On Chapman School, Grandma Janet Mary and Federal-Mogul
Time to open up the mailbag – snail, email and otherwise.

Jean Schultz stopped by the office this past week with a document that combined the past with the present. While the original photo of students at the old Chapman School, Bengal-Riley District, dates from the late 1920s, the image she provided was contained on a floppy disk – creating a very nice quality for the photo’s reproduction in this week’s issue.

Conversations with Lucille Hall, a sister of Johnny Hall – shown in the photo – had yielded the names of a number of students in the picture. Jean is anxious to discover the remainder of the students’ names – a task that we’re certain would be a fun ‘school’ assignment for area folks. Email information to mail@sjindy.com

Any photo of local people or places is an instant attention-grabber for me, but this one was especially intriguing for several reasons. The time period fits the date that my father, Clemens Kloeckner, would have attended school just a few miles west on Centerline Road. He and school buddies – like Alfred Mohnke – were students at Hill School.

I recall with pleasure listening to stories the two of them used to tell about their school-day escapades – and some adventures they had while walking to and from school. Something tells me that the faces of the students in the Chapman School picture can recount the same fun times they had as students – what memories they must have.

The names of several teachers that Jean mentioned in the information she provided about Chapman School also caught my eye. Esther and Louise Irrer are familiar names for lots of people yet today in Riley and Bengal township – as well as ‘city folks.’

As Jean noted, Esther later married Clyde Hendershot to become Esther Hendershot. Esther was a savvy, enterprising lady who helped me many years ago when I tried – utterly unsuccessfully, as it turned out – to sell real estate. At that time, Esther was working with Simon Real Estate in offices located near the corner of M-21and Clinton Avenue. She tried her best to craft a salesperson out of a rookie – without much luck. She was a colorful and vibrant individual – I’ll always remember her.

Esther’s sister, Louise Irrer, married Leon Schumaker. Their farm was located on the corner of Pratt and Francis roads, about a mile from our farm on Forest Hill Road. Accompanying my mom, Marcella, on visits to see Louise were always interesting; she was – and still is - a great conversationalist with a wonderful laugh and lively personality. It was a treat to be guest at her home.

A letter that arrived in the mail also provided a ray of sunshine in a rather gloomy week. Janet Sinke’s announcement that the first of her Grandma Janet Mary series of children’s books will soon be available for purchase was welcome news.

"I Wanna Go to Grandma’s House" is sure to become a keepsake that will be treasured by lots and lots of grandmothers – here in Clinton County, and, hopefully, around the country.

Information on obtaining a copy of the book is available by calling (989) 224-4078, or by visiting the My Grandma and Me Publishers web site at www.mygrandmaandme.com

Congratulations, Grandma Janet Mary. We’re anxious to get our copy of the debut book - and are looking forward to Grandma’s Christmas Tree, which is set for publication this October.

Last, but certainly not least, in the mailbag was an email from a former Federal-Mogul worker inquiring about the old photographs of the St. Johns plant that were printed in last week’s issue on a history of that company. The photos in question showed the interior and exterior of the old St. Johns Portable Building Company as it appeared in 1945, after its purchase by Federal-Mogul but prior to the start of renovations and the opening of the plant in 1947.

The photos came from a brochure that I had worked on for the plant’s 50^th anniversary celebration in July 1997. Who would have imagined then – just seven years ago – that the photos would be part of an article now on the possible closing of the facility?

Clearly, no one was talking about anything but ‘good news’ in the anniversary brochure.

"Since its start here in St. Johns in 1947, Federal-Mogul has enjoyed constant and continued growth in terms of numbers of employees, building expansions and product distribution," the brochure reads. "From an initial crew of 34 workers, we are currently a leading manufacturing operation in Clinton County with 540 employees.

"The plant itself has undergone five expansions, and we have continued to provide top quality products in a changing and diversified market. This ongoing success would not have been possible without the support of the local community – we appreciate your efforts to keep Federal-Mogul a vital part of the greater St. Johns area.

"A key element in the accomplishments of any business endeavor is the ability to build and maintain a team that keeps operations moving forward as it meets the challenges of an ever-changing industry with increased competition. That spirit exists here at the Federal-Mogul St. Johns plant. It is the foundation which has allowed our operation to survive in times when national and international manufacturers experienced business disturbances, and flourish during periods of general prosperity."

One can only hope that the individuals making decisions on the future of the plant will recall those words – the Federal-Mogul ‘team’ still exists, albeit on a reduced level, but is entirely capable of producing those "top quality products" that have been a trademark of the St. Johns plant.

Time will tell.