July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Time for tour with German kids (11/21/07)
Back in the Saddle
By By JACK RONALD-
My hesitation lasted only about 20 seconds.
During that brief period, I found myself reflecting on all the hospitality I've been fortunate enough to receive while working abroad. Dozens of times, it seems, strangers had stepped up to help me out or welcome me or provide directions.
It was my turn to pay some small part of that back.
"I'll do it," I found myself saying.
And my afternoon turned upside down.
I'd stopped by the offices of The Portland Foundation after doing the company banking, figuring to chat with folks there for a few minutes before heading back to work.
While I was there, I remembered that Annie McClung had called earlier that day and asked me to send a photographer to get some shots while a group of visiting German high school students toured the county courthouse. Looking at my watch, I realized that I'd failed to pass the message on to the newsroom, so I borrowed a phone in the foundation office and set the wheels in motion.
As I headed toward the door, the phone rang. It was Annie, calling her husband Kent, who is program officer at the foundation.
Rats, I thought, she's calling because I didn't get a photographer there on time.
But that wasn't it.
Instead, Annie was calling because her guide for the tour, local historian Jane Spencer, was ill. The group was at the mayor's office, ready to head to the courthouse, and there was no guide.
That's when the 20 seconds passed before I volunteered.
I met up with the German group at City Hall. There were 25 16-year-old girls from Annie's hometown in Germany, two teachers, Annie, and a bus driver.
The students had been visiting Jay County for about 12 days and were heading home the next day; a similarly sized group from JCHS will head to Germany for a visit in the spring.
Now, there was no way I was going to fill Jane Spencer's shoes. She has forgotten more Jay County history than I've ever known.
But I was prepared to give it a shot.
After the group posed for pictures in front of City Hall with Mayor Hosier, we headed off to the courthouse.
I started my tour guide impression by talking about the Gas Boom, but I could quickly see that eyes were beginning to glaze over. The group had toured Fort Recovery that morning, and there was no way I was in a position to compete with that sort of history.
So, mostly it would be show-and-tell and answer questions as best I could.
In the rotunda, I pointed out the murals that German-born interior designer Henry Hussman had restored in the 1970s. And when we reached the second floor, I led the whole group - all 30 of us - into the county clerk's office. Jane Ann Runyon graciously agreed to do an impromptu review and her office's functions and fielded a number of questions about election laws.
On the third floor, Circuit court Judge Brian Hutchison just happened to be in the courtroom when we peeked in.
He also welcomed the group, explained the workings of his court, answered questions, and told them about a recent case that had come before his bench.
We also got lucky before we headed down the stairs. Superior Court Judge Joel Roberts was just passing from his office to the courtroom and was in full regalia, robes and all.
He too took time to offer a welcome and best wishes.
But the real coup had come between the clerk's office and the courts. That's when we ran into Sheriff Ray Newton.
What could be a better slice of Americana, I figured, than to meet a real American sheriff?
"Would you like to visit the jail?" the sheriff asked.
The girls' eyes widened. You bet they'd like to visit the jail.
So after a brief stop at Freedom Park, where Annie pointed out bricks bearing the names of three members of the Hoose family, also German immigrants to Jay County, we descended on the Jay County Security Center.
True to his word, Sheriff Newton was more than willing to give a tour. Prisoners were sent briefly to the exercise yard (it was a warm and sunny day), so the German visitors could see a cellblock first-hand.
Again, the eyes couldn't have been wider.
Clearly, as tours go, I had a hit on my hands.
As the girls boarded a school bus to head back to JCHS for a round of good-byes, I couldn't help thinking that I'd come up way short in terms of providing local history.
But I also figure that next time Jane Spencer's going to have to add the jail to her repertoire if she wants to stay competitive.
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During that brief period, I found myself reflecting on all the hospitality I've been fortunate enough to receive while working abroad. Dozens of times, it seems, strangers had stepped up to help me out or welcome me or provide directions.
It was my turn to pay some small part of that back.
"I'll do it," I found myself saying.
And my afternoon turned upside down.
I'd stopped by the offices of The Portland Foundation after doing the company banking, figuring to chat with folks there for a few minutes before heading back to work.
While I was there, I remembered that Annie McClung had called earlier that day and asked me to send a photographer to get some shots while a group of visiting German high school students toured the county courthouse. Looking at my watch, I realized that I'd failed to pass the message on to the newsroom, so I borrowed a phone in the foundation office and set the wheels in motion.
As I headed toward the door, the phone rang. It was Annie, calling her husband Kent, who is program officer at the foundation.
Rats, I thought, she's calling because I didn't get a photographer there on time.
But that wasn't it.
Instead, Annie was calling because her guide for the tour, local historian Jane Spencer, was ill. The group was at the mayor's office, ready to head to the courthouse, and there was no guide.
That's when the 20 seconds passed before I volunteered.
I met up with the German group at City Hall. There were 25 16-year-old girls from Annie's hometown in Germany, two teachers, Annie, and a bus driver.
The students had been visiting Jay County for about 12 days and were heading home the next day; a similarly sized group from JCHS will head to Germany for a visit in the spring.
Now, there was no way I was going to fill Jane Spencer's shoes. She has forgotten more Jay County history than I've ever known.
But I was prepared to give it a shot.
After the group posed for pictures in front of City Hall with Mayor Hosier, we headed off to the courthouse.
I started my tour guide impression by talking about the Gas Boom, but I could quickly see that eyes were beginning to glaze over. The group had toured Fort Recovery that morning, and there was no way I was in a position to compete with that sort of history.
So, mostly it would be show-and-tell and answer questions as best I could.
In the rotunda, I pointed out the murals that German-born interior designer Henry Hussman had restored in the 1970s. And when we reached the second floor, I led the whole group - all 30 of us - into the county clerk's office. Jane Ann Runyon graciously agreed to do an impromptu review and her office's functions and fielded a number of questions about election laws.
On the third floor, Circuit court Judge Brian Hutchison just happened to be in the courtroom when we peeked in.
He also welcomed the group, explained the workings of his court, answered questions, and told them about a recent case that had come before his bench.
We also got lucky before we headed down the stairs. Superior Court Judge Joel Roberts was just passing from his office to the courtroom and was in full regalia, robes and all.
He too took time to offer a welcome and best wishes.
But the real coup had come between the clerk's office and the courts. That's when we ran into Sheriff Ray Newton.
What could be a better slice of Americana, I figured, than to meet a real American sheriff?
"Would you like to visit the jail?" the sheriff asked.
The girls' eyes widened. You bet they'd like to visit the jail.
So after a brief stop at Freedom Park, where Annie pointed out bricks bearing the names of three members of the Hoose family, also German immigrants to Jay County, we descended on the Jay County Security Center.
True to his word, Sheriff Newton was more than willing to give a tour. Prisoners were sent briefly to the exercise yard (it was a warm and sunny day), so the German visitors could see a cellblock first-hand.
Again, the eyes couldn't have been wider.
Clearly, as tours go, I had a hit on my hands.
As the girls boarded a school bus to head back to JCHS for a round of good-byes, I couldn't help thinking that I'd come up way short in terms of providing local history.
But I also figure that next time Jane Spencer's going to have to add the jail to her repertoire if she wants to stay competitive.
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