Dear Readers,
As the president and immediate past president of the Minerva Park Community
Association, it is our pleasure to present an updated history of our Village
. During the Park's 50th Anniversary celebration throughout 1990, historian
Vernon Pack collected information for the two slide shows he delivered in
April and September of that significant year.
Park resident Elinor Doughty has known Pack for many years and worked with
him on various Central College (Amalthea Historical Society) projects. She
was able to enlist his talents in interviewing and digging out information
about the Park. Everything he has done has been performed gratis; that includes
several hundred slides of Minerva Park.
When the celebration concluded,it was evident there would be sufficient
new material to incorporate into a printed history. That is what we are
now presenting you in this attractive form.
Pack is a retired public school teacher who specialized in history; his
emphasis was on Ohio topics. He has done considerable research into the
history of Columbus, Westerville and Delaware, Ohio before compiling this
work.
A native of New Mexico,Pack served nearly three years in the U.S.Navy. In
the fall of 1946, he entered Otterbein College, where his major was history.
Although officially retired as a teacher for the past 13 years, he appears
to be anything but a couch potato, as he tackles one project after another.
He has written extensively about the Buckeye State with 67 articles and
one book to his credit. His history,during the Bicentennial year,of Westerville's
American Legion Post #171 was reviewed in an issue of the Ohioana Library
Association Quarterly.
At this writing,Pack is the founding editor 31 years ago of the Westerville
Historical Society, an organization he headed for four years. He is in his
35th year as historian/archivist of Westerville's American Legion post.
He is currently in his 12th year as the historian/archivist, as well as
senior weekly newsletter editor, for the Rotary Club of Westerville.
Among his favorite volunteer jobs was editing and narrating 100 programs
for the Central Ohio Radio Reading Service. His mini-index to the Westerville
Public Opinion for the years 1909-1969 has been quite helpful to researchers
in that community. It's no wonder he was tapped as the ideal person to rewrite
our community's history!
As you can tell, Pack has performed an invaluable service to the Park in
bringing our history up to date . He often remarks on what a wonderful service
was performed by the residents who published the 1976 and 1983 souvenir
booklets. Sufficient space has been provided in this booklet for him to
present considerable details about topics not previously given attention.
Thanks again, Vern, for all your time and meticulous attention.
Claudette Shannon
President
Minerva Park
Community Association
Jennifer Hochuli
Past President
Minerva Park
Community Association