(RETURN TO THE TITLE PAGE) AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 651 schools in Summit county. His identification with the lumber business began in 1916, when he became one of the organizers of the Barberton Lumber Company, of which he was made secretary and treasurer, and has filled that dual position continuously to the present time. This has been a prosperous concern and Mr. Harper has been an important factor in its success, being a man of sound business judgment, thorough in everything that he does and of the strictest integrity in all of his dealings. In June, 1897, Mr. Harper was united in marriage to Miss Ella Barrett, of Hillsboro. In his political views he is an independent republican and has shown a good citizen's interest in public affairs. He is a member of the Barberton board of education, of which he was president in 1925 and 1926. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, in which he has received the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite; is a Noble of the Mystic Shrine and also belongs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Rotary Club and the Chamber of Commerce. He is a director of the Great Northern Building & Loan Company and is secretary of the Barberton Mortgage & Securities Company. He stands for advancement in all phases of community life and measures up to the highest standard of manhood and good citizenship, for which reasons he commands the confidence and respect of all who know him. FREDERICK H. WEEKS, JR. On the pages of commercial history and the steady growth and development of Akron and of Summit county appears the name of Weeks, for through several generations representatives of the family have been identified with interests which feature actively in progress and improvement here. In keeping with the example of his forebears is the record of Frederick H. Weeks, Jr., now president of the F. H. Weeks Lumber Company, owners of one of the leading lumber and planing mill plants in this section of Ohio. Mr. Weeks was born in Akron, December 23, 1882, and is a son of Frederick H. and Bertha (Hankey) Weeks, the former a native of Willoughby, Ohio, and the latter of Summit county. They always resided within the borders of the Buckeye state. The father became interested in the Hankey Lumber Company of Akron and finally took over the business, which he reorgan- 652 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY ized under the name of the F. H. Weeks Lumber Company. He developed this into one of the foremost enterprises of the kind in this part of Ohio and remained president of the company until his death, which occurred in 1926, when he was sixty-eight years of age. His widow survives and yet makes her home in Akron. They were parents of a son and a daughter, the latter being Mrs. Charlotte Williamsborg, a resident of Massillon, Ohio. The son, F. H. Weeks, Jr., after attending the high school of Akron continued his studies in Buchtel College through a period of two years. He then started out in the business world in a minor position in connection with his father's lumberyard and bent his energies in acquiring a thorough knowledge of the business, working his way upward through every department of the yard and mill. At length he assumed active management and since 1927 has been president of the F. H. Weeks Lumber Company, directing the activities of fifty employes. The company owns a large planing mill supplied with the most modern equipment and facilities and carries an extensive stock of lumber, meeting every demand of the trade. Mr. Weeks has a daughter, Mary Jane, who was born in Akron, August 7, 1910. He has membership in the Akron Automobile Club but has steadily refused to become connected with other clubs or organizations of that character. However, his is a social nature and he holds friendship inviolable—a fact which indicates why he has so many warm friends. CLARENCE EUGENE WADE Akron has been to Clarence Eugene Wade the city of opportunity and a fine printing plant is the visible result of his well directed labors. He is a broad-gauged man of original ideas and has also figured conspicuously in other walks of life. His birth occurred in Memphis, Michigan, on the 21st of December, 1879, and his parents were John Seelan and Lydia (Gurney) Wade, the former a native of Michigan and the latter of New York state. The father went to Michigan in his youth and won success as a dairyman, developing a large business at Battle Creek. He passed away in that city in 1924, and his widow is now living in Ypsilanti, Michigan. She has two children : Eilene, now Mrs. E. G. Cleveland, of Ypsilanti ; and Clarence E. Wade. AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 655 The latter was reared and educated in the Wolverine state, completing his studies in Battle Creek College, and afterward he became an apprentice in a printing plant and book bindery of that city. He remained with the same firm for six years and next followed his trade in Kalamazoo, Michigan, for a short time. Subsequently he worked in printing establishments of Hammond, Indiana ; Chicago, Illinois; Muskegon, Michigan ; Cleveland and Ashtabula, Ohio; and Holyoke, Massachusetts. In 1907 he came to Akron and for three years was in the employ of the Commercial Printing & Binding Company. During the latter part of 1909 he perfected plans for an independent venture, organizing the C. E. Wade Printing Company. He has created a model establishment, located at No. 90 Ash street and equipped for printing, binding and ruling. Experienced book binders and efficient printers are employed in this plant, which is distinguished by artistic, high class work, and ranks with the largest and best institutions of its kind in the state. In the control of this industry Mr. Wade brings to bear the knowledge and wisdom acquired by the experience of a lifetime in this line of business, together with the requisite executive force. He is also president of The Ohio Advertising Company, likewise a growing, prosperous concern ; is director and secretary of the Pulp Products Company of Cleveland and responsible for the corporation of the Affiliated Automobile Camps of America, Inc., of which he is president and treasurer. The corporation maintains its headquarters at No. 60 Ash street in Akron and issues an official itinerary of cooperative tourist service. This guide for motorists gives the location of principal automobile camps from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast as well as an all winter route and connections from New York city to Los Angeles, California, and southern Florida routes with stopping places en route. In addition the corporation provides an itinerary covering the principal transcontinental automobile tours of the United States and gives definite information regarding tourist service in the course of travel. Mr. Wade was married June 22, 1906, in Buffalo, New York, to Miss Katherine B. Musser, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Musser, of Wapakoneta, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Wade have a son, William Edward, who was born in Akron, February 6, 1916. Mr. Wade is serving on the board of governors of the Optomist Club and is one of the charter members of the Akron Automobile Club and the Chamber of Commerce. Endowed with energy, intelligence and determination, he has progressed through the me- 656 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY dium of his own efforts and holds a secure place in the esteem of his fellow citizens. His residence is at 478 Dorchester road, and was erected by him in 1925. STEPHEN J. BERLECZKY One of the most successful business men and highly respected citizens of Barberton is Stephen J. Berleczky, a steamship ticket brcker and dealer in international exchange and is also doing a general insurance business. Though foreign born, he is a loyal and patriotic citizen of his adopted country and has shown a fine public spirit in his relation to community affairs. Mr. Berleczky was born in Austria-Hungary on the 16th of October, 1881, and is a son of John and Catherine Berleczky, both of whom are still living in that country. He received a good academic education in his native land and in 1899, when eighteen years of age, emigrated to the United States. For awhile he lived in Newark and Bloomfield, New Jersey, and in 1900 went to New York city, where he engaged in the steamship brokerage business. In 1905 he came to Barberton and has continued in the same business to the present time. He also represents a number of the strongest and best known insurance companies of this country and has placed a vast amount of insurance in this locality. Energetic, wide-awake and progressive, he has made steady advancement since locating in Barberton and has gained recognition as a capable and enterprising business man, well deserving of the success which has come to him. Mr. Berleczky was one of the organizers and is a director of the People's Dairy Company of Akron ; also one of the organizers of the Citizens Hospital of Barberton, of which he was a director until 1926; is a director of the Barberton Mortgage & Securities Ccmpany ; and a director of the Great Northern Building & Loan Company of Barberton. On November 11, 1903, Mr. Berleczky was united in marriage to Miss Bertha Ragulik, also a native of Austria-Hungary, and they are the parents of two sons, Harry S., who is now studying medicine in Cornell University, at Ithaca, New York; and Robert J., who is in the Barberton high school. In his political views, Mr. Berleczky is a republican, and his religious faith is that of the Lutheran church. He is broadminded and generous and is deeply interested in all matters of AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 657 a civic nature, this being evidenced in the earnestness with which he assisted in the raising of funds for the construction of the Slavic and Hungarian Catholic church in Barberton. He is a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, of which he is treasurer; the Fraternal Order of Eagles, a charter member of the Loyal Order of Moose ; a charter member of the Kiwanis Club ; and was one of the organizers of the Chamber of Commerce. He has proven not only an able business man but also a most useful member of his community, and is well worthy of the confidence and esteem in which he is held by his fellowmen. JAMES McNAMARA An outstanding figure in financial circles in Summit county is James McNamara, now secretary of the American Savings & Loan Company of Barberton. He has worked his way upward from a clerkship in a general store and each step in his career has been a forward one, for he has made wise use of his time, talents and opportunities. His association with the American Savings & Loan Company dates from 1923, when he became its secretary. He was born in what was then New Portage, now Barberton, December 4, 1866, and is a son of John and Hannah (Wood) McNamara, both of whom have now passed away. In the acquirement of his education James McNamara passed through consecutive grades in the public schools, becoming a high school pupil, and then started out to provide for his own support by working in the general store owned and conducted by his father. He has had a successful business and public career since that time, being connected at different periods with various interests leading eventually to his association with the American Savings & Loan Company in 1923. He became secretary of the corporation and through the intervening period has had voice in the management and control of this business, contributing to its steady growth and expansion. He manifests sound judgment and clear vision in connection with business interests and his prosperity is well merited. In 1892 Mr. McNamara was united in marriage to Miss Minnie Mullen, who died in 1902, leaving a daughter, Velva, now the wife of Ray Herman, of Barberton. For his second wife Mr. McNamara chose Miss Mary Rooney, whom he wedded in 1907, and they have become parents of four children : John, James, 658 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY Agnes and Margaret. The family are of the Roman Catholic faith, communicants of St. Augustine parish, and Mr. McNamara also belongs to the Knights of Columbus. His political allegiance is given to the democratic party and he has filled various public offices, serving as mayor of Barberton from 1906 until 1909 and giving to the city during that period a businesslike and progressive administration of public affairs. In 1914 he was named postmaster of Barberton and through reappointment was continued in the office for eight years. He has a wide acquaintance and many friends in this section and is accounted one of the valued residents of his native city. ALBERT L. ELY Albert L. Ely is at the head of one of the leading law firms of Akron and his ability as a patent attorney has won for him widespread prominence. He was born in Indian Orchard, Massachusetts, August 15, 1886, a son of George S. and Susan (Scofield) Ely, natives respectively of New York and Connecticut. In 1885 the father became an examiner in the United States Patent Office at Washington, D. C., and remained in the employ of the Government until his death in 1917. His widow still resides in Washington. Albert L. Ely completed a course in one of the high schools of Washington and afterward was made an assistant examiner in the Patent Office in that city. While thus employed he enrolled as a student in the law school of the National University and was graduated with the class of 1910. He was connected with the Patent Office at Washington until 1915, when he came to Akron to organize the patent department of the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, and had charge of the department for six years. In January, 1921, he opened a law office in Akron and remained alone until 1923, when J. Ralph Barrow became associated with him under the firm style of Ely & Barrow. They specialize in the law governing patents and trademarks, and the firm enjoys an extensive and representative clientele, being regarded as one of the able and successful ones in this section of the state. Mr. Ely was married, September 21, 1910, in Staunton, Virginia, to Miss Elizabeth A. Coe, a daughter of the Rev. W. P. C. Coe, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, South. They AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 661 have become the parents of two sons : Albert L., Jr., who was born in Washington, D. C., June 27, 1911, and is attending the Mercersburg Academy; and Eugene S., who was born in Akron August 22, 1917, and is a pupil in the public schools of this city. Mr. Ely is a Mason and belongs to the Masonic Club of Akron, the City Club, the Congress Lake Club and the Fairlawn Country Club. Along professional lines he is a member of the bars of the United States Supreme Court, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, the United States District Court, Cleveland, Ohio, and the United States Circuit Court of Appeals. He is also a member of the American Patent Law Society and the Summit County, Ohio State and American Bar Associations. Mr. Ely is a member of the First Methodist Episcopal church. His residence is at 101 Mount View avenue. HENRY D. FUERST Henry D. Fuerst, attorney at law with offices in the Second National Bank building, was born in Akron, November 2, 1882, and is a son of Moses W. and Mollie (Mittler) Fuerst, both of whom were natives of Austria, whence they came to the new world, settling in Ohio during the Civil war period. The father engaged in merchandising in Akron, but both he and his wife are now deceased, and of their four children only two are yet living, the daughter being Mrs. Minnie Greenbaum, of Akron. The educational opportunities which Henry D. Fuerst enjoyed were those afforded by the public school system and in 1900 he was graduated from the high school. He afterward had the benefit of instruction in the Western Reserve University and with the determination to become a member of the bar he began reading law in the office and under the direction of Judge Dayton A. Doyle. In 1907 he was admitted to practice and through the intervening period, covering more than two decades, he has continued in the general practice of law, proving his capability in the successful conduct of many important cases. His knowledge is comprehensive and exact and his mind in its trend is naturally logical and inductive. Aside from his activity in the professional field he has become a director of the Akron Dry Goods Company and the Plotkin Bedding Company. On the 25th of June, 1912, Mr. Fuerst was married to Miss Eva Bornstein, daughter of Joseph A. and Anna Bornstein, well 662 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY known residents of Indianapolis, Indiana. Mr. Fuerst is a Blue Lodge Mason and a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He likewise holds membership in the Rosemont Country Club and he is doing important public service as president of the Jewish Social Service League. He belongs also to the Summit County, Ohio State and American Bar Associations and he thus keeps in touch with the trend of modern professional thought and progress. THOMAS B. CARMICHAEL Thomas B. Carmichael, president of the C. W. & P. Construction Company of Akron, was but a year old when brought to this city by his parents from Scotland, his native land. He has lived to witness many changes during that period as Akron put aside the boundaries and conditions of town life to become a metropolitan center, with its ramifying trade relations reaching out to every part of the globe. With the city's growth, development and upbuilding Mr. Carmichael has been closely associated and his progressive spirit has been manifest in many tangible and helpful ways. Born in Dundee, Scotland, June 1, 1871, he is a son of William and Anna (Brown) Carmichael. The father left the land of hills and heather in advance of the other members of the family for the purpose of finding a suitable location for his wife and children. He decided to make Akron his future home and after about a year sent for the other members of the household to join him. He, too, was a building contractor and many of the structures which he erected in Akron are still standing, giving evidence of his thorough workmanship and his skill in his chosen field of labor. He passed away in this city, as did his widow, whose death occurred in 1925, when she had reached the advanced age of eighty-four years. They were parents of three children : Thomas B., of this review; George W., who met an accidental death in December, 1915 ; and Jane Ann. In one of the country schools of Summit county, Thomas B. Carmichael was enrolled as a pupil when he had reached the usual school age, and later he had the benefit of instruction in a business college of Akron, thus becoming qualified for life's practical and responsible duties. When his textbooks were put aside he entered upon an apprenticeship to the stone cutter's trade, which he afterward followed for a number of years. He next became AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 665 associated with the Carmichael Construction Company and remained with that corporation as an executive for twenty-five years. When a quarter of a century had thus passed he organized the C. W. & P. Construction Company in 1920 for the purpose of carrying on a general contracting and building business He has since been the president of this company, which has erected a considerable percentage of the larger buildings in Akron and other sections of the state, including the Grace Reformed church, the North Hill church, the Trinity Reformed church and many other prominent buildings, enjoying an enviable reputation in his chosen field of labor. The company is today well known and its success is due in substantial measure to the business efforts, sound judgment and enterprise of. Mr. Carmichael, whose high standing is indicated in the fact that he was elected to the presidency of the General Contractors Association of Akron for the year 1928. It was in 1893 that Mr. Carmichael wedded Miss Susan Donaldson, of Massillon, Ohio, a daughter of James and Susan Donaldson. She passed away in 1913, leaving two daughters : Ethel, now the wife of Fred Karlson, was born in Massillon and now resides in Cleveland with her husband and two children, Fred and Jeanne; Helen, who was born in Massillon, is the wife of P. S. Gould. For his second wife Mr. Carmichael chose Mrs. Cora Hawk, of Akron, whom he wedded in 1917. She is a daughter of George Reininger, of a well known Richfield family. Mr. Carmichael belongs to the Knights of Pythias and his life has ever been the expression of high standards of manhood and of citizenship, so that all who know him acknowledge his worth and find in him a man whcm to know is to respect and honor. His residence is at 200 Casterton avenue. RUSSELL LEON RICKERT Among the productive industries of Akron is that of the Foltz Body Company, of which Russell Leon Rickert is the president. Their business is the manufacture of automobile and auto truck bodies, in which connection they have developed one of the leading manufacturing concerns of the city. The company also has a complete repair shop for passenger cars and trucks, and does painting, trimming, upholstering and all kinds of repairs. Plans are carefully formulated and promptly executed, and a 666 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY spirit of enterprise has actuated Mr. Rickert at all points in his career, so that substantial success has accrued. Born in Akron, September 14, 1898, he is a son of Harvey H. and Elizabeth (Kindig) Rickert, both of whom are natives of Medina county, Ohio, and have spent their entire lives in this state, their respective parents having been pioneer settlers of Ohio. Harvey H. Rickert is well known as a stationary engineer with the B. F. Goodrich Tire & Rubber Company. In their family are two children, the daughter being Ruth Rickert. The educational system of Akron afforded Russell L. Rickert his opportunities for securing that mental training which constitutes the basis of success in business life. He passed through the grades and became a student in the South high school and when his textbooks were put aside he secured a position with the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, remaining with that corporation for three and one-half years. He then resigned to accept a minor position with the Foltz Body Company in 1917. Since that time he has steadily worked his way upward through the various departments until he was called to executive position and since 1924 he has served as president of this corporation. The Foltz Body Company was organized by George Foltz in 1892 and has therefore been in existence for thirty-six years. Mr. Foltz was a cabinetmaker and wagon builder, having learned his trade in young manhood. He then opened a small wagon shop in Akron, catering to the merchant trade yet occasionally building a fine buggy or carriage to meet a special order. His work was always of the highest grade and his fame as a wagon and carriage builder soon spread. His business continued to increase until his little shop was inadequate for the demands of the trade and he had to move to secure greater floor space. As time went on more and more workmen were employed and he continued the business successfully until his death, when his son, H. H. Foltz, and Mr. Rickert took over the business. As automobiles came into general use, replacing wagons and carriages, the business was gradually changed until now the company manufactures only truck bodies, specializing in the most modern and attractive makes. Theirs is a splendidly equipped plant, supplied with the latest improved machinery, and the most efficient workmanship is secured. The Foltz Body Company has recently taken on the agency for the Autocar truck in Summit, Medina and Portage counties. On the 14th of April, 1921, Mr. Rickert was united in mar- AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 667 riage to Miss Ruth Foltz, daughter of George and Kittie (Green) Foltz. Her father was the founder of the Foltz Body Company. He passed away in 1919 at the age of forty-six years. During the World war Mr. Rickert enlisted in Akron and was assigned to motor transport direction in the camp at Pittsburgh. He was a non-commissioned officer and was discharged in December, 1918. Fraternally he is a Mason, being a member of Akron Lodge No. 83, and he is interested in all those forces which make for honorable manhood and citizenship. For the past fifteen years he has been identified with the Boy Scout movement, has been scout master and president of the Eagle Scout organization. He belongs to the Madison Avenue Evangelical church and to the Akron Chamber of Commerce and is a supporter of all those organizations and movements which make for public progress along social, intellectual and moral lines. He has ever followed constructive processes, not only in business but in the building of character and in the establishment of a greater Akron, and his influence has been far-reaching and beneficial. BERT DAVIS In legal circles of Barberton none is held in higher regard than Bert Davis, who, though a recent addition to the ranks of his profession here, has already gained recognition as an able and astute lawyer and is building up a satisfactory practice. Mr. Davis was born in Barberton, December 19, 1891, a son of John R. and Matilda (Proehl) Davis, who are referred to on another page of this work. He attended the public schools of Barberton, graduating from high school, and later entered the Cleveland Law School, from which he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Laws in 1926. In the same year he was admitted to the bar, after which he practiced in Cleveland for a short time. In 1927 he returned to Barberton and now has offices at 316 East Tuscarawas street. On May 27, 1919, Mr. Davis was united in marriage to Miss Louise Blattert, of Barberton, and they have two children, Beatrice Adele and Dorothy Jean. In his political views, Mr. Davis is a democrat, and he is a member of the Masonic order and the American Legion, of which he is service officer for 1928. He is a member of the Baptist church and stands for all that is best in 668 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY community life. Mr. Davis is a veteran of the World war, having been in the service for fifteen months as a member of the Three Hundred and Twenty-fourth Machine Gun Battalion, Three Hundred and Thirty-second Infantry Regiment, Eighty-third Division, from which he was honorably discharged at the close of the war with the rank of sergeant. A man of cordial and friendly manner, he has a wide acquaintance in Summit county and is held in the highest regard by all who know him. GROVER C. WALKER Grover C. Walker, attorney at law and abstractor of titles in Akron, was born in Ravenna, Ohio, March 10, 1885, and is a son of George W. and Mary J. (Dennison) Walker, both of whom are natives of this state. The Walker family has long been represented here, the great-grandfather, William Walker, having settled in Stow township, Summit county, in 1802. He there received a grant of land from the state of Connecticut and began the development and improvement of the property. John Walker son of William, was born in Stow township, while his wife, Olive (Cox) Walker, was a native of Maryland. Their son, George W. Walker, became a prominent builder and contractor and also a successful and prosperous farmer. He is still active at the age of eighty-two years, while his wife survives at the age of seventy-three. They were the parents of five children : Grover C., of this review; Mrs. Olive Moulton, who is a resident of Cleveland, Ohio; Mrs. Bessie Myers, living in Atwater, Ohio; Mary L., who lives in Ravenna, this state; and Robert J., also of Ravenna. In his boyhood days Grover C. Walker attended the public and high schools of Ravenna and later became a student in Buchtel College of Akron, from which he was graduated in 1911 with the Ph. B. degree. He next attended the Harvard Law School for two years and afterward read law in the office and under the direction of Ford L. Carpenter for a year, being admitted to the bar in June, 1913. He also taught school and was principal of the Atwater high school for a period of two years, after which he began the practice of law in 1916. Through the intervening period of twelve years he has continued in general law practice and in the abstract business and in both fields has made steady progress leading to the acquirement of substantial success. He belongs to the Summit County Bar Association and AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 671 enjoys the respect, confidence and good will of his brethren of the profession. In his political connections Mr. Walker is independent in local affairs while in national and state matters his sympathies are with the democratic party. On the 3d of July, 1916, Mr. Walker was married to Miss Helen Herberich, of Akron, a daughter of David and Lena (Fuchs) Herberich and a member of one of the city's most highly respected families. A more extended mention of David Herberich will be found elsewhere in this work. Mr. and Mrs. Walker have one son, Clayton Maxwell, who was born in Akron, March 25, 1927. They are members of First Church of Christ Scientist. Mr. Walker has attained a most creditable position in his profession entirely through his own efforts, and his clientele is a representative one. His residence is at 539 Roslyn avenue. GEORGE DAVIS The Davis Printing Company of Barberton has gained a wide reputation for the high quality of its products, and is one of the leading business concerns of the locality. Its owner, George Davis, not only possesses a thorough technical knowledge of "the art preservative of arts," but is also a man of distinctive taste and original ideas, and thus is of invaluable assistance to his patrons, who appreciate his efforts to render them every possible service in his line. Mr. Davis was born at Uniontown, Stark county, Ohio, on the 20th of May, 1884, a son of John R. and Tillie (Proehl) Davis, who are mentioned on another page of this work. He attended the public schools, graduating from the Barberton high school in 1902, and then took a course in a business college in Akron. At the age of eight years he began his acquaintance with the printing trade in his father's office, and during his school years he learned the technical side of the business. In 1905 he entered the Barberton Savings Bank as teller, which position he held for one and a half years, and was then with his father for a short time. He served two years as clerk of the village and in 1907 left Barberton, being for two years employed at his trade in various cities, among them East Liverpool, Pittsburgh, Wheeling and Washington. His object was to gain experience and learn the most modern methods in use in 672 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY the best printing offices. He then returned to Barberton and served one term, 1909-10, as city auditor. On retiring from that office, he bought the job printing department of his father's business and has conducted it to the present time as the Davis Printing Company. His equipment is the most modern that can be bought and of a size that enables him to promptly handle any sized job, and he has enjoyed a steady and substantial growth in patronage. Progressive in his ideas and methods, and with his business on a sound financial basis, he has developed it until he is now at the head of one of the most successful concerns of its size and kind in the country. On June 23, 1904, Mr. Davis was united in marriage to Miss Tressa M. Hunsberger, a representative of one of the pioneer families of Barberton, and they are the parents of three children, as follows : Pauline G. is now the wife of George Snodgrass and both were graduated from Ohio State University in 1928. Mr. Snodgrass was editor of The Lantern, a university publication. Evellyn W. is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music at Rochester, New York. Lillian A. is a graduate of the Barberton high school. In his political views Mr. Davis is independent and fraternally is a member of the Masonic order in all of its branches and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He also belongs to the Chamber of Commerce, of which he is a director. His religious connection is with the First Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is a trustee. He has shown a deep interest in the welfare and progress of his community and commands the confidence and respect of all who know him. EUGENE K. SHEFFIELD Development work in Akron has received marked impetus from the systematic efforts of Eugene K. Sheffield, an enterprising young business man and one of the city's leading realtors. He was born April 11, 1893, in Bayside, Long Island, and is a son of George A. and Flora E. (Wittmeyer) Sheffield, the former one of the early settlers of what is now a part of New York city. They still reside in the Empire state and the father has become well known as a building contractor. They have four children: George W., Enid F., Helena and Eugene. The last named was a pupil in the public schools of New York AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 675 city and in the Stevens Institute of Hoboken, New Jersey. He began his business career as a builder in Bayside, Long Island, but left that city in 1917 and located in Akron on May 4 of the same year. For a year he was a salesman in the employ of Ford Carpenter but in 1918 responded to the call of his country, being stationed at Camp Upton, New York, until 1919, when he received his honorable discharge. Later he organized the E. K. Sheffield Company, of which he has since been president, and this is now one of the large real estate firms of the city. Mr. Sheffield is also president of the Overlook Building Company, likewise a prosperous concern, and has developed the Overlook allotment, Lakewood Heights and the Lancaster income estates, a tract of one hundred sixty acres. In Overlook he has erected one hundred and seventy-eight modern homes during the past three years. The structures are well built and attractively designed. Mr. Sheffield has studied the real estate question from all angles and displays notable foresight and keen sagacity in the conduct of his affairs. He is secretary and treasurer of the Overlook allotment; a director in the Citizens Savings & Loan Companies of Rittman and Medina; and is also a member of the Summit County Mortgage Association. At Cleveland, Ohio, in 1919, Mr. Sheffield was united in marriage to Miss Henrietta Smootz, a niece of Mr. and Mrs. William F. Pfeiffer of Akron. Mr. Sheffield is an Elk and one of the influential members of the local real estate board. Raised an Episcopalian, he has united with the Church of Our Saviour and shapes his conduct by its teachings. That Mr. Sheffield is a young man of exceptional ability and worth is indicated by what he has accomplished, and in the upbuilding of his business he has aided in making Akron a more attractive and desirable place of residence. Mr. Sheffield's residence is at 346 Crestwood avenue. RAY B. COLTON Ray B. Colton, a prominent representative of the Akron bar, practicing as senior partner in the firm of Colton & Wendt, was born in Richtown, Portage county, Ohio, July 18, 1879, and is a son of Hiram S. and Lucy S. (Barnard) Colton, who were also natives of this state, within whose borders the father spent his entire life, successfully following the occupation of farming to 676 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY the time when death called him. Mrs. Colton still makes her home in Ohio, as do her three children : Ray B. ; Charles W., a resident of Trumbull county; and Forest B., living in Portage county. The youthful experiences of Ray B. Colton were those which usually fall to the lot of the farm-bred boy. He attended the graded schools of Nelson, Ohio, and the high school in Garrettsville, and when his course was completed he took up the profession of teaching, continuing in educational work for nine years, of which period he spent four years as superintendent of schools at Hiram, Ohio. He was a capable educator, imparting readily and clearly to others the knowledge that he had acquired, but at length with a strong desire to broaden his own education he resigned his position and enrolled as a student in Hiram College, which later conferred upon him an academic degree. In the meantime he had determined to take up the practice of law and with this end in view became a student in the law department of the Ohio State University, which conferred upon him his LL. B. degree in 1909. He then taught mathematics and political economy in the Highland Park Military Academy of Chicago for one year but on the expiration of that period resigned his position and went to Cleveland, where he entered into partnership with Elmer J. Warrick under the firm style of Colton & Warrick. Thus he continued successfully in the general practice of law for a period of five years, at the end of which time the partnership was dissolved and Mr. Colton removed to Akron, accepting the position of counsel for the Abstract Guarantee Title & Trust Company. He continued in that position of responsibility for two years and then became counsel for the Exchange Realty Company, with which he also remained for two years. He next formed a partnership with A. A. Wendt under the firm style of Colton & Wendt and in this connection is engaged in general law practice, Mr. Colton also being general counsel for the Savings and Loan Society of Akron. He now has a large clientage and is connected with much of the important litigation heard in the courts of the state. He has ever been a close and earnest student and never enters upon a case until he has thoroughly mastered every point in connection therewith. He presents his cause in a clear and logical manner and seldom fails to win the verdict desired. He holds membership in both the Summit County and Ohio State Bar Associations and enjoys the good will and kindly regard of his fellow attorneys. AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 677 On the 31st of December, 1915, at Ravenna, Ohio, Mr. Colton was married to Miss Ersula V. Vanderslice. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity, in which he has attained the Knight Templar degree, and he is also a member of the Masonic Club. He likewise belongs to the Akron. Automobile Club and has been president of the Good Will Industries of Akron. The rules which have governed his conduct and have shaped his relations with his fellowmen are found in the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is an attendant. Mr. Colton deserves much credit for what he has accomplished, as his progress has resulted entirely from individual effort intelligently and wisely directed. He has carved out the path whereby he has reached the goal of success, using his opportunities wisely and well in the attainment of a prominent and creditable position at the Akron bar. JOSEPH L. EDWARDS Among the younger members of the Akron bar is numbered Joseph L. Edwards, wide-awake, alert and progressive and well entitled to the success that has come to him in his law practice. He was born in Clay county, Georgia, January 1, 1888, and is a son of Joseph L. and Effie L. (McLendon) Edwards, who were also natives of Georgia, where they spent their entire lives, becoming prominent educators of that state, where the father also owned and operated cotton gins and mills. Both he and his wife are now deceased. They were the parents of four children : Joseph L.; Ernest W., living in Albany, Georgia ; Mrs. Irene Barfield, a resident of Dallas, Texas, and Louie E., living in Blakely, Georgia. In his boyhood days Joseph L. Edwards attended the rural schools near his father's home, also the city schools of Albany, Georgia, and the Locust Grove Institute at Locust Grove, Georgia. Later he was a student in the Valparaiso University at Valparaiso, Indiana, where he pursued his law course, winning his LL. B. degree in 1917. About the time of his graduation war was declared and he enlisted in the service of his country and went overseas. He was on duty for eleven months with the Seventieth Artillery, C. A. C., N. Y., and was discharged at Chillicothe, Ohio, in 1919. He then came direct to Akron, where he opened an office and entered upon the active practice of law. In the intervening years his progress has been continuous and he is 22-VOL. 2 678 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY today accounted one of the leading members of the Summit county bar. He realized at the outset of his career that industry is just as essential in law practice as in any other field of labor and he has therefore been most careful and painstaking in the preparation of his cases. His arguments are always logical, his reasoning sound, his deductions clear and his opinions convincing. He continues in the general practice of law and is a member of the Summit County, Ohio State and American Bar Associations. On the 5th of November, 1920, Mr. Edwards was married to Miss Ruth K. Ridgway, a daughter of Samuel E. Ridgway, formerly of Hydetown, Pennsylvania, and afterward of Akron. Mr. and Mrs. Edwards have become parents of two sons : Joseph Samuel, born in Kenmore, Ohio, June 20, 1923; and Robert D., born September 29, 1925. Mr. Edwards belongs to the American Legion, of which he is one of the directors. He also has membership in the Akron Automobile Club and in the Methodist Episcopal church. He ever measures up to the highest standards of manhood and citizenship and his loyalty is just as great in times of peace as it was when he followed the nation's starry banner to the battlefields of Europe. HORACE ENSIGN GROOM, M. D. Dr. Horace Ensign Groom, physician and surgeon of Akron, is known in professional circles of the city as an accomplished authority in a special field of practice, and his skill is being recognized over a rapidly broadening field in Ohio. He comes of a family of professional then and was born at Britt, Hancock county, Iowa, August 2, 1886. His grandfather moved out to Iowa in pioneer times from Ohio, and was a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church. Dr. William Simpson Groom, father of Dr. H. E. Groom, was born in Ohio, in 1858, and went to Iowa when a small boy. He is a graduate of the University of Iowa and of the Keokuk Medical College, and has practiced at Prairie City, Hartley, Britt and in 1913 located at Conway, Iowa, where he built up a general country practice. He is still active in the work of his profession after a half century of continuous identification therewith. Moreover, he is a stanch champion of the cause of education and a consistent member of the Methodist church. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Harriet A. Doolittle, is a native daughter of Iowa. AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 681 Horace E. Groom, an only child, acquired his early education in the Britt high school, and in 1907 graduated with the Bachelor of Arts degree from Morningside College at Sioux City, Iowa. During 1908 he taught in the Hawarden high school and in 1909 in the Lake Crystal high school, and in the latter year moved west to Kennewick, Washington, where for six years he was high school principal. After this successful experience as an educator he returned east and entering Rush Medical College at Chicago was graduated with the degree of M. D. in 1919. He had some unusual opportunities in his professional training, being resident physician at the Presbyterian Hospital of Chicago and a student of the eminent specialist, Dr. B. W. Sippy, at Chicago. While in medical college during 1918-19 he was also enrolled as a member of the Medical Reserve Officers' Corps. Dr. Groom came to Akron in 1919 as house physician of the People's Hospital, and since 1920 has engaged in private practice. He is a licentiate of the National Board of Medical Examiners. He specializes in gastroenterology, being the only medical man in Akron to confine his attention to this specialty. Postgraduate work in Chicago and New York has augmented his professional skill, and he keeps in close touch with the most advanced methods of the medical fraternity through his membership in the Summit County, Sixth District, Ohio State and American Medical Associations. Dr. Groom is a member of the medical staff of the People's Hospital and of the Akron City Hospital. In 1924 he was commissioned a captain in the medical department of the Ohio National Guard. On the 6th of April, 1918, at Chicago, Illinois, Dr. Groom was united in marriage to Miss Elsie Smith, a native of Sioux City, Iowa. Her father, John Smith, was a furniture merchant at Sioux City and died in January, 1924, at the age of sixty-two. Dr. and Mrs. Groom are the parents of two children : Horace Ensign, Jr., who was born in Conway, Iowa, April 4, 1919, and is attending school ; and Betty Louise, who was born in Akron, September 12, 1922, and is in kindergarten. Dr. Groom is a worthy examplar of the teachings and purposes of the Masonic fraternity, to which he belongs, and has crossed the sands of the desert with the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Methodist church. His hobby is a kennel for the breeding of police dogs. Moreover, he is a popular member of the Akron City Club, the Exchange Club, the Eskimo Club, the Akron Auto- 682 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY mobile Club and the North Akron Board of Trade. Kindly and sympathetic, cordial and friendly, he has won a host of loyal friends in this city, while his professional ability and success have gained for him the respect of his colleagues and the confidence and esteem of all who know him. His residence is at 874 North Howard street. WILLIAM P. GINTHER, F. A. I. A. The mental growth of every race is measured by what it builds. The testimony of stone and timber—cathedral, castle, temple, pyramid—have recorded each generation's farthest advance in culture since the day when man's dawning intelligence devised his first crude hut. It was in order to give expression in some permanent form to the human desire for religious consolation that the great cathedrals of the world have been erected. Whatever may be said about national, civic or domestic buildings, there is certainly no subject that can more inspire the poet, writer, painter or architect than the subject of religion. It is the one thing that differentiates the human from the merely animal mind, so that the creation of beautiful temples of worship, dedicated to God, has naturally attracted as well as stimulated the efforts of the best architects of the world. This high goal William P. Ginther, F. A. I. A., determined to reach and his talents have placed him with the foremost exponents of ecclesiastical architecture in the United States. Mr. Ginther was born March 21, 1858, and is one of Akron's loyal sons and distinguished citizens. His parents were Stephen and Anna M. (Horning) Ginther, the former of whom was born in Gelhausen, in the province of Bavaria, while the latter was also a native of Germany. In their youth they came to America, locating in Cleveland, Ohio, and later removed to Akron. The father was a merchant tailor of more than average ability and numbered among his patrons the elite of the city. To Mr. and Mrs. Ginther were born six children but Henry, the eldest, is deceased. The others are Charles M. and William P. Ginther, Miss Helen Ginther, Mrs. Herman Prusser and Mrs. John Robb. William P. Ginther was a pupil in the grammar and high schools of Akron and attended Buchtel College for a short time, matriculating in the institution soon after it was opened in his native city. From boyhood he evinced a talent for drawing and AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 685 on account of his artistic tastes was induced by his friends to take up the study of architecture as a profession. For twelve years he was employed in the office of Frank Weary, progressing rapidly during that period, and in order to better equip himself for his chosen work he made a tour of Europe and the continent in 1889, closely studying the great architectural piles to be found in Rome, Milan, Paris, Venice, Florence, London, Berlin, Vienna and many other noted centers of art. He returned to Akron and the information thus acquired by observation and study of the best examples of the great masters he has put to practical use, in consequence of which he is accredited with a degree of taste and skill that commends him to those particularly who are charged with important building improvements and projects. For about forty years Mr. Ginther has specialized in ecclesiastical architecture and it is almost impossible to select any particular example of his work to prove the excellence of his design. Some one has said that the designer, in order to rightly judge the effect of his building must not depend solely upon his drawing, but should sedulously discipline and train his imagination, so that he may safely rely upon it. Mr. Ginther seems to have achieved this uncommon faculty. There does not seem to be any failure of his apt confidence to achieve just the thing that was intended, the power, which in any direction it may be exerted, spells genius. St. Patrick's church in Erie, Pennsylvania, St. Columba's, Youngstown, Ohio, and St. Mary's church at McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, are among the imposing edifices which typify Mr. Ginther's skill as a designer of ecclesiastical structures. The exterior of St. Patrick's church was executed in granite and has a frontage of one hundred and ten feet and a depth of one hundred and forty-five feet, while a stately tower graces each front corner. The visitor or passerby stands in amazement as his eyes rest for the first time on this splendid structure, for the disposition of the masses on the exterior of the building harmonize so well with the arrangements of the interior that it cannot but afford complete satisfaction to the eye. St. Mary's church, although of ordinary size and without any claim to cathedral magnificence, is a Gothic structure which affords a striking example of dignity and effectiveness. It was built upon the crest of one of the highest hills and its pointed spires are a conspicuous object on the sky line from every approach of the town. A nearer view discloses the whole body of the building, the dark walls breaking into light as the buttresses 686 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY push up to the pointed roof and branch into a forest of little pinnacles. This church is rather unusual in its strict adherence to the pure Gothic form. The two main spires, slender and graceful, are repeated in miniature whenever they can be introduced. A third large tower rises from the intersection of the nave and transept and the ends of the transepts themselves are ornamented with spires. In the interior the Gothic is somewhat modified to produce the open auditorium which seems to have universally displaced the pillared isles of the old buildings. The Gothic ceiling with its ribbed arches is perfectly preserved. The apse is very large, making a sanctuary of unusual depth and width. The placing of the windows is also somewhat unusual. Some double windows are let into the solid walls just above the wainscoting, and a few feet above these are the main windows, which are of great richness and beauty. The straight slant of the roof is also broken by a series of small windows, and large rose windows light the transepts and the choir gallery. As Christian art is the expression or embodiment of the religious and supernatural life, these creations of Mr. Ginther speak to the eye, and prove it to the mind. In contemplating many of his architectural gems one is compelled to transpose the statement of St. Basil, who declared that painters accomplished as much by their pictures and orators by their eloquence, by saying that architects present in visual form a sermon and an inspiration quite as eloquent as the most distinguished prelate. As previously stated, these are only a few examples of Mr. Ginther's ability in the field of ecclesiastical architecture. At the same time he has done a large amount of residential and commercial building, all of which testify to his wide range of accomplishments. Within the last few years great attention has been paid to the scientific construction and equipment of the modern hospital. One of the most conspicuous of these institutions is the Mount St. Mary's Hospital, a magnificent building, which was designed by Mr. Ginther and is located in Niagara Falls, New York, at the corner of Sixth street and Perry avenue. The hospital comprises four buildings, connected by means of arcades thirty feet in length and nine feet in width. These structures, which are absolutely fireproof throughout, are built of vitrified brick and the trimmings are of stone. The architectural treatment is of the modern Renaissance and the interior arrangements of the buildings are both serviceable and pleasing, as well as intelligent in detail, being adapted in every require- AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 687 ment to the system for these rooms. Every room throughout the entire building has outside light. The private rooms, which are of goodly size, with high ceilings, are soundproof and arranged along the line of high grade apartments. All suites and many of the single rooms have private baths and lavatories. The plan of the arrangement of the wards is known as the unit type; that is, each floor in itself is essentially a complete self-contained hospital having all the necessary rooms and facilities for ministering to the comfort of the patients. There are four of these ward units, with provisions in each for ten beds, so arranged as to give twelve hundred cubic feet of air space for each bed. The main feature of the hospital is the operating plant, which occupies a special floor, separated from those below by an enclosed stairway and elevator shaft. The isolated position of this part of the hospital insures privacy to the patient, the absence of all disturbances to the operator, and the immaculate cleanliness and aseptic condition which is essential in rooms devoted to major surgery. The list of Mr. Ginther's notable achievements as an architect is as follows: CHURCHES Annunciation, St. Bernard's and St. Mary's in Akron ; St. Columbia's at Youngstown, Ohio; St. John the Baptist and St. Thomas the Apostle in Columbus, Ohio; St. Martin's, Holy Trinity, Holy Rosary, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Annunciation, St. Anthony's and St. Adelbert's, all of which are located in Cleveland, Ohio; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Mother of Sorrows and St. Joseph's of Ashtabula, Ohio; St. Luke's at Danville, Ohio; Sacred Heart of Jesus at Shelby Settlement, Ohio; Good Shepherd at Toledo, Ohio; Immaculate Conception at Ozark, Ohio; St. Louis' at Gallipolis, Ohio; SS. Cyril & Methodius at Barberton, Ohio; St. Patrick's at Bellefontaine, Ohio; St. Francis' at Carthagena, Ohio; Holy Cross at Glouster, Ohio; St. Michael's at Gibsonburgh, Ohio; St. Mary's at Antwerp, Ohio; St. Mary's at Payne, Ohio; St. Nicholas' at Miller City, Ohio; St. Michael's at North Ridge, Ohio; St. John's at Defiance, Ohio; St. Mary's at Junction, Ohio; Holy Name at Steubenville, Ohio; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel at Warren, Ohio; Sacred Heart at Coshocton, Ohio; St. John's at Logan, Ohio; St. Joseph's at Randolph, Ohio; St. Francis Xavier's at Chicago, Ohio ( ?) ; St. Mary's at Norwalk, Ohio; Holy Rosary at Lowellville, Ohio; St. Philip Neri at Murray City, Ohio; St. Peter's at Mansfield, Ohio; St. Paul's at New Berlin, Ohio; St. 688 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY Joseph's at Circleville, Ohio; St. Mary's, remodeled at Massillon, Ohio; St. Mary's at McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania; St. Philip's at Crafton, Pennsylvania; Immaculate Conception at Johnstown, Pennsylvania; Immaculate Heart of Mary at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; St. Anne's, St. Andrew's and St. Patrick's at Erie, Pennsylvania ; Sacred Heart at St. Mary's, Pennsylvania; Most Holy Rosary at Johnsonburg, Pennsylvania; St. Stephen's at South Oil City, Pennsylvania; St. Anthony's at Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania; St. Andrew's at Roanoke, Virginia; St. Clare's at Oxnard, California; St. Joseph's at Perry, New York; St. Mary's at Cortland, New York; St. Mary's at Clinton, New York; Holy Family at Gas City, Indiana. PAROCHIAL RESIDENCES St. Mary's and St. Bernard's at Akron, Ohio; St. John's at Canton, Ohio; St. Procop's, Holy Rosary, Nativity and St. Adelbert's in Cleveland, Ohio; St. Augustine's at Lakewood, Ohio; Holy Name at Steubenville, Ohio; Immaculate Conception at Wellsville, Ohio; St. Pius' at Mexahala, Ohio; St. Mary's at Shawnee, Ohio; St. Mary's of the Springs at Shepherd, Ohio; St. Philip Neri at Murray City, Ohio; Our Lady of Mount Carmel at Warren, Ohio; St. Patrick's at Bellefontaine, Ohio; St. Joseph's at Randolph, Ohio; St. John the Baptist at Columbus, Ohio; Mother of Sorrows at Ashtabula, Ohio; St. Patrick's at Buchtel, Ohio; Immaculate Conception at Johnstown, Pennsylvania; and St. Mary's at McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS St. Bernard's, St. Vincent de Paul's and St. Mary's at Akron, Ohio; St. Rose's at Lima, Ohio; St. Joseph's at Tiffin, Ohio; Immaculate Conception at Youngstown, Ohio; St. Procop's, St. Colman's, St. Aloysius' and St. Vincent's at Cleveland, Ohio; St. Mary's at Conneaut, Ohio; St. Bernard's at New Washington, Ohio; St. Joseph's, St. Peter's, the Immaculate Conception and St. John's at Canton, Ohio; St. Mary's at Elyria, Ohio; St. Stephens at Niles, Ohio; St. Aloysius' at East Liverpool, Ohio; St. Paul's at Salem, Ohio; Immaculate Conception at Wellsville, Ohio; Holy Name at Steubenville, Ohio; St. Wenbelin's at Fostoria, Ohio; St. Augustine's at Barberton, Ohio; St. Michael's at Bellaire, Ohio; St. Mary's at Piqua, Ohio; Sacred Heart at New Philadelphia, Ohio; and St. Rosa's at New Lexington, Ohio. AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 689 ACADEMIES St. Mary's of the Springs at Shepherd, Ohio; St. Aloysius' at New Lexington, Ohio; the Ursuline convents at Youngstown and Tiffin, Ohio; Villa Angela, an Ursuline academy remodeled at Nottingham, Ohio; Humility of Mary at Mt. Marie, Ohio; and St. Joseph's at St. Mary's, Pennsylvania. HOSPITALS St. Anne's in Cleveland, Ohio; Mercy at Canton, Ohio; Mount St. Mary's at Niagara Falls, New York; and St. Francis Hospital at Charleston, West Virginia. Mr. Ginther was married September 20, 1892, in Akron, to Miss Emma Wohlwend, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Wohlwend and a member of an old and prominent family of this city. To Mr. and Mrs. Ginther were born four children : Ira, who lived only two and a half years; William, whose life was terminated at the age of four years; Julian, who died at the age of ten years the result of an accident while coasting; and Mary, who was graduated from St. Vincent's high school in Akron, and subsequently from the Georgetown Visitation College at Washington, D. C. Mr. Ginther is a Roman Catholic and a devout church member. He has been honored with a fellowship in the American Institute of Architects and stands at the top of his profession. His dreams and visions have crystallized into realities and judged from the standpoint of service, his life has been notably successful. Mr. Ginther has resided at 206 West Market street for over thirty-five years. FRED S. KEIFER Fred S. Keifer, cashier of the Kenmore Banking Company at Kenmore, holds a place in the front rank of the solid and substantial citizens of his community, in the prosperity and progress of which he has been an important factor for a number of years. He was born in Akron, Ohio, in 1874, a son of Fred and Phil (Steinhauser) Keifer. He received his educational training in the public schools of that city and in 1892 entered the old First National Bank of Akron, with which he was connected for several years, and later was for eight years an employe of the gas company there. 690 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY In November, 1916, Mr. Keifer came to Kenmore and was one of the organizers of the Kenmore Banking Company, of which he was elected cashier, and has held that position continuously to the present time. A man of keen and discriminating judgment, he has proven well qualified in every respect for the responsible post which he has so efficiently filled and commands the confidence of all who have come in contact with him. In 1902 Mr. Keifer was united in marriage to Miss Edith Williamson, and they are the parents of a daughter, Ruth, who is now teaching in the public schools of Akron. CLARENCE GEORGE RAUSCH Endowed with keen powers of discernment and a mathematical trend of mind, as well as the essential qualities of diligence and perseverance, Clarence G. Rausch has achieved success in the field of public accounting and plays an important part in the business life of Akron, which numbers him among its loyal sons. He was born January 25, 1891, and is a son of George C. A. Rausch, who was born in Germany but left that country when a child of six, coming to the United States with his parents. He became a dealer in meat and is still active in business. His wife, Emma (Riffard) Rausch, was born in Pennsylvania. They had a family of five sons and a daughter : August, Arthur, Clarence G., Christian and Charles, who are still living, and Ethel who died at the age of thirteen years. After completing the curriculum of the grammar school Clarence G. Rausch attended the Central high school and this was followed by a course in the Spencerian Business College of Cleveland, Ohio. For a year he worked in the cost department of the Diamond Rubber Company and then entered the receiving department of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. His diligence and adaptability were rewarded by promotion to the position of assistant foreman, and later he was made assistant cashier at the Howard street station of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company. He resigned this post to become cashier for the C. H. Weiner Company, produce merchants, and afterward was assigned the duties of office manager. For five years he remained with the Weiner Company and then entered the profession which he is now following. In 1922 he became a certified public accountant and his services as an expert are now in constant de- AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 693 mand. He numbers among his clients some of the large manufacturing firms of Akron and his office is situated on the fifth floor of the Metropolitan building. His name appears on the directorates of the Rubber City Realty Company, of which he is secretary and treasurer; the West Exchange Realty Company, of which he is also secretary and treasurer; the E. H. Wiener Company and subsidiaries; the Central Garage Company; the C. H. Wiener Company; the Sanitary Market Company; the Louis Ostrov Shoe Company, and its subsidiaries, of which he is secretary, the Real Estate Mortgage Company and the Perrine Furniture Company. Mr. Rausch is identified with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and has taken the thirty-second degree in Masonry. He is connected with both the York and Scottish Rites, Tadmor Temple of the Mystic Shrine, of which he is assistant director, and the Grotto. His membership relations also extend to the Masonic Club, the City Club, the Silver Lake and Vista del Lago Country Clubs and the Kiwanis Club. His professional connections include membership in the American Institute of Accountants, the National Association of Cost Accountants and American Society of Certified Public Accountants. Mr. Rausch is a young man of strong character, actuated at all times by a keen sense of duty and honor, and what he has accomplished represents the fit utilization of his innate powers and talents. ANDREW B. RINEHART This is the brief story of a successful business man. Akron has a number of successful business men, and it should be said at the beginning that the following paragraphs refer to the president of The Whitman & Barnes Company and a director in a number of other prominent business institutions in Akron. The story begins when Andrew B. Rinehart was eight or ten years of age. He was still living on the little farm of his father in Allen county, Indiana, about twelve miles from the city of Fort Wayne. His father was not a wealthy man, and it was the spur of poverty and necessity which stimulated the early business talents of the son Andrew. Andrew was born on that farm near Fort Wayne, November 14, 1862. His parents were Andrew and Mary E. (Trimmer) Rinehart, both natives of Knox county, Ohio. Mr. Rinehart represents some good old American stock. 694 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY His paternal grandfather, Aaron Rinehart, was a native of New Jersey and descended from Holland Dutch ancestors who came to New Jersey about 1690. Aaron was a pioneer in Ohio near Mt. Vernon in Knox county. After their marriage in Knox county, the parents moved to the farm already mentioned in Allen county, Indiana, and it was on that place that Mr. Rinehart of Akron spent all his early years. About 1883 ill health compelled his father to sell out and go west to California, where he died. In the meantime his wife and her children returned to Knox county, Ohio, and lived with the paternal grandparents. Now to return to the early youth of Andrew B. Rinehart. He had a good deal of strength for a boy of his years, and when only eight he helped his father materially in the work of clearing up and cultivating the little tract of Indiana soil from which the family drew its livelihood. In the winter months, besides attending the district schools, he put in much of his time trapping in the woods. He took his pelts to S. Bash & Company, fur dealers in Fort Wayne. He not only sold the results of his own trapping but also became medium for sale of skins secured by other boys in that country. Thus the firm of S. Bash & Company came to see him considerably and recognized his enterprise and not long afterward employed him as a buyer for furs, wool and clover seed in Allen and neighboring counties. That was his first important business connection and ever since his career has been distinguished by an original initiative and a special daring in carrying out every undertaking entrusted to him. As another means of increasing his meager income he took contracts among the neighboring farmers for blasting stumps with Hercules powder. In 1884, when he was twenty-two years of age, he began learning telegraphy with the Cleveland, Akron and Cincinnati Railway at Centerburg, Ohio. Six months later he was put on the payroll as an extra operator, and was employed at Middleburg, Orrville and Clinton, Ohio, and was then sent to Cuyahoga Falls, as bill clerk and telegrapher. February 21, 1887, he entered the service of the Akron Iron Company as shipping clerk and timekeeper in the shipping department. In October of the same year he was taken into the general offices of the company as bill clerk and telegrapher. While he showed a great deal of ability in the routine handling of office details, his real talent was not revealed until in February, 1888, the company decided to give him a try at the AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 695 selling end of the business. The company manufactured an important line of iron and steel products. The young salesman made his first trip to Cleveland and soon reported orders for two carloads of steel. As he had succeeded so well at the start the company determined to use him in breaking down an opposition which no other salesman had ever succeeded in doing. The Oil Well Supply Company of Oil City and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, consumed an enormous amount of the steel shafting manufactured by the Akron Company, but the Akron people had not yet secured a single contract from them. Mr. Rinehart was sent to Oil City and Pittsburgh, and without going into the complete details of his salesmanship it will suffice to say that he sold two carloads of shafting. When his report reached Akron, the company immediately wired him to proceed to Buffalo, New York, and tackle an equally difficult proposition in the Contractors Plant Manufactuirng Company, and there again he did what no one had succeeded in doing from Akron, he sold three carloads of goods. In November, 1888, Mr. Rinehart was made general contracting agent in charge of the larger sales of the Akron Iron Company. In that capacity during the year 1892 he traveled 52,870 miles in the United States, and yet he was not away from Akron any entire Sunday. His sales in 1892 totaled $862,000. When the hard times panic made its appearance at the close of 1892 the Akron Iron Company found it necessary to reduce operating expenses and decided upon a ten per cent cut in salaries. A few days afterward Mr. Rinehart happened to be on a train with one of the officials of the Whitman & Barnes Manufacturing Company. He was asked to consider a proposition to enter the service of the Whitman & Barnes people for the purpose of establishing and taking charge of an advertising department in the Akron plant. Such a department was being contemplated by the directors. Mr. Rinehart expressed his willingness to consider the offer, and at the next annual meeting of the directors he was employed. He went to work in October, 1893, and was not long in showing results. He organized the advertising department, turned it over to another man, then organized the credit department of the Akron plant, and following that he was made eastern sales manager with headquarters at Akron. In the meantime he had acquired an interest in the Brigger Belting Company at Akron. When that company got into financial trouble he was chosen president, but on April 1, 1893, he 696 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY sold the business to the Akron Belting Company, of which he was made general manager. In 1898 he was chosen president, and since that date has been chief executive of this prominent Akron industry. Mr. Rinehart continued with the Whitman & Barnes Company in different capacities until September, 1900, when he bought an interest in the Webster, Camp & Lane Company, manufacturers of mining and unloading machinery. January 1, 1901, he resigned from the Whitman & Barnes Company in order to take the active management of his other large interests. He sold the bonds for the Webster, Camp & Lane Company, in order to build the Akron plant, he bought the site of the plant and served as one of the building committee. About the time the plant was completed the Webster, Camp & Lane Company and Wellman, Seaver, Morgan Company were consolidated and took the title of the latter organization. At that time Mr. Rinehart was made a director and member of the finance committee of the new firm, and he helped to sell $500,000 of the new preferred stock for the company. In January, 1909, Mr. Rinehart accepted a place on the board of director in an advisory capacity for the Whitman & Barnes Company, and in the following July was elected vice president. In January, 1915, he was promoted to president, and is now head of that splendid corporation. "Great oaks from little acorns grow" is an old saying and it seems especially applicable to the career of Mr. Rinehart when sketches in the perspective of his present position and his work as a boy in gathering up pelts in Indiana and selling them to a firm in Fort Wayne. Mr. Rinehart was president of the Akron Trust Company when it was consolidated with the Central Savings, now the Central Savings & Trust Company. About the same time he became a director and member of the finance committee of the Second National Bank, and is now holding similar positions with the First-Second National Bank and is a director of the Peoples Savings & Trust Company. Mr. Rinehart is prominent in civic and social circles throughout Ohio. He is a member of Akron Commandery No. 25, Knights Templar, of Al Koran Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Cleveland, belongs to the Portage Country Club, the Congress Lake Club, the Masonic Club, the Eternity Fish and Game Club of the Province of Quebec, Canada, the Akron Chamber of Commerce and the Business Men's Club. Mr. AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY - 697 Rinehart married Miss Minnie May Miller, daughter of Virgil T. Miller of Osmond's Corners, Summit county. They have one daughter, May Irene. OSCAR EUGENE OLIN Oscar Eugene Olin was born at Earlville, Portage county, Ohio, on December 3, 1851. His father was Nelson Olin, a prosperous farmer, who was the son of Arvin Olin, one of the pioneers of Portage county. He is seventh in descent from John Olin (Llewellyn) who came to Rhode Island from Wales in 1678. His mother was Harriet M. Holly, the daughter of Solomon and Susan (Gibson) Holly, also of New England ancestry. Nelson Olin removed to Clinton county, Iowa, in 1852, remaining there till the spring of 1861, when he took his family to California on account of the failing health of his wife. Realizing that her health was permanently lost, the family returned to the old home in Ohio in the fall of 1865, where Mrs. Olin died the following spring. After four years more spent on the farm Mr. Olin began teaching in a district school near Galesburg, Michigan, in 1870. The next year he removed to Kansas, where his father's family had already gone, and continued his life work of teaching. He taught first in the district schools, then as principal of the high school, then as city superintendent, until called to the chair of English in the State Agricultural College of Kansas, at Manhattan, which position he held for thirteen years. In 1898 he was called to Buchtel College at Akron, Ohio, where he has been for nineteen years. Meantime, Buchtel College has become the municipal university of Akron. Mr. Olin is now professor of economics and philosophy, and vice president of the faculty. The degree of Master of Arts was conferred upon Professor Olin in 1897 by the State Agricultural College of Kansas, in recognition of twelve years of service as professor of English. Mr. Olin was married March 21, 1878, to Marie Ellene Seibel, the daughter of Professor Charles M. Seibel of Mantua, Ohio. She was herself a teacher, and by her active interest in community life she has ably seconded her husband's chosen work. They are the parents of four children : Charlotta Harriet Olin, who taught in Hollywood School for Girls three years, and is now assistant in Stanley Hall, Minneapolis, Minnesota ; Blanche 698 - AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY Marie, who was teacher of domestic science in Wheeling, and in Edmonton, Alberta, and state demonstrator of home economics in Wyoming. She is now the wife of Prof. George R. Twiss of the Ohio State University; Oscar Abbott, who died in infancy; Esther Ellene, who graduated from the University June 20, 1917. All of Professor Olin's daughters are graduated from the school where he has taught, and two of them from Columbia University as well. Professor Olin is a member of the Masonic order. He is a member of the Akron Chamber of Commerce and of the Real Estate board. He is interested in horticulture, and is a life member of the Ohio State Horticultural Society. He is also a member of the Navy League of the United States. November 4, 1914, he was ordained to the ministry of the Universalist church, and in addition to his teaching he has for thirteen years been pastor of a church in Leroy, Medina county. Mr. Olin comes of a family of a line of teachers, four generations being represented in succession. JOHN J. BREEN Akron's growth along industrial lines has been fostered by John J. Breen, an enterprising business man and a successful realtor with a background of more than twenty years of practical experience in this field of activity. He was born January 4, 1885, in Akron, of which his parents, James P. and Mary (McCausland) Breen, were also natives. For many years the father was engaged in farming in Summit county, owning the land now known as Bettes Corners, and it was on this property that his son John was born. Through industry and good management James P. Breen accumulated a sum sufficient for all of his needs and for a number of years lived retired. He died May 20, 1928, and his wife passed away January 1, 1926. In their family were six children : Charles, who fills a responsible position with the Miller Rubber Company of Akron ; Leo, who is connected with the Summit county branch of the state highway department; F. J., who is in the employ of the Studebaker Corporation and lives in South Bend, Indiana; Mrs. Thomas Gorman, of Akron; Bertha, also of Akron; and John J. The last named attended the grammar and high schools of Akron and also took a course in a business college. Afterward