1950's phone numbers for local businesses: Bean Music, 1434; Edison Flowers, 4149; Boles-Dandurand Studio, 2439; Meadow Gold, 66 or 9; Rexall Drugs, 117; Gay Lanes, 5012.

• Freshman Year at Junior High: Class Officers are Don Feasel, President; Bill Young, Vice President; Susan Conner, Secretary; and Horst Muehlbronner, Treasurer. 
• Freshman Prom was held on May 4, 1956 and May Dance was held on May 12 of that year.
• There were 107 in the 8th grade at Jr. High, 214 in 9th grade at Jr. High and 218 in our 10th grade.  (Stats kept by Bill Young.)
• Valentine Dance that year: Barry Wade was the King of Hearts and Mary Lou Fingerhuth, Queen of Hearts.  
• May 18, 1956: Freshman Class Night at Tiffin Junior High:

September 5, 1956: School opens and we are beginning our first year at Columbian High School.  We are SOPHMORES.

October 18, 1956: Magazine campaign starts.

October 19 - 20, 1956: Homecoming Weekend.  The football team, band, cheerleaders and fans are looking forward to an exciting time

 

 

 December 17, 1956: Choir and Dramatic Club Christmas program.

February 14, 1957: Valentine Dance for our high school.

April 12, 1957: Choir Festival in Galion, Ohio.

May 3, 1957: Our Sophmore Class held its first formal dance in Columbian's gym.  We decorated with class colors - yellow and white. 

 May 10, 1957: Band Festival in Bucyrus, Ohio.

May 31, 1957: Last day of school for our Sophomore year.

November 1957: Ernie Estep was elected President of the Junior Class, Joan Crilly - Vice President, Barbara Beasley - Secretary and Nancy Sherman - Treasurer. 

Spring, 1958: Junior-Senior Prom - Heavenly Springtime - We danced to the music of The Nite-Aires from Galion, OH.  Doug Mills was the Master of Ceremonies; Ernie Estep gave the Junior Welcome and we were entertained by the singing of the Sixteen's (Mary Lou Fingerhuth, Jo Berezin, Martha Hertzer, Ann Zimmerman, Christine Beisner and Janis Briney); solo by Edith Peck: pantomime by Judy Herbert and Jean Fisher; and the ABC's (Sue Assenheimer, Elaine Baugher and Joan Crilly). 

May, 1958: The Varsity Track Team completed one of the best seasons in school history with four school records being broken.  Jim Wetzel set a new record  of 4 minutes, 43.6 seconds in the mile run.  (Jim held this record until 1959 when Randy Davis set a new record of 4 minutes, 35.7 seconds.) Ralph Mogel, Ron Wellman, Denny Kear and Denny Myers set a record in the half mile run at 1 minute 36 seconds.  Clinton Dull, Tom Frederick, Ralph Mogel and Bob Ebel set the mile relay record at 3 minutes 42.7 seconds.

Jim Wetzel, top point man for 1958, was selected "Track Man of the Year."

• September, 1958: We are Seniors!!!!
• Ocotber 2, 1958:  Many of us faced death for the first time.  Today, our friend, Peggy Schreckel, lost her battle with cancer.
• October 24, 1958: Elizabeth Ebel and Jo Berezin won a Y-Teen essay contest and visited the United Nations in NYC.
• October 31, 1958: Homecoming Ceremonies were held prior to the Norwalk-Columbian game.  The Homecoming Court walked between two lines formed by the band who were standing on the 45-yard lines.  Not until Horst Muehlbronner, president of the Student Council, stepped forward to escort Helen Barth, across the field did the court and the crowd know Helen had been chosen queen by the entire student body in a secret ballot. (Paul Moffett, Helen's excort, had to step aside as soon as Helen was identified as queen.)  Her attendants were Joan Crilly, Marilyn Jones, Carolyn Lonsway and Nancy Sherman.  They were escorted by Victor Goldsberry, Wayne Shepherd, Ken Rober and Jim Wetzel.  Helen was presented a gold crown set with pearls.  This crown will be passed on at succeeding Homecoming ceremonies.  Helen was also given a gold loving cup which she can keep to remember the evening.

The Toledo Blade estimated a crowd of 2500 watched the game.  At halftime, Mardi Gras was the theme for the Columbian Band.  The band first formed a light bulb and played "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans."  Lights in the stadium were tuned off and the band played "When the Saints Go Marching In" as Drum major David Pinkerton and majorettes, Dorothy Moyer, Janis Briney, Barbara Schlosser, Kay Schrenk and Judy Flechtner gave an impressive flaming baton show.  The final number was "Dry Bones" with the band forming a skull and crossbones. Prior to the playing of the alma mater, the senior members of the band were announced.  They are Glenda Allbaugh, Sue Assenheimer, Ed Byrum, Marie Froehlich, Tom Harper, Dick Heebsh, Prudy Hoerig, Della Kimmel, Beth Krupp, Judy Lupton, Nick Miller, Jack Sawyer and majorettes, Dorothy Moyer, Barb Scholsser and Janis Briner, head majorette Carolyn Lonsway and drum major David Pinterton.

Mary Lou Fingerhuth, Bonnie Cline, Marcia Lydey, Sue Maybaugh and Mary Ringle led the cheers as Columbian won the game 42-6.

• November 1, 1958 - Saturday evening: the Homecoming Dance sponsored by the Pep Squad was attended by 200 - 250 students and alumni.  Music was provide by Hal Saliers and his orchestra.
• November, 1958: Larry Wenner, 185-pound tackle, was named to the 1958 all Northern Ohio League football team.  The honor team consisted of both offensive and defensive players chosen by the League coaches. 

Don Feasel, fullback and treasurer of the Varsity-T, was named "Most Valuable Player of the 1958 Tornado season.  Co-captains for this season were Tom Frederick and Barry Wade. The Tornadoes closed the season with 4 wins and 5 losses.

• November, 1958: Twilight by Sea and Land was the theme for the Columbian Student Council Talent Show.  On a Wedneday night, talents were displayed by thirty student acts who sang, danced, pantomimed, twirled, read, or performed magic tricks. What fun we had.
• Marvin Perkins was Columbian's delegate to the Ohio State meeting of the Vocational Industrial Club.
• Doug Mills and Marie Froelich took top honors in the 1958 magazine campaign.
• Senior officers were elected - Jim Drake, president; Dean Strausbaugh, vice-president; Joan Crilly, secretary; and Judy Funderburg, treasurer.
• November 28, 1958: Columbian opened the basketball season against Lima Bath.  Coach George Janson started his sixth season with the Big Blues.  (His previous teams held a 58-16 winning record.)  Seniors teammates were Don Feasel, Tom Frederick, Horst Muehlbronner, Bill Stoner, and Barry Wade. 
• December, 1958: Tiffin clothing merchants hope that shoppers wiil visit their stores this holiday season.  These merchants include Arlene's, Bair Brothers, The Fashion Shop, Hooks, Berson-Harvey, Bill's Economy, J.C. Penney's, LaSalle's,  Leiner & Son,  Montgomery Wards, Smith Apparel, Tiny & Teens, and Uhlman's.
• January, 1959: Bonnie Cline brought her Christmas present (large Teddy Bear) from Ernie Estep to cheerleader practice and Teddy Tornado was born.  Violet Stoner, who made the blue wool outfits for the cheerleads, was asked to make an outfit for Teddy.  As soon as "Teddy Tornado" was properly dressed, he showed up at all of the remaining basketball games that year, sitting in front of the cheerleaders on a special stand.
• April, 1959:  The Columbian Band had their final  concert of the year.  Vernon Miller played an alto saxophone solo. Senior Band members were Sue Assenheimer (flute), Glenda Allbaugh (Bb clarinet), Dorothy Moyer (Bb clarinet), Judy Lupton (alto clarinet), Jack Sawyer (trumpet) Marie Froehlich (trumpet), Tom Harper (French Horn), Elizabeth Krupp (French Horn), and Prudy Hoerig ( trombone).  

• April 3, 1959: On a Friday night in April, our graduating class held an informal "School Daze" party in the gym from 7:30 - 10:00 p.m.  Jim Drake, class president gave the welcome followed by an pantomime by Jean Fisher and Judy Herbert.

Bill Young and Mary Lou Fingerhuth impersonated "Dick and Jane" from our first grade readers.  Programs for the evening included pen and ink sketches of these same characters.   Games, relay races and dancing we also on the program.

The Invitation Committee included Bonnie Cline, chairman, Helen Barth, Joan Crilly, Sue Cunningham, Barb Ditslear, Martha Hertzer, Linda Mercer, Barb Moffett and Susan Spencer.  Mrs Conrad was the committee advisor.

Entertainment Committee consisted of Elizabeth Ebel, chairman, Sue Assenheimer, Ernie Estep, Jean Fisher, Horst Muehlbronner, Betty Newberger, Nancy Sherman, Dean Strausbaugh and Jim Wetzel.  Miss Dietzel advised.

Barbara Scholsser was the chairman of the Refreshment Committee. Serving on her committee were Glenda Allbaugh, Joanne Baum, Susan Duran, Della Kimmel, Betty Mitchell, Vernon Miller and Tom Harper.  Mrs. Jordan was the advisor.

Jim Drake was the chairman of the Cleanup Committee, assisted by Melvin Reedy, Ralph Mogel, Ron Wellman, Jerry Lupton, Don Feasel, Clinton Dull, Ray Field and Larry Wenner.  Principal Harold Stephens was the advisor.

• April 4, 1959: Sports Dance sponsored by Columbian High Pep Squad.  The Note Aires played for dancing.
• May 16, 1959:  Junior Senior Prom and the All Night Frolic (Show, skating, record hop and breakfast).
• May 28, 1959: Commencement exercises for our senior class were held this Thursday evening at 8p.m. in the high school gymnasium.

Graduation night was climaxed with a dance and party at Washington School from 10:30pm - 2:30 am.  Senior parents were host to the graduates and their guests.  Among the 200 or more present were a number of faculty members. Each graduate was presented with a yellow rose.

Flower-filled bird cages, sprayed yellow, were on the small table around the large auditorium.  Inserted in the rings above the cages were small scrolls containing the class motto.

A larger pastel yellow cage centered the serving table.  One the backdrop at one end of the room wer two huge mortarboards with tassels and two diplomats ties with blue and gold ribbons.  Palm trees outline the stage to comple the colorful and beautiful setting.

Hal Sallers and his orchestra played for dancing.  At intermission, the ABC's and Eversharps entertained with songs.

Chaperones ere Mr. and Mrs. Henry Beisner, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Lonsway, Mr. and Mrs. James Beam, Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Frederick, Mr. and Mrs. Wade Estep, Mr. and Mrs. W. B. Sessions, Mrs. Blust, Mrs. Morris and Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Fauber.

Mr. and Mrs. C.E. Cunningham were general chairmen of arrangements.  Co-chairmen were Mr. and Mrs. Ed Cline and Mr. and Mrs. C.W. Assenheimer. 

Committee chairmen for decorations were Dr. and Mrs. W.R. Funderburg; Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Wetzel, program chairmen; Mr. and Mrs. Paul Ebel, entertainment; Mr. and Mrs. Frank Crilly, refreshment; and Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Fauber, chaperones.

 

 

 

 

Tiffin Columbian High School Alma Mater

We love you, Columbian High,

And your memories are so dear;

As the years go passing by

In our hears you'll still be near.

Our love for you will never die

But it will live on and on;

May your colors always fly

Even after we are gone.

 

November, 1956:  The Sophmore Class selected  Bill Stoner as President, Dave Pinkerton -Vice President, Nancy Sherman - Secretary and Joan Crilly - Treasurer.  Our class colors are yellow and white and our class flower is the yellow rose.