In celebration of the Miriam Rosenthal Foundation’s 60th year, an appreciation letter to her

What I’ve learned is that you were an unassuming and soft-spoken woman who had little personal wealth but did have a terrific knack for quietly working behind the scenes to inspire others to share their resources with the community. I discovered that following your death, a group of Dayton’s most prominent citizens created a memorial trust fund in your name to benefit the institutions you cherished.

You’d be excited to know that during the past 60 years, more than 100 projects have been made possible by the Foundation’s grants. It has provided general operating support to eight organizations and special project support to 19 more.

I’ve come to realize that much of what I love most about Dayton — especially when it comes to the arts — can be traced back to you and your legacy. So I thought I’d write — on behalf of myself and our community — to say thanks. Especially this year when, in celebration of the Miriam Rosenthal Foundation’s 60th year, the organization that bears your name is underwriting four significant projects.

A special season

In August, your fund made it possible to bring well-known Muse Machine alums back to their hometown for a memorable Summer Musical.

In September, I sat in the audience for the Dayton Philharmonic’s season-opening concert, welcoming our dynamic new music director, Keitaro Harada, alongside acclaimed guest pianist Garrick Ohlsson.

Credit: Josh Ohms

Credit: Josh Ohms

Kathleen Clawson, the Opera’s artistic director, is bubbling over with excitement about her new production of one of the world’s most popular operas, “Carmen.” Slated for November 1-2 at the Schuster Center; it will show off the talents of well-known opera stars as well as our own Dayton Ballet and Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. The production is led entirely by women — Clawson as stage director, Chelsea Gallo as guest conductor and award-winning flamenco dancer Irene Rodriguez as choreographer.

Credit: ©Andy Snow 2005

Credit: ©Andy Snow 2005

And thanks to you, The Dayton Ballet and Dayton Contemporary Dance Company will unite on April 10-12 at the Victoria Theatre for a combined “Rhythm of the City” performance with a salute to Dayton’s home of funk. This performance will mark the first time since 1968 that the two dance companies have joined forces and appeared on the same program.

But wait, there’s more

Miss Rosenthal, thanks for sharing extraordinary fundraising and public relations skills to support causes both large and small. You made sure we had a remodeled Memorial Hall and an expanded University of Dayton. Today, U.D., Wright State University and Sinclair Community College all have buildings that bear your name.

Thank you for the birth of the National Museum of the United States Air Force and the growth of Kettering, Good Samaritan, St. Elizabeth and Miami Valley hospitals. Thanks for Beth Abraham Synagogue and a $10 million expressway program, not to mention the myriad campaigns which made a difference to so many organizations — the Dayton Boys Clubs and the American Red Cross; the United Jewish Appeal and the United Theological Seminary; the Salvation Army Citadel and Goodwill Industries; the Boy Scouts of America; the YMCA and YWCA and our Dayton-Montgomery County Public Library. No wonder you were known as “the power behind Dayton’s civic throne.” Wow!

You were also dubbed “The Dayton Impresario, determined to make the Gem City a center of culture. In addition to being the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestras first manager and guiding the DPO’s business affairs and public relations for more than 30 years, you staged three seasons of grand opera, and brought world-famous orchestras, concert artists and dance companies to Memorial Hall. In the introductory program notes for the DPO’s 1977-78 season it states, “She was determined to give Dayton the best of the performing arts and she was also determined that every Daytonian should have the opportunity to attend the performances she sponsored, even if it meant she had to pay for the tickets herself.”

In their words

Jeanne Betty Weiner, who passed away recently at the age of 104 and was known as Mother Goose at the DPO’s KinderConcerts, once told me you did everything in a refined and quiet way but insisted no one over the years had the kind of impact you had on our town and region.

“There was this comfortable warmth about her, nothing flowery or ostentatious,” Mrs. Weiner said. “She welcomed everybody. She acted like she didn’t realize how important she was.”

Your goddaughter, Marcia Burick, described you as a quiet dynamo who was brilliant and could talk about any subject. She remembers your wonderful laugh that was almost a giggle. The daughter of Dayton Daily News sportswriter Si Burick, Marcia remembered that you and her folks would gather together, calendar in hand, to make sure that University of Dayton basketball games were never scheduled on the same night as a Philharmonic concert because many people enjoyed attending both.

Marcia worked for your PR firm in the summers of 1959 and 1960 and describes your suite of offices at the Biltmore Hotel as a “warm and loving place” with a mix of staffers that was always inclusive in terms of race and age.

“Aunt Miriam had something to do with Antioch’s Shakespeare Festival,” she recalled,” “so sometimes she’d say it was time to close the office and go watch a rehearsal. We’d all leave and go to Antioch.”

Marcia said you were a feminist before the term was popular.

“She told me I could do anything I wanted to do in this world at a time women were not saying that to other women,” she said. “She offered unconditional love and encouragement.”

The early years

I hadn’t realized that you were born in Lebanon, Ohio, as the daughter of Russian immigrants, or that you were a graduate of Steele High School and attended both the University of Cincinnati and The Ohio State University. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that you spent years as a newspaper writer —for both the Dayton Herald and my own paper, the Dayton Daily News — writing articles and columns on subjects ranging from crime to love advice. And I didn’t know that you had established the Ohio News Bureau and written for national news-feature syndicates.

I know now that you were a great friend of James M. Cox, Jr., the publisher of our Dayton Daily News. In 1965, after your death he wrote, “Miriam Rosenthal loved this town. Her every deed and action evidenced this affection. Whenever a problem arose, she was the intelligent, cheerful advisor to whom people of all walks of life turned . Ever radiant and indefatigable, she dedicated her life to the betterment of this community. Her spirit and memory will remain as an inspiration.”

NCR chairman, Robert Ohlman, noted that whatever field you touched, your “skillful ability helped create a spirit of cooperation, which was, and hopefully still is, one of the outstanding characteristics of our area.”

Miss Rosenthal, you would be so thrilled to know that that spirit of cooperation to which Mr. Ohlman referred, is still present in Dayton. The collaborations taking place today — especially when it comes to the arts — are so exciting! You’d be so proud to know Dayton was the first city in this nation to blend opera, orchestra and ballet and that we’ll be seeing them all come together in the production of “Carmen” that’s about to take the Schuster stage.

So thank you, thank you, for devoting your life to all of us and the generations that will follow and for giving us a chance to get to know you and honor you on this special occasion, the anniversary of the Miriam Rosenthal Foundation for the Arts. We all take pride in honoring you.

With admiration,

Meredith Moss

HOW WE CAN HELP

“The Miriam Rosenthal Fund was created by the citizens of Dayton to be a lasting foundation for supporting the arts,” said Foundation chair Richard McCauley. “Their vision was that future generations would contribute to the Fund so that the increasing expenses of the arts could be met. To help fulfill that mission, we need new contributions.

Contributions can be made through the Foundation’s website where you can also watch a video about Miriam’s life. Visit miriamrosenthalfoundation.org.

HOW TO GO

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday Nov. 1 and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2

Where: Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center, 1 W. Second St., Dayton

Tickets: $27 and up. Call Dayton Live Ticket Office, 937-228-3630

REALTED PROGRAMMING