TrexlerMiddle School

100 Year Old Treasure Found and Returned

A 100 Year Old Treasure Found and Returned
Posted on 12/03/2018
WWI Uniform

Trexler Middle School proudly returns a recently recovered WWI uniform to the veteran's ancestors.

Before the school year began, a few teachers began cleaning out Trexler's loft area to create a space for a student hang out to coincide with the school's new Positive Behavior and Intervention Support program, BARK. Tucked away in a forgotten corner, a dusty box remained untouched for decades. Upon opening it, the teachers were surprised by what they found. A WWI uniform sat folded beneath a few long forgotten sweaters and shirts. The teachers initially thought it might have been a costume, but upon further investigation they noticed that it had a serial number and that in the top breast pocket was a slip of paper with the name "Mr. Laubach". 

Mike Gurdineer, 7th grade math teacher, took the information to his
WWI Serial Number mother who is a researcher. She discovered that the uniform was indeed the WWI uniform of James Franklin Lobach, who used to reside on Greenleaf Street, just around the corner from the school. 

The teachers decided that it was only right to first contact the family of James Franklin Lobach to let them know what was found. They were very excited to have this information as they are very interested in their family history. This is a family where James Franklin Lobach is a WWI veteran and his son, James M. Lobach, is a WWII veteran. James F. Lobach

The great granddaughter-in-law of James Franklin Lobach, Cindy Lobach, traveled to Trexler Middle School to retrieve this piece of 100 year old history. 

Read the Morning Call article WWI Uniform