Canal Winchester High School
Canal was one of the longest serving agricultural training centers from 1918-1963
Canal Winchester School
For years before 1899, the building of an electric railway system was discussed. Electric traction lines were first incorporated in the area in 1899, but failed to materialize on schedule. By 1901 it finally seemed possible that the electric railway would actually happen when the Scioto Valley Traction Company began acquiring rights of way. On July 19, 1904, the first interurban cars on the Scioto Valley Traction Company lines reached Canal Winchester on a trial run. At one place on the trip between Canal Winchester and Groveport, the car registered a speed of 62 m.p.h. Once the line was fully established, the cars ran every two hours. From 1910 to 1920 was the boom time for the interurban. The Scioto Valley Traction Company brought additional modernization to the area c. 1916 when they began to sell the surplus electricity that was generated by the company to the public. The last interurban train ran through the village on September 30, 1930. The decline of the interurban was a national phenomenon, mostly due to the rising dominance of the automobile.
R. D. Kauffman 1918-1921
R.D. KAUFFMAN graduated from Purdue in 1917. He was appointed to the training center at Canal Winchester in 1918. He continued in this position for three years and then accepted a position in professional baseball. From July 1918 to January 1921.
G. G. Everhart 1921-1922
G.G. EVERHART graduated from The Ohio State University in 1921. He was the cooperating teacher at Canal Winchester High School from January 1, 1921 to July 1, 1922 before moving to Centerburg to conduct the Department of Vocational Agriculture. In 1928 he became the County Agricultural Extension Agent of Knox County. He remained in this position until his retirement in 1956.
Carlton Christian 1922-1924
CARLTON CHRISTIAN taught vocational agriculture at Canal Winchester in the training center from 1922 till 1924. He then became Editor of the Geauga Republican at Chardon. In 1928 he accepted the Editorship of Farm and Dairy Magazine, published at Salem, Ohio. In 1936 he became Executive Secretary of the Cleveland Milk Producers Association and continued there until 1943, at which time he became Editor of publications in the Agricultural Extension Service. He retired in 1960 and passed away January 29, 1969.
Robert G. McMurray 1924-1930
ROBERT G. McMURRAY was reared in Barnesville in Belmont County. He graduated from The Ohio State University, College of Agriculture in 1922. He taught two years at Vinton and in 1924 took over the training center in Canal Winchester. He continued in the position for four years. In 1930 he accepted a position at Jefferson to teach vocational agriculture and remained there until his retirement in 1964.
L. B. Fidler 1930-1937
L.B. FIDLER, a native of Knox County, had teaching experience before completing his degree in the College of Agriculture in 1925. He taught vocational agriculture at Waldo in Marion County, now a part of Ridgedale Schools, for five years. He moved to Canal Winchester to take over the training center there when Mr. McMurray left that assignment. He continued at Canal Winchester seven years, until 1937. After leaving Canal Winchester, he devoted some time to farming and to special assignments in agricultural education. Later in 1941 he became an assistant supervisor for war production training and continued until 1945. At this date he became supervisor of the Veterans Training Program in Ohio. In 1960 he was appointed assistant supervisor in charge of adult education in vocational agriculture. Here he remained until he retired in 1963. He passed away in 1967.
Ralph E. Bender 1938-1947
RALPH E. BENDER was reared in Marion County. He was one of Ohio’s first officers in the FFA on the state and national level. He graduated from The Ohio State University, College of Agriculture in 1933. He taught at Anna for four years. He took over the training center at Canal Winchester in 1938 after Mr. Fidler accepted another position. He continued at Canal Winchester until 1947 at which time he was appointed the resident staff in the Department of Agricultural Education. He became chairman in 1948, and continues in this position at the time of this account.
W. H. Layborne 1947-1948
W. H. LAYBOURNE is a native of Clark County graduated from The Ohio State University, College of Agriculture in 1939. He taught at Radnor, now a part of Elgin, for two years, at Fredericktown for three years, and at Kenton for two years. He taught at Canal Winchester in the training center in 1947-48 following Ralph Bender. In 1948, he accepted the position of Executive Secretary of The Ohio Forestry Association and worked in that capacity until 1961. At this time he changed employment to participate in the Program for the Development of Greater Cleveland.
G. S. Guiler 1948-1954
G. S. GUILER is a native of Crawford County and a graduate of The Ohio State University, College of Agriculture in 1941. He taught one year at Thornville, spent four years as a pilot in the Air Force in World War II and returned in 1946 to Anna and Fort Loramie. In 1947-48 he had the program only at Anna. In 1948-49 he took over the training center at Canal Winchester after Mr. Laybourne left and remained there for ten years. He joined the resident staff in 1958.
Earl F. Kantner 1954-1963
EARL F. KANTNER graduated from The Ohio State University, College of Agriculture in 1950. He taught two years at Ansonia. In 1952 he was at Wauseon and remained there for five years. In 1954 he took over the position in the training center at Canal Winchester and continued there until 1963. Since 1963 he has been with the State Department of Education, serving as supervisor and executive secretary of the FFA.
Darrell Parks 1963-1964
DARRELL PARKS taught two years at Rockford from 1959-61, one year at Parkway in 1961-62, and then spent one year with the Kroger Company. He took over the position at the training center at Canal Winchester in 1963. He remained there for two years and then joined the supervisory staff in agricultural education.