Klock Connections

The Klock Family Newsletter

March 2002
Issue # 8

Barbara Wagner and Bob Paul
1960 Olympic Gold Medalist

Barbara Wagner, ( Mabel Tope, Mable Peart, Mary Jane Klock, David Klock, John David Klock, Jacob Conrad Clock, Conrad Clock, Hendrick Klock ) started skating in her back yard rink in Toronto, Canada. A little girl filed with dreams of becoming a Brabara Ann Scott. Bob was a shy Toronto boy, hospitalized with polio, who got into figure skating as therapy. Together as a team, they were unbeatable. The first came together on the ice in 1952. Over the next eight years they won five national, one North American and four world titles. In 1960 they won the Olympic Gold Medal at Squaw Valley in Calfornia.

Bob Paul carried the torch during the fist leg of it’s trip to Salt Lake City this year.

John T. Wagner, who lives in Sunderland, Ontario send me their family tree and information about his family. His family moved from New York to Toronto in the early 18 hundreds. He has a sister of whom he is quite proud, and for good reason. “ As a teenager, Barbara Wagner was graceful and effervescent. Robert Paul was shy and awkward, but when they got together on the ice, they moved together in breathtaking harmony,” according to one of the newspaper clipping John send me about his sister. Barbara’s coach, Sheldon Galbraith doubted that they could make it as singles. Bob lacked the ego and flair for individual competition and Barbara was a little too nervy and combative. But as a team, they had a date with destiny. After years of practice and $100,000 worth of lessons, they ready. They won the world figure skating pairs championship three years running and received the Lou March Trophy as Canada athletes of the year in 1959. They were off to Squal Valley, California for the supreme test, the Olympics. With all eyes watching there performance on television, and after all their preparation and practice, on minute into their routine, something bumped the record player and the music stopped, throwing them out of step. Bob and Barbara stopped skating. Would all their hopes and dreams die their on the ice during in the few seconds when the music stopped. After an agonizing delay they started again, This time the music played and they skated in perfect harmony and won the Olympic Gold.

With the pressure to bring home the gold, Barbara recalled, “ If we had not won I don’t know whether I could have gone home.” “When it was all over, I sat down and cried for a half hour,” said Bob Paul.

After the parades and the spot lights, Barbara and Bob enjoyed busy professional careers with ice shows. She lived in California and has been skating instructor to generations of kids there. Twice divorced and a cancer survivor, she now lives in Atlanta, near her grandchildren.

As for Bob Paul, he tried a Hollywood career and after a part on the T.V. show, Bewitched he returned to the ice. He was a choreographer for Peggy Fleming, the Osmonds and Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdon On Ice. He now lives in California and is still coaching.

Notes: From the Family Tree of John Wagner

Canadian Champions:
1956 On., 1957 Winnipeg, Man.
1957 Ottawa, On., 1959 Nroanda Pq.
1960 Regina Sack, five times 1956-1960

North American Champions:
1958 Rochester, NY
1959 Toronto, On.

World Pair Champions:
1957 Colorado Springs, Col.
1958 Paris, France
1959 Colorado Springs, Col.
1960 Vancouver B.C. (four times 1957 to 1960

Olympic Winter Games:

Squaw Valley, California: 1960 Pairs Figure Skating Champions

The first pair in Olympic history to have first place placement by all Judges. To date the only Pair in North America to have won an Olympic Gold Medal (Year 2000 as noted 40 years.)

Presented to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip
Presented to His Honor, The Governor General Vincent Massey
Elected to the Sports Hall of Fame- 1957
Awarded the Lou March Trophy- 1959
Life Members Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club
Life Members Hershey Figure Skating Club, Hershey, Pa.
Members of the Granite Club.
Honorary Citizens of the State of Colorado, USA
Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame- 1988 Calgary Al.
United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame- 1984
Canadian Figure Skating Hall of Fame- 1993- Toronto

Magazine Covers: Sports Illustrated 1959, Skating Mag. Roto Gravure Section Covers, Toronto Star Weekly, Toronto Globe and Mail, Montreal Toronto Weekend Magazine, Parade USA, Boston Harold Gravure Section.

Barbara Ailene Wagner
Born: May 5, 1938
Married: James David Grogan

Children: James David Howarth Grogan, m. Trian Corrine Chamberlin
Children: 1. Hunter James David Grogan
2. Canon Chapelle Grogan

Barbara now lives in Atlanta, Georgia close to her Grandchildren.

Klock: World War II Veterans Interred Overseas

I like to surf the internet looking for interesting thing about the Klock family and stories I can use in the newsletter. I ran across this on Ancestry.com. It is information about World War II veterans who lost their lives fighting for our country and are buried overseas. I don’t have much information but maybe sone one out there can tell us the rest of the story. If you know anything about these veterans, please let me know.

This is what I do know about these men:

Donald R. Klock, died August 21, 1944. He was from Iowa. He was a Motor Machinist’s Mate Second Class in the United States Navy Reserve. He is listed as Missing. His name is on a monument in Honolulu Hawaii.

Henry Klock Jr., died April 10, 1944. He was from New York and was a Technical Sergeant for the 27th Squadron, 30th Bomber Group. He is also listed as missing. He received the Air Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross and additional Army Awards. His name is listed on a monument at Fort William Mckinley, Manila, the Philippines.

Richard N. Klock, died March 4, 1945. He was from New York and was a Private First Class in the 253rd Infantry, 63rd. Division. He is listed as buried. He received a Purple Heart Metal and additional Army Awards. His name is listed on a monument in Epimal, France.

Samuel A. Klock, died November 24, 1944. He was from New York. He was a Staff Sergeant for the 868th Heavy Bomber Squadron. He is listed as missing. He received the Air Medal. His name is listed on a monument in Fort William McKinley, Manila, the Philippines.

Walter J. Klock, died January 19, 1946. He was from Minnesota. He was a Chief Radioman in the U.S. Navy. He won the Purple Heart and other metals. His name is also listed on a monument in Fort Williams Mckinley, Manila, the Philippines.

If you know anything about these Veterans, please let me know. I would like to know the rest of the story about these men. If you know where I can find more information, please let me know.

Klock Family Reunion

There will be a Klock Family Reunion this summer, June 28, 2002. It will be held in Morley, Michigan. Morley is north of Grand Rapids on old 131. A map is on the back of this page. It will be held at Jerry Klock’s “cabin in the woods”. We are going to deep fry a few turkeys and ask everyone to bring a dish to pass, your own lates and silverware and whatever you like to drink.

There will be room for tents and campers. There are also motels and other cam grounds in the area. If you plan on drinking, you will be asked to spend the night.

The Reunion will start on Saturday about 1:00 p.m. If you would like to attend you are asked to let me know. You can e-mail me or write me a note.

Sketch of the Family of Klock

Written by Sherman O. Klock.
Ilion, New York, 1923
Digging deep into the history of my native State, and particularly that of the Mohawk Valley I came upon the names of many Klock's who had resided therein, in a more or less illustrious manner. But how I was related to them I didn't know. Neither did I know how to proceed to find out. But I had sense enough to know that I had to trace these ghost like ancestors back to them, one by one. And to that end I went looking for the given name of my great-grandfather, which I had forgotten. Not being able to gain any information here about, I wrote to an uncle, who was the only one living of my grandfathers large family, and he answered and said that it was Jacob, Now that was entirely to my liking, for there had been a Colonel Jacob Klock in the War of Independence from whom I would gladly have claimed descent. And it seemed reasonable to me that he was of my line of decent, for my fathers name was Jacob, he being named after an uncle who was the son of my great grandfather.

So in time, I got to believing that it was true, and went swaggering about, telling everyone that I was descended from this old hero, until a slender little woman up in the country where I was born gave it the lie by telling. me, and proving it too, that my great-grandfather's name was JOHN. And so did my claim go sky-hooting, and so did my faith in my uncle's memory. But the spark within me only flamed the higher at this sudden downfall, and I straightway began a systematic search for this illusive great-grandsire of mine, Letters by the score were sent out into every State in the Union. These were addressed to the Postmasters in various cities and large towns, asking them to forward such to "any Klock" within their province. This brought such wonderful results that I soon became so swamped with correspondence that I seriously considered hiring a stenographer to take my dictation and answer them. But this, I will say, was promptly vetoed by my wife who possibly feared that I might become even more entangled than I already was. And so for a number of years I hammered away, burning considerable daylight, as I did so, in my efforts to keep up with this large correspondence. Time worn church books, the pages yellow with age, were examined to obtain records of birth, baptism, and marriage of early Klock's. Some of these were examined by myself, and others were gone over by people whom I employed, Then when my work would allow, I drove about the country, and with my wife, searched every cemetery far and near collecting as we went, Klock tombstone records, and in some instances poison ivy and bee stings as we poked about in neglected burial grounds and old family plots. In these a shovel was often required to dig out the marker which had fallen down to become deeply embedded in the earth. Old people were visited to obtain the information they alone could give, and still older Bibles were thumbed for the records they contained.

And so, little by little, I traced my line of descent back to old Hendrick Klock, that sturdy pioneer who settled quite near the present St Johnsville, N.Y. in 1723, And in so doing I learned considerable about the Family of Klock, the early arrival in this country of those bearing that name, as well as of those who descended from them. All of which I have recorded in a separate volume, from which the material for this brief sketch is taken.

This was taken for the work of Sherman O. Klock. I will put more of his work in upcoming Klock Family Newsletters. Hope you enjoy his writing. I know I do.

The last page is Genealogy: The Family Registry, compiled by George Nellis.