They will join a list of 125 honorees that includes comedian Jonathan Winters, writer Erma Bombeck, aviation pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright, Gov. James M. Cox and poet Paul Laurence Dunbar.
Since 1996, the Walk of Fame has recognized individuals or groups who have made substantial contributions in the Dayton area.
“It’s an important project that adds even more value to the legacy of the Wright-Dunbar district,” said Idotha “Bootsie” Neal, the president of Wright Dunbar Inc.
The Walk of Fame is installed in the sidewalks along West Third Street, between Shannon and Broadway streets, in the historic Wright-Dunbar Business District, a place where the Wright Brothers and Dunbar called home.
Here’s a closer look at the 2011 honorees:
Ralph and Christine Dull
•As original founders of the Dayton International Peace Museum, Ralph and Christine Dull have dedicated their lives to helping promote peace around the world.
Ralph’s work of more than 40 years with Heifer International has won him awards from the Soil and Water Conservation Organization.
Christine has been recognized for her work by the National Conference for Community and Justice. She also received the Atticus Finch Quiet Hero Award following The Big Read in 2006 of “To Kill A Mockingbird.”
Herbert Woodward Martin
•A professor emeritus of English and a former poet in residence at the University of Dayton, Herbert Woodward Martin is nationally known as a Dunbar scholar for his readings of the poetry of Paul Lawrence Dunbar.
Born in Alabama in 1933, Martin began to write poetry during his undergraduate years at the University of Toledo, from which he graduated in 1964.
In his book “Herbert Woodward Martin and the African American Tradition in Poetry,” author Ronald Primeau examines Martin’s place in American literature.
As Primeau wrote, “Quiet is a word repeated often in poems by Herbert Woodward Martin. A quiet lyrical love pervades the music of his poetry. ... Martin’s complex artistry is forceful.”
Phoebe Ann Moses (Annie Oakley)
Born Aug. 13, 1860, in Darke County, Phoebe Ann Moses learned to shoot with her father’s old Kentucky rifle at 8 years old.
In the fall of 1875, she took part in a shooting contest in Cincinnati against Frank Butler, a professional shooter who performed on the vaudeville stage.
When she won, Butler convinced Phoebe to travel with him and demonstrate her skills.
In June of 1876, they married and traveled across the country together. In 1886, the couple joined Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show and Phoebe became known as “Miss Annie Oakley.”
In December 1924, Annie and Frank moved to Dayton, and the next year, Annie, then 65, set a record at the Vandalia Trapshoot, hitting 97 out of 100.
The Annie Oakley Center at the Garst Museum in Greenville features exhibits dedicated to her personal and professional life and her impact on modern popular culture.
Gussie Lord Davis
• Born in Dayton in 1863, Gussie Lord Davis was one of the first commercially successful African-American composers. One of his most memorable songs was “Irene, Good Night.”
Davis published more than 300 songs, and one of his greatest hits, “In the Baggage Coach Ahead,” was inspired by a situation related to his job as a railroad porter.
Following his work as a porter, he was a janitor at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, where he picked up bits and pieces of musical knowledge and began writing ballads.
Davis’ work is listed by the Whittlesey File at the Library of Congress and is regarded as part of the standard repertoire of today’s bluegrass, folk and country musicians.
The Dayton Marcos
• Chartered in 1920 as one of eight Negro League baseball teams, the Dayton Marcos played their first game at Westwood Field on Western Avenue (now James H. McGee Boulevard) on June 12, 1920, against the Chicago Giants.
One of the best-known members of the team was Bill Sloan, who became a hero during the 1913 flood and reportedly saved 317 people during 68 hours of continuous work.
Dayton Marcos’ shortstop Curtis “Bingo” Lloyd worked with Mrs. Miley O. Williamson of the Dayton NAACP to desegregate city golf courses. Lloyd was the last living member of the team and died in 2002.
A noon luncheon will follow the Walk of Fame ceremony at Sinclair Community College. Tickets for the luncheon are $50 per person and sponsorships range from $500 to $2,500.
For ticket and sponsorship information, call (937) 443-0249.
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