Dr. E. A. Katterhenry

by Andrew Kay (published December 16, 1950)

Dr. E. A. Katterhenry, Former New Knoxville Resident in Valley City and Thereby Discloses Identity of The Leader’s Roving Reporter

In this article Andrew Kay takes you to Valley City, Ohio, a little New Knoxville size community just South of Cleveland, for a visit with Dr. E. A. Katterhenry a “native” of the New Knoxville community, who on October 1st became Pastor of the Evangelical and Reformed Church there.

Valley City is a town of New Knoxville proportions in some respects, but in many ways decidedly different. The easiest way to get there from St. Marys is via Medina. At Medina take State Highway 42, going North as far as Brunswick. There turn left on Highway 303 which takes you straight into Valley City. But caution! Watch your speed! And that for two reasons. Number one: the road from Medina to Brunswick, being one of the main roads into Cleveland, is diligently patrolled. Reason number two: If you drive too fast on 303 you will be through Valley City before you know that you have arrived.

Valley City, Dr. Katterhenry informs us, is a township-wide community, rather than a centralized town. Many people in the community formerly lived in Cleveland and have moved there to escape the congestion of the city. All over the community, building is going on. Folks from the city buy plots of ground ranging from one to five acres, and build on it. At this last election zoning regulations for the township were adopted. Like everywhere else, houses are in great demand. He estimated that fully half of the employed persons in the community work in Cleveland.—But let Rev. Katterhenry speak directly:—

“A most wonderful thing for us here is the County Directory. Every single highway in the county has either a name or a number. In the County Directory, issued every three years, every single resident on every single highway, is listed. That has been a life-saver for us in finding folks. If you want to know where somebody lives, all one need do is look up his name in the directory index. That will give you the page on which he is listed. On that page will be his name, the number of the highway, the names of the members of his family, his telephone number, occupation, whether he owns or rents, the names and like information regarding all his neighbors. Of course there are constant changes, but for the most part, it is wonderful.

“Speaking of occupations, the directory gives such a variety as for example the following folks, living on Highway 303, out in the open country. Utility Set-up Man, Well Driller with Ohio Pipe Company, Cleveland; Section Man, B & O R. R.; Machinist N. Y. C. R. R., Cleveland; Carrier, U. S. Govt; Mink Ranch, Dairy Farm, R. R. Mail Clerk, Carpenter, Trading Post, Freight Agent, Wire Splicer, Cleveland; Gas Well Tender, Sanitary Engineer, Accountant with Cleveland Engineering Co.; Cashier, Cleveland Union Stock Yards, etc. These are folks on Hwy 303 alone, living in the open country. In the community as a whole, every conceivable occupation is represented.

“Since here we have been calling on the folks of the congregation literally day and night. The community is buzzing with activity. Tonight, for instance, the Garden Club meets in our Church Hall, the Civic Club is meeting in the theater, and two chartered busloads of folks are going to Cleveland for the current production of the Opera Carmen. The community has all the advantages of the big city as far as access to places and events there are concerned, but without the soot, dirt, congestion and heavy traffic. Of course the community also has some of the pettiness which goes with a small community. But there are so many fine and interesting families here. One of our church families, for instance, moved here from Cleveland last December. They had lived in the city all their lives. He is a supervising principal of 31 elementary schools in Cleveland. They are lovely folks, have a son aged 10, bought a farm, live in the house and rent out the farm. They are enthusiastic over their move to Valley City and are very loyal churchgoers. Just yesterday a lady stopped at the parsonage to tell us that they wanted to make our Church their Church home, that they had just moved here from Detroit, that her husband works at the Power Glide department of Chevrolet at Cleveland, that they had attended Church here three successive Sundays, and asked if there was anything she could do to help in the Church work. (Yes, there is!) They have two sons in High School. All four sit in church together. In fact, (and this is what interests us keenly), we have already learned of more than 70 (seventy) families in this community who are without any local church connections.

“The ‘Church in the Valley’ is located right on Main Street. The Church, Church Hall, and Parsonage stand side by side, covering considerable frontage. There are large trees, much lawn, a church tennis court, parking lot and the foundation is in for an outdoor fireplace. The premises admit of fine landscaping possibilities. The Church is old, a brick structure built in 1869 (and looks it) and is very inadequate. The Church Hall is ample for meetings and for Sunday School purposes. The parsonage is comfortable. The entire property needs attention badly in both paint and repairs. The Thanksgiving Offering was for that purpose and it amounted to $423.44. The folks thought ‘It can’t happen here.’ Church was filled to the front seat. We have gotten a real thrill out of the enthusiasm and interest of the people. They tell us that the Church attendance is wonderful. When we consider the many folks whom we haven’t seen in church yet, and the others who go nowhere, we personally think it’s louse. (That’s French.) The congregational life was at a very low ebb. We felt the need of getting the Church before the community in the medium of a Parish Paper. So we personally had a 4 page issue printed by a Medina Concern which was sent to all members and those not members of any local church. In it we stated that we had faith that God would put it into the hearts of folks within the congregation to come forth and say—‘Here is the money; get that equipment.’ A man who hadn’t been going to church, but who has now been there seven Sundays straight, took this challenge to heart, contacted 10 men in the congregation, and between them they gave the money for a new duplicating machine, a typewriter, a new addressograph, paper cutter, stapler, and the necessary supplies to set up a church office. Naturally, we are deeply grateful. Last Monday we were to Cleveland. Before leaving I had to stop at a local concern. The proprietor said, ‘Pastor, the church ought to have a wire recorder. Then you could record the Services, weddings, etc., and have records made of the recordings.’ I said, ‘Yes, I know. And I have often wished for one. But,—with all the painting and repairing and renovating that needs to be done, we’ll just have to go on wishing.’ He said:—‘Since you are going to Cleveland, look over some recorders and see what kind you would like. I am going in too today. Report to me tomorrow.’ So at Cleveland I looked at a number of different kinds of Recorders. The next day I reported on the kind of machine which I felt would be most suitable. His reply—‘Good. I felt the same way about it. So I bought the exact machine about which you are speaking. It’s for the Church. Do you want it?’ Did I? We are planning to record the Christmas Midnight Service, at least in part, and so some of our Shut-Ins will be able to enjoy the service in their homes. We have 18 in the Confirmation Class to be confirmed next Palm Sunday. All are either in 8th grade or else Freshmen in High School.

“The school plays a big part in the community. Valley City High School won the County Football Championship (in its class) this year and the school trophy case is bulging with athletic trophies. They had their ‘Victory Football Dinner’ in our Church Hall just recently. I am told our local teams have been consistent winners, but they are hard losers. This last Friday night was the opening game of the Basketball Season. Our School Gym was packed. Rivalry was keen and the score zigzagged back and forth, when the whistle blew it had sagged to 45-43, with Valley City on the sagged end. Oh how that hurt! The coach is a fine man. The pupils respect and like him. He became teacher of our Young People’s Class in our Church School the first Sunday of November.

“I went hunting the first day of the season. One of our farmers has a 240 acre farm, with a mile-long strip of woods on one side of it. He had invited me to come and go hunting there and said ‘I’ll tie up some rabbits for you. And the pheasants give a concert in my cornfield almost every morning.’ So, two other men and I (I was armed with 16 gauge artillery belonging to one of our deacons) set forth. We tramped all over the farm, through the woods, through black berry patches, along ditches, through open fields, through cornfields. But never a rabbit or pheasant did we even see. At the house to report to Mr. Wolff the owner. With a merry twinkle in his 80 year old eyes he said—‘Ha! But I didn’t promise to tell you WHERE I had tied them up!’ (That’s right. He hadn’t promised that!) Not wishing to go home empty handed, I remembered the fishing bag in the trunk of my car, and so, with the farmer’s permission, got down on my hands and knees under a hickory tree, and the nuts were really plentiful. He said ‘Pick all you want. If you don’t take ’em, the squirrels will. But I think the squirrels must be about ready to sell the surplus to the government. There are so many this year.’ Well—we’ve been nutting several times and must have about a bushel of them spread out on an army cot in a storage room upstairs. We call it ‘the nut room.’

“We really appreciate the Evening Leader here and we get excellent mail service on it. As the rule we get the paper the morning AFTER it is printed. Occasionally, however, we get two in one day. The morning mail gets here at six o’clock and our usual routine includes that I get the mail while Mrs. K makes breakfast. After breakfast we scan the mail that is of immediate importance. But here is one for the book. During the big snow storm —we had 16 inches of the beautiful snow here—the Cleveland papers didn’t get through for about a week. But THE EVENING LEADER kept right on coming.”

You surely have tumbled to the fact by now that Andrew Kay is writing about himself. In any case, this will have to be the wind-up of the Andrew Kay series in the Evening Leader. Thanks, all, for your reader interest, and thanks, you folks at the Leader. You are a fine group to work with,—K. C. Homer Buss, Herb Blair and the rest of you folks there. I might say in conclusion that the idea back of the living biographies was Recognition for the Living,—like the woman who poured the contents of that Alabaster Box of precious ointment on the head of the Saviour, and of whom He said “She hath done a good work—She hath anointed me aforetime.” When I read in the paper about the death of folks like Mrs. Mary Cook and Dr. H. E. Fledderjohann of New Knoxville, Henry Vornholt of New Bremen, Lewis Settlage of R. F. D. St. Marys, Charles F. Schmehl of St. Marys, I am genuinely happy to have “anointed them aforetime.” My one regret: There are so many folks in the Reading Family of the Leader who have interesting life stories to tell, but who haven’t appeared in these biographies. Anyhow—Bye now!

Editor’s Note:  With this biography The Leader readers have become acquainted with Andrew Kay, the roving reporter of The Leader, who began writing the series about a year ago while he was living temporarily in New Knoxville. He has resumed his active ministry and so is discontinuing his work with The Leader. He carries with him the well-wishes of many of those “whom he wrote about” as well as those who “enjoyed reading about them.”