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Ohio’s First Lady scheduled to join opening festivities |
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Wednesday, 16 January 2008 |
By ANNIE ZELM
Staff Writer
Two Auglaize County communities plan to honor their history with a special guest from the present — Ohio’s first lady.
Frances Strickland, the wife of Gov. Ted Strickland, plans to join local residents of Wapakoneta and New Bremen at 1:30 p.m. Sunday as the two communities kick off their 175th anniversary celebrations at the historic Auglaize County Courthouse.
“We wanted to have a representative of the state to join us, and who is better known and more charming than the First Lady?” Auglaize County Historical Society Administrator Rachel Barber said in a telephone interview. “One-hundred and seventy-five years is a great milestone in the lives of these two Auglaize County communities, and Mrs. Strickland’s presence underscores this significance.”
Strickland, who came to Wapakoneta in June 2006 during her husband’s campaign efforts, said she looks forward to visiting again.
“I congratulate Wapakoneta on its anniversary and the rich history that has unfolded there over the past 175 years,” Strickland told the Wapakoneta Daily News in an e-mailed statement from her press secretary. “Beyond being a great city in itself — with its friendly people and strong community bond — Wapakoneta holds a particular significance to me. My father’s first cousin lives there, and his affection for the community is contagious.”
The Simpsonville, Ky. native, who grew up on a dairy farm, said she also has an appreciation for the rural landscape of Auglaize County and enjoys fishing there.
Strickland attended Murray State University and the University of Colorado and earned a doctorate in educational psychology at the University of Kentucky, where she met her future husband in 1974.
After graduation, she became and educational psychologist and authored a widely-used screening test for kindergarten-age children. She also wrote a children’s book, titled, “The Little Girl Who Grew Up To Be Governor.”
The event Sunday is to feature keynote speaker James F. Dicke II, chairman and CEO of Crown Equipment Corporation in New Bremen.
Entertainment is to be provided by a quartet representing students from both communities, including Elliot Schuler and Daniel Sprague, of Wapakoneta High School, and Lanae Caudill and Lauryn Bertke, of New Bremen High School.
It is open to the public and will be followed by refreshments and fellowship.
Residents of both communities plan to continue the celebration with events scheduled throughout the year, including a special postmark next Tuesday to represent the date Wapakoneta was platted — Jan. 22, 1833. The church bells that day will be rung 175 times, beginning at noon. |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 17 January 2008 )
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