Totem Pole Tales-Goodfellows Submitted by Nute Chapman From Onaway Outlook May 4, 2012

Caption: Goodfellow Members:Back row left to right: Don Wiltshire, Joe Evans, Onaway schoolteacher, Bob Thompson, Mike Cassidy,
Rudy Bauer, Leo Goetz and Pastor Jasmin.  Front row left to right:  Bob Lee, Wally Straugh, Father Smith, Don Butler, Andy
Braidwood, Buryl Merideth, Craig Otis and Ray Young.



  Goodfellows:  A creature that lives in, around and about the communities of Tower, Millersburg and Onaway.  Our area has an 
abundance of good-hearted, kind and helpful people who don't realize they are Goodfellows.

  These people step up to the plate and donate time, skills, ideas, food, clothing and most of all money.  They had a slate of 
officers, meetings and fundraisers.  Their mission was to help people in need.  No one can tally the amount of help the 
Goodfellows have given to our area.

  One of the main fundraisers was to publish a paper full of history, jokes, advertisements, and most of all a mock headline
that would tend to draw attention.  We have several of these papers in our collection.  My favorite is the year that someone caught
52 coho from the Rainey.

  This week's picture was taken about 1972.  It is the only one I have come across.  It features yesteryear's Onaway Goodfellow
Lou Maxon.  For the readers not privileged to know Maxon personally, you need to know that he bought many coats, boots, and clothing
at Christmastime for our area children.  Onaway's Fourth of July Fireworks were furnished by Maxon for many years.

  Maxon also supported the school lunch program, sent kids to college, bought band uniforms and baseball uniforms.

  Wherever there was a game on his Maxon Field, at his home on Black Lake, no matter who won he arranged to have ice cream for
everyone.

  The city of Onaway named its baseball field, Maxon Field, in honor of him.  He was a true Goodfellow.

  The Onaway Goodfellows of today are around every corner.  They organized in 1962 with officers, a board of directors, and had
meetings and regular fundraisers.  From the early 70s we find the names of Andy Braidwood, Leo Goetz, Minor Oliver, the Rev. Charles
Ball, Mike Cassidy, Terry Materna, Bob Thompson, and Father Smith, just to name a few.

  Today the Onaway Goodfellows have a multitude of members.  They have no regular meetings, no officers and no board of directors.
We have Onaway school students involved, churches, Toys for Tots, the sportsmen's club, our local business people, the fire 
department, the ambulance service, veterans, and many other anonymous donors.

  They all come together at Christmastime and have clothing and food for needy families.  They give support to fire victims and 
other needy causes.

  For anyone who would like to be a Goodfellow, you can contact Terry Materna, who somehow has held the Goodfellow name and
services together for the past 35 years.

  If the picture were taken today, and not 40 years ago, you would no doubt see Goodfellow Marvin Dean looking out the window.
	
  
  



  

  

  -Onaway Outlook, May 4, 2012, p.3. 

Retyped by J. Anderson.