Ben Buoni

“Ben Buoni is one of those unsung heroes that every organization wishes they had more of. He will see something that needs to be done and just does it, then wants no recognition for doing it,” said Bob Eggerichs, president of the Hilliard Ohio Historical Society.

Ben became involved in the historical society some 20 years ago thanks to the late Pat Garbrant when both were members of the Old Hilliard Commission. Pat represented the society. “(The society) was trying to pass something and that is how I got used to what the society is all about,” said Ben.

It was Pat and other society members who attracted Ben and inspired him to get involved.

“They were the members that were the bridge from the founding members to today. They had a lot of good stories and they knew the founding members – and they were aging at that point,” said Ben.

The aging of knowledgeable members is the same problem the society faces today.

Ben has fond memories of his early days with the society.

“I was quite a bit younger then and I was in residential painting and when they found out what I knew how to do they put me to work,” he said.

Ben’s first job was repair of one of the church’s bell tower ropes – the rope for what he calls “the joyful bell.”

“I had to use a 40-foot ladder. I’ve done it more than once,” he said. But as he is getting older, Ben nowadays stays away from high ladders.

Based on his background, it is not surprising that it is the buildings as opposed to the artifacts that hold the greatest interest for Ben.

“I always enjoyed older structures due to the line of work I was in,” he said.

But that interest didn’t limit his involvement. Ben is a past president and board member and he has been chairman of several events.

“I started the Santa in the Red Caboose event because at the time we restored the caboose – that was about 15 years ago. I thought it would be a nice thing to do and it caught on,” said Ben. His brother, Joe, was the society’s first Santa.

Of all the repair and maintenance work he’s done over the years, Ben most enjoys working on and talking to visitors about the society’s two antique cars; the 1918 Model T and the 1929 Model A.

“They both, to the best of our knowledge, had connections to the Hilliard area. The Model T had a connection to the American Legion Post 614 in Hilliard,” he said.

In a sense Ben built up the Model T from scratch as it was in bad shape when he began working on it. “It had a cracked head on the engine and it had not been running. It was on display in the Museum,” he said. He got it going with help from donations from experts of expertise and labor and with cash donations.

“The Model T technically is a semiautomatic vehicle,” said Ben. “Low and high are the only gears and you need the clutch. It can be challenging to work if you are not used to
it.”

The Model T will be in Hilliard’s July 4th parade, but the Model A might not make it. “The T runs better in a parade situation. The A tends to overheat. Parades are hard on cars especially on a hot day,” said Ben.

The Model A is on permanent loan from David Patch of the Patch family whose name appears on the YMCA. The Model A belonged to the late Ray Patch, David’s grandfather, and David pays for upkeep and insurance.

“David has been very generous over the years. He donated a buggy and other items,” said Ben.

The Model A has a manual transmission with three speeds. “If anyone knows how to drive a manual, they can pretty much drive the Model A but you have to double clutch between gears. Every time you shift you have to put the clutch back in to (prevent) the grinding of gears.”

“What the society needs most today is more new members,” said Ben.

“We need to try to get families more involved with the items that are here for research -- especially for children and schools,” said Ben. “Folks who are newly retired compose another group the society should try harder to recruit.”

He also would like to see more marketing and more signage to promote the society.

“If the city highlights us at one of the entry (points) with a very nice sign that says Home of the Hilliard Historical Society and Village at Cemetery Road and I-270 it would be very good,” he said.

He is pleased to see the city today more involved with the society compared to the past. “Past leaders of our community didn’t see the asset we are as they see it today so I’m happy about that.”

Ben has lived in Hilliard since he was 11, and he and his wife, Kim, still live here. The couple has three sons and one grandson. Two of the sons, Nathan and Sam, live in Hilliard. A third son, Ryan, is in the U.S. Navy stationed in Hawaii. “Sam at one time was the youngest member. He was a toddler when I joined him up,” said Ben.

We thank Ben for his devotion and continued commitment to the Hilliard Ohio Historical Society and Village as he is truly one of our unsung heroes.