Here’s a look at some stories from the week of Jan. 21-27.
Jan 26, 1941: Dayton police boasts unusual record of four fathers-sons on force
“Like father, like son” or “a chip off the old block,” were some of the phrases that applied to the group of eight members of the Dayton police force who were father-son teams.
It was noted that there were no father-son teams in the Dayton fire department.
The dad with the longest continuous service was Sgt. Patrick Roche, who was soon to celebrate his 26th anniversary on the Dayton force, starting in 1915. His son is Patrolman David Roche.
When the reporter asked the sons why they had decided to follow their father in the police department, the answers were all about the same: It had not occurred to them to seek a career elsewhere, they just naturally became policemen.
Jan. 21, 1951: There’s a lady behind that camera at WHIO-TV
Connie Craft, of WHIO-TV, made a bit of history when she became the first female to hold the job of “cameraman” in Dayton television operations.
The 21-year-old Craft came to Dayton from Plainfield, New Jersey, where she had worked two years inspecting television tubes.
“I was nervous at first, but it (operating a TV camera) soon became a part of me.” said Craft.
Shortly after starting work at the studio on Wilmington Pike, Craft was surprised by “Uncle Bob” Campbell, who had a show, when he pulled her from behind the camera and introduced her to the TV audience.
WHIO-TV station manager Bob Moody said Craft’s work was satisfactory. He also said that women may become an important cog in the technical side of television, especially in the case of a manpower shortage due to wartime.
Jan. 23, 1961: Radar protector on Air Force suit rack
The Air Force had pressure suits to protect pilots at high altitudes, protective suits for crewmen handling toxic rocket fuel, exposure suits for men who might have to parachute into cold water, and crash rescue suits for getting crewmen out of burning airplanes.
The latest item to join the collection was a radiation-resistant suit to protect technicians from injury during emergency maintenance of high-powered radar equipment.
The one-piece suit, designed at Wright Air Development Center, was designed to protect workers from internal injuries caused by the highly concentrated fields of radio frequency and microwave energy.
It had double layers of silverized cloth to reflect the radar waves, which could cause internal heating. The suit could work at temperatures as low as 65 below zero.
The four-layer outfit consisted of a neoprene-coated nylon coverall with attached mittens, boots and headpieces: two inner layers of silverized cloth and a cotton liner.
The suit was designed for Air Defense command primarily for use at the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System stations.
Jan. 24, 1971: Magic is alive and well here in Dayton
The Dayton Magic Club, Ring 5 had about 20 members and was affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Magicians. The Dayton Ring was one of nearly 100 Rings throughout the world.
Most of the members considered magic a hobby, but some performed for cash at carnivals, school programs and theaters. They did anything from making a paper clip disappear from the palm of their hand to changing the color of a necktie.
The group met the first Friday of each month in the basement of the Emmanuel Church by Chaminade High School, and exchanged new tricks.
There were no lessons, but new members received trade tips from the more experienced members. Members ages ranged from 14 to 70, with all of them starting from scratch.
Most of the tricks used by members were inexpensive, but some could run into quite a bit of money. For instance, the “saw the lady in half” trick could run as high as $400 because of the tremendous amount of equipment need to set up the act.
The Dayton Magic Club was formed Sept.1, 1939 and continues to this day.
Jan. 21, 1981: Lauterbachs talk to son, Steven, after release as hostage in Iran
Awakened from their sleep at 3 a.m., Eugene and Margaret Lauterbach talked to their son Steven, in his first full day of freedom after 444 days as hostage in Iran.
The Lauterbachs were greeted by reporters as they were warming up their car to leave for work at 6:45 a.m. Margaret worked at a nearby cleaners and Eugene worked for National Tag Co. in Vandalia.
“He sounded just like he always did. He seems to be in great shape,” Lauterbach said.
The 29-year-old employee of the U.S. Foreign Service placed the call from Wiesbaden, West Germany, about two hours after he and the other 51 freed hostages landed at Rhein-Main Air Force Base in nearby Frankfurt.
“We had a long talk,” said Lauterbach, “It was mostly about family matters.” He added, “We gave him a lot of phone numbers of people he wanted to call.”
Before leaving, Lauterbach reiterated that no date had yet been set for the reunion he and his wife would have with their son when he returned to the United States.
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