Here’s a look at some stories happening the week of Sept. 3-9.
Sept. 4, 1937: Crystal Lake gunfight leaves three dead, including 2 officers
Bandits at Crystal Lake opened fire and killed Dayton chief deputy Edward Furry and patrolman Martin Randolph. Another patrolman, Martin Donnelly, was hospitalized.
Suspect Robert Cornette was killed, and Harry Chapman was captured. A third man, Henry Dingledine, was believed to be found at a Michigan hospital with bullet wounds, and a fourth man, Harry Deinledine (Henry’s father and owner of the cottage), was still on the run.
The robbers took $1,297 from Robert M. Smith, a restaurant employee who had just left a bank with money for cashing payroll checks. Smith was abducted, robbed, and left several miles away. The robbers were then tracked to the Crystal Lake cottage where the shootout ensued.
When Henry and Harry Dingledine fled the scene, a large manhunt got underway involving over 250 officers and two airplanes. Neither of the men were located until Henry checked into the hospital in Michigan.
Sept. 3, 1958: Wright brothers monument set for ceremony in Virginia
Acting Secretary of the U.S. Army, Hugh Milton, was to preside over a military ceremony dedicated to another historic achievement by Dayton’s Wilbur and Orville Wright.
Milton was set to unveil a monument at Fort Myer in Virginia to the first military flight by an airplane. That historic occasion was exactly 50 years before, with Orville Wright at the controls.
A plaque was also to be unveiled in memory of First Lt. Thomas Selfridge, for whom Selfridge Field in Michigan was named.
Selfridge was killed two weeks after the first military flight during a test flight alongside pilot Orville Wright. Orville was also critically wounded in the crash.
A later Wright model plane passed all tests, and was bought by the Army in 1909 for $25,000.
Sept. 6, 1966: President Lyndon B. Johnson visits Dayton
President Lyndon B. Johnson made a 30-minute speech at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds.
Two years before, the president spoke at Third and Main streets.
The jammed grandstands and crowd estimated at 70,000 waited on Johnson, who arrived an hour behind schedule. In the heat of the day, several people fainted and had to be helped from the crowd.
The president was greeted by mostly supporters, but there were some Vietnam War protesters with signs in the audience. Johnson mentioned the servicemen in Vietnam and said they are the ones “who give you (the protesters) the liberty to dissent which you so freely exercise.”
Besides the war, Johnson spoke about topics including inflation, labor unrest, racial disturbances and how to challenge youth to contribute to society.
While at the fairgrounds he inspected several prize Hereford and Black Angus steers and declared that they were meatier than those in his home state of Texas.
Sept. 8, 1974: Carillon Tower’s inspector-designer team oversees overhaul
The Carillon bell tower was dedicated in 1942. In 1974 it was undergoing its first major renovation.
Jim Peterson and Ron Miller were doing final inspections of the bell tower. Nine new bells were added, much of the rusted steel superstructure was replaced and there were new cast iron clapper mechanisms, designed by Peterson, were replaced with brass ones.
Peterson, a 27-year employee with NCR, had been working with the bells since he came back from the Army in 1955. A machine tool builder, he was responsible for the design of a new control system for the tower.
“They’re one of a kind. No one else has anything like them,” he said, “Most bells are played mechanically. Ours are operated by 32 electrical relays, one for each bell.”
Miller, an electrician for NCR, who was checking all of the wiring, loved to climb around on the bells. “It’s something different from my plant work,” he said. “I really feel comfortable up there. If I didn’t I couldn’t do the job.”
Sept. 4, 1983: Electronic brains compute with governor
Richard F. Celeste was the first Ohio governor to use email.
“He (Celeste) was so excited when he sent his first message. He just beamed.” said Heidi Findley, assistant to the governor’s press secretary.
Celeste’s computer terminal was one of 23 installed in the governor’s office that had access to the “electronic mail” communication system.
The state government spent $180,000 on the hardware and software for the governor’s and six other offices.
Besides sending messages, Celeste also used the system’s word processor for writing his speeches.
While training was offered for all employees, Celeste didn’t need it. “He took the manual home one night and taught himself, and cancelled the training sessions,” said a staffer. “We were astounded.”
Sept. 3, 1991: There’s no parade like Holiday at Home
Thousands from Kettering, nearby towns and even farther-off places started showing up with their chairs as much as six hours before the 9:55 a.m. parade.
An estimated 125,000 to 150,000 gathered along the parade route at Far Hills Avenue. Some had reserved their curbside seats by setting out chairs the night before.
The crowd was three deep an hour before the parade and six to 10 deep after it got started.
With beautiful, 80-degree weather, the two-hour parade was overwhelmingly considered a success.
About the Author
