Exhibit brings back treasured memories

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

MIDDLE POINT – It was a weekend filled with many good memories.

“Celebrating the Past of Middle Point” was held Saturday and Sunday at the Middle Point Community Building and it was a well attended event and for many, an emotional event.

The retrospective art exhibit featured painted and sketched works by native son Eugene White, including scenes from the Middle Point area and its culture from the 1930’s to the 1960’s. Along with White’s works, village residents shared other forms of various memorabilia, including old photographs. It was organized by White’s daughter, Annie White Bixler, and Toni Wisher, who lives in White’s former home in the village.

The two struck up a friendship during a visit by Bixler, who wanted to see if any murals painted by her father were still in the home. At the time, it was believed the murals were gone but that changed about six months later. Wisher was removing the paneling from the bedroom walls when she discovered a large image of the Disney character Pluto, and sent Bixler an email titled “I found Pluto!”

The discovery, the exchange of more information and the budding friendship eventually led to Sunday’s exhibit and a flood of memories.

“It’s meant the world to me because I was so young when lived here and it was only six months out of the year so I didn’t get to know a lot about Middle Point,” Bixler said. “I’ve never Googled so much in my life but I learned a lot and these people are helping a lot with the details.”

“Selfishly, it’s brought my dad back to me and this wonderful town and I have gotten another best friend in life over the last year, since Toni sent that email that said “I found Pluto,” she added.

“I think something I’ve learned in the last couple of days spending time with the White family is that Gene had so many talents,” Wisher said. “He built some buildings in the community, he built a bar out on Lincoln Highway, and all of the remodeling they did in my house (the former White house) in the early 1900s is really incredible. He had a real passion for art and he was always sketching.”

“Annie at one time had over 800 of his paintings – he had to be sketching and drawing all the time,” she added. “He was best known for his paintings of farms in Middle Point, the railroad, the homes, churches as that was really his focus. What we found in my home was a Disney scene of all things and it was painted for the first born grandchild. Eugene had a dream that someday he hoped to be an artist for Walt Disney.”

“There have been other people in the community who he painted Disney paintings for, children’s bedrooms and what not,” she said.

Bixler and Wisher both noted White and another man once built a nativity scene that many people enjoyed over the years. They also said another painting on display helped solve a mystery.

“This mom and daughter are looking at this picture and it looked so familiar, then it clicked – it was their family’s farm,” Wisher said.

“My cousins owned that painting and he just brought it over to share,” Bixler said.

Credit was also given to Lynn Stoffel for helping to organize the weekend event.