Helen Louise Cullison as moderator in 1962

There could not be another Helen Louise Cullison. That had to be retired copy editor Art Cullisojn’s wife in the five-column photo in today’s Beacon Journal illustrating a story by Mark Price in his regular series called This Place, This Time Local History.

Helen Louise looked absolutely grand in the center of the photo as 4th ward moderator of Akron’s First Neighborhood Forum on January 31, 1962. She was a past president of the League of Women Voters.

WAKR-TV aired the live TV program called Neighborhood Forum. Once a month a moderator led a panel discussion on a key topic before a studio audience from Ward 4. Public meetings were held simultaneoulsy in the city’s other nine wards for residents to view and disuss the telecast on Channel 49. M. O’Neil Co. And Rimer Schoool PTA provided portable TV sets with rabbit ears.

Others on the panel were Levi L. Smith, director of the Institute for Civic Education at the University of Akron; Mayor Edward O. Erickson, Panul Belcher, chairman of the mayor’s financial task force and Neal Heintz, city finance director.

The photo here, scanned from newsprint, does not compare with the amazingly good photo which appeared on the front of D1.

Blogger Note: I could not believe that I could not recall this moment in history until I realized it took place just three years before I started working at the Beacon Journal in 1965.

Here is contact information for Cullison
Ardent L. Cullison
3000 Riggs Ave.
Erlanger, KY 41018
Tel: 859-342-4018
alcullison@insightbb.com

Click on the headline to read the full story done as usual in Mark Price’s excellent craftsmanship style.