Name New School As Memorial To Beloved Doctor
"Watkins Memorial" will be the name of the new consolidated high school to be constructed in the southwestern part of Licking County. It will be part of the Etna-Kirkersville-Pataskala school district, which has been named "Southwest Licking."
The selection of names of the high school and the district was made at the last meeting of the board of education. The name was one of 48 entries in a contest sponsored Citizens Committee. It was originated by Mrs. Dean Wickliff of Pataskala, formerly a resident of Etna. The district name was not among the entries in the contest. Mrs. Wickliff will receive $10 for her first-place award from the committee.
Honors Doctor
The official action of the board honors the life and memory of Dr. C. D. Watkins, who spent more than half a century ministering to the needs of a far-flung territory of which Etna, Kirkersville, and Pataskala were an integral part.
Dr. Watkins started his practice in Kirkersville in the latter part of the 19th century and later moved to Etna where he continued until his death June 27, 1942. His son, Dr. Charles Watkins, followed in his father's footsteps in the medical profession and is today a staff member of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
The next meeting of the Southwest Licking Board will be held Thursday, Jan. 7, 1954, in the Etna School. During this annual reorganization meeting, officers for the new year will be elected.
Newark Advocate, Newark, Ohio, December 12, 1953, page 1