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Encyclopedia of Baldwin Wallace University History: Alumni - S

An Index of Historical Content and Their Sources

Schilpp, Paul A.

Citation: Marion Cole, ed., “'16 Alumnus Edits First Einstein Autobiography,” Baldwin-Wallace Alumnus 28, no. 3 (1950): p. 11.

"Albert Einstein : Philosopher- Scientist" is the title of the newest volume in the Library of Living Philosophers, created 11 years ago and still edited by Dr. Paul A. Schilpp, '16, associate professor of philosophy at Northwestern University.

Seventh volume in the Library, the Einstein autobiography is the first by the master scientist, who previous to Dr. Schilpp's request had steadfastly refused to write of his own life. The book includes Einstein's autobiography, descriptive and critical essays by his contemporaries, his formal "reply" to these essays, and a complete bibliography of his publications and writings.

Dr. Schilpp believes that the contents of the book, will, in all probability, come to be called "the scientific battle of the 20th century."

Dr. Schilpp has his master's degree from Northwestern, a B. D. from Garrett Biblical Institute and his Ph. D. from Stanford University.

Schneider, Russ

Citation: Bill Nichols, “Russ Schneider,” Baldwin-Wallace Alumnus 42, no. 6 (1967): pp. 5-6. 

Russ Schneider has had a lifelong love affair with the game of baseball, and like all true romances, they'll live happily ever after.

"I was weaned on baseball. I always thought if I couldn't make it as a player I would want to write about it," Russ recalled.

He nearly made it as a player, too. Instead, he wound up as one of the outstanding major league baseball writers in the country.

Schneider, 1955 graduate of Baldwin-Wallace College and former public relations director at his alma mater, made a brief fling into professional baseball in 194,9. His pro career began in March and ended in August as a catcher for Stroudsburg, Pa., of the Class D North Atlantic League.

Failure to hit the curves he now writes about was the primary cause for his shortened professional career.

Stroudsburg had five future major leaguers on its 1948 roster-Al Smith, Harry Simpson, Hal Naragon, Jim Lemon and Russ Schneider. The first four made it to the big leagues, as members of the Cleveland Indians, and Schneider went higher, to the press box, as the Cleveland Plain Dealer's baseball writer.

Russ spends seven days a week, seven months a year chroniclizing major league baseball in general and the Indians in particular. He is also a regular correspondent for Sporting News, the baseball weekly, and has served as president of the Cleveland chapter of the Baseball Writers of Am1erica.

The road to the "major leagues" of baseball reporting has been long and often winding for Russ.

His entrance into the newspaper field dates back to i946, Russ's senior year at Cleveland's West Technical High School.

He played football and baseball in high scpool, and during his final year, he became sports editor of the school's newspaper. Along with his scholastic sports coverage, Russ also found time to work as a copy boy at the now defunct Cleveland News.

After high school he entered the Marine Corps and was the regular catcher on the Quantico team which won the All-Navy championship in 1947-48. During his off-season he covered basketball and football for the camp newspaper. In this capacity, he once was assigr{ed to cover the Quantico- B-W basketball game at the Cleveland Arena.

Russ spent two hitches in the Marines followed by four years at B-W. He also worked with the Berea News; part time at The Plain Dealer; public relations director at B-W; Dow Chemical Co.; an advertising agency, and as public relations director of the Cleveland Barons hockey club before reaching his ultimate goal as baseball scribe.

"I still had this thing about sports in August, 1963, when I heard of the opening for baseball writer at The Plain Dealer," Russ said.

"I saw Cobbie (Gordon Cobbledick, former PD sports editor) nearly every day until December, 1963. On Dec. 17 I was asked to come down to the paper. I did, and was offered the job," he added. "I was told to go home and think about it before accepting, but I wanted to say yes, immediately. I took the advice and went home to tell my wife, Kay," he said.

Kay and Russ were married in 1950 and have three children, Eileen, Rusty, Jr., and Bryan. They reside in Parma, Ohio.

His job takes him from coast to coast and he is on the move constantly, for more than half of every year. Russ's baseball work begins in late February with the opening of spring training in Tucson, Arizona, and doesn't conclude until after the World Series in early October.

Russ, now in his fourth season on the "beat," has learned two very important requirements of his job.

"Always write the same whether you're on the road or at home. The ballplayers always find a way to read the paper regardless of where they are playing.

"When you have to write something unpleasant about a player be sure to see him the next day so he can get in his licks. Ballplayers respect you for this," the reporter said.

William E. Nichols '63 is the college sports writer for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. While at B-W he was sports editor for the B-W Night Times. Before joining the PD he was in public relations with American Greetings Corp.  

Shaw, Daniel Webster

Citation: Kieth A. Peppers, 2020.

 

Daniel Webster was born in October, 1859 in the town of Eola, Louisiana to Harriet Shaw. As a child, Daniel began attending an integrated school located on a plantation owned by John Baldwin. It would be this connection to Baldwin that would propel Shaw forward, ultimately traveling more than one-thousand miles to Berea, Ohio. Baldwin sent Daniel north to the University and preparatory school he had started to earn an education. He would go on to spend nearly a decade in Berea, going to school and eventually earning his Bachelor of Science degree in 1883. He traveled, continued his education, and became a reverend. Shaw passed away in Oberlin, Ohio at the age of 54.

Shepherd, Eugene C.

Citation: “Hollywood Beckons,” Baldwin-Wallace College News Letter 10, no. 8 (1943): p. 3.

Pfc. Eugene C. Shepherd, '42, has had an interesting career since joining the United States Army. We quote his own words:

"By a series of unbelievable circumstances and an overabundance of good fortune, I find myself of all things in the show business."

With some three hundred Air Force boys, Eugene and his violin have until recently been busy nightly, with two matinees weekly, together with a variety show on nights off at various hospitals. The wisdom of this enterprise has been evidenced in the fact that $40,000 has been raised every week by "Winged Victory" for Army Emergency Relief.

At present Twentieth Century-Fox is making a picture of the show at Hollywood. The boys are putting in a full army day when not at the studios and traveling far and wide under the government war promotion program. Eugene states, "The string quartet which manages to squeeze in a few evenings occasionally is our only real musical salvation. These events always bring back memories of the many fine festivals and concerts at B.-W. Keep up the good work—I'm looking forward to many more."

Simester, James

Citation: Kieth A. Peppers, 2020.

 

Born in Huntington, Staffordshire, England, Mr. Simester was called to preach at a young age of 16. He received a B.A. from Baldwin University in 1893, and Masters in 1901. During his academic career, he traveled to Foochow, China as a missionary in 1896. From 1896-1899, he taught at Anglo-Chinese College and was president of S.L. Baldwin School of Theology from 1904-1905. He died of Dengue Fever on October 19th, 1905 in Foochow, China.

Stahmer, Albert

Citation: Frances F. Mills, ed., “Dr. Albert Stahmer, '30, Equips Laboritories,” Baldwin-Wallace Alumnus 26, no. 3 (1947): p. 7.

Two new, well-equipped science laboratories for the biology department of Baldwin-Wallace College, which represent a part of the generous gift of Dr. Albert Stahmer, '30, have been completed during the past two years-one, the anatomy laboratory, and the other, for use of the physiology and earth sciences.

Dr. Stahmer took his pre-medical work here under the direction of Dr. Surrarrer and completed his ·medical studies for the M. D. degree at the University of Wisconsin. His professional career started and has continued in Wausau, Wis., where his father, who has two other Baldwin-Wallace sons, has been a Methodist pastor for 27 years.

Besides the supervision of the Stahmer Clinic which Dr. Stahmer owns and operates with a large staff of nurses, he has wide and diversified interests. Officially active in the local church as member of the official board and the pastoral relations committee, he is also a member of the Wisconsin ministerial pension committee, and was a delegate to this year's Jurisdictional Conference at Indianapolis. He is an Elk, a 32nd degree Mason, belongs to the Wausau Country Club and the Boy Scout Council. He is also president of the American Mineral Corporation, a ceramic industry on the West Coast, and was recently elected trustee of his alma mater, Baldwin-Wallace College.

Steiff, Ernst

Citation: Frances F. Mills, ed., “They Live On,” Baldwin-Wallace Alumnus 7, no. 4 (1928): p. 19.

Cards announcing the betrothal of Sophie Josenhans, of Giengen an der Brenz, Germany, to Ernst Steiff, were received in February. Mr. Steiff was a Baldwin-Wallace student in 1914, coming from La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Citation: Albert L. Marting, ed., “Alumni Personals,” Baldwin-Wallace Alumnus 25, no. 1 (1947): p. 12.

A letter from Mr. Ernst Steiff, 1913-1914, of the U. S. Zone, Wuerttemberg, Germany, writes of his employment there. He is a partner in a Toy Factory in Giengen. He says that his brother Richard brought out the first Teddy bear which was sent to America in 1904 and received its name on the occasion of a marriage celebration in the house of the late Theodore Roosevelt. At present their firm is one of the first, if not the first, according to Mr. Steiff's letter, to send toys to the States to help balance the large food deliveries from here. Mr. Steiff is married and has two sons and two daughters. He and his wife are active in the work of the Lutheran Church, he holding a local preacher's license, and she as choir leader.

Sumner, Allene

Citation: “B-W. Alumnae Interviews President-Elect Harding,” The Exponent, February 18, 1921, p. 4.

Allene M. Sumner's senior photo from 1918. Source: Grindstone, 1918-1919, pg.78. Click on image to enlarge.

Miss Allene M. Simmer, class of MS, after a year of newspaper work in New York City, has returned to Cleveland and is with the United Press in that city. She recently was sent by a New York newspaper syndicate to interview Mrs. Harding, wife of President- elect Warren G. Harding at Marion. Mrs. Harding being ill, the interview was impossible but Miss Sumner had a. very interesting hour with the President-elect, which interview was afterward written up for New York papers and published under her name.

Citation: Lloyd C. Wicke, ed., “Miss Allene Sumner To Teach Journalism At Baldwin-Wallace,” The Exponent, May 5, 1922, p. 1 & 4.

College Is Quite Fortunate In Adding New Member To Faculty

Baldwin-Wallace College is fortunate in having added to her faculty and instruction force in the English department Miss Allene Sumner, who will give a course in Journalism next semester.

Miss Sumner is a daughter of Baldwin-Wallace, having been graduated June 13, 1918 with an A. B. degree. Cum Laude. During some years in college she was librarian, and was chosen as White Rose orator for the Philura Gould Baldwin Memorial Service.

In 1918, Miss Sumner won the Nnst Short Story Prize. The subject of the story was "The Little White Fool."

Following her graduation, Miss Sumner continued her studies during the summer, at Columbia University where she took special work in story-telling, and short story writing. The next year was spent in Columbus in the State School for the Blind where she had charge of the reading. This work was interrupted when Miss Sumner was called home by the illness and death her father, and instead of returning to it, she again took up work toward her Master's degree, in Columbia. While at home, she did special feature reportorial work for the Cleveland News, being also Juvenile Editor and Magazine Feature writer, and during the period of her second year in Columbia University, she was connected with the United Press, doing special feature work, and writing weekly articles for

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the New York Evening Sun and the New York Evening Post, and a daily juvenile story for a newspaper syndicate.

Miss Simmer is now connected with the Cleveland Plain Dealer as Assistant Magazine Editor and daily editorial writer. Her Alma Mater is justly proud of the work which she is doing, and much interest centers in the new course in journalism which is to he introduced through Miss Simmer, the coming year.

The course to be given will include the following features: General Newspaper make-up. Departments, Special Assignments, Editorial Writing, Newspaper English; Feature Stories; Human Interest Stories, Sports, Religious Items, Club Notes, Dramatic Dep't, "Lauretta Joy,” etc.

In general, the course takes up in brief the facts, one would wish to know concerning the mechanics of making a newspaper, and the methods used in writing various kinds of articles.