@ FairmontWest69.com

Wayne Avenue

The institution opened under the name of "Southern Ohio Lunatic Asylum"

I  {Ed. note - not Jim Wick} worked there as a mental health technician from 1969 until 1973. Yes there was a Kirkbride. It was the geriatric unit in the back. It had the main hall as offices and the wards spread out at its side 3 to a side. Someone also mentioned the little building off to the side of the main building. That was the morgue. During the time I worked there homosexuality was considered a mental illness as well as drug addiction. In fact the young drug addicts were often given a choice in court to either go to jail or to Dayton state. Obviously they most often chose the state hospital. it obviously was a problem because they were intermingled with all the other patients and received no counseling regarding addiction except to stop doing drugs. Same with homosexuality. Just stop. Its amazing how much mental health has changed. There were very few english speaking doctors while I worked there. So often relating with patients was difficult. The most that was done was medication. I went through the tunnels many times with patients and by myself. When the weather was bad everyone went through them to get anywhere else since it connected to all parts of the hospital. In fact one side of the building only had the dinning rooms so the patients on the other side most always used the tunnels to get to the dinning room. I also did some work with the patients at the farm. It was great in the fall when we had real apple cider made by the patients there. 

Broom making at the Hospital

In 1875 the name was changed to "Western Ohio Hospital For The Insane" and in 1894 it became the "Dayton State Hospital For The Insane." In 1970 it was renamed the "Dayton Mental Health Center". Between 1881 and 1905 several additions were made to the facility. By 1894 it was part of a self-contained community with its own power plant and water tower. The hospital had a working farm where a variety of vegetables and grains were produced in addition to cattle and poultry. The farm produced adequate food to provide for the needs of the SOLA facility and ship the surplus to other state institutions. The farm is in what is now east Kettering and was purchased from the Shaker community in 1909. The farm was tended by mental patients many of which lived permanently on that site. 

In the early 1900's a trolley car traveled to the institution from downtown Dayton at regular hours. It was marked "Insane Asylum". An old horse-drawn car marked "Wayne Ave. Hill Car - Asylum" was pulled up Wayne Ave. hill from Wyoming St. to the hospital.

The usual myths and controversial issues still abound regarding the existence of a dungeon with iron chains and cages under the main building. Some say it was definitely there, some say it never existed.

The institution's more recent history has not been so positive. Starting in the 1960's, newspaper reports of the overcrowded hospital conditions and the poor treatment and negligence of patients were often heard. Staff cut-backs began, and by the early 1970's, the institution was quickly failing as a facility. In 10 years the number of patients dropped from 1,600 to an average of 380 patients. Treatment became more community based and sophisticated. A new facility was built on the grounds, and the main building of the Dayton Mental Health Center was vacated in 1978.

 The current drama with parents paying bribes to get their offspring in a certain college is partly behind this year's limited high school college lists. Some schools print a list of colleges without associated student names.

However, we took the pressure of the Dragon Tales Senior Issue list of "Seniors Have Chosen a Variety of Future Plans." Find it at Dragon Tales & More to see who went where in 1969.

   This was our junior class play.

Life With Father is a 1939 play by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, adapted from a humorous autobiographical book of stories compiled in 1935 by Clarance Day.

 This was our senior class play. 

Blithe Spirit is a comic play by Noel Coward, first seen in the West End in 1941.

Maybe better choices could have been made that would reflect contemporary humor and current times. Would it be asking too much for a  high school theatre production that was relatable? 😎

 Did you ever get in trouble for ripping some guy's fruit loop?

 The loop trend started with the US made Oxford button down shirts in the 1960's and became popular with the Ivy League. The name given to it by the makers was the 'Locker Loop'. Later however, it began to be called fairy loop or fruit loop.

 From "Ask Andy About Clothes"

 When I was in high school in the mid-60's it was rare for one of those loops (I won't tell you what they were called as some might find it offensive) to last through even one day. As you walked down the hallway someone would invariably rip it off. More than a few shirts were torn in the process. Most guys would carefully cut them off with a razor blade just to avoid this fate.

How to: Survive Fairmont

By Lyndsi Winfield, Features Writer
March 16, 2018
Filed under Fairmont Life, Top Stories

Every freshman needs a survival guide to follow before going into their four year term as a high schooler. Whether it be the transition from middle school to a rather large high school, or the fact that you are heavily outnumbered by 3 other classes who already know how things work here, life as a measly 9th grader can be a tad overwhelming. Here are some tips to survive Fairmont High School.

1. Avoid the Central Unit lobby

A good way to look at Fairmont High School is multiple rivers flowing together. Following the current is your easiest way to get around. But, the Central Unit lobby is a whole other story. Many could compare this lobby to a hurricane; students talking in the middle of the walkways while ruthless teenagers push their ways through to their classes. Whatever you do, avoid this at all costs. We'll be there catching up, but you please keep moving; see you in a couple of years.

Back in the late 1960's we attended a number of WKTR (Ch. 16) studio wresting programs

From April 28, 1967

                 Kind of incredible that Harrigan's did not exist until May 1969 at its original Far Hills location:

 Are they F---ing with Roger? Great run, Norm. We kicked Troy's ass. And before that the Falcons.

 Just had Cassanos last night. So no "la prova e nel gusto" tonight>>>

 We can get 5 cheeseburgers for $1 at the Chef >>>

 Skip deserted Parkmoor over there and I'm sick of Sandy's, even though hamburger/fries/malt less than a half dollar...

Let's Meet for Dinner Tonight at the Yum Yum!

Missing Friends

We have no contact information for 96 alums. Take a look at Missing Classmate and help us contact them. I'd like to see some of them, lots of them. 

We Know Them, But They Will Not Be There >>>

     Kenny Roberts The Jumping Cowboy

  Orville and Wilbur

           Fear of missing out, or FOMO, is "a pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent." This social anxiety is characterized by "a desire to stay continually connected with what others are doing." The easiest way to do that is to check this website. And, of course, attend the 50th Reunion.

Fairmont Athletic Hall of Fame

While there are no members of the FWHS Class of '69 in the Hall of Fame, there are a few older gentlemen you knew and may have encountered at West in 1969. Had we known then, these men may have been more relatable. 

Webster “Webb” Manchester,  Fairmont Dragons

(wearing a white shirt)

(Webb was relatable)

– 1932
Webb earned 6 varsity letters. He lettered in track in his sophomore year and baseball in his junior year. He lettered in basketball all three years and in football his senior year. In a football game against Bradford, he scored every point in Fairmont’s victory of 21-0. In basketball his junior year the team went 13-6. They tied for the Little 3 title, Fairmont, Fairview and Oakwood. They also tied for 1st in the Dayton Suburban League. He was named to the 1st Team for the All Suburban League. In his senior year he was named Captain and the team went 18-6. They won the Little 3 title and he was named 1st Team Montgomery County All Stars. The team qualified for the Class B State Tournament. It was the first time in Fairmont history that the boy’s basketball team made it to the State Final Four. They lost their first game to Margaretta by a score of 23-24. He loved playing for “Pop” Warner. He was proud of being the captain of the only Fairmont High School boy’s basketball team to ever go to the Final Four of the State Championship Tournament. He went to work for the Kettering School System and retired from Fairmont after 20 plus years of service. Webb died on October 25, 2000. Webb was a custodian at West in 1969.

Paul Wagner, Dayton Fairmont Dragons

– 1946
Paul Wagner participated 4 years in football, 4 years in basketball, 4 years in track and 1 year in tennis. He won 11 varsity letters: 3 in football; 3 in basketball; 4 in track and 1 in tennis. In Paul’s senior year, 1945-1946, he was All Miami Valley League in football and the 220-yardlow-hurdle Miami Valley League Champion. Also, Fairmont’s best basketball team record, losing only 2 games, each by 1 point. After graduation Paul played 4 years of football and track at DePauwUniversity in Indiana and coached 6 years at Fairmont High School. In 1958, Paul moved into Kettering Schools administration holding positions of Supervisor of Athletics, Assistant High School Principal and Assistant Superintendent in charge of Personnel and Community Relations. Paul died on February 27, 2014. Paul was Vice Principal at West in 1969.

Chester A. Roush,

Fairmont West Dragons Coach

– 1948-52
Chet Roush was the Head Football Coach at Fairmont High School from 1948 to 1951 where his teams had a combined Miami Valley League record of 26 wins, 0 losses and 2 ties; 3 league championships; and an undefeated (9-0) record in 1951. Mr. Roush was selected as the Miami Valley League Coach of the Year in 1949 and 1951; the South Coach in the 1951 Ohio North-South All-Star Football game; and is an Honorary Life Member of the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association. After his coaching career, Chet served as Principal of Randolph High School (1952-1954) and Dorothy Lane Elementary (Kettering,1954-1955); Assistant Superintendent (1955-1958) and Superintendent of the Kettering City Schools (1958-1975). He served as a member of the Ohio Board of Education from 1980-1992, holding the President’s position from 1990-1992 and was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the National Association of State Boards of Education in 1995. He also served as President of the Ohio Superintendent’s Association for the 1972-1973 school year. Chet died on October 13, 2013. Chet was Superintendent of Kettering Schools in 1969.

 Kettering History

(Since in 12+ years in the school system we learned nothing about it.)

The first home. A farmer named John Patterson built the area’s first log cabin in 1798. By 1841 so many people had settled in the area that Van Buren Township, as the city was originally known, was formed. 

http://gen-search.com/files/VanBuren_Township_Montgomery_County_1938.jpg

More than 100 years later, in 1952, Van Buren Township was incorporated into the Village of Kettering. The following year, the western portion of the community seceded and formed what is now the City of Moraine. Moraine seceded?

Kettering was known as the fastest-growing city in Ohio between 1955 and 1965, according to the Ohio History Connection. The population grew from 38,118 in 1955 to 54,462 by 1960. The population peaked in 1970 at 69,599. Since the 1980s, Kettering has seen a slow decline in population because of an aging population and loss of manufacturing jobs.

To see dozens of '60s music videos, free and easy with background information and lyrics visit https://hellyesthe1960s.com/

                                           October 1970

Hara Arena Memories>>>If It had Only Been South of Town?

Hara Arena suffered extensive damage when tornadoes and severe storms moved through Monday night (5/27).

Drone footage shows the roof and side of the structure blown off in several places.

Dayton Gems (IHL) (1964–1977, 1979–1980)
Dayton Owls (IHL) (1977)
Dayton Jets (CnHL/AAHL) (1985–1987)
Dayton Dynamo (AISA) (1988–1990)
Dayton Bombers (ECHL) (1991–1996)
Dayton Ice Bandits (CoHL) (1996–1997)
Dayton Sky Hawks (IFL) (1999–2000)
Dayton Jets (IBL) (2005)
The Marshals (NIFL) (2007)
Dayton Gems (IHL/CHL) (2009–2012)
Dayton Silverbacks (CIFL) (2011–2012)
Dayton Demonz (FHL) (2012–2015)
Gem City Rollergirls (WFTDA) (2012–2014)
Dayton Sharks (CIFL) (2013–2014)
Dayton Demolition (FHL) (2015–2016)

Saw lots of concerts at Hara and hockey. Not this however>>>

Mick, Keith and the boys, three weeks after their first Ed Sullivan appearance. Dayton was not impressed.

There was a DDN story about the Rolling Stones’ first Dayton visit and how the crowd was not amused. Rex Long (?), who got to tag along backstage as a teenager, remembers it as well:

“I observe Mick (Jagger) and Keith (Richards) up against the wall with teenage female high school journalists getting their fingers stuck in Mick's hair. A popular local act, Ivan and the Sabers, play a long time while waiting for the entrance of the Stones. After watching and listening to the audience boo and hiss and throw paper cups and such (I saw a cup bounce off Mick's nose), they play a mere 20 minutes and exit.”

Elementary School Survey lists the Kettering elementary schools in operation in the early 60s. It may not be completely accurate as there were many additions and deletions through the years. If your school is not there, let me know.

Beavertown  

A number of schools have no listed alums...Greenmont, Holt, Meadow Lawn and Prass. Hello? I remember Greenmont and Meadow Lawn as OG. Did those schools feed to Indian Riffle and East? 

Kettering City Schools graduated about 575 students in their class of 2019  on May 22nd.

 As we hoped, Class of '69 alums who we have not seen at Reunions are signing up and will attend our July events. Wherever our Reunions were held in the past alums were able to catch up and reconnect with former classmates. Fortunately we are excited about this year's venues and plans. Whether you remember high school as enjoyable or horrible, or a little of both, you are likely to validate and enhance that history with alums at the Reunion events.

  For months the "In Memory" page on the website was nearly empty. There had been only a couple of comments about one Dragon listed there. Over the weekend Diane Kempfer Miller added information and obituaries for twenty-eight of the alums listed there. It is beneficial to have information about those who are no longer here. Check it out. Thanks, Diane.

                           Rike's at Christmas

 Fans have been waiting for the latest Quentin Tarantino movie, "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," which is set in 1969, and is scheduled to open on July 26, 2019.

Look back at 1969 every week on ABC Tuesdays at 10 PM.

        You may now register for Reunion activities at the 50th Reunion page, accessed over there on the left. This is it. If you'd rather wait five more years, we're planning to hold the entire 55th Reunion at Marions or Bethany Lutheran Village.

The profile process asks for your first name,  your maiden name (if you are/were married and are a woman) and your current last name. You should not duplicate either name. So many have misunderstood. I have corrected those profiles and I will continue to correct them, but it goes on your permanent record.

Is your name there? Then look at Missing Classmates. If you are not on either list let me know. Please find your name and register and complete a profile. If you see a name and know that person is deceased let us know and we'll mark it with a double asterisk and move it to "In Memory." If you can provide an email address or other information about any Missing Classmates, let us know.

DLM - the original location, Dorothy Lane Market and Far Hills 1949

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Can anyone read this?