By Nancy Bowman

Each fall, the Dave Lightle Invitational cross country meet shines light on a sport the Tippecanoe High School graduate promoted and loved.

Lightle, who died in 2016, ran all four years at the high school and at Dartmouth College and continued running throughout his life.

His family created the Cross Country at Tippecanoe Fund in memory of Dave Lightle fund at the Tipp City Foundation to support Tipp City cross country and bring awareness to the sport, Dave’s brother Mike Lightle said.

“It is our hope that the fund we created will support Tipp City cross country and bring awareness to the sport, as both meant so much to Dave. We also hope to honor Dave and his accomplishments on and off the racecourse,” he said. “As many family members as possible attend the Dave Lightle Invitational, and for us it is a special way to remember Dave.”

Eighteen schools competed in this year’s invitational Oct. 5, said Kregg Creamer, Tippecanoe High School athletic director. The invitational is held on the first Wednesday of October.

“The Lightle Family makes a generous grant each year to help offset the expenses of the event,” Creamer said. This year’s grant of $1,550 covered costs including the automated time system, officials, Port-o-lets and awards, he said.

Running was important to Dave Lightle, his family said.

“Dave was a competitive person by nature. He loved the challenge of beating his own personal records and of competing as part of a team. He, Dave Grimm, Scott Dixon and Jeff Rawlins had a great camaraderie as teammates on the Tipp City Cross Country teams of 1972 through 1975. They constantly pushed each other to excel and excel they did,” Mike Lightle said.

Dave Lightle loved being an unofficial “coach” to the Tipp cross country teams of the ‘90s when his daughter and two nephews ran for Tipp.  He and his wife, Chen Ya, frequently invited the team to their home for pasta dinners the night before a big meet, Mike Lightle said. 

His brother was a “uniquely driven person,” he said. That drive led him, once something sparked his interest, to be driven with passion to see it through. 

“This characteristic led him to holding the world record for pogo stick jumping, starting his own international public relations firm, writing a book on geopolitics, coming close to starting an airline (an effort thwarted by bad timing, as he was attempting to get financing when September 11 brought the airline industry to a halt), and writing a movie script (he was negotiating production at the time of his death),” Mike Lightle said. “That same passion drove him to the finish line in a track or cross country race.”

By Nancy Bowman

The Tipp City Emergency Services Department has a new educational tool thanks to a grant through the Tipp City Foundation.

The Fire Safety House, also known as the “Smoke House,” was purchased with dollars from the Safety First Fund established at the foundation by the late Tipp City Fire Chief Steve Kessler.

The Smoke House was selected during a search to replace the department’s Fire Safety Trailer donated in 1999, said EMS Chief Cameron Haller.

“It was starting to show its age from wear and tear,” he said, noting the trailer also was experiencing leaks, which were becoming costly to repair.

A department member that also works at Troy’s Fire Department suggested Haller look at the inflatable safety Smoke House owned by the Troy department. “It was perfect. It is one level, is accessible by everybody. It runs off electric so we can set it up inside a (fire station) bay, if tall enough, in inclement weather,” Haller said.

As people walk through the house, it gives a verbal lesson and also has interactive elements of a question and answer system. 

The trailer required visitors to bend and crawl and at one point was only three feet in height, somewhat limiting those who could use it.

Although the prime audience for the house is students in second through fourth grades, it is suitable for all ages, Haller said.

The Smoke House is accessible by wheelchairs.

Department member Doug Trent handled the application for funding through the Tipp City Foundation. The foundation committee liked the concept and approved the funding. The budget for the project was $6,500.

The first time the Smoke House was used was at the National Night Out events at Kyle Park in early August.

The house can be loaded into the back of a truck by a couple of people and transported where needed, Haller said.  The project, Haller said, was cost effective and met Chief Kessler’s goal of safety for everyone.

The Smoke House is on hand for the upcoming Fire Prevention Month in October 

Tipp City Fire and EMS will host an open house on Oct. 16, from 1-4 p.m. at the West Main Street fire station.

This year’s Fire Prevention Month theme is “Fire Won’t Wait, Plan Your Escape.”

The month gives the department another opportunity to remind people to have a fire escape plan for their home. 

“Along with your plan, make sure everybody has working smoke detectors and to keep your door shut while you sleep,” Haller said. Having the door shut buys extra time in the middle of the night if someone is trying to wake up in response to a smoke alarm going off. 

By Bruce McKenzie 

When John and Dorie Springer started their family many years ago, neither of them realized where life would take them. It doesn’t seem so long ago that John and Dorie were both working at Kroger in St. Marys, Ohio, where John was raised, and not far from Dorie’s home in the small town of Minster. But one thing led to another, and soon the couple were living in Piqua, near where John was working in Sidney while going to school for computer programming.

As John’s career evolved, he found work with magazine publisher McCall’s as a systems analyst programmer. John and Dorie both felt it was a good idea to get closer to his job. They first looked on the south side of Dayton, but soon realized that there was another option, a community not so far away which met their needs.

That community, a small town called Tipp City, remains to this day one where the neighbor’s wave to each other, family values are consistently instilled, and the residents take pride in their community. It was these smaller things that the community offered that drew them to what they called their “new hometown.”

As fate would have it, John found himself looking for work when McCall’s closed its doors after a long run in Dayton. But he soon found his skills were in need as a project lead at NCR, traveling coast to coast to meet the needs of a booming organization.

During their time in Tipp City, John and Dorie raised four children: Tim, Joe, Mark, and Lisa.

All the children became involved in various activities throughout the years, from sports to band, and the family resided in the Roslyn subdivision for more than three decades.

But it wasn’t until after the children left home and got married that John and Dorie decided they wanted to give back to the community. With a great school system, the needy basket program, and an excellent EMS service, both John and Dorie knew what to do.

First, they spoke with their children, letting them in on their idea. Each of the children thought it was a great idea as well. However, each family member had different ideas on how best to serve the community.

But soon the family decided on “the final five.”

After meeting with representatives from the Tipp City Foundation, the John and Dorie Springer Family Fund was established in October 2020. Fully functioning since that time, the Fund supports initiatives through the Tipp City Foundation including Tipp City EMS, Tipp City Needy Baskets, the Tipp City Schools’ music and science departments, St. Jude’s Children research hospital, and the Special Wish Foundation.

Each of these institutions receive an annual grant in perpetuity, which in-turn supports so many individuals in the community.

Additionally, with their children Joe, Mark, and Lisa, along with their spouses and children, living and active in the Tipp and Troy communities (Tim and wife live in San Antonio, Texas), the John and Dorie Springer Family Fund solidifies the family’s Tipp City legacy and its promotion of hometown pride and civic responsibility. 

While Dorie passed away in 2018 and wasn’t able to see firsthand the effect of giving back to the community, her legacy lives on through this special fund.

John, who retired in 1993, enjoyed a long and successful career, being involved in many high-profile initiatives for NCR.

Since the establishment of the Fund, he has downsized to a single-story home in Tipp’s Sycamore Woods subdivision. But he hasn’t slowed down: for his 81st birthday, he took time to go indoor skydiving, and for his 82nd birthday, he enjoyed the “Indy” experience, riding in a two-seat racecar around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway racetrack at 180 miles per hour.

Reflecting on their time in Tipp City, John commented, “Since we moved to Tipp, the town has really grown, but it still has the small-town feel where you get to know your neighbors.”

He stated that his only regret is that he and Dorie didn’t set the John and Dorie Springer Family Fund earlier. However, the family believes that through the Fund, the Springers’ legacy and heritage of community appreciation is being demonstrated each and every year and would certainly have made Dorie happy.

And it is through great personal stories such as this that we are reminded of the power and importance of family, hard work, civic responsibility, and giving back.

CONTACT:  HEATHER BAILEY
(937) 667-4499

TIPP CITY, OH-

Drone Pilots coming to a School near You

Grants applications for the recent Tipp City Foundation award cycle felt like looking into a very promising crystal ball for trustees. Requests to promote literacy in the region, to purchase drone kits to spark imaginations of budding engineers, and for health information kits for every home in the community were among the standout requests.

A feeling of ingenuity could be sensed in the creative ideas up for consideration.  Though third quarter grant requests were not large in quantity they were grand in scope. Ultimately, five organizations were chosen to receive seven awards. Grants totaled $19,169.18.

The following is a list of recipients, award levels and the impact these grants will make. Any additional support that donor advisors gave through their grantmaking is included

ARTS & CULTURE

Tipp City Exempted Village Schools, $3,450.00, purchases a new xylophone for the high school band program. Awarded, in part, through the Jim & June Kyle Family Fund.

Tippecanoe Historical Society, $891.99, underscores the importance of preserving and maintaining older buildings by supporting the Century Homes project. A Century Milestone Fund iho The Lantz Family grant.

EDUCATION

Child Care Choices, $4,000.00, purchases books for the Story Lady program, volunteer educators visiting more than 32 Miami County childcare centers in the year ahead. Awarded, in part, through the Bethel Community Fund.

Tipp City Exempted Village Schools, $5,000.00, lifts learning to a new level with the purchase of drone kits for the 8^th grade STEM program. Students will learn to build, fly and repair high-performance drones. Once complete, students will learn to pilot these radio-controlled quadcopters. Engineering skills picked up from drone classes may propel students towards careers in aviation or other engineering fields. A Youth of Tipp City Fund imo Sara Drexler grant.

Tipp City Exempted Village Schools, $1,598.00, pilots a new course that blends American history and language arts. A copy of “Trouble Don’t Last” by Shelley Pearsall will be purchased for each 8^th grade student.

ENVIRONMENT

Tipp City Parks Department, $3,440.00, continues the partnership with the City to plant a tree grove in Kyle Park, which honors donors who establish endowment funds. A Lucille L. Milner Trees for Tipp Fund grant.

HEALTH & SAFETY

Tipp City Fire and Emergency Services, $789.19, speaks for a person when they can’t through Vial of Life vessels. Inside each vial will be a personal information form with health details. Vials will be kept safely inside our refrigerators for emergency professionals to find. Vials will be available throughout the community. A Safety First Fund grant.

Quarterly grant deadlines are February 15, May 15, August 15, and November 15 each year. Jim Ranft is available for your grant-related questions at 937-528-2482. Applications are available online at www.tippfoundation.org.

Since 1943, the Tipp City Foundation has awarded $2,560,988.44 through December 31, 2021.

Members of the Foundation are Heather Bailey, Richard Bender, vice president, Mary Bowman, Diana Featherstone, treasurer, Dee Gillis, Joellen Heatherly, Bruce McKenzie, Patrick Reese, Jim Ranft, president and distribution chair, Nathan Rentz, Julie Taylor, Jackie Wahl, secretary, and Bill Wendel.

The Tipp City Foundation is a component fund of The Troy Foundation. If you would like information about how to make a tax-deductible contribution or how to establish an endowment fund, please contact Heather Bailey at (937) 528-2482.

For more information visit www.tippfoundation.org or Tipp Foundation on Facebook and Instagram.

A community effort, including support from the Tipp City Foundation, has brought new life to an outdoor learning space at Broadway Elementary School.

The project included cleanup of what Principal Tina Smith described as a “not so attractive area” along with new plants, a revitalized fence and two picnic tables. It now serves as a welcoming extension of the classroom, she said.

“We are so excited to be able to have this extended learning space for both our students and staff as weather permits throughout the school year,” Smith said.

Two former Broadway Elementary School teachers - Ruth Ann White and Georgia Bayman - were among those behind this project. 

Bayman recalled the earlier garden filled with plants, many from staff members’ gardens, and how it was tended for a time by volunteers from fourth grade classes and a garden club.

Over the years, teachers retired, students moved on, changes were made in the grades housed in the building and more demands were placed on teachers’ time, Bayman said. In time, the garden fell into neglect.

As the 2021-21 school year approached, Bayman said she was approached by White about the condition of the garden and what she saw as the need for action to make it more presentable to the community.

The two women contacted Smith and Kim Hagen, Tipp City schools’ business operations coordinator. They agreed to find a contractor to clean up the area and mulch it. Fundraising was started by Bayman and White with more than $2,200 gifted by 17 donors.

Cable Brothers Landscaping Co. cleaned the area leaving trees and shrubs. Remaining funds were used to add plants to the beds. Research was done to identify the best low maintenance plants and a plan for placement.

As that work was underway, volunteers Steve Bowen, assisted by Steve Waters from Upper Room Worship Center, painted the chain link fence around the garden and donated an arbor to serve as a focal point, Bayman said.

Plants and flowers were added to the area, including some donated by Meadowview Gardens and mulch supplied by Evergreen Lawn Care. The tables were purchased by the foundation and umbrellas by the schools. Parent Chris Aselage of Promotional Spring, did the window coverings, Bayman said. 

“The garden area is once again a living space where teachers, students, parents, grandparents and caregivers can spend time,” she said.

The Tipp City Foundation purchase was through the Youth of Tipp City Fund in memory of Sara Drexler. Sara Drexler was a Tippecanoe High School graduate and Tipp City schools math teacher who passed in 2018. Grants from the fund in her memory are for education experiences that inspire youth to find joy in learning and zest for life.