Here’s a look at some stories happening the week of May 21-27.
May 23, 1937: Dayton girl sat 40 feet from King George as he received crown
Betty Yates had just returned to Dayton after a hurry-up trip to the 1937 coronation of King George.
“It was the most thrilling thing that ever happened to me, and I still can’t believe it’s really true,” she said.
Yates sailed on the Queen Mary to London a couple days before the event. She ended up in a seat in Westminster Abbey about 40 feet from King George.
Yates said the anointment of the king by the Archbishop of Canterbury was the most impressive part. It wasn’t the crown jewels, but the colorful robes and the queen’s gown that she found most beautiful.
She said it was like a page from a fairy tale.
May 22, 1949: Neighbors unhappy with man’s pet rooster
John Marion liked animals.
At his Dayton home he had five dogs, a rabbit, a hen, chicks, pigeons, ducks and a very loud rooster named “Dickey.”
Neighbors had complained to authorities about the loud crowing at 4 a.m. that woke everyone up and had every neighborhood dog barking before dawn.
“Last year I had some guinea pigs but the kids in the neighborhood walked off with them. I had a possum too, but he disappeared on night,” Marion said.
Authorities told Marion that he had until the end of the week to find a new home, preferably outside of city limits, for his rooster.
May 22, 1962: Gulp, and Billy’s a polio pioneer
Two-year old Billy Robinson swallowed a tasteless liquid in 1962 to become a polio pioneer.
Billy was the first Dayton child to receive the oral polio vaccine at the Hi-Grade Well Child clinic on West Third Street.
Only a handful of children started the three-dose immunization, but it was noted that there were no cries or tears that usually accompanied the Salk shot version of the vaccine.
An interesting “rule” about taking the oral vaccine was that a person was not supposed to drink tap water for three hours after, because it was unknown if the chlorine in city water might kill the vaccine virus.
A fee of 60 cents was charged for the vaccine, but those who could not afford it were given it for free.
May 22, 1970: Nothing typical of an all-night disc jockey
In 1970, the Dayton Daily News did a feature on WING all-night disc jockey Jim Gregg.
Gregg had been a disc jockey since he was 16 years old. He had worked in radio for 22 years, but only had the overnight job for eight months.
Between spinning records, Gregg explained his life as a bachelor with irregular hours.
He woke up at 2 p.m. He tried to date, but the dates have to be over in time for him to be at work at midnight for his on-air five-hour shift. When he got home, he often cooked a pizza.
“I’m the world’s best pizza chef,” he said.
From 2 to 3 a.m. he took listener calls, where people could talk to him on air about anything. It was called the “mushroom survey.”
May 25, 1980: Gordon Jump’s acting career takes off
Actor Gordon Jump was a Centerville High School grad who took a job in 1962 as manager of special broadcast services at WLWD-TV in Dayton.
After several years as a struggling character actor with odd jobs including as a substitute teacher and doing public relations for Forest Lawn Cemetery, Jump was ready for success.
In 1977 Jump snagged the best role of his life, a role as an off-the-wall police chief named Tinkler on the ABC comedy series “Soap.”
By 1980 he was playing Arthur Carlson, station manager on “WKRP in Cincinnati.” Gary Sandy, a fellow Daytonian, also starred on the show as the radio station’s program director.
At times, Jump struggled with roles that conflicted with his Mormon beliefs. He was an elder in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, who taught Sunday school and performed many ministerial tasks within the church.
May 27, 1987: NCR beefs up line with 4 new computers
NCR Corp. added four new computers and software systems into its 1987 product line. NCR was trying to keep up with IBM and others in the booming computer market.
“The products we are introducing today are the most significant personal computer announcements we have ever made,” said NCR Chairman Charles Exley.
While NCR had been playing catch-up to their competitors, their new computer systems were seen as being state-of-the-art.
The new systems allowed businesses to add disc drives, backup tapes and other enhancements. Pricing began at $1,974 for a computer with 640k of RAM memory, one 1.2MB flex drive and two expansion slots. Top-of-the-line models were scheduled to come out later in the year with a price range of $2,950 to $5,920.
May 25, 1994: A moment with Dan Quayle
Former Vice President Dan Quayle was at Books & Co. in Kettering as part of his 33-city tour to promote his book, “Standing Firm.”
Stephanie Knight of Centerville waited over six hours to be first in line. By the time Quayle arrived, a crowd of 600 people were there to greet him with a loud cheer.
Quayle told reporters at the time that he would decide in the fall whether to seek the GOP nomination for president in 1996.
Quayle called himself “a man of principle and integrity,” and added, “By the time 1996 rolls around, people will be looking for experienced leadership ... Mine is a personal story of how I took unprecedented abuse and succeeded.”
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