Tag Archives: Pomeroy Ohio

A Classic Car And Classic Advice

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We arrived in Pomeroy more than two hours early for the soldier’s funeral procession Saturday. Parking can be tight in this town on a good day and we thought it prudent to park close and kill time.

I wandered around the downtown area, logging some steps and nabbing a few pictures. I found this old cruiser parked at the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office. There was a deputy on the sidewalk, approaching a newer cruiser when I inquired about the car.

The deputy was kind, telling me that the car belongs to the longest serving law enforcement officer in Ohio. He collects all sorts of things including this 1947 Ford which he brings out for parades and other special occasions.

I googled the gentleman yesterday and found that Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost had recognized Deputy Howard Mullen as Ohio’s longest serving officer two years ago.

He’s a 1946 Pomeroy High School graduate and former firefighter who has been a Meigs County Sheriffs Deputy since 1953. At the young age 91, Deputy Mullen told a local tv station that he still assists with special assignments and does ride alongs with deputies. He would be about 93 now and I sincerely hope that this is still the case.

My favorite line from that interview was “You die sooner, because you lose interest. You sit all day watching TV and stuff like that, I honestly think you take X amount of years off your life. I just don’t want to slow down anymore.”

These are indeed wise words. I’m a fan of staying active – turn off the tv, read a book, engage in a hobby, go for a walk, do volunteer work- do things that make you feel alive, engaged and interested in your surroundings.

Deputy Mullen, much like his car, is a classic.

In case you’re interested in hearing his interview, you can watch a video here. I stoped the deputy to ask about their cool car and had no idea the conversation would lead to an inspiring life lesson.

Veteran Laid To Rest 77 Years After Death

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A soldier came home for the last time yesterday. He received a hero’s welcome and his family found closure but it all was 77 years in the making. Private First Class Wilmer White was a young man, a 21 year old newlywed, when he was killed in action.

He was far from his Meigs County, Ohio home and bringing him back wasn’t an option at the time.

A part of the famed Merrill’s Marauders, he was killed on July 2, 1944. His remains were unidentifiable and he was temporarily buried in U.S. cemeteries in Burma and India. One set of remains, identified only as Unknown X-52 Kalaikunda, was interred in 1949 at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.

Imagine that.

A family – parents, eleven siblings, a young wife – who waited for him to come home. Most who knew him went to their graves waiting for closure, waiting for their young man to be found and buried in their southern Ohio community.

It’s unimaginable.

Forensic evidence last year finally allowed this to happen. His remains were identified, in part thanks to DNA from a living relative.

Yesterday in Pomeroy, Ohio people lined the streets to pay their respects in a swell of patriotic pride. A Girl Scout troop passed out flags, veterans came in their POW/MIA shirts and strangers stood together in the street. We all were temporarily united by our pride, respect and an odd mix of sorrow and joy as we watched the horse drawn hearse turn the corner on his final journey.

Someone wrote a beautiful obituary for PFC White, describing him as a young man who collected treasures from his adventures roaming the countryside and playing in the Shade River.

PFC White was a talented artist who could draw a realistic likeness. He was a good hunter who also enjoyed building things with wood and repurposed items.

“He was a well loved young man by all that knew him” reads the obituary.

When I heard that the public was invited to pay their respects, going seemed like the right thing to do. My feelings were a mix of sorrow for a life cut short and joy that he was going home to be buried in a cemetery on the family farm.

It’s hard to imagine the anguish felt by a family waiting for 77 years to have their loved one identified. While scientists have been busy identifying PFC White and others like him, there still remain about 6,000 World War II soldiers whose families continue to wait.

At least one family and one community can rest knowing they did their best to give their hero the long overdue welcome he deserves.

We tend to think of soldiers killed in history as names or statistics. It tends to all be very impersonal. It’s when we humanize the stories that we gain understanding of the profound loss and the magnitude of their importance. To that end. I hope you will take two minutes to read his brief life story at this link.

Pomeroy Carnegie

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Saturday found me wandering around Pomeroy for a couple of hours. I was both excited and sad to find this Carnegie Library.

It’s on Second Street, just down from the Courthouse and close to the post office, literally a stone’s throw from all the important things that go on in a county seat.

Like the Carnegie in Xenia that I showed you a couple of days ago, this one is no longer a library. The library outgrew it and built a new one out on Main Street in 1989.

Honestly, I can hardly blame them.

Pomeroy is built on the banks of the mighty Ohio River and this neighborhood feels narrow to me. On one side is the River and the other a hill. There literally was no way to add on to the historic Carnegie and it was too small for modern needs.

Opened in 1914, it’s one of the smaller and more practical Carnegies that I’ve seen in my travels. It fulfilled a real and tangible need in this Appalachian community and served that community well for 75 years.

Today it’s a law firm and seems well cared for, an observation that made my heart happy.

Today, the Meigs County Library System has multiple branches across the county and seems to work at serving the community in innovative ways. You can use your library card to borrow a hotspot for a week. They moved to a virtual program format when the pandemic hit and in-person event no longer permissible. They even are a distribution site for at-home Covid tests.

Plus, like most libraries today, they offer audio books, movies, and access to digital libraries that take readers far beyond the confines of their building’s walls.

People forget – or maybe they just don’t know – that modern libraries offer more than the tangibles than books. In Appalachian communities, they are very much a community center and a hub for free activities and learning for all. For many kids and even some adults, librarians are the first people who encourage them to read, learn and explore.

That stately Carnegie building served its purpose well for 75 years. I can’t help but be sad that change came but I’m glad to see it has a new lease on life while the library system continues to evolve and grow for future generations.