USA > Ohio > The Church of the Brethren in northeastern Ohio > Part 21
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ABRAHAM B. HORST, son of Jonas and Mary (Hursh) Horst, was born in North Lawrence, Ohio, on April 5, 1863. He was baptized in 1884 in the Wooster congregation. On January 31, 1884, he married Naomi E. Martin; two children came into their home. Brother Horst was elected to the ministry in 1900
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in the Black River congregation. Four years later he was ordained to the eldership in the same congregation. He served Black River in the free ministry from 1900 to 1908 and from 1933 to 1938, and the Stony Creek church, Northwestern Ohio, from 1910 to 1912; he was the full-time pastor of the Belle- fontaine church, Northwestern Ohio, from 1908 to 1910 and of the Mount Zion church, Northeastern Ohio, in 1933. He served the New Philadelphia church as part-time pastor. Sister Horst died January 25, 1939, and Brother Horst on May 13, 1945.
DAVID HORST, son of Samuel and Mary (Martin) Horst, was born on December 27, 1855, in Ashland County, Ohio. He was married to Emma Kelser on December 9, 1880; five children were born to the couple. Brother Horst served the Mohican church in the free ministry for thirty years and made his livelihood by farming. Both he and Sister Horst died in 1946.
JONAS HORST was born in Wayne County, Ohio, on June 9, 1878, a son of Jonas B. and Mary (Hursh) Horst. Married to Laura Longanecker, he lived on a farm near Columbiana. The couple had five daughters and six sons. He was elected to the ministry in the Mahoning church on October 13, 1900. In the period of the free ministry, Brother Horst helped in the preaching at Zion Hill, Bethel, and Woodworth. In his early days, he taught at the Germantown schools (Ohio). Before retiring in 1950, he was a shipping clerk for twenty-five years at the Republic Steel Company. He died on January 27, 1962.
JESSE CALVERT INMAN, born near Bradford, Ohio, on November 23, 1886, is a son of Isaac and Mary Ellen (Fry) Inman. He united with the church in the Harris Creek congregation in Southern Ohio in January 1900. His education was received at Mount Union College and Moody Bible Institute. Brother Inman married Sophia Swartz on May 17, 1911; four children were born to them. Elected to the ministry on April 25, 1914, in the Covington church, Southern Ohio, he was advanced on June 27, 1916, in the Sidney congregation of that district, and was ordained to the eldership in Springfield,
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also in Southern Ohio, on June 6, 1920. Pastoral engagements have been Springfield (from January 1916 to December 1924) ; Canton First, Northeastern Ohio (from January 1925 to December 1940); Ashland, Northeastern Ohio (from January 1941 to September 1951); Sidney, Southern Ohio (October 1951 to 1955). He was the moderator of Northeastern Ohio in 1932, 1937, 1939, and 1950; assistant moderator, 1929, 1934, 1935, and 1936; writing clerk, 1925, 1928, and 1938; a member of the ministerial board for sixteen years; and a trustee of Camp Zion for a number of years. Brother Inman is now living in Sidney.
FLOYD M. IRVIN was born in Wayne County, Ohio, on January 13, 1895, to John Hoff and Susan (McFadden) Irvin. He was received into the church on August 13, 1905, in the Chippewa congregation. He attended Manchester College, Bethany Seminary, and the Kennedy School of Missions (of the Hartford Seminary Foundation). Truda Mishler became his wife on December 14, 1919; one daughter was born to them. Called to the ministry in the Chippewa church on October 26, 1912, he was ordained at Canton in August 1914. He was pastor of the Reading church and the First church, Canton, from 1920 to 1922 and a member of the board of religious education of Northeastern Ohio in 1921. In 1923 he became an oil dealer in Eustis, Florida, where he is now residing.
GEORGE IRVIN, son of George Sr., and Rebecca (Kemper) Irvin, was born on April 1, 1816, in Ephrata, Pennsylvania. When eighteen years of age he moved with his parents to near Berlin, Stark County, Ohio. For a few years he worked with two of his brothers at the carpenter trade. In 1841, he was married to Lydia Garver; the following year they united with the Mohican Church of the Brethren. Later they moved to Ashland County, then to Wayne County. In the spring of 1850 they located near Golden Corners; while living there he was elected to the office of deacon in 1853 by the Chippewa congregation. In 1859 he was elected to the ministry by that church. On March 4, 1864, his wife died, leaving him with
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eight children. On May 18, 1865, he was married to Isabell Garver Ruse; to this union were born four children. Ordained an elder in 1869, he presided over the Chippewa church from 1877 to the time of his death on April 23, 1892. A strong believer in missions, he was a liberal giver to that cause. His first work in the ministry was begun in the schoolhouse at Golden Corners. He was the head carpenter for the first church building in the Chippewa congregation and also gave liberally for its erection.
George Irvin
John Johnson
JOHN W. JOHNSON was born in Ashland County, Ohio, on August 13, 1911, a son of Pearley J. and Bertha (Humphrey) Johnson. He was baptized on September 2, 1923, at the Maple Grove church. Pauline Virginia Peffer became his wife on April 12, 1936; two children were born to them. Brother Johnson received his education at Ashland College and Bethany Biblical Seminary. Called to the ministry March 15, 1933, by the Maple Grove church, he was advanced in that church on December 1, 1947. The Union Ridge church, Iowa, of which he was the pastor from 1949 to 1952, ordained him to the eldership on August 3, 1952. From 1952 to 1961 he ministered to the
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Freeburg church, Northeastern Ohio. Since 1961 he has been with the Eagle Creek church in Northwestern Ohio.
CONRAD KAHLER was born in Frankfort, Germany, on October 29, 1819. The family moved to America when he was ten years old, locating at Bolivar, Ohio. He worked for a number of years for Elder Yant, and it was in the Yant home that he became inclined to the faith of the Brethren. On
Conrad and Elizabeth Kahler
January 13, 1844, he was married to Elizabeth Arnold; in 1846 they united with the Church of the Brethren. Brother Kahler was called to the ministry in 1849 and ordained an elder in 1865. Seven children were born to Conrad and Elizabeth Kahler. The Kahlers were active members of the Tuscarawas congregation for more than forty years. Brother Kahler died in 1892, Sister Kahler following him at the age of seventy-six.
JOHN F. KAHLER, son of Conrad Kahler, a minister at the Tuscarawas church for over fifty years, was born April 5, 1849,
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near Bolivar, Ohio. Brother Kahler was united in marriage to Susanna Snively at the age of twenty-three; to them were born seven children. Brother and Sister Kahler became members of the church in 1872. He was installed into the office of deacon in 1874 and was called to the ministry ten years later by the Center church, which congregation he served for twenty- seven years. Retiring from farming, he accepted the call of the Reading church. There, in 1911, he was advanced to the eldership. Brother Kahler helped organize the Canton City church in 1912 and was its pastor until 1917, when a permanent church was established. He took up the work with the Mahoning congregation as minister and elder, and saw a mission established at Woodworth in 1918. Brother Kahler then withdrew from active church work for a few years. His wife died in 1921. In 1924 he married Mae Yoder. In June 1926 he began a busy eight-year ministry in a mission in Canton. Under his guidance the mission became an organized church. Seriously injured when he was thrown from his car, he died November 14, 1934.
C. RAY KEIM, son of Jacob S. and Caro- line (Snyder) Keim, was born March 10, 1894, in Stark County, Ohio. At the age of twelve he was baptized in the Canton Center church. He married Annie Keim at Nampa, Idaho, in 1919; they have one son. Brother Keim attended Man- chester College, Mc- Pherson College, and the University of Chi- cago. For three years he taught in elementary schools in Ohio, for five years in three
C. Ray Keim
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academies and a high school in Indiana, Kansas, and Idaho, and for one year at Iowa State Teachers College before becoming the head of the division of the social sciences and professor of history at Manchester College. Installed into the ministry at Nampa on December 21, 1921, he was ordained to the eldership at North Manchester, Indiana, in 1936. He was a member of the historical committee of the Middle Indiana District during the compiling of the recent history of the Church of the Brethren in Indiana and has taken other active parts in the work of that district.
CORA KELLER was born on June 6, 1876, the daughter of Gideon and Sarah Hostetler, of Dundee, Ohio. Graduating from the Dundee high school, she began teaching public school at the age of seventeen. After attending Manchester and Mt. Morris colleges, she became the secretary to Brother E. S. Young and taught in the Canton Bible Institute. At Canton she met Walter D. Keller and, on August 25, 1906, became his wife; two children were born to them. Following the decision of Annual Conference to license women to the ministry, she was licensed by the Walnut Grove church, Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Sister Keller was known throughout the Brotherhood also. When the national ladies' aid was organized she was chosen to be its first president and served in that office for five years. She died at North Canton on December 27, 1936.
D. H. KELLER, son of Jacob E. and Katie (Hollinger) Keller, was born in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, February 6, 1873. He united with the church in 1891 in McPherson, Kansas. After attending McPherson College for one year, he enrolled in Battle Creek College and was graduated from that school. He married Martha E. Hilary on February 24, 1897. Brother Keller was elected to the ministry in Worthington, Minnesota, in 1897, and was ordained to the eldership in 1898. He served as pastor in Nora Springs, Iowa; Winona, Minnesota; West Dayton, Ohio; Grundy Center, Iowa; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Akron, Ohio; Battle Creek, Michigan; and Sunfield, Michigan. Sister Keller was given a permanent preacher's license in
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1924, and, until his death on February 3, 1940, she assisted him in all his pastoral and evangelistic work. After Brother Keller's death, Sister Keller engaged in pastoral and evangelistic work.
HENRY KELLER was born in Knox County, Ohio, on April 14, 1829, the son of Benjamin Keller, a minister in the River Brethren Church. His boyhood days being spent on a farm, his opportunities for an education were limited. He served as an apprentice in an old-fashioned tan- nery and continued at this trade until he became an expert tanner. Later he operated his own tannery until the more modern methods made it unprofit- able; then he took up farming. Brother Keller was united in marriage to Elizabeth Grubb on No- vember 18, 1850; four chil- dren were born to them. Neither of them having accepted Christ at the time of their marriage, in Henry Keller the autumn of 1858 they were baptized in the Owl Creek church and lived and labored in this congregation until called to their reward. The dates of his election and ordination to the eldership are not known. He was elder-in-charge of the Owl Creek church from 1873 to 1903. Brother Keller made many sacrifices of finances and of personal comfort for the church and the cause which he loved. He was a man of faith and of prayer. He died on July 31, 1903.
WALTER DENTON KELLER, son of Daniel and Elnora (Myers) Keller, was born on January 29, 1879, near Fredericktown,
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Ohio. Baptized in the Owl Creek church in October 1900, he was called to the ministry by his home church in the summer of 1902 but did not accept the call until a year later. He was installed on August 8, 1903, ordained in 1905, and ordained an elder on November 9, 1912, in the Dickey church, Ashland. Brother Keller received his early education in the public and normal schools of the community, after which he taught for three years. He entered Ohio Northern University to prepare for electrical engineering, but after accepting the call to the ministry he transferred to Manchester College, where he completed the two-year Bible course in 1904. Then he entered the Canton Bible Institute, from which he received a B.S.L. degree in 1905. Later he returned to Ohio Northern University, graduating with a B.S. degree in 1906. During the time he was pastor of the Ashland Dickey church, he attended Ashland College, receiving a B.D. degree in 1921. He married Cora Hostetler on August 25, 1906; two children came into their home. Brother Keller pastored these churches: Hagerstown, Maryland (1907-1909 - the first supported pastor in this church and in the Middle District of Maryland); Washington, D. C. (1909-1911); Ashland Dickey, Ohio (1911-1918) ; Canton First, Ohio (1918-1921); Walnut Grove, Johnstown, Pennsylvania (1921-1925) ; Baltic, Ohio (1926-1928); East Nimishillen, Ohio (1929-1934); West Nimishillen, Ohio (1933-1940); Bremen, Indiana (1940-1944); Owl Creek, Ohio (1944-1950) ; Mohican, Ohio (1950-1952). Brother Keller was among the early full-time pastors during the time of the transition from the free to the salaried ministry. His first wife died on December 27, 1936. On January 29, 1939, he was married to Myrtle Reynolds; she passed away on July 10, 1950. Brother Keller is now living in retirement in Upland, Indiana.
DELBERT KETTERING was born to Warring C. and Beulah B. (Stambaugh) Kettering on February 8, 1933, in Ashland County, Ohio. He was married to Betty Jayne Krieger on June 6, 1959; they are the parents of one daughter. Brother Kettering was baptized in the Maple Grove church in 1945. He was graduated from Manchester College (A.B., 1954) and Bethany Biblical Seminary (B.D., 1957). His ordination to the ministry was conducted in the Maple Grove church in 1950 and
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his ordination to the eldership in the same church the next year. The pastor of the recently established Lake Breeze church at Lorain, Ohio, since July 1957, he is the adviser of the district youth fellow- ship (1959-1962) and a member of the Standing Committee (1962- 1963) from Northeastern Ohio.
Delbert Kettering
GEORGE WASHINGTON KIEFFABER was born March 26, 1877, near Cerro Gordo, Illinois, to Adam and Rebecca (Hochstetler) Kieffaber. He was baptized in the Lick Creek, Indiana, congregation on October 3, 1891. Brother Kieffaber married Eva Irene Emmert on October 17, 1907; they became the parents of three children. He attended Mount Morris College, Indiana State Teachers College, Indiana University, and Ohio State University. Called to the ministry in Mount Morris on May 9, 1909, he was advanced there on April 15, 1911, and ordained to the eldership October 1, 1916, in Inglewood, California. He served in the free ministry in Mount Morris, Illinois; Sunny- side, Washington; La Verne, California; and Canton and Akron, Ohio. For three years he was the part-time pastor of the Inglewood church, California. From April 1, 1920, to November 15, 1926, he was the full-time pastor at Kent, Ohio; later he was there four years as part-time pastor. Brother Kieffaber was a drugless physician since 1927 and dean of the Standard Chiropractic College, Akron, Ohio, since 1931. Earlier in life he had been a teacher in the Indiana schools for four years. At the time of his death in 1952 he was residing in Akron.
DEAN KINDY began pastoral work in the Chippewa church on September 1, 1960. Brother Kindy was born in North Manchester, Indiana. The Naperville church in Northern Illinois licensed him to the ministry. He was graduated from
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Manchester College in 1947 and from Bethany Seminary in 1954. A six-year pastorate in the Crystal church, Michigan, preceded his coming to the Chippewa church. Brother Kindy is married to the former June Zimmerman; they have five children. Besides carrying on pastoral work, the Kindys have engaged in the Brethren Service program.
Dean Kindy
Bernard King
BERNARD NATHAN KING, a native of Denton, Maryland, was born to Milton Franz and Annie (Bucher) King on September 3, 1906. In November 1920 he was received into the church in Ridgely, Maryland. He is a graduate of Juniata College, Bethany Seminary, and Boston University Divinity School. Brother King married Ella Baugher on July 6, 1934; they are the parents of two children. From 1930 to 1934 he taught at Oakland and Denton, Maryland, giving part-time pastoral service to the Ridgely church the greater part of this period. From 1934 to 1935 he pastored the Grand Valley and Fruita congregations in Colorado. During his seminary years, 1935-1938, he was the student pastor at Sterling, Illinois. The next six years were spent in the pastorate at McPherson, Kansas. In 1945 Brother King took over full-time pastoral duties at York, Pennsylvania, remaining there until 1952,
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when he went to the Ashland City church, Ohio. In 1957 he assumed charge of the Bridgewater, Virginia, congregation, going from there to Middle Pennsylvania as district executive secretary in 1961. In addition to the services already mentioned, Brother King has made a varied contribution through the districts in which he has held pastorates. He was the chairman of the Conference-appointed committee to study regional finance (1949-1950) ; a member of the Resolutions Committee of the Annual Conference (1949-1952; chairman, 1952); a Standing Committeeman twice; a member of the General Brotherhood Board (1953-1956).
WALDO EVERETT KINSEL, son of Harry J. and Ella May (Rookstool) Kinsel, was born on December 11, 1917, in Brookville, Ohio. He was married to Shirley Janet Kirkman on November 7, 1944; they have one son. He was baptized in August 1933 in the Brookville church. A B.S. degree was received from Bethany Biblical Seminary in 1949. Ordained as a minister in the Chicago First church on May 8, 1949, he was ordained an elder on November 30, 1952, in the Fairview church, Southern Indiana. Summer pastorates were held in West Vir- ginia, North Dakota, and North- eastern Ohio. Brother Kinsel was the full-time pastor of the Fairview Waldo Kinsel church, 1949-1953; of the Mt. Pleas- ant and Camp Creek churches, Northern Indiana, 1953-1956; and, since September 1956, of the Owl Creek church in Northeastern Ohio.
CHARLES F. KINSLEY, son of Fredrick and Maria (Miller) Kinsley, was born in Louisville, Ohio, on March 14, 1842. He married Rachel Wertenberger on January 29, 1865; they were the parents of ten children. Having been baptized previous to
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1871, he was elected to the office of deacon at the East Nimishillen church. Called to the ministry May 5, 1881, he was advanced October 17, 1885, and ordained an elder November 10, 1898. Sister Kinsley died on September 30, 1909; Brother Kinsley on January 14, 1918.
ALVIN L. KINTNER was born at Ney, Ohio, on June 1, 1919, the son of Charles E. and Marie (St. John) Kintner. He was baptized at Bryan, Ohio, on October 26, 1929. Following completion of his high school work at Bryan in 1939, he received a B.S. degree from Manchester Col- lege in 1943 and a B.D. degree from Bethany Biblical Seminary in 1946. Licensed to the ministry in 1937 at Bryan, he was ordained to the ministry there on April 23, 1944, and ordained to the eldership at Preston, Minnesota (Root River congregation), on February 17, 1947. On August 30, 1942, he was united in marriage to Myrtle C. Gray; two children were born to Alvin Kintner them. He was the summer pastor of the Turtle Mountains church, North Dakota, in 1942, and the Willow Creek church, South Dakota, in 1945. As a full-time pastor he has been at Root River, Minnesota, 1946 to 1951; Adrian, Michigan, 1951 to 1955; White Cottage, Northeastern Ohio, 1955 to 1959; New Philadelphia, Northeastern Ohio, 1959 to the present.
GEORGE V. KOLLAR was born on February 14, 1821, in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. He was about forty years old when elected to the ministry. At the age of about fifty-five he was ordained an elder. His faithfulness in his varied ministerial relations was commendable. His wife, Eliza, was a great help to him in his responsible work. At one time Brother Kollar was in favorable financial circumstances, but he was very
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sympathetic to those in need. He provided bail money, assumed the indebtedness of those who met with misfortunes, and made gifts to others. It was said by a prominent businessman in New Philadelphia who was intimately acquainted with Brother Kollar that he was "more like Jesus Christ than any [ other] man I ever met." He assisted in the building of churches in the Brotherhood and helped other denominations to build churches. He donated Brethren publications to many who were not able to buy them. Death came to him on September 14, 1908.
PETER KOLLAR was born on March 16, 1829, in Tucarawas County, Ohio. Early in life he united with the Church of the Brethren. He was elected to the ministry in 1874 and ordained an elder four years later. For several years he was superin- tendent of the Sunday school and was active in the ministerial service in the home congregation and in adjoining congrega- tions. He died in Mexico in 1913; he was preceded by his wife, Emma. They were the parents of four boys and five girls.
MARTIN KRIEGER, son of Albert and Rosa (Smith) Krieger, was born in Holmes County, Ohio, on October 6, 1905. He was baptized in Louisville, Ohio, on October 7, 1916. In 1924 he was graduated from the Sugarcreek-Shanesville high school. While a student at Manchester College (two-year normal, 1929) he was elected to the ministry in the Baltic congregation, Ohio, in 1928, serving there in the free ministry until 1937. Brother Krieger married Verna Immel on August 4, 1934; to this union were born two children. From 1938 to 1941 Brother Krieger was the part-time pastor of the Owl Creek church, Ohio, where he was ordained to the eldership in 1940. He assumed the pastorate of the Woodworth congregation in 1941, continuing there until 1944. On November 4, 1941, Sister Krieger died. On January 25, 1942, he married Corda Wertz, a returned missionary to China; one child was born to them. In 1944 the Kriegers moved to the province of Alberta, where for five years he was the part-time pastor of the Bow Valley congregation. Following their return to the States in 1949 he became the part-time pastor at Onekama, Michigan. In 1957
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he went to the Woodland, Michigan, congregation. Since 1960 he has been with the church in Batavia, Illinois. Brother Krieger rendered other service to the District of Northeastern Ohio as a member of the mission board (1940-1944), as a member of the Brethren service committee (1940-1944), and as writing clerk (1941-1943). He has been a Standing Committeeman three times - twice from Western Canada and once from Northeastern Ohio.
HENRY A. KROMMES was born in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, on October 12, 1915, a son of Moses D. and Mary Jaene (Berger) Krommes. He united with the church in the Centerport, Pennsylvania, congregation May 20, 1933. On May 28, 1938, he married Mabel Mae Reber; one son and one daughter were born to them. Brother Krommes was called to the ministry in the Maidencreek, Pennsylvania, congregation June 6, 1949, and was ordained there on November 11, 1950. He served the Maidencreek church in the free ministry from 1949 to 1952. Since 1952 he has been the full-time pastor of the Mohican church, Northeastern Ohio.
Henry Krommes
Mabel Krommes
MABEL MAE KROMMES was born in Centerport, Pennsyl- vania, on December 24, 1913, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Reber. Graduating from Kutztown State Teachers College in 1934, she taught fifth and sixth grades in the public
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schools of Pennsylvania. She was married to Henry Krommes in 1938; they are the parents of one son and one daughter. In 1952 the family moved to the pastorate of the Mohican church, Ohio. Sister Krommes has served on the board of Christian education and the women's fellowship cabinet, and as a junior camp counselor and counselor of the C.B.Y.F. since coming to Northeastern Ohio. She is the second woman to serve on Standing Committee from the district. She has continued teaching and graduated from Ashland College in 1960. In the summer of 1962 she spent five weeks studying the education and life of the people in ten African countries in a comparative and field study course conducted by Kent State University.
C. C. KURTZ was born in Hartville, Ohio, on April 4, 1925, a son of Ervin Jacob and Ellen (Young) Kurtz. He was baptized in 1934 in the Hartville congregation. After attending Manchester and Ashland colleges, he took some work in the Bible Training School at Bethany Seminary. Brother Kurtz married Lois Arlin Gauntz on June 14, 1944; one son and three daughters were born to them. The Hartville congregation called him to the ministry in February 1942, and the Maple Grove church ordained him on December 1, 1947. He served the Eden (Tuscarawas) church as part-time pastor from December 1944 to September 1947. In May 1947 he began a full-time pastorate of the Maple Grove church, where he remained one year. Subsequent charges have been Melvin Hill and Mill Creek, North Carolina (1948-1952) ; Pleasant Hill and Burks Fork, Southern Virginia (1952-1956); Mill Creek, North Carolina (1956-1960) ; Evergreen, Eastern Virginia (1960-). He is carrying some school work at Bridgewater College along with his pastoral duties, having taken some work at the University of Virginia and Eastern Mennonite College during previous pastorates in the Southeastern Region.
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