The Woodward Alumni Hall of Fame Association

nicknamed  "The Mistake", at Bush and Erie . . . "lots of kids, lots of fun." Ed's neighborhood home has since been replaced by off-ramps for I-280.Ed's best friends at WHS included Curt Ransome, George Skaff, Harold Mondeville, Dick Hawkins, Chuck Mann, Jim Davis and Anise Seed. Football and basketball teammates Lou Kaczmarek, Irv Wisniewski and Jim Knierim were also special friends.

Ed met his wife of 51 years in Arnold Brown's Geometry class during their sophomore year. Romance blossomed. "Ruth was in Annie Wetterman's German class with a number of boys. The room was on the courtyard, and you could see across to the hallway. I was on hall patrol duty and was flirting with Ruth through the windows. Mrs. Wetterman caught Ruth looking when she thought Ruth should have been concentrating on her German. She grabbed a hall pass, threw it across the room to Ruth and said to her in her thick German accent, 'Here, if you love him so much, go see him.' I don't remember if Ruth took her up on the offer, but I did know that she came to love me. And from those days in 1940, until now, we have been spiritually together."

Ed was very active at Woodward, both athletically and in extra-curricular activities. He was on the Executive Committee his sophomore year. As a junior, he was Class President and Secretary of the Engineering Society. During his senior year, Ed was Sports Editor of the Saga; President of the Engineering Society; President of the Victory Corps; and Chairman of the Graduation Committee. He was on the Honor Roll for three years, in the National Honor Society, and a member of the Alchemist Society and LeCercle Francais. Ed's academic achievements were no small feat since he struggled academically in his early elementary school years. The Toledo Blade twice featured Ed in "The Merit Parade," which recognized high school students excelling in scholarship, leadership, character and service. Ed was awarded The Tattler Achievement Cup his senior year.

Ed's athletic career began in grade school, where he participated in boxing (Boy's Club champion), football, baseball and basketball. At WHS, he played tennis for two years and football and basketball for four years. He was starting quarterback his senior year.

A significant event for Ed was WHS defeating highly favored Waite in football, 6-0, in Ed's senior year. It was the first time Woodward had defeated a Toledo school in eight years. Celebrating Woodward fans broke the goal post in Waite Stadium after the game. School Superintendent, WL Bowsher, fulfilled his promise and gave WHS students a day off on the Monday following the big game. The local paper described the event with the headline, 2 Football Upsets Send Flood of Fans Downtown. Central High School had defeated DeVilbiss, 20-0. The newspaper went on to say that "hundreds of shouting, singing and boisterously happy boys and girls swept through the downtown business district last night. “The police were called in to maintain order. The students tried to form a snake dance, but the police broke them up as quickly as they formed. Other special memories were winning the district basketball tournament Ed's senior year and earning four varsity letters.

Ed's favorite teachers were "Pop" Sheline, Eulla Upp, William F. Rohr, George Rohrer, Homer Hanham and Bill Fetters. "Pop made physics interesting. He cared for his kids. He worked on college scholarships for his Saga editors. He found out about and encouraged Irv Wisniewski and I to leave school early and enlist in the Army Air Force, where we would continue with our education in college in the Pre-Meteorology course. Eula Upp was our advanced math teacher, who taught discipline and good study habits. Bill Rohr pushed his drafting students to continue on with their education, especially at Purdue. He demanded respect and discipline. Homer taught teamwork, and how to strive for excellence. "Mr. Hanham, Mr. Rohrer and Mr. Fetters were coaches. Woodward staff at the top of Ed's list were "Pop" LaRue, Principal, who was "accessible and revered" and Clyde Meek, Dean of Boys, who was tough and fair. You always knew what he expected of you."

Another favorite memory of Ed's occurred in 1942. "My future wife and I were junior class officers-she was Secretary, and I was President. At our junior prom, on Valentines Day, we led the grand march, breaking an 8 foot high ceremonial valentine . . . just as the high school football players do today before their games. That night, we triple-dated with two of my best friends and with my wife’s best friends. We partied afterwards at Bud and Luke's Restaurant. Remember, it was wartime and we were still in a depression."

Ed graduated from WHS in 1943 and immediately joined the US Army Air Force. He spent the first year at Bowdin College in their pre-meteorology program. Ed served in the Air Force for three years, during WWII, with two of those years spent in the Pacific. Ed moved on to the University of Toledo and graduated in 1949 with a Bachelor of Engineering Degree. He left Toledo when he joined Standard Oil of Ohio (now BP) as a corrosion engineer and later headed up the maintenance engineering section. His years with Standard Oil were spent in Wilmington, Cleveland, Delaware, and Dallas, Texas. After 15 years, Ed changed careers and joined Atlas Powder Company, a corporate explosives company, as projects engineer. He later joined the nitrogen products section, where he was ultimately named Manager of the Department. "I always enjoyed working with people ... workers, managers, staff, customers. In maintenance engineering at Standard Oil, we worked with rotating equipment that ran as large as 2,500 horsepower. In my time at Toledo, they built almost a whole new refinery-for its time, the most modern in the world. The last ten years of my career was also extremely rewarding. I was responsible for running a $13 million per year business within Atlas. I worked with customers in the coal fields across the country, exchange partners in the fertilizer business, plant production, and corporate staff. I essentially ran my own business. I was concerned with all aspects of profit (pricing, costs, quality), responsible for long and short range planning for the business, and I was dealing with customers. It was challenging and fun."

Ed married his high school sweetheart, Ruth Schlinder. They now live in Sun Lakes, Arizona. They have a son, Dave, and a daughter, Carol. Dave is an accountant with an insurance company. Carol is department chair, teaching the visually impaired. Each has two children, a boy and a girl. The boys are in college; the girls are in high school.

Ed's younger brother Frank also attended Woodward High School. He played on the 1944 basketball team that lost the state championship to Middletown in double overtime. Four of our Hall of Famers were on that team: John Payak, "Peanuts" Long, Jim Knierim, and Bob Harrison. Frank went on to play at Toledo University and then traveled three years with the Harlem Globe Trotters as a player, going to London, Egypt, Lebanon, and South America. Ed's sister Jean also graduated from Woodward and went on to raise a fine family.

While working, Ed spent his free time teaching Sunday school; playing league volleyball and bowling; and coaching Little League baseball. He opted for early retirement at age 62.

Ed is active in camera work and woodworking. He belongs to the Sun Lakes Camera Club and has earned "photographer of the year" and "slide of the year" awards. He enjoys taking travel pictures, developing photo essays, and, of course, recording family events. Ed has displayed his woodwork at craft shows and shops. He made their kitchen table and benches, numerous bookcases, entertainment centers, and coffee and end tables. "I favor Amish and Early American designs. Yard decorations for the various holiday seasons are also my favorites. I particularly enjoy duplicating items I see in magazines, stores, etc. I like working in pine and poplar because of their warmth, and I can give them a look of age. Camera and woodworking satisfy my artistic urge."

Ruth and Ed have always enjoyed traveling. Among their favorites: Europe, Alaska and the Northwest, and a most memorable month in Nova Scotia and the Maritime Provinces. "We are tourists at heart. For fun we have always been heavily involved in our children's school life, and our grandchildren's activities."

A petition signed by fifteen former inductees accompanied Ed's nomination to the Hall of Fame. When he was informed that he had been elected, Ed was “completely surprised and deeply moved. To join such a distinguished group is a great honor. Since notification, I have learned that Lou Kaczmarek nominated me in 1992 and has pursued my election ever since. It is rewarding to know that a friend has felt so strongly and has worked so hard these seven years for my election.” We congratulate Ed on this long awaited, but well-deserved, honor!