Another Star is Born: I'm taking this time and space to make mention of the death of a person that many persons about Vermilion most likely noticed throughout the years, but never knew too much about. His name was William Henry Thompson.

Bill is one of those people who stuggled with mental illness for a majority of his life. Those familiar with the illness schizophrenia may know how personally devastating an illness it can be. It is not often the "bizzaro" malady seen in films where someone has several different personalities. Commonly it is a delusional condition that can be controlled through the use of medications. Unfortunately it is often the case that those medz rob one of a life. It is a case where the cure, while it be better than none, is just as (or more) debilitating to the individual than the illness.

With Bill it robbed him of having any semblance of a normal life between the onset of the problem at about the age of 14 until his death last week at 60. In essence, fact, and in truth he lived the life of a lonely, lost soul for most of that time. For a time his mother and one of his older brothers looked after him. When both of them passed an older sister maintained a vigil. When she was stricken with a terrible stroke at a young age Bill was basically left to fend for himself.

Had he lived in a city he would have been homeless. As it was he looked very much the part about our town. It was not uncommon to see him walking and/or sitting downtown (Liberty and Main). His clothes were filthy. He was often unshaven, and had not taken a bath for some time. He searched for discarded cigarette butts and coins in pop machines and pay phones. That was his life. He was lost. He was harmless.

So it is no big surprise to have heard that he suffered a heart attack while walking through South Shore Shopping Center and died on the cold frozen pavement - and nobody noticed. Like a discarded pop can someone just picked him up and put him out of the way. And that's not right. Bill was a human being.

People don't know that he came from one of the most prominent families to have ever lived in Vermilion. His great-great-great grandfather, Horace, came to Vermilion and built a log cabin where the Crystal Shores Apartments are now located in 1833. He and his wife Mary (nee Nichols) later bought another parcel of land and built a house where the Great Lakes Historical Museum is today.

Bill's great-great grandfather was Miles. He was the town marshall and jail-keeper. He had had three children; Helen, Howard, and Hazen. Hazen was Bill's father. He passed away in 1953. Bill's mother, Vera, was one of the most wonderful persons I've ever had the pleasure of knowing.

My point here, in case one has missed it, is that Bill Thompson wasn't just some empty worthless bag of bones. "In our Father's House there are many mansions..."

Before And After: Never discount the ingenuity of the American business community. Where the opportunity reveals itself corporate America is on the scene. Anticipating that "Dubya's" intent to put men on Mars in the near future U.S. oil companies have already established filling stations there to fuel their Hummers on their way to WalMart.

How Cold Is It (?): This is my pink flamingo. Nice - huh? This pic was taken in my backyard last evening (1-16-04). Local televison reports listed Vermilion as having been the coldest place in Ohio during that 24 hour period. Those living in other climes should take note that at the very end of this page current weather conditions for this area are available. It lists Lorain, Ohio as the weather area because it is the closest I could get to Vermilion for such information. It stays current as the days pass.

As an aside I've got to say that some folk believe that yard ornaments of this nature are (to say the least) "tacky". But I find them to be highly amusing. In the summer I like to hide them in the shrubbery so that people are inclined to do a "double-take" when they go speeding by the house. They think they are seeing things. I note with additional amusement that my friend, Frank Homitz, possesses a similar sense of humour.

The More The Merrier: Enamoured by the Lake Shore Electric transporation system I've been reviewing pix from about the net. This particular photo was taken on the Rocky River Bridge just west of Cleveland. It was most likely early in the 20th century. The one thing I find curious about this pic is the fact that it was obviously a posed picture. There is nothing spontaneous about it. One does not stop an electric car in the middle of a bridge for a photograph. But there it is. I've had the displeasure of riding over-crowded rapid transit busses, but riding on a car like this with so many people must have been a very different experience.

But (seriously) really a nice photo.

From The Bridge: This is another pic I received some time ago from Buffalo Bill Hlavin. He (using his children's inheritance) bought it on eBay. I puzzled over the picture for weeks. I worked it through my software (Adobe Photoshop) in an attempt to identify the large white area on the left side of the photograph to no avail. It looked (to me) like a large concrete parking-lot.

I understood that the photo was taken from the rail bridge (Nickle Plate) looking to the south over the Vermilion River. I would date it as being about 1916 (because of the motor boats in the pic). There is some identifying words on the card/photo. But I found them to be meaningless as it pertained to i.d.ing the white area.

In the back of my mind I understood that I needed an non-subjective eye to understand the photo - and that's what happened.

My good friend, Al Crozier, took a close look and saw it immediately. The white area is the concrete base of the rail bridge leading down to the river. When I looked closer with the software I could see the step-like stones on the south side of the base. Using that software I delineated those steps so that in this pic one can better see what the white area is about.

I know not whether time wore the photograph or it was just a bad picture - but I can now understand what I'm looking at. One has no idea how much this picture bothered me. I had it sitting on our dining-room table so I had to look at it everyday.

It's still there.

Class Reunion Updates: Again members of the Vermilion High School Class of 1959; your class reunion will be held between October 8 and 10, 2004 here in town. Those looking for more information on the subject can now visit the Class of '59 website by clicking on the highlighted text. To my knowledge Roger Boughton is responsible for that site. Also BuffaloBill Hlavin has asked me to find and 1958 football program for him. I'll look. But I'll also ask class members tuned into this site to also look and let myself, Roger, or Bill know if you have one.

Dale Wendell, in sunny Arizona, told me that his class (VHS 1944) will also be having a reunion this summer. I believe he said that it would be held sometime in June. At the moment he seems to be looking forward to coming home this summer for this event (and others).

As I am made aware of plans for all these activities they'll appear on this web page. So stay tuned.

The Beat Goes On: The page is generated by the dreaded Macintosh Computer and is written and designed by (me) Rich Tarrant. It will change weekly ~ usually on Saturday. Bookmark the URL (Universal Resource Locater) and come back at your own leisure. Send the page to your friends (and enemies if you wish). If you have something to share with those who visit this page, pass it on. And if you see something that is in need of correction do the same. My sister, Nancy, is a great help in that respect. It only takes me a week to get things right. And follow the bookmarks. You might find something you like. If you experience a problem with them let me know. Also, if you want to see past editions of this eZine let me know and I'll send them to you.

Links to other sites on the Web

Vermilion Ohio Historic Pix
History of Linwood Park
Vermilion Community Orchestra
Vermilion Chamber of Commerce
Vermilion's Oldest Church
Vermilion Visitor's Advisory (Satire)
Gore Orphanage History
The Lester Pelton Story

"I will not sell miracle cures." ~ Bart Simpson

Vol.1, Issue 43, January 17, 2004

© 2004 Rich Tarrant