125 years ago, 1895

Farmers in Youngstown were fed up with young men stealing their precious goods.

Two young men living in Youngstown’s 8th Ward were under the care of local surgeons after being shot by a group of farmers. In an effort to cover up their crime of theft, the young men claimed that the shots were from an accidental discharge of a gun. Their story, though, was not true.

Farmers owning sugar camps along Lake Shore Road through Liberty Township had recently been the victims of an annoying and financially disastrous crime. Young men had been raiding their maple trees and stealing sap by the bucketload.

Allen Wilson, one of the farm owners, warned the gang that if it did not keep away from his trees that he would be forced to take the law into his own hands. Two of Wilson’s workers caught a group stealing sap buckets and ordered them away.

They paid no attention to the order and the farm workers opened fire with shotguns, aiming low as there was no desire to kill the thieves, just to deter them.

The thieves quickly disappeared but left two of their own to fend for themselves with injuries. As they left, they threatened the farmworkers with revenge, stating that they would return the next day with more men to inflict equal injury.

The farmers quickly assembled the next day, fully prepared to give the thieves an imposing opposition, but they never came. The farmers planned to work with Lake Shore officials to arrest the marauders if the theft of maple sap continued.

75 years ago, 1945

Walter H. Paulo, general manager of The Isaly Co., was featured in The Youngstown Vindicator as his birthday neared. His mother, Emma, was the sister of William Isaly and aunt to Samuel, Henry, and Chester Isaly.

Paulo’s father, Andrew, was a jeweler, but Walter didn’t share that passion. Walter loved the dairy business as a child. In high school, he peddled milk, worked in dairy retail sales, drove a milk truck and made ice cream. After high school, Walter moved out West but in 1924 he returned to Youngstown to join his relatives in the dairy business.

He quickly became the plant superintendent and combined that work with overseeing stores. His territory covered a 75-mile radius around Youngstown.

He was appointed the company’s general manager in 1943. Outside of work, Walter enjoyed spending time on his 98-acre farm in Canfield. His work ethic was driven by a simple phrase: “Be bright, be brief, be gone.”

70 years ago, 1950

Youngstown College students were actively engaged in field work with various Mahoning Valley social agencies.

Students in sociology and physical education were able to use this work to supplement their coursework. Attorney Pauline Botty, head of the Sociology Department, arranged the off-campus trips, which gave students practical work experience with civic organizations and community service.

Sociology student June Pilgrim taught young girls to cook at the Haselton Settlement, while Cerrelda Turner, another sociology student, read to children at Christ Mission Settlement. Those Christ Mission children also enjoyed pottery classes, woodworking lessons, and art classes taught by Youngstown College students.

Physical education students taught roller skating and boxing lessons at the Struthers Community Center, along with basketball lessons at Christ Mission. Students also led swimming lessons at the West Federal Street Y and coached swimmers how to give artificial respiration as a life-saving measure.

40 years ago, 1980

Students at South Range East Elementary School prepared for Right to Read Month in a big way.

School Principal Stephen Krivan and his students wrote messages for the big sendoff, and balloons carrying those messages were released from the school’s playground. School children stood in the playground while the balloons floated away and hoped they would hear back from those lucky enough to find one.

The school’s 280 students created a Wizard of Oz theme during the month’s festivities. Each student who read the prescribed number of books for their grade earned the “Toto Award,” which gave the student a free hot dog from the Lakefront Restaurant in Columbiana.

Book progress was marked by each student placing a yellow brick in the main hallway that lead toward the Emerald City (better known as Principal Krivan’s office).

• Compiled from the archives of the Youngs-town Vindicator by Traci Manning, MVHS Curator of Education.