The SKIES of ALEXANDRIA #1

S O M E   B A C K G R O U N D

For a few brief years, the 58th Air Division ruled the skies from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.  Alcoa, Tennessee, has, since World War II, been a strategic asset to the United States or three reasons: a power grid, fissile atomic material, and aluminum.

The Tennessee Valley Authority was a Roosevelt initiative to provide electricity to the southern Appalachians.  Ostensibly, this was a good works project for the region.  It was also a good way to support the Alcoa company in their mining and processing of aluminum for the aircraft industry.  Aluminum was, at that time, vital to the production of aircraft.

Even more vital, but never discussed -- it was above TOP SECRET -- was the need to produce weapons grade Uranium.  There were two ways to do this.  One in Alcoa; the other in Hanford, Washington.

In 1907, the Pittsburgh Reduction Company changed its name to the Aluminum Company of America - AlCoA - and began looking for a place in eastern Tennessee to open a large smelting operation.  By 1919, Alcoa had established a community of 150 company houses in North Maryville, and the village incorporated itself as Alcoa, Tennessee.  To smelt aluminum, Alcoa needed power.  They bought the Knoxville Power Company for their holdings on the Little Tennessee River.  Soon, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) came along, and this part of the country had plentiful electricity.  Then, under the Manhattan Project, a nuclear refinement facility was built nearby.

It was not until after World War II was over and U.S. intelligence began looking through captured Nazi documents that a plan was discovered whereby a German U-Boat would sneak up the Mississippi River and travel as far as they could navigate and dispatch saboteurs to disrupt as much as they could of the valuable war effort taking place in and around Alcoa.  This was how important Alcoa was.  But this plan never materialized.  Meanwhile, a new threat emerged. 

Crest of the 58th Air Division, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio.

With this in mind and as the Cold War dawned, the newly formed Air Defense Command needed to defend Alcoa, Tennessee.  Any bombers, the brass decided, would come over Ohio or Indiana. By the 1950s, the 58th Air Division was formed at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.  This unit was responsible for protection of Alcoa.  The Division had 4 fighter squadrons, six ground radar sites, and a host of Ground Observer Corps (GOC.)

One of my close friends grew up in the Baltimore, Ohio, area just south of Licking County and Kirkersville.  As a Boy Scout, the troop pulled their national duty by supplying a shift at the Kirkersville GOC.  His memory was the boring nature of the shift.  Their targets were always identified as airliners heading to and from Port Columbus --today's Eddie Rickenbacker International, my friend never detected an enemy bomber.  He would go on to be an Air Force radar technician in the 1960s.  Thank you, my friend.  You know who you are, Gene.

As a youth, I would have sworn tha I saw an F-89 Scorpion break the sound barrier just south of Alexandria.  I was probably mistaken, but the sonic boom was real.

By 1959, the 58th Air Division was done.  ADC begins to restructure for the coming Semi-Automated Ground Environment (SAGE) which will introduce computers into the air defence equation.  After SAGE came the Sector Operations Control Centers, in which I spent five years.

Southeast Air Defense Sector, Tyndall AFB, Florida

The ALEXANDRIA PAPERS #7

VICKY'S TEETH

I particularly like a series of books I keep on my shelf...  There Will Be War edited by Jerry Pournelle.  This is also the label on the notebooks in which I keep my notes and lectures for the Cleves-Juelich Succession Crisis and Twentieth Century military history beginning with the Franco-Prussian War.  One of those lectures is on the politics that set the stage for the Assassination in Sarajevo of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and lit the Twentieth Century on fire...  I, lacking a better idea, got descriptive and called the lecture "Vicky's Kids."  This collection of paragraphs is about her teeth.

Vicky... Victoria Regina or, Her Royal Highness Victoria, By the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Queen, Defender of the Faith, Empress of India... had bad teeth.  Bad teeth seem to be a British thing, at least if Monty Python has any credibility.  Here is where the personal connection comes in.

When my wife and I were undergrads at the Ohio State University's Main Campus, my classes were somewhere around 12th and 17th Avenues.  Hers were south of the hospital.  We would meet for lunch on South Campus and, depending on the weather, sometimes I would attend her afternoon Anatomy and Physiology lecture with her.  I confess, the most useful thing I learned in her lecture was that a lower-case "c" with a bar over it was medical shorthand for "with."  My wife's lecture was in the huge auditorium in the School of Dentistry.  I have literally walked by the statue of Willoughby Dayton Miller over a hundred times.  In a fit of irony, the University of *ichigan also has a statue of Willoughby Dayton Miller.

Willoughby grew up on his father's farm along the north side of Hardscrabble Road on Lot 15 in Liberty Township.  This is approximately where the Stiers farm is today.  Willoughby was the youngest of eleven children.  About half of his older siblings had unnaturally short lives.  Willoughby did not do so much better, thanks to appendicitis.

I would not attempt to recount the esteemed Doctor's biography, please use your mad Google skills.  I just want to say four things,

• Dr. Miller wrote The Micro-organisms of the Human Mouth.  Today, it is considered foundational in modern dentistry and the primer on dental cavities.
• Dr. Miller worked on the teeth of many crowned heads of Europe.  Although ostensibly the Court Dentist of Prussia, the King of Prussia was Vicky's son.  Dr. Miller attended Vicky's cavities.
• Dr. Miller never forgot Alexandria and Alexandria never forgot Dr. Miller.  The names Willoughby, Dayton, or Miller were used in various combinations in the Bishop, Brooks, and Cady families, as well as others I may not have seen.
• Willoughby Dayton Miller is buried in our Maple Grove and is the only headstone in the shape of a cross.

When I was stationed in Germany, there were times when it seemed like we lived on the edge of a straight razor.  Tactical nukes, a lifespan that could have been measured in minutes and hours if the Cold War went hot.  Fears over whether my wife could get herself and my daughters to France in time, if that even mattered. Mom got me a subscription to The Johnstown Independant.  By the time I got it, it was old news, but still news to me.  I never forgot Alexandria.  Neither did Willoughby.

While it is tempting to say that W. D. Miller is Alexandria's greatest son, as I go through Alexandria's citizenry, so many have done so much who have called Alexandria home.

The ALEXANDRIA PAPERS #6

D O   N O T   P I C K   M E   F O R   B A S K E T B A L L

I do not run anywhere.  Those days are past.  I do not shoot well.  Never did.

There used to be a number of small high schools in Licking County that are no more.  There was Union High School along State Route 37 between Granville and Luray at little known Union Station.  A distant relative of mine helped plan this school and sat on the board.  This was a rural high school for people who did not go to Granville, Hebron, or Pataskala High School.  This school disappeared when Granville absorbed outlying areas, when Pataskala consolidated with Etna and became Watkins Memorial, and when Hebron took in southeastern Licking County to become first Lynnwood, then Lakewood.  Just a few miles away along Route 40, Kirkersville High School was renamed Harrison Township High School around 1940 before consolidation with Watkins Memorial about 15 years later.

In 1938, the Licking County League looked like this:  Alexandria, Etna, Granville, Hanover-Toboso, Hartford, Hebron, Homer, Jacksontown, Johnstown, Kirkersville, Pataskala, Summit, and Utica.

Then, there was what I call the Classic Licking County League: Utica, Northridge, Johnstown, Licking Heights, Watkins Memorial, Lakewood, Licking Valley, Granville (Exempted), and Newark Catholic.  That is how I remember it in the 1970s.  But for a brief moment, two years, I was able to enjoy the past.  I was an Alexandria Red Devil.  The junior high schools kept their pre-consolidation community identities.

Consolidation was painful for some.  The first graduation class from Northridge did not necessarily identify as Vikings.  One person in particular was upset that after three-and-one-half years in Alexandria High School, the remaining time meant their diploma would say Northridge, not Alexandria.  But Northridge was a consolidation of consolidations.  Before Northridge was Northridge North (Hartford and Homer) and Northridge South (Alexandria).  I suspect that for all the consolidations, there are similar stories.

I was a Red Devil.  I shared a past with many community leaders I knew.  Alexandria played six-man football.  I played outdoor sports on the Red Devils football field.  When former Alexandria resident and teacher Helen Irwin Cunningham shared some ticklish stories about shenanigans at that football field, I knew exactly where she was talking about.

The 1954 Lickingana (Licking County High School Yearbook) lists these schools:   Alexandria, Pataskala, Homer, Hanover-Toboso, Summit Station, Jacksontown, Hebron, Kirkersville, Johnstown-Monroe, Utica, Etna, and Hartford.

Alexandria "Red Devils" (Red and Black) - became Northridge South (1960), then consolidated with Northridge North (Croton and Homer) into Northridge (1963)

Etna "Eagles" (Green and White) - consolidated into Watkins Memorial (1955).

Hanover "Panthers" (Maroon and White) - renamed Hanover-Toboso 1934, consolidated into Licking Valley (1959).

Hartford "Yellow Jackets" (Orange and Black) - consolidated into Northridge North (1960), consolidated into Northridge (1963).

Hebron "Trailblazers" (Blue and Gray) - consolidated into Lynnwood-Jacksontown  (1958), consolidated into Lakewood (1960).

Homer "Blue Devils" (Blue and Gold) - renamed Northridge North 1960, consolidated into Northride (1963).

Jacksontown "Trojans" (Red and White) - consolidated into Lynnwood-Jacksontown  (1958), consolidated into Lakewood (1960).

Johnstown "Johnnies" (Red and White) - at some point, became Johnstown-Monroe.

Kirkersville "Komets" (Red and White) - consolidated into Watkins Memorial (1955).

Pataskala "Blue Streaks" (Blue and White) - consolidated into Watkins Memorial (1955).

St. Francis "Green Wave" (Green and White) - later changed to Newark Catholic.  [Found on 1950s era Alexandria Sports Schedules - TEB]

Summit (Summit Station) "Yellow Jackets" Maroon and Gold - consolidated with Jersey to form Licking Heights (1958).

Toboso - consolidated into Hanover-Toboso (1934).

Utica "Redskins" (Red and White).

Today's Licking County League is a different entity than this poor Red Devil remembers.  The following list comes from Wikipedia with team name, dates of inclusion, and colors:

Big School Division

Granville Blue Aces (1927-1950, 1963-1991, 2013-) Colors: Blue and White

Zanesville Blue Devils (2020-) Colors: Blue and White

Licking Heights Hornets (1927-1983, 2013-) Colors: Maroon and Gold

Licking Valley Panthers (1959-1991, 2013-) Colors: Red, White and Blue

Watkins Memorial Warriors (1955-1991, 2013-) Colors: Black and Gold

Small School Division

Heath Bulldogs (1964-1991, 2013-) Colors: Brown and White

Johnstown-Monroe Johnnies (1927-1991, 2013-) Colors: Red and White

Lakewood Lancers (1959-1991, 2013-) Colors: Red, White and Blue

Newark Catholic Green Wave (1973-1991, 2013-) Colors: Green and White

Northridge Vikings (1963-1986, 2013-) Colors: Green and White

Utica Redskins (1927-1991, 2013-) Colors: Red and Gray

Somewhere is the Red Devil that was center court in the 1954 gym before it was replaced by a Viking.  I may no good at basketball, but it would be nice to revisit this old icon.

ADDENDUM:

Union Township High School graduated classes into the 1940s. However, I have not fully researched their participation in the Licking County League.

At various times, Utica High School appears as Washington (Township) High School or Washington-Utica High School.

The ALEXANDRIA PAPERS #1

T H E   E P W O R T H   L E A G U E

A N D   T H E   C O O K   G A N G

John Wesley, the man who changed American Episcopalian belief from old Anglican ways, through Wesley's paradigm called Methodism, to today's Methodist Episcopal Church.  Although there seems to be a political schism afoot today, Wesley's Methodism held sway for over a century.  Wesley was born in Epworth, northwest of Lincoln, England.  This is the origin of the name Epworth League.

The Epworth League was established within the Methodist Episcopal Church as a sort of Boy Scout organization.  Since the Boy Scouts were not founded until 1910, the Epworth League filled a niche.  Alexandria had a chapter of the Epworth League.  The basic tenets were founded in the following areas: Spiritual Life, Social Work, Literary Work, Correspondence, Mercy and Help, and Finance.

Two Alexandia men were involved with the Epworth League: Professors O. (Oliver) C. Larason, Superintendent of Schools, and Lawrence Irwin Mathematics teacher.  This is a bit perplexing; Lawrence Irwin was a Baptist.  On December 20, 1894, the Christmas Tree ceremony in Alexandria was held by the Methodist Church with a social afterwards hosted by the Epworth League for a 10-cent ticket.

Let's briefly look back at the Epworth League in California.  The California State Legislature passed the Organic Act on March 23, 1868.  This instituted the California University system "in order to devote to the largest purposes of education the benefaction made to the State" by the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act. The act stated:

[I]n order to fulfil the requirements of the said Act of Congress, all able-bodied male students at the University, whether pursuing full or partial courses in any college, or as students at large, shall receive instruction and discipline in military tactics in such manner and to such extent as the Regents shall prescribe, the requisite arms for which shall be furnished by the State.

On September 15, 1931, the Board of Regents promulgated an order requiring students to take the course in military science and tactics in the Reserve Officers Training Corps as prescribed by the War Department.  A group of students filed a lawsuit against the university which ended up being heard in the Supreme Court as Hamilton, et al. v. Regents of the University of California, et al.  Hamilton, et. al. lost.  

Meanwhile, Christmas has just past in 1894, with reportage on the Epworth League and Christmas festivities.  The Johnstown Independant makes another report about the Cash Gang on Thursday, December 27th, (Christmas was on Tuesday)

The noted Cook gang of the "wild and wooly West," arrived in town [Alexandria] Monday evening and amused themselves in shooting revolvers in a haphazard way in the streets. [...] The gang composed of Col. Hubbard, Capt. Beaumont, and Irwin [...decided] to pay Buxton and Van Ness a call.

The Johnstown Independant, December 27, 1894, page 4

The article goes further in saying that the author has no reason to offer for the incorporation of Alexandria, that Mayor Ladd only makes "stylish laws," and that the people of Alexandria should elect officials with fortitude.  Further, George Cash, assaulted by the Cook gang, swore out a warrant before the mayor.  Hubbard can be identified as Harry Earl Hubbard (1874 to 1937), while Beaumont and Irwin's identities are difficult to define.

The following week's Independant (January 3, 1895) states tha on Wednesday, January 2, Harry Hubbard was found guilty of assault and was fined $8 in Mayor's Court.  Additionally, Hubbard pled guilty to drunk and disorderly conduct as well as firing a weapon in town and fined $2.  Hubbard's cohorts also pled to drunk and disorderly with weapons and each fined $3.  They were assessed costs and promised to do better in the future.

They Alexandria news in this edition of The Independant concludes with a special event to be held on Sunday evening by the Epworth League with papers, songs, readings, and a special address by Professor O. C. Larason.

Perhaps the title A Tale of Two Cities might be appropriate here.  On one hand, we have the history in town of a religious oriented towards wholly good practices and on the other hand, a gang of 20-something-year-olds shooting up the town on Christmas Eve 1894.  Alexandria is on the verge of major change.  A new Century is approaching.  Changes are coming.  Some people seem to need help coping with change... or perhaps the status quo.

The ALEXANDRIA PAPERS #2

O L D   D A Y S   -or-   S U R V I V I N G   T H E   6 0s

I never meant to do it. I started my own business...

Dad thought that Lawnboy mowers were the best, at least until he got a part-time job at Sears. Employee discounts are important. Accordingly, every other week or so, as needed, Dad would give me a quarter (yes, I literally mean twenty-five cents) to fill the one-gallon gas can and make sure I brought home the change! I dutifully grabbed the can and walked past my neighbors, Ed and Gene Maxwell, often sitting on the front porch, to the gas station where Burt Burgoon would pump a gallon of gas and I would walk home with a full can of gas, a nickel, and a penny. Eventually, I would mow a few of yards in Alexandria.

My regret was not stopping to ask Ed Maxwell to tell me more. Let's go back to World War I (1914-1918) to find out why.

The US Air Force renamed Lockbourne Air Force Base after local legend Eddie "Cap'n Eddie" Rickenbacker. This is, in my opinion, right. Mott's Military Museum in Grove Port has a copy of Cap'n Eddie's house on the grounds. Warren Mott was also able to procure a surplus radar scope that I used when I was a US Air Force Captain to run NORAD's Southeast Sector, but I digress. Please support Mott's Military Museum, even if you just visit there. You will find Arnold Schwartzenegger's tank there from when he served in the Austrian army. But I digress...

After Rickenbacher's experience in World War I came to an end, Cap'n Eddie still felt the need, the need for speed. To race fast, he needed an ace engine mechanic. Somehow, he hooked up with Ed Lehman. I really wish I knew more. When I ran a Bob Evan's Restaurant, I met Rickenbacher's biographer when he stopped by for dinner on his way home from Indianapolis. But I digress...

Meanwhile, and I haven't looked up the dates, Ed Lehman married Miss Mary Maxwell, sister of Ed Maxwell, my neighbor. To be sure, I was a fan of the family. Ed and Mary's father, Bruce Maxwell, kept beehives on the back of Ed Lehman's property - he was an older widower and lived with Ed and Mary next to Ollie May Parker. Mary took good care of Ollie Mae in her years. Neighbors take care of neighbors. I recall many, many times seeing Bruce Maxwell all suited up to collect honey. Bruce's honey was clover-rich and delicious, but the comb (Mom used the comb to chew instead of chewing gum) was also a real treat. Thank you, Mr. Maxwell.

Cap'n Eddie (sorry, so many Eds in this story) bought 'The Brickyard.' Today we know it better as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indianapolis 500. Cap'n Eddie needed his engines to perform at their peak, and Ed Lehman was Cap'n Eddie's man. I wish I had asked Ed Lehman more about this. Ed was a dear friend, but we never went beyond more than trivial conversation. I also knew all Ed had to do was listen to the engine idle and he could diagnose by sound. Meanwhile, his brother-in-law wanted to make sure your engine oil had been changed. I don't ever forget, thank you Ed. After the Eds sold the gas station, Ed Lehman went to work for Kenney Chevrolet and sold Dad a 1965 Malibu, which I wish I still had. Okay, it was four-door with a 350 automatic... but I digress.

As late as 1910, there was a creamery in Alexandria across from where CR 21 (Northridge Road... um, Appleton Road in my generation) ended at SR 37 (Main Street). At some point it became a gas station owned by Ed Lehman and Ed Maxwell. There's a whole another article coming on the gas stations and cars of Alexandria, but I digress...

Yeah, I don't remember that personally. I missed my chance by not asking. Sorry Ed. By the time I was sent to buy gas, the station was owned by Homer Harper, known among us kids as a great place to get STP stickers for our bikes. Besides, by then I had yards to mow...

An additional connection. Tony Hulman bought the Indy from Cap'n Eddie. I have good memories of Tony Hulman. Tony also owned WTHI, Terre Haute's first TV station. As a child, I eagerly waited to 10 AM when they would air episodes of Space Angel on my favorite TV station, WTHI, Channel 10 in Terre Haute, Indiana. Thank you, Tony...

D O N' T   C A L L   T H E M   'F A I L E D'

The St. Albans area is often called 'Alexandria and St. Albans Township.' Just look at one of our Fire Trucks. If it says so on the Fire Truck... well, Fire Truck don't lie. When I grew up in town, that was fine. But now, it gives me pause.

There were communities here that never really happened. They were not failures, they were necessities. From the earliest days, neighbors relied on neighbors. They were communities formed by social groups and relations. Here's my list,

Hardscrabble - a loosely and vaguely related group of farmers in the vicinity of Hardscrabble and Battee Roads. They had a schoolhouse and a church, but Hardscrabble was never geared towards becoming an incorporated village. It relied on trade and agriculture. Hardscrabble had no restaurant, hotel, or hardware store. People in Hardscrabble had to rely on nearby Clemons Station or the villages of Alexandria or Granville for goods and wares. People from Hardscrabble have fond memories of life there.

Ash - Perry Wintermute opened a general store in 1879 at the intersection of SR 310 and Morse Road. This land is now largely owned by Lynd's Fruit Farm. Ash's structures were lost to an accidental fire and to the Ohio Department of Transportation when they increased the intersection and added turn lanes. Soon, Wintermute asked for a post office and Ash opened one with Wintermute as the first postmaster of 43002. (Zip codes are alphabetically ordered.) Mail was dropped off from Pataskala as the courier travelled to Jersey. There was no rural delivery, so local farmers would make their way to Wintermute's to pick up mail, goods, or gossip. Ash once had a successful baseball team - "The Corn Fielders."

Scott's Corners - was once located at the intersection where the south ramps to SR 161 accept traffic from SR 37. (SR 161 West exit-ramp to SR 37 and SR 37 on-ramp to SR 161 West.) Older drivers will recall that the Captain Scott House once squarely stood on the northwest corner there. In addition, the first still in the area was at Scott's Corners, as was a school which doubled as a church. A watch factory was there, though it did last long. Other concerns have made brief appearances at Scott's Corners.

Scott's Corners was named after Captain J. M. Scott, whose family came through Washington County, Pennsylvania, and eventually settled in Utica. Scott was an avowed Abolitionist and friend of Senator John Sherman, brother of General William T. Sherman. Senator Sherman held Abolitionist rallies in the basement of the old Baptist Church, no doubt attended by Scott. Scott went on to recruit and command Company B, 76th Ohio Voluntary Infantry. His tenure as an officer was short when he disagreed with his commanders over the assignment of his Lieutenants. Scott would go on to be prominent in the local Prohibitionist movement and eventually moved to Granville in 1909, where he passed away in 1919.

Clemon's Station - Clemon's was never intended as a community, but the area became a place known to all. When the Toledo & Ohio Central finally ran tracks from Hartford (Croton), through Johnstown, Alexandria, and on to Granville and Central City, they needed a place for water, coal, and a place to bed down employees. Clemon's allowed people a convenient place to send telegrams. Presumably, they could get their Sears order delivered there. (Central City is on Cherry Valley Road where the Market Basket is located, shortly before Main Street on Newark's far west side.

Blood Hill - Originally, the road we now know as SR 37 went straight. Just take a look at the electric poles as you get near Baker's Acres. The intersection was, in the past, located where Duncan Plains Road takes a hard turn to the west. In the early 1800s, three settlers built cabins there. One was a tavern; another was allegedly a house of 'ill repute.' Fradrick Blood (yes, I spelled it correctly) bought the land and opened up a farm to support his main desire - a tavern. With the log cabins vacated, a school opened here. When Blood built his frame tavern, his old cabin became the schoolhouse. The area served as a central gathering spot and a destination for groups as far away as Newark.

This is not an exhaustive list. Ed Maxwell could give you a better one. Sadly, he has passed away. According to Ed (and I trust his memory), every major or popular intersection had a name associated with a well-known property holder. For example, there was Hazelton's Corners and Brooks' Corners. These communities are still there but they seem to be drive-by locations, not destinations.

There was a community named Beech. The homes have been bulldozed. The only remnant of the community is Beech Road. Now, it is a server farm for large, internet corporations. This was once a homeplace to the Fisher family of Alexandria fame. It is now a road. Please, remember our past.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I recall when Les Wexner bought New Albany. Things here in St. Albans went crazy as the township developed minimum lot sizes and frontages. As I write this, Intell has purchased a vast majority of Jersey Township and it has become 'New Albany.' Realtors and developers drive by my house daily. Residents of Johnstown fear they will lose their community. I cannot say their fears are unrealistic. Please save our heritage and please support out township trustees as they struggle to preserve our identity.

The ALEXANDRIA PAPERS #3

G O O D B Y E,   A L E X   H I G H

The other day, I experienced a feeling of dread as I scrolled past a headline that began with "Northr." Having sat through many a football game, my mind filled in the rest. N-O-R--T-H-R--I-D-G-E, LET'S GO! I always thought that was a bit quirky until I went to see my cheerleader daughter at Reynoldsburg when they traveled to Pickerington North. A Spelling Bee broke out that night.

My experience has usually been that Northridge is not a headline you see often - or want to see. But I knew it would happen. Alexandria will tear down another school.

Sometime around 1900, Alexandria built a schoolhouse that consolidated several one-room schoolhouses in the township. Things went quite well. Local teachers taught local children in a local school. Neighbors are neighbors are neighbors. There are so many names to parade in front of you - of teachers and principals - that I fear I would leave one out. Please comment.

Perhaps the most iconic feature to me was the Red Devil in the center court in the gym. There were some who used "Devil" synonymously with the Biblical Satan, or in Hebrew "Nakash." Perhaps a better name? Well, although I eat Devilled Ham, I refuse to eat Devilled Eggs. It is not because I believe these foods are Satanic, it's just because the word "devil" has more than one definition. And please, I do not like eggs, don't offer. I was also pleased to find out that several decades ago, the Newsletter/Student Paper was called "The Checkerboard" for the Red and Black.

I have so many memories invested in those rooms and teachers at Alexandria School. It tears me that those memories will lose their substance. I could walk here in the school and tell you what happened. Hopefully, I will be allowed to take home a brick.

Yes, there are economics to consider. But there is a community to consider. I still have questions.

Mitch Lynd can tell you tales of Alexandria in the 1950s. Bob Fisher, Beck Shaw, Betty Icenhouer, John Hankinson, and John Brooks, plus so many others, could fill in more details. Helen Irwin Cunningham - who was Dr. Fred Nichols 6th grade teacher - has left me with stories of hi-jinks involving the outhouse during football games behind the school.

Honestly, I don't know what to believe, think. or feel. The school board has been told to hang on to the property because -- reasons. Alexandria has had a poor record when it comes to municipality - the burnt Town Hall was never rebuilt. The bricks were repurposed as homes. So was Alexandria's first schoolhouse - on the northwest corner of SR 37 and CR 21 Northridge Road sits a house made of the foundation stones of Alexandria's first school.

Today it is hard to find a teacher who lives in the community where they teach, without regard to district. Personally, I was embarrassed more than once to follow, as a substitute at Northridge, to follow the lesson plans given by the teacher. Our neighbors are not necessarily our neighbors. Welcome to the 21st Century.

Perhaps it is best we tear down our past... perhaps we should look to the future. I mean, in the face of intrusion of a company and employes with no connection to our past, what impact will you accept? To be honest, I've seen it before.

AUTHORS NOTE: As I write this, Bischoff Braueri (Brewery) in Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany - my favorite beer - just announced its closing. As in Steven King's The Langoliers, my past is being erased.