Leonard Boerner - 1985
MHS 1923 Graduate
Leonard Boerner, Class of 1923, was chosen by the Minerva High School Advisory Board as the second person inducted into the Minerva High School Alumni Hall of Fame. "He spoke his mind and stepped on a few toes in his time, but what ‘mover and shaker’ hasn't. It's an occupational hazard for people who get things done. Add to that, his professional career was spent as the owner-editor of a newspaper, and one can appreciate why Leonard Boerner didn't please all the people all the time. But moving, shaking, or working as editor, the former editor of The Minerva Leader always had the best interests of his hometown at heart.” “And that is why," as Dr. John Shaffer, principal of Minerva High School said, "Boerner was chosen as the inductee for 1985."
Civic duty has played a large part in the life of the 79-year-old Boerner, and so has Christian duty, as witness the 52 years of perfect Sunday school attendance he's been credited with.
At Minerva High School he played football, basketball, ran track, and was the Stark County foul-shooting champion. He was also art editor for the Crescent. As a student, he worked after school as a printer's devil for The Minerva News, and after high school graduation, he continued to work there in various capacities until 1937. At that time he established his own newspaper, The Minerva Leader, and remained as publisher-editor until he sold the business in 1974 to the Alliance Publishing Co. For the next five years, he and his wife, Helen, who worked with him at the newspaper, continued to work at The Leader through the transition period. In August of 1979, they officially retired.
During his business career Boerner continually served the community. He was a member of the Board of Education and served as president for many years. During his time on the board, Mary Irene Day Elementary School was built. He has served as president and secretary of the Minerva Community Association, and was a Minerva councilman. He was president of Minerva Rotary Club in 1935. Boerner was instrumental in bringing TRW Metals Plant to Minerva, and was a moving force in the sale of the Municipal Power Plant to Ohio Power.
Boerner's Alumni Hall of Fame induction follows other honors in his community-oriented life. Besides being named a Paul Harris Fellow by Minerva Rotary Club, he received the Jaycee Distinguished Service Award, The American Legion Auxiliary Award, an award from the Carroll County Historical Society, and a commendation from the U. S. Navy Department.
In leading to his introduction as an inductee, Dr. Shaffer recalled Boerner's statement to him, "You do what you have to do--what must be done--and you move on," and that, said Shaffer, "is something we can learn from."