Profile: Lyle Dynda Making A Difference In Austin PA

 

Lyle Dynda

Lyle is a graduate of the Austin High School and a retired Chief Petty Officer of the United States Navy.  

He is now the Commander of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 7810 and President of the Vets Club.

Lyle was a Navy Seabee  and is a hands-on leader.

During his term the VFW has purchased an adjacent property and is undergoing a major renovation and expansion.

VFW Post 7810

VFW Post 7810 has donated thousands of dollars to local non-profit organizations.

There has been a substantial increased interest in the annual VFW Voice of Democracy Scholarship contest.

Kerry Ehrensberger, Brooke Tubbs, and Lyle on the right.

The VFW Post 7810 has won All-American Designation for two (2) consecutive years.

Commander Lyle Dynda is Keeping Austin Proud.

 

1911, The Austin Flood written by Paul Heimel

 

Friday, February 13, 2015

A Book Every Austinite Should Own: 1911 The Austin Flood by Paul W. Heimel

Paul W. Heimel

This book can be purchased by stopping by the E.O. Austin Home/Historical Society Museum, One Town Square, Main Street, Austin, Pennsylvania 16720.

Or, calling 814-647-8358.

Mailing address is: P.O. Box 412

Cost is $16.95 plus shipping.

Austin Man Is Celebrity Concert Pianist

 

Alfred Borelli - Celebrity Concert Pianist

The organ pictured above is located in the E.O. Austin Home/Historical Society Museum on Main Street, Austin, Pennsylvania.  It is believed that Mr. Borelli learned to play the organ/piano on this instrument.

Alfred Borelli.

• Born in Conrad
• Graduated from Austin High School
• U.S. Navy Veteran
• Graduate of Bucknell University
• Celebrity Concert Pianist
• Successful Cartoonist
• Author

Read about the life and times of Alfred Borelli in "East Fork Revisited: A Memoir".

On sale at the E.O. Austin Home/Historical Society for $16.00, or, orders can be placed by calling Ronnie Ebbert at 814-647-8358.  Add $5.00 for shipping and handling.

Beware of People Bearing Gifts

 

Gift Horse or Trojan Horse

Many people who spoke at the Austin Borough Council Meeting on Tuesday, February 3, 2014, recommended the borough council not to rush to a decision on accepting or rejecting the Agreement presented to the borough containing a restricted use clause prohibiting the property from being used as financial institution at no time in the future, and maybe, waiting a week or two before making a decision.

When the issue came to a vote, the following individuals voted to accept the Agreement as presented:

1. Bucky Blainier
2. Victoria Setzer
3. William Solomon
4. Jesse Valenti

Those voting against were:

1. Nathan Burgett
2. Bernard "Mike" Fowler
3. Fred "Joe" Fowler

Let's examine the following:

Austin Borough has a population of about 550 people.  There are approximately 240 water and sewer hook-ups.

The Austin Borough wrote off nearly $20,000.00 in past-due water and sewer accounts in 2013.  I don't have the figures for 2014. yet.

The Austin Borough lost about $20,000.00 operating the water and sewer plants in 2014.

By accepting this Agreement from Northwest Savings Bank, the Austin Borough lost "only about $1300.00" in water and sewer fees and property taxes annually.

A citizen who spoke at the meeting Tuesday night reminded those present that the Austin Area School District would lose also about $1500.00 yearly.

The Austin Area School District needed additional funding in the neighborhood of $230,000 to operate this school year.

That's what we lost!

Now, let's look at some of the things that we gained.

Additional heating, electrical, insurance, maintenance and landscaping expenses to name a few.  How much? This question was never asked or answered at the meeting. If it was, I missed it.

Wouldn't it have been prudent to know this before acting so hastily to accept this Agreement?

Note:

One ole fella at the meeting stated that if it was him, and we did not accept the Agreement that night, he would be there with a bulldozer the next day leveling the building.

Two people spoke emphatically about how dirty the borough office was.

The Founder and Director of the E.O. Austin Home/Historical Society Museum spoke, recommending we accept the Agreement and make a borough office out of it. The Northwest Saving's Bank employee who was present at the meeting stated the same.

Time will tell whether this  gift horse turns out to be a trojan horse.

The Five Star Museum In Austin, Pennsylvania

 

E.O. Austin Home/Historical Musuem

If you like looking at Old-Time pictures, or, historical exhibits in general, then you must come visit The E.O. Austin Home/Historical Museum on Main Street here in Austin, Pennsylvania.

I advise that you allow two (2) days for the visit.  One day to browse around the museum looking at all the Exhibits on display; and, the second day to view the hundreds of photographs the museum has on hand detailing Austin's History from the late 1800s to present.

You will be able to see Austin develop into a boomtown, becoming the largest community in Potter County.

View the aftermath of fires and two (2) major floods.  The flood of 1911 being the second worst in the history of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, second only to the one experienced by Johnstown.

And, experience the creation of the E.O. Austin Home/Historical Museum from start to finish.

Personally, I am impressed with the informational and educational tour given by Denise "The Story- Teller" Owens.  Denise is knowledgeable about various and sundry details regarding Austin and the people who made an imprint in Austin's History.  So, do yourself a favor and call before you visit to ascertain when Denise is working.

Again, there are hundreds of old photographs like the one's above at the museum.

Two Heroines Who Saved Many Lives on September 30, 1911, Austin, Pennsylvania

 

Two Heroines Who Saved Many Lives on September 30, 1911, Austin, Pennsylvania

Friday, February 13, 2015

A Book Every Austinite Should Own: 1911 The Austin Flood by Paul W. Heimel

Paul W. Heimel

This book can be purchased by stopping by the E.O. Austin Home/Historical Society Museum, One Town Square, Main Street, Austin, Pennsylvania 16720.

Or, calling 814-647-8358.

Mailing address is: P.O. Box 412

Cost is $16.95 plus shipping.

The Austin Disaster, 1911 Narrated By Willie Nelson

 

Willie Nelson Narrates The Austin Disaster, 1911

Willie Nelson, Austin, Pennsylvania

If you have visited or are familiar with the history of Austin, Pennsylvania, then you know of the 1911 Flood which destroyed the town, and, in which, 78 known people lost their lives.  One of those people was a Willie Nelson, who was a grocer and Democrat Party leader in the community.  Willie was also an outspoken critic of the unsafe manner in which the concrete dam was being built and was often referred to as The Jeremiah of Austin. Willie and his wife lost their lives in the flood.

Professor Gale Largey from Mansfield University grew up in St. Marys, Pennsylvania.  During his youth, he would ride up to Austin with his grandfather to view the dam ruins which still stand today.  When Professor Largey decided to put together a documentary on The Austin Flood, Willie Nelson, the singer from Austin, Texas, was the obvious choice to narrate the documentary.  Gale and a contingent of people from Austin, Pennsylvania, traveled to Austin, Texas, and after a number of meetings spanning a number of days, Willie agreed to do it.  The documentary is named The Austin Disaster, 1911: A Chronicle of Human Character.  A DVD of this entertaining and interesting documentary can be purchased at The Austin Dam Gift Shop, E.O. Austin Home/Historical Society, by mail calling the museum at (814)647-8358, or, at local businesses here in Austin, Pennsylvania.

Willie Nelson, Austin, Texas

Marine Kathern Nuske Authored The Dam That Could Not Break

 

The Dam That Could Not Break by Marie Kathern Nuschke

Marie Kathern Brisbois Nuschke was born August 16, 1892 in Austin, Pennsylvania, the child of Delphis and Catherine Mitchell Brisbois.  They lived on School Street for awhile and later moved to Costello Avenue.

She graduated from Austin High School.  There were three (3) in her class.  Marie attended Williamsport Commercial College and later worked for Sykes Department Store, the Louis Nuschke Hardware Store and the Bayless Pulp and Paper Company. 

She married Walter Louis Nuschke on June 14, 1920.

Marie passed away Sunday, January 1, 1967.  She had authoried "The Dam That Could Not Break, an account of the Austin flood of 1911, and several other articles in Pennsylvania History, the quarterly journal of the Pennsylvania Historical Association.

At the time of the flood she was employed in the Louis Nuschke Furniture Store on Austin's Main Street and was one of many people who climbed up the mountain path on the east end of the street where she was an eye-witness to the entire destruction of Austin.

This book is also for sale at the E.O. Austin Home/Historical Society.  Their phone number is (814)647-8358.

Dick Logue: Player, Coach, And Fan

 

Dick and Carol Logue

If you were a high school basketball fan of The Big 30, Olean NY Times Herald Circulation Area, during the mid-1960s, you knew the name Dick Logue.

Dick played for the small school located in Austin, Pennsylvania, and was a scoring machine. One year being the top scorer in The North Tier League and finishing second among The Big 30 Schools.

 During a review of newspaper articles my mom, June McCloskey and Kay Stuckey had saved for me during my time at Austin High School, I found numerous articles on our local basketball and baseball teams.

Dick Logue's name was listed in most all of these basketball articles. Below are some of  those articles:

One of the most exciting games ever played on the Austin High School Basketball court: Logue would score 29  points.

Dick would begin his long coaching career at the Austin school with the junior high boys. He would become the Boy's Varsity basketball coach for a number of years and finish his career as the girl's basketball coach.

Dick would be a mentoring force in many young peoples' lives throughout his time as a basketball coach at the Austin High School.

Today, if there is a basketball game here in Austin, it's most likely you will see Dick and his wife Carol in the stands rooting for the Austin Panthers.

The First Austin Pennsylvania High School Yearbook, 1942

 

1942 - The First Known Austin High School Yearbook