Here’s a look at some stories from the week of June 23-29.
June 26, 1938: System of tattooing chickens cuts loss of fowl by theft for farmer
Brookville farmer Lester Garber woke up one day to find out 150 of his chickens had been stolen. Thirty-nine turkeys had also been stolen.
At the time, the loss in money was somewhere between $150 and $200, a considerable amount to a farmer.
In the late 1930s a national movement, backed by state and county officials, had begun for farmers to tattoo their chickens and farm fowls.
Farmers were given a small punching device containing a number of needles that were arranged to form a number, which was registered with officials.
A special ink was spread on a section of the chicken’s wing and then stamped.
The law aimed to make it impossible for anyone to sell chickens with tattoo marks unless the owner also presented a registration card.
June 27, 1948: American elm trees dying all over Dayton
Every section of the city had a problem with dying American elm trees.
Phloem necrosis was the deadly disease that was killing American elms so fast that that city forestry crews estimated it would take them two years to catch up on their dead tree removal program.
That year, between 30 and 40 percent of the shade trees still standing in the city were American elms. They were all doomed to die within the next few years.
There was no cure for the disease and it was considered impossible to control.
City Forester Robert Miller called it “a major disaster.”
The forestry crew of 13 workers was removing about 70 trees a month.
A replanting program was to be implemented once tree removal was no longer the top priority. The previous year, only five trees were planted for every 100 removed.
June 29, 1958: Dayton toddlers fit to be titled
Royalty filled the University of Dayton Fieldhouse as some 170 children had titles bestowed upon them in a mass coronation.
The “baby show” coronation was the result of a contest sponsored by the Disabled American Veterans, which hoped it would become an annual event.
A total of 450 children 5 years old or younger registered for the contest, with about 170 winners chosen.
Health, beauty and friendship points were totaled to get several winners in each of nine groups.
Winners were given titles such as king, prince, duke, count and lord. Female equivalents were given of each title as well. A “Master Dayton” and “Miss Dayton” and a supreme court were also chosen.
June 25, 1968: Bogie Busters presents past, present sports headliners
Sports figures and celebrities gathered in Dayton once again for the annual Bogie Busters golf outing.
Among the biggest of names were Paul Brown, Cincinnati Bengals coach; Don Shula, Baltimore Colts coach; Cy Laughter, president of the Laughter Corporation; Otto Graham, Washington Redskins coach; and jockey Eddie Arcaro.
Brown talked with a reporter about how, when he was running the Cleveland Browns, the team landed the great Jim Brown, almost by accident.
“We went into the draft after the 1956 college season needing a quarterback,” Paul said.
“We were way down on the draft list. The three we had our eyes on were Paul Hornung, Lennie Dawson and John Brodie, and they were all taken.”
The team ended up going with the best player who wasn’t a quarterback and chose Brown, who went on to set many NFL records.
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