Page 19 - AAA Magazine – AAA Ohio Auto Club – January 2021

us to wear when on duty. We were furnished with the poles and flags to perform our duties of protecting our students as they crossed the street.
When we organized in the fall of 1943, we were to have a captain, two lieutenants and several patrollers. To my surprise, I was chosen to be the first captain for our initial year.
As the first year ended, AAA invited all of the patrols, citywide, to an annual awards program. It was a Saturday morning at the Midland Theater in downtown Newark on the Square.
When the final award was announced, we were all surprised to hear that the best patrol in the city for that year was Woodside Elementary School. We received a really nice trophy for our endeavors. We did good for first-timers. We faithfully performed our duties in the rain, snow and shine.
My family moved from Newark to Perrysburg, Ohio. One of the first things I did was to join my new school’s Safety Patrol program.
After the completion of my education by graduating from the University of Cincinnati, I became a practicing architect and later became a full professor in the College of Engineering at the University of Toledo.
Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to thank AAA for their support of the School Safety Patrol program. However, I have been a AAA member for some 62 years. Maybe that could be considered some sort of a “Thank You.”
L. Edward Kime Perrysburg, Ohio
This is a picture of the Safety Patrol from Salem Elementary School in Columbus, Ohio. I am the fourth one in from the right, second row from the bottom. I just remember how fun it was being a Patroller. You got hot chocolate when it was cold and got to wear those ponchos when it rained. Just being with your friends
is a memory I will always treasure.
Lauren Millspaugh Powell, Ohio
I joined the Arlington Park School Safety Patrol in 1957. I was in the sixth grade and it sounded important. It was all boys back then. My original post was at Mock and Rankin in Columbus. I was soon promoted to Lieutenant and took the position seriously. I was later promoted to Captain. We had a good year – accident-free. Morale and discipline were high. One of the high points of my young life was to be chosen as the recipient of the Gold Badge Award. I have done many things in my life but I still keep this award, and at 74 years of age, I still count it as important instruction in my young life.
Michael Turner Stockport, Ohio
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