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DID YOU HEAR...
This has been the coldest
National Jaycee Week in history.
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Vol. 77 No. 3 January 19, 1977
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Susquehanna Times & The Mount Joy | _...s
MARIETTA & MOUNT JOY, PA.
Is shifter legend baloney?
T. W. Olena, Sr., creator of the shifter, and his son, T.
W. Olena, Jr., in an old photo. The younger Mr. Olena
recently retired from his railroad career dnd bought a
house in Marietta.
The Susquehanna Times
has finally learned the real
history of the shifter sand-
wich.
The legendary version of
the shifter’s origin seems
to be nothing but a fairy
tale. According to that
unfounded legend, railroad
men in Columbia, who
worked in the shifting
yards, were fond of the
sandwich. It was named in
honor of those men and
their ‘‘shifter’’ locomotives.
The true story has only
one connection with rail-
roading: the sandwich was
part of a plot to railroad
suckers into giving their
buddies a free meal.
We learned the facts
from T. W. Olena, Jr., who
recently bought a home on
Longenecker Ave. in Mari-
etta. Mr. Olena’s father,
T.W. “‘Tuffie’’ Olina, Sr.,
invented the sandwich in
his restaurant on Locust St.
in Columbia.
Late one night, a group
of regular customers at
Tuffie Olena’s cafe on
Locust Street, Columbia,
cooked up a scheme to trick
the newer (and usually
younger) evening custom-
ers into buying the regulars
a free meal. They pretend-
ed to be members of the
‘Shifter Club,”” and tried
to persuade newcomers to
join. New members were
promised a membership
badge and a chance to join
all club activities. The price
of membership was a free
meal for everyone in the
club.
After he joined, the
newcomer discovered that
the ‘‘official badge’ was a
brass paper clip. ‘‘That
made you a life member.”
Tuffie’s son recalls.
The shifter sandwich was
invented, he added, ‘‘be-
cause fellows were ordering
too much. They'd order
steaks and chops and
things like that.”
A club member named
Ben Potts, who was an
ex-ballplayer, decided that
things had gone too far.
T.W. Olena, Jr. says,
‘““Being a sportsman him-
self, Ben thought it was
unfair to take advantage of
the sucker. He suggested
that everyone order a
sandwich.”’
“The shifter was my
father’s idea. That happen-
ed sometime before 1920.
It might have been 1919 or
1918,”
The sandwich, according
to T.W.Olina, Jr., was
named after the Club.
“Uncle Nev’’, Stauffer of
Columbia sent us a letter
with more details. ‘‘At
Buchers Drugs across the
street, when you wore long
pants at age 16 (not sure if
this was the age), then you
could stand out front and
whistle at the girls,”’ Uncle
Nev recalls. “Then you
were asked if you wanted
to join the Shifter Club.”’
Noting that the Susque-
hanna Times fell for the
incorrect version of the
shifter’s origin, Uncle Nev
adds, ‘‘Your interest in the
Shifter qualifies you for a
full vice-presidency. All
vice-presidents. All chiefs.
No Indians. Welcome
aboard.”
The letter is signed;
“Vice-president Nev Stauf-
fer.” A certificate naming
our publisher an official
vice president was includ-
ed. We are displaying it
proudly on our office wall.
MORE FACTS ABOUT
THE SHIFTER
T.W. Olena, Sr., went
into the restaurant business
in Nov., 1914, when he
opened a cafe at 307 Locust
St., Columbia, in partner-
ship with his aunt, Miss
Martha Wolf. In March,
1917, the partnership was
dessolved, and Olena ran
the business alone. He
created the shifter in that
establishment, which is
now known as Hilts.
(continue to Page 2)
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Darvin with his prize winning cow and her baby bull.
Glenna wins ribbon,
has 185 1b. baby
Glenna, a heifer raised
by Darvin Rodgers, Jr.,
Marietta, R.D. #1, placed
3rd in the youth division
among Holsteins 3 years
old and younger at the PA
Farm Show last week.
The week before the
show. Glenna gave birth to
a 185-1b. baby bull. Glenna
produced the calf, her 2nd,
without assistance.
The father, Jim, is no
longer a member of the
Rodgers’ herd. He devel-
oped a mean streak, and
was sent to meet his
reward at the age of 2.
“But he sure threw big
calves,’ says Darvin.
Darvin plans to raise the
huge youngster. ‘I'm go-
ing to raise him up as big
as his daddy was, and see
what he can do,” Darvin
said.
The prizewinning mother
had received 9 blue, 7 red,
and 3 white ribbons before
she traveled to the Farm
Show. Neither Glenna nor
Darvin had ever entered
the state-wide event be-
fore, but Darvin was confi-
dent. “1 expected to do
something with her,”” he
said. ‘‘She’s a nice heifer.”
We asked Darvin what it
takes to raise a prize-win-
ning animal. ‘‘Sometimes
it's breeding, sometimes
it’s luck, and sometimes
it’s the name of the farm,"
he said.
Glenna’s sire is Avendale
Pride Chieftain. Her dam is
Valley Pond Reflection
Glenda.
Fire in
Marietta
Firemen battled a blaze
for 3 hours at the home of
Mr. and Mrs. William
Smith, 444 East Market
Street, Marietta, last Wed-
nesday.
Ten-degree weather
made the job tougher for
members of the Marietta,
Maytown, Columbia and
Florin fire departments.
[continued on page 2]
“ES
FIFTEEN CENTS
Pay cut
likely for
Mt. Joy
taxman
Mount Joy Borough
Council Monday night con-
sidered an ordinance to
reduce compensation for
the tax collector.
Presently, the tax col-
lector is paid two per cent
commission on what is
collected.
The new proposal is to
set the commission at one
per cent for the new tax
collector who will take
office next year.
Council feels the job isn’t
as demanding as it once
was, and that delinquent
taxes are collected by the
borough instead of the tax
collector.
The ordinance is sche-
duled for adoption at the
Feb. 14 meeting of council.
In other business, Coun-
cil adopted a resolution
requiring curbs along Don-
egal Springs Road, from S.
Angle Street to Musser
Road. Council set a tenta-
tive completion date of next
June.
Council said it hopes to
convince property owners
to hire a single contractor
to do the work, so that the
most economical rate would
be obtained.
Council appointed David
Deck to the planning com-
mission, Ken Gainer to the
zoning hearing board, Ber-
nard Grissinger to the bor-
ough authority, Patricia
Post to the board of health,
John Lutz to the police civil
service commission, Dele-
gate Joe Bateman to the
advisory committee on local
government.
Council approved $10
pay to each member of the
zoning hearing board per
meeting. The secretary of
the board will receive an
additional $5 per meeting.
They hold about 10 meet-
ings a year. This is the first
time these officials have
been paid for service.
Council set Wednesday,
Feb. 16, at 7:30 p.m., as
the public hearing date for
zoning ordinance amend-
ments.