PHOTO BY JOHN FRYMAN / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
FAMOUS FATHER … Longtime Stryker resident Bobbi Schlosser was the featured speaker at the 21st annual Stryker Area Heritage Council membership banquet held on Thursday, November 13, at Stryker United Methodist Church. She had talked about her father, Ralph Goll, who was a famous writer for The Lone Ranger, The Green Hornet, and The Shadow radio and television programs.
By: John Fryman
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
john@thevillagereporter.com
The 21st annual Stryker Area Heritage Council held its membership banquet on Thursday, November 13, at the Stryker United Methodist Church.
Following a delicious meal provided by Home Run Catering, members then listened to an interesting program by local historian Bobbi Schlosser, who spoke about her father, Ralph Goll, whose writings inspired The Lone Ranger, Green Hornet, and The Shadow radio and television programs from the 1930s to the 1950s.
Schlosser spoke about her father, whose family had settled into the Stryker area in the 1860s. She was the only child of Ralph Goll.
She had mentioned there was an article published in the former Stryker Advance Reporter about a Stryker High School student (Ralph Goll) at 13 years old who had shown much natural talent for composition and had written several short stories with his schoolwork.
“One of his first compositions was titled, “The Tenth Law”, and was published in the local newspaper,” she commented. “He had shown a gift for writing at a very early age of 13 years old.”
From there, he became a newspaper reporter for the Detroit Free Press and later the Toledo News-Bee in the 1930s and 1940s, which became the Toledo Blade, where he worked as a police reporter.
She recalled the time when the Toledo News-Bee editor showed up one day at Nettle Lake, where Ralph Goll had resided in a hotel built by his father. The editor had wanted Goll to write up an advertisement for a new product on the market called Eveready Batteries.
“My father went back to the lake that weekend and wrote the story for the ad,” Schlosser recalled.
“He had written it one dark night as he was out on the lake on a rowboat checking turtle traps. He then heard a loud roar behind him, and suddenly, there loomed a huge monster-like creature that had red eyes and moss hanging from its sharp teeth as it roared.
“It frightened my father with his flashlight in hand. He shined in the direction of the monster’s eyes. He followed the monster so badly; it sunk back down in murky waters and never been seen again. He wrote the Eveready Batteries ad, the only thing that saved his life.”
Schlosser noted that the Eveready Batteries advertisement, after it was published, had created quite a commotion.
Her mother said there were cars already lined up about two miles from Nettle Lake, where people tried to get back into the lake, trying to get a glimpse of the monster.
In addition to his newspaper work, Goll also wrote articles for a couple of other publications, Startling Detective and True Detective.
One of his articles, co-authored with Ed Halyburton, “Shoot and to be Damned”, was written in 1932. It was a true story about a Prisoner of War from World War I who was captured by the German Army.
He spent time behind barbed wire and earned the Distinguished Service Medal for keeping his fellow prisoners alive and in good spirits.
Schlosser spoke about people eagerly waiting to listen to The Lone Ranger, The Green Hornet, and The Shadow, that was broadcast on the radio each week.
“My father (Ralph Goll) was involved in writing about The Green Hornet series even before the Lone Ranger,” she commented.
“One of the episodes he had written, ‘Fire Blitz’ was aired in November 1943. Terry Salomonson of Audio Classics Archives commented that it was one of the most interesting stories ever written for The Green Hornet.
“Many of the stories involving The Green Hornet were about crime-fighting efforts and corruption, which was right up his alley.”
Salomonson also documented 82 Lone Ranger scripts written by Ralph Goll from 1944 to 1952. Goll passed away on January 1, 1957, at the age of 57 and is buried in Goll Cemetery in Archbold.
Schlosser compared her father’s writing talent to another famous writer at the time in Ernest Hemingway, as both men’s paths somehow correlated with each other.
“I often thought that my father (Ralph Goll) and Ernest Hemingway were in various aspects much alike, and they could have crossed paths at one time,” said Schlosser.
“Both were born in 1899, one month apart, and both had so much talent at a very early age and had their work published in the local newspapers while still in school.
“They were also newspaper reporters, while not writing independently, and being tall and handsome, driven by wanderlust and tormented by alcoholism.”
The council recognized the recent passing of longtime Stryker resident Fred Grisier on November 1. He was remembered for his knowledge of history and willingness to help where needed and will be missed.
His friendship went beyond his association with the Stryker Area Heritage Council and was rooted in the history of Stryker.
Stryker Area Heritage Council president Terry Wieland was absent from the meeting due to an illness. Secretary/Treasurer Sue Buehrer reported that 2025 was a slow year with several trustees experiencing health issues.
It prevented the council from completing several projects or planning any new programs. The council adjusted its meetings to every other month due to a lack of activity. This will continue for 2026, and a change to the bylaws will be presented at next year’s membership meeting if the change is permanent.
Buehrer also noted the council entertained several groups who visited the Stryker Depot, including the Stryker fourth-grade class and their teacher, Blake Burkholder.
Also, the Bean Creek Chronicle completed the transcription interview with Louis Seigneur.
They also apologized for the gap in publication of the Chronicle again this year. Their goal is to publish four issues per year, but a lack of writers and time has taken its toll on the newsletter. The council is looking at several different options for the coming year and hopes to get back on schedule.
Council learned that the project to place markers at the cemetery has once again been delayed. Grisier was heading up this project, but the council will need to adjust and assign someone else to take over.
Judy Keller was appointed to a three-year term as a trustee. Council will need to appoint two more trustees to fill unexpired terms at the December meeting.