Here’s a look at some stories happening the week of Feb. 5-Feb. 11.
Feb. 11, 1937: 20,000 Dayton General Motors workers share wage increase
Twenty thousand of the 22,500 employees of the Dayton divisions of General Motors Corp. received an increase in pay of five cents an hour.
The boost meant an additional payroll sum of about $2 million per year.
It followed a five-cents-an-hour increase from only three months prior. . The move established Dayton as one of the highest labor markets in the world.
Feb. 10, 1947: $140,000 Missing Rembrandt found here
Three rare paintings, including a self-portrait by the famous Dutch painter Rembrandt valued at $140,000, were taken from their Dayton owners to become the permanent property of the United States.
The three paintings, belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Leo Ernst, were purchased from a German merchant seaman in 1934, after they had been stolen in Germany and smuggled into the United States.
The two other paintings were a Ter Borch valued at $2,000 and a painting by T.H. Tischbein valued at $1,200. The owners had taken the paintings to several experts and were told many times they were all fakes.
After many years, the truth that the paintings had been stolen finally came to light and the owners turned them over the the Dayton Art Institute for safe keeping while an investigation was ongoing.
The Rembrandt was eventually transported to the National Gallery of Art in Washington where it remained for 20 years. It is now on display at the Escher in Het Paleis museum in The Hague.
Feb. 5, 1954: Pinball machines are ruled gambling devices by board
Pinball machines were thought to soon be a thing of the past in Dayton and Ohio in taverns holding a liquor or wine permit because they were classified as gambling devices, not games of skill.
“Bingo-type” machines were also taboo on the premises of liquor permit holders because the were also considered gambling devices. Indications were that the liquor board would take action on all pinball machines not merely one particular type. A survey concluded that there were 175 different types of machines in the Dayton area alone.
Dayton police officials were unable to estimate the number of pinball machines in Dayton, but over 4,000 were estimated in Ohio.
Machines which offer as an inducement free games are considered gambling devices and police had broken up “dozens and dozens” of them under state laws and ordinances, according to reporting of the time.
Feb. 6, 1961: Dayton baker’s Kennedy picture cake to grace White House wall
A portrait of President John F. Kennedy done entirely in icing and vegetable coloring was requested to hang in the White House.
Joanne Tucker, daughter of the owner of Owen’s Bakery, 924 W. Fairview Ave., had been a professional cake decorator for 12 years. She was also a former art student.
“We entered it in a bakery convention show in Cleveland last week, the wire services carried a picture of it and Saturday I got the word from the National Democratic committee — bring it to Washington.” Tucker told the Dayton Daily News in 1961.
Tucker flew to Washington first class, with the picture wrapped up in a seat next to her.
Her creation, which took a week to make, was slated to be hung in a room in the White House reserved for outstanding paintings by American amateurs.
Feb. 7, 1968: Gondert & Lienesch quitting; oldest box maker in the area
The 73-year-old, family owned, Gondert & Lienesch box maker business announced they were going out of business.
The manufacturer of wooden shipping boxes, crates and pallets was founded in 1895 by William Gondert and T.H. Lienesch.
The 2-acre property, with approximately 75,000 square feet of buildings, on the south side of East Fourth Street at Wayne Avenue, was sold to an undisclosed party.
Factors cited by the company on their decision to close included a loss of business to out-of-town suppliers, the trend to corrugated containers over wood, the increased difficulty of getting lumber and a high labor turnover.
Feb. 6, 1981: Steve Lauterbach’s big day
An estimated crowd of 3,500 gathered at the Dayton Arcade to officially welcome back former hostage Steven Lauterbach.
Lauterbach was an administrative aide in the U.S. Embassy in Tehran at the time of the Iranian takeover in 1979. The 52 hostages were held for 444 days before being released on Jan. 20, 1981.
The ceremony included a prayer by the Lauterbach’s parish priest, songs played by the Chaminade Julienne high school band and welcome home remarks by city and Montgomery County officials.
Lauterbach and his parents were escorted to a stage where Lauterbach thanked everyone for their support and the emotional outpouring of affection since his release.
He then told the crowd that it was his hope the the outpouring of national pride in the wake of the hostage crisis would have a lasting effect.
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