Propeller blade off WWII bomber moves from France to Middletown
A piece of American history soon will be on display in the hometown of a Middletown pilot who lost his life during World War II.
A propeller blade on a B-17 bomber that was shot down on Dec. 20, 1942, killing 1st Lt. Daniel Winstead Corson, 27, is being transferred from a WWII museum in France to the Middletown Historical Society, said Sam Ashworth, a local historian.
The blade will be unveiled during an open house on Dec. 11, ironically the 80th anniversary of when the United States declared war on Germany. Ashworth said that date wasn’t selected because of the anniversary, but because it’s a Saturday.
93-year-old named Butler County Veteran of the Year
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
U.S. Air Force Lt. Barney Landry “stood out” among the other worthy nominees for Butler County Veteran of Year because of his five-and-a-half decades of continuous service to his country and his community.
The 93-year-old Fairfield Twp. resident will be honored twice today, first at the annual Butler County Veterans Service Commission ceremony at the Colligan Lodge in Hamilton and later when the township recognizes him as being “the most generous contributor to date for the Veterans Memorial Project.” He donated $25,500 to the memorial project, with an additional $10,000 previously matched by General Electric.
BCVSC Executive Director Mike Farmer told the Journal-News they received five nominations for the award and all were worthy but Landry was special.
Safety harness saves Hamilton city worker who was hanging lights
It could have ended in tragedy, but thanks to a safety harness a Hamilton city worker thrown from a bucket while hanging Christmas lights on Monday was not injured.
Jacob Deaton was positioned in a bucket on a city truck hanging lights in a tree at Martin Luther King Boulevard and Court Street about 1:10 p.m. when the arm was hit by a box truck, knocking Deaton out of the bucket, according to the Hamilton police accident report.
Deaton was hanging in mid-air from his safety harness, but was not injured.
Middletown Community Foundation names new leader
Credit: Submitted Photo
Credit: Submitted Photo
Extensive knowledge in philanthropy and fundraising allowed a Middletown Community Foundation executive director candidate to “quickly rise to the top” of others, said Board President John Kiser.
This week the Board of Trustees announced the appointment of Sarah Nathan as executive director. She will replace Executive Director Traci Barnett, who earlier announced her retirement at year’s end.
Kiser said the board conducted a nationwide search. Nathan will join the MCF on Dec. 6 and work with Barnett the rest of the year.
‘Embrace’ installation helps mark 20 years for Hamilton as City of Sculpture
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
Almost 13 months after Hamilton’s Embrace sculpture was delivered to the newly reconfigured intersection of Main Street with Eaton and Millville avenues, a group gathered Wednesday evening to dedicate it. The gap between delivery and dedication was largely because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s an opportunity to get all the community partners together to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the City of Sculpture,” said Jacob Stone-Welch, president of the City of Sculpture organization.
The 25-foot-tall, shiny steel takes on different appearances through the day and the year. For instance, on Wednesday morning, it lacked a little shine because it was covered with frost. But it really popped that night when the lights were on.
AND, for an extra sixth story of the day ...
McCrabb: Kyle Schwarber ‘truly a champion’
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
We’ve all laughed watching some kids play baseball. You know the ones.
Those more interested in picking dandelions than picking up a ground ball.
More interested in watching planes fly overhead than catching a fly ball.
That was Kyle Joseph Schwarber nearly 25 years ago when he was introduced to baseball at Smith Park, once a youth baseball hotbed in Middletown.
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