website watertownhistory.org
ebook History of Watertown, Wisconsin
Richard
J. Hoge
1894
- 1983
08 07 HOGE TO THE RESCUE, takes girl
from river
Richard Hoge, 203 North Fourth
Street, a clerk in the Farmers & Citizens bank of Watertown, saved a young
lady from death by drowning Monday evening at the public bathing beach at Division
Street bridge.
Miss Stella Salick
was one of the bathers and was wearing a pair of water wings to assist her in
keeping afloat while learning to swim.
The wings became disarranged in some manner and she sank, catching hold
of two boys near her who were unable to render assistance. Richard Hoge was nearby and when the girl
came to the surface a second time he grabbed her and
she convulsively clutched him and became unconscious. He broke her hold and caught her by the hair
and swam to shallow water where every assistance was rendered until
consciousness returned. The water at the
point where she sank is eight feet deep.
While probably in this particular
instance life buoys would not have been of much use there is always danger of
accidents and buoys or life preservers should be kept at a convenient point on
the beach so they can be used, or some other means employed to save life. The presence of mind of her rescuer is all
that saved the girl, which might in some cases have resulted in a double
drowning. The Watertown News, 08 07 1918
1936
07 30 RICHARD J. HOGE PICKED TO KEEP WEATHER RECORD
Richard
Hoge, cashier of the Farmers and Citizens bank, today announced that Frank
Coleman Milwaukee, meteorologist for the United States weather bureau, had
requested him to take over the keeping of the Watertown weather records,
succeeding the late Charles J. Salick, Watertown's
veteran weather man. Mr. Hoge has
consented to take over the work. There
is no salary connected with the task.
Mr. Hoge has
for several years been interested as an amateur in the study of weather and
weather reports. In addition to filing
reports with the Milwaukee bureau he will supply the Daily Times with the daily low and high temperature readings. This service was furnished for years by Mr. Salick. The official
instruments for the recording of the weather have been taken to Mr. Hoge's home
at 305 South Fifth Street.
___________________________ EARLY WEATHER FORECASTING ___________________________
1891:
Watertown considered for Weather and Crop Service Station
04 22 1891 <> Frank Eaton, secretary of the
Farmers club, and some others, have interested themselves in having Watertown
made a weather and crop service station, under the auspices of the Commercial
and Agricultural interests of Wisconsin. The project, it is expected, will be matured
this week, and flag displays be seen from the city hall building. Daily weather maps will be received and posted
in conspicuous places for the benefit of the public. Self-registering thermometers will be used for
making observations of temperatures, rain falls, etc. Great benefits to the farmers about here are
expected from the establishing of this station, and it hoped that general
interest will be manifested in its maintenance and success. WR
04 24 1891 <> Through the efforts of Frank
Eaton on about May 1st next a signal service station will be in full running
order here. The flags will be displayed
from the city hall towers, which will indicate the weather 24 hours in advance.
The rain gauge and self-registering
thermometer will be placed at some convenient place in the city, so that all
may get the benefit of them.
05 15 1891 <> The signal service thermometers
and rain gauge for this station have arrived and are now in position on the building of
Jos. Salick & Son. The weather flags will be here in a few days, and will float from the flag staff of
the city hall.
05 22 1891 <>
Last Friday
afternoon the weather signals of the government weather signal station were
floated for the first time from the city hall flag staff, the first signal
indicating frost that night. As it was
quite warm at the time and threatening rain, many laughed at the idea of there
going to be a frost, and alluded to the signal service as a fraud, but on
toward evening the weather turned cold, and during the night a very severe
frost set in. Thus far the weather
predictions have been a success...
WG
05 22 1891 <> [same date and paper] Attention
farmers. Make hay while the sun shines. Daily 8 a.m. weather forecasts from
Washington-D.C., standard time from Washburn Observatory and weekly crop
reports received at the Music and Jewelry store of Joseph Salick
& Son, Watertown, Wis. WG
06 03 1891 <> The weather signals are now
displayed from the Salick building instead of the city
hall.
________________________________________________________________________________
1952
U.S. WEATHER
BUREAU OBSERVATION STATION
Richard Hoge home, 305 South Fifth Street
1956
09 23 20 YEARS COMPILING WEATHER RECORDS
R. J. Hoge,
Watertown banker and the city's weather reporter for the United States
Department of Commerce which is headquarters for the nation's weather records,
has received an emblem from the department signifying 20 years of service in
behalf of assisting in assembling weather records and data. Mr. Hoge has been the city's weather observer
since taking over the duties from John E. Salick who handled the reports for a short
time after the death of his father, the late Charles J. Salick who had been in charge of the records here for
many years. WDT
1960
03 30 A PENNY AND R. J. HOGE
A penny,
minted in 1860, which R. J. Hoge lost 59 years ago when he was a small boy and
the family lived in a house at 203 North Fourth Street, was recovered by him
the other day when he visited the place, scene of wrecking operations in
connection with demolishing of St. Luke's Lutheran Church
for a parking lot. Mr. Hoge, of the Bank of Watertown staff, recalled that he
lost the penny when it rolled along the floor and disappeared between two
boards. He tried at the time to recover it with a wire but was
unsuccessful. Over the years, he said,
he frequently recalled that penny, especially when he passed the old house
where he used to live. The other day he
went into the house, after obtaining the key from the wreckers, and after
digging around in the debris he was amazed to find the penny. He said he knew exactly where it had
disappeared and it was still in that area.
WDT
1961
09 13 25 YEAR SERVICE PIN
R. J. Hoge,
local co-operative weather reporter for the Wisconsin State Weather Bureau, is
one of the better of the state co-operative reporters, the Watertown Rotary
Club was told on Monday by Marvin W. Burley of the weather bureau at
Madison. Mr. Burley is the bureau’s
state climatologist. Burley presented
Hoge with a 25 year service pin during the meeting, held at the Legion Green
Bowl. He told of the complete and
accurate reports turned in by Hoge, and in presenting the pin told him that
“your record richly merits this achievement.”
Hoge took over the post held here for a great many years by the late Charles Salick. He took
over the local climatological station here on July 29, 1936. The station was established on Feb. 1, 1892,
with Mr. Salick the first observer. He held the position until his death on July
14, 1936. WDT
1965
08 08 U.S. WEATHER BUREAU HONOR
R.J. Hoge,
605 Labaree Street, is one of 31 volunteer weather
observers who have been selected by the United States Department of Commerce to
receive the U.S. Weather Bureau’s 1965 honors.
Mr. Hoge who has kept weather records in Watertown for many years is one
of 26 men and women who will receive the John Campanius
Holm Award for 1965 while five other persons are due to receive the Thomas
Jefferson Award. None of the latter is
from this part of the country. WDT
1966
04 11 RECEIVED HOLM AWARD
R. J. Hoge,
in charge of Watertown weather records, this morning received the Holm Award
for nearly 30 years of superior service as a volunteer weather observer, for
continuity of observations and for accuracy, reliance and cooperation. The award was presented by Hans Rosendal, state climatologist of the Madison U.S. Weather
Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce. In
July Mr. Hoge will receive a 20 year service pin. In making the presentation today, Mr. Rosendal complimented Mr. Hoge on his outstanding record of
service in the collection and preservation of weather data in this area. WDT
1983
08 08 RICHARD J. HOGE DIES
VOLUNTEER
COOPERATIVE WEATHER OBSERVER
Richard J. Hoge, 89, a banker in Watertown for 67
years, and also the city's weather observer for nearly
one-half century, died Tuesday evening at Marquardt Memorial Manor. Hoge lived at 605 Lafayette Street, but had
made his home at Marquardt for the past year.
Funeral services will be held Friday at 2 p.m. at
Immanuel Lutheran Church with Rev. O. G. Espeland officiating. Burial will be in Lutheran Cemetery.
Friends may call to pay their respects at the Pederson
Funeral Home Thursday from 4 to 9 p.m. and Friday until noon. The body will lie in state at the church from
1 p.m. until the time of services.
Hoge was born July 17, 1894 in Watertown, son of the
late Albert and Evaline Hoge. He married
the former Isabel Moldenhauer on Oct. 26, 1926.
She preceded him in death in September of 1970.
Survivors include three sisters-in-law, Mrs. Florence
Fingel, Mrs. Elda Raue and Frieda Moldenhauer, all of Watertown, and other
friends and relatives. He was preceded
in death by his parents, one brother and one sister.
Hoge started
his banking career in 1912 as a clerk at the Farmers
and Citizens Bank. In 1956, when the
assets of the bank were purchased by the Bank of
Watertown, now known as the M & I Bank of Watertown, Hoge continued at
the new bank until his retirement from his position of assistant vice president
in 1965.
Several
months later he left retirement to work as an assistant vice president at the Merchants National Bank. He continued with the Merchants Bank for 14
years, retiring in 1979. His 67 years in
the banking industry ranks among the highest in Wisconsin.
Hoge had also served as weather observer for the city
starting back in 1936 when he succeeded the late John Salick. He continued in that work until the end of
1980 when ill health forced him to leave that post. Twice he had been named recipient of the John
Campanius Holm Award in honor of his work for the National Weather Service. In 1978 he received the Thomas Jefferson
Award from the U.S. Department of Commerce, the highest honor given to
volunteer observers. He is the only
person from Wisconsin ever to receive the award.
Hoge had also been active in community, government and
church affairs. He was an alderman from
the old eighth ward, secretary of the board of water commissioners for 20 years
and was vice chairman and treasurer of the Jefferson County Chapter of the
National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis.
For many years he was also chairman of the Watertown March of Dimes
drive and was an active
member of the county group. He was a
past president of the Jefferson County Bankers Association.
He was a
life member and treasurer for over 30 years of the Watertown
Elks Lodge, life member of the Watertown Turners,
director Emeritus of the Watertown
Historical Society and had been chairman of its building and grounds
committee for a number of years.
He also had
been active in the Watertown Community Concert Association and was active at
Immanuel Lutheran Church. He was
chairman of the building committee when Immanuel's building was constructed.
History of Watertown,
Wisconsin