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Orlando Bapst - Class of 2009

Orlando Bapst was born April 5, 1922 the son of  Phillip William and Margaret Ophellia Offenbaker Bapst.  Orlando grew up in a family of fifteen children, attended the local primary school, and graduated from Beaver High School in 1941.  One year after America entered World War Two, Orlando answered his county’s call.  On October 26, 1942 he enlisted into the United States Army at the Waverly Court House.  He would be assigned to Company C of the 331st Infantry 83rd Division.  In July of 1944 Orlando would become a part of the largest single day amphibious invasion in the history of the world.  Leading elements his Division landed at Omaha Beach on June 19th after lying offshore in rough channel weather for almost a week.   The Division assembled in the vicinity of Bricqueville, Normandy and then moved west, where elements of the 101st Airborne were relieved on  June 26th.  This sector was heavily defended by crack Nazi SS, Panzer and paratroops.  The initial offensive of the 83rd was launched July 4th and the final objective, the high ground in the vicinity of Periers, was reached a few weeks later.  The Germans had four years to prepare defenses against a possible invasion and employed every known defense to stop the American advance.  Hedgerows were zeroed in by enemy artillery, paths of machine gun cross-fire were set up and entrenchments were constructed not only behind but also under the hedgerows.  Connecting trenches gave the enemy escape routes when their positions were overrun by the doughboys.  During this campaign, the 17th SS Panzer Grenadier Division was given a decisive beating by the 83rd.  When the Normandy breakthrough came on July 25, the 83rd smashed remnants of enemy resistance.  It was during the fighting at St. Lo that Orlando was killed in action.  He was buried in France and awarded the Purple Heart.  His body was returned to Beaver five years later and buried in Beaver Union Cemetery on August 28, 1949.

Thomas Jefferson Sizemore was born in Scioto County OH on December 18, 1940 the son of Arnold and Perlina English Sizemore. Tom grew up in the community of Stockdale and graduated from Stockdale High School in  the class of 1958.   Shortly after graduating from Stockdale High he enlisted into the United Sates Army.  During this enlistment he served one year in Korea.  Tom was honorably discharged in December of 1961.  He would again answer his country’s call in 1967 when he re-enlisted into the Army.  He was assigned to Company A 2nd Infantry 1st Division and was deployed to Vietnam in May of 1968.  Tom had attained the rank of Staff Sergeant when he was severely wounded in action by multi-fragment fire on June 6, 1969.  He was transferred to an Army hospital in Okinawa, Japan where he died of his wounds on July 7, 1969.  His body was returned to Ohio where he was laid to rest in Memorial Burial park in Scioto County.

James William Kuntzman was born February 19, 1924 near Beaver the son of Henry W. and Edith Bobst Kuntzman.  He grew up in the Beaver community and attended the local school.  While still a teenager, James entered the military as many youth before him as the nation was embroiled in the Second World War.  He enlisted in the United Sates Army in March of 1943 at Waverly OH.  He was assigned to Company A of the 63rd Engineering Battalion.  Just four months after his enlistment James was stationed at Fort Lewis WA.  James was aboard a raft, heavily loaded with equipment including a jeep and guns, when the raft capsized while crossing American Lake. James, along with two others, drowned.  James had attained the rank of Private First Class when he was killed on July 21, 1943.  His body was returned to Beaver where he was laid to rest in Beaver Union Cemetery.

Jerry Lee Bobst was born October 16, 1938 in Beaver OH.  He was one of eleven children born to Ezra Damon and Gladys Schrader Bobst.  Jerry graduated from Beaver High School in 1957 where he was a proud member of various sports teams.   After graduating he enlisted into the United States Army where he served as a medic at Fort Meade MD as well as Germany.   After an honorable discharge in 1959 he returned to Beaver to work in the family business, Bobst Hardware.  In 1962 Jerry married Charlotte Wallete, of Piketon, and made their home in Beaver. Jerry and Charlotte are the parents of two daughters, Tammy and Kelly.  In 1968 Jerry purchased Wellston Hardware and began to slowly build his own business.  In 1977, Jerry and Charlotte opened the Beaver General Store which they operated for several years.  In 1988, he opened Jerry’s Do-It Center in Wellston which currently employs twenty-five people.  Recently, Jerry saw the realization of his dream of bringing a hardware back to Beaver by helping Kenny Bobst open the Beaver Valley Hardware in 2007.  Through the years Jerry has been the supporter of various functions in Beaver and Wellston. Since its inception, he has donated time, goods, and money to the Beaver Oktoberfest.  He purchased and later donated the home of Harvey Wells, the founder of Wellston, to be restored as an historical building for Wellston.  Jerry has been a member of the Beaver Valley Historical Society since its beginning.   Jerry was a member of the Beaver Village Council for several years and was Mayor of Beaver in 1982.  He also served as an emergency medical technician for Beaver Emergency Squad #3.  In 1994, Jerry was honored as the Beaver Citizen of the Year by the Beaver Oktoberfest.   Jerry semi-retired in 1996, but continues to be active in his various business and community pursuits.  He is proud to be a life long resident of the Village of Beaver.  He enjoys the time spent with his daughters and his three grandchildren.

John William Chandler was born February 23, 1929 in Beaver OH the son of John Henry and Nora Hayes Chandler.  John received his public education in the same community in which he was born and graduated from Beaver High School in 1947.   While at Beaver High he was Vice President of his Senior Class and played all four years on the basketball team which won the Pike County Tournament his last two years.  After graduation John, along with his four brothers, founded Chandler’s Plywood Products, Inc.  Chandler’s was one of the pioneers in the mass production of quality, custom cabinetry.   Headquartered in Huntington WV, it employed dozens of people throughout the tri-state region and still thrives to this day.   John Chandler served the company for sixty years as owner, Past President and Past Chairman of the Board.  In addition to his career John has been active in numerous organizations and civic programs.  In 1969 he was invested Knight Commander of the Court of Honor Scottish Rite Bodies.  In 1975 he was coroneted an Inspector General Honorary Masonic Thirty-Third Degree in Washington DC.  He has a DeMolay of Honor Degree, DeMolay Guild of the Leather Apron Degree, and Order of Rainbow for Girls Grand Cross of Color.  He is Past Potentate of Beni Kedem Shrine Temple.  He devoted his efforts to help crippled children gain admission into Shriner’s Hospitals.  He is a Past Master of Mason Lodge #32, the Past Director Shriner Jesters, Director Emeritus WV DeMolay Foundation, Inc., Past President of Little League #1, Past Director of Cammack Children’s Center, Past President Boys DeMolay Camp, and Past Director of the National Kitchen and Bath Association.  One of John’s passions is restoring and collecting antique cars, especially the rare Chandler model.  He owns three Chandlers, one of which won a National First Place award from the Antique Auto Club of America. He is a Past President of the Huntington Antique Car Club.  John fosters his interest in history through his memberships with the Wayne County WV Genealogical Society and the Beaver Valley Historical Society.  On May 4, 1947 he married his high school classmate, Cuza Phipps.  The Chandlers make their home in Huntington WV and have three children and four grandchildren.   Their children are Linda, David, and Karen.  John is a member of Oak Springs Baptist Church.

Eli Halterman was born April 28, 1843 in Jackson County OH the son of Levi and Lena Dykes Halterman.  He received a common school education in the local one room schools.  As a teenager he answered President Lincoln’s call and volunteered for military service as the country entered the Civil War.  Eli enlisted into Company F of the 53rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry on October 28, 1861.  He served a total of four years in the service and participated in several of the war’s most important battles.  He fought in the battles of Shiloh, the Siege of Vicksburg, and Sherman’s March to the Sea.  Eli was wounded in the foot at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain.  When he was discharged from active service on August 11, 1865 he had attained the rank of Corporal.  He would remain active in local veteran’s groups including the Grand Army of the Republic.  After the war he returned to the Beaver Valley to make his home.  He married Mary Elizabeth Albin on November 12, 1865 in Pike County.  To this union were born ten children, nine of whom grew to adulthood.  In his early adulthood Eli taught school in one of the local one room school houses.  On April 25, 1898 he was appointed postmaster of the Beaver Post Office a position he held for some sixteen years.  He also served as a notary and operated one of the early telephone exchanges in the community.  When the Village of Beaver incorporated in 1900 Eli was active in local politics.  He served as a member of the Board of Health, Justice of the Peace, and Treasurer.  Eli Halterman passed away August 1, 1917 at the age of 74 in Portsmouth OH after a short illness.  When he was laid to rest on August 3, 1917 his remains were transported in Beaver’s first motorized funeral procession.  He was laid to rest in Beaver Union Cemetery.

Margaret Butcher was born in Jackson County OH about 1878 the daughter of John Wesley and Mary Elizabeth Kaufman Butcher.  She was one of six daughters, several of whom would become school teachers.  Margaret’s family moved to the Beaver area when she was but a little girl.  She attended the local graded school as well as the early version of high school.   She continued her education by becoming one of the first college graduates from the Beaver area when she received her Bachelor’s degree from Ohio University.  She earned her Master’s Degree from the University of Chicago.  She would later enhance her education through additional course work at Columbia University in New York.  Margaret was assigned her first teaching position at the age of sixteen.  Her first class of students were only a few years younger than she and attended one of the several one room schools in the valley.  Eventually she would obtain a position at the larger school in Beaver.  There, she would influence the lives of generations of area youth.  Her tenure in Beaver began in the old two story wood structure.  In 1924 she was on staff when the new brick building was completed.  When she retired she had accumulated nearly fifty years of teaching service.  In her youth she attended the German Reformed Sunday School and church.  Later in life she united with the Beaver Methodist Church and Sunday School where she taught and supervised the primary department.  She was a founder of the Beaver High School Alumni Association and held the position of president for many years.    She was a member of the county, state, and national educational associations.  She was a member of the Band Boosters.  She shared every sorrow and every happiness of the multitude of boys and girls who eagerly flocked about her.  She never forgot a boy or a girl.  She never lost interest in those she loved.   After retirement Margaret tended the family farm south of Beaver.   Margaret passed away at the family home on March 31, 1950.  She never married or had children of her own, but hundreds of children were impacted by her life.  She was laid to rest in Beaver Union Cemetery.

Reva Mae Sagraves Bailey was born July 15, 1929 in Beaver OH the daughter of Jacob A. and Bertha Mae Keppler Rapp. She grew up in the Beaver community and graduated from Beaver High School in 1947.  Reva has held several occupations.   Among  her earliest jobs she worked in the family business, Rapp’s Grocery which was located on Ohio Avenue in Beaver.   Included in her duties was the delivering of groceries to the town’s elderly residents, a job she very much enjoyed.  At an early age she also worked at Border’s Restaurant serving the local fans at the conclusion of BHS basketball games.  For many years she was employed at Buckeye Mart in Jackson, and eventually retired from Martin Marietta Inc. where she  worked in the Piketon plant’s fire department.  Reva cares deeply for her hometown and throughout her life has been active in many of its organizations and events.  She has been an integral member of the Beaver High School Alumni Association of which she served as secretary for many years.  She is a faithful member of Emmanuel United Methodist Church where she has served on various committees and is an active member of the United Methodist Women.  She has been a member of the Beaver Homemakers, the Beaver Elementary Parent Teacher Organization, and a 4-H advisor.  Reva was a founding member of the Pike County Emergency Medical Service and served on Beaver Squad #3 as an emergency medical technician.  She was also a founding member of the Beaver Oktoberfest.  Reva has been an avid baker all of her life and has won numerous baking contests including one sponsored by WSAZ Television 3.  For many years she was a community reporter for the county newspaper sharing news about Beaver.  Reva married Dorse Sagraves on July 23, 1949.  They raised two daughters, Teryl and Rebecca.  She also has four grandchildren.  Their marriage would be celebrated for more than forty years before Dorse’s death in 1991.  Reva would again marry, the second time to James Bailey on July 19, 1992, who also preceded her in death in 2009.

Raymond Fout Jr. Was born in the community of Dove OH on June 9, 1930 the son of Raymond and Golda Rhea Fout.  He grew up in the Beaver community, attended the local school, and graduated from Beaver High School in 1948.  On October 16, 1963 he was united in marriage with Berneta “Minnie” Smith.  He was the father of three children, Robert, Jonathan and Vanessa.  Raymond, better known as “Shorty” by his friends and neighbors, was proud to be a lifelong farmer and Dekalb Seed Corn dealer.  He was also a long time school bus driver for Eastern Local Schools having accumulated twenty years of service.  He was active in numerous agricultural organizations including the Pike County Farm Bureau, the National Farmer’s Union, and Scioto Grange No. 1234.  His agricultural interest also included being a long time supporter and member of the Pike County Fair Board.  Raymond also served his community through numerous elected offices and positions.  He served as a Trustee for Marion Township for 23 years.  He served on the Beaver Union Cemetery Board for 18 years.  He was a Marion Township Committeeman, elected to the Pike County Joint Vocational School Board, appointed to the Pike County Health Department Board, and served on the Juvenile Detention Board.  He was elected to three terms as a Pike County Commissioner where he accomplished numerous projects to benefit the citizens of the Beaver Valley.   Other organizations in which he supported or serve included the Pike County ASC Board, the Young Democrat’s Club, the County Commissioner Association, the Pike County Community Action Board, and the Beaver Valley Historical Society.  Raymond has been recognized by numerous organizations for his community service.  He was elected to the Democratic Hall of Fame, was honored as the Beaver Oktoberfest Citizen of the Year, and served as Grand Marshall for the Waverly Jingle Bell Parade.   Raymond attended Faith United Methodist Church.  Raymond “Shorty” Fout passed away May 25, 2003 in Columbus OH and was laid to eternal rest in Beaver Union Cemetery.

Frank Walton Pyle was born August 21, 1883 in the Sargents community of Pike County, the son of John Frank and Matilda Cutlip Pyle.  Walton attended the local graded school and when reaching adulthood joined his father in the general merchandise business.  In 1907 he and his father opened a store on Main Street in Beaver.  The new firm was known as J.F. Pyle and Son.  They carried dry goods, notions, ready made clothing, hats, men's furnishing, goods, Queensware, hardware, paints, oils, patent medicines, groceries, flour, provisions, farm supplies, wagons, gasoline, engines, etc.  "Shoes and Rubber Goods were a Specialty."  In 1905 Walton married Jane Violet and the couple would raise four sons: Clayton, John, Rodney, and Joseph.  Walton was a long time member of the Beaver Methodist Church.  He was an active leader in the Beaver community having served a number of years on the village council.  He served on council when the village obtained its first electrical service.  He also actively supported improvements to the local fire department.  Their store even housed the village’ s early fire fighting equipment.  Walton passed away in Beaver at the age of 76 on August 16, 1960.  He was laid to rest in Mound Cemetery near Piketon.  He is survived by numerous grandchildren.

Kenneth Thompson was born April 5, 1936 in Stockdale OH the son of William Jennings Bryan and Ruby Lillian Streitenberger Thompson.  He grew up in the same community in which he was born and graduated from Stockdale High School in 1954.  While at Stockdale he participated in numerous activities, but was best known as a productive member of the Bulldog basketball team.  Upon completing high school Kenny continued his education by enrolling in Morehead State University in Morehead KY.  In addition to his academic pursuits Kenny was active in numerous athletic teams at Morehead.   He started for the basketball team, was a member of the cross country team, and also the track team where he achieved an Ohio Valley Conference High Jump Record in 1958.  In 1957 & 1958 he was selected as Most Versatile Male Student on the Morehead campus.  Kenny graduated in 1958 with a bachelor’s degree.  Shortly after graduating he was hired by the Western Local Schools in Pike County where he taught biology, physical education, and coached.  Three years later he moved to Parker Elementary School to serve as principal.  In 1962 Kenny received his Master’s Degree from Morehead State.  In 1963 he became the Superintendent of Western Local Schools.  Three years later he joined the Ohio Department of Education where he served two years in the division of school finance.  He then served four years as Superintendent of the New Boston Schools.  In 1972 he became Superintendent of Pike County Schools and held that position until his retirement in 1988.   During this time he completed post graduate work at The Ohio State University, the University of Cincinnati, and Miami University.  In 1975 he represented the United States Association of Public School Administrators at conferences in the Soviet Union, Armenia, and Switzerland.  Kenny has served on the Pike County Chamber of Commerce, the Pike County Retired Teacher’s Association, and is a member of the Beaver Valley Historical Society.    He was among the first Board of Trustees for the then new Shawnee State University serving from 1985 to 1988.  Kenny married Joyce Irene Weddington on November 15, 1952.  The couple have four children: Pam, Ed, Chuck, Tom, and several grandchildren.

James Erskin Crabtree was born in the Stockdale community on September 3, 1894 the son of  Bertie Alma and Florence Viola Bennett Crabtree.  James was educated in the local graded school prior to joining the United States Navy.  He entered the service on June 14, 1917 in Portsmouth OH.  He received his initial training at the Naval Training Station in Newport RI.   Upon completion of his initial training he was stationed in Boston MA.  In 1918 Fireman Second Class Crabtree was assigned to the USS Mount Vernon.  In September of 1918 James was in the midst of his eighth trip across the Atlantic.  His voyages consisted mostly of transporting troops as the Mount Vernon was a captured German cruise liner, modified to carry American soldiers.  On September 5 the Mount Vernon was on its way back to the United States after delivering troops to the European war zone.  While underway in a convoy some 200 miles west of France, the crew spotted a periscope and opened fire.  At the same time German submarine U-82 launched a torpedo.  Though she attempted to evade, Mount Vernon was hit amidships. The resulting explosion blew a large hole in her side, putting half the boilers out of action. Thirty-six of the crew were killed and another thirteen injured.  As the sea began to rush into its hull, the Mount Vernon’s captain was forced to close the hatches to the damaged compartments.  James Crabtree, was caught behind one of those hatches, and drowned as efforts were made to save the ship.  James Erskin Crabtree was 24 years old when killed on September 5, 1918.  He was the first Pike Countian killed in combat in World War One.  The Secretary of the Navy commended the crew of the Mount Vernon for her sacrifice during the attack.  James’ body was returned to Stockdale where he was buried in Scioto Cemetery in Marion Township.