Honoring the Legendary Farmers of the Area
2011 Swanton Corn Festival
Grand Marshalls
“The Legends of the Corn”
     This year the Swanton Corn Festival is honoring our area farmers.  Representing the farmers, as Parade Grand Marshalls, are Eugene Gombash, John Myers, Chester Sadowski, Art Schmidlin, Leo Szabo, and Clarence Zeigler.

Eugene Gombash’s family has been farming since 1915.  The Gombash family farms are in their 4th generation of farming.

John Myers, himself, has been farming since 1963.  The Myers family operates a Centennial Farm that was established in 1829.

Chester Sadowski’s family has been farming since 1918.  They are now in their 3rd generation of farming.

Art Schmidlin began farming in the 1930’s.  The Schmidlin family has been farming for 4 generations.

Leo Szabo has been farming since the 1930’s.  The Szabo family is now in their 4th generation of farming.

Clarence Zeigler is in a farming family that farmed in Swanton since the 1830’s.

     It is a great honor for the Swanton Corn Festival to have these farmers as our Parade Grand Marshalls.  Without our area farmers there could never be a Corn Festival. 

“Mrs. Sloan” was how Leona was known by several thousand high school and junior high students in three school systems in northwestern Ohio. Leona (Crockett) Sloan began her one and only career -- as a teacher at 20 years of age -- after graduating from Bowling Green State University with a double major in business education and P.E. Her first teaching position was as a business education teacher in Green Springs High School in 1938; Miss Crockett lived in a rooming house there.  After one year, she moved to Perrysburg High School, which located her a little closer to her hometown.

Leona Faye Crockett was born at home in Metamora, Ohio, to William and Clara Crockett at midnight December 31 and became the New Year’s baby of 1918. Leona was the fourth of six children and grew up both in town and on a farm just outside town there. Three of her siblings also chose the teaching profession. Older sister Eleanor taught first and second grades in the Lyons Ohio system. Older brother Almond was a high school teacher, coach and principal in several Ohio systems. Younger sister Carrie (Fisher) also chose business education and taught in Toledo. Her other sister, Celma, married another Sloan and lived in Swanton. Her younger brother Bill took over the family farm.

In 1943, Leona married Kenneth Sloan while she was teaching in Perrysburg. In order to make the commute between Swanton and Perrysburg for the remainder of that year, she had to apply for an expanded gas ration for her car because of World War II. Leona and Kenneth lived all their 50 years of married life in Swanton. Kenneth worked in various positions for the Pilliod Cabinet Company, retiring in 1980.

Leona taught part-time in Swanton Junior High, teaching both English and physical education, while starting to raise her two children, Karen (class of ’64) and Bob (class of ’68). When she decided to return to full-time teaching, she moved to the business education department at the high school.  Mrs. Sloan worked for several principals and superintendents – B.G. Runnels, Barney Radebaugh, John Syx, and John Bonam. Several long-time colleagues included Mr. Baker, Mrs. Jeska, Mrs. Sagert, Miss Brandon, Mrs. Carpenter, Mr. and Mrs. Girten. Her preps were Business Education, Shorthand, Accounting, and later Typing.  Mrs. Sloan retired in 1981 after 32 years in the Swanton Schools.

In addition to teaching, Mrs. Sloan enjoyed athletic hobbies, and played in golf and bowling leagues. She also was one of the original members of a bridge club, spanning over sixty years. The original bridge players were Celma Sloan, Leona Sloan, Lillis Carson, Ora Geer, Marie Haynes, Rachel Jones, Irene Noe, Irene Sagert, Helen Sharpe . Additional members included Jo Sloan, Minnie Gladfelter, Marge Lovejoy, and Helen Sagert.

Leona was also a long-time member of a book and study club named Questors.  Mrs. Sloan currently resides close by her daughter. Karen (Sloan) Shoup and husband Mark live in Naperville, IL. Leona’s son, Bob, lives with his wife Janis in Ft. Wayne IN. In addition to her two children, Leona has five grandsons.