company he spent the summer seasons in Ohio and the winter months in Connecticut until his marriage on the 18th of March, 1804, to Miss Nancy Ann Bishop, of Lisbon, who was born January 24, 1780. At the time of his marriage he made permanent settlement in Warren, Ohio, and filled the office of postmaster there from 1801 until 1829. He also acted as special agent for the government in establishing local offices and in trading with the Indians and he became brigadier-general of the militia. In August, 1812, he took command of the troops in defense of the northwestern frontier and at the close of the campaign in February, 1813, was warmly commended by General Harrison for his energetic and faithful performance of duty. He was tendered a colonel's commission in the regular army by President James Madison but declined to serve owing to pressing private and fiduciary duties. In 1813 he organized the Western Reserve Bank and was its president until 1836. He filled the office of canal fund commissioner from 1826 until 1838. Prior to this time, in connection with Paul Williams, he founded the village of Akron in 1825 and in 1831, in connection with Judge Leicester King and Dr. Eliakim Crosby, laid out that part since known as North Akron, liberally donating grounds for public buildings, parks, churches, etc. General Perkins died at Warren, November 6, 1844, at the age of seventy-three years, and his wife passed away April 24, 1862, aged eighty-two years and three months. Colonel Simon Perkins, son of General Simon Perkins, was born at Warren, Ohio, February 6, 1805, and there remained until 1834, when he came to Akron and settled upon a tract of wild land which he had purchased in 1827, comprising between five and six thousand acres. For a number of years prior to his removal to Akron he had assisted his father in the management of various land agencies and in his earlier years gained considerable experience in clearing and developing wild land in his native town. Following his removal to Akron he devoted his attention to the improvement of his property, selling farms to settlers as they were wanted and raising improved breeds of stock and sheep. 6-VOL. 2 160 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY For a number of years he employed as superintendent of his farming and live stock interests one John Brown, who afterward became famous as the anti-slavery leader. Colonel Perkins was prominently associated also with the Cleveland, Zanesville & Cincinnati Railroad during the period of its construction to Millersburg, acting as president of the road from the organization of the company until its line passed into other hands. For the construction and equipment of the road he invested his private fortune as well as marked energy and business capability. This undertaking caused him to lose not only what he had accumulated in the course of a successful business career but also what he had inherited from the estate of his father, for the history of his road was like that of many another pioneer railroad throughout the country. In the later years of his life Colonel Perkins found congenial employment in superintending the improvement of the grounds of the Akron Cemetery Association, and the beauty of that tract is largely attributable to his good judgment and his love of the picturesque. He never sought to figure prominently in politics and always believed that the capability of a candidate should be regarded rather than his party affiliation. While he did not seek nor desire public office, however, Colonel Perkins was a most progressive and public-spirited citizen and made notable contribution to Akron's development and improvement. His great liberality was shown in his gift of Grace park to the city at a period before Akron had ever thought of becoming a city. It was so named in honor of his wife, and at a later period Grace House was given to the Young Men's Christian Association by her son, George Tod Perkins, as a memorial to his mother. It was in 1832 that Colonel Perkins wedded Grace Ingersoll Tod, a daughter of Judge Tod, who was a prominent Ohio jurist a half century ago and who was the father of Governor David Tod. Colonel Perkins passed away July 21, 1887, at the age of eighty-two years and six and one-half months, while his wife died April 6, 1867, at the age of fifty-six years. Charles Ezra Perkins was the sixth son in a family of eleven children and was born at Akron, May 7, 1850. Here he attended the public schools and afterward the Western Reserve Academy at Hudson, Ohio, and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at Troy, New York, where he remained a student from 1868 until 1870, pursuing a special course in civil and mining engineering. In 1871 he entered the School of Mines of Columbia University in New York City and following the completion of his course there AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 161 was appointed assistant city engineer of Akron, in which capacity he served until he was advanced to the position of city engineer through appointment in the summer of 1871. He was afterward elected to the office and so served until 1877, his work consisting of all kinds of municipal engineering, particularly grading and paving, together with the settlement of street improvement claims against the city in process of adjudication. It was during his term of office that the preliminary surveys were made for the establishment of sewerage and water systems for the city. In 1878 Mr. Perkins took up the private practice of civil engineering and was thus engaged until 1883, his activities including ditch work, bridges and road improvement. During the same period he devoted much time to the conduct of an agricultural implement business. In 1883 he became surveyor and engineer of Summit county and through a period of nine years, until 1892, had charge of all county engineering work, highway bridges, ditches, highway improvements and coal mine surveys. In 1892 he was appointed chief engineer of public works of Ohio, an office which had been created by statute in 1878. In this connection he had direct supervision over the great system of waterways, consisting of about six hundred miles of Canals in Ohio, and under his control through a period of sixteen years the canal properties proved to be of inestimable value to the people and a distinct and important asset to the state. After his retirement from this office in 1908, Mr. Perkins engaged in private practice as a civil, hydraulic and mining engineer, with headquarters in Akron, although his professional interests called him into various sections of the state. In 1880 Mr. Perkins was united in marriage to Miss May Adams, a daughter of Frank Adams, a prominent Akron manufacturer. Mrs. Perkins has in her possession a valuable document—the original survey of Akron made by Joshua Henderson in 1825. She is also the possessor of many interesting old pictures of John Brown, and Mr. and Mrs. Perkins resided in the old John Brown home, one of the picturesque landmarks of northern Ohio. Mr. Perkins was a republican in his political views and was recognized as a party leader in this state, his opinions carrying weight in republican councils, while at all times he labored effectively and earnestly for the party's success. He had a very wide acquaintance in the state and was recognized as one of Ohio's influential citizens. He gained notable and well merited prom- 162 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY inence in his profession and on the 6th of June, 1906, was elected a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, an honor conferred only in recognition of marked ability. He was also a member of the International Association of Navigation. Mr. Perkins passed away July 17, 1925, just on the eve of the centennial celebration of the founding of Akron by his grandfather, at which time there was to have been placed in Perkins park, almost under his windows, the centennial boat Ohio as a permanent museum and memorial. Thus for three generations the Perkins family has taken most active and helpful part in shaping the history of Ohio, in molding its material progress, in directing its political development and in upholding those standard activities whose far-reaching effects made for progress throughout the centuries. Upon the foundation laid by his grandfather and strengthened by his father Charles Ezra Perkins built a splendid superstructure. He played well his part on the stage of life and the results achieved make his name an honored one in the annals of Ohio. CHARLES ANTHONY LEY Preeminently a man of action, gifted with clear vision and keen sagacity, Charles Anthony Ley transformed his dreams into realities and was long a commanding figure in business circles of Akron. He was a leader in projects for its upbuilding and improvement, a tireless and effective civic worker and a generous contributor to all movements for the general good. Unselfish, broad-minded and public-spirited, he extracted from life the real essence of living and left a name fragrant with deeds of kindness and charity. With the exception of the six years which he spent in San Francisco, Mr. Ley was a lifelong resident of Akron. The son of Bernard Theodore and Mary Agnes (De Kovey) Ley, two of the city's early residents, he was born July 7, 1859, in the family home at Main and Exchange streets. He lost his father in 1864, when a child of five years. His early education was acquired in St. Bernard's parochial school and he afterward attended a public school on Buchtel avenue. As a young man he was the proprietor of a barber shop which was situated on the Commercial Bank property on Main street, and later became financially interested in the Stillwell & Otter Engraving Company, now the Akron En- AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 165 graving Company. Owing to the lack of proper management the firm had been steadily losing ground but Mr. Ley soon revitalized the business, instituting new methods and thoroughly systematizing the work. He placed the institution upon a paying basis through the expenditure of much time, energy and money and remained at its head until his retirement in 1912, when the business was purchased by the men in his employ. Mr. Ley and his friend, M. O'Neil, were among the earliest and firmest believers in the business development of South Main street and the former erected the C. A. Ley building near Main and Exchange streets, the first business block in that section of the city, thus showing his faith in the future of the locality. Although he laid aside the burden of commercial affairs, Mr. Ley kept in close touch with Akron's advancement and remained a director of the Real Estate Mortgage Company and the Industrial Fire Insurance Company until his death on January 3, 1928. He also retained his active membership in the Chamber of Commerce until the summer of 1927, when he was no longer able to attend its meetings. On October 7, 1901, Mr. Ley was married in Akron to Miss Elizabeth Cecelia Fisher, a daughter of Frederick and Elizabeth (Leser) Fisher, of Berea, Ohio. The church of St. Vincent de Paul was the scene of their wedding and Rev. Thomas F. Maher officiated. Besides his widow, who resides in the family home at No. 116 Oakdale avenue, Mr. Ley is survived by a brother, George A. Ley, of Chicago, and several nieces and nephews. Mr. and Mrs. Ley were in perfect accord and theirs was an ideal union. Although frequently urged to become a candidate for public office, he always refused but was always ready to further the political campaigns of his friends. He was ever thoughtful and considerate of others, and his benefactions were as wide as his knowledge of need but his charities were never advertised. He loved humanity and was a friend of the poor, the helpless and the oppressed. With Mr. O'Neil, he was a leader in the founding of St. Thomas Hospital, which was recently completed and which ranks with the best institutions of the kind in the country. Mr. Ley served on its board of trustees and was among the largest contributors to the building fund. His mother aided in founding St. Bernard's Catholic church, of which he was long a faithful communicant. For thirty years he was one of its councilmen and was also vice president of the Catholic Service League 166 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY for a considerable period. He was so ruggedly honest, ,so unselfishly patriotic, so splendidly altruistic in every act of his life that his associates were drawn close to him by ties of admiration and love. Of Charles Anthony Ley it may truthfully be said : "His hand was open as the day, And his heart was a great temple In which thronged all the kindly emotions." WILLIAM J. McNASBY, JR. William J. McNasby, Jr., of Akron, a recognized leader among the oyster growers and dealers of the country, is now conducting a mammoth business under the style of the McNasby Oyster & Fish Company. A spirit of enterprise, coupled with indefatigable energy and progressive business methods, has enabled him to make the famous Pearl Brand Oysters known over a very wide territory, while the home consumption has now reached three thousand gallons weekly. It is not a matter of marvel that Mr. McNasby turned to the oyster trade as a source of livelihood, for he is a native of Annapolis, Maryland, therefore coming from the region which for decade after decade has been regarded as the center of the American oyster trade. His birth occurred July 18, 1886, his parents being William J. and Mary E. (Brittner) McNasby, both of whom are natives of Baltimore and have always resided on the Atlantic seaboard. The father was born December 27, 1849, and is now in his seventy-ninth year. He has been engaged in the oyster and fish business at Annapolis for many years. In fact the family name has been identified with the oyster trade for more than a half century, three generations of the family having continued in this line of business. Today he and his two sons are operating four large plants—one in New Jersey, two in Annapolis, Maryland, and one in Virginia—and in connection therewith are employing over six hundred men and utilizing more than two hundred and twenty-five boats. Mr. and Mrs. William J. McNasby, Sr., have a family of five children : Emmett; William J., of this review; Justus; Mrs. Annie Adams; and Mrs. Isabella Crowley. The mother died January 28, 1928, at Annapolis, Maryland. The schools of Annapolis afforded William J. McNasby, now AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 167 of Akron, his early educational privileges. He completed the work of successive grades and of the high school and afterward attended St. John's Military College. He was a youth of eighteen years when he entered into business with his father in the operation of a plant devoted to packing and shipping oysters and fish, five hundred people being employed by that establishment at Annapolis. He continued to act as manager in his native city for eight years and then decided to open and operate a branch of the company in the middle west. After looking over various locations he decided on Akron as the most promising center of activities and established here a distributing plant that is unsurpassed by any similar establishment in the country. The McNasby Company has always maintained the highest standards and through a process of elimination has been able to bring about a standardization in oyster raising, culling out the undesirable oysters from their beds and planting only the best in their new beds, so that over a long period of time they have produced what is known as the famous Pearl Brand oysters. Real study and intimate knowledge of the business are required in modern oyster planting and fishing. The oysters are secured by men fishing from small boats, using tongs that are cup shape, very much like a clam shovel used in dredging, fishing on the bottom of the bay in water from twelve to twenty-four feet deep. After the boat has a capacity load it returns to shore or to a large barge and is unloaded by an electric conveyor. This conveyor, an endless belt, carries the oysters into the shuckers' tables, where they are sorted and shucked. Shuckers are men well versed in the oyster game and it takes them at least two years to acquire speed in using the oyster knife that is used in opening the shells. The oysters never come in contact with human hands from the time they leave the water till the consumer gets them, as the shuckers use rubber gloves. From the shuckers they go to the packing room, where they are put in a skimmer and then into cans which are automatically sealed. The oysters are then ready for the shipping room, where they are shipped out of the McNasby plant at the rate of seven thousand to eight thousand gallons a day. The investment in oyster raising represents a tremendous outlay in money and labor, as the small oysters are thinned out regularly very much like growing vegetables and carried to the new beds where they are cultivated continually and left to grow for years before harvesting. Mr. McNasby was thoroughly familiar with every branch of the business when he decided to establish his 168 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY Akron plant. Today about ninety-eight per cent of the three thousand gallons of oysters that are consumed in Akron every week pass through his establishment and in addition twelve thousand gallons are shipped to other points in the state. The Pearl Brand oysters are caught at about four o'clock in the morning, are shucked and shipped the same day, arrive in Akron on five different trains and are on sale here seventeen hours after being taken out of the water. The Fishing Gazette, the national news journal of the commercial fisheries, states that the local plant of the McNasby Company is the most modern and ideal of its kind in the country and is referred to as a model plant, there being only two others resembling it, one in Detroit and one in San Francisco. Mr. McNasby before building his Akron plant made trips throughout the country and to the Pacific coast to obtain the newest thoughts for the erection of his plant, which is all white tile and marble and contains the most up-to-date equipment. Five large refrigerators with a cubic capacity of twenty-three hundred and forty feet are kept at five different degrees of temperature. One is used for ice making, one for the storage of meats, one for the storage of fish, one for the storage of oysters and one that is a freezing room where the temperature is kept below zero at all times. The five separate compartments are automatically controlled and under a central control switch. The floor space of the market is forty-six hundred and ten square feet, and has recently undergone remodeling to be able to care for the increased local business. As an added accommodation to its retail trade, McNasby's operates a meat and poultry department where only the best grades of meat and choice Ohio poultry may be obtained. The public is invited and welcome to inspect the plant at any time as the McNasby slogan is "As Clean As Your Own Kitchen." Through his Akron plant William J. McNasby has done more business and has more retail consumers on his list of customers than all three of the other competitive companies combined. The business has steadily grown until it has reached large proportions, and as sole proprietor Mr. McNasby has an enterprise that is returning to him a most gratifying profit. On the 10th of June, 1926, Mr. McNasby was married to Miss Pearl Winkler, of Akron, a daughter of Frank B. Winkler. They reside at No. 227 Rhodes avenue. Mr. McNasby is one of the well known members of the Elks, and also belongs to the Loyal Order of Moose, the Akron Chamber of Commerce and the Akron Automobile Club. His interests AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 169 have centered more and more largely in Akron where his activities have been an important contribution to the city's commercial prominence and its trade position as a distributing center. In public affairs Mr. McNasby manifests the same progressive spirit that he has shown in his business career and is accorded a most creditable position, not only among the city's leading business men but as well among Akron's best class of citizens. FRED CORNELIUS DIBBLE Fred Cornelius Dibble, well known in insurance circles of Akron as general agent of the Equitable Life Insurance Company of Iowa, was born in Youngstown, Ohio, January 1, 1876, and is a son of Orlando V. and Emily (McKinney) Dibble, the former a native of Connecticut, while the latter was born in Mercer, Pennsylvania. They came to Ohio in 1874, settling in Youngstown, where the father was engaged in the coal trade. Later they removed to Wadsworth, Ohio, and the father is now living in San Antonio, Texas, where he is successfully engaged in merchandising, but the mother has passed away. Their family numbers seven children : Fred C., of this review; Harry, who is a resident of San Francisco, California; Henry Card, living in Wadsworth, Ohio; Leon C., who is identified with the Enterprise Manufacturing Company of Akron; Kimberly, who is engaged in business at San Antonio, Texas; Orlando, also a resident of San Antonio, Texas; and Mrs. Lillie Chatfield, of Akron. In his early youth Fred C. Dibble was a pupil in the county schools of Columbiana county, Ohio, and later he attended the Wadsworth high school, where he completed his studies in 1898. He then enlisted in the United States army for service in the Spanish-American war and was a non-commissioned officer, serving as corporal. He was stationed in various parts of Cuba until returning to this country, where he was mustered out November 28, 1898. Again taking up his abode in Wadsworth, he there entered the flour and feed business, with which he was associated for a year. On selling his interest in that line he turned his attention to the furniture trade in Wadsworth, conducting a well equipped store for a period of five years. On the expiration of that period he again sold and entered the life insurance business as agent for the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, which he represented from 1908 until 1915. In the latter year he 170 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY came to Akron and was made general agent for the Equitable Life Insurance Company, in which connection he has since continued, having important interests under his control. His. business is now of a substantial character and Mr. Dibble is a well known figure in insurance circles in this section of Ohio. The marriage of Fred C. Dibble and Miss Bessie Weaver, daughter of R. F. Weaver, who was the owner of the Wadsworth (Ohio) Water Works Company, was celebrated June 21, 1900, and has been blessed with two children : Robert J., who was born in Wadsworth October 29, 1903, and is now a student in Mount Union College; and Virginia, who was born in Wadsworth, March 6, 1908, and is studying at the Penn Hall Academy. Mr. and Mrs. Dibble are well known in the leading social circles of the city and they hold membership in the First Congregational church, their interests centering in those activities which make for the material, intellectual and moral progress of the community. In his fraternal relations Mr. Dibble is a Mason, loyally following the teachings and purposes of the craft, and he belongs to the Portage Country Club, which affords him needed recreation. NATHAN MORSE All of those qualities which constitute honorable manhood found their expression in the life of Nathan Morse, an able lawyer, a progressive and loyal citizen, a philanthropist, and, more than all, a true friend to those to whom he gave his friendship. Born in Union, Connecticut, November 2, 1848, he was a son of Amasa and Sarah Ann (Thomas) Morse. Having attended the public schools in his native county, he afterward became a student in Amherst College, following a preparatory course at Monson Academy. His college work won him the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1874 and he then took up the study of law in Worcester, in the office and under the direction of Judge George F. Hoar, afterward United States Senator from Massachusetts, while later he entered the Boston University, which conferred upon him his law degree in 1876. Mr. Morse entered upon the active practice of his profession in Holyoke, Massachusetts, and during the period of his residence there was married in June, 1876, to Miss Ellen J. White. He afterward removed to New Hartford, Connecticut, where he AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 173 remained for six years, and in April, 1882, he arrived in Akron, Ohio. Shortly prior to this time he was making plans to engage in a manufacturing business in connection with a friend of New Hartford, and he made his trip westward in order to investigate conditions relative to their prospective undertaking. While en route, however, he purchased a newspaper which happened to be an Akron publication and in that journal he noticed the real estate advertisement of Nodiah Barber that interested him greatly, with the result that he wrote to Mr. Barber making inquiries about Akron. The answer which he received was so encouraging that he decided to come to this city at once and here arrived in the spring of 1882. Almost immediately thereafter he purchased a plot of an acre and a half of land, which included the homes that he and Mrs. Morse occupied throughout his remaining days. Opening a law office, he entered upon the active work of his profession and gained a prominent place among the members of the Summit county bar. He was long accorded a liberal clientele and the court records bear testimony to his ability in handling important litigated interests. Moreover, he gained a large degree of material success through real estate operations and activity in other fields of business. Lands which he purchased in the early day, and which included an orchard which was in bearing, he divided and sold in town lots, realizing a goodly profit therefrom. His sound business judgment was manifest in his purchase of other property in different parts of the city which he also placed upon the market and sold for a goodly figure. He likewise became well known in financial circles occupying the presidency of the People's Bank for a number of years. His fellow townsmen came to know him as a most reliable as well as most progressive business man. His word was as good as his bond and the sterling worth of his character was recognized by all with whom he came in contact. For forty years he continued in successful practice at the Ohio bar and ever adhered to the highest ethical standards of the profession, so that he enjoyed in unusual degree the confidence and respect of his fellow practitioners. Mr. Morse never sought to figure prominently in connection with political or public life and the only office which he ever filled was that of clerk of the house of representatives of Connecticut in 1878. He never hesitated, however, to support any plan or measure which he believed would prove of vital worth to his community and his support of many measures constituted a 174 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY strong element in their successful adoption. He held to the highest moral standards as a devoted member of the First Congregational church, of which he long served as clerk and also served as deacon. There was never any compromise with him on the question of right or wrong. He stood fearlessly for any cause which he espoused and he never espoused a cause which did not measure up to the highest standards of honor and of public usefulness. He was free from ostentation and display, but the sterling worth of his character was recognized by all with whom he came in contact and the men who knew him respected and honored him. As prosperity attended him, he gave, freely and generously in support of benevolent and philanthropic institutions, and few have done so much to assist young men starting out in the world. In all of his generosity he strictly followed the biblical injunction not to let the left hand know what the right hand doeth. He did not seek his reward in the praise of men, rejoicing only in the opportunity to do good. Nathan Morse passed to the home beyond on the 26th of March, 1923, having passed the seventy-fourth milestone on life's journey. When the news of his demise was received by Elihu G. Loomis, attorney and counselor at law of Boston, Massachusetts, with whom Mr. Morse had attended the law university, he sent out the following letter : "My Dear Classmates: I have just received news of the loss of another from out of our band of survivors—a man who was very dear to us all, whose life was blameless and his character noble. Nathan Morse died in the closing days of last March at Akron, Ohio, after an illness which began in July, 1922, with a severe attack of influenza, from which he never rallied. He grew weaker as time went on, though occasionally going downtown on business. He suffered a good deal of pain and finally passed away on March 26. He was a man highly honored and esteemed in Akron, of spotless integrity. His life was eminently successful from every point of view and he will be greatly missed. Judd, who was his classmate at Monson Academy as well as at Amherst and who had a specially warm regard for him, was the only representative of the class at the funeral." Many needy persons will regret Mr. Morse's death, for he was always the friend of those who found life a struggle. He was a strong churchman and took the keenest interest in foreign missions. For years he supported from his own pocket a missionary in China. It is almost impossible to measure the extent and breadth of his influence and of his AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 175 activities. He labored for good and accomplished great things, so that his memory is cherished by all and remains as a blessed benediction to those who knew him. JAMES ARTHUR BRANDON The life record of James Arthur Brandon constituted a connecting link between the primitive past and the progressive present. He had reached the age of seventy-nine years when he passed away, January 28, 1928, his birth having occurred in Akron, June 16, 1848. He belonged to one of the pioneer families here, their home being at the corner of Sherman and Carroll streets, the site being in the midst of what was the old Brandon farm, the family also owning a brickyard in that locality. The Brandons originally were of German ancestry, tracing their lineage to Baron James Brandon (or Branden), whose son, Charles, married Mary Tudor, sister of Henry VIII of England, and Charles Brandon later was created Duke of Sussex. The original crest of the family is in possession of a descendant residing in Memphis, Tennessee. Prior to the Revolutionary war representatives of the name came to the new world, settling in Virginia, the founder of the family in America being Lord Gordon Brandon. Thomas C. Brandon, father of James A. Brandon, was at one time interested in the old waterway from Cuyahoga Falls to Cascade Mills and in the enterprise he sank a large share of the family fortune, for the undertaking met with disaster owing to the fact that there was too much sand in the country to b3 traversed. Traces of the old waterway, however, can still be seen at various points along the original route. It was also Thomas C. Brandon who put in the canal through the southern part of the state, passing through Athens, but only one boat ever went through the canal, for sufficient water could not be secured, owing to improper grades, and much money was also lost in this enterprise. In the family of Thomas C. Brandon was a daughter, Ella, who at one time was far famed as a beauty and belle of Akron and who became the wife of William Lannon. A son, Thomas C. Brandon, manufactured the first crimped zinc washboard ever used and he also brought out a washing machine which was really of great worth, but it would not sell, as the public was not ready for washing machines at that time, preferring the hand method. Another son of the family, Samuel Brandon, enlisted for service 176 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY in the Union army during the Civil war and died at Camp Green, Kentucky. A daughter, Kate, who became the wife of George Bolander, is now deceased. James Arthur Brandon spent his youthful days on the old home farm where Carroll and Sherman streets now intersect. He attended the first public school in Akron and later was a pupil in the old Jennings school. He early became familiar with brick-making at his father's plant, which was the only one in Akron and from which was turned out the brick used in the construction of the Samuel Bartges home on East Market street, now used as the nurses' home of the City Hospital. The brick used in constructing the first Goodrich rubber plant and the first match factory, owned by Ohio C. Barber at Barberton, and the first brick conduit under Main street, still in use, was also made in the Brandon yard, of which James Arthur Brandon took charge when still quite young. He was too young to go to war when in 1861 the trouble broke out between the north and the south, but in company with James Moody and Timothy Erasmus he formed a fife and drum corps which was used in recruiting troops for the army, Mr. Brandon playing the snare drum. He continued his work in the brickyard and the output of the plant featured largely in the improvement and development of Akron, furnishing the building material for many structures here, including the first oatmeal ovens used by what is now the Quaker Oats Company. As time passed on Akron took upon itself the appearance and conditions of a city and the land used for brickyard purposes became too valuable to permit of the business being carried on there for a longer period. It was then that the farm was sold, but the old homestead is still standing on the original site. When the brickyard passed out of his possession Mr. Brandon began selling sewing machines and also doing fine cabinet work, which included interior finishing. He also built fine furniture, made bannisters, door casings, mantels, etc., and in fact turned his attention and efforts to all kinds of expert work along those lines. He afterward entered the Cogswill art store and while connected with that establishment conceived the idea of manufacturing a miter machine and brought forth what was at that time the only machine of the kind in the world. The first model was made of wood and it operated so successfully that Mr. Brandon began the manufacture of the machine in iron. This is a machine of the highest value to frame makers, is simply operated and is adapted to a wide range of work. The business was at first AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 177 carried on under the name of the Brandon Machine Company and later under the name of J. A. Brandon & Son. A number of the foremost machinists of Ohio had their start in the construction of this machine. The miter machine was shipped to all parts of the world, for it proved an instant success, fully meeting a universal need. Moreover, the machine was so carefully constructed as to practically never get out of repair and never seemed to wear out. One firm reported that it used the miter machine as long as it was in business and then turned it over to the next owner. No other invention was brought out along similar lines, so that the machine had no competition and the original patterns are still in possession of the family. Later the firm name was changed to the Brandon Electric Garage Machine Company and the business became the foremost productive industry of its kind in Akron. Aside from his interests of this character Mr. Brandon leased the old P. D. Hall fairgrounds and conducted a pony and riding park, maintaining a riding school with large saddle horses and ponies for children. He was always a great lover of horses and it was this that induced him to establish the school. He was likewise associated with Newton Chalker in the development of an addition called Chalker's Landing, which was a real estate and home-site proposition. In his later life Mr. Brandon erected the present residence of the family, doing much of the work with his own hands, for he delighted in constructive activities. He was a very versatile man, able to do many things well, and readily adapted himself to any condition, any opportunity or any need of the hour. Any type of machine was to him like the toy is to the child. He could thoroughly master the handling or the mechanism in the way of needed repairs and because of this quality he became an expert automobile mechanic. On the 19th of July, 1868, Mr. Brandon was united in marriage to Miss Mary Elizabeth Miller, who survived her husband a short time, passing away March 21, 1928. They became the parents of six children. Harry S. wedded Cora Clark and has six children : Cecil, Edna, Frank, Dorothy, Harry and Carrie. Ralph, Bernice and 011ie May are all deceased. Kitty Frank died at the age of ten years. George A. married Nora Gray and has two children, George Gray and Jay Campbell. George A. Brandon became his father's associate and succeeded him in the ownership of the business conducted under the style of Brandon Electric Garage Machine Company. In his religious faith Mr. Brandon was a Methodist, taking 178 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY active and helpful part in the work of the First Methodist Episcopal church and teaching a class in the Sunday school of the South Main street church and later taught in North Hill Methodist Episcopal church. He also belonged to the Epworth League and he was keenly interested in everything that tended to promote moral standards in his community. He was often solicited to become a candidate for political office but always steadfastly refused. His outstanding characteristic was his kindness of heart, which prompted him to many acts of charity and benevolence, which he performed most unostentatiously, never speaking of them even to the members of his immediate family. He truly followed the injunction not to let the left hand know what the right hand doeth. He measured his life by high standards of Christian service and Christian ideals and he left to his family the priceless heritage of an untarnished name. CHARLES EDMUND AKERS Charles Edmund Akers ranked as an enterprising and successful business man and realtor of Akron, but far more he will be remembered as a loyal citizen and one who in his life embodied the Emersonian philosophy that the way to win a friend is to be one. No one had more genuine friends than he, this resulting from the sterling worth of his character, which was manifest in every relation of life. That he did not live in vain was manifest in the influence for good which he exerted upon all with whom he came in contact. A native of England, his birth occurred about one hundred miles from London and in that land he attended the schools which gave him the educational training that fitted him for life's practical and responsible duties. He afterward learned the tinner's trade, so that when he decided to try his fortune in America he had knowledge of a business that would give him a livelihood and enable him to make the start that he hoped in time would carry him on to success. Coming to the United States, he continued the journey westward to Akron and here obtained a position with the firm of Cramer & May, but within six months, having studied the business situation and conditions here, he realized that there was a good opportunity in his line of business for another first-class establishment and accordingly he entered into partnership relations with his brother Alfred, forming the firm of Akers Brothers, doing AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 181 business on the corner of East Market and Arlington streets. They continued for twelve years in the conduct of a general hardware business and also maintained a tinning and roofing department as well. After twelve years Charles E. Akers became sole proprietor of the business, doing all kinds of tinning, roofing and spouting as well as handling an extensive line of shelf and heavy hardware. He built up a large patronage and was among the leading business men in this field in Akron. Throughout his entire career no one ever questioned the integrity of his methods and his spirit of enterprise carried him steadily forward, so that success in substantial measure crowned his labors. About five years prior to his demise he rented his store and established the first real estate office in East Akron, where he owned much property. This he improved and subdivided and built thereon many attractive structures, his labors resulting greatly in the improvement of the various sections in which he operated. He owned one tract of land extending from the Kent school to Johnson street and embracing all the corner on Arlington street. He also bought property on East Market at Martha street and built many attractive homes there. His own residence stood on Kent street, in addition to which he owned much other property in that and various other sections. Shortly prior to his demise the Akers-Dellenberger Company purchased a location off East Market street, outside the city limits, and was platting it with the purpose of improving it and erecting buildings thereon. In the field of speculative building Mr. Akers came to be a foremost figure. Where previously had been unpleasing vacancies he developed attractive residential districts and added greatly to the beauty of the city. He also handled the Fulton allotment, whereon were built the street car barns, and he was interested in the Akron Brick & Tile Company and in the Akron Storage Company. With notable prescience he recognized the possibilities for Akron's development and wrought along lines that made for future greatness as well as present-day improvement. His judgment was sound, his insight keen and his faith in Akron was unfaltering. His business activities were always wisely and intelligently directed and what he achieved was the merited reward of his persistent labors. On the 4th of January, 1882, Mr. Akers was united in marriage to Miss Anna White, of East Akron, and they became the parents of four children : Edith W., who married Fred W. Stroman and has one child, Doris Akers Stroman ; Eva H., who is 182 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY the wife of Charles H. Allenbaugh and has two daughters, Betty Jane and Jean Anne; Alfred J., who married Ruth Miller; and Ruth J., who is the wife of Burchard Thomas. Throughout his entire life Charles E. Akers took a helpful interest in public affairs and at one time served as a member of the city council, filling the office at the time when East Market street was paved with wood. Mr. Akers also served on several civic boards and he gave generous and valuable support to every plan or measure which he deemed of worth to the community. It is doubtful if any in Akron had a wider acquaintance, and when death came to him suddenly on the 2d of December, 1915, it was the occasion of deep and widespread regret to all who knew him. He was a self-made man in the truest and best sense of the term. His labors were crowned with a substantial measure of material gain, but the most envious could not grudge him his success, so honorably was it won and so worthily used. He was liberal, kind and charitable, giving freely when aid was needed and many times extending a helping hand to those in distress. His friends were legion and to his friends he was ever most loyal. He possessed in notable measure that quality which for want of a better term has been called personal magnetism and he drew men to him in bonds that nought but death could sever. His life was actuated by a belief in the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man, and because of this brotherly element in his makeup he was constantly alert to the opportunity for doing good to his fellows. Social, cordial and genial, his townsmen took delight in his company and no death in Akron perhaps has been more widely or sincerely mourned. To his family he was a devoted husband and father, finding his greatest pleasure in ministering to the happiness of those at his own fireside. The world is better for his having lived and many years will pass ere his memory ceases to be revered and honored in the community where he lived to such worthy purpose. ARCHIE E. ALBRIGHT Alert, energetic and determined, Archie E. Albright has converted his opportunities into tangible assets, becoming a power in financial circles of Akron, and is also active in civic and religious affairs. He was born November 27, 1888, in Wayne county, Ohio, and is a son of David Frank and Myrtle (Langell) Albright, AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 183 who have always lived in the county. His great-grandfather, the Rev. Samuel Seacrist, was a Lutheran minister and preached the gospel in southeastern Ohio. David F. Albright chose the career of an agriculturist and is still active. Mr. and Mrs. Albright have two children and their daughter, Mrs. Mary Grady, is also residing in Wayne county. Archie E. Albright was reared on his father's farm in Franklin township and attended the district school. While a pupil in the Wooster high school he specialized in the commercial course, showing an especial aptitude for mathematics, and was graduated with the class of 1906. During the following winter he worked in the office of a mercantile concern of Cleveland and in the spring of 1907 he returned home to assist his father in tilling the soil. At one time he thought of entering the ministry but a business career appealed strongly to him and led him into the fields of finance. Good fortune appeared in the person of H. H. Geitgey, a Youngstown banker, who was an acquaintance of D. F. Albright and stopped at the roadside fence of the farm to ask if there was a young man in the neighborhood in need of a good position. The father recommended his son, who in December, 1907, became one of the employes of the Equity Savings & Loan Company, of which Mr. Geitgey was secretary. For ten years Mr. Albright remained with the firm in a stenographic and assistant secretarial capacity and in January, 1907, he came to Akron as secretary of the Citizens Savings & Loan Company, with which he spent two years. On the expiration of that period he reentered the service of the Equity Savings & Loan Company but left Youngstown a year later and returned to Akron. In 1920 he became secretary of the Home Savings & Loan Company, which was merged with the Akron Savings & Loan Company in March, 1921, and has since represented the latter firm in the same capacity. Mr. Albright derives pleasure from his work, in which he is deeply engrossed, and has a highly specialized knowledge of the savings and loan business, rendering the services of an expert to the corporation which he represents. On June 11, 1912, Mr. Albright was married in Youngstown to Miss Hazel Beard, a daughter of Monroe Beard of that city, and they have become the parents of three children ; Mary Lorraine, who was born in Youngstown, June 1, 1915, and is pursuing her studies in Akron; David Beard, who was born in Youngstown, May 1, 1918, and is also a public school pupil ; and Archie E. Jr., whose birth occurred at Akron, August 21, 1920. 184 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY A thirty-second degree Mason, Mr. Albright is connected with Lake Erie Consistory and the Mystic Shrine. He is a member of the Akron Chamber of Commerce and the City, Rotary and Automobile Clubs. In religious faith he is a Lutheran and is a member of the council of Trinity church, also serving as assistant superintendent of the Sunday school. He is past district president of the league of the Ohio Building Associations and a member of the state executive committee of the league. Mr. Albright is president of the Central Young Men's Christian Association and a member of the state committee of the organization. Young men and their welfare constitute one of the chief interests of his life. Recalling that he was aided in his preparation for a commercial career by studying law, business science and banking, he advises boys whom he thinks are ambitious to do likewise. One of his hobbies is encouraging children to start savings accounts and he was the originator of the school savings idea in Akron. For exercise he works in his flower and vegetable gardens and fruit orchard at his summer place in Ira and walking and automobile touring also afford him needed relaxation. He is fond of travel, reading and music and his radio is a source of much enjoyment. Mr. Albright is unselfish, broad-minded and public-spirited and his is a well rounded development. His activities have covered a wide scope and his influence upon the life of his city has been of the highest order. GEORGE E. W. CARLE Among the well known progressive business men of Akron is numbered George E. W. Carle, who for fourteen years has been one of the city's leading electrical construction contractors. He was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, of which his parents, John M. and Kate Carle, were also natives. The father was one of the owners of the business conducted by the Carle Brothers Company and always resided in Wheeling. He is survived by the mother, who has two sons, J. Howard being still a resident of Wheeling. George E. Carle attended the public schools of his native city and continued his studies in Elliott College. Afterward he became connected with the Sands Electrical Company, manufacturers, jobbers and contractors of Wheeling, and remained with the firm for several years, occupying a position of trust and re- AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 185 sponsibility. He was sent to Akron in the interests of the company and in 1914 decided to locate here. Mr. Carle and his associates purchased the Akron stock of the Sands Electrical Company and organized the Carle Electric Construction Company, of which is the vice president. The firm maintains an office on the fourth floor of the Ohio building and deals only in the big jobs demanding high grade work. In the execution of contracts the company is reliable and efficient and has handled all of the electrical work in connection with the city's largest building projects. An expert electrical engineer as well as an able executive, Mr. Carle is largely responsible for the prestige enjoyed by the firm. In commenting upon the development of his business Mr. Carle said: "The rapid innovation of new appliances for indoor and outdoor illumination has completely revolutionized the electrical business in the last ten years. The buildings erected in 1918 are required in many instances today to take care of the demands for the newer electrical inventions. Flood lighting for residences is just coming into its own. It is the surest guarantee against midnight prowlers. A few lights adorning the eaves of the home and switched on in a second illuminate the entire exterior of the building. Many homes in Akron have already been equipped with these lights, especially the system which illuminates the space between the house and the garage. Flood lighting for office buildings is the very latest advertising novelty. High-powered lights on the roof of one building completely light up the structure across the street from it. Homes and business blocks are being required every day to supply current for new devices such as vacuum cleaners, waffle irons, percolators, toasters, griddles, electric stoves, electric corn poppers, electric fireless cookers, sewing machines, electric refrigeration and the numerous pieces of equipment needed in business for beauty parlors, barber shops, dentists' offices, doctors' offices, advertising signs and window lighting. "The use of electricity has increased over five hundred per cent in the past few years and there is every indication that it will continue to increase at the same ratio in the future. The latest electric light bulbs give three times as much light in the consumption of current as the old carbon filament lamp. Light bills have been reduced in comparison with the rates of a few years ago. The type of construction is better in all buildings that are being erected today and city ordinances insure first-class work. 186 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY Akron is admirably situated with regard to electrical power. It is connected with several of the largest power lines in the country, thus insuring continuous and uninterrupted service, except for the time lost in case of accident where a hookup is made to repair the break in service." Mr. Carle was married in Wheeling, West Virginia, to Miss Cecelia Bachtler, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Bachtler and a member of one of the prominent families of that city. Mr. Carle is affiliated with the Church of Our Saviour and conscientiously adheres to its teachings. In Masonry he holds the thirty-second degree and is identified with both the York and Scottish Rites as well as Tadmor Temple of the Mystic Shrine. Through his connection with the Chamber of Commerce he is working for the best interests of Akron and is also a valued member of the Kiwanis, the Elks Club, the Automobile and City Clubs and the Fairlawn Country Club. Mr. Carle is a useful and influential member of society and stands deservedly high in the esteem of his fellow men. MAURICE CHRISTIAN WINTER A business man of broad vision, who sensed something of what the future held in store for Akron and who in the development of his amusement projects met a need in the public life of the city, Maurice Christian Winter became widely known. He was born in New Castle, Pennsylvania, January 22, 1879, a son of George F. and Mary T. (O'Shea) Winter, the former a farmer by occupation. The Winter family is of German lineage, the grandparents of Maurice C. having come from Germany to the new world. Settlement was first made at Baltimore, Maryland, but later a branch of the family removed to New Castle, Pennsylvania. It was there that Maurice C. Winter attended school and obtained his first business experience by selling papers. While still in his teens—then a youth of nineteen years —he established a haberdashery and merchant tailoring business in his native city and was conceded to be the youngest merchant carrying on an independent business venture in western Pennsylvania. When a little more than a year had passed his establishment was destroyed by fire, but he did not allow discouragement to overtake him and with renewed determination started in again, securing finer quarters than before. He had AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 189 the reputation of conducting one of the most thoroughly modern and progressive haberdasheries between New York and Cleveland. He also made merchant tailoring a department of his business, which he conducted successfully at New Castle until 1907. He then withdrew from that field, sold his stock and remodeled his store room, converting it into a moving picture theatre, which he conducted for a period of eighteen months. In the spring of 1909, however, Mr. Winter removed to Akron, believing that he would here find a profitable field. Accordingly he opened the Pastime theatre where is now seen the Federman store at 72 South Main street, and about the same time he established a moving picture theatre at Sharon, Pennsylvania, and at Lorain, Ohio. Later he built the Norka theatre on the site of the present National City Bank, and in these later enterprises he was associated with Carl Ryder, Charles Barbian and John Fitzpatrick, all of Sharon, Pennsylvania. They incorporated their interests under the name of the Summit Amusement Company, with Mr. Winters as president. Two years later the National City Bank purchased their location for a bank building and Mr. Winter at that time became interested in the old First National Bank building, which he remodeled into a beautiful theatre, calling it the Bank theatre. This was on the present site of the I. S. Myers store in South Main street and he operated this theatre individually, while at the same time he conducted a chain of theatres in Akron, including the Main at Main and Exchange streets, the Norka theatre and the Winter theatre in South Akron. He established and conducted all of these personally and in 1915 he developed the plan which resulted in the building of the Strand theatre, which was opened in September of that year, and of which he remained the owner until his demise on the 27th of July, 1918. In building the Strand, he gave to Akron its first large theatre, in keeping in its appointments with the finest theatres in the larger cities. He had great faith in Akron's future. He believed the city was entering upon an era of great prosperity and growth and therefore he made his investments, promoting the amusement interests which have had so much to do with the entertainment of Akron's citizens. On the 10th of April, 1907, in Pittsburgh, Mr. Winter was married to Miss Marie E. Dunlevy, of that city, and they became the parents of five children : Margery J., Harriet J., Rosemary E., John F. and Eleanor C. Mr. Winter was a charter member of the Akron City Club and belonged to the Elks Club, the New 190 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY Castle Country Club and the Lawrence Club of New Castle, Pennsylvania. He was also a member of the Akron Chamber of Commerce and he was a stockholder in the Cleveland Hotel Corporation. His interests were broad and varied and through intelligently directed efforts he rose to prominence in business circles and attained notable success. He was cordial, genial and always approachable and his social qualities made for him many friends who highly prized his companionship. GEORGE ADAM GREENWALD George Adam Greenwald was a representative of one of the old families of Akron and was born on Greenwald Hill, South Akron, in a house that is still standing upon what was originally his father's farm, although the tract has long since been laid out in city lots. His natal day was September 20, 1875, his parents being Adam and Catherine (Koontz) Greenwald, who came to Ohio from Pennsylvania and settled on a tract of land now within the corporation limits of Akron. George A. Greenwald pursued his education in the little old schoolhouse that stood on Main street on Greenwald Hill. In his youthful days he worked for a while in the coal banks at Cottage Grove and then came into Akron, where he was employed in the bicycle tire department of the B. F. Goodrich Company about 1897, remaining there for a year. Subsequently he tended bar for Dick Brown and later he established business on his own account in the same line at No. 134 South Main street. His business grew so rapidly that he purchased the Coventry building and grill room at 1122 to 1126 South Main street, continuing the owner of that building until his demise. It is now the Kirk furniture building. It was on the 18th of January, 1899, in the Grace Reformed church in Akron, that Mr. Greenwald was united in marriage to Miss Grace Ackerman, a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Brunner) Ackerman. Her father was born in Akron and here passed away in April, 1925. Mr. and Mrs. Greenwald became parents of three children. Ralph Russell, who is pursuing an electrical engineering course at University of Akron, married Myrtle Smith and is father of one son, George Alvin. Clyde Alfred married Marie Dunn and has three children—Robert Clyde, Paul Edward and William Russell, the last named being known as AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 191 "Billy." Helen Irene is the wife of Paul Edward Russell and the mother of one child, Jean Lois. Mr. Greenwald was widely known through his fraternal connections, having membership with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Knights of Pythias, the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the Loyal Order of Moose. He passed away March 23, 1915, but is yet remembered by many friends because of his lifelong residence in Akron and because of a social, genial nature which brought him the regard and won him the companionship of many. J. PERRY TEEPLE J. Perry Teeple, one of Akron's loyal sons, fought for his country in the World war and is now a successful lawyer. His birth occurred on the 6th of August, 1896. His father, John H. Teeple, who was also a native of Akron, was for years connected with J. M. Doran & Company, a wholesale cigar firm of Akron, and in 1922 he was called to his final rest. His widow, Mrs. Dora (Andress) Teeple, was born in Hayesville, Ashland county, Ohio, and acts as welfare director of the employes of the B. F. Goodrich Company of Akron. J. Perry Teeple, was graduated from the Central high school in this city and next attended the University of Akron. In 1917 he won the A. B. degree from Hiram College and soon afterward responded to the call to arms, enlisting in the aviation corps. He became first sergeant of his company and was sent to the front. On November 8, 1918, he was wounded in the Argonne offensive and for eleven months was stationed abroad. He was mustered out April 19, 1919, at Chillicothe, Ohio, and afterward matriculated in the University of Ohio, from which he received the degree of LL. B. in 1922. While attending the university he was an instructor in the College of Liberal Arts and since 1922 has engaged in general practice in Akron. His office is located on the fifth floor of the Akron Savings & Loan building and his clientele is important and remunerative. He is an able advocate and a counselor whose advice is sound and reliable. Mr. Teeple was married December 22, 1922, to Miss Ethel North, a daughter of William North, a well known citizen of Columbus, Ohio, and they have one child, James Frederick, who was born in Akron, August 19, 1926. Mr. Teeple belongs to Joseph 192 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY Wein Post of the American Legion and to the local lodge of Elks. In religious faith he is a Disciple, having membership relations with the First Christian church of Akron, and his professional affiliations are with the Summit County and Ohio State Bar Associations. Studious and diligent, Mr. Teeple is constantly increasing his fund of legal knowledge, and that he is a young man of sterling worth in indicated by the position which he occupies in the esteem of his fellow citizens, with whom his life has been passed. KENNETH FRICK TEAL The soldierly qualities which make men march forth to battle in defense of their country are often termed heroic—and justly so —but there is a heroism that is equally if not more pronounced, and that is when an individual, uninspired by the cooperation of his fellows, meets a situation that demands the highest physical and moral courage. Such a test came to Kenneth Frick Teal and he never faltered in the performance of duty when he knew that it was at the risk of his own life. Therefore his name is inscribed particularly high on the roll of Akron's heroes, for to safeguard three of those who worked under him he gave his own life. Mr. Teal was born at Wawaka, Indiana, April 7, 1899, a son of William Edward and Ida (Frick) Teal, the former now with the Akron, Canton & Youngstown Railroad. In the pursuit of his education the son attended the public and high schools of Wawaka, his course being completed by graduation with the class of 1917. Almost immediately afterward he entered the Western Union telegraph service and remained with that corporation until coming to Akron. It was about 1920 that he secured a situation in the electrical department of the Akron, Canton & Youngstown Railroad, with which he remained until his untimely demise. He met death when directing the labors of three men who were employed under him. A live wire became loosened and to save his companions he grasped this to prevent it striking the men, realizing fully the risk that he ran. He managed to throw the wire aside ere the current caused his own demise. This was on the 14th of December, 1925. A little more than two years before Mr. Teal was married on the 23d of July, 1923, to Miss Jennie Ogden Edwards, a daughter of George Lorimer and Jennie Jones (Johnstone) Edwards. AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 193 Her father was killed in an accident in Louisville, Kentucky. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Teal was celebrated in Akron and was blessed with one son, Forrest Edward, born November 29, 1924. Mr. Teal was a member of the Masonic lodge at Plymouth, Ohio, and at one time held membership in Oriental Lodge, I. 0. 0. F. He was president of the local lodge of the Brotherhood of American Railway Employees, was vice president of the Akron branch of the Machinists Union and the week prior to his death had been elected its president. His political allegiance was given to the republican party. He was liked and respected by all who knew him and had many friends. His entire life was characterized by a strong sense of duty and it was this that caused him to make the supreme sacrifice. He was devoted to the welfare of his wife and child, and the son will ever be inspired by the heroic figure of the father, to whom the call of duty was louder than the knell of death. ARTHUR EDWIN TRAFFORD Choosing a congenial line of work at the outset of his commercial career, Arthur E. Trafford has continued therein and in the steps of an orderly progression he has risen to a place of importance in business circles of Akron, successfully controlling the activities of a large baking firm. He was born June 10, 1873, in Lincolnshire, England, and his parents, Edward and Phoebe Amelia (Key) Trafford, were also natives of that country. The father was an agriculturist and utilized the most effective methods in the cultivation and development of his farm. He has passed away and the mother is also deceased. They are survived by four children : Mrs. Frank Tatton and Mrs. Russell Oats, residents of Akron; Edward Trafford, who lives in Australia; and Arthur E. Trafford. The last named attended the public schools of England and in his youth came to the United States with his parents, who established their home in Akron. Here he served an apprenticeship to the baker's trade and afterward secured a position with the National Biscuit Company, remaining with that corporation for sixteen years. Owing to his ability his services were sought by the Akron Baking Company and for six years he acted as superintendent of their plant. In 1917 he organized the Superior Baking Company, starting with a small capital, and has built up a 7-VOL. 2 194 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY fine plant which is a credit to its founder and to the city in which it is situated. Work is furnished to forty persons and the extent of the business is further indicated by the fact that fifteen trucks are utilized for delivery purposes. Based upon scientific methods, the output of the bakery is of uniform excellence and as a natural result there is a heavy demand for the wholesome, appetizing bread made by the firm, which caters to the wholesale trade. Mr. Trafford is president of the company and closely supervises the labors of those in his employ. An expert baker, he is also endowed with executive force and good judgment and maintains a high standard of efficiency in the conduct of his business, which is situated at No. 587-89 South High street. Mr. Trafford was married June 1, 1910, to Mrs. Emma C. Laxton, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Carver, of England. Helen C. Trafford, the only child of this union, was born December 3, 1911, in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a senior at the West high school in Akron. Mr. Trafford is affiliated with the Church of Our Sariour and closely observes its teachings. He belongs to the Elks lodge at Akron and is also connected with the United Commercial Travelers. His prosperity has been won by hard work and honorable dealing and he merits and receives the respect and confidence of his fellowmen. NELSON CLARKE STONE Every man of clearly defined character has that within him which demands expression in many forms, and of this type was Nelson Clarke Stone, whose activities touched the general interests of society to their betterment. More than forty years of his life were devoted to the service of the National City Bank, and as its president he aided materially in making Akron one of the great industrial centers of the world. He was well known as a connoisseur and patron of music and the arts. Religious, civic and philanthropic affairs also occupied his attention, and nothing was foreign to him that concerned his fellows or touched the world's progress and improvement. He extracted from life the real essence of living, and the depth and strength of his character made him universally admired. A native of Akron, Mr. Stone was born March 30, 1853, at the corner of Mill and Summit streets, where the famous Jumbo AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 197 Mills were later built, and he was a son of Nelson Beardsley Stone, one of the pioneer lumbermen of the city. The latter's parents migrated from Connecticut to Ohio, settling on a farm near Tallmadge and the family has been represented in Summit county for nearly a century. Nelson C. Stone acquired his early instruction in Akron, completing a course in the old Jennings high school, and in 1872 matriculated in Delaware College. Later he was a student in the Ohio Wesleyan University, from which he received the degree of Master of Arts in 1876, and then went to Europe with thirty other graduates of that institution. spending a year abroad. Soon after his return to Akron, Mr. Stone entered upon his business career as a clerk in the office of the Weary, Snyder & Wilcox Lumber Company, working for some time under his father, and then went to Kansas. His first financial experience was gained in a Leavenworth bank and from there he went to New York city, returning to Akron after an absence of two years. In 1887 he became a bookkeeper in the old City National Bank, which was then located on Howard street, and a year later was made its cashier. His duties were faithfully and efficiently discharged and on the reorganization of that institution as the National City Bank in 1903 he was elected president. For twenty-three years he wisely and successfully administered its affairs, developing one of the largest and strongest financial institutions of this part of the state and establishing an enviable reputation as a financier. In 1926 he was made chairman of the board of directors and served the bank in that capacity until his death on November 9, 1927, at the age of seventy-four years. As an executive he displayed rare judgment and ability of a high order. Along industrial lines he was connected with the Seiberling Milling Company of East Akron and the Selle Gear Company. Mr. Stone was married December 24, 1879, in Chicago to Miss Margaret J. Oburn, a daughter of William and Mary J. (Findley) Oburn, and theirs proved an ideal union. The First Methodist Episcopal church numbered Mr. Stone among its most faithful members and liberal supporters. He was most regular in his attendance at church, and when at home it was only illness that prevented his presence at church service and it was his unfailing practice when away from home to attend religious worship each Sunday. He listened with deep interest to the sermons and from his boyhood enjoyed an intimate acquaintance with the foremost 198 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY preachers of his day. He served on the pulpit committee and acted as chairman of the music committee. In 1893 he succeeded his father on the board of trustees and the combined service of the father and son in this department of church work covered a period of nearly eighty years. Nelson. C. Stone was identified with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Ohio Society of New York, the University and City Clubs of Akron, the Portage Lake Country Club, the Union and Country Clubs of Cleveland, the Bankers Clubs of New York City and America and a number of financial organizations. In the affairs of the Akron Chamber of Commerce he took a leading part, serving on many of its important committees, and his political allegiance was given to the republican party. Keenly interested in "the sport of kings," he maintained a box at the Randall races and he loved horses and their achievements in the same way he loved music and life, and his capacity for enjoyment, his sympathetic, generous nature and unfailing good humor made him a most desirable and agreeable companion. Like Carlyle, he believed that "Music is the speech of the angels" and was a great admirer of Evan Williams, deriving much pleasure from listening to his beautiful voice. Mr. Stone enjoyed the privilege of knowing many singers of international repute and his collection of musical records is second to none in the world. Perhaps no better indication of his character can be given than the following article, written by Evan Williams, Jr., and published in one of the local papers : "The mortal remains of Nelson C. Stone were returned to the dust Saturday. Headlines, telling of his passing, referred to him as the dean of bankers. News stories and editorials spoke of him in the highest terms as a keen business man, a loyal friend, a good citizen and a lover of horses. A mere mention was made of his love for music, and nothing was said at all of his love of good living. That was to be expected, for in this workaday world such things are forgotten. "I have always considered it a privilege to be among the few who addressed Nelson. C. Stone as 'Uncle Nel.' He was perhaps the dearest friend my father had, in Akron or elsewhere. Since the death of my father he had been even more than a friend to those of us who were left. Never was he too busy to stop for a few minutes to chat or advise us on some matter personal or financial. That is the reason I feel privileged to write about him. * * * "It has always seemed to me that business was a matter of AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 199 third or fourth importance to Nelson C. Stone. In the first place he was a true lover of good living. He was one of the very few remaining epicures of Akron and the country at large. Second came his interest in music and arts—which could probably be classed with good living. After that came his business, horses and other things. "I once heard Mr. Stone remark that he would rather be sick in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York city than any other place in the world. For many years he stopped at the Waldorf whenever he was in New York. For there they knew—from the manager of the hotel to the humblest dishwasher in the kitchen—that Nelson C. Stone of Akron, Ohio, recognized and appreciated good service and the best in foods. He was not known there as a banker. That was of secondary importance. "The moment he registered word seemed to spread to every employe of the famous hostelry. He would go to the dining room for luncheon and was escorted to his favorite table by the headwaiter—not a captain, mind you, for it was considered an honor to escort Mr. Stone of Akron to table. He would then say : `Mr. Stone, we have some of your favorite Long Island duckling today.' Chances are that the duckling was not on the menu. But the mighty Oscar himself, most famous of chefs, would have gone down to the kitchens and personally supervised the roasting. And before luncheon was over Oscar would be at the table to find if everything was satisfactory. Oscar seldom lavished such attention on anyone short of a crown prince. The same thing would happen during every meal Mr. Stone had at the hotel. On one occasion he was stricken with some minor malady while at the Waldorf. Chefs vied with one another in preparing tasty delicacies for him and other employes almost fought among themselves to serve him. "To N. C. Stone dinner was nothing short of a ritual. To him fish was not merely fish. It was pompano, scrod, haddock, sole or bluefish. The same with other dishes. Breakfast was not a hasty cup of coffee and piece of toast at some cafeteria, but a carefully selected meal, as was luncheon or dinner. "Next to good living came music. Life without music to N. C. Stone would have been a dismal affair. Once or twice during the opera season he would journey to New York—whether he had business there or not. Before leaving he would write for seats at the opera. After an Oscar-supervised dinner at the Waldorf, he was in his seventh heaven listening to Caruso, Farrar, Gigli,