Honoring a Dayton hero: ‘Edwin Moses comes home again’

Olympic champion was celebrated by the city.

Just months after winning a gold medal in the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Edwin Moses was honored by his hometown.

“Moses has climbed mountain of fame,” was the Aug. 6, 1984 Dayton Daily News front page headline marking Moses’ 47.75-second finish in the 400-meter hurdles.

This was the second gold medal that Moses, a graduate of Fairview High School, had won during his career. The first was at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games.

Credit: Dayton Daily News Archive

Credit: Dayton Daily News Archive

Now, the week before Thanksgiving, Dayton was geared up to pay tribute to one of its greatest athletes.

The salute kicked off at the Arcade, where the crowds stood after seats filled to ask questions and hear the athlete speak.

“To me, you do the right thing,” a man in the crowd said, according to newspaper coverage. “I’m proud of you.”

Parties, dinners, a sports medicine symposium, a stop at the Agonis Club and a visit to Children’s Medical Center were among the celebrations held for Moses.

Surgery for 12-year-old Thomas Myree to repair a shoulder injured during a pickup game of football was delayed so that he would have chance to visit with the Olympic champion.

“He’s been running since he was 5,” the boy’s father told a reporter. “He said this morning that he hoped he would see Edwin Moses.”

Credit: Dayton Daily News Archive

Credit: Dayton Daily News Archive

The following day, a parade for the two-time Olympic champion was held in downtown Dayton.

Moses and his wife, Myrella, rode from Courthouse Square to Memorial Hall in a convertible with a patriotic banner covering the hood.

More than 1,000 Dayton public school children walked alongside holding American flags high as Moses and his wife waved to the crowd on the streets.

The highlight of his visit came on a 2.5-mile stretch of the former Miami Boulevard West and Sunrise Avenue.

“Friday morning when they cut the ribbon for the new street, I’ll be very happy,” Moses told the Dayton Daily News. “Not everyone has a street named after them.”

Mayor Paul Leonard and Moses smiled as they held up an Edwin C. Moses Blvd. street sign for photographers during the ceremony that wrapped up the week of activities honoring the athlete.

An editorial in the newspaper summed up the new street name and the city’s pride under the headline, “Edwin Moses comes home again.”

“It was just one of the honors bestowed this week on this two-time Olympian by a city that is justifiably proud of Mr. Moses’ accomplishments,” read the editorial.

“Whether Mr. Moses’ visit inspires some other youngsters to become the best they can be may be found out in some other ceremonies in some other decade. In the meantime, welcome home, Edwin Moses.”

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