Farr was born in Toledo, Ohio, to Lebanese-American parents Jamelia M. (née Abodeely), a seamstress, and Samuel N. Farah, a grocer. He was raised in the Maronite Eastern Catholic Syriac Maronite Church of Antioch religion. Farr’s first acting success occurred at age 11, when he won two dollars in a local acting contest. After Woodward High School, where he was one of the standouts among his class, Farr attended the Pasadena Playhouse where an MGM talent scoutdiscovered him, offering him a screen-test for Blackboard Jungle. He won the role of the mentally challenged student, Santini. With the encouragement of his mentor, Danny Thomas (who had a lot in common with him), he decided to become an actor.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jonathan Flora produced the cause promo video featured on this website. He co-stars with former M*A*S*H star and native Ohioan, Jamie Farr.

Jonathan formed Lamplight Entertainment after working in the entertainment industry for over 18 years, including as a producer with Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, Touchstone, Miramax, and Hollywood Pictures, winning numerous Key Art and Promax Awards. In addition, he is an award winning writer/director of commercials and music videos.

He is the Director/Producer of Lamplight’s award-winning feature-length documentary, Lt. Dan Band: For The Common Good, about Academy Award® nominated actor Gary Sinise with special appearances by numerous celebrities including Academy Award® winners Jon Voight and Robert Duvall, and many others. For this film, Jonathan received the inaugural Santini Patriot Spirit Award given annually to a filmmaker whose work honors American veterans or their families. In addition, this movie has been hailed by numerous respected Hollywood professionals such as Tom Hanks, Ron Howard, and Jerry Bruckheimer, and was listed by a film critic as the “Number 1 Documentary of 2011”.

Jonathan recently wrote, produced and directed a series of PSAs addressing military suicide prevention featuring Hollywood celebrities such as Gary Sinise, Tom Selleck, Patricia Heaton, Angie Harmon, Armie, Hammer, Katharine McPhee, and many others.

A veteran of the US Army’s 82d Airborne Division and serving 12 years in the military, Jonathan received his BSA in Television Performance and Production from Ohio University. Following three years as a radio sports broadcaster, Jonathan returned to OU to earn his MSA in Marketing and went on to serve as the Director of Marketing and Corporate Sponsorships with the World Wrestling Federation for six years. During his tenure at the WWF, Jonathan produced and directed various television segments and promotional commercials for ESPN, USA Network, and the WWF Syndicated Network.

Jonathan currently serves on the Advisory Board for the GI Film Festival in Washington, DC, formed to honor films that celebrate the successes and sacrifices of the American military.

He is a native Eatonian.

Ernie Root serves as committee co-chair. He is a dedicated vet who served in Ohio National Guard’s 1487th.

His motto is “honor and serve the memories of our vets—past, present, and future.

Ernie Root and Greta Wikle Johnston Setting Up Tank Silhouette #1

Ernie is the man with the plan. Have truck will travel! Ernie can be credited with the many special appearances of our silhouette tanks at Preble County community events. He has been the man behind the saw, drill, and hammer. When the first model rapidly filled with signatures, Ernie took it upon himself to build Tank #2. 

Ernie is a life long resident of Preble County and retired from AK Steel.

Tina Marker serves as co-chair of Preble County Heritage—a 2012 community-focused cause surrounding two great landmarks:

1. • M4 Sherman tank that for more than 50 years sat as an inconic cornerstone and tribute ‘gifted’ to our military servicemen
   • Ohio National Guard Armory building constructed of beautiful, round river stones in 1912 

Upon learning of the respected ‘hunk of steel’s’ sudden and unannounced removal mid-April 2012, she felt compelled to jump into action. While Tina is the organizer of the new media movement that was initially launched on Facebook, she knew she did not have all of the answers. Another thing Tina was unsure of was how many others shared the same passion. It turns out 3,000 people have the same deep-seated attachments to our Armory and tank! Tina invites you to become part of our social media group by visiting  We Love Eaton’s Armory – Save it and the Tank!  One of her next steps was to launch the Preble County Heritage website.

According to Tina, “It is heartwarming to see so much support through this grassroots initiative. Complete strangers have come together to form a solid team interested in saving these two rich pieces of Eaton’s heritage . . . symbols of our strong military history! Our first issue is to find a workable solution to protect the Armory Building from falling prey to further deterioration and even worse—the wrath of a wrecking ball as has been the fate of many other historic buildings. The second is to get the beloved tank returned to its FAMILY in Preble County. The quest is on to assemble the puzzle pieces, work through the process, and to come up with viable solutions that best suit our community. “

She is President and Founder of Windward Design Group LLC, an integrated, full-service marketing, branding, public relations, and media relations firm. In addition, she is Owner and Trainer, Next Level Presenters LLC, a professional development company that specializes in training for personal branding, speech writing and presentations, crisis communications, media relations, networking, and social media protocol and strategy. She has a diverse background in government, nonprofit, small business, corporate, and global platforms.

Tina is a native Eatonian. 

Rebecca serves in the roles of public relations, research, and historian for our cause. She tirelessly dedicates her time to honor those local women and men—past, present, and future—who stand for Preble County’s freedom.

She also assists with our group’s Facebook administration, website updates, petitioning, and photography.  

Rebecca says, “I believe in preserving the history of our town and ancestors who have fought hard for so many generations. It is time we all stand together and envelop the foundations upon which we are built.”

Rebecca is a lifelong resident of Eaton, Ohio.