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

Fairfield, Asa Capt.

Asa Fairfield arrived in Fort Wayne from Kennebunkport, Maine, with his brothers Oliver and Charles in 1833 with the then-astouding sum of $30,000. He was married to Olive, the sister of the attorney Hugh McCulloch, also from Kennebunkport, who had been named judge of the probate court and cashier of the State Bank of Indiana. Fairfield spent $1,800 of it on 160 of the 240 acres he eventually acquired and farmed on the city’s south side. When he bought 815 Creighton, there was only a log house on the site; he later built a double log house and then a frame house before his death in 1868. The house was saved in 2007. Read the story Hard times hide storied history Repairs planned for 1860s Creighton house built by canal skipper by Rosa Salter Rodriguez of The Journal Gazette September 2, 2007. A similar story is Once home to wealth and fame, it had been marked for demolition column by Kevin Leininger publshed May 5, 2007 in The News-Sentinel newspaperposted on the Munson, Underwood, Horn, Fairfield and Allied Families website. See photos posted onthe original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook. “A YANKEE SEA CAPTAIN ON THE INDIANA FRONTIER: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF CAPTAIN ASA FAIRFIELD” about a January 31, 2015 lecture by ARCH ( Architecture and Community Heritage).

Farnsworth, Philo Taylor

PHILO FARNSWORTH: the most famous man you never heard of - 10 minute YouTube video by his great-granddaughter Jessica Farnsworth on TheHistoryofTV.

Philo invented television according to most American sources. He lived in Fort Wayne from 1948-1968, his home 734 E. State Boulevard is at the corner of St. Joseph and East State Blvd with an Indiana Historical Bureau marker erected in 1992. May 26, 2022 discussion on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook. See January 1, 2014 Home of Philo T. Farnsworth Allen County Marker Text Review Report. The house, built about 1905, was designed by Joel Roberts Ninde, one of Indiana’s first female house designers. Read more in Dwelling on accomplishments Farnsworth house built by, for innovators by Rosa Salter Rodriguez published July 12, 2009 in the The Journal Gazette newspaper. Philo was born in a log cabin in 1906, at age 14 conceived of television while plowing farm fields, then invented electronic television sending his first signal September 7, 1927 at his San Francisco lab, covered in the November 1940 Popular Science magazine, honored with the Philo T. Farnsworth Corporate Achievement Award. 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. A comment to a September 27, 2019 post by the Indiana Historical Bureau on Facebook said there is a Farnsworth museum in the lobby of the L3Harris building on Lima/Cook with several of his TVs and notebooks.

However... 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. 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. A December 27, 2022 discussion on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook stated that Farnsworth used a non-mechanical process for tv. This involved scanning vs a spinning wheel. The idea was born from watching farmers go back and forth (raster scan) across the fields as they plowed.

1. 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 Copied from a January 7, 2019 post by Indiana Historical Bureau on Facebook.
   
2. Philo T. Farnsworth: Father of Television including transcript at Talking Hoosier History at IN.gov.

Modern Mechanix photo
3. Perfected Television article by Dean S. Jennings in November 1934 Modern Mechanix
4. 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.
5. "In 1957, he was a mystery guest on the TV quiz show I've Got A Secret. He fielded questions from the panel of celebrities as they unsuccessfully tried to guess his secret ("I invented electronic television."). For stumping the panel, he received $80 and a carton of Winston cigarettes."
6. Numerous web sites like: Farnsworth Archives official site - Farnovision - Wikipedia - AncestryMagazine.com, Inducted 1984 Invent Now Hall of Fame, a 1999 Time Magazine article and 1999 MIT Inventor of the Week.
7. Philo T. Farnsworth material at the Allen County Public Library.
8. Several books on his life including "Distant Vision" by his wife Elma G. Farnsworth.
9. Tech Savy Lender shows his Fort Wayne home.
10. The U.S. Post Office issued a stamp in 1983 shown in a September 25, 1983 The Journal Gazette newspaper article posted November 27, 2017 on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook.
11. 1957: Honoring inventor Philo T. Farnsworth by Corey McMaken published October 14, 2021 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.
12. History Center Rescues Farnsworth Artifactspublished July 20, 2010 on their History Center Notes & Queries blog.
13. Science Central promotes the local "Philo T. Farnsworth-ITT Innovation Award."
14. Internet Archivehas several titles on Philo Taylor Farnsworth
15. The ITT now Harris Corporation building off Cook Road in Industrial Park had a small Farnsworth Museum.
16. 1955 Capehart & Farnsworth TV ad and 1950's photo of family with TVon the original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook.
17. 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.

18. Discover the Drama Behind The Farnsworth Invention a play written by Aaron Sorkin highlights a lesser known part of our technological history by Kayleen published March 22, 2012 archived on Internet Archive Wayback Machine originally on Visit Fort Wayne blog."
19. See Philo T. Farnsworth: The Father of Television Part I published February 14, 2014, Part II published February 21, 2014, and Part III published February 28, 2014 by Nicole Poletika on Marking Hoosier History on the Indiana Historical Bureau blog now on the Marking Hoosier History Archive.

20. “If it weren’t for Philo T. Farnsworth, inventor of television, we’d still be eating frozen radio dinners”. Johnny Carson updates with photos from “THE DAMNED THING WORKS!:” Philo T. Farnsworth & the Invention of Television Part I from Today in History blog. Discussed March 14, 2022 on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook

21. May 23, 2017 post by Indiana Historical Bureau on Facebook.

    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:

    with Downtown Fort Wayne and Philo Farnsworth. 

    Philo T. Farnsworth: Conversing with Einstein & Achieving Fusion in Fort Wayne Part II May 23, 2017 by Nicole Poletika on

    Indiana Historical Bureaublog.

     

     

     

     

     

     

22. Philo T. Farnsworth on Facebook points to The Boy Who Invented Television by Paul Schatzkin.
23. March 7, 2016 Philo Farnsworth, the father of television in Indiana Bicentennial Minute 10 YouTubefrom the Indiana Bicentennial Commission on Facebook.
24. YouTubePHILO FARNSWORTH: the most famous man you never heard of - by Jessica Farnsworth published March 27, 2013 by TheHistoryofTV and discussion March 11, 2017 and other Name Searches on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook.
25. His story posted April 27, 2017 on Indiana Historical Bureau on Facebook.
26. Photo of historic marker and house with discussion posted May 9, 2017 on the original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook.
27. 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.
28. 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.
29. FROM THE ARCHIVES: Television makes its midwest debut at plant of Farnsworth Corporation This was a story which originally appeared in the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel on August 9, 1939 and re-published March 1, 2018 in The News-Sentinel newspaper.
30. 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.

31. December 29, 2018 was a discussion about knowing Philo and working for his company on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook
32. 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.
    

33. Radio History - A trip to the local history museum to see the Philo Farnsworth exhibit by Kevin Loughin posted December 23, 2017 on YouTube
34. A December 2, 2022 post by Indiana Historical Bureau on Facebook states: Last winter, a windstorm damaged the post of our Philo Farnsworth marker in Fort Wayne. Farnsworth (1906-1971) 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. We want to thank the Traffic Operations Department of the City of Fort Wayne for their help replacing the post and getting the marker back up at the site this fall and the Hill family for repainting it! Learn more about Farnsworth through our #TalkingHoosierHistory podcast episode: Philo T. Farnsworth: Father of Television.

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Felger, Herb and Ruth

Started Felger's Peat Moss in 1953 on Valentine Road where his parents lived before the Great Depression. See Felger's Peat Moss.

Ferguson Family

Facebook photo

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. 

Fewdle Lords

1960s rock and roll band, photos and videos posted and discussed May 28, 2017 on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook. Quite a few items in Google Searchlike in GarageHangOver and many music videos like The Fewdle Lords - Farewell To Today And Tomorrow published February 17, 2011 on YouTube.

Fischer, Regina "Jenna"

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 - Trailer YouTube. 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 ABC WPTA21.com TV station now 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 Fort Wayne's NBC Focused on the Fort originally WKJG.

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Foellinger, Helene

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.

1. Obituary for Helen R. Foellilnger on Find A GraveMemorial.
2. Helene Foellinger inducted 1974 biography at Depauw University
3. HELENE FOELLINGER · 1974 by Joseph F. Sheibley of Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame.
4. Helene Foellinger: Pioneer in the industry by Chelsea Brune published July 7, 2008 in The News-Sentinel newspaper.
5. A photo was on Great Memories and Histories of Fort Wayne, Indiana Photos on Facebook.
6. Was a Legendary Locals of Fort Wayne, by Randolph L. Harter, Craig S. Leonard discussion August 13, 2015 on You know you've lived in Fort Wayne too long when... Private Facebook group.
7. Foellinger legacy helps children and families published October 7, 2017 in The News-Sentinel newspaper.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. Foellinger Foundation documentary premieres in March Kymmi Amato February 16, 2023 on Fox 55 Fort Wayne.
11. 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!

12. March 13, 2013 post by The History Center on Facebook:

    It's Women's History Month and here's a quick look at one of Fort Wayne's most outstanding women: Helene Foellinger.

     

     Helene Foellinger 1974 by Joseph F. Sheibley at the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame.

     

     

13. March 21, 2023 post by The History Center on Facebook:

    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.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

14. March 21, 2023 post by the The History Center on Facebook:

    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

15. March 21, 2023 post by the The History Center on Facebook:

    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

     

     

     

     

16. March 21, 2023 post by the The History Center on Facebook:

    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.

Copied from page 11-12 (20 of 786 at FamilySearch.org) of INDIANA ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS OF AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT Vol. 3 by Charles Roll, A.M., The Lewis Publishing Company, 1931 also on DebMurray.tripod.com.

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.

See Oscar Foellinger House.

Fogwell

A BOTANIST'S VIEW OF FOGWELL FOREST NATURE PRESERVE by Paul E. Rothrock, Ph.D. Taylor University, Professor of Environmental Science and Biology published March 06, 2002.

Fogle, Dailey M.

1921-2013 - 91, was a well known photo journalist for the The Journal Gazette newspaper and a former resident of Churubusco in Whitley County. Read Longtime JG photographer Dailey Fogle dies at 91 May 15, 2013 by The Journal Gazette and his Sheets and Childs obituary.

Foley, Clyde Julian Red

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.

His obituary is in the Desert Sun, Volume 42, Number 41, 20 September 1968 in the California Digital Newspaper Collection.

OBITUARIES Country Music Star Red Foley Dies; 58

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.”

1. Red Foley on Find A Grave.
2. Red Foley on AllMusic.
3. Discussed February 8, 2023 and again February 8, 2023 on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook posting this video: I Was With Red Foley (The Night He Passed Away) by Hank Williams, Jr. on YouTube .

Font, Walter

Curator at the The History Centerstarted in 1983, retired in 2017. Documented and organize thousands of items in the museum's collection, as well as doing historical research and serving as editor of the museum's Old Fort News publication. History Center curator passing the challenge to a new generation by Kevin Kilbane published June 30, 2017 in The News-Sentinel newspaper.

Foote, Charles W., Commodore Foote

1848-1937. At three feet, five inches, with his diminutive sister Eliza, spent over half a century traveling the world performing with various troupes, including The Little People, P. T. Barnum, the Royal American Midgets, and the Lilliputian Opera Company. Legendary Locals of Fort Wayne, by Randolph L. Harter, Craig S. Leonard discussion August 1, 2015 on You know you've lived in Fort Wayne too long when... Private Facebook group. Commodore Foote Print at The History Center. Commodore Foote and the Fairy Queen on Travalance. Discussed March 18, 2017 onthe original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook.

Ford, Mary Forker

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

Fort Wayne Daisies 1945-1954

Former FW Daisies Player Appearance - July 10, 2021 posted Jul 12, 2021 by Fort Wayne TinCaps on YouTube
Katie Horstman, who played for the Fort Wayne Daisies in the All American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) from 1951-1954 threw out a first pitched and joined the broadcast on July 10, 2021. Was posted on TinCaps Calling on Fans’ Help for Daisies Throwback Night Share History from the Fort Wayne Daisies of the AAGPBL at MILB.com.

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).

See our sections on Baseball, Camp Allen Park, League Park, Kekionga Ball Grounds, Fort Wayne Kekionga Baseball Team, Parkview Field, Fort Wayne TinCaps, and Fort Wayne Wizards.

May 24, 2020 post by Indiana Historical Bureau on Facebook:

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.

 

Learn more about the Fort Wayne Daisies here: Megan's Mystery Monday - Fort Wayne Daisies

The image below shows the Fort Wayne Daisies team, courtesy of the History Center of Fort Wayne. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

1. ABOUT THE FORT WAYNE DAISIES at the ALL-AMERICAN GIRLS PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE has team photos, information for each year the Daisies played from 1945 - 1954, and a page with photo, information, and statistics for each player. 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).
2. 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.
3. Parkview Field shows movie based on All-American Girls Professional Baseball League by: Britt Salay posted: Sep 11, 2020, updated: Sep 12, 2020 on CBS WANE-TV NewsChannel 15.
4. 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.

5. November 17, 2022 post by

   Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana 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.

   See Naomi Meier on our People page: https://www.acgsi.org/.../m-surnames-of-allen-county...

   See her AAGPBL page: https://www.aagpbl.org/profiles/naomi-meier-sally/175

   See her Find A Grave page: Naomi Laverne-meier

    

   Naomi Sally Meier photos May 24, 2020.

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

6. Cuban pitcher found home as Daisy When women's league ended, 'Lefty' Alvarez, 84, never left the city by Dylan Sinn published May 30, 2018 in The Journal Gazette newspaper. The southpaw was born in Havana, Cuba and was pushed to play baseball by her mother, who enjoyed listening to Cuban baseball games on her radio.
7. 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.
8. Google has a lot of photos.
9. 1951 photo of Katie Horstman, Jo Weaver, her sister Jean Weaver and Pat Scott at Memorial Park was posted in THIS DAY IN HISTORY: August 1 in photos by Dan Vance posted August 1, 2018 in The News-Sentinel newspaper
10. Baseball in Fort Wayne by Chad Gramling discusses the Daisies.

11. March 16, 2017 post by Indiana Historical Bureau on Facebook:

    "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

    here: AAGPBL LEAGUE HISTORY 

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

12. Photo and discussion March 29, 2017 and August 9, 2017 and November 25, 2017 on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook.
13. Photo of the 1945 Fort Wayne Daisies with names on the Official Website of the AAGPBL was then shown a better photo and discussion March 4, 2014 on the original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook.
14. The same sepia tone photo shown with “Wamby was a gentleman:” An interview with the AAGPBL’s Audrey Haine Daniels, Part 1 by Susan Petrone published December 26, 2012 on ispronouncedlajaway.com.
15. Fort Wayne Daisies on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
16. A home video from the 1940s with less than a minute of the Fort Wayne Daisies was posted April 14, 2019 on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook.
17. The Fort Wayne Daisies: Women in Baseball Fiercely Competitive Ladies of Baseball on Fort Wayne Public History.
18. 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.

19. April 11, 2022 post by the All American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association on Facebook:

    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."

    Play ball Dottie did--always with graceful style.

20. Parade magazine August 22, 1948 had Dottie Schroeder on the cover.'Parade' Celebrates the World Series With Our Favorite Baseball Covers of All Time Talk a walk down memory lane as we prepare for the 118th World Series. by Peter Moore posted Oct 7, 2022 on Parade.com. Page 6 of Baseball Memories Parade October 9, 2022 is Parade 100922 published October 7, 2022 entire issue on ISSUU.com.

21. April 13, 2022 post by All American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association on Facebook:

    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.

22. April 14, 2022 post by All American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association on Facebook:

    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.

    Hear about Katie's experience in her own words through the Grand Valley State Oral history project. https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/document/29713

    Additional photos posted: April 13, 2021 by All American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association on Facebook.

23. May 9, 2022 - TinCaps Jersey Auction to Help Fund Daisies Monument 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.

24. May 22, 2022 post by All American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association on Facebook:

    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!

    Shared May 23, 2022 on

    True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook.

     

    West Michigan 1 TinCaps 0 TinCaps lose on night women's league honored by Victoria Jacobsen published May 22, 2022 in

    The Journal Gazette newspaper had additional information now on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.

     

     

25. March 3, 2023 post by Irish Hills, Michigan on Facebook:

    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.

    To read more about Vivian and her story, please visit: https://aagpbl.org/profiles/vivian-kellogg-kelly/108

    #IrishHills #WomensHistoryMonth #March #VivianKellogg #AAGPBL #IrishHillsHistory

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

26. March 7, 2023 post by Indiana Historical Bureau on Facebook:

    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.

    [Source: aagpbl.org and the Indiana Historical Bureau, https://www.aagpbl.org/teams/fort-wayne-daisies]

    Learn about more women who have made Indiana history through the Indiana Commission for Women’s “Writing Her Story” project: https://www.in.gov/icw/initiatives/writing-her-story/

27. March 8, 2023 post by Fort Wayne TinCaps on Facebook:

    Daisies Callout The TinCaps are once again hosting a Fort Wayne Daisies Night at Parkview Field! 🌼

    We are looking for children or grandchildren of Daisies to be recognized during the game.

    If that's you, or you can help in our search, contact Brenda Feasby at feasby@tincaps.com or call 260-407-2809 to provide any information!

A League of Their Own - documentary and movie

A League of Their Own - The Documentary by Kelly Candaele posted Apr 16, 2020 on YouTube
The documentary A League of Their Own that led to the Columbia Pictures film staring Tom Hanks, Madonna and Geena Davis.

1. 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.
2. Learn about Fort Wayne ties to ‘A League of Their Own’ at film’s 30th anniversary showing by Lydia Reuille posted November 13, 2022 then shared November 13, 2022 on Facebook by CBS WANE-TV NewsChannel 15.
   
3. 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.
4. A League of Their Own Documentary Director 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.
5. Women who inspired ‘A League of Their Own’ recently reunited The former athletes who inspired the hit movie "A League of Their Own" recently gathered in Sarasota for a reunion. by wthr.com published October 29, 2016, updated November 3, 2016.
6. A League of Their Own 1992, and A League of Their Own TV Series 2022 at imdb.com.
7. 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.
8. 
   Tom Centlivre image
   August 18, 2022 a photo of the Centlivre Beer Luzerne Anthracite ad on the wall of the baseball park from the A League of Their Own Season 1, Episode 6. Stealing Home was posted by Tom Centlivre on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook. A similar photo was posted August 17, 2022 by Peaches75 on Twitter.
9. The real women who inspired ‘A League of Their Own’ by Christina De Nicola July 1, 2022 at MLB.com.
10. A League Of Their Own Didn't Start Its Life As A Feature Film by Christian Gainey posted July 8, 2022 at SlashFilm.com.
11. The True Stories That Inspired The League Of Their Own Series by Anya Stanley posted August 16, 2022 at SlashFilm.com.

Fort Wayne Derby Girls

Founded in 2005, fortwaynederbygirls.com, see A Pair of Roller Skates and a Dreamon their history page. Franchise starting second decade of competition by Blake Sebring published September 8, 2015 in The News-Sentinel newspaper.

Fort Wayne Fire Department

See Horse drawn firetruck at 2:10 mark in Emergency! Ultimate First Responders Event 2022 Parade posted August 28, 2022 by Code 3 Indiana on YouTube
Captured in this video is the first responders parade from the Emergency! Ultimate First Responders Event on August 27th, 2022 in New Haven, IN. Hope you enjoy Shorter version Vintage Rigs @ Emergency! The Ultimate First Responder Event | New Haven Indiana | August 27, 2022 shared September 5, 2022 by Fort Wayne Firefighters Museum on Facebook.

1. See also our Fort Wayne Firefighters Museum section
2. Firefighters of Fort Wayne, Indiana, 1839-2017 and Index to Fort Wayne fire department, 1839-1973 Author Weber, Donald Allen books at the Allen County Public Library which has several items under Fort Wayne (Ind.) ; Fire Dept. ; History. Another book is Index to Fort Wayne fire department, 1839-1973 Author Monroe, Barbara J.
3. Fort Wayne, Indiana, Fire Department history book. 1939-1964 by George K. Bradle a book also at the Allen County Public Library
4. The Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana has various databases and publications:
   1. Fort Wayne Fire Fighters Search this file showing the work of Donald A. Weber, a retired professional fire fighter and photographer. He has worked a number of years with newspaper accounts and his own knowledge of area fire fighters to compile this data. at .
   2. Fire Fighter Photographs collection at the Allen County Public Library Digital Collections at the Allen County Public Library Retired firefighter Don Weber complied and digitized more than 20,000 photos dating back to 1860
   3. Fort Wayne Fire Alarm Box Running Cards
   4. Fort Wayne Fire Department Annual Report, 1961
   5. Fort Wayne Fire Department Annual Report, 1962
   6. Fort Wayne Fire Department History, 1833-1886
   7. Fort Wayne Fire Department Fire Run Book, 1919-1923
   8. Fort Wayne Fire Department Newspaper Clippings, 1920-2008
   9. Honorary Fort Wayne, Indiana Fire Chiefs and Firefighters
   10. Monroeville Fire Department
5. Fires and explosions in the city can be found on the Fire Police City County Federal Credit Union calendar on the Wayback Machine.
6. I Love Fire Trucks! by Nancy McCammon-Hansen published July 2, 2013 on the History Center Notes & Queries blog.
7. I LOVE Fire Trucks! with lots of photos by The History Center on Jul. 09, 2015 on Visit Fort Wayne blog.
8. Learn more in the book Fort Wayne’s Fire Department 1839-1964 by George K. Bradley, available for sale at the Firefighter’s Museum
9. History of the Fort Wayne Fire Department : extracts from Fort Wayne, Indiana, newspapers ([20--]-) Volume 3 an Archive.org embeded below. The front of the book mentions some street name changes and several former neighborhood towns such as Frenchtown.
10. Dearly Departed...and the Fort Wayne Fire Department about fire fighter tombstones at Lindenwood Cemetery published July 6, 2013 by Nancy McCammon-Hansen on History Center Notes & Queries blog.
11. City’s first female firefighter, fire chief meet Gratitude expressed for leading way - the fire department hired Genois Wilson Brabson in 1979 , who had been a dispatcher in the department. A PBS documentary is being filmed about Brabson. Published August 28, 2013 by Jeff Wiehe in The Journal Gazette newspaper.
12. Museum showcases 175 years of fire service with video by wanealyssaivanson published August 28, 2014 on CBS WANE-TV NewsChannel 15.
13. Souvenir book of Indiana State Firemen's Association convention held at Fort Wayne, August 10, 11, 12, 1920 by Indiana State Firemen's Association Publication date 1920.
14. There was a discussion on the first edition of the Fort Wayne Fireman’s yearbook July 24, 2022 on Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne Private Facebook Group

History of the Fort Wayne Fire Department : extracts from Fort Wayne, Indiana, newspapers Volume Three 01/02/1878 to 12/03/1886 by Weber, Donald Allen, Publication date [20--]- on Archive.org, Includes index v.1. 1833-1872 -- v. 2. 1873-1877 -- v. 3. 1878-1886

Full Circle: Women in the Fort Wayne Fire Department

WFWA PBS39 2013 promotional documentary project about women in the Fort Wayne Fire Department featuring Fort Wayne's first female Fire Chief Amy Biggs and Fort Wayne's first female firefighter, Genois Wilson. From Pbs39 Productions on Facebook May 23, 2013.

Fort Wayne Friars Professional Football team

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.

1. Friar gridders were Fort Wayne favorites Feb 5, 2009 on KPC.News.com.
2. Fort Wayne Friars on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
3. November 25, 2022 discussed on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook.

Fort Wayne Hoosiers

1920s American Basketball League photo of 3 players posted May 19, 2017 on the original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook.

Fort Wayne Kekionga Baseball Team

Page 473, The Original Kekionga Baseball Team, The first baseball team in Fort Wayne to bear the magic name of Kekionga was formed in 1866, although it was not until 1871 that the team of that title appeared as a part of the original National league. The captain of this first organization was J. R. Hoagland, and the following named players completed the roster: William Hadden, Joe Bell, Hugh M. Diehl, S. C. Lumbard, John Aveline, C. D. Gorham, F. A. Gorham, Robert Milliman and Martin H. Miller. This club during the winter months continued as a debating and singing society. in The pictorial history of Fort Wayne, Indiana : a review of two centuries of occupation of the region about the head of the Maumee River by Griswold, B. J. (Bert Joseph), 1873-1927; Taylor, Samuel R., Mrs Publication date 1917 on Archive.org

Formed in 1866, in 1869 played the Cincinnati Red Stockings believed to be the first team of paid professional players. Kekiongas won the state championship in 1870. In 1871 the National Association of Professional Baseball Players was started in New York. The teams tossed coins to see which squads would pay the first game, Fort Wayne and Cleveland won. The game was played in Fort Wayne, and the Kekiongas won 2-0. An urban legend exists that the Kekiongas evolved into the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Fort Wayne team folded in July 1876 after a 7-21 start and was replaced in the league by the Brooklyn Eckfords team which chose not to pay the initial $10 entry fee. That team eventually became the Dodgers. Read more in Fort Wayne Sports History: Kekiongas help start the National League by Blake Sebring published June 27, 2013 in The News-Sentinel newspaper and Kekiongas baseball team at Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Bobby Mathews of Baltimore, Maryland, player photo, "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 a curve and spitball, though other players laid claim to those feats." from Find-A-Grave bio.

March 16, 2023 post by Fort Wayne Sports Historyon Facebook:

March 17

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.

See our sections on Baseball, Camp Allen, Fort Wayne Daisies, League Park, Kekionga Baseball Grounds, Parkview Field, Fort Wayne TinCaps and Fort Wayne Wizards.

Fort Wayne Komets Hockey Team

1952 53 Program by James Weiler on Archive.org.

www.komets.com playing at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum since 1952.

1. The Fort Wayne Komets opened their schedule in the International League on Oct. 25, 1952, with a 4-0 loss to the Toledo Mercurys in front of about 5,000 people at Memorial Coliseum. Copied from Oct. 25, 1952: Fort Wayne Komets make hockey debut by Corey McMaken published Oct 20, 2022  in The Journal Gazette newspaper and shared October 20, 2022 on Facebook.
2. Komets Legends web site. Trailing the Komets blog by the News-Sentinel.
3. What do the Komets mean to Fort Wayne? their 60th Anniversary history October 21, 2011 by Blake Sebring of The News-Sentinel and "Komets krazy: Franke brothers, team celebrate 60th" October 29, 2011 article on FWDailyNews.com.
4. ‘Spaceman’ no monkey Myths of Komets’ iconic logo dispelled by Justin A. Cohn in The Journal Gazette November 3, 2011.
5. Komets Wikimedia article.
6. 60 Amazing Years of Komet History from VisitFortWayne blog March 5, 2012.
7. May 21, 2013 was the 20th anniversary of the miracle championship. Here is the first in a two-part series looking back at the 1993 championship won by the Fort Wayne Komets Komets prepared all season to go for 1993 title - Tonight is 20th anniversary of miracle championship and May 22, 2013 part two - Komets shocked the hockey world with 1993 Turner Cup title - Sweep and upset of Gulls will never be forgotten both by Blake Sebring of The News-Sentinel newspaper.
8. Frankes celebrating 25 years of Komets ownership Here's how everything else has changed in minor league hockey since 1990 by Blake Sebring published October 21, 2014 in The News-Sentinel newspaper.
9. Legendary Locals of Fort Wayne, by Randolph L. Harter, Craig S. Leonard discussion August 11, 2015 on You know you've lived in Fort Wayne too long when... Private Facebook group.

50 years of Komets hockey : a players' history by Taylor, Ryan; Graham, Don F., 1938-; Allen County Public Library Foundation, Publication Date 2002, on Archive.org.

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.

Fort Wayne Photographers

DIRECTORY OF FORT WAYNE PHOTOGRAPHERS 1843-1930 by John D. Beatty librarian at The Genealogy Center.

Fort Wayne Pistons

See Zollner Pistons.

Fort Wayne Police Department

1 East Main Street Suite 108 https://www.fwpd.org/. Street View photo from Google maps.

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.

Fort Wayne Police Department officers killed in the line of duty posted on the Officer Down Memorial Page.

Patrolman Kenneth P. Stiverson, age 36, was killed by gunfire July 17, 1969. His photo and information is posted on the Supporting Heroes website.

 October 14, 2022 post about Allen County Sheriffs and Fort Wayne Police by The History Center on Facebook:

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 10, 2019 post by the Fort Wayne Police Department on Facebook:

Today we honor the Officers and their families of those that have made the supreme sacrifice and fallen in the line of duty while serving our community. Our thoughts and thanks are always with these families that have given so much. Please remember them and all of our officers in your prayers.

The Fort Wayne-Allen County Police and Fire Memorial is at 1001 North Wells Street which also has a Facebook page: Law Enforcement/Firefighters Memorial of Allen County.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 14, 2013 post by Law Enforcement/Firefighters Memorial of Allen County on Facebook:

Police Memorial 2013 Photos by John McGauley 

 

 

 

 

 

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

NS Series: Fort Wayne's All-Time Greatest Athletes links to the Greatest Baseball, Football, and Basketball players at The News-Sentinel newspaper

Fort Wayne TinCaps

Parkview Field, 1301 Ewing Street, Fort Wayne, IN 46802, Phone: (260) 482-6400, Fax: (260) 471-4678, Email: Info@TinCaps.com from https://www.milb.com/fort-wayne. Played their first baseball game at Parkview Field downtown on October 2, 2008. The team was formerly the Wizards. See The Apple of Our Eye: The Story Behind the Fort Wayne TinCaps by Paul Caputo published January 10, 2015 on SportsLogos.Net. See video on 25th anniversary of the Wizards/Tin Caps baseball in Fort Wayne posted April 3, 2017 by CBS WANE-TV NewsChannel 15on Facebook. See the TinCap Alumni List with over 150 Wizards and TinCap players since 1993 who made it to the major leagues. See fast facts and more on Parkview Field / Fort Wayne TinCaps by Kevin Reichard on July 22, 2009 on ballparkdigest.com.

See our sections on Baseball, Camp Allen Park, Fort Wayne Daisies, League Park, Kekionga Ball Grounds, Fort Wayne Kekionga Baseball Team, Parkview Field, and Fort Wayne Wizards.

Fort Wayne Wizards

1993-2008 the Kenosha Twins baseball team relocated to Fort Wayne with their first game April 10, 1993 in a new 6,500 seat Memorial Stadium near the Memorial Coliseum as the Wizards in the Midwest League. Last game was September 1, 2008 lost 0-3 against the Great Lakes Loons. October 2, 2008 Wizards name ended becoming the Fort Wayne Tincaps playing a new stadium Parkview Field in downtown Fort Wayne. Some information from Fort Wayne Wizards on FunWhileItLasted.net. See photos, fast facts and more on Memorial Stadium / Fort Wayne Wizards by Kevin Reichard on November 3, 2008 on ballparkdigest.com.

See our sections on Baseball, Camp Allen Park, Fort Wayne Daisies, League Park, Kekionga Ball Grounds, Fort Wayne Kekionga Baseball Team, Parkview Field, and Fort Wayne TinCaps.

Last home game for the Wizards posted Aug 29, 2008 by WANE 15 News on YouTube
Last home game for the Wizards

Foster, Samuel and Colonel David N.

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)

Their families donated land that became Foster Park at 3900 Old Mill Road. David is recognized as "Father of the Fort Wayne Parks System" from dasfort Instragram photo.The park is now 255 acres with four miles of riverbank along the St. Marys River. It is part of the master Fort Wayne Park and Boulevard System developed in 1912 by landscape architect George Kessler. Paraphrased from the History and a September 14, 2015 post by Friends of the Parks of Allen County on Facebook. See Col David Nathaniel Foster on Find A Grave. See before and after photos of the restoration of the Colonel David Foster statue in Swinney Park winner of the ARCHie award in the institutional/government category posted May 25, 2018 on Facebook by ARCH ( Architecture and Community Heritage). 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. December 1, 2022 post on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook has information on Samuel Foster and Foster park in the book Crossroads of History: Strolling through Fort Wayne's Parks by Joshua Schipper.

A January 8, 2023 post byHistoric 07 District - Fort Wayne on Facebookstated:

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.

Pictures 1-2: Shirtwaists, Picture 3: Samuel Foster, Picture 4: Foster's Shirtwaist Factory.

One comment shows the Samuel M. Foster Co. building on East Columbia Street in the Harter Postcard Collection in the Allen County Public Library Digital Collections at the Allen County Public Library.

Franke, John Bohn

1866-1927, he died in an auto accident. - started Perfection Biscuit Company in 1901. In 1921 he gave 80 acres for Franke Park. See his John B. Franke house. His grandson John Popp renamed the bakery Aunt Millie’s Bakeries in 2005. Was a Legendary Locals of Fort Wayne, by Randolph L. Harter, Craig S. Leonard discussion August 18, 2015 on You know you've lived in Fort Wayne too long when... Private Facebook group.

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Freeland, Richard Dick

March 16, 1937 - October 20, 2013, born in Nevada, Missouri. Parents Rev. Fred and Helen Freeland, brother John, died at age 10, half-brother Fred, Jr, and half-sister Eleanor Mathis of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. In 1957 he married Deanna Walters and they had three children Kim (Alan) Cook, Terri Derheimer (died in 2009) and Todd (Angie) Freeland. Grandchildren Tyler Freeland, Dillon Freeland, Deanna Derheimer, Lindsay (Darin) Falk, Tiffany (Mike) Rego and Austin Freeland; and one great-grandchild, Connor Falk. He was chairman of the board of Pizza Hut of Fort Wayne Inc. In 1972 opened his first Pizza Hut restaurant in Fort Wayne, expanded to 46 Pizza Huts in Indiana, two Pizza Huts in northwest Ohio and four KFC restaurants in northern Indiana. He was heavily involved in local, state and national politics. Governor Mike Pence awarded his first Sagamore of the Wabash to Dick Freeland in February 2013. Read more Gov. Pence names Freeland Sagamore of the Wabash The News-Sentinel newspaperSee also Dick Freeland Dies At Age 76 by Emma Koch - 21Alive on Indiana NewsCenter. Restaurateur Dick Freeland dies on Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly. Included in KFCFW History. Pizza Hut magnate Freeland dies at 76 Owner of 49 stores active in civic life by Jeff Wiehe October 22, 2013 on The Journal Gazette newspaper. Here is an aerial photo of Freeland Farms and photos on the charlan brock & associates architects & planners page. Dick Freeland Business leader draws award Pence issues 1st Sagamore honor to city executive Fort Wayne businessman Dick Freeland rated Gov. Mike Pence’s first Sagamore of the Wabash award. Freeland is chairman of the board of Pizza Hut of Fort Wayne Inc. He opened his first Pizza Hut restaurant in Fort Wayne in 1972 and now he owns 48 Pizza Hut restaurants and four KFC restaurants in northern Indiana and northwest Ohio. by Niki Kelly of The Journal Gazette newspaperFebruary 8, 2013. See Legendary Locals of Fort Wayne, by Randolph L. Harter, Craig S. Leonard discussion August 7, 2015 on You know you've lived in Fort Wayne too long when... Private Facebook group.

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.

SHAEL DREAM DESERT from Horsefly Films Rare Equine Trust on Vimeo.

Freemasons

History of Wayne Lodge, No. 25, F. & A.M., Fort Wayne, Indiana : together with by-laws and roster of memberships to September 1, 1911, Publication date 1911, on Archive.org

Square and compass of Northeastern Indiana has various issues on Archive.org

Indiana Historical Society: History Happy Hour - Freemasonry in Indiana posted Aug 1, 2022 by the Indiana Historical Society on YouTube
Join host John Kennedy and guests/historians Michael Brumback and Chris Hodapp as they discuss the oldest fraternal organization in the world, the Freemasons.

French Families

See our French Families of Allen County, Indiana page.

Friedman, Elizebeth Smith

Poet, Codebreaker, Nazi Hunter: The Puzzle-Solving Adventures of Elizebeth Smith Friedman published Dec 3, 2018 by the George C. Marshall Foundation on YouTube. See their ELIZEBETH SMITH FRIEDMAN COLLECTION.

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. A PBS documentary The Codebreaker was broadcast as an American Experience January 11, 2021 and discussed January 10, 2021 on Facebook. She is the subject of a book The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America's Enemies by Jason Fagone, a San Francisco Chronicle journalist and writer of long-form nonfiction. Book review in Forbes magazine: Elizebeth Smith Friedman: The Woman Who Smashed Codes by Rebecca Heilweil` published January 6, 2018.

Fremion, Joel

Artist, Legendary Locals of Fort Wayne, by Randolph L. Harter, Craig S. Leonard discussion August 9, 2015 on You know you've lived in Fort Wayne too long when... Private Facebook group.

Freshour, Joseph Terre

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.

Friars

See 1910s photo posted May 19, 2017 onthe original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook.

Fry, Michael L.

October 25, 1950 to November 4, 2012 see his Life Legacy. Locally famous as Happy the Hobo a television show. Mike Fry Children's TV icon, Happy the Hobo, passes away Mike Fry was original 'Happy' for eight years, from 1982 to 1990 on local WFFT television channel 55, died November 4, 2012. He had YouTube channel with highlights of his TV show and more. Happy's Place has 4 YouTube videos of the TV show. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopediahas Michael L. Fryand Happy's Place pages. WFFT has a short video of friends and colleagues Remembering Happy 'The Hobo' on November 6, 2012. Happy the Hobo actor dies at 51 Mike Fry a mainstay of local TV in the ’80s November 7, 2012 by Jeff Wiehe of The Journal Gazette newspaper. Discussed July 27, 2017 on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook

Fry, Nettie

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.

Submitted before 2009 by Jane Hunter Hodgson, Tucson, Arizona: janehunterhodgson@comcast.net
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/h/o/d/Jane-Hodgson/index.html, see also the Hunter Hodgson Webpage 2004 archive

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