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About Us |
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In the summer of 1940 Dr J.L. Murphy bought a new 27-foot boat and with friends, John Gutknecht and Frank Young, decided to go to Georgian Bay. They arrived in Tobermory, Ontario, Canada, and asked another boater they met for directions around Georgian Bay. The other boater asked them to get their chart so he could show them. The Fostoria men said they had none. "How did you get up here?" he asked. They replied that they had used a road map. Because that friendly boater was from the Toledo Power Squadron, arrangements were made for the Toledo squadron to teach a boating class at Fostoria in the fall of 1940. Thirteen students passed the course. Becoming a member in those days was different. If you were invited to take the course and passed, you became a member if you wanted. Those thirteen men were more than the minimum number required for a new squadron, so a charter for the Fostoria Squadron was issued in 1941. The charter members were Walter May, Marshall Bacon, Harlan Perry, Alfred Fox, J.L. Murphy, Ellis Pessell, Ben Lentz, Lester Switzer, Duane Harold, Harry Mumma, Frank Young, and John Gutknecht. The certificate numbers were in the A10640s. Ben Lentz was elected first Commander, and the squadron was assigned to District 9 which included Toledo and Detroit. The Ensign The Squadron Ensign was designed in the late 1940s by the art department of the Gray Printing Company. The Prairie Schooner was chosen because at that time Fostoria was the only squadron not on a navigable body of water. It became known as the Prairie Squadron. Wartime Service When the United States became involved in WWII, qualified squadron members were offered the opportunity to volunteer as officers with the Amphibious Engineers. Five members of the Fostoria squadron were accepted: John Gutknecht, Ben Lentz, Walter May, Marshall Bacon and Duane Harold. The absence of these members, along with others going into the service, severely reduced the number of active members. However, because it was wartime, the charter was not pulled. The 1940s At that time, Fostoria was so small compared to Detroit, Toledo, and other squadrons in District 9, that it requested a transfer. The squadron was moved to District 7 with Sandusky, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Akron, Mansfield, Columbus, Dayton, Elyria, and Cincinnati. It was still the smallest in terms of number of members. Newsletter The "Poop Deck," the squadron newsletter, was named in 1948, and was edited (with a few interruptions) by Judson Rinebold until the late 1980s. Editors since then have been Don Kisabeth, Wayne Kirklin, Harold Anderson, and Bill Lammers. Dave Beltz is the present editor. The 1950s In 1954, Fostoria Power Squadron member Ken Champ became Chief Commander of the United States Power Squadrons. The squadron chartered a Pullman car to take several members and their wives to the Astor Hotel in New York City for Ken's installation. We believe Ken is the only Chief Commander who was never a Squadron Commander. That same year Gordon Gray was the District Commander and Judson Rinebold was the District Secretary. At that time, the squadron membership had reached an all-time high of 145. District Membership As time went by District 7 was split into Districts 7 and 24 and Fostoria became past of District 24. Then, a few years later, District 24 was split into Districts 24 and 29. Fostoria was placed in District 29 along with Fremont, Sandusky, Port Clinton, Lima, Marion, and Columbus. In the early 1990s Toledo was transferred into District 29. Squadron Achievements 1970 - 2003 In 1970, William Hullenkremer ,N, was Fostoria's third member to become District Commander. Judson Rinebold, JN, was elected to the top district position in 1974. Doug Kerr, SN, became the fifth member to be District Commander in 1989. The first woman to earn AP grade in the squadron was Carol Peters in 1982. Doug Kerr, SN, was the first member of the squadron to earn a full certificate in 1987. Matt Pfirsch and Tom Jagucki earned their full certificates the following year. When Tom Pessell, AP, was elected the 51st Commander of the Fostoria Power Squadron in 1991, was following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Ellis Pessell, AP, a charter member and the squadron's sixth commander in 1946. From 1997 to 1999 Doug Kerr, SN, served as Chair of the National Finance Committee. Then he was elected to serve as the National Treasurer from 2000 to 2003. Tina Kelsey, N, won first place in the National Teaching Aids competition in the AP category for Fostoria Power Squadron. Doris Critzer, AP, was elected to serve as the first female Commander in 2003. Also in 2003, under SEO Scott Kisabeth AP the squadron won both the Excellence in Education Award and the Prince Henry Award for District 29. 2004 Fostoria increased its membership by 25% and was one of only 34 squadrons to qualify nationally for the USPS Elite Squadron Challenge. Under SEO Doug Kerr, SN, Fostoria won the National Boating Federation & USPS Excellence in Recreational Boating Education for recruitment. Doug Kerr, SN, was awarded his 25th merit mark. Matt Pfirsch, SN, was awarded 3rd place in the National Teaching Aid Competition in the Piloting Division. Tina Kelsey became the 4th member to earn a full certificate. 2005 In 2005 with the approval of the squadron members and the national organization, our name was officially changed to the Fostoria Sail and Power Squadron. Along with the name change, the squadron bylaws were updated to conform to changes in the national bylaws. Back to the Beginning In 2005, a summer rendezvous was held at Big Tub, Tobermory, Ontario, to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the squadron's beginning. A record number of 24 people attended, including six from the Columbus Power Squadron. Some of the members again used road maps to get to Tobermory, but they were traveling by car. The members who came in boats used charts! Originally written by P/D/C Judson Rinebold JN; updated and edited by P/C Tina Kelsey SN and Webmaster Lu Ann Vandemark P. Paragraph after the image
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The
Beginning