May 14, 1951: Fox Population Is Depleted

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on May 14, 1951.

Fox Population Is Depleted

GENE BURSZEWSKI, Wheeler rural route resident, poses with 10 of the 11 foxes bagged by he and his ‘hunting’ party on the Schumacher farm two miles south and east of Wheeler Sunday. The group drowned out the foxes and the clubbed them with sticks. With Gene were Louis, John and Otto Gruel of the Wheeler area. The group was out last night looking for more of the animals when the above picture was snapped.

(V-M Staff Photo)

March 20, 1956: Railroad Telegrapher Taps Out Goodbye

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on March 20, 1956.

Railroad Telegrapher Taps Out Goodbye

HOWARD DAVIS, of Wheeler, who retired Monday after 45 years as a telegrapher with the Grand Trunk railroad, taps out a final goodbye on the old ticker to his friends on the line. Davis began his work with the railroad when he was 20 years old.

Feb. 15, 1956: Wheeler Dial Phone Conversion Is Completed

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on February 15, 1956.

Wheeler Dial Phone Conversion Is Completed

GENERAL TELEPHONE COMPANY of Indiana Inc., officials presided at a tie-in ceremony in the new dial equipment building at Wheeler at 7 o’clock this morning, when the Union township community was officially converted to the new dial telephone system. Only a few minor service disruptions were reported, but were quickly cleared.

Left to right in photo: P.E. Platt, district manager; Jack Lorditch, commercial manager; and Joe Randolph, division equipment superintendent.

(Bill Brooks Photo)

Jan. 28, 1956: Wheeler Dial Phone Cutover Scheduled For Mid February - 300 Patrons Receive New Type Devices

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on January 28, 1956.

Wheeler Dial Phone Cutover Scheduled For Mid February

300 Patrons Receive New Type Devices

By ROLLIE BERNHART

WHEELER, Jan. 28ーSubscribers now serviced by the Wheeler exchange of the General Telephone Company of Indiana, Inc., will soon be using new dial telephones.

John H. Lorditch, of Valparaiso, GTC district commercial manager, announced today that official cutover ceremonies, from the old magneto phones to the modern dial system, is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 15, and 7 a.m.

Cost of the conversion project will be in excess of $60,000 before final completion, GTC officials reported. Three hundred dial phones have been installed in homes and business places.

The new dial telephones are the modern Leich instruments designed for either wall or desk type installation.

Work is still not completed, but officials hope to have the project ready for cutover next month.

Project Is Delayed

Lorditch stated that the conversion work program was temporarily delayed due to cable deliveries. However, rehabilitation and extension of outside plant facilities are now complete, with the exception of placing some aerial cable near the company’s central office building on Fifth street.

For the Wheeler project, approximately 21,000 feet of new cable, and 600,000 feet of new wire have been used in rehabilitation and extension.

In addition, approximately 9,500 man hours have been expended, Lorditch stated.

Operations at the old office building, located on Indiana 130, south of Fifth street, which presently houses the old manual switchboard, will be discontinued following cutover ceremonies.

To Issue Directories

Prior to the cutover date, temporary directories showing the new dial numbers, will be mailed to each Wheeler subscriber. These directories will also be mailed to East Gary and Hobart users, since “free service” to and from Wheeler to these points will be continued after the conversion.

A meeting is also planned at Wheeler High school gym Monday, Feb. 13, at 7:30 p.m., for all subscribers. Each Wheeler subscriber will receive personal invitations from the company to attend.

Purpose of the special session is to acquaint dial telephone users on the correct methods of operation. Demonstrations will be held and a question and answer period will be conducted by company representatives.

A movie, “Dial Comes To Town”, will also be shown at the meeting.

Lorditch reported one bit of humor which cropped up during the conversion program at Wheeler.

14 Exchanges

One subscriber seemed prone to insist that the old magneto type phone be left on the wall where it had been “cranked” for many years. Somewhat startled, the company representative said, “Why, aren’t you glad to get the new dial phone?” “Yes,” said the woman, “but I just had the room decorated.”

Wheeler is one of 14 exchanges serving 31,000 telephones in the Valparaiso district of GTC. others are Valparaiso, Hobart, Ogden Dunes, Chesterton, Kouts, LaCrosse, Wanatah, Hanna, Westville, Union Mills, LaPorte, Rolling Prairie and East Gary.

Surveys for future development in Hobart and East Gary regions are being carried on by five employees from the firm’s Lafayette headquarters, P.E. Platt, division manager reported.

As of Jan. 1, the General Telephone company included 72 exchanges, servicing 140,038 telephones. Plans to spend $5,800,000 in these exchanges were recently announced.

To Spend $313,000

In the Valparaiso district, $313,000 will be spent for new construction. Bulk of the local budget will be spent in the Valparaiso area with the total cost estimated at $182,300.

Cable relief is planned for east and north side residents which will give better service and add additional phones. This will cost $165,000.

Other projects in Valparaiso include miscellaneous pole work, costing $5,000, and installation of central office equipment to take care of the rural growth at a cost of $11,700.

In the Chesterton area, $20,500 will be spent for cable relief along the Valparaiso-Chesterton toll lead. In addition, $2,500 will be spent to build the lead on the Liberty township road and $5,000 is earmarked for pole construction.

Population growth in the Ogden Dunes area will force the spending of $64,500 for expending service there.

MRS. LAUREL DAVIS, of Wheeler, tests one of new dial phones installed by the General Telephone Company of Indiana, Inc., in the Union township community to replace the old magneto telephones. J.H. Lorditch, GTCI district commercial manager, above instructs Mrs. Davis in the proper use of the phone.

THE GTC BUILDING on Fifth street, north of Indiana 130 in Wheeler, where the new automatic dial equipment has been installed

CUTTING IN NEW lines to the equipment office center are Spike Shroyer, on pole; Walter Bickel, with rope; and Lyle Moore, installation and maintenance supervisor.

Old Vs. New Telephone Switchboards in Wheeler

TESTING NEW dial equipment and boards in GTC equipment office in Wheeler (top) are Ralph Clarke, left, and Roy Ransom. Below Mrs. Florence Campos (lower left) and Mrs. Marie Foreman, operators, work manual switchboard in old building. Old board will be dismantled after Feb. 15, cutover date.

Jan. 7, 1956: Wheeler Soon To Have Its First Woman J.P.

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on January 7, 1956.

Wheeler Soon To Have Its First Woman J.P.

By ROLLIE BERNHART

“Magistrate, “man-of-the-house”, and mother.

These are the jobs which Union township’s first woman justice of the peace, Mrs. Beverly M. Squires, of Wheeler, is filling.

She is “filling the shoes” of her late husband, Robert, who died unexpectedly Nov. 13, in serving out his unexpired term as justice of the peace, and is being both a father and mother to her five-year-old son, David.

This seems like quite an order, but Mrs. Squires is determined to make a success of it.

It was this same determination which impelled Mrs. Squires to weather the shock of losing her husband, and to do some clear thinking about the future of herself and her son.

Accompanied by Joseph Rowlandson, Union Township Trustee, she appeared recently before the Porter county commissioners and requested appointment to serve out the justice of the peace terms of her late husband, which officially had until 1959 to run.

Receives Commission

Her straightforward manner and the knowledge she had gained as a clerk and bookkeeper for her husband's court activities, received the approval of the commissioners for the Union Township Post. She received her commission from Gov. Greg on Dec. 30th.

Thus she became the second woman in Porter County History to assume the office of justice of the peace. Mrs. Edna Wilkes was a Liberty Township “JP” from 1939 to 1946. Known as the “flying Justice” (she held a pilot's license), Mrs. Wilkes was defeated in the 1949 primary.

The new justice of the peace in Union Township will be “in business” officially just as soon as her bond is filed and she receives the oath of office.

Meanwhile Mrs. Squires plans to attend a seminar at Purdue University next week which will deal with traffic court procedures.

A graduate of Emerson High School, Gary, Mrs. Squires stated that she has always had a natural interest for the legal and judicial professions. She appears as adept at consulting the two volumes of Indiana Laws she has on her book shelves, as she does working about her home and kitchen.

Mrs. Squires will conduct the duties of her office on a full-time basis, and will be available at all times in the spic-and-span red cottage at the end of Fourt street in Wheeler.

 Although she believes in the theory that persons are innocent until proven guilty, this female “JP” will back up and support the state troopers who bring violators of the law to her Court.

“As far as I am concerned," she stated, "I'll go by their judgment. They have enough to do without being charged with looking for cases."

Speeders and motorists caught passing school buses, and brought before her had better beware. These are two types of traffic violators on which she intends to crack down.

In so far as making her office a Gretna Green for couples seeking to be tied in wedlock, Mrs. Squires prefers to be old fashioned.

“I’m just not the ‘marrying justice’ type. I just believed that marriages should be consummated in church."

David, her son, will be of age to start school next year. Until then she has no other desire than to stay at home and be both a “father” and mother to him. 

Although the field of politics is new to her, she is determined to be a success. Rather wistfully she said, "If it only works out, I'd run for another term.”

Will Serve In Court, Kitchen

UNION TOWNSHIP’S First woman justice of the peace, Mrs. Beverly M. Squires (top), brushes up on traffic laws in her home on Fourth street in Wheeler, where she will hold court. She will serve out the unexpired term of her husband, Robert, who died Nov. 13th. Bottom, Mrs. Squires casts aside the dignity of the court, and dons an apron to prepare a meal.

Dec. 11, 1940: Help Offered To Family Left Destitute By Fire

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on December 11, 1940.

Help Offered To Family Left Destitute By Fire

Several movements were afoot today in an effort to extend aid to the Dunklebarger family of Wheeler after fire Tuesday had left a widow and four children homeless.

Mrs. Ethel Dille of the county welfare department announced that an immediate investigation of the situation would be conducted by that office to determine the amount of aid needed. She said the Wheeler unit of the Red Cross would no doubt offer some assistance since the loss of a home by any family in dire circumstances could be considered “an emergency.”

At the same time an appeal was issued by Mrs. E.F. VanNess from the relief room of the Valparaiso Woman’s Club for clothing which might be given to the mother and youngsters. The mother, Mrs. VanNess said, wears a size 44 dress. In addition there is one girl of high school age, one girl in the eight grade, and twin boys who are sophomores in high school.

Persons having clothing that could be used are urged to send it to the Woman’s Club building by Saturday noon. Those having bedding and furniture which might be contributed are asked not to send these articles to the club building, but instead to call 932R, telling what items are offered.

In the third instance of proffered aid, a local man called at The Vidette-Messenger office this morning early, volunteering $10 to a fund for the family if the newspaper would act as an intermediary and accept other cash donations. For those who wish to contribute, The Vidette-Messenger will assume the responsibility of seeing that the money is placed in the hands of the mother.

Meanwhile, it was assured today that other needy families of Valparaiso and vicinity will be remembered on Christmas with baskets of food and other articles.

This was revealed today with the meeting Monday night of representatives of some 23 local organizations at the office of the county welfare department in the court house. Other groups not represented signified their intention to cooperate in making this Christmas one of joy for those in distress.

Mrs. Ethel Dile, county welfare director, was elected permanent chairman of the Christmas Basket Clearing committee, and Miss Betty Lou Nichols, also of the welfare department, was named secretary.

Among those present at the meeting was Major Harry Strissel, Gary corps commander of the Salvation Army. He announced that his organization will assist the local groups this year. Last year the Salvation Army provided 35 baskets in Valparaiso. At a single kettle in Valparaiso last Saturday, more than $17 was obtained. The kettle will be put out again next Saturday and maintained from that date until Christmas eve, Major Strissel said.

This is the fourth year Christmas baskets have been distributed under the supervision of the Christmas Basket Clearing committee. The Porter county welfare office serves as a clearing committee to prevent duplication of gifts. The organization giving away baskets are in sole charge of the distribution.

In the main the baskets contain food articles, but some organizations will give toys and clothing in addition.