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People of Allen County, Indiana
F Surnames
Fabini, Jason - football player
Born August 25, 1974, Fabini played high school football at Bishop Dwenger High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. A former American football offensive lineman originally drafted by the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL) in the fourth round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Cincinnati. See Jason Fabini at Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
John Logie Baird on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia says the Scottish engineer is credited as inventor of the world's first practical, publicly demonstrated television system, and also the world's first fully electronic colour television tube. Logie Awards in Australia on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. See the Baird Television web page. He is often known as "the father of television." In his laboratory on October 2, 1925 Baird successfully transmitted the first television picture with a greyscale image and demonstrated a viable system January 26, 1926 using radio or ordinary telephone lines. In England in 1878, John Loggie Baird, a Scottish amateur scientist, successfully transmitted the first TV picture, [28 years before Farnsworth was born in 1906] after years of work, in 1926, with his mechanical system. Baird’s system used a mechanical camera consisting of a large spinning disc, with a spiral of holes that Paul Nipkow had developed in 1884. This old mechanical technology was quickly replaced by superior electronic television. Copied from Television Invention | Kids Work! at KnowItAll.org.
SEEKING PHILO FARNSWORTH. At the top of his wish list? A set made by electronic-television pioneer Philo Farnsworth in the late 1920s or early 1930s. “Only three still survive as far as we know and they’re all already in other museums,” McVoy said. “If a fourth ever shows up, we’d go to our donors and would be able to get it.” Copied from This Ohio museum shows that TV is older than you might think. STEVE WARTENBERG Associated Press, July 3, 2023 CBS WANE-TV NewsChannel 15.
Philo T. Farnsworth conceived of the idea for electronic television in the middle of an Idaho potato field at just 13 years old. At age 19, he produced the first functional prototype of his idea. For nearly three decades following that, Farnsworth worked to bring his invention to the American home but was stymied every step of the way by financial, legal, and technological problems.
On January 7, 1927, inventor Philo T. Farnsworth applied for his first television patent. He conceived of the idea for electronic television at the age of fourteen and brought his conception to fruition in 1927 with his first electronic transmission.
In 1939, he established the Farnsworth Television and Radio Company in Fort Wayne, eventually operating seven television and radio manufacturing plants in Indiana. Farnsworth also established a laboratory in Fort Wayne, where he reportedly achieved self-sustaining fusion.
The image below shows Farnsworth’s patent, courtesy of Google Patents. You can see the whole patent here: US1773980A US Grant
On January 7, 1927, inventor Philo T. Farnsworth applied for his first television patent. He conceived of the idea for electronic television at the age of fourteen and brought his conception to fruition in 1927 with his first electronic transmission. In 1939, he established the Farnsworth Television and Radio Company in Fort Wayne, eventually operating seven television and radio manufacturing plants in Indiana. Farnsworth also established a laboratory in Fort Wayne, where he reportedly achieved self-sustaining fusion. Learn more at: “THE DAMNED THING WORKS!:” Philo T. Farnsworth & the Invention of Television
Image courtesy of the J. Willard Marriott Digital Library, University of Utah.
January 6, 2023 post by I Grew Up in Mortdale 2223 on Facebook: [fun comments on Facebook to this post from a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia]
#OnThisDay 7 September 1927, American television pioneer Philo T. Farnsworth, age 21, succeeded in transmitting an image through purely electronic means by using a device called an image dissector. When Philo T. Farnsworth was 13, he envisioned a contraption that would receive an image transmitted from a remote location, the television. Farnsworth submitted a patent in January 1927, when he was 19, and began building and testing his invention that summer. He used an "image dissector" (the first television camera tube) to convert the image into a current, and an "image oscillite" (picture tube) to receive it. On this day his tests bore fruit. When the simple image of a straight line was placed between the image dissector and a carbon arc lamp, it showed up clearly on the receiver in another room. His first tele-electronic image was transmitted on a glass slide in his laboratory. The New York World’s Fair showcased the television in April 1939, and soon afterward, the first televisions went on sale to the public.
On September 3, 1928, a 22-year-old inventor named Philo T. Farnsworth transmitted the first #television broadcast.
Development slowed during World War II, but Americans quickly adopted the technology in the 1950s and 1960s. Today, #CensusData show that nearly every home in the U.S. owns at least one #TV, making it one of the most influential innovations in history.
On September 27, 1927, inventor of electronic television, Philo T. Farnsworth, transmitted the first electronic television image at his San Francisco lab. He moved to Fort Wayne and opened a television and radio manufacturing plant called the Farnsworth Television and Radio Corporation. There, he established a lab, where he devised a “fusion reaction tube” and reportedly achieved self-sustaining fusion.
The image below, showing Farnsworth with an early television camera, is courtesy of the University of Utah.
A 2016 comment stated: we still have a Farnsworth museum in the lobby of the L3Harris building on Lima/Cook with several of his TVs and notebooks. There are several photographs taken at the museum in the article L3Harris Fort Wayne advances space technology Nathan Gidley, September 5, 2023 at CBS WANE-TV NewsChannel 15. The article says L3Harris moved from California
L3Harris has a Farnsworth Innovation Center on the local campus which provides the space for the company’s missile defense satellite programs. It will support engineering, integration, testing and program management and brings the total size of the L3Harris campus to 150,000 square feet, the company said. By scaling up, the company is set to deliver future missile defense satellite programs. from the article Sept. 16 - L3Harris expanding in Fort Wayne, adding jobs for growing satellite work Lisa Esquivel Long, September 16, 2021 on Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly.
Perfected Television article by Dean S. Jennings in November 1934 Modern Mechanix
Making TV sets for all America - Philo T. Farnsworth, the Father of Television, astonished his high school science teacher in 1922 when, at age 15, he described logically with diagrams how images could be transmitted and received electronically over great distances. By 1927, he first transmitted a television image over cable, and, in 1928, he could demonstrate the first completely electronic television system. Throughout the 1930s, in San Francisco and Philadelphia, he perfected the television tube technology. When Farnsworth came to Fort Wayne in 1939, he was seeking a first-rate cabinet and electronic shop, which he found at the Capehart Automatic Phonograph Co. Here, he began the first mass production of TV sets in the U.S. Although the television market was not profitable (the first TV station in Fort Wayne, WKJG, Channel 33, did not come on the air until 1953), numerous wartime technological advancements, particularly in radar and early missile- guidance systems, were made by the company, then Farnsworth Television Co., between 1941 and 1946. ITT Aerospace Optical Division bought Farnsworth in 1949. Copied from City was home for many inventions by Michael Hawfield fromCityscapes - People & Places series of articles from the archives of
The News-Sentinel newspaper.
"I invented electronic television" around the 13:20 mark of I've Got A Secret - Philo Farnsworth, Buster Keaton 1957 Mar 21, 2013 by TheHistoryofTV on YouTube.
The only televised appearance by the inventor of television Philo T. Farnsworth. They couldn't guess who he was, but gave him a carton of Winstons and eighty bucks. Also an appearance by Buster Keaton and Garry Moore
PHILO FARNSWORTH "SMALL SCREEN, BIG DREAMS" part 2 published Sep 7, 2012 by TheHistoryofTV Philo T. Farnsworth came up with the original idea for electronic television when he was 14. his is a story of true American Ingenuity. He invented a thousand things and was one of our unsung geniuses. Here in part two from an old PBS documentary, he wins his patent war against RCA, but ironically does not share in the fortunes made on his invention.
Philo Farnsworth video at Indiana Bicentennial Minute by the Indiana Historical Society and the law firm of Krieg Devault with transcript of Jane Pauley narration.
If inventing electronic television at the age of 14 wasn't enough, Philo T. Farnsworth is said to have achieved fusion (possibly self-sustaining, which is unheard of) at his Fort Wayne lab.
Prior to "bottling a star," an effort for which he was encouraged by Albert Einstein, Farnsworth opened a tv manufacturing plant in the Hoosier city. Learn more about his groundbreaking fusion experiments and how his manufacturing plant revitalized Fort Wayne, especially during WWII:
Farnsworth's company made advancements to wartime technology during WWII by making major developments in radar and early missile guidance systems, from 90 Fun Facts on Facebook from The History Center.
Did Philo T. Farnsworth bottle a star in his Fort Wayne basement laboratory on Pontiac Street? It is possible that in the 1960s the inventor of television achieved what still eludes scientists: self-sustaining fusion. Read Philo T. Farnsworth: The burden of genius by Nicole Poletika published March 1, 2018 in
The News-Sentinel newspaper.
More on Philo T. Farnsworth - Forgotten Genius Exhibit at the MZTV Museum published Oct 19, 2018 by Everything Zoomer We go in depth with an expert on Philo T. Farnsworth, more from Moses Znaimer, Philo's great grandson and the unveiling of the new Forgotten Genius exhibit. Exhibit is on now and running until April 2019. Along with the television artifacts, visitors can also scan QR codes spread throughout the exhibit to watch unique clips related to Farnsworth’s life, including the one and only time Philo himself appeared on television — as a guest on a 1957 episode of the game show I've Got A Secret.
Philo T Farnsworth S1 E2 published May 9, 2021 by Indiana Roadside Markers
Philio T. Farnsworth, inventor of the television made his home in Fort Wayne, Indiana from 1948 to 1967, opening the Farnsworth Radio and Television Corporation there in 1938. IN this episode host, Michael L Harris visits the site of Farnsworth's Fort Wayne home and shares Farnsworth's history.
Dozens of photographs were purchased at estate sale in 2017 including a telegram to a Joseph Ferguson from Patrick Ferguson. The telegram simply says “father is dead, funeral Thursday morning at 9.” It’s dated July 2/3, 1895. If anyone in the area is related to this family and wants to reunite with this box of photographs contact the poster of the October 25, 2018 post on Facebook.
television star on "The Office" An Emmy nominee, plays Pam Beesley on "The Office" television show since 2005, and appeared in several movies. Jenna was born March 7, 1974 in Fort Wayne, but raised in Saint Louis, Missouri. See biography on Internet Movie Database and Wikipedia for more information.
Fischer, Jenna
Born March 7, 1974 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. Her mother, Anne (Miller), is a history teacher; and her father, James E. "Jim" Fischer, is an engineer. She has one younger sister, Emily, a third grade teacher. She first performed at the age of six, when she participated in an acting workshop taught by her mother at Henry School in St. Louis, a workshop also attended by actor Sean Gunn, with whom she grew up. Stars in the Office TV show as Pam Beesley for which she received an Emmy nomination. See Jenna Fischer on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. See photo on Five Fort Wayne Actresses Who Made it on the Big Screen by the
The News-Sentinel newspaper.
Fishering, Richard Baxter
August 25, 1922 - February 11, 2016, a son of George William Fishering and Muriel (Baxter) Fishering. He was a 1941 graduate of South Side High School. Awared the state's highest honor Sagamore of the Wabash. He was survived by his beloved daughter, Lisa (Fishering) Osmon; and his truly cherished granddaughter, Meret V. Duvall; and sisters, Nancy (Philip) Wehrenberg and Suzanne (William) Carl. He was preceded in death by his adored wife, Kathleen (Koenemann) Fishering in 1999, whom he married on Valentine's Day 1956; and brother, George W. Fishering II in 2008. From his February 11, 2016 obituary at Greenlawn Funeral and Cremation Services.
Fitch, Jon
From the June 12, 2012 Journal Gazette newspaper article Local MMA fighter Fitch subject of documentary "Fort Wayne native Jon Fitch has something else to add to his résumé other than world-class MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighter. He can add film star. The former Purdue and Carroll wrestler, who fought for the welterweight title, is featured in a documentary, Such Great Heights, which will be released today. The film follows Fitch as he prepares for his 2008 fight against UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. Fitch lost the fight by unanimous decision, ending a 16-match winning streak. Since then, he has a 5-1-1 record." See also Jon Fitch Documentary Director Jonah Tulis: Aspiring to Great Heights written by Brian J. D'Souza 25 June 2012. Such Great Heights - TrailerYouTube. Such Great Heights on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
Fitzwater, E. Oliver Al
Died November 3, 2014, son of Ellis O. Sr. and Margaret E. Fitzwater; brother, Oren Fitzwater, sister Jenny (Tom) Busch, daughter Lori K. (Michael) Ianucilli, son E. Oliver. See D.O. McComb and Sons obituary. Enlisted in the Army in 1961, earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star while leading nine men during the Vietnam War, Fort Wayne 'hero' among those laid to rest in Arlington by Mahamed Sulejmanagic published January 31, 2015 in
The News-Sentinel newspaper.
Fleming, William
Born in 1828 in Wicklow, Ireland, married Ann McLaughlin in January 1850, she died in 1854 Ann. His second marriage on July 7, 1859 was to Helen F. Mayer whose father George operated Fort Wayne’s Mayer House hotel. He died on January 13, 1890. Fleming bought the Wabash and Erie canal in 1876 and was founder of the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, which became the Nickel Plate Railroad. See his photo and read more in William Fleming Helped Open the Way for Fort Wayne by Tom Castaldi published October 16, 2014 by History Center Notes & Queries blog.
Florea, Richard
Born in New York City on May 22, 1937, his family (his parents were originally Hoosiers) eventually moved to Marion, Ind., when Florea was a 7th-grader. His broadcasting career began at radio station WMRI while he was still a Marion High School student. He was one of five inductees honored Saturday, May 18, 2019 at the 54th annual Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame luncheon in Indianapolis. Copied from THE LAST WORD: Dick Florea, ‘Fort Wayne’s Walter Cronkite,’ inducted into Journalism Hall of Fame by Kerry Hubbartt published May 20, 2019 in
The News-Sentinel newspaper. Florea served 48 years in broadcasting, including 17 years as anchor at WKJG, where he was also host of “Editor’s Desk” and “Our Town,” both focused on community issues and people. ... Florea, the hall concluded, had been dubbed “the Walter Cronkite of Fort Wayne.” When he retired in 2001, Florea told The News-Sentinel he had loved his work but looked forward to having more time to explore his interest in genealogy. Copied from Fort Wayne TV pioneer Dick Florea named to Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame by Kevin Leininger published March 13, 2019 in
The News-Sentinel newspaper. A graduate of Purdue University, he was the main evening news anchor at WKJG-TV-33, the city’s first TV station, from 1966 until 1983, as well as News Director from 1970 to 1987. A past president of the Indiana Broadcast Pioneers and the Associated Press Broadcasters of Indian, he retired from WKJG after 35 years in 2001. Dick was inducted into the Richard M. Fairbanks Indiana Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame November 14, 2015 in Indianapolis. See Fort Wayne Newsman in Hall of Fame by
Eric Olson, 21Country Featured Reporterformerly published November 17, 2015 on
21AliveNews.comnow in the Wayback Machine. He was also active in Habitat for Humanity discussed in Florea's faith flouishes at Habitat for Humanity published July 2, 2013 in Senior Life newspapers. Richard's wife Phyllis, 75, died September 15, 2011. Her D.O. McComb and Sons obituary says she organized the first Johnny Appleseed Festival in 1975 and remained active in its leadership for many years. Fort Wayne broadcast legend Dick Florea to be inducted into Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame with video by Linda Jackson published March 13, 2019 on
WKJG NBC.
Publisher of The News-Sentinel newspaper, was born on December 12, 1910, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, a daughter of Oscar G. and Esther Anna (Deuter) Foellinger. She died March 25, 1987, mother Esther Deuter died July 24, 1969, and father Oscar Foellinger, died October 8, 1936, was publisher of the
The News-Sentinel newspaper. Esther Deuter Foellinger and her daughter Helene Foellinger established the Foellinger Foundation which has a video about three generations of Foellinger's. Helene established the Foellinger Theatre in 1949 at Franke Park in honor of her father Oscar. In 1979 she funded the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory to honor her mother, and at Helene's death in 1987 a very generous gift was given to the Foellinger Auditorium at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where Helene was in the Class of 1932. See our Foellinger Foundation section.
Honoring Helene Follinger Primetime 39 Season 2023 Episode 3120
Guests: Cheryl Taylor & Sarah Strimmenos. This area’s only in-depth, live, weekly news, analysis and cultural update forum, PrimeTime airs Fridays at 7:30pm. This program is hosted by PBS Fort Wayne’s President/General Manager Bruce Haines. Aired; 05/19/2023
Photo with the statement: The Foellinger family's home on Old Mill Road was designed by prominent local architect Guy Mahurin in the late 1920s. Mahurin also designed Fort Wayne’s Scottish Rite Auditorium, Chamber of Commerce, Plymouth Congregational Church, and other iconic structures. Copied from a November 10, 2022 post by the Foellinger Foundation on Facebook.
A January 18, 2023 post with her photo by the Foellinger Foundation on Facebook stated: Helene Foellinger graduated valedictorian at South Side High School in 1928. She was the editor of The South Side Times during her junior and senior years, during which the paper won four national awards, including Best High School Newspaper in the United States by the National Scholastic Press Association.
A March 17, 2023 post by the Foellinger Foundation on Facebook announced the video that tells the life story of Helene Foellinger and the three generations of Foellingers who preceded her: 'An Influence for Good' is now available to watch online!
The History Center proudly contributed video segments from our collection and footage of our displays for the Foellinger Foundation documentary, "An Influence for Good: The Helene Foellinger Story". Use the link below to watch the documentary on the Foellinger Foundation's website.
Fort Wayne’s history has been comprised of extraordinary people from all walks of life. One of these was Helene Foellinger. In 1936 after the sudden death of her father, the owner and publisher of the News-Sentinel, she became the youngest newspaper publisher and one of the only female owners in the nation. Foellinger owned the paper until 1980 and retired from it in 1981. Along the way she, along with her mother, founded the Foellinger Foundation to serve the people of Allen County and continue the family’s tradition of civic involvement. The Foellinger Foundation recently released a documentary, "An Influence for Good: The Helene Foellinger Story," in celebration of this extraordinary woman. The History Center proudly contributed video segments from our collection and footage of our displays for it. Today we share those video segments in a set of three posts. The first video is of the announcement of the construction of the Botanical Conservatory. The video is from our collection of WANE-TV videotapes and is from March 20, 1979. #sociallyhistory
Here is the second video segment from the History Center's collection that was provided for "An Influence for Good: The Helene Foellinger Story". It is from our collection of WANE-TV videotapes and is from groundbreaking of the Botanical Conservatory on October 9, 1981. #sociallyhistory
Here is the final video segment from the History Center's collection that was provided for "An Influence for Good: The Helene Foellinger Story". It is from our collection of WANE-TV videotapes and is from Helene Foellinger’s retirement on October 30, 1981. #sociallyhistory
Foellinger, Oscar G.
OSCAR G. FOELLINGER, president and general manager of the News Publishing Company of Fort Wayne, deserves a large share of credit for the making of the News-Sentinel, one of the outstanding examples of Indiana journalism. The community of Fort Wayne has reason to esteem him for many other activities, leadership in matters vital to the city and to the welfare of its inhabitants.
Mr. Foellinger was born at Fort Wayne, April 11, 1885, son of Martin C. and Christina (Stellhorn) Foellinger. He was educated in the parochial schools of the Immanuel Lutheran Church and began life without any particular advantages, social or financial, except a resolute purpose, an unwavering ambition and ability to work, and with experience to direct the work of others.
He was working even while in school, and in 1901, at the age of sixteen, he became an employee of the Citizens Trust Company of Fort Wayne, with which he remained about five years, reaching the post of assistant cashier. His time has been fully taken up with newspaper work since 1905. He was business manager for the Journal Gazette Company until1910, and in the latter year joined the News Publishing Company, was made general manager in 1912, and since 1919 has been both president and general manager. He is also a director of the Lincoln National Bank & Trust Company. Outside of his own business the activities that have perhaps made him best known in the community has been his leadership in the fight against tuberculosis. He has for some years been a director of both the Fort Wayne and Indiana State Anti-Tuberculosis League. He has been a member of the executive committee of the Fort Wayne League, has acted as camp general of the Camp Christmas Seal Health Camp for under-par children and has devoted not only time but his personal means to the success of this charitable progress. He has attended many state conferences of the Indiana Anti-Tuberculosis League and has taken part in the formulation of its policies and in the direction of its interests. Mr. Foellinger individually and through his newspaper has constantly worked for improved highways. During the World war he was a local leader in the first, second and fourth Liberty Loan drives and War Savings Stamp campaigns, in the campaign for clothing for the destitute victims of the war, and in the Red Cross Auction. He was in the original Y. M. C. A. building campaign of 1916; has taken part in the annual Community Chest campaigns, and in those for the Day Nursery and the Red Cross membership drives. He has served as president of the Quest Club and chairman of its civic interest committee, and is a director of the Fort Wayne Boy Scouts Council. He is a member of the Fort Wayne Industrial Commission, the Clinton Street Association, the Rotary Club, Fort Wayne Country Club, Hamilton Club of Chicago, Columbia Club and the Trinity English Lutheran Church. Fraternally he is affiliated with Home Lodge No. 342, A. F. and A. M., the thirty-second degree Scottish Rite bodies and Mizpah Temple of the Mystic Shrine. Mr. Foellinger as a young man was a first lieutenant in the Indiana National Guard with the Fort Wayne Battery from 1903 to 1906. He is a member of the National Press Club, the American Newspaper Publishers Association. Without official aspirations he has done a great deal of substantial work for the Republican party in Indiana. He was delegate at large from the state to the Republican national convention of 1924, when Calvin Coolidge was nominated. In 1928 he was state manager for Hoover in the primary campaign and state manager for the Hoover for President Clubs.
Mr. Foellinger married, November 16, 1909, Miss Esther Anna Deuter, daughter of Michael and Hannah Deuter, of Fort Wayne. Mr. and Mrs. Foellinger have two daughters, Helene Ruth and Loretta Esther.
Esther Deuter (1890-1969) and Oscar Foellinger (1885-1936) were born and raised in Fort Wayne, descendants of German families that immigrated to the area in the mid-1800s. They married in 1909 in a ceremony at Oscar’s home. They had two children, Helene Foellinger (1910-1987) and Loretta Foellinger Teeple (1914-1950) who grew up on Indiana Avenue. Both daughters were outstanding students at South Side High School and returned to Fort Wayne after graduating from the University of Illinois. Oscar Foellinger left school at a young age, but developed practical skills by working at several banks and newspapers. In 1918, he became a partner in The News Publishing Company, owner of The News-Sentinel, and in 1920 he purchased the newspaper. Under his leadership, it became a strong publication in the region with high circulation, continual innovations in content and photography and a “Building Fort Wayne” column promoting civic improvements. From an early age, the newspaper business was Helene’s predominant interest. At South Side High School, she was the valedictorian, excelling in journalism and mathematics and serving as the editor of the newspaper. She was also the newspaper editor at University of Illinois. Following her graduation in 1932, Helene began her career as a reporter and features writer for The News-Sentinel. Soon after, she became editor and columnist for the new women’s section. When Oscar died unexpectedly in 1936, Helene decided she was up to the challenge of running the newspaper. At age 25, she became the youngest publisher in the country and one of its few female publishers at the time. In her 49-year tenure with the newspaper, Helene worked hard to earn the respect of her employees, her profession and her community. She received national attention for her achievements and work ethic. Before her retirement, Helene became the first woman inducted into the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame, and she received numerous other awards recognizing her outstanding contributions to journalism, philanthropy and her community. Esther and Helene Foellinger decided to focus their resources on the creation of a Foundation to carry forward their family’s tradition of civic involvement and private philanthropy for community betterment. Investments came from their personal assets and estates and contributions from The News-Sentinel. Copied from What’s in a Name? at the Foellinger Foundation.
Clyde Julian "Red" Foley (June 17, 1910 – September 19, 1968)[1] was an American musician who made a major contribution to the growth of country music after World War II. For more than two decades, Foley was one of the biggest stars of the genre, selling more than 25 million records. His 1951 hit, "Peace in the Valley", was among the first million-selling gospel records. A Grand Ole Opry veteran until his death, Foley also hosted the first popular country music series on network television, Ozark Jubilee, from 1955 to 1960. He is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, which called him "one of the most versatile and moving performers of all time" and "a giant influence during the formative years of contemporary Country music." Copied from Red Foley on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (UPI) Red Foley, the Grand Ole Opry spiritual singer who helped pioneer country music, was found dead in his motel room by a cleaning woman Thursday night.
The 58-year-old singer had been dead 8 to 10 hours, apparently from natural causes, according to Allen County Coroner Gordon Franke.
Foley, the father-in-law of singer Pat Boone, had appeared in two performances of the Grand Ole Opry in Fort Wayne Wednesday and apparently planned to return to his home in NashviUe, Tenn., Thursday afternoon. An airplane ticket with a reservation for Thursday was found in Foley’s pocket, police said.
Born Clyde Julian Foley on a 24-acre farm in Blue Lick, Ky., Foley was considered a “singers’ singer” among his country music contemporaries.
Minnie Pearl, who had starred on the Grand Ole Opry with Foley, burst into tears when informed of his death at Nashville.
“He was one of the dearest friends I ever had,” she said. “I never wanted to follow him on stage because he was so great. No one could sing like him.”
“I’ve lost a very dear friend,” said Roy Acuff.
Tex Ritter called Foley “a great friend and great artist.” Foley was one of the first country and western singers tc record music in Nashville. His biggest hits were “Peace in The Valley,” “Just A Closer Walk With Thee,” “Ole Shep,’ “Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy,” “Tennessee Saturday Night,” and “Cincinnati Dancing Pig.”
Married to Harland B. Ford. Mary Forker was born on Oct. 25, 1905, in Noble County, Ind. She is the daughter of Simon Edward and Mina Mae Bowen Forker. She attended public school in Fort Wayne, Ind. She married Harland B. Ford and they had one daughter, Jane. Before her marriage Mrs. Ford was employed by the Lincoln National Life Insurance Company. She later became a free-lance writer. Information from Contemporary Authors. Murder, Country Style. New York. 1964, at 6271396 ACPL; The Silent Witness. New York. 1964; Shadow of Murder. New York. 1965; Long Journey Home. New York, 1966; Roswell Heritage. New York. 1968. Copied from Indiana Authors and Their Books on indiana.edu. She lived in the Reed Street and Colerick Street area and wrote light mysteries from June 29, 2022 discussion on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook.
For 50 years the Fort Wayne Children’s Choir has provided music education to thousands of children in northeast Indiana. Originally known as the Children of Peace Choristers, the extracurricular program was created by Jocelyn Basse in 1973 and incorporated in 1984 as the Fort Wayne Children’s Choir. It has since grown to more than 250 singers representing 83 schools in northeast Indiana and western Ohio, as well as 36 homeschools. Five different artistic directors have provided their expert leadership to the group. The FWCC’s mission has always been to unite young singers from diverse backgrounds to achieve artistic and educational excellence. Along with music literacy and theory, the FWCC educates its singers in history, culture, foreign language, poetry, and performance. Teamwork, discipline, leadership, and other practical skills are taught as well. Throughout its 50 year history, the Fort Wayne Children’s Choir has provided its members with numerous opportunities in the world of music at home and abroad. Visit the History Center to see our new temporary exhibit “Fort Wayne Children’s Choir: 50 Years of Excellence in Music Education” presented in conjunction with the Fort Wayne Children’s Choir, through June 14th. #sociallyhistory
Women's professional baseball team was one of two teams in Indiana, the other was in South Bend. Their home games were played at North Side High School (1945-1946) and Memorial Park (1946-1954).
All-American Girls Professional Baseball Spring Training in Alexandria, Virginia Circa 1940 posted June 20, 2013 by Rogers Photo Archive on YouTube
In this awesome footage, the girls all american baseball league is highlighted as they go through spring training in Alexandria, Virginia. The Fort Wayne Daisies and the Racine Bells are getting ready for the upcoming season. Dottie Schroeder, one of the most famous players from that era, is highlighted in the vintage footage.
On May 24, 1945, the Fort Wayne Daisies won the first game of their inaugural season in the All-American Girls Baseball League. The league was established during World War II to help keep baseball in the public eye while men were drafted in the U.S. Armed Services. The Daisies were league champions from 1952 to 1954.
In 1952, Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx begins managing the Daisies.
After completing his playing career with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1945, Foxx had totals of 2,646 hits and 534 home runs, but what he didn't have was a job or much money, thanks to a divorce. The next season he briefly tried working in the Red Sox radio booth, but then he bounced around minor league coaching jobs before coming to Fort Wayne the year after he was inducted into Cooperstown.
Foxx did a pretty good job, leading the Daisies to the playoffs where they lost in the first round 2-1 to the Rockford Peaches. Though the players generally liked playing for him, he did not return the next season.
Supposedly, Tom Hanks role in ``A League of Their Own'' was loosely based on Foxx and Hack Wilson. Unlike Hanks' character, the Daisies all remember Foxx as being involved with the team and easy-going to work with.
Also, in 1991, Lonnie Loach cements the Komets' comeback season with a Game 7 overtime goal against Indianapolis.
Loach slipped the puck through the pads of the Indianapolis Ice's Jimmy Waite at 18:29 of overtime in Game 7 of the International Hockey League playoff series. Loach quieted the sellout Fairgrounds Coliseum crowd with perhaps the most important Komets goal of the last 40 years.
Besides beating the defending Turner Cup champs, the goal sparked the Komets' rebirth after the original franchise moved to Albany, N.Y., the summer before. The Frankes then bought the defunct Flint franchise and moved them to Fort Wayne as the new Komets.
In the sometimes brutal and always exhausting 1991 game, Loach took a pass from Robin Bawa to get deep into the Indianapolis zone and somehow shovel the puck between the pads of Ice goaltender Waite before defenseman Cam Russell could get across the crease to bury him. Instead, Loach and the Komets buried the Ice.
``I was just trying to get something away before he got me to the point where I couldn't shoot," Loach said. ``He didn't get enough of me. I just tried to get it on net. I didn't see it go in, but I heard everybody start screaming."
The goal ended an epic series that saw five of the seven games decided by one goal, including the last three that were played on successive nights with the road team winning each time.;
The About page states: The Daisies were warmly received in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Unlike the failed attempts to establish teams in Milwaukee and Minneapolis, Fort Wayne was eager to bring a team to their city. Wrigley was determined to move teams into larger cities and Fort Wayne, being the second largest city in Indiana, was one step closer to bringing a team to Chicago and filling the bleachers in Wrigley Field. Even though Wrigley was no longer personally involved in the administration of the league, he continued to support the league and his superior advertising campaign was increasing the crowds in the smaller cities by nearly 50% and yeilding a profit for the cities.
Arthur Meyerhoff began his career as Wrigley's top advertising agent in 1932. Wrigley had many businesses to run and decided to sell the League to Meyerhoff after the first season. Meyerhoff managed the development of the League and its expansion. He took over full administartive duties for the league in 1944 and began enthusiastically to move the league in the direction of baseball to create an identity for the League as baseball a separate the game from softball. Upon successfully starting a sixth team, Meyerhoff started off the 1945 season by changing the League's name to All American Girls Baseball League (AAGBBL).
It's Wayback Wednesday! Check out these then and now photos of Memorial Park, courtesy of our Daniel A. Baker Collection. The first photo shows the Fort Wayne Daisies at the Memorial Park ball diamond in 1953, while the second photo shows the location in 2017. What is your favorite memory of Memorial Park?
Daisies, Diamonds & Dugouts: The Fort Wayne Daisies Story by Don F. Graham who spent 10 years sneaking into Fort Wayne Daisies games or peeking between the tarps covering the outfield fence as a child growing up in Fort Wayne. It's the first book detailing the exploits of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League franchise that played in the city from 1945 to 1954. Copied from Daisies: Book of their own Local author gives 1st detailed history of iconic city team by Blake Sebring published May 23, 2021 in The Journal Gazette newspaper. Don self published the book in 2021 and copies are available by emailing fwdaisies4554@aol.com. The book was also featured in A League of our Own Vintage Softball League Facebook group May 6, 2021.
The 1945 Fort Wayne Daisies was the new expansion team for the AAGPBL. The Daisies would finish 2nd overall with a 62-47 record and faced the Peaches in the Championship Series, but lost 4 games in the best of 5 series. Copied from a December 3, 2020 post with photo of Vivian Kellogg, Arleene Johnson, Penny O'Brian, Yolande Teillet, & Irene Ruhnke by All American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association on Facebook.
Naomi "Sally" Meier was born in Fort Wayne November 17, 1926 and died July 15, 1989. She was an outfielder who batted and threw right-handed when she played with the Fort Wayne Daisies for four years and several other ALL-AMERICAN GIRLS PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE teams from 1946-1953. Photos and information were supplied by our current ACGSI Recording Secretary Cindy Meier whose father, Morton L Meier, was Sally's first cousin.
The June 4, 1945 Life magazine had a story on Girl's Baseball A femine Midwest league opens its third professional season with photos including a two page photo with 15 Fort Wayne players. Google has back issues of Life magazine from 1972 backward.
"There's no CRYING in baseball!" But, you might shed a tear knowing that these athletes do not have an Indiana historical marker! Indiana had two teams in the All American Girls Professional Baseball League: the Fort Wayne Daisies and the South Bend Blue Sox.
What better way to celebrate Women's History Month than to apply for a marker celebrating these pioneering athletes?
Learn more about the All American Girls Professional Baseball League
Friday, August 24, Isabel Alvarez and Dottie Collins stopped by The Waynedale News for a short visit. It was great talking to both of these two all-stars from the past. ... Both women gained a lot of recognition after the 1992 movie, A League of Their Own. While the film is a fictionalized account of the 1943 season, mainly it accurately represents life in the league. Copied from A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN September 5, 2007 published in the The Waynedale News.com.
The only player to play all 12 seasons, Dottie Schroeder, would have turned 94 today, April 11th. In 1943-45 she played shortstop for South Bend and then during the 1945 season she was traded to Kenosha where Dottie played till 1947. In 1947 she was moved to Fort Wayne till 1952 and she finished her career in Kalamazoo in 1954 with a Championship.
Dottie with her inimitable pig-tails was undoubtedly one of the flashiest fielders operating in the AAGPBL and one of the leagues favorite players. Her smoothness and grace in fielding ground balls was overshadowed only by her powerful throwing arm. Cubs' manager Charlie Grimm described Dottie as a $50,000 player if she were a boy.
Although league statistics show that her batting average a little lower than the average player, Dottie did a wealth of good at the plate with her long fly balls. Her RBI totals very often were near the top of the league. Schroeder spent the majority of her time with the Daisies while holding down this key shortstop position. She was a mere 14 yrs. old when she started playing in the league.
The following written by: Jim Sargent When the All-American League, as it was usually called, folded following the 1954 season, Dottie became a regular on manager Bill Allington's touring team of 11 All-Americans. When the lack of finances caused the tour to end after four summers, Schroeder had played a record 15 seasons of professional baseball, a mark no woman will ever equal.
"Dottie was a mainstay of our league," commented Jean Faut Eastman, the two-time Player of the Year (1951, 1953), who pitched for the South Bend Blue Sox from 1946 through 1953. "She had such good hands and such smooth moves, and she could make all the plays at shortstop."
In addition to playing 12 AAGPBL seasons, Schroeder holds all-time records for most games played (1,249) and most at-bats (4,129). She also produced the most RBIs in league history, 431, making her one of only five players to collect over 400 RBIs. A 5'8" 150-pound blonde who wore her hair in two braids, she was pretty, talented, and friendly toward everyone.
Blessed with a genial personality, a positive attitude, excellent hand-eye coordination, and a strong throwing arm, Dottie batted .211 lifetime. A right-handed hitter, her average was respectable, considering that the league used a "dead ball" until mid-1949.
Not a strong hitter in the early years, Schroeder became a good hitter with power after 1948. From 1949 through 1954, she hit .242 (509-for-2095), reaching career highs in `54 with her .304 mark, 17 home runs, and 65 RBI. She connected for 42 lifetime homers, but she hit 38 in her last six seasons.
Still, Dottie made the greatest contributions with her smooth glove work and her friendly personality.
Doris Sams, another two-time Player of the Year (1947, 1949) and a teammate of Schroeder's at Kalamazoo, remembered Dottie as an outstanding fielder. "She always played shortstop on her team. She was like a vacuum cleaner with those ground balls, and she could really hit that ball, too.
"Everybody liked Dottie. She was a real pleasure to have as a teammate. She was a lady and a standout ballplayer, through and through.”
"There wasn't a person who played in the league who didn't like Dottie Schroeder," observed Dottie Wiltse Collins, Fort Wayne ace right-hander and now treasurer of the Players Association. "She was very friendly, and very witty, just everybody's All-American. She was an idol to a lot of us."
Dottie became the league's youngest player at age fifteen. She grew up with two brothers on the family's farm near Sadorus, Illinois.
Schroeder's career included numerous highlights. For example, in 1950 her fielding and hitting, including five homers and 58 RBI, helped lead Fort Wayne to second place during the regular season with a 62-43 record. In the end, the Rockford Peaches won the Championship in the Shaughnessy Playoffs.
Replying to a 1993 questionnaire for the AAGPBL Archives at the Northern Indiana Center for History, Schroeder listed her favorite memories: "Winning playoffs in 1954--South and Central American Tour in 1949--spring training in Havana, Cuba [1947]--just simply playing ball in each and every game."
She added, "Played all 12 years--played three years after league disbanded on touring team in 1955, `56, and 1957--started playing when I was 15 ... Loved the game and still do. When does spring training start?!"
"It never occurred to me that I wouldn't get picked," Schroeder later remarked. "I was so young, the thought never crossed my mind. All I wanted to do was play ball."
Today April 13 would have been Betty Carveth Dunn's 97th birthday. Betty played one season,1945, for Fort Wayne and Rockford as a pitcher.
Betty was a Canadian pitcher who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during the 1945 season. She batted and threw right handed.
She was born in Edmonton, Alberta, and was one of the 57 players born in Canada to join the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
In her only season Carveth posted a combined 4–11 record and a 2.28 earned run average in 21 games for the Rockford Peaches (1945) and the Fort Wayne Daisies. During the best-of-five playoff series, she lost an 11-inning pitching duel with Racine Belles' Doris Barr.
In 1998, she garnered honorary induction in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. She also is part of Women in Baseball, a permanent display based at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, which was unveiled in 1988 to honor the entire All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
Betty spent the latter part of her life in Edmonton and continued to be involved by awarding an annual $2000 scholarship which is named in her honour and shared with Millie Warwick McAuley, another Canadian who played in the AAGPBL. The scholarship is awarded in Alberta to a young female baseball player who combines excellence on the diamond, in the classroom and in the community. Betty and Millie also were Special Ambassadors during the first-ever World Cup of Women's Baseball held at Edmonton in 2004 and again in 2012. In 2017, at the age of 91, Dunn was the oldest person at the time to be inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame.
Happy 87th birthday to our Katie “Horsey” Horstman!!!!
Katie started her career with the Kenosha Comets in 1951 but later that season found her home in Fort Wayne, 1951-54.
A dependable and versatile utility player, Horstman excelled as a pitcher and catcher in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She was also able to play at third base and all outfield positions. As a pitcher, she was the dream of every manager, being a long reliever one day, volunteering to make an emergency start the next, and saving a game out the day after that. Katie was also a good defensive catcher, with a good throwing arm and the ability to get most out of a pitching staff. But she was a superb defender at third base, demonstrating good range and throwing from any angle with remarkable accuracy. As a hitter, she ranks in the AAGPBL all-time list with a career .286 average (6th) and 23 home runs (11th), despite playing just four of the league's twelve seasons. Horsey was named to the All-Star team the year the Daisies won the pennant.
A native of Minster, Ohio, Horstman was the youngest girl in a home of six children. Whenever they played baseball she did it. She started to play on the Catholic Youth Organization softball team in Minster since the fifth grade. At 16, she was invited to tryouts for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, and signed a contract for $250 a month to play with the Kenosha Comets before the 1951 season.
When the league was unable to continue in 1955, Horstman joined several other players selected by former Daisies manager Bill Allington to play on a touring team known as the All-Americans All-Stars. The team played 100 games, each booked in a different town, against male teams, while traveling over 10,000 miles in the manager's station wagon and a Ford Country Sedan.
After her baseball career ended, Katie graduated from Medical Record Librarian School in the early 1960’s.. She later joined the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart religious order for five years, to become the first nun in the United States to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education. For the next decade, she taught physical education in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio before returning to her hometown of Minster, where she initiated girls sports programs, including volleyball, gymnastics, basketball, track and field, cross country and softball. By 1980, she focused her coaching on track and cross country. For the next five years, her girls teams never lost a track meet. After being runner-up State Champions in 1975, the inaugural year of girls track and field, her track team won five consecutive state championships (eight overall). She also guided her cross-country running squad to two state championships. She has coached 29 individual state high school track meet champions.
Katie was named Midwest Athletic Conference League Coach in all sports numerous times. She gained induction in the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame, and also is the first woman honored in the Ohio Track Hall of Fame and the first woman elected into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame.
Retired, but very active, Horstman went on to play second base for the Ohio Cardinals, a senior slow-pitch team since 1992. She helped the team win two gold medals and two bronze medals in the Senior Olympic Games. She also participated in the Sports Educators Baseball Club in the Los Angeles area and raises funds for charities in California. In her spare time, she was a coordinator for Elderhostel in Palm Springs.
May 9, 2022 - TinCaps Jersey Auction to Help Fund Daisies Monument at MILB.com. Fort Wayne TinCaps and City of Fort Wayne partner on Fort Wayne Daisies Player Monument. Newsrelease started with: FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Fort Wayne TinCaps, in partnership with the City of Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation Department, are raising funds to renovate and improve the Fort Wayne Daisies monument at the historic site of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) team’s home field, located at Fort Wayne’s Memorial Park. “Fort Wayne has a rich baseball history and the Daisies are front and center as trailblazers for the sport in this city,” said Michael Limmer, TinCaps Vice President of Marketing. “While Memorial Park has long had a marker to designate it as the former home field of the Fort Wayne Daisies, we felt each individual Daisies player deserved to be recognized as well. This new monument will highlight each of the 144 former players and managers associated with the Daisies during the team’s existence from 1945 through 1954.” The enhanced monument was designed and created as a partnership with the City of Fort Wayne’s Parks and Recreation Department. Memorial Park is located approximately two miles east of Parkview Field, where the TinCaps play.
A monument for the Fort Wayne Daisies? The TinCaps and Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation are teaming up to raise funds for a display at Memorial Park - the site of the team's home field - to honor the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League team that suited up in the Summit City from 1945-54.
A special thank you to the Fort Wayne TinCaps for hosting five AAGPBL players Saturday night as they honored the Fort Wayne Daisies. Three former Daisies, Isabel “Lefty” Alvarez, Katie Horstman and Dolly Vanderlip Ozburn were in attendance, along with Jeneane Lesko and Mary Moore. TinCaps players wore throwback jerseys featuring graphics replicating the Daisies uniform. The AAGPBL players signed autographs well beyond the designated time as hundreds of fans showed up to show their appreciation and to have a moment with these special women. Thanks so much TinCaps!
March is Women's History Month and we are proud to honor our very own, Vivian Kellogg.
Vivian played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League and rated as one of the best first basemen of all time with also the best batting average on her team, the Fort Wayne Daisies. We are grateful to honor Kellogg and appreciate her time devoted to the Irish Hills.
The Fort Wayne Daisies were a professional women’s baseball team in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1945-1954, and one of two teams from Indiana, the other being the South Bend Blue Sox. Chicago Cubs’ owner Philip K. Wrigley founded the League in 1943 during WWII to contribute to the war effort by boosting morale through family entertainment. Scouted from across North America, the players constantly balanced their outstanding athleticism with league standards of femininity. The league morphed from a hybrid softball/baseball game to full-on baseball within the first couple of years of its existence. Wrigley was interested in placing teams in mid-sized industrial Midwestern cities, and Fort Wayne fit the bill perfectly. The city welcomed the former Minneapolis Millerettes women’s team with open arms as they became the newly minted Fort Wayne Daisies. The Daisies won their debut game on May 24, 1945 and made the playoffs their first year in the league as well as every year from 1948 until the league folded. The Daisies were league champions from 1952-1954 but failed to ever win the elusive playoff championship.
On May 24, 1945, the Fort Wayne Daisies won the first game of their inaugural season in the All-American Girls Baseball League. The Daisies were one of two teams from Indiana, the other being the South Bend Blue Sox. Chicago Cubs’ owner Philip K. Wrigley founded the League in 1943 during WWII to contribute to the war effort by boosting morale through family entertainment. The Daisies were league champions from 1952 to 1954, but never won the playoff championship.
IHB helped dedicate a state marker commemorating the Blue Sox in 2021. We would welcome an application to commemorate the Daisies in Allen County if anyone is interested in applying. Learn more about the application process at: https://www.in.gov/.../state.../apply-for-a-marker/.
The image below shows the Fort Wayne Daisies team in 1945, courtesy of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association and is accessible at: https://www.aagpbl.org/teams/fort-wayne-daisies
We learned last night that we lost an All American, Wilma Briggs, on September 4th.
Wilma played for Fort Wayne and South Bend from 1948-1954. Willie was a fine, fleet-footed ,right handed outfielder, who was always chattering. She was also a very good hitter who showed power. In 1953 she hit for the circuit nine times. In the off-season she would return home to work on the family dairy farm.
Wilma was born in East Greenwich and grew up on a farm. Her father, Fred, was a semi pro baseball player and coach. When she was a young girl you could find her with brothers and father playing baseball after farm chores. At 13 years old her skills had improved so much that her father had her playing local men’s team, that her father managed. While in high school she became the first girl to play on the East Greenwich High School team.
After high school, Wilma was invited to try out for the AAGPBL While at try outs she impressed the management so much that Wilma was given a contract
She led the league in home runs during the 1953 season, ranks second in the all-time home runs list (43) behind Eleanor Calllow (55) and over Dottie Schroeder(42) and Jean Geissinger (41), and was one of only 14 players to collect 300 or more career RBI’s. Briggsie was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 2013.
Wilma entered the league in 1948 with the Fort Wayne Daisies, playing for them six years before joining the South Bend Blue Sox in 1954. She started at right field for the Daisies during her rookie season. Briggs was moved to left field due to a teammate’s injury for the rest of her career.
Briggs only hit hit two home runs during her first two seasons, but then hit a league-leading nine HR’s in 1953. In 1954 she was traded to South Bend where she hit 25 homers which was second in the league. In 1951 she was voted the best defensive outfielder with a .987 fielding average. Wilma helped Fort Wayne win pennants in both 1952 and 1953.
After her playing days she went to college and received a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Barrington College. She taught until she retired in 1992.
In 1990 Briggs became the first woman inducted into East Greenwich's Athletic Hall of Fame and was elected to the first AAGPBL Players Association Board of Directors. In 1991, she received the first annual Game of Legends Award for her 38 years of contributing to women's softball in Rhode Island. On November 20, 2021, Briggs was inducted into the Rhode Island Slow Pitch Hall of Fame. In 2013 Wilma was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame.
Listen Wilma in her own words, in the video below:
Wilma Briggs reminisces about her baseball career March 12, 2012 The Providence Journal on YouTube
11.23.2011: Wilma Briggs, an East Greenwich native, played 6 years with the Fort Wayne Daisies and a season with the South Bend Blue Sox in the All American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1948-1954. She played outfield and first base, batted left and threw right. In 1953 she led the AAGPBL in home runs and her career home run total of 43 was the second best in the league which was featured in the 1992 movie A League of Their Own. Providence Journal video by Kathy Borchers
Sunday, November 13, Fort Wayne Currents hosted a screening of A League of Their Own with a special prerecorded appearance by Kelly Candaele, producer of the documentary A League of Their Own which inspired the film. His mother and aunt – the Callaghan sisters – both played for the Fort Wayne Daisies. His brother Casey played in the major leagues and is currently the manager of the minor league Buffalo Bisons. Casey and his mother Helen were the only mother/son to play professional baseball. Join us at the Allen County Public Library’s downtown auditorium for the event which begins at 1 p.m. Copied from Special 30th Anniversary Screening of A League of Their Own at ACPL November 13 posted October 25, 2022 by Fort Wayne Currents which Fort Wayne Currents shared November 13, 2022 on Facebook.
A League of Their Own (1992) Starring Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna, Lori Petty, John Lovitz | Inspired by the Rockford Peaches and the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (1943-1954) at History vs. Hollywood.
A League of Their Own DocumentaryDirector Penny Marshall saw this AAGPBL documentary and was inspired to make a movie version of the story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The documentary was directed by Mary Wilson and produced by Kim Wilson and Kelly Candaele. Kelly's mother, Helen, and his Aunt Margaret both played in the Girls Professional Baseball League and are featured in the documentary. Kelly and Kim are also credited with creating the story for the A League of Their Own movie starring Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Tom Hanks, Rosie O'Donnell and Madonna. at History vs. Hollywood.
The former Fort Wayne Daisies star played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League for the final four years of its existence. The league, celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, would later serve as the inspiration for the iconic film A League of Their Own. The original players will be participating in interviews, events, appearances at the MLB All-Star FanFest, and throwing out first pitches, all leading up to a league reunion in September. Horstman and Betsy "Sockum" Jochum of the South Bend Blue Sox shared their memories in recent interviews with UPI. Copied from Real-life 'A League of Their Own' players celebrate 75th anniversary By Alex Butler published June 5, 2018 on upi.com.
In 1915, the Fort Wayne Friars, a social club, brought professional football to the Summit City. The Friars fielded amateur teams starting in 1910. That first team outscored its opponents 180-6. Like the River City Rhinos of today [no longer active], the Friars played teams from smaller Midwestern cities. With an investment of $2,000 from Wayne Pump Company, the club started hiring professional players in 1915. Many of the players were hired from the University of Notre Dame team, playing under false names. Former Irish players played for the Friars in 1916, including future Notre Dame president Hugh O'Donnell, future Michigan State coach Ralph "Bull" Young and future Detroit Lions coach Gus Dorias. The players were paid between $75 and $125 per game. The club usually attracted crowds of around 3,500 fans at 50 cents per head. The Friars won the state championship in 1916 by beating Wabash before more than 5,200 fans. Fort Wayne finished that season with an 8-1-1 record. The 1917 team had a 5-3-1 record to finish second for the state title. Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne played left end for the Friars that season -- their last. The team is enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Copied from Football kicked off locally in second decade by Blake Sebring in the 1910-1919: THE INDUSTRIALIZATION ERA ofFort Wayne History Stories About Time Periods in
I Remember History online tour of Summit City history from the archives of
The News-Sentinel newspaper.
Bowser’s self-measurability pumps were introduced in the early 1900s, and were a huge success. Farnsworth Television and Radio Corporation was founded in Fort Wayne in 1939. The first waterproof diaper cover was invented by Marion Donovan, in 1946. In 1951, she sold the rights to her waterproof diaper cover to the Keko Corporation for $1 million. The Indiana University Maurer School of Law has an Intellectual Property Law Clinic located in Fort Wayne. From Fort Wayne Inventors And Patents at PatentPC.
On May 4, 1871, the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players began its inaugural season at Fort Wayne's Grand Duchess ballpark. The Fort Wayne Kekionga beat Cleveland’s Forest City team in an upset with a score of 2-0. The Society for American Baseball Research noted that "there were no errors by Cleveland and only three by Fort Wayne, a marvel in those days of bare hands and rutted fields. Moreover, the low score was unprecedented among top-level clubs."
Bobby Matthews "Major League Baseball Player. One of the true superstar ballplayers of the 19th century, his name is almost forgotten today, yet, he was a man of many firsts during his brilliant career. A Baltimore native, he set three records when he appeared in the box for the Ft. Wayne Kekiongas against the Cleveland Forest Citys on May 4, 1871. With a 2-0 win, he became the first pitcher to start, win and throw a shutout in a professional league game. (That victory came in the National Association) He later became the first first person to pitch 100 professional league games, and supposedly, was the first pitcher to ever throw an out curve and spitball, though other players laid claim to those feats." from Robert T. Mathews on Find A Grave.
In 1871, the Fort Wayne Kekiongas are among the original members of the National Association of Professional Baseball players which later became the National League.
During the Civil War, in April 1962, some young men formed the Summit City Club to play baseball on that land that is today covered by the Fort Wayne Community Schools' Grile Administration Center. After the war, the club disbanded and another team was formed, the Kekiongas.
In 1870, a team from Baltimore, called the Marylands, had disbanded right in the middle of a tour of the Midwest, and many of the best players ended up on the Kekiongas. One of them was the pitcher, Bobby Mathews, who some say invented the curveball.
The National Association of Professional Baseball Players was started during a meeting in New York. Representatives from Philadelphia Athletics, Chicago White Stockings, Boston Red Stockings, Washington, D.C. Olympians, Troy, N.Y. Haymakers, New York City Mutuals, Cleveland Forest Cities, Rockford, Ill., Forest Cities, and Fort Wayne were present. The entry fee was $10 per team.
Each team was to play the others in a best-of-five series. The team with the best record at the end of the season was entitled to fly the championship streamer, or pennant, at its ballpark for a year. The teams tossed coins to see who would play the first game.
The Kekiongas and Cleveland won the flips and the first game was scheduled for May 4, 1871.
The National League was founded Feb. 2, 1876.
It's something of an urban legend that the Kekiongas evolved into the Brooklyn Dodgers, but actually the Fort Wayne team folded in July after a 7-21 start and was replaced in the league by a Brooklyn team that eventually became the Dodgers.
In 1871, the Kekiongas play the Cleveland Forest Citys in what is believed to be the first professional baseball game.
After the Civil War, the Fort Wayne Kekiongas baseball team was formed in 1866. In 1869 the team played the Cincinnati Red Stockings who were believed to be the first team in the country of paid professional players. The Red Stockings won easily 86-8, and then won the rematch later that season 41-7.
The Kekiongas were actually a very good team, and won the state championship in 1870, and in 1871 the National Association of Professional Baseball Players was started at a meeting in New York. The teams tossed coins to see which squads would pay the first game, and Fort Wayne and Cleveland won.
The game was played in Fort Wayne, and the Kekiongas were leading 2-0 when the game was called because of rain in the top of the ninth inning.
On this day in 1871, the first professional major league baseball game was played in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Fort Wayne Kekionga beat the Cleveland Forest Citys, 2-0. The league lasted five seasons as the National Association. The ending of this league was the beginning of the long-standing National League. Though we have no images of the Fort Wayne team in our collections, pictured here is a player for the Indianapolis Hoosiers, a team in the National League from 1887-1889.
HISTORY JOURNAL Oct. 25, 1952: The Fort Wayne Komets made their hockey debut in front of about 5,000 people at the new Memorial Coliseum. The Komets begin their 2022-23 season Friday in Indianapolis and have their home opener Saturday. Check out previews tomorrow in The Journal Gazette.
In 1963, the Komets rally from a 6-1 deficit to beat Muskegon in their greatest playoff comeback.
Muskegon joined the IHL in 1963 and became an immediate thorn in the Komets' side, taking a 2-0 lead in the semifinals before the Komets rallied to take the series 4-2. Game 6 turned out to be the largest playoff comeback in Komets history, as they gave up six consecutive goals to fall behind 6-1 early in the second period. But a goal by Gary Sharp and a pair of short-handed tallies by Len Thornson before the period ended gave the Komets hope.
``We knew we were that good that we could come back," defenseman Lionel Repka said. ``Sometimes when you don't have the team, you get your head down, but that year we were able to scramble back."
Bobby Rivard and Norm Waslawski scored in the third period to force overtime. After a shaky start, goaltender Chuck Adamson finished with 38 saves, but Eddie Long may have made the largest stop. In overtime, Muskegon's Larry Lund tried a shot from 10 feet, which Adamson blocked, but the puck trickled through his legs toward the goal line. It was halfway across the goal line when Long popped into the crease to slap the puck away.
Adamson made great saves on Joe Kiss and Joe Kastelic to keep his team alive until Waslawski won three straight power-play face-offs back to Roger Maisonneuve. Maisonneuve buried the third at 5:28 to win the game 7-6 and send the Komets to the finals.
``I think the big comeback and how we related to it was the turning point for us," Waslawski said. ``The guys really got motivated. After we won that game, it was like we figured nobody could beat us. There was always someone taking up the slack."
During the finals, the Komets beat Minneapolis in five games to win their first title.
Next year finally arrived for the Fort Wayne Komets in 1963. After bitter disappointments in 1959, 1960 and subpar seasons in 1961 and 1962, the Komets finally won their first Turner Cup championship in 1963.
Except it wasn't that easy. No one would have predicted this would have been the team to break through. The Komets earned 75 points to win the regular-season title by a point over Minneapolis, finishing 3-7 over their last 10 games, including losing four of the last five.
They also had to deal with history.
``The longer you go and you don't win, the harder it is because you have to start all over again from Game 1 the next year," Komets forward Eddie Long said.
The nucleus included Len Thornson, Reggie Primeau, John Goodwin, Lionel Repka and Long. Coach Ken Ullyot added Bobby Rivard, Roger Maisonneuve, Norm Waslawski and goaltender Chuck Adamson. Gary Sharp was added for the playoffs.
``We used to get together as a group away from the rink every once in a while and everybody got along together well," Thornson said.
They needed that camaraderie to come back and beat Muskegon in six games in the first round before taking on Minneapolis in the finals.
The Komets lost the second game at home 6-1 to Minneapolis, but won the next three games, including two at St. Paul.
The Komets won the series 4-1 as 5,026 people joined them at Memorial Coliseum to celebrate. Finally, next year had arrived.
Also, in 2008, Indiana Tech cornerstone Dan Kline announces his retirement.
Kline served 30 years at Indiana Tech as men's basketball coach, athletic director, women's basketball coach and as vice president for student life. His men's teams were 274-243 in 18 seasons and made 14 trips to postseason tournaments.
Also, in 1999, the Komets play their final game in the original International Hockey League.
HISTORY JOURNAL ▸ April 23, 1963: Andy Mulligan, commissioner of the International Hockey League, presents the Turner Memorial Trophy to Komets captain Eddie Long after the Komets won their first championship.
The Komets open the 2023-24 regular season Friday on the road and Saturday at home against the Indy Fuel. See a preview package from The Journal Gazette's Justin A. Cohn in print and online Friday.
Pro basketball back in Fort Wayne, Nov. 23, 2007: The team plays its first game, a 94-86 loss to the Tulsa 66ers. It’s the first time Fort Wayne has had its own pro basketball team since the Continental Basketball Association went under in February 2001. Only championship, April 26, 2014: After a 34-16 regular season, Fort Wayne, led by coach Conner Henry, sweeps six playoff games and beats Santa Cruz to win the D-League title at Memorial Coliseum, where they won 17 straight games to close the season. Bought by Pacers, Sept. 9, 2015: The Pacers buy the team from Fort Wayne Basketball Group LLC, led by John Zeglis, which had owned the Mad Ants since their inception in 2007. “When it came right down to it, we wanted this franchise,” Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird said. Three highlights copied from 12 Highlights of Fort Wayne Mad Ants history by Dylan Sinn May 9, 2023 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.
Fort Wayne has a rich heritage of individual and team athletics in recreational and competitive sports. One of these teams was our local NBA G League team, the Mad Ants. In April of 2007, it was announced that the NBA Development League was expanding and bringing a team to Fort Wayne for the 2007-2008 season. The team was poised to be the first minor league basketball franchise to play in Fort Wayne since the Fort Wayne Fury were disbanded after the folding of the Continental Basketball Association in 2001. The franchise held a team-naming contest on their website where fans could vote on one of the four finalists: Lightning, Fire, Coyotes, and Mad Ants, the latter name being a tribute to the builder of the first American fort General "Mad" Anthony Wayne. The teams’ original colors were gold and maroon, but were changed in 2017 to navy blue, gold and grey to match their new and only affiliate, the Indiana Pacers. In May of 2023, it was announced that the Pacers were moving the team to Noblesville, Indiana. The 2022-2023 season brought to a close the 16 season run of the Mad Ants as Fort Wayne’s hometown basketball team.#sociallyhistory
Fort Wayne Nurses
Fort Wayne nurses were initially trained at nurse’s schools at local hospitals. Student nurses were offered housing on or near the hospital campus and in some cases received pay. In addition, graduates could obtain training as members of the military nursing corps and the American Red Cross. St. Joseph Hospital’s nursing education program began in 1918 with the first class of graduates in 1921. It was directed by the Sisters, Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ and continued operations until its closure in 1988. Fort Wayne City Hospital was founded in 1878. In 1891 it became Hope Hospital, which began an education program in 1897. In 1953, the hospital became Parkview Memorial Hospital, the school became known as Parkview Methodist School of Nursing. Its last class graduated in 1991. Parkview partnered with IPFW after the closure. The Lutheran Hospital Training School For Nurses began operations in the early twentieth century. Students worked and trained six days per week year round. The school later became known as the Lutheran College of Health Professions and was acquired by the University of Saint Francis in 1998. Copied from a January 14, 2019 post with photos by The History Centerfor their current exhibit.
The Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra premiered at the Palace Theatre on October 18, 1944, under conductor Hans Schwieger. Its founding resulted from the concerns of a group of local citizens under Carl Light, the orchestra’s first president, who wished to improve the standards of musical performance in the city. Igor Buketoff succeeded Schwieger as maestro in 1948, and under his leadership the orchestra received national exposure from radio performances and prominent guest performers. He was followed by James Sample from 1967 to 1970; Thomas Bricetti from 1970 to 1978; Ronald Ondrejka from 1978 to 1993; Edvard Tchivzhel from 1993 to 2008; and Andrew Constantine since 2009. The orchestra has received consistently high praise for the caliber of its musical performances, and its growth is the result of contributions from many local civic leaders who have committed to maintaining its standards. The scrapbooks document in detail, through photographs, news clippings and programs, the rise of this major artistic institution in the Midwest.
The Mission and History page with several historic photos at https://www.fwpd.org/about-us/mission-history [1-15-2023] states:
The City of Fort Wayne is located in northeast Indiana and is the second largest city in the state. The City encompasses an area of about 110.67 square miles with a population of approximately 267,633 (2018) people. Fort Wayne’s cultural climate is increasingly diverse. Fort Wayne’s roots began in 1697 when the French and British built a series of three forts at the confluence of the St. Joseph River, St. Mary’s River, and Maumee River near the Miami tribe village of Kekionga. The United States Army built Fort Wayne in 1794 and was named in honor of General “Mad” Anthony Wayne. Fort Wayne was platted in 1823 and experienced a rapid expansion after completion of the Wabash and Erie Canal. The proud tradition of the Fort Wayne Police Department (FWPD) began in 1829 with a single “Village Marshal”. That tradition continues today with 480 sworn officers and approximately 62 civilians. The FWPD is led by Police Chief Stephen Reed. The Fort Wayne Police Department is a full-service, highly sophisticated professional agency. Through innovative leadership and dedication to providing quality services, our Department maximizes its resources to provide a high quality work environment. We give our officers the same respect and concern that we expect them to show all citizens with whom they come into contact in the line of duty.
Protecting the citizens of Allen County has long been the charge of the Allen County Sheriff’s Department and the Fort Wayne Police Department. Both of these law enforcement agencies deal with the pursuit of the perpetrators of crime and administrators of the appropriate punishments. The History Center, the former Old City Hall Building, still contains the Old City Jail, which housed the accused from 1893 until 1971. Our temporary Fright Night display “Crime & Punishment” highlights some of our county’s law enforcement artifacts. #sociallyhistory
The Old City Building housed the Fort Wayne Police Department from 1893 until 1971, before the Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society refurbished the building into the History Center in 1980—but the story of law enforcement in Fort Wayne starts much earlier. City Council, realizing that there was inadequate protection for its citizens in a growing town, established a professional police force in 1863. It consisted of three men, a lieutenant and two patrolmen who patrolled from dusk to dawn. Notable improvements in organization and discipline took place in 1883 and 1894 and by 1900 the force was developing into a professional police department. The first police station was established in a small brick building that stood opposite the courthouse on Court Street. This building was used until completion of the brand new City Building in 1893. The first female associated with the Fort Wayne Police Department was Fannie Winch, who was appointed Fort Wayne’s first Police Matron in 1913. In 1921, Fort Wayne City Council authorized the hiring of three policewomen with the same pay and authority as other police officers. This policewoman’s uniform dates to the early 1950s. Officer Velma Moser is shown wearing the complete uniform with a purse containing pouches for a gun and handcuffs. #sociallyhistory
One of the photos is Fannie Winch the first Fort Wayne police matron.
A huge shout out to Crazy Pins for their recent addition of a police themed go-kart! It looks great and we hope many kids enjoy racing it on Crazy Pin's new go-kart track.
The Fort Wayne Police Department would like to extend a warm thank you to Franklin Electric for their generous donation to Safety Village! The funds from Franklin Electric's donation are going into buying new 4 wheelers, some of our little Peg Perego vehicles are over 20 years old and many have broken pieces. These toys are the highlight of the kindergartener’s trip out to Safety Village. The main focus of the Police Department program is pedestrian safety, but after the kiddos learn their rules and show the grownups what they’ve learned then they get to have some fun and get to pretend to be grownups and practice following traffic laws as well. Peg Perego is selling the toys at a greatly discounted price so the money goes farther!
This is the Outlaw in citrus and it will replace many of the rides that have steering wheels out at the Safety Village which can be hard for the kids to drive.
Fort Wayne Sports
Remembering Not to Forget - A Story of Fort Wayne's Sports History by Chris Treft June 24, 2014 on YouTube A Short Documentary film about Fort Wayne Sport's history and the city's neglect of our great sport's past. Watch and see if you know all the great sporting events that have happened in Fort Wayne or were done by a Fort Wayne native. Blake Seabring and Kaleigh Schrock talk about how they think the city's sport's past should be remembered. This is a film by myself, Chris Treft, for which I completed it in his Memory, Culture and Identity graduate class at IPFW for my final project. To see more of my films and work as an aspiring sports broadcaster please visit my website ChrisTreftBroadcasting.com
Fort Wayne's High-A minor league team will wear replica Daisies jerseys May 21. The jerseys will be auctioned off online and 100% of winning bids will go to the monument project.
Today, 14 years after the Downtown baseball stadium opened, Fort Wayne is still showing up to support its Fort Wayne TinCaps at Parkview Field. On average, 371,932 fans visit the stadium every year, and if you ask TinCaps President Mike Nutter, a lot more than baseball goes into making the experience special.
In 2009, the TinCaps start play at Parkview Field.
A controversial project when it was proposed, the Harrison Square project initially cost $120 million, including $31 million for the 8,100-seat ballpark, but the team drew more than 400,000 fans in its initial season and won the Midwest League title.
The opening night crowd of 8,206 meant there was a little waiting in line for the concession stands and the bathrooms, but that was to be expected. Mayor Tom Henry threw out the first pitch, Tom Didier sang ``God Bless America'' and the Voices of Unity Choir sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" before a flyover by F-16s.
The TinCaps did their part by beating the Dayton Dragons 7-0. It was also the TinCaps' seventh consecutive win to start the season after they won the first six on the road, the best start in the team's 17-year history.
Dayton lead-off hitter Dave Sappelt got the new park's first hit, TinCaps pitcher Nick Schmidt threw the first strike out and Fort Wayne's James Darnell belted the first home run in the second inning.
Also, in 2003, Scott Sharp wins his final race for Kelley Racing, the Japan 300.
This was the Indy Racing League's first race held outside the United States, and there was plenty of excitement thanks to several wrecks.
After Tony Kanaan and Scott Dixon combined to crash on lap 178, Sharp moved into first place. Dixon had attempted to pass Kanaan on the inside during the third turn, but the cars smacked tires and ended up in the wall. Except for the 45 laps when Dixon was in front, Kanaan had led most of the race.
Another crash helped Sharp stay in front as with seven laps to go, Shinji Nakano wrecked causing another yellow flag which Sharp finished under.
The win tied Sharp with Buddy Lazier and Sam Hornish Jr. for the career IRL wins lead with eight.
In 1995, LaTroy Hawkins becomes the first Fort Wayne Wizard to make it to the Major Leagues.
Hawkins was the Wizards' pitcher of the year in 1993, posting a 15-5 record and leading the Midwest League in strikeouts and with a 2.06 earned run average. He also won 12 straight games.
Hawkins was followed to the Twins by former Wizards Scott Watkins, Matt Lawson, Dan Naulty, Dan Serafini, Travis Miller, Shane Bowers, Torii Hunter and Javie Valentine. Other famous former Wizards to make it to the show with the Twins include Corey Koskie, A.J. Pierzynski, Matt LeCroy, Jaun Rincon and Michael Cuddyer.
The 1993 team, the first Wizards team, featured nine players who eventually made it to the Major Leagues, and the 1994 squad had seven such players.
Among the more famous future San Diego Padres who have come through Fort Wayne are Sean Burroughs, Jake Peavy, Josh Barfield, Matt Latos, Nick Hundley and Will Venable.
As compiled by Chad Gramling's website ``Baseball in Fort Wayne,'' there are more than 112 former Wizards and TinCaps who have made it to the Major Leagues.
Also, in 2006, South Side's Bernard Pollard is drafted in the second round by the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs.
VIDEO: 25 years ago this was the scene as minor league baseball was about to debut in Fort Wayne. The 25th anniversary season of the Wizards/TinCaps franchise in the Summit City begins Thursday!
In 1993, the Fort Wayne Wizards open play in the Midwest League at home.
When the Kenosha Twins moved to Fort Wayne, everyone had high hopes, but no one really knew what to expect. The players didn't know anything about Fort Wayne and vice versa.
It also didn't help when the Memorial Stadium dedication was snowed out two days before the home-opener, and there was rain in the forecast for that night.
Except for the breezy chill in the air, opening night was perfect as the Wizards beat the Peoria Chiefs 7-2 in front of 6,316 fans. Shortstop Ramon Valette smacked three hits, including a two-run home run, and four runs batted in and pitchers Scott Moten and Kevin LeGault combined to shut down the Chiefs. Valette was off to a hot spring already after he turned a triple play in Fort Wayne's first game on April 10.
The Wizards lost the momentum to their hot start and finished 68-67 in their first season, they sold almost 2,000 season tickets and attracted 318,506 fans to Memorial Stadium.
Also, in 1998, Jason Fabini is drafted by the New York Jets.
When Jason Fabini was a senior at Bishop Dwenger two years ago, he was a 6-7, 235-pound guard. He had the height but not the weight and strength to attract Big Ten teams.
By the time he was a junior at Cincinnati, Fabini had added 50 pounds of muscle and had made himself into a prospect. As a senior, Fabini was a dominating player who helped the Bearcats go 8-4, including a 35-19 victory over Utah State in the Humanitarian Bowl. He started 44 consecutive games and became an all-USA Conference selection.
Fabini was selected in the fourth round with the 111th overall pick by the Jets.
January 17, 2023 post by The History Center with several photos of their 2023 Sculpture display on Facebook.
Study for Foster Statue (left), Clay model for Foster Statue (middle), and Statue of Col. David Foster in Swinney Park (right)
The bronze sculpture of David N. Foster at Swinney Park was dedicated 100 years ago this week. It stands at the West Washington Boulevard entrance to Swinney Park. The statue, designed by Chicago sculptor Frederick Hibbard, was unveiled to a crowd of several thousand people on May 14, 1922. A story in The Journal Gazette the next day noted it was a beautiful day to pay tribute to the Civil War veteran who played a prominent role in Fort Wayne's parks system. Foster was at the ceremony, surrounded by family and friends. His granddaughter, Maxine, pulled the cord to lower draped flags and unveil the monument. Speaker Capt. W.A. Kelsey, a representative of Civil War veterans, said the statue " will be an imperishable marker, pointing to our children, their children and all who come after us your great civic and philanthropic work to make our city a better place in which to live." Foster made brief remarks that included, "We of the park board have not been building simply for today or for this generation, but for all the centuries to come. From the depths of a proud and grateful heart I want to thank every man, woman and child in the city of Fort Wayne whose contribution is represented in this testimonial which has just been unveiled." Excerpts from the May 15, 1922, Journal Gazette story are below. Foster was born in 1841 and died in Fort Wayne in 1934 at age 93. He is buried in Lindenwood Cemetery. There is also a memorial stone to Foster and brother Samuel M. Foster at Foster Park. The family donated the initial 100 acres of land for that park. Copied from May 14, 1922: Dedication of David N. Foster statue at Swinney Park by Corey McMaken in The Journal Gazette newspaper posted May 12, 2022 on Facebook.
Samuel Foster is a historical resident of Fort Wayne. The brother of David Foster, Samuel came to Fort Wayne in 1879 and became known for his interest in building our parks system, founding the Lincoln Bank (German-American Bank at the time), the Lincoln Tower, and much more. But perhaps his least well-known but most interesting influence on American life at the time was the development of the shirtwaist. What's a shirtwaist? Read on for an exciting story of how Foster and Fort Wayne became ground zero for the development of the shirtwaist.
In the 1880s, Foster was involved in the dry goods business, but business could have gone better. However, in 1882 on a cold day, Foster got the bright idea to start manufacturing these trendy shirts for boys at the time. They were essentially button-down shirts, sometimes with sleeves, sometimes not, that allowed more freedom of movement than a suit shirt. Foster even stated that these were "the start of whatever material success I have met with since."
Once he started manufacturing them, he got orders from across the country. One example was Frank Cooper, the founder of the Siegel-Cooper stores (their New York location was the largest store in the world in the late 1800s). Initially, the shirts were for boys, but he noticed he was getting orders for larger sizes. This was odd to him as he had fairly good knowledge of what inventory he needed in what sizes. He did some investigating and found out these larger sizes were being purchased by women who were making slight modifications to them. Upon seeing this, he decided to create shirtwaists for women.
Now, what is a shirtwaist? It is a button-down blouse tucked into a skirt's waistband. The first shirtwaist for women was much different than what eventually became shirtwaists, with elaborate details such as stitching on the collars, wrist cuffs, and availability in multiple colors. The shirtwaist was more than a trend; the blouse symbolized female independence. With their own jobs and wages, women were no longer dependent on men and sought new privileges at home and work.
While Foster did not claim to invent these, he did believe he created the first factory dedicated to manufacturing these. At the turn of the 20th century, production of the shirtwaist was widespread, with a majority being made in Philadelphia and New York. Over time, the term shirtwaist was replaced with blouse, and while Foster continued to manufacture them, the competition was significant. Foster, who lived on Fairfield near Creighton, while known for many things, might have been one of the individuals responsible for the modern-day blouse.
Can you guess where this home is located? It is possible that many of you have not seen this beautiful home before. This home, the George Fox home, is located at the corner of Fox and Walnut. The house was built between 1850 and 1875. George was born in Germany, his wife Mary, from Switzerland, and they came to Fort Wayne in 1848. George and Mary had three sons, Louis, Joseph, and August. George eventually passed away in 1892. It appears Louis owned the home at one time. In 1883, George’s sons, August and Louis, got involved in the confectionery business. The establishment was called the Fox Bakery and Confectionary at the corner of Calhoun and Jefferson. Eventually, they sold the company to the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco). This amazing home still stands today and was the beginning of so much history.
Joe Foy was a founding member of the Northside Neighborhood Association and a dedicated neighbor, friend and board member for decades. Our sympathies and gratitude are deep and sincere.
Freeland Farms | Marilyn Hoffman posted Feb 17, 2016 by Pro360 Virtual Tours and Photography on YouTube A rare opportunity to own a work of art, this is one of the great mansions of the world, with over 38,000 GBA sq. ft. of museum quality construction, secluded on 50 acres in a prime Midwest location. In addition to the mansion, there is a guest apartment, a separate 5,567 sq. ft. stone home with 3,329 sq.ft. of finished basement, a 6,720 sq. ft. stable and many acres of emerald green lawns, studded with huge towering trees, a 7 acre private lake, incredible landscaping and gardens.
Her early years took place in northeast Indiana. She was born into a Quaker family and grew up on a farm between Huntington and Roanoke. She was the youngest child of nine. Her niece who lived in New Haven was interviewed in Codebreaker from area subject of documentary by Rosa Salter Rodriguez published January 10, 2021 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.
The PBS documentary The Codebreaker was broadcast as an American Experience January 11, 2021.
Elizebeth Friedman's invaluable work in two world wars was hidden for more than 60 years. Its discovery raises the question: what other heroes have been overlooked?
Elizebeth Smith Friedman, born August 26, 1892, was a groundbreaking cryptanalyst whose work decoding thousands of messages for the U.S. government would send infamous gangsters to prison in the 1930s and bring down a massive, near-invisible Nazi spy ring in WWII.
Learn how she faced off with rum runners and drug smugglers—and won—in this comic. https://to.pbs.org/3qEchke
Written by Chad Bowers, Illustrations by Deb J.J. Lee
#OTD in 1892, cryptanalyst Elizebeth Smith Friedman was born in Huntington, Indiana. Friedman broke enemy codes for the War Department and taught U.S. Army personnel how to do the same during World War I with her husband William, future founder of the National Security Agency. The two authored groundbreaking cryptanalytical training material for the federal government and became pioneers in the field of modern cryptology. During the Prohibition Era, Elizebeth Smith Friedman worked to crack the codes of rum runners and narcotics smugglers, dismantling national and international crime rings in the process. During WWII, she helped decipher Nazi codes and toppled their spy networks in South America. She died in Plainfield, New Jersey in 1980.
Born 1838, he never married but had a very interesting and productive life." Read the entire article Wagons to Soquel, Sidney Glenn Freshour from Santa Cruz County History - People Old Soldiers: Santa Cruz County Civil War Veterans by Robert L. Nelson.
Our #SaturdaySuperstar this week is Kathy Friend our Chief Financial Officer. She was honored Monday at our board meeting with a Sagamore of the Wabash award which is the highest honor given by the Governor of Indiana. Kathy has been helping our district become more fiscally responsible since 2000. She is also FWCS' liaison with local legislators at the state house and it has been said that she knows the state education funding formula better than anyone. Thank you Kathy Friend for all your hard work. #Grateful
1878 Born at Maples, Indiana
Attended Hanna School
1901 Nov 4 Married David Charles McKeeman, M.D.
1903 Charles Robert born
1908 David John born
1915 Harriet Elizabeth born
1918 Husband David caught influenza from a patient and died
1920 Living with Robert and Nancy Mercer, David's parents
1924 General supervisor of kitchen at South Side High School
Simpson Methodist Church
1925 - 1943 Kitchen director at Girl Scout Camp at DeWart Lake
1951 Heart attack while working at South Side High School cafeteria
1951 May 16 Died Fort Wayne, Indiana; burial Lindenwood Cemetery.
OBITUARY
MRS. NETTIE MERCER
RITES SATURDAY FOR SCHOOL'S CAFETERIA CHIEF
Services will be conducted Saturday for Mrs. Nettie Mercer, 73, 305 French Ave.
who died at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the St. Joseph's Hospital of a ruptured blood
vessel. She had a heart attack at the South Side High School cafeteria, where she was kitchen supervisor. Rites will be at 1:30 p.m. at the Klaehn Funeral Home, the Rev. Donald E. Bailey officiating. Burial will be in Lindenwood Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home after 6 p.m. today.
She was born in Maples, and attended Hanna school here. She was the widow of Dr. David J. Mercer, who practiced at Poe, until his death in 1918. She came to South Side High School in 1924 as general supervisor of the
kitchen. It is estimated that she, over a period of years, directed 9,000 daily
lunch periods there. She also had charge of the preparation of lunches for many school organizations. >From 1925 to 1943 she was kitchen director for the Girl Scout Summer Camp at DeWart Lake. In August, 1944, The Girl Scouts presented her with a "Thanks" Medal for outstanding service to the group. For a number of years she was cook for the "Y" weekend camping parties at Winona Lake.
She was a member of the Simpson Methodist Church, the OES, and the Miriam White Shrine. Surviving are two sons, Robert, Fort Wayne; David, Pendleton; and a daughter,
Mrs. Harriet Adkins, Fremont, O., and 13 grandchildren.
#OnThisDay 7 September 1927, American television pioneer Philo T. Farnsworth, age 21, succeeded in transmitting an image through purely electronic means by using a device called an image dissector. When Philo T. Farnsworth was 13, he envisioned a contraption that would receive an image transmitted from a remote location, the television. Farnsworth submitted a patent in January 1927, when he was 19, and began building and testing his invention that summer. He used an "image dissector" (the first television camera tube) to convert the image into a current, and an "image oscillite" (picture tube) to receive it. On this day his tests bore fruit. When the simple image of a straight line was placed between the image dissector and a carbon arc lamp, it showed up clearly on the receiver in another room. His first tele-electronic image was transmitted on a glass slide in his laboratory. The New York World’s Fair showcased the television in April 1939, and soon afterward, the first televisions went on sale to the public.
