Saturday,
November 3, 2018
9:30am
What do handlebars and caterpillars have in common? Absolutely nothing. That is, unless you're referring to moustache jokes, in which case: everything! This month, we're stubbling over ourselves (get it?) to bring you a collection of Worthington's best 'staches in a celebration of Movember: a month-long effort to raise awareness of men's health with a side(burn) of exceptional facial hair.
We start our whiskered wayfare in 1855 with Francis C. Sessions, a Columbus merchant who founded and was president of Commercial National Bank, as well as husband to Mary Johnson (daughter of Worthington founding father, Orange Johnson). What else was particularly notable about Francis? A crumb catcher for the record books! Civil War veteran Sgt. William Henry Jewett warmed his upper lip in the following decade, while businessman Anthony W. Tuller rounds out the 19th century with a pencil 'stache that's more Clark Gable than John Waters. Eugene Moses Maynard (descendent of early Worthington settlers) ushers us into the 1900s with his dedicated lip luggage still in tow-- compare his portraits from 1875 and 1920!
Despite the best efforts of Tom Selleck and Geraldo Rivera, moustaches weren't particularly prevalent during the '70s and '80s here in Worthington, instead making their coarse comeback nearly 100 years later during the 1990s with Worthington Libraries' own Chuck Gibson (now director/CEO, then technology coordinator), whose 'stache would make even Jeff Foxworthy proud. The new millennium didn't miss out on any of the fuzzy fun either, with moustaches gracing the celebrations of 2002's Founders Day and the 2003 Bicentennial!
Browse these bushy moments in Worthington's history, spanning over 150 years, and learn more about Movember and men's health by visiting us.movember.com.
