TO MAKE A NOMINATION FOR THE DAYTON REGION WALK OF FAME:
The 2016 Walk of Fame nomination period is open until April 1.
A typed nomination form and narrative, along with any accompanying material, can be emailed to daytonwalkoffamejudges@gmail.com or mailed to Dayton Region’s Walk of Fame 2016, Wright-Dunbar Inc., 1105 W. Third St., Dayton, OH 45402.
An independent judging committee will make final selections and announce the induction of up to five individuals in June.
An annual induction ceremony and luncheon will be held September 22, 2016 for all 2016 inductees.
For additional information please contact us by calling 937-443-0249.
ABOUT THIS FEATURE
HISTORY EXTRA is a weekly pictorial history feature showcasing the Miami Valley’s rich heritage. If you have a unique set of historic photos found in your parents’ or grandparents’ attic that depicts the past in the Miami Valley, contact Lisa Powell at 937-225-2229 or at Lisa.Powell@coxinc.com.
Photos from the Dayton Daily News archive and the Dayton Region’s Walk of Fame
Engraved granite pavers found on the sidewalks throughout Dayton’s Wright-Dunbar Historic District highlight the scores of inductees whose accomplishments have enriched our community.
Nancy Horlacher, local history specialist for the Dayton Metro Library, has compiled a brief history of each of the women featured on the Dayton Region’s Walk of Fame for a presentation she put together eight years ago to celebrate Women’s History Month.
“Each woman has her very own unique story,” said Horlacher who periodically shares her presentation with the community. “I love hearing and passing on to the audience anecdotal stories about these strong women.”
Horlacher said the dozens of women featured should inspire the community. “The variety of ways these woman have given reminds the members of the community to continually try to be the best one can be in all things,” she said.
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>>Dayton Woman's Club marks 100 years
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Esther Price - 1904-1994
Esther Price began making candy in Dayton in 1926 to help make ends meet during the Depression. Her candy became so popular that she stopped selling it from her porch and bought property on Wayne Avenue and set up shop there. She became one of Dayton’s first successful businesswomen.
Jane Reece - 1868-1961
Jane Reece was one of the world’s finest pictorial photographers. She exhibited her haunting and lyrical photographs, reminiscent of the styles of Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Weston at the Dayton Art Institute and around the world. She was the first woman portraitist to be admitted to the Photographers Association of America.
Miriam Rosenthal - 1901-1965
She provided leadership and financial support to underwrite the Dayton Philharmonic and other important arts organizations. Upon her death community business and civic leaders organized a trust fund, the Miriam Rosenthal Fund, that enriches the arts in our communities and will be vital for many years to come.
Delores Russ — 1921-2008
Russ and her husband Fritz Russ dedicated their lives to engineering and in the process had a profound impact on the profession on local, state and national levels. She and her husband founded and developed Systems Research Laboratories, which became a leader in designing and assembling a complex digital computer system to analyze spacecraft signals and assist the U. S. Air Force with testing procedures for astronaut selection.
Betty L. Schmoll – 1936-2015
Schmoll is a pioneer and inspiration in the Hospice movement in America. She is the founder of the award-winning Hospice of Dayton an institution that provides palliative care to terminally ill patients. Under her direction, Dayton became an acknowledged leader in the Hospice movement and became one of the country’s largest Hospice organizations.
Josephine L. and Hermene L. Schwarz - 1909-2004/ 1902-1986
The sisters were dancers, choreographers and ballet teachers who founded the forerunner of the Dayton Ballet, the nation’s second oldest dance company. As dancers themselves, they studied in Europe, and Josephine performed on Broadway. Their high standards were legendary.
Laverne Kenon Sci – Born 1940
Sci is an expert on the life and works of Paul Laurence Dunbar. Her love of Dunbar and his literature led her to many years of service dedicated to elevating the appreciation of the poet and his works in Dayton and across the nation. She tirelessly advocated for the growth and expansion of the Paul Laurence Dunbar State Memorial.
Sister Dorothy Stang – 1931-2005
Sister Dorothy Stang dedicated her life as a missionary to the fight for the rights of rural workers and peasants in the Amazon region of Brazil. A member of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, she went on to do adult faith formation with landless peasants who were granted small plots of land in the rain forest. She taught the peasants the principles of sustainable farming and rain forest preservation, started 39 schools and worked to create health care and first aid facilities. Although beloved by the people she served, while working to improve the lives of the poor and protect the rain forest, Sister Dorothy had run-ins with illegal logging operations, land speculators, and cattle ranchers. She was murdered by hired killers in 2005.
Louise Troy — 1860-1941
As the daughter of a Civil War veteran, she began teaching in Dayton in 1878. After the schools were integrated in 1887 she was the only black teacher that was retained. For several years she was the only black teacher in the public school system. All young black women aspiring to be teachers were sent to her for mentoring and practice teaching. Her pupils included Paul Laurence Dunbar and William O. Stokes, as well as many future educators.
Jean V. Woodhull — 1920 – 2015
Woodhull was a creative naturalist who sought to green the Dayton area through her founding of Cox Arboretum and her involvement in RiverScape and Wegerzyn Gardens. She served on boards of the American Horticultural Society and was director of the Garden Club of America.
Alice G. Woodward — 1915 – 2000
As Dayton’s most enthusiastic and successful historic preservationist, she saved over 40 buildings and advised and aided other preservationists. She received many awards for her successes and helped revitalize and revive many of Dayton’s historic neighborhoods. In an article that appeared in 1998 in the Dayton Daily News, she said,“I just like old houses and I like to be busy,” Woodward said. “And it keeps me out of the bars.”
Rosamond M. Young – 1912 - 2005
Dayton educator, journalist and author, Young was born in Dayton and graduated from Steele High School and served as an educator for 30 years. She served over 25 years as a journalist with the Dayton Journal Herald and with the Dayton Daily News and entertained and educated with her columns highlighting history, culture and everyday life in Dayton.
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