Charles J. Higbea

Charles J. Higbea was born at 228 Meekison Street, Napoleon, Ohio, on May 13, 1928. His parents are George R. Higbea and Helen L. Higbea, nee Davis.

George R. was born in Adams Township, Defiance County, in 1892 to Edward and Sena (Hartman) Higbea, being the first of two children. Helen L. Davis was born in 1900 in South Richland Township, Defiance County to George Davis and Pearl Cline. She was the first of two children. Helen attended Defiance College and taught in one room schools in Adams Township.

Charles has one brother, George E., who is the proprietor of George's Furniture. A sister born in 1926 died shortly after birth.

After graduation from Napoleon High School in May of 1946, heattended International College, Fort Wayne, Indiana, and graduated with an associate degree in accounting.

November 7, 1950, he entered the Army and served two years during the Korean Conflict. Honorable service was terminated on November 6, 1952. After military service, accounting work for various small industries was performed. In 1960, together with Jack Saneholtz, a partnership was formed to provide local business and industry with public accounting service. This partnership lasted approximately four years.

At present Charles is employed at the Automatic Feed Company as comptroller, with a total of fourteen years of service.

His public service started in 1963, serving the City of Napoleon as councilman for two terms. The year 1964 was spent as president of the West Elementary PTA. 1969 brought the office of Chef de Gare of the 40/8 society, which is a subsidiary organization of the American Legion. Then in 1970 he was elected Commander of the Bert G. Taylor Post #300, American Legion and was awarded a citation for having the most outstanding Legion Post in northwestern Ohio. When 1975 came, he and others of the American Legion formed the nucleus of the Henry County American Revolutionary BiCentennial Committee of which he is serving as chairman.

Charles and wife Shirley, nee Buck-master, were married March 11, 1956, and are the parents of four children: Raymond, Rita, Russell, and Rebecca. They reside at 5 Lakeview Drive, Napoleon, Ohio.

Submitted by Charles Higbea