Wright-Dunbar Business Village News

2006 Walk of Fame Inductees Announced
10th Anniversary Celebration
"Celebrating 10 Years of Service to the Community"

Dayton- Tom D. Crouch, Lewis B. Gunckel, Paul Katz, Fritz and Dolores Russ, and Charles Thomas have been announced as the 2006 inductees to the Walk of Fame. Since 1996, the Walk of Fame has recognized people from the Miami Valley who have made outstanding contributions to the community, nation and world. Arts/Culture, Education, Invention/Innovation and Sports represent a few of the fifteen Walk of Fame categories.

WDTN-2's Carl Day will emcee the public induction ceremony to be held at 10:30am on September 29th at the Center for Regional Cooperation (located at 1100 W. Third Street) in the Wright-Dunbar Business Village. A luncheon honoring current and previous Walk of Fame inductees will follow in the Charity Edna Earley Auditorium at Sinclair Community College. This year's luncheon speaker will be Michael M. Parks, President of the Dayton Foundation and WDTN's Carl Day will again serve as emcee. For ticket information, please call 937-443-0249.

This year the annual Walk of Fame Induction Ceremony and Luncheon will take a special look back at the number of community individuals that have been recognized. Since the first Walk of Fame induction in 1996 - over 100 individuals have been recognized and their granite pavers have been installed in the sidewalk on either side of West Third St. between Shannon and Broadway in the historic Wright-Dunbar Business Village. Previously, the Walk of Fame was installed near the baggage claim in the Dayton International Airport and was administered by Inventing Flight.

The 2006 inductees are:

Tom D. Crouch (1944- ) Author, Historian, Museum Curator
His dedication to educating the nation about aviation history has helped to focus attention on the Wright brothers and Dayton. He authored several award winning books and developed national exhibits about aviation history as a senior curator at the Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum.

Lewis B. Gunckel (1826-1903) Attorney, Congressman, Community Advocate
Following the Civil War, he advocated for the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers to be located in Dayton. The complex evolved into the Dayton VA Medical Center and played a major role in the development of the largest integrated healthcare system in the United States.

Paul Katz (1907-1989) Musician, Visionary, Maestro
Founder of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, he brought scores of notable artists to Dayton, including a performance by Marion Anderson in 1937. He recognized the need to instill a love for classical music in young people through educational concerts. His leadership contributed to the early cultural growth of the city.

Fritz (1920-2004) and Dolores Russ (1921- ) Corporate Leaders, Philanthropists
Together they founded Systems Research Laboratories, which grew into one of the largest independent engineering and high-tech research firms. Their leadership fostered many groundbreaking technologies in the field of human factors engineering. Their passion continues through support of engineering education and recognition programs for outstanding achievements.

Charles A. Thomas (1900-1982) Chemist, Industry Leader
He led ground breaking research in Dayton and Miamisburg, for the refinement and production of polonium, which was an essential component of the triggers of early atomic bombs. Through his efforts, Dayton became an important center of scientific research and technology for the Manhattan Project.

For more information about this exciting community heritage program, please call Wright Dunbar, Inc. at 937-443-0249.