Weldon Carpenter, Unsung Hero

Weldon Carpenter

(from "Faces of Lakewood, OH" on Facebook)

Some of our older "faces" in Lakewood are secret heroes. Quiet, meek and humble, they carry within them stories that elicit awe, wonder and gratitude.

I met Weldon Carpenter while he was quietly sitting on a bench in Lakewood Park listening to the LHS Marching Band. He immediately reminded me of the Simon & Garfunkel song "Old Friends" (...can you imagine us years from today/Sharing a park bench quietly?/How terribly strange to be seventy/Old friends, memory brushes the same years...)  https://youtu.be/Ul2hSba5pOs 

Weldon recently turned 75 and proudly told me that he was the historian for 50 years of the All Ohio State Fair Band and this was his 65th year at the Fair. Probably his 2 best memories were: being the Drum major as a senior for the OSU Marching band and being a chef for Judy Garland!

Here's an article about him written by Gary Rice who is his neighbor on Northland Ave. http://lakewoodobserver.com/forum/viewtopic.php…