CCHS Alumni Association participated in the American Legion's Old Settler's Day parade on Friday evening, June 27, 2008.
The float was decorated by CCHS alumni. Richard Hoffman provided the farm wagon which was its base and pulled it with an antique tractor. In front of the float, CCHSAA Founder Ted Gruver (1957) and Andrew Thompson (1988) rode in a golf cart provided by Eagle Glen Golf Course. CCHSAA President Richard Phend (1951), webmaster Brenda Reeg Robison (1960), and board member Bill Kettelkamp (1952) accompanied the float and passed out 1,100 bags of candy to children along the parade route.
Published in Talk of the Town - Whitley County June 25, 2008
Esteemed community volunteer, businesswoman Jacie Worrick asked to wear the Red Coat
By Jennifer Zartman Romano
An annual rite of Old Settlers Days, the traditional Red Coats Dinner was held Tuesday night at the Eagles Nest Event Center, an event marked by the ceremonious presentation of a new red jacket to the next person deemed worthy to wear it and serve as the association’s president in the coming years. 
A noted community leader, philanthropist and business owner, Jacie Worrick was selected as the latest recipient of a Red Coat and will serve as president of the association in three years.
A crowd filled with many former presidents cheered as current second vice president Jim Brock read Worrick’s impressive resume of servant leadership and involvement in the business community. She has served most recently as the president of the Whitley County United Way board of directors and serves on the Columbia City Rotary board. Additionally, she has been a past board member of the Columbia City Chamber of Commerce and a graduate of Leadership Whitley County.
Worrick is the third woman to be selected as a Red Coat recipient in the organization’s 105-year history and the fifth member of the Columbia City High School Class of 1963 to be selected for the honor. When the class of 1963 gathers for their class reunion on Saturday, there will be five Red Coats in attendance – namely Bill Webber, Jim Nelson, Mike Rush, Mike Redman and Worrick.
“I love this community and the people who live and work here,” Worrick said after donning her newly minted red jacket and addressing the audience following dinner.
Rather than an event fully focused on the rides and games, Worrick shared her vision of Old Settlers Days as something more meaningful. “It’s about saying thank you to those who’ve formed and cultivated the community we live in.”
In her entire life, Worrick can only recall missing the Old Settlers Days festivities on two occasions. “It’s just something that you do,” she said. “It’s a time to go and visit with friends.”
Worrick concluded by saying in the same way the community needed to debate some serious issues 50 years ago when it came to deciding the future for youth at that time, she sees the same issues at the forefront today and challenged those in attendance to consider the needs of the community’s youths, saying they will be the “Old Settlers” of tomorrow.
“I would be remiss in not saying, ‘Jacie, welcome to the group,” said 2008 OSD president Fritz Martin. Martin is serving this year alongside first vice president Tom Drew and second vice president Jim Brock. The OSD association secretary is Bill Webber and treasurer is John Lefever.
Published in Talk of the Town - Whitley County June 25, 2008
The year was 1928. Lindberg received a medal of honor for his transatlantic flight. Mickey Mouse made his first appearance in a sound cartoon. Shirley Temple was born, and Whitley County saw the founding of a local family tradition, Camp Whitley.
Walter Stephenson, an educator with the Columbia City schools, created Camp Whitley 80 years ago, with the goal of providing an outdoor learning experience for youth of our community. Over the last 80 years, Camp Whitley has upheld the vision and traditions began so long ago.
In celebration of our 80th year of operation, the Board of Directors and Staff are requesting stories and memories of former campers to compile into a booklet. The staff would like to conduct as many personal visits as possible, but we are willing to also interview over the phone or compile stories from the form below. If you are a former camper, or know someone who has been a camper, and would like the Camp Whitley memories to be documented, please contact Tara Brandon at 260-609-2154 or email her at
Click here for form to submit Memories of Camp Whitley
The 8th Columbia City High School Alumni Association Florida Brunch is planned for Sunday, March 1, 2009. The Brunch will be held from 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. at the Jacaranda West Country Club located at 1901 Jacaranda Blvd., Venice, Florida 34293. Club Office phone number is 941-493-5010.
The club is located off Exit 193 on I-75 going West on Jacaranda Blvd. for approximately 3 miles or 5 stop lights. The Jacaranda Country Club entrance will be on your right. From US 41 go East on Jacaranda Blvd. for about 2 miles, Club will be on your left.
Reservations are required for a head count. Send a check in the amunt of $22.95 per person before February 25, 2009 payable to:
RUTH ANN BOWIE DAVIS
104 MARTINIQUE ROAD
NORTH PORT, FL 34287
Telephone: 941-429-9641
Email:
All checks received will be acknowledged with a reservation number.
Your hosts will be CCHSAA Founder and Past President, Ted Gruver, (57) and his wife, Sue, who have hosted the Brunch for the last seven years.
A table will be set up for yearbooks, pictures and memorabilia.
Please share this information with other CCHS ALUMNI, Guests and friends are invited. Come and enjoy! This CCHS FLORIDA BRUNCH is planned just for you in the sunny warm weather of SW Florida. The buffet style Brunch will start at 12 noon sharp. Dress code is dressy casual.
The Post & Mail November 21, 2007:
| By CHRIS MEYERS Staff writer Barring any unforeseen major problems, the Whitley County Consolidated Schools Board of School Trustees voted 8-1 Tuesday night to select the Indian Springs Middle School site for the possible new high school. Board member Tim Bloom made the initial suggestion to have the school built at the ISMS site, saying the school corporation would be able to use land and utilities already owned by WCCS. “We can take advantage of 60 acres we own and that is under utilized,” he said. The efficiency of having deliveries to all schools made at one central location and the ability to share resources among the schools at the site were also reasons Bloom felt the ISMS site was the best choice. Staying close to Columbia City also weighed on his decision. “I think a school is an important part of the community,” and the school should stay close to the community, he said. Board member Bob Thomas said he agreed with Bloom and the reasons listed for choosing the site. Fellow board member Deb Hiss also agreed with the ISMS site, saying a completely new location would be ideal, but felt it would be tough to justify to the public why new land needed to be purchased. Board president Don Armstrong also favored the ISMS site. “There’s probably no such thing as a perfect site,” he said, but added that the ISMS site seemed to be best location. Board member Jill Western also agreed with the site, saying she supported the campus atmosphere because of the chance to save money and the potential for better learning. Board member Brooks Langeloh was the only member to voice dissent about ISMS saying he had concerns about traffic flows and that the site would be landlocked by highways if further expansion was needed. “I’ve gotta go with my gut on this one. My gut tells me that’s not the best place for it,” he said. In other business regarding the ongoing high school project, Anne Rainey, assistant director of technology, showed a Web site to be published online today regarding the high school project. Included in the Web site are preliminary site plans at the ISMS site and feedback regarding the plan from staff, students and community e-mails. “We hope to give some sort of time line as to what’s happened since we started on this project about five or six years ago,” she said. Also on the Web site are estimated construction costs, debt payment and possible affects on tax rates from the project. A disclaimer on the site says WCCS has the authority to not post all e-mails from community members regarding the project. Armstrong said the disclaimer did not mean WCCS would censor e-mails that are pro or con for the project, but rather to keep the discussions civil without name calling or other inappropriate and derogatory remarks. Superintendent Laura Huffman said today the Web site will continue to change as the board receives more information about the project and the continued study of the ISMS site. She encouraged residents to go to the site and give feedback about the high school project. |
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