Calvin Grubbs, age 78 of Columbus, would be the last person to say that he has done something special for the community saying instead, “well, we all should give!” An active member of the local Lion’s Club, Cal seems to have his fingers in most of their projects even in the smallest capacity. He says, “if [the lions] do something I try to get things ready or clean up after those acts in order to make it easier for the ones that have to work. That’s kind of what I took on for the lions.”
His affiliation with the Columbus Lion’s Club began more than twenty years ago when he would help a friend serve the Lion’s dinners’. From there he became acquainted with the other members in attendance, so when it came time to retire he, “thought it was something to do to help out” and took on the open position of Lion’s Club Liaison which he held for sixteen years.
In 1990 the Columbus Lion’s Club began a large garage sale, which was Calvin’s idea and quickly became his baby, so to speak. Another project that he really enjoys taking part in with the Lion’s is the school carnival that is put on each year during Arbor Days. He says he likes to do a lot of extra things for the project to make sure the kids have a good time. From September through May the Lion’s club offer a pancake breakfast once each month. Of the nine months they have these breakfasts’, the profits from two of the months go to helping the Senior Center, two go to the local food shelf, and the rest go toward various Lion’s projects throughout the year. Calvin and one other Lion go in early to set up the breakfasts and get everything started. This is one of the projects he is most proud of.
Born in Columbus, Calvin grew up in Centerville before buying back his father’s old farmstead in Columbus and making his home there. He keeps five acres of the old farmland, which he turned into a hobby farm of horses and ponies to entertain his four children as they grew up. However, once his kids left home he decided that, “mowing the yard is a lot easier than farming it!”
Mr. Grubbs spent forty years of his life working for Chandler Wilber Vault Co., a company that digs burial vaults in cemeteries. He says that he enjoyed working there, having the ability to be outside all of the time, before problems with health forced him to spend his last ten years with the company in the service department offices, and finally retiring early. After settling into retirement Cal needed to find something to do. He is not one to sit around the house idle. Now he spends his time doing yard work, refinishing old furniture, working on projects with the Lion’s Club, and on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s he works at the Columbus Senior Center. He has been at the senior center since 1993.
During his first ten years working at the Senior Center Cal worked closely with the coordinator at that time, helping to prepare lunches and doing some of the cooking and serving; and the last ten years he has settled into the position of cleaning up the pots and pans from the morning meal, and then cleaning all of the dishes following the lunch rush. Just four years ago his wife of 56 years, Marilyn, has begun joining him at the Senior Center on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s since her own retirement. Apart from cutting up the desserts and getting them ready for serving during lunch, Marilyn also enjoys the opportunity to socialize with the other ladies and get out of the house. Calvin says that working at the senior center and helping local senior citizens with different things has been very rewarding for him, and has given him something to do with his time since retirement.
Mr. Grubbs is liked by everyone he meets. Friends say that once you meet him, you will never meet another person with as kind a heart as this man. He has made such an impact on the lives of people in his community without even realizing he is doing so. That is just the type of person he is. A long time friend of Cal’s, Becky Gordon, divulged to me about her close relationship with him. Becky says that Calvin Grubbs is the father she didn’t have, so much so that she even named her own son after him. She said that once, when Cal was sick and in the hospital and only allowed family visitors, Cal woke up and looked her in the eye saying, “How the heck did you get in here?” to which she replied, “don’t ask, just be glad I’m here!”