People

World War I’s “Sweetheart of the American Expeditionary Force” was a Marion girl named Elsie Janis. A singing, cartwheeling vaudeville star, she toured France entertaining and bolstering the morale of the servicemen.  And, Janis was no flash in the pan. She had a lengthy and illustrious career as a multi-talented songwriter, actress, dancer, and singer. […]

Florence Kling Harding was a few steps ahead of the women of her time. Thanks to passage of the 19th Amendment allowing women to vote for president, Mrs. Harding proudly cast her first ballot in November 1920 – for her own husband. Born in Marion in 1860 to Amos and Louisa (Bouton) Kling, Florence was […]

Can you recall your favorite memory with Mrs. Huffman, the elementary school phys ed teacher? How about Coach Huffman, the Harding High track and field coach? Or possibly you have a favorite memory with Coach Huffman, the former Harding cheer coach? Cheryl Huffman, born and raised in Marion, attended Marion City Schools, later continuing her […]

March 1, 2019, marked 25 years since Marion native Mary Ellen Withrow was sworn in as the 40th Treasurer of the United States. She is the only person to have held the post of treasurer at all three levels of government–local, state, and national. Her career in public service began 50 years ago when she […]

In 1938, Marion entered the record books, becoming the first and only town in the United States—a record still true to this day—to boast both a U.S. President and a Miss America.  While the story of Warren G. Harding is familiar to most in the Marion area, Marilyn Meseke’s rise to the pinnacle of beauty […]

A Not So Ordinary Life Trella Hemmerly was born on November 3, 1915, to David Ray and Myrtle Ivaloo Sheneman Hemmerly in Marion, Ohio. She had one sister, Mary Louise Hemmerly Rockwell Hecker, 1919-2006. She graduated from Harding High School in 1933 where she edited the school newspaper, the Harding Herald, and was a member […]