When Jack Brubaker was about 13 years old and living on the Brubaker Duck Farm in Bird-in-Hand, he began reading a column in the local paper called "The Scribbler." "I found a good way to learn Lancaster County history," said Jack.
Jack and his wife, Christine Conant Brubaker, will be interviewed by Don Horning when they are the featured guests of the New Holland Area Historical Society (NHAHS) on Thursday, May 16, at 7 p.m. in the chapel at Garden Spot Village, 433 S. Kinzer Ave., New Holland.
Jack graduated from Conestoga Valley High School and went on to attend Dickinson College as an English major. Although he originally had no interest in journalism, by 1970, he was writing for the Danville Register in Danville, Va., where he met Christine, who was dean of students at Stratford College. "Chris has a master's in college administration," noted Jack. The pair married and came to live in Lancaster in 1978. Jack went to work for the New Era, taking over "The Scribbler" about a year later. The column turned 105 years old in May, with Jack as its longest continuous author.
Over the years, Jack has written columns that included lists of interesting facts or focused on a particular story - especially local tales that reflect on historical matters. A favorite column concerned Lancaster Township residents who burned a large pile of bamboo, not realizing that the popping sound the variety makes while burning sounds like gunfire. Neighbors called first responders, and police and fire department personnel from local and neighboring townships arrived to extinguish the flames.
Jack's column that elicited the most response from readers was penned in the 1980s and concerned a local cat that had birthed 30 kittens in a year. "I received 33 letters saying that was a terrible thing, and that cat should be spayed," Jack recalled.
Chris, who worked in admissions at Franklin & Marshall College and did substitute teaching work while raising the couple's children, has an interest in environmental issues. She served as the last volunteer president of the Lancaster Conservancy. For the last few years, she has served as the primary editor of Jack's column. "Because she's not from here, she doesn't know as much about local history," pointed out Jack. "She often finds things I take for granted."
In addition to his columns, Jack is the author of several books about local history, including "Down the Susquehanna to the Chesapeake," which was named one of the best books of the year by the Washington Post when it was published in 2002.
The program is free and open to the public. More information about NHAHS may be found at https://nhhistorical.com or by searching for "New Holland Area Historical Society" on Facebook.
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