Responding to the common complaint, "There's nothing to do," Galion's civic leaders conceived of a teen center in late 1942 and opened a Youth Center in February 1943. Initially, the Center was housed in the parish house of the Grace Episcopal Church and later moved to the Galion City Building's upper floors. The first director was Mrs. W. R. Eckstein and her assistant was Mrs. Martha Belle (Herndon) Boyd, who assumed the director's position in October 1946. An article in the Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum, dated March 2, 1963, noted "Mrs. Boyd has never missed a night in 17 years she has been director, and she has been associated with the Center in some way since its inception..." In a Galion Inquirer piece about a celebration for the Center's twentieth year, Mrs. Boyd estimated that attendance during a typical year would run about 9500 youngsters. Thus, thousands of youth between 14 and 21 in Galion in the mid 1940's through the early 1970's, Mrs. Boyd was an ever-present, positive influence in their lives.

Under Mrs. Boyd's direction, the Center proved very successful. In "Popular Center is the Model for Other Towns," Inquirer writer Catherine Rorick reported, "Citizens of other towns have looked to the Galion Center for advice in organizing." Kudos for the Center and Mrs. Boyd's came from teen members. One member said, "She.taught us to knit and tat," while another complimented her and said she even provided the cookies and sandwiches for snacks. Boyd's importance is summed up in a letter to the editor highlighting the Center's benefits. Evelyn Walker [later Evelyn McDonald] called Mrs. Boyd the "Angel in the Wings" and wrote, "Martha Boyd has become a second mother to many Youth Center members. Without her there would be no Youth Center."

While Walker noted that Mrs. Boyd's ".only reward for her work is the feeling that she has helped some teenager find entertainment and has kept them off the streets," Mrs. Boyd's efforts and the success of the Center did not go unnoticed by civic leaders in the state. Dr. Bernard Mansfield in his "Your Historical Galion" column (Reprinted on January 31, 1998.) reported, "She was appointed to the Ohio Youth Commission of Ohio and served on the Advisory Board under both Governor Rhodes and Governor Lausche." In between the terms of those two, yet another governor, Michael V. DiSalle, appointed her to serve on the board of the Youth Commission of Ohio. Mrs. Boyd was also one of two representatives from Ohio on the National Youth Council which met twice a year in Washington, D. C., during the John F. Kennedy presidency.

Locally, Boyd was also recognized for her efforts for Galion's youth. Honors and commendations came from many agencies. The Galion Booster Club commended for her "40 years of service to the youth and community of Galion." The Galion Betterment Commission recognized her efforts in 1977. And the Galion Community Center honored her with an award signed by 17 board members.

For 10th grade Chet moved to the high school and began three very successful years in the building. His athletic skills earned him a role as, in his words, "cannon fodder" for the 1951 football team, which was ranked among the top 10 in the state. Later that year he earned a spot as the starting first baseman on the team that played in the state championship game against Cincinnati Elder. A friend and teammate was Harold "Tubby" Garverick, HOF Class of "55. Foraker and Garverick again joined forces at Bluffton College (now University). Blosser encouraged Foraker's decision to attend Bluffton and then recruited Chet to come back to Galion to teach and coach.

Following graduation from Bluffton, Foraker did return to Galion and taught with and coached under Bill Durtschi, another of his Galion influences. In 1959 he moved to Bucyrus and in his third season led the Redmen to an NOL Co-championship. He then moved on to Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, TN, where his basketball team won a conference championship and he earned a "Coach of the Year" award. He then became a founding member of Mt. Vernon Nazarene University in Mt. Vernon, and started its athletic program. He is a member of the MVNU Hall of Fame and was honored at the school's 50th Anniversary in 2019. He left coaching in 1972 and began a new phase of his life, going into the textbook publishing business. He spent the next 35 years as a sales rep and in sales management, ending his career as the National Sales Manager for SRA Division of McGraw-Hill. During his time there he won several sales and management awards.

Once a teacher/coach, always a teacher/coach. And that is true of Foraker. In retirement Foraker learned of the Team Focus program, started by Crestline native Mike Gottfried. After meeting with Gottfried, Foraker and his wife established the Dallas Fort Worth chapter to mentor 10 to 17 year old young men who had no male role models in their lives. Foraker then returned to coaching, volunteering at small universities and at Jarrell High School in the Georgetown area north of Austin, TX.

Foraker has said that his "family's move to Galion was divinely directed.. .The people of Galion and the positive events I experienced allowed and precipitated the events of my adult life." He added that his life has ".gone full circle all because of God's plan for my life in being connected to the All-American city of Galion, Ohio."

His work took Bosler to nuclear sites around the world, including sobering stops at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island. After leaving Los Alamos in 2001, Bosler returned to Vienna and continued his career at a Unit Head at IAEA until late in 2005. In 2005, the IAEA, under the leadership of Secretary General Mohamed ElBaradei, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for "their efforts to prevent nuclear energy from being used for military purposes and to ensure that nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is used in the safest possible way." Each member of the IAEA staff was awarded a certificate commemorating their contribution to the Nobel effort.

The recipient of a 2016 Naismith Meritorious Service Award from the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA), Mr. Ness spent of thirty years in education at Mentor High School, New Albany High School and The Wellington School in Columbus. During that time Ness was teacher (English/Reading), coach (football and basketball), athletic director and school administrator. He managed sectional/district and regional basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, track and soccer tournament events sponsored by the OHSAA. In his officiating career he worked state playoff games for 17 years and officiated 5 state championship games. Beyond his educational career, Ness worked in various capacities in customer relations at the OSU Schottenstein Center and the OSU Stadium. From 2011 to 2013 he served as an Independent Administrator for the OHSAA, helping schools deal with compliance issues. Ness is the past Commissioner of the Mid-State League and Lake Erie League. In addition to his Naismith Award, Ness has been recognized by the Mentor Schools with an Outstanding MMDedicated Service to Central District Athletes, and the Central District Basketball Officials for Meritorious Service.

But who is Max Ness beyond his career in academia and athletics? He was born in Galion and attended Galion Schools. A gifted athlete Ness lettered 3 times in football, basketball and baseball. In addition to his athletic prowess, he sang in the choir, was a member of the Varsity G Club and chaired the prom committee as a junior. Following high school he went to Murray State in Murray, KY, and earned Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degrees.

Ness has been married over 50 years to his wife Sharon. Their son Greg and his wife Kris have two children - Parker and Addison. Ness describes himself as an "avid grandparent, an avid golfer (He has been a ranger at both Muirfield and New Albany golf courses.), an avid reader, and a home landscaper/gardener." Of those, he is proudest of his grandchildren, Parker who is a junior at Hilliard Davidson and Addy a 7th grader at Hillard Weaver Middle School, noting that both are straight A students. As a result of the children's hearing problems, Ness became a member of the Auditory Oral Children's Center Board in Dublin, OH. Other community involvements serving as a past member of Homestead at the Preserve Condo Association and being the Liaison between the builder and the residents and being a past member of the Board of Trustees of the New Albany United Methodist Church and coordinator of the remodeling of the parsonage. In Mentor he was a volunteer administrator of the Youth Baseball program for 8 years, Principal of the Mentor HS summer school for 16 years, and the Coordinator of the Mentor HS graduation program at off-site locations for 22 years.

Nominator Harold "Tubby" Garverick said that Max "^really starred as a teacher, principal, school administrator and athletic director" and called him a "great contributor to his school, community activities and in the business world." A quick review of Max's accomplishments confirms Garverick's opinion.

According to Deb Jeffers, who nominated her, "Mary Court has a special talent for telling stories to children at the Galion Public Library, which she did for over 20 years as the Children's Librarian." Galion Inquirer staff writer Rebecca Feustel in an article published upon Court's retirement confirmed this and said Court ".. .does not just read the story, she makes it come alive."

A 1962 Galion graduate, Court was the editor of the high school yearbook and student newspaper as well as president of the GAA and a member of the choir. Following her high school graduation Court attended Bluffton College (now University) and graduated in 1966 with a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education. After graduation she and her husband Doug moved to Pennsylvania and then settled in New Philadelphia where she taught third grade. In 1979 she replaced Diane Manning as the Children's Librarian at the Galion Public Library.

Jeffers reported that Court's ".true passion was passing her love of reading and history onto children." Her visits to the elementary schools were extremely popular with teachers registering their classes for her visits as soon as her visitation dates were announced. Feustel called these visits "special times for children" and noted that Court "watched the children grow and even read to second generations of children." Court made such an impression on the children of Galion that two senior classes invited her to be their commencement speaker at graduation.

Beyond her career as a Children's Librarian, Court was active in the community, having served as President of the Galion Historical Society and holding several positions at the First United Church of Christ in Galion. Among those positions are Sunday School Teacher and Superintendent, Elder, Chair of the Mission Committee and President of the Women's Guild. Outside of her Galion church roles, Court was a member of the NW Council of the United Church of Christ and served on the Association's Cabinet. She also served as the moderator for the annual meetings of the regional UCC council.

Occasionally people become so well known that they are referred to by just one name: Cher, Madonna, Tiger, Babe all come to mind. In Galion that name is Lupe.

Born to Lupe and Jeanette Campo, Lupe's connection to the Galion schools started at the age of 7 when he entered third grade at North Elementary, after attending St. Joseph's Catholic school for first and second grades. In the approximately 60 years since then, Campo has progressed from student to employee to volunteer to the "one-named" icon he has become!

As a junior and senior Campo worked under Leo Jobe; graduating on June 3, he became a full-time employee on June 4 and spent 30 years as a high school custodian, retiring in 2003 after 16 years as the Head Custodian. According to Mr. George Guins who nominated Campo, Lupe "... did whatever was needed to make the school run smoothly." Doing "what was needed" included becoming one of Galion's first crossing guards, assisting Galion students to cross Portland Way North on their way to the new school complex while making the students and parents feel safe. Beyond his employment at the schools, Lupe has been an active member of the Galion Boosters and has served as the manager of the concession stands at football and basketball games for many years.

Lupe has also been a presence in Galion in a variety of ways, including chairing the Galion Moose's annual Octoberfest for 5 years. Currently the manager of Galion St. Joseph's Activity Center, Lupe has given back and continues to serve the community (and school) through his work as an official. Trained at Williamsport as a Little League umpire, Campo went on to earn licensure in baseball, softball and volleyball. He has umpired baseball for 25 years; softball, 31; and volleyball, 29 at all levels from little league to high school. While officiating at younger levels, he often "mentors" the players by stopping the action briefly to explain to a player what was done incorrectly. His commitment to integrity and fair play has earned him assignments to numerous sectional and regional softball games, a state semifinal game at the D I level and a state final for a D II contest.

Married for 43 years Lupe and his wife Cindy are the proud parents of four - Jason, Scott, Brittany and Shawn and even prouder grandparents of John, Liam, Faith and Grace. (Cindy can often be found working the concession stand with Lupe.)

In his nomination form, Guins said "Lupe Campo is ‘Mr. Galion High School.'" A review of Lupe's life and his involvement in the Galion schools and community support Guins' assessment.