Aileen Philbin was born in Bucyrus and worked her entire life here. She even lived at the Rogers Street home where she grew up. But to call Ms. Philbin a small-town girl isn't accurate. She traveled far beyond the city limits by both airplane and through the pages of the many books she read.
"She did love to read. One of the major things she was concerned about was the (Bucyrus Public Library). She thought it was one of the best things in town," says Richard Klink, a former business partner of Ms. Philbin. "She had bookcases from floor to ceiling at her home. They carried boxes and boxes out when she passed away," he recalls.
Bucyrus Through and Through
Born February 15, 1914, Ms. Philbin graduated from Bucyrus High School and The Ohio State University. She worked for the Gulf Ohio Corporation for 37 years before retiring in 1973 as president of Philbin & Klink Co., Distributor of Gulf Ohio Co. "Aileen started here in the 1930s working for Les Seiple," Klink explained. "She did all the bookkeeping. This was her sole employment since she graduated from college."
The business supplied gasoline and oil to service stations, farm accounts and commercial accounts throughout the area. For all of her 37 years, she worked at the same desk in the small white office overlooking the busy traffic on North Sandusky Avenie. "When she worked here, she would often say, 'I'm saving my money to go on this trip.' Then, she'd take off a week or ten days," Klink recalls. "I didn't realize until we looked through her pictures and postcards that she'd been so many places. Italy, Germany, Switzerland, France, England. I think she covered every state in the U.S. too," Klink concluded.
Well Traveled and Well Versed
Ms. Philbin traveled to Europe many times. She enjoyed weekend theater productions in New York City. Betty Kreh of Bucyrus made many trips with Ms. Philbin to see the New York Metropolitan Opera in Cleveland. The two had been friends since the seventh grade. Ms. Philbin enjoyed classical music and played the violin in the high school orchestra, her friend recalled.
"She took painting lessons and she enjoyed that quite a bit," Mrs. Kreh said. "She painted mainly flowers and landscapes, and she was quite good at it."
With her family members, Ms. Philbin also enjoyed going to Ohio State University football games and spending weekends at a cabin at Lake Erie.
A Life of Dedicated Service
Ms. Philbin was one of the longest serving members of the board of the Bucyrus Public Library, having been appointed to the board in 1957. She was also a trustee of the Bucyrus Historical Society. Ms. Philbin was a member of the First United Methodist Church, American Association of University Women, Bucyrus Art Club and Garden Club, Twig 1, the OSU Alumni Association, Pioneer Families of Crawford County and Friends of the Library.
Ms. Aileen Philbin passed away in April of 1999. Her generous estate was divided between the First United Methodist Church, the Bucyrus Public Library and the Bucyrus Area Community Foundation. "She wanted to make sure all of the money stayed here in the community," said Klink.
The more than $690,000 Ms. Philbin left to the BACF will generate more than $30,000 annually to accomplish her goal of supporting the non-profit community of Crawford County.
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