Diane Ganyard 1949-2008

First female police officer in the city of Medina.

Diane Lynn Ganyard was a tiny dynamo!





She was born to Calvin and Arleen Ganyard and lived most of her life here in Medina County.

She was very active in school and graduated Medina High School in 1967








 And here is the list of activities she participated in:

1967 Medina High School Yearbook

CAA stands for Contemporary Affairs Association and was a current events club. She was also a member of the National Honor Society.

After high school Diane attended Eastern Kentucky University as a music major but after a semester, realizing it wasn't for her, quit and went to work as a cold-type setter for a printing company.

She knew she wanted to get into law enforcement and decided to join the United State Army as an MP (Military Police). However, the Army didn't have any slots open for MPs and wouldn't for a couple of years. She took an aptitude test and scored well enough in the languages area to be offered a position in the Army Security Agency.

Medina Gazette- 22 Mar 1973_p. 8

She enlisted for four years in the  Women's Army Corp (WAC) During her enlistment, the WACs were disbanded and women were incorporated into the regular United States Army. She trained as a German translator in Monterrey California. After completing her training, she was assigned to Teufelsberg near Berlin. Her unit listened to and transcribed tapes in German. She quickly moved into the Quality Control section.

Medina County Women
of the Military, Vol. II

Diane was stationed in Germany for 2 1/2 years and treasured her memories of being there. Because the Cold War was still on and Germany was still divided, East vs. West, soldier's movements were restricted and monitored to make sure they weren't intercepted. She rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant. Her time in Germany made her appreciate the freedoms we take for granted in the U.S. Diane was discharged from the Army in February 1977.


In December of 1979, Diane realized her ambition and became the first female police officer on the Medina Police Department.

Diane made "headlines" in the Medina Gazette. The article was buried on page 12

She was joined a few months later by Nancy Labadie.

Nancy Labadie, Chief Davis and Diane Ganyard.
Photo courtesy MedinaSquare.org

In 1984, Diane became a police sergeant.

In 1997, when Julia Hach was forming the Medina County Women of the Military, Diane was one of the first members and she would march with them in the Medina Memorial Day Parade whenever her duties on the police force allowed.

From the Waite & Son online obituary

Diane served on the police force for 30 years before her death in 2008.

An incredible woman who was a  pioneer at the Medina Police Force.


SOURCES:

• 1967 Medina High School Yearbook
• Medina County Women of the Military Volume 11, pp.67-74, Sharon Nicholson, Editor, 2005. 
• "Medina Police Hire First Woman Officer", Medina Gazette, 5 Dec 1979, page 12.
• Photo from the Waite & Son Funeral Home online obituary https://www.waitefuneralhome.com/obituary/284810 
• Photo of Diane Ganyard, Chief Davis and Nancy Labadie from Robert  Hyde's Beyond the Storefront web site.

Julia Hach - a Tribute

1996 Plain Dealer

Women's History Month is March. And that means ALL women's history. Not just the famous or infamous, but everyone of us. With that in mind, I want to pay tribute to a local woman who was very outstanding in her own understated way - Julia Hach.



Julia was raised on the family's dairy farm, Waltona, south of Medina on Route 3. Waltona was known for its advanced farming practices and award winning Guernsey cows. Newspaper articles from the 1940's regularly listed the milk and cream output from the Hach family farm's cows. The pragmatism learned on the family farm guided Julia all her life.

Medina High School Yearbook - 1949

Julia graduated from the Medina High School in 1949. From newspaper accounts and her yearbook listing, we find a young woman who was very active and very well rounded. She participated in 12 different clubs, including Glee Club, Choir, Orchestra, Band and Brass Sextet. I never knew that Julia was musical!

As a young woman coming of age during World War II, she dreamed of joining the Navy Nurses Corp. But she needed her father's permission and he refused to sign the papers.

Not to be deterred from her dream, Julia did become a nurse, going to school at the St. Luke's School of Nursing and later on the staff of St. Luke's, she worked her way to head nurse.

During her years of nursing, Julia also followed her love of animals, owning and raising standard-bred horses; trotter's and pacer's. Gazette articles from the 60's and 70's follow the success of her horses.

After retiring from the hospital, Julia worked for the U.S. Post Office, the Hinckley branch. In 1992, she retired for the second time.

It was around this time, the mid 1990's, that I made Julia's acquaintance when she came to the library to research her family history. Like all genealogists, we shared life stories and the proverbial "brick walls" of genealogy research. Julia learned of my service in the U.S. Air Force.

You see, Julia's biggest regret in life was that she had not served in her country's military forces. But she never lost her patriotism nor her admiration for women who had served. When the Women in Military Service to America Memorial was just a dream, Julia worked tirelessly as the Medina County field representative. She was among the thousands of women at its dedication in 1997.

Women in Military Service to America Memorial, Washington, D.C.

In the spring of 1997, Julia started contacting Medina County women who had served in the United States military. Her purpose was to compile their military biographies and donate the material to the local historical societies in order to document the contributions they had made to their country. That May, she gathered these women together to march in the annual Medina Memorial Day Parade, as they have done every year since then.

For most of these women, it was the first time that their service had been recognized.

In November 1999, many of these women veterans gathered to commemorate Veteran's Day together at a potluck luncheon at the Ohio National Guard Armory in Medina. After the luncheon, the women decided to formally organize as The Medina County Women of the Military.  Julia published the first of two volumes of Medina County Women of the Military from the compiled biographies. And she left behind enough material for the second volume

Besides forging a firm friendship, another life-changing development came out of our acquaintance. Julia connected me with my cousin Sharon Helmick Nicholson. One day, I was complaining about a "brick-wall" problem I was having with one of my ancestral lines. Julia asked which surname, to which I replied "Helmick". She told me that Sharon Nicholson, who I knew from the Military Women, was a Helmick. And I said, "Oh, but my Helmick's are from West Virginia. I said "Sure, right, Julia. Sharon and I are related." Several days later, Sharon showed up at the library with two big binders on her Helmick family. After studying it for some time, we determined that Sharon and I are fifth cousins, once-removed. And we have discovered that many of our family members share traits, such as a love for travel!

Medina Sun article from 25 May 2000. Julia is holding the flag. Cousin Sharon is right behind her.
All of these women are among the founding members of the Medina County Women of the Military.

Around this time, Julia became president of the Medina County Genealogical Society and she approached me about doing a series of genealogy classes at the library. We set it up and for several years she did a 6 class series for the Medina Library. The classes were always full. And her students were well prepared.

When Julia passed away in 2001, I took over the classes for one session. Even with all of Julia's handouts to work from, it was a huge task. And exhausting. But she had made it seem easy.

Julia would hate this tribute to herself. She never looked for attention or praise. She saw a job that needed doing and she did it.

But just like the military women whose service she recognized and documented, Julia deserves this recognition for ALL of her many contributions.

Julia L. Hach:
     Nurse

     Patriot
     Postal worker
     Horse raiser

     Genealogist

     Bird watcher
     FRIEND

SOURCES:
Cleveland Plain Dealer

Medina County Women of the Military Volume II, Medina County Women of the Military, 2005.

Medina County Gazette
     1 Jan. 2001
     6 Oct., 2001, p. A-2

Medina High School Yearbook - 1949

Medina Sun, 25 May 2000.

CHECK OUT THE COMMENTS FROM JULIA'S FRIENDS BELOW.

Medina Library's Resources on Veteran's & Military Service

In honor of Veterans Day, and because military records are some of my favorite records to research, I am highlighting the Medina Library's Resources on Military Service records.

MICROFILM HOLDINGS

• Index to the Ohio Union Civil War Roster of Soldiers
• Ohio Union Civil War Roster of Soldiers
• Veteran's Graves in Medina County Cemeteries from the Revolutionary War to World War I
• Medina County, Ohio 1890 Union Civil War Veterans or their Widows*

BOOKS

• 8th Ohio Volunteer Infantry
• Index to the WPA Medina County "Cemetery Plots for Veterans" Book
• Korean War Era Casualties 1950-1958
• Medina After the Civil War (2 vols.)
• Medina Boys, Union Veterans the G.A.R. of Medina 1880-1890
• Medina County Civil War Roster as Published in the 1881 Baskin & Battey History of Medina County and Ohio
• Medina County Women of the Military (2 vols.)
• Medina County Ohio Civil War Veterans
• Medina in World War II
• Reminiscences of the War (Civil War)
• Revolutionary Soldiers' Graves, located in Cuyahoga, Lorain and Medina County
• Veterans Buried in Medina County
• Volume 1 - Revolutionary War
• Volume 2 - War of 1812
• World War II in Medina County, Ohio
• Young American Patriots - the Youth of Ohio in WWII

OHIO RESOURCES

• Battery H 1st Ohio Light Artillery in Virginia 1864-1865
• Index to the Grave Records of Servicemen of the War of 1812 State of Ohio
• Index to Official Roster of Ohio Soldiers in the War with Spain
• Official Roster III Soldiers of the American Revolution Who Lived in the State of Ohio
• Official Roster of Ohio Soldiers in the War with Spain (and separate index)
• Official Roster of Ohio Soldiers, Sailors and Marines World War 1917-1918 (23 vols.)
• Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War with Mexico 1846-1848
• Ohio War of 1812 Soldiers Family Groups
• The Revolution on the Upper Ohio 1775-1777
• Roster of Ohio Soldiers in the War of 1812
• Veterans Hall of Fame - Ohio's Heroes of History

And when you are searching for military service information, don't forget to try the Family Search web site (free, anywhere) and Ancestry Library Edition (free from inside any of the Medina Libraries)

The Medina Library does not have any resources on foreign military service or veterans.

Part of the display that honors Cathy Owen, Medina County
Veteran of the Year!
Come up to the second floor of the library to see the full display.

Every November, I invite a military organization to put a display in the cabinets outside the Franklin Sylvester Genealogy Room.  This month, I am very proud to say that we are highlighting the Medina County Women of the Military. This group is very unique in that invites all women of any military branch to join. We have members from the Army, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard, Civil Air Patrol and Air Force. They have published two books on the experiences of women who have served, and are working on the third.
If you are a woman who lives or works in Medina County and you served or are serving in the military, please consider joining. Their Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/MedinaCountyWomenoftheMilitary/