First Posted: 3/19/2015
DELPHOS — Louis Hohman is a giver.
He’s a giver to the community, to his family, to his neighbors and to his church — which is why he’s a winner of the 2015 Jefferson Award for volunteerism.
Hohman is a permanent trustee for the Delphos Canal Commission, founded in 1987, where he helped excavate the remains of a historic canal boat from the canal bed. He helps supervise youth in the community who need service hours for court sentences and is a life member of the American Legion.
Hohman also gives his time to the Miami-Erie Canal Corridor Association, the Delphos Project Recycle, the Knights of Columbus, and many, many more organizations.
He also served with the U.S. Army from 1963 to 1965 in Germany. He returned to join the Ohio State Highway Patrol as a trooper in 1966 and retired in 1992.
Since, Hohman has poured himself into volunteerism.
Hohman was born near Tiffin to parents who were just coming out of the Depression era.
“Being raised in the Depression, things were … my parents made it, I guess. I still have some of those instincts of my parents: work, work, work and help out whoever,” he said.
“He does it all,” said Linda Baker, a member of the Canal Commission. “He’s just a super person. He’s very humble and is always doing things for other people.”
“He’s an inspiration to me,” Baker said. “He certainly makes me want to volunteer more.”
Tom Odenweller knows Hohman through his involvement with the K. of C. — of which he has been a member for 51 years. “He’s involved in every project that we have going on out there,” he said.
Hohman is also involved in the K. of C. Squires program where he is a mentor to young men coming out of elementary school.
“He digs right in, in terms of him getting involved with these volunteer programs, he tries to get the younger people involved and thinking along those lines, too,” Odenweller said.
Hohman said he works to help younger people realize the value of putting time and hard work into projects, so they can be proud of what they have done.
“It gives me satisfaction to see that things can be done with teamwork,” Hohman said.
The Jefferson Awards for Public Service recognize eight local winners for their volunteerism in the community. Each winner gets $350 for their organization. The awards are sponsored by Husky Lima Refinery, The Lima News, Your Hometown Stations and the United Way of Greater Lima. One local winner will be selected March 31 to attend the national awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.
