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By Fred Steiner
www.BlufftonForever.com

This feature is the first in a series of famous Bluffton High School alumni. The feature will eventually be posted on the Bluffton school website.

Ivan “Ike” J. Geiger
Aug. 10, 1909 – Jan. 12, 1955

  • Bluffton High School class of 1927
  • Bluffton College class of 1932

Through his example as an educator believing that educating the “whole person” involved blending education and athletics, Ivan “Ike” J. Geiger promoted this idea with great success.

Described in the Bluffton News in the 1940s as one of the Bluffton community’s all-time athletic luminaries – excelling in sports at Bluffton High School and Bluffton College – he became the first-ever director of athletics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston, holding that post from 1947 to until his untimely death in 1955.

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By Fred Steiner
www.BlufftonForever.com

A man named Gustavus Adolphus lived in Bluffton in 1880. That’s one name he went by. He also went by the name Dr. Rosenberg.

Another Gustavus Adolphus (1594-1632) was once the King of Sweden. A college in St. Peter, Minnesota, founded in 1862, carries also his name.

One of the most peculiar stories ever published in the Bluffton News centers on our Gustavus Adolphus Rosenberg.

We refer to this story from the Nov. 11, 1880, Bluffton News. It’s rather short, but full of images and descriptions that makes us wonder if Bluffton today is a pretty dull place to live.

Placing this story in a better context, in 1880, the Bluffton population was not quite 1,500 persons. The Bluffton News was in its fourth year. The town hall was not yet built and many buildings on Main Street did not yet exist.

For the interesting story of Gustavus, click HERE.

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By Kaye Phillips
For Swiss Community Historical Society Facebook

E-mail is a commonly used form of communication, but have you heard of V-mail?

V-mail, short for 'Victory mail" was used during WWII to expedite mail service for the Armed Forces serving overseas. V-mail was put in place to reduce the space needed to transport mail and free up room to ship other valuable supplies.

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By Fred Steiner
www.BlufftonForever.com

Here's your invitation to be part of what could be the oldest continued New Year's tradition in Ohio: Singing traditional German carols composed by David Rothen, a Swiss pioneer in rural Bluffton. The event is sponsored by the Swiss Community Historical Society.

New Year's Caroling, in German and English, takes place at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 31. Carolers meet in the lobby of Maple Crest Senior Living, 700 Maple Crest Court. After rehearsal, the group will sing in the halls of Maple Crest. Music scores will be provided and first-time carolers are welcome to join.

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By Fred Steiner
www.BlufftonForever.com

Over the decades Bluffton residents lift up several memorable individuals to a sacred list known as “Bluffton characters.”  One of those special people was Lazarus “Lotzy” Basinger, (also known as Santa Claus) a familiar face in the Bluffton crowd over his 90-year life span.

These special people each developed a niche of their own calling, earning respect from the common citizen. Their traits and stories are recalled by many, although they are unknown by today’s younger and newer residents. 

To us, their contributions to what makes Bluffton such an interesting and accepting community cannot be ignored.

Lazarus was probably one of the last people in Bluffton who experience way of life of the earliest Swiss immigrants. He was raised on his father’s farm near Pandora, Riley Township, Putnam County, Ohio.

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By Fred Steiner
www.BlufftonForever.com

Blue point oysters, bisque of lobster, baked shad with piquant sauce, cheese straws, Philadelphia capon, Roman punch, cream tartlets with foam sauce…and, we’ve not yet mentioned the roasts on the menu.

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