Flights of Fancy

By Stacy Hanna
The Battle Creek Enquirer
Originally published Tuesday, July 13, 2004
Reprinted with permission

PHOTOS BY JOHN GRAP/THE ENQUIRER Roger Levering of Bay Village, Ohio, stands near his plane at Marshall's airport and talks about his frequent flights up to Marshall through the years to have a meal at Schuler's Restaurant.

MARSHALL -- During its 95 years of operation, Schuler's Restaurant in Marshall has served many special guests. None, however, has captured the hearts of the Schuler family and staff as W. Roger Levering.

Despite residing in Ohio, Levering is a regular at the historic Marshall eatery, making the trip from Cleveland about twice a month. What would normally be a three-plus hour journey by car, though, is significantly shorter and certainly more picturesque, as Levering arrives at Marshall's Brooks Field, piloting his own Beech Bonanza single-engine airplane.

Disarmingly charming at 79, Levering is small in stature, but has led a big life. Properly attired in a jacket and tie, he embodies adventure and wanderlust in a compact, buttoned-up package.

Levering, who was born and raised in Ohio, attended Staunton Military Academy in Virginia. It was there that he was introduced to the two greatest loves of his life -- flying and his bride, Marian.

"I was surprised that my parents allowed me to fly," Levering said. "I was one of three boys, and my older brother had recently been killed in a motorcycle accident ... I wasn't sure they'd let me try it."

That same year, the future Mrs. Levering was a student at Mary Baldwin College, just a few blocks from Staunton Military Academy, but was dating the son of Arthur Hays Sulzberger, then publisher of The New York Times.

"I was marching to chapel with the other cadets when I met her on the steps of the Presbyterian Church in Staunton," Levering remembered. "She was a beauty. I knew right away that I wanted to marry her."

As a testament to his charm, Levering got the girl, and the two were married on Christmas Day 1945, welcoming the first of their two children just a year later.

"That was a big deal back then," Levering laughed, referring to the proximity of marriage and childbirth. "Nobody pays attention now, but back then people were counting."

According to Levering, his wife felt strongly about staying home to raise their children, and despite having a master's degree in biology, did just that.

"She was very intelligent -- much more so, than I," Levering said of his wife. "She stayed home to raise our children, and it turned out to be the best thing for them."

The Leverings longed to travel the world together and after both children had graduated high school they prepared to do so, purchasing their first plane in 1976.

It was around the same time, however, that Marian was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, leaving her confined to a wheelchair. That didn't stop the pair from fulfilling their dreams of travel. "She was such a little thing that I was able to lift her from her wheelchair onto the plane, where she could get into the co-pilot's seat," Levering said proudly.

Before Levering retired from his job in 1984, he and his wife spent several evenings a week flying to destinations around the country for dinner, and after his retirement would spend the entire day flying, stopping for lunch wherever they found interest.

"Marian would find the places and the restaurants; she did all the research," Levering said. "That's how we came across Schuler's."

On their first visit, Win Schuler himself greeted the Leverings, making them very comfortable, despite Marian's disability.

"He made her feel right at home, even though she had trouble with the steps," Levering said. "She appreciated his hospitality, and we both enjoyed the food and the ambiance very much. We've visited famous restaurants all over the United States -- everything from Turtle Creek in Dallas to Greenbrier in (West) Virginia -- but we always returned to Schuler's."

Ten years ago, in 1994, Roger Levering lost Marian to cancer.

"I miss her every day," Levering whispered. "She was a beauty -- calm, gentle and strong. She grew up in Louisiana and was raised to be a true southern lady. Like the old saying, 'An iron fist in a velvet glove.'"

"Everybody loved her," Levering continued. "Everywhere we visited, she was known as the 'lady in the wheelchair' that flies everywhere with her husband. In public I was always secondary to her. She was plucky. People were drawn to her. I could certainly understand that because I felt the same way."

Since his wife's death, Levering travels alone, continuing to visit her favorite destinations, including Schuler's.

Sue Moore, marketing consultant for the restaurant, met Levering earlier this year when an employee pointed him out.

"She said that I should meet him," Moore said. "That he was always wearing a sport coat and tie, and was usually alone, but that he had been flying in for years. Everybody knows him and they dote on him."

Given Levering's popularity at the restaurant, it is a surprise to learn that none of Schuler's employees actually know his given name. "They've always respected his privacy, so no one has ever asked his actual name," Moore said. "They do, however, know where he's from."

Appropriately, they greet him as Mr. Cleveland.

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