Here’s a look at some stories from the week of March 3-9.
March 7, 1954: Engineer ‘sits’ in plane’s cockpit at air base for 56 continuous hours
A 29-year-old Dayton employee of the Wright Air Development center spent 56 continuous hours in an Air Force fighter plane cockpit for the sake of science.
Charles Dempsey was wearing a pilot’s full outfit, which included an exposure suit, helmet, oxygen mask, gloves, long underwear, wool socks and rubber boots.
Scientists and engineers wanted to determine how long a man can sit in an aircraft cockpit and what equipment should be improved to make a pilot more comfortable and therefore more efficient.
During his endurance test, Dempsey’s reactions were observed and recorded. His physical and mental conditions were checked along the way.
His vision was very limited and he was subjected to a 115-decibel sound level comparable to the noise of a jet in flight.
Dempsey’s previous “sitting” record came when he was an Air Force pilot. He flew a B-29 for 22 continuous hours.
March 8, 1964: Daytonian had 1 wife too many
A 41-year-old Dayton man who married a Toledo woman without divorcing his current wife was placed on three years probation.
Emory Bell, an assembler for the National Cash Register Co., was arrested and charged with bigamy at his wedding reception.
Mary Bell and her 14-year-old son, whom she had with Emory, found out about the Toledo wedding and drove to the new wife’s home on the wedding day.
When confronted by his new father-in-law, Emory Bell claimed he had obtained a divorce.
March 8, 1973: POWs greet families during reunion at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Nine released prisoners of war were returned to the United States, landing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in 1973.
The group, which had been held in North Vietnam, included Maj. William J. Baugh, of Piqua, who stepped off the plane with a cheerful “thumbs up” gesture to the crowd of about 250 welcomers.
Baugh then had a reunion with his wife and children, including a first visit with his daughter, Liz, who was 5. Baugh had been shot down in 1967, before she was born. Many of the group had been in captivity for more than six years.
At the time, there were still 282 POWs still in prison camps. Most of the returning prisoners refused to discuss their treatment until all the prisoners were freed.
March 3, 1985: Dayton becomes Daytona — for a couple of days
In 1985, Hara Arena hosted a two-day “Spring Break” party that attracted thousands of young people in bathing suits eager for the feeling of Daytona in Dayton.
About 350 tons of sand were hauled in for the indoor beach party.
For $5 admission, guests could play volleyball, take dips in a small (four-foot deep) pool, dive into a vat of Jell-O for prizes, dance to 1950′s rock-n-roll played by a band called The Keepers, and soak up a few rays in a tanning machine.
The Ken Anderson Beverage Co. supplied Coors beer for the event.
College fraternities from as far away as Bowling Green and Ohio University had heard about the bash.
Some 3,500 people showed up for the party on Friday night and a good crowd was expected again for Saturday night.
March 5, 1993: St. Charles Borromeo Parish has a new home
For 30 years, St. Charles Borromeo Church in Kettering didn’t have a permanent home.
In 1993 that changed with the dedication of their new $4.5 million church complex at the southeast corner of East David Road and Ackerman Boulevard.
At the dedication, Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk presided over ceremonies and Cardinal James A. Hickey of Washington D.C., was a special guest.
The complex included offices and meeting rooms, a 27-foot steeple above the main sanctuary and two stained-glass rose windows. The interior was designed in beige and teal. The new church was able to seat up to 1,200 people.
St. Charles was led by Monsignor Lawrence Breslin, who had been pastor at the church since 1986. The parish was founded in 1962.
Since the mid-1960s, St. Charles had been conducting services in a building originally designed as a gymnasium and all-purpose center for the parish school.
About the Author
