The Oberlin Heritage Center (OHC) is pleased to announce the publication of its first history comic book, Oberlin: Origins and Onward! by Bentley Boyd. This lively and entertaining book will appeal to all ages and provide an informative, broad introduction to Oberlin and its rich and diverse history. A friendly, fun-loving bear named "Yeo" steps in and out of the colorfully illustrated and humorous stories along the way. On each page a relevant question is both posed and answered, beginning with "How Did Oberlin Start Among the Trees?" and ending with "How is Oberlin Facing the 21st Century?" People, places and events from the founding of the town and college in 1833 to the present are included. Readers will encounter Charles Grandison Finney, John Mercer Langston and Lucy Stone as well as 20th century notables including Charles Mosher, Don Pease, Ellen Johnson and Frances Walker Slocum. Oberlin's proudest stories are told including the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue and the reasons why today Oberlin is both a great place to live and to visit. The Oberlin Heritage Center is delighted to introduce this book as a new way to help preserve and share Oberlin's unique heritage and showcase how one small Ohio college town has a big impact. New, longtime, and former residents as well as visitors to Oberlin will all find much to enjoy in this comic book, which also makes a great gift.
Bentley Boyd, the author and illustrator, is the creator of more than thirty history comic books in his Chester Comix series. His unique style engages readers and sparks their interest in various aspects of American history. Oberlin: Origins and Onward! has been in the making for over a year. Boyd started with an outline provided by the Oberlin Heritage Center and then worked his creative magic. Pat Murphy (OHC Executive Director), Liz Schultz (OHC Museum Education and Tour Coordinator), and Gail Wood (OHC Board Member, docent, and retired Prospect School teacher) coordinated the project and served as editors. Many volunteers assisted with research and review of several drafts.
Oberlin: Origins and Onward! will be for sale for $6.95 per copy ($6.25 for OHC members) beginning about December 20th at the Oberlin Heritage Center museum store in the Monroe House at 73 ½ S. Professor Street (behind the Conservatory Kohl Building; park at 20 W. Vine Street). It is open from 10 to 3, Tuesday through Saturday. The book can also be purchased from our online Museum Store, by downloading an order form, and at Uncommon Objects at the New Union Center for the Arts, 39 S. Main Street. The Heritage Center will give a copy of Oberlin: Origins and Onward! to each third grader from Oberlin's Prospect School when they make their annual visit to OHC's Little Red Schoolhouse. Funding for the project was provided by generous donors to honor the memory of OHC trustee Nicholas Stevenson, a Kendal resident and volunteer for the Grandparent Readers program at Oberlin's Eastwood School. Proceeds from sales will support the non-profit Oberlin Heritage Center museum's programs and its mission "to preserve and share Oberlin's unique heritage and to make our community a better place to live, learn, work and visit." The Oberlin Heritage Center is accredited by the American Association of Museums and has achieved the Ohio Association of Non-Profit Organizations' Standards for Excellence certification. For additional information, please call the Oberlin Heritage Center at 440-774-1700 or send an e-mail to [email protected].