January 13, 2011
Schiller Park groups relish donations By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Community Newspapers Both the Schiller Park Arboretum Fund and Huntington Garden Endowment, two groups responsible for beautifying Schiller Park, are rejoicing after receiving generous financial commitments in recent weeks. The Columbus Recreation and Parks Department’s Community Recreation Council, Schiller Chapter, has agreed to match $3,000 in community dona-
tions toward the treatment of ash trees in the park, said Lindy Michael, chair of the arboretum fund. She said the donations have been pouring in since late November, when the group announced a $5,000 goal toward the purchase and administration of an insecticide on roughly 30 trees in the park. The fund, which has been in existence in some form since the late 1970s, had treated 11 trees in 2010. “It’s amazing the response we have gotten,” Michael said.
The ash trees soon will be wrapped in yellow ribbons so residents can see how common they are in the park, she said. While the group is more than halfway to reaching its $5,000 goal, Michael said other donations are encouraged to help offset the cost of trimming, fertilizing and new planting. Also, current treatments last two years and have to be reapplied, she said. Meanwhile, the Huntington Garden Endowment received an individual con-
tribution of $5,000 and another $200 in memorial gifts donated in the memory of Fred Holdridge, a longtime German Village advocate who died Dec. 23. Bert Stevens, chair of the endowment, said the balance is now up to $115,000. The goal is to have the account earning $5,000 a year in interest, which can sustain the annual cost of the maintenance of garden, a vibrant patch of turf on the west side of the park in front of the Schiller statue.
“This is good news,” she said of the recent donations. “My thinking is I am so blessed to live in a community which treasures the park and the legacy we’re trying to ensure going forward.” But Stevens encourages people to donate resources in addition to those earmarked for the endowment. “I want to continue to build the endowment until we know it’s self-sustaining,” she said. “But there are always See DONATIONS, page A2
GVS plans GVS TURNS 51 on paying tribute to Holdridge and Burns
Resident hopes series will strike a chord with music lovers
By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Community Newspapers
By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Community Newspapers
The German Village Society will look to honor the memories of Fred Holdridge and Howard Burns with some type of lasting monument in their name. Brian Santin, president of the GVS board of trustees, is putting together a committee to explore the best way to celebrate the late couple. Two weeks ago, the community paid its last respects to Holdridge, who died Dec. 23 at the age of 86. Burns died in 2001. The two were often called the “popes of the neighborhood,” a pair of irrepressible socialites who were deeply devoted to each other and the community. The Neighborhood Room at the Meeting Haus was dedicated in their honor. Also, the society has the Fred and Howard Award, given annually to those who best promote German Village to a local and international audience. Jerry Glick, a former society board member who is active in the community, had a few ideas, such as an impressive kiosk or welcome sign at the South Third Street entrance or an endowment scholarship for interns to study German Village history or architecture. He also suggested an outreach program to teach about preservation and community involvement to students. It will not be the first time the society and community mobilized to pay tribute to a community advocate. Brent Warner, who died November 2007, had a hall at the Meeting Haus dedicated in his honor. He left the society $225,000, said Katharine Moore, former executive director of the GVS. Warner was the volunteer operations director for Oktoberfest and the Haus und Garten Tour and he quietly funded and worked on maintaining the Meeting Haus. He served as a German Village Commission member and was a “passionate preservationist,” Moore said. “A small committee tried to balance the
Schiller Park will be one of three destinations for a summer concert series. German Village resident Aaron Leventhal plans to produce the free series of shows, called Jammin’ in the Park, as a way to raise money for several nonprofit organizations, including the German Village Society, Directions for Youth, the Short North Business Association and the Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center. “Basically, this is a pilot project,” he said. “Our goal is to roll out 10 to 12 of them for the bicentennial festival (in 2012).” The entertainment will feature a gospel concert held in May at Fort Hayes Career Center, a pop rock show in June at Schiller Park and a jazz and electric bluegrass performance in July at Goodale Park. All shows, to take place from noon to 7 p.m., will feature at least three bands. Specific dates have not been set. “I wanted to do something that’s really exciting and new for the community,” Leventhal said. Leventhal is the founder of High Street Magazine, which was recently sold to Outlook Media Inc. He has maintained the High Street Neighborhood Fund, a permanent endowment that has awarded more than $80,000 in grants since it was founded in 2001. Most of the recipients have been along the High Street corridor. A portion of advertising and sponsorship dollars from the shows goes directly into the fund, part of the Aaron Leventhal Foundation administered through the Columbus Jewish Foundation. Money from the fund has gone toward children’s programming at the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department. Terri Leist, assistant director of recreation and parks, said she likes the sound of Jammin’ in the Park. “The concept is always good: Any time you can bring any kind of entertainment, a diversity of entertainment, for our citizens is a good thing,” she said. “In addition to that, if you raise funds to help others in the community, especially nonprofits, that’s just icing on the cake.” Leventhal, a travel writer, is a 30-year resident
Photos by Tim Norman/ThisWeek (Above) Kathy Fankhauser helps her neighbor, Norm Hall, cut the chocolate ribbon cake he made for the final party in a yearlong celebration of the German Village Society’s 50th anniversary Jan. 9 at the German Village Meeting Haus. The party also celebrated the society’s 51st birthday, which was Jan. 10. (Left) Jay and Marta Madigan listen to speeches during the party.
See TRIBUTE, page A2
See CONCERTS, page A2
Detroit pastor to speak at breakfast honoring Rev. King Several Columbus events scheduled to commemorate birthday of famous civil-rights leader By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Community Newspapers The Rev. James C. Perkins will deliver the keynote address at the 26th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast, slated for 7:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 17, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, 400 N. High St. Perkins, pastor of the Greater Christ Baptist Church in Detroit, describes his speech as “positive and uplifting,” but
also challenging to the audience. “The reason we need to continue to celebrate his life and legacy is because it brings us back to face the fact that, as a nation, we are not where we need to be and should be,” Perkins said. Doors open at 7 a.m. Tickets are $35 and must be purchased in advance by calling (614) 252-0868. The event will adjourn at 10 a.m. The theme of Perkins’speech is “Keep on Dreaming,” which is drawn from the
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Bible’s account of Joseph and his brothers in Genesis 37:5: “Joseph dreamed a dream and he told it to his brethren, and they hated him yet the more.” Rev. James C. “The point is that, Perkins for whatever the reason, dreamers build an atmosphere of hate,” Perkins said.
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Perkins, 59, graduated from high school in 1968 and went to college four months after King was assassinated. He said he always planned to go into the ministry but felt motivated by King’s words and actions. “It did inspire me,” Perkins said. “I felt a sense of responsibility to try and challenge others to perpetuate the dreams that he talked about.” Perkins will be preceded by several other speakers, including Columbus
Mayor Michael B. Coleman. “Dr. King said, ‘Everybody can be great because anybody can serve.’ To keep Dr. King’s dream alive, we must rise to meet the needs of our community,” Coleman said in a prepared statement. “We remember how Dr. King inspired people to give what they could of their time and talent. He provided opportunities for them to learn and grow. See BREAKFAST, page A2
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