Here’s a look at some stories from the week of Nov. 3-9.
Nov. 6, 1938: Handyman, 82, says he will wear, not rust, out
There seemed to be one in every small town or village: A good handyman.
In West Alexandria in 1938, that man was C.H. Alspay, who at 82 said he had just reached his full worth to the community.
“I’m 82 years old and have been a blacksmith for, oh, I just grew up in it, about 65 years, I guess,” he said. “I remember the days when we spent our time shoeing horses, making shoes and paid little attention to these repair jobs. But if the times changed I wanted to keep on living, I had to change with them.
“I can swing this four-pound hammer all day long if I have to.”
At his shop, he had old and modern machinery of all kinds but said he got his real enjoyment out of making things with his hands.
To the question of staying fit, he said, “Well, I never was a drinking man. I had a glass of beer about a month ago. I smoke my pipe and once in a while a cigar and eat anything I have an appetite for. But hard work is the answer. I’ve worked hard all my life and I’ll tell you I’ll never rust out. I’ll wear out one of these days but never rust out.”
Nov. 7, 1948: Dayton tops Miami 7-0
It was front page news in 1948 when the Dayton football team beat local rival Miami 7-0.
Sports editor Si Burick said this Dayton team was one of the best teams in the 43-year football history of the “Old School on the Hill.”
The win over Miami he considered the most notable Flyer victory in 11 seasons.
It was the largest crowd that ever saw a football game in Dayton. The crowd was estimated at 15,000, nearly twice the capacity of the stadium’s 7,800 permanent seats.
Dayton won thanks to a fourth quarter touchdown when “Chief” Toscani threw a pass to Art Bok from the Miami 27-yard line. The Dayton defense then kept Miami from scoring over the final 9 minutes and 35 seconds of play.
The win was considered the best for Dayton since the Flyers broke a 28-game winning streak by Western Reserve in 1937.
Nov. 9, 1958: Mad River singing star to be on record
Rock ‘n’ roll and all that jazz were Frank Williams’ cup of tea. Williams, a senior at Mad River, was the lead singer with a quintet known as the El Vereos.
“We play all kinds of music. Rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, popular, just whatever the audience wants to hear,” Williams said.
The group provided music for numerous high school and college dances. They also performed at churches and community centers.
A disc jockey heard the band perform and thought a recording company might be interested in them. The disc jockey recorded the group, and their tape made the rounds.
Before long, one company became interested in the group and a record was to be released on the Fraternity label out of Cincinnati. A single, “Silly Willie,” was released on Revello records in 1959.
In 1963, Frank, just 23 years old, drowned in the pond at the Lakeside Amusement Park.
Nov. 3, 1968: Buildings sprouting downtown
New buildings were sprouting in downtown Dayton.
The impact of the new buildings was yet to be seen, but it was expected to boost downtown jobs and retail sales.
About $85 million was being spent between 1966 and 1971 on downtown construction, split between seven ongoing projects.
Among the projects was a new IBM building at First and Ludlow streets, the Mall Motors hotel, an eight-story addition to Rike’s department store, the Otterbein Press building addition and four other buildings in the Center City West urban renewal area.
Three 11-story buildings and others of 30, 22, and 20-plus stories were to be fitted into the cityscape.
Other projects included a Holiday Inn hotel, Price Brothers headquarters, the Grant-Deneau building, the Miller building, a Senior Citizens center, Winters National Bank building, First National Bank and a new Beerman building.
Nov. 5, 1978: Actor Dan Haggerty visits Dayton
Actor Dan Haggerty, better known as Grizzley Adams, came to Dayton in 1978 as a guest for the 11th annual Children’s Medical Center’s annual Sugarplum Shoppe fundraiser.
The business featured unique handcrafted and one-of-a-kind items for Christmas gifts.
Haggerty took part in the ribbon cutting at the Dayton Convention Center to kick off the two-day event.
The actor also visited children at the hospital over the weekend.
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