Caldwell Dr., Wooster, Ohio

Caldwell Drive forms a loop on Holmes Boulevard above the uppermost of the three Miller Lakes. It reminds us of prominent citizens of the 19th and 20th centuries, although it has been dedicated to only one of them.

J.A. Caldwell, a civil engineer brought out his valuable Atlas of Wayne County and of the City of Wooster, Ohio in 1873. It is a compilation of township and ward maps in addition to owners' names which make it a virtual directory. It is a treasure chest for local history buffs. But the street was named for another.

That latter-day Caldwell was James R. who came in 1934 to manufacture the rubber dust pans and rubber-coated wire dish drainers he had developed in New England and Akron. He brought out the Wooster Rubber Company which made toy balloons and began to make the colorful kitchen products labeled Rubbermaid, which also became the name of the plant in 1957. Now there are subsidiary plants in three foreign nations and three other states. With sales totaling one-quarter of a billion dollars in 1978, it hired 4000 persons. In 1962 Caldwell was awarded the Horatio Alger Medal.