Familiar voices went silent. Cherished writing ceased. And bits of Dayton's
history died.
Prominent among Dayton-area deaths in 1997 were television anchor Don
Wayne, radio personality Lou Emm and Dayton Daily News writers Mickey Davis
and Leal Beattie. The airwaves seem a little colder; the newspaper seems a
little less vibrant.
Each passing seems to make the region's cultural tapestry less intricate
and our community life less rich.
At year's end, we pause to remember them - from Dayton's poor "Dog Lady,"
Delores Eileen Dean, to the wealthy benefactor of Wegerzyn Horticultural
Center, Benjamin J. Wegerzyn - to reflect on their lives and the gifts they
shared with us.
Jan. 4 - Daniel J. Mahoney Jr., 69, former president of Dayton Newspapers
Inc.
Jan. 16 - Harold Dodson, 89, retired General Motors executive and member
of Dayton's Amateur Baseball and Bowling halls of fame.
Feb. 25 - Joseph B. Haverstick, 85, a founding member of the National
Association of Home Builders and co-owner of Jay's Restaurant in Dayton.
March 4 - Roger Brown, 54, former University of Dayton basketball star
and first signee of the Indiana Pacers in 1967, who helped lead the Pacers to
three American Basketball Association titles.
April 3 - Gino P. Santi, 81, a Dayton engineer who pioneered the
development of advanced ejection systems for military aircraft.
April 12 - Benjamin J. Wegerzyn, 88, retired businessman who 30 years ago
donated $300,000 to build Dayton's horticultural conservatory named for him;
Ted Suttmiller, 77, a co-founder of Suttmiller's restaurant and nightclub in
1947.
April 21 - David P. Eckert, 48, a 25-year veteran of the Fairborn Police
Department and former Dayton Daily News sports writer.
April 22 - Dayton attorney Stanley A. Freedman, 74.
April 27 - Radio personality Lou Emm, 74.
May 8 - former Greene County Sheriff Russell A. Bradley, 77. He had
served 30 years to 1987, longest of any Ohio sheriff.
May 11 - Dayton native Brenda Hosbrook Carlin, 57, TV producer and wife
of comedian George Carlin.
May 23 - Tim Taylor, 28, charismatic frontman for local alternative rock
band, Brainiac, was killed in a one-car accident.
June 1 - Don Wayne, 75, who changed his name from Wesley Wayne Bouslog
and become the Miami Valley's most popular television news anchor. He worked
for WHIO radio and television for 47 years before he retired in 1988.
June 2 - Kathryn Elizabeth Huffman, 87, the mother of longtime Dayton
Daily News columnist Dale Huffman.
June 12 - Paul Loar Pryor, 85, former research scientist at
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, adviser to NASA on both the Mercury and
Apollo missions, and former staff photographer for National Geographic.
July 6 - Bob Ross, owner of Bob Ross Buick and one of the nation's most
successful black businessmen, left behind a $60 million automotive empire. He
was 62.
July 12 - William D. Apple, 77, Miami Valley businessman and developer
for nearly five decades; founder of Encrete Construction Co.
July 30 - Delores Eileen Dean, 72, known as "the Dog Lady" because of her
interest in caring for stray dogs.
Aug. 1 - Retired U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Ellis W. Kerr, 89.
Sept. 2 - Dayton Daily News writer Leal Beattie, 49, nationally known for
his motorsports writing.
Oct. 17 - Edgar W. "Lefty" Gilliland, 89, member of the Dayton Amateur
Baseball Hall of Fame.
Oct. 18 - Phyllis "Peggy" Giesseman, 81, former acting city manager in
Tipp City, the first woman in Ohio to hold such a position.
Oct. 28 - Bernard A. Harawa, 59, who was imprisoned in his native Malawi,
Africa, during a crackdown on freedom of expression, and later became a
consultant for Amnesty International and a longtime University of Dayton
professor.
Oct. 29 - Herbert "Orby" Schear, 89, a longtime grocer and head of the
Schear family; Kenneth C. Schraut, University of Dayton professor for 53 years
who spearheaded creation of the UD Research Institute in 1956.
Oct. 31 - Longtime Wright-Patterson Air Force Base official Francis L.
"Hap" Holloway, 87, of Oakwood.
Nov. 11 - Dayton Daily News writer Mickey Davis, 58, after a yearlong
battle with cancer.
Nov. 28 - Former Oakwood Health Commissioner Dr. Kenneth Arn, 76, a
specialist in internal medicine, public health and vocational rehabilitation.
Dec. 6 - Terry Peavy, 42, often described as one of the best basketball
players Dayton has ever seen, was found dead in his car in Dayton. A star at
Roosevelt High School, he led his Pittsburgh college team to the nationals and
was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers before he was cut. He nearly made the
New York Knicks, but his drug problem cut his career short.
Dec. 9 - Rubie McLin, 94, mother of the late C.J. McLin Jr., former state
representative and grandmother of state Sen. Rhine McLin.
Dec. 22 - Civic leader and businessman Lloyd McCreary Whitesell, 78;
Ralph Wampler, 76, co-founder of the Dayton Hara Arena Conference and
Exhibition Center.
Dec. 23 - Eric Klopfenstein, 22, Sidney-area native who underwent an
experimental bone marrow transplant in September, died of a lung infection.