Although I know the answer to this question, what year did you graduate from Bluffton High School, Alan?

1968.

You worked in Bluffton for several years. Tell us about that? 

I worked with my dad, Wayne Amstutz in the insurance business for 10 years and owned the Brass Buckle for two years.

When did you move to Dublin?

I began working in Columbus in April 1985 and the family moved in August 1985. At that time Dublin was a little larger than Bluffton.

Back in the day when painting names on the street in front of the high school was a nighttime dare, you and some classmates pulled it off. Tell us who was involved, what vehicles were involved and how you succeeded.

My dad had a CB radio in his car, so Dave Fett and I drove around town looking for the police car and radioed back to the guys painting the street whenever the cruiser was going in their direction.

The problem with the plan was that my dad's car was a 1959 Pink DeSoto. (aka the Pink Panther) I never saw another one like it and everyone in town knew who it belonged to. I can't remember everyone involved but I know Steve Sutter was, Ken Amstutz and Bob Yant. At 5 a.m. Chief Hicks pulled us over, threatened to have us take the paint off with a tooth brush. We went home. At 8 am. Sunday morning my mom came in my room, woke me up and asked if we got arrested.

I told her we got caught and sent home so she went to my sister's room and asked them if they wanted to go visit me in jail. She also made me get up and go to church.

There's a UFO incident in your past. Care to shed some lights on it?

Dave and Bob Fett, Ken and Greg Amstutz and me, built five hot air balloons from dry cleaner bags, soda straws, birthday candles and masting tape. We tied them loosely together with string, went to the college track and sent them up across town. It was quite exciting to chase them on our bicycles while people were stopping their cars and standing in the street to watch them.

Some people called the police, sheriff, highway patrol and I heard of at least one call to Wright-Patterson Air Base in Dayton. The Bluffton News covered the story and the reporter at the time called Dave and Bob's mother who said, "No, I didn't see the UFO, but my boys did."

We were very proud of our parents because they all knew we what we were doing and none of them blew our cover. Monday in school there was a lot of discussion of what the lights in the sky could have been. Gary Brown, the science teacher was sure it was just a flare on a parachute. Everyone seemed to have a different opinion of what it could have been. Except for Don Cockran and Dan Steiner.

Don cornered Dave Fett and asked him how we sent those lights across town. Dave denied doing anything but Don replied, "There were only two groups in town the could pull that off, us and you guys. We didn't do it so it had to be you guys." Well, Don, you were right.

Your wife, Sue, is a BHS grad. What year? 

1970

Tells us about your family.

Sue and I have three children, Jason 38, Gretchen 34, and Sara 31. Jason went to Cleveland Institute of Art and majored in glass and minored in metal. He worked several years outside Pittsburgh as a glass blower. Last year He got married and moved to Bailey, Colorado. He and his wife Tanya are expecting their first child in July.

Gretchen lives in Chicago with her husband, William Smith. She went to Indiana University and still can't give me a definitive answer on what a Hoosier is. Gretchen works for Linked-In. Sara lives in Denver with her husband, Tim Ryan, and their daughter Emerson (Emmy).

Sara works for Biada Health Care System and Tim owns Above and Beyond Eco-Scapes. It is a green landscape company that uses battery operated lawnmowers and recharges them with wind energy.

Sue is an RN and works at Mt. Carmel St. Ann's in Westerville. She has been there for 27 years. Last Friday, March 15, I retired. Now I am looking for a part time job. I am also working with a friend to develop a college curriculum for a class on interviewing and hoping to be able to teach.

When you tell someone you are from Bluffton, how do you describe where it is and what it is all about?

Geographically I refer to Bluffton as being in northwest Ohio between Lima and Findlay. I describe it as a small town with amenities that I never appreciated until I moved away. The downtown is viable with, if I am correct only one available store front.

Bluffton has a college, a hospital, a theatre and a swimming pool. Something I thought every little town had. I found out I was very wrong. I tell people about how a citizens' petition was put on the ballot to "raise taxes" to save the old town hall. As conservative as Bluffton may seem there is a strong progressive streak.

What kind of music are you listening to these days?

I have XM radio in my truck so I listen to the '50s, '60s, '70s channels and occasionally the French language channels from Canada.

What's the most recent movie you saw - how would you rate it?

The last movie I saw, I saw it in Bluffton with my sister, Debi, when we were in town. It was "Oz the Great and Powerful" It is not going to go down in history like the "Wizard of Oz." It was okay for entertainment, and it had good lessons in it. Or ,as we would say back it the day, "some socially redeeming value."