Ohio Northern University celebrated homecoming last weekend. Here are three of our favorite homecoming parade photos. We hope you enjoy them also.
Phil Compton escorts ONU President and Mrs. Dan DiBiasio into his 1971 Cadillac convertible prior to the Ohio Northern University homecoming parade on Saturday morning.
Compton taught at the university from 1967 to 2002. Since retirement from ONU, he has served as pastor of Rhinehart United Methodist Church near Mt. Victory. His four-door Caddy was custom made for Nelson Rockefeller.
Everyone loves a parade, even Snickerdoodle, a 3-year-old labradoodle, owned by Harold and Susan Putt.
When not riding in the ONU Homecoming parade, Snickerdoodle might be found at the Ada Public Library during reading time for youngsters. His next library appearance will be at 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
It's not every day that a tank travels down Main Street, at least not in this part of the world. One of the popular units of the ONU homecoming parade was a mammoth M4 Sherman tank built in Lima in 1944 by General Dynamics.
The tank is usually displayed at the Allen County Museum, which now owns it. The tank has been restored and made fully operational by volunteers.
Chris Hauenstein, (pictured walking in front of the tank), a senior mechanical engineering student from Hudson, did a coop program with Husky Energy in the spring. He helped keep the tank in working order and preparing it for parades.
He was instrumental in getting the tank in the homecoming parade here. He and his Phi Gamma Delta (Fiji) brothers escorted the tank along the parade route, circled campus, then left it on display on the Tundra for the weekend.
While parked on the Tundra, those wanting to get on board were asked to make a donation to the Lima's historical museum.
Chris said there was good reaction from the parade watchers: when seeing the tank kids' eyes opened wide, retired military men and women were glad to see it, engineering students looked at how it was built.
How did it get to Ada and back to Lima? On the back of an 18-wheel semi tractor-trailer. Missed it? Go to the Allen County Museum. It's big, it's easy to spot.
(Photos and story by Monty Siekerman)
