Category: Trella Diaries

Tuesday, August 5, 1986
Mary and I left at 8:30 to go to Dennison-Lindsay funeral home for Bob Shuster (Jr’s) funeral. Don and Bob’s wife both spoke of how he turned blue within a few minutes of death. Could it be Tylenol poisoning? He had taken Tylenol for 104° fever he had the day before.

Met Virginia Bob’s wife. She’s from near Baguio in the Philippines and Tom’s new wife is Nicaraguan. Also met three of Tom’s children. Wilda came from Wickenburg and Judy, Bob’s sister from Taiwan. Bob’s daughter from Tulsa and one from Akron there and Judy’s children from Michigan and Florida.

Monday, August 4, 1986
Wrote to Dave. Watered flowers- so dry.

Took check from different account in to Ted Myers at 4:00 and then met John Cottrell at the Center. He brought Lucy Jane Cheney (Mrs. Ed) and son John from Pittsfield, Massachusetts. They gave us a Marion Pebble from 1877 and the 1895 historic Marion Star.

Sunday, August 3, 1986

Tommy and Beverly got up and went to church with Mary at 8:30. I met them at Mary’s at 10:00 and we headed for Urbana: lunch at Partner’s Steakhouse and then to Cedar Bog for 1:00 tour with Terry Jarawski. Mary and Bev toured too. Terry asked me for inside dope on why no protection for OSUM Campus Prairie. I laid blame on Dean Hazard who wants to plant corn.

Drove along abandoned railroad south of Milford Center and lots of Royal catch fly. Home about 5:30. Light lunch and Hemmerlys headed for Murfreesboro about 6:15. Went to church with Mary to hear of Willis Thomas visit to Indian mission in West. Sleepy.

Saturday, August 2, 1986
Mary and Bev spent day together. Home at 7:30 Bev told me of her [illegible]

A day of triumphs- Prairie Conference huge success about 125 people from all parts of Ohio- Really had nice comments on my paper and one man said he had never seen such an ovation given a speaker at any conference. Charlie King says it should be published!

Egged on by Mr. Terwilliger of Cincinnati I gave Ted Myers check for $1,000 to start endowment fund for campus prairie. Charlie King, Larry Yoder and Ralph Ramey ecstatic. Claridon Prairie brochure delivered at 11:15. Visited these prairies: Marion Campus, Claridon, Daughmer, planted and natural at Killdeer.

Called David they got home at 6:30 a.m. drove from western Nebraska.

Friday, August 1, 1986
Mary took Tommy and Beverly to Forest to visit Fanny and Floy and Loren and Jesse while I polished my paper on Settlement of the Sandusky Plains. Almost forgot to include Jacoby’s info from the Ohio magazine of 1906.

All of us to OSUM for opening session of the 5th Ohio Prairie Conference. Mrs. Ramey was registrar and book salesman. Bought $50 worth so Glen Helen benefited. Pat Armstrong of Illinois has planted her yard with Prairie flowers. Priscilla Hewitson and brother great with pioneer music.

Thursday, July 31, 1986
Got first letter from Dave mailed it 29th written 26th. He is a squad leader. Tommy and I photographed Claridon Prairie for 3 hours.

Up early with Mary driving headed for cranberry bog*- stopped at 1812 Buxton Inn in Grandville for lunch. No one asked to see permit at Cranberry Bog store where we rented a rowboat for $5. Tommy rowed us the half mile to the boardwalk entrance to the island. Loosestrife about only thing blooming- reminded me of Keith Lamb’s bog with cotton grass. Home for quiet supper and then to Palace Theater for “Music Man” – George Schram’s first Palace directing- well.

[*at Buckeye Lake near Newark, OH]

Wednesday, July 30, 1986
Cleaned and cooked all day to be ready for Tommy and Beverly Hemmerly who arrived from Murfreesboro about 5:30. Mary helped from 4:30.

Tommy is selling sets of slides with a script to a Wise Company. Showed some and also ones they are preparing for a book “Middle Tennessee Flora.”

Tuesday, July 29, 1986
Teeth cleaned at 10:00. Took brochure proof to Ted Myers and Kensel was there. Tried to get in touch with Ralph Ramey. His office said he was bringing buffalo meat up. Took proof to Dave Gatshall.

Monday, July 28, 1986
Geneva and Barb finished Dave’s room and got furniture back $283.

To Columbus for OAHSM board meeting. Feel I shouldn’t have let Bill Nolan talk me into first vice president Regional Affairs chairman. Jokingly offered to be campaign chairman for him for one year term on Ohio Historical Society board and he took me up. Hope he doesn’t expect too much. Saw Dr. Ness in hall and told him about Wyandot Popcorn Museum offer and then took appraisal papers to Amos Loveday. Both seemed interested it’s valued at $250,000 .

Got $0.62 gas north of Delaware. Picked up proof of brochure from Dave Gatshall and took it to Norm and Kensel. Minor suggestions. I think it needs lines around each page. Carrol Neidhart called for letter for Preservation Award.

Sunday, July 27, 1986
Watered with fertilizer and ran hose on rhododendrons and grass. Polished talk most of the day had BDOS error and David will be proud of how I got around it. Copied the file to another disk but had lost some of it so moved files around till I had it all again.

Had call from Mary Heininger about my Chautauqua article- June Tozer about Town & Country Garden clubs responsibility at MCHS and from Bill hutchman about Prairie Conference but no word from Dave Gatshall on Prairie brochure.