THE YEAR IN REVIEW

This year had challenges, glimpses of better days

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By Jim DeBrosse, Staff Writer 12:37 PM Saturday, December 26, 2009

It was the kind of year we can only hope marked the end of an end and the beginning of a beginning.

A year that saw the loss of the Dayton area’s last world headquarters and the end of a century-old, corporate-community partnership when NCR announced its move to Georgia, along with some 1,300 jobs.

A year that Wilmington said goodbye to DHL Express and the heart of its economy, that Dayton Mayor Rhine McLin ended a long string of political victories in a failed bid for re-election and that Ohio voters, especially in the Dayton area, ended their long opposition to legalized gambling.

It was a year of economic conditions far more devastating than the threat of swine flu, with the numbers of unemployed, uninsured and foreclosed reaching levels unseen in generations.

But like a painful rite of passage, was 2009 also a new beginning? Did it provide us with a foundation, or at least a glimpse, for a better future?

Certainly, Dayton voters said they were ready for a different future, electing political newcomer Gary Leitzell as mayor.

Last week, the University of Dayton announced it had purchased NCR’s massive former world headquarters with plans to grow its research in advanced materials, nanotechnology and especially aerospace, having landed a $49.5 million grant from the U.S. Air Force.

Just a few weeks earlier, Caterpillar announced it would build a $68 million distribution center and bring up to 600 jobs to Clayton.

For sports fans, it was year to enjoy a revived Cincinnati Bengals team, on its way to clinching a division title, and a return to the NCAA tournament for UD Flyers basketball.

If nothing else, it was the year that made way for the spring of 2010, when the base consolidation plan will bring new talent, new jobs and new resources to Wright Patterson Air Force Base and the region.

So bring it on, 2010. We outlasted 2009 and it didn’t kill us. We shall soon find out if it made us stronger.

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