The Woodward Alumni Hall of Fame Association
Joseph Richard Bublick Inducted 2016 - Class of 1972
With his formative years at Spring School in the background, Woodward High School was just down the road from his Central and Lagrange Street neighborhood. He met his Best Man, David Douglas, and buddies Dan Phelps, Bruce Birr, Fred Lisk, Joe Lisk, Mark Hobbs, Dennis Oehlers, Pete Phorilko, and Mike Salisbury on the streets and playgrounds of North Toledo. Joseph credits his parents and ". . . a very nice, very close group of people, where everyone knew everybody . . ." for providing the touchstones for his moral compass.
Woodward High School was more to Joseph than Dave McMurray who taught him to really read for understanding, or Mr. Wilusz who taught life's lessons along with mathematics that he still uses today. Then there was Miss Dombrowski who made her class fun, Barbara Johnson, Mr. Szelagowski, and Frau Frishmann who told great stories.
Woodward's wide winding staircases provided the foundation for an eight-month campaign to get a
date with Wanda Coffman, later to become his wife of forty-five years. For further details of the staircase courtship or his nicknames, you'll have to ask Joseph, but does admit to standing by the third floor landing with the cool nerds. Also, with the statute of limitations safely in his Mercury's rearview mirror, Joseph proudly admits to borrowing the Start Spartan for the Friday Pep Rally in Woodward's gymnasium. Along with the Start Spartan there was the case of the live turkey for Woodward's Shoe Bowl Rally. Community service was a very large part of his four years at Woodward, highlighted by being the highest paper seller for the Old Newsboys.
In the years since Woodward, Joseph has been very active in various community service organizations. There were two that really stood out. While he was president of the Toledo Kiwanis, they started the Assistance Dogs of America Chapter in Swanton, which later merged with the Ability Center in Toledo. The other is the Shriners. However, Joseph credits Jim Olmstead with teaching him the Masonic Principles which formed his approach to life. With a seven-year journey to become Master of Rubicon Lodge in the background, Joseph shifted his focus on community service to the twenty-two Shriner Children's Hospitals throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico that have freely helped 1.2 million children. The Shriner's Motto in 2015, the year Joseph became Potentate [leader], was MAKING LIFE BEARABLE. 'Once a Polar Bear always a Polar Bear.'
As stated earlier, it took Joseph eight months to get his first date with Wanda, his steady girl of forty-five years. They have two daughters, Shannon, and Kristal, and a son, Joseph. Over the years since, they have been blessed with seven grandchildren. "We have a large pond and it's a circus to get the seven grandchildren over to fish, boat, and swim." Family time has been divided between traveling with Wanda on their Honda Goldwing motorcycle and their country home.