Memories of Dayton

Produced in 1996, these are first-hand accounts of memories about growing up in Dayton, Ohio in the 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's. Lots of historical photographs. Digitized from a VHS tape.
Featuring:
Marcia Hockett
Herb McClelland
LaDonna Reynolds
Shirley Sherrer
Rose Marie Link
Joe Ostendorf
Harvey Hylton
Virgil Link
Also enjoy "Dayton - Shaping The Next Century" here: • Dayton: Shaping The Ne...
I do not own the copyright to this material and is presented here purely as historical material.
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[@constanced.9098]

Oh my! I know this voice --- that is my Dad, who likely produced this (and definitely narrated) this documentary from his film studio in south Dayton, WILLIAM DITZEL PRODUCTIONS. We have tried to gather together his documentary films since his passing. Where did this come from? So wonderful to hear it / see it. Connie Ditzel

[@josephhecht6331]

Why I know this man too... What a brilliant, brilliant voice!

[@vicki3671]

So glad you found your dad's film. I'm sure it means a lot

[@rolandflynn4620]

I produced and wrote this documentary while working for ThinkTV in Dayton. Bill was a pleasure to work with!

[@mrjdfreeman89]

I may be the youngest person here right now....32....however, I’m Dayton born and raised. I love this place. I’m it’s biggest fan. We have influenced the entire world!

[@insanebeatjunkie]

I love n hate dayton at the same time 😂 its spiritual but its corrupt😂 it feel like home but its full of chaos...yet its comfortable. Im in akron currently

[@DaveS1969]

I remember riding the trolly bus from Huffman hill to Patterson coop to school everyday although mine was done in the 80's lol i remember as a kid riding those with my mom and grand mother in the 70's

[@ilikesalt7245]

Born and raised around Dayton Ohio, Northridge, a really great suburb and life in the day. 45414.

[@bjbaccus5]

Born and raised in Dayton from 1947 to graduation from first 9th grade at old Dunbar on Summit Street to the newly built 1963 Dunbar on Richely Road. We started as the first Sophomores thus graduating in 1965 a class of about 500. We attended the new Dunbar Corner Stone ceremony where the history documents were stored. Our 4 years at Dunbar were the best class ever. I was in the Band and Orchestra playing the Trombone. Our graduation was held at the NCR Auditorium, May 28, 1965 with our Theme being A Rendezvous With Destiny. My last name prior to marriage was Alves. How I loved my high school years. Best teachers this side of heaven and the best curriculums.

[@dreadsandhealth4509]

Thats a cute story that's worth smiling about. Go Dayton! my hometown

[@topperman4541]

Born there in 1970. My grandmother was in charge of the catalog department at Sears, where you actually had to call in give the girls a catalog page and item number to place an order. I remember the candy department a Sears, and the exclusive hasbro and kenner sears toys.Still have most of the Star Wars Sears toys. I remember the Thanksgiving and Christmas parades. My dad work at Kettering tower so we got to watch the parade from the 2nd or 3rd floor of the building every year. I remember getting to go to the 29th floor in kettering tower, you could see for miles.(There were/are only 30 floors if I remember) I remember the animatronic Christmas displace in the Rikes store front windows. I remember riding the bus and trolly electrical connectors would come off their track and the drive would have to get out this fiberglass pole (at least I always assumed it was fiberglass) and reach over the top of the bus and hook them back up. Man those busses were cold in the winter. About 10 years ago I ran into one of those old electric busses in a junkyard south of Dayton, kinda sad. I remember when they moved the blue clock tower to the Reynolds and Reynolds building at the 35 and 75 interchange. I see its now in Caroline Park, that the perfect place for it. If I remember I think originally it was a faded green .

[@beverlyfoster5866]

I was born in Dayton, Nov. 1946. Loved going to the movies in downtown in the 50's, 60's & 70's. Loved Rikes and everything about it. It was one of the finest department stores ever. I went to the Saturday morning movies at NCR in the 50's and graduated 1965 from the NCR Auditorium. I have so many good memories of early Dayton. Watching this took me back to my wonderful childhood. Thanks so much for sharing this!😊

[@josephhecht6331]

Thank you very much for sharing… the narrator is my grandfather. He was a wonderful storyteller. He died about six years ago, but it is wonderful to hear his brilliant voice again!

[@nickditzel1206]

He’s my grandpa too! I love knowing how in the loop he was with Dayton

[@kathampton8041]

Awwwwww. RIP to your grandfather. Dayton is my 💜. Your grandfather told the story of my home very well.

[@vicki3671]

I grew up in Dayton but left in 83 before my kids started school as I didn't want them to go to Dayton public like I did. My dad grew up between Dayton and xenia he was born in 1937. Back when they called fith and Wayne "filth and wine". I really do miss living there though. We had such good neighbors back then unlike today. I've been here 11 yrs and can't give you the name of the ppl right next door. It wasn't that way growing up in Dayton.

[@cecilehoward7980]

Dayton all my life. The Gem City❤

[@lindamcconnell9441]

My Dad's company picnic was at lakeside. How excited we were to go every year. We lived in Brookville. I went to Dayton on a bus every Saturday to shop with my Mom. Later as a teenager with friends to shop. I took my Son years later to Rikes every Christmas for the wonderful window displays and Santa Land on the toy floor. Our final trip was to the Gold Coin on the mezzanine where we always ate every trip downtown the week it closed. Later in my 30s I bussed downtown from Brookville and back daily to work at a bank. All gone now. How nice to see some of these old pictures that still live in my memories.

[@sharoncrawford7192]

I was born in 1956 in Dayton. We use to get on a city bus and our mom would take us shopping at Rikes. I was just a little girl. How I miss those days. Miss my mom too.

[@Tommy88-]

I enjoy watching these old videos about Dayton. it really does have a lot of interesting history. It sure is sad how much the city has declined.

[@GeorgiaBuckeye1]

Graduated from Chaminde in 1967. Lots of memories recalled!

[@dannycole6956]

I love Dayton a lot and forever. And I read the book called For the Love of Dayton Life in the Miami Valley 1796-1996.

[@sharoncrawford7192]

I'd love to have that book.

[@dannycole6956]

@@sharoncrawford7192 You will someday.

[@juliedurish8821]

I was born and raised in Dayton. I graduated from John H Patterson high school. This video reminds me of my parents because they grew up in Dayton as well back when alot of these landmarks were around. Thank you for the History.

[@DaveS1969]

Same here in 88 !! i miss that school was the best time in my academic life lol great people fun times.

[@michaelheintz8853]

I was born in Daytonin 1941 and experienced everything picyured. I graduated in the first class of Colonel White HS with ceremony held in the NCR Auditorium. I played the pipe organ there for the ceremony.

[@rolandmagic2750]

Must have been great to see!

[@tikeastewart1967]

I thought it was spelled Dayton

[@rolandmagic2750]

@@tikeastewart1967 it is

[@valashardvideotapes]

Thank you so much for sharing this. I grew up in Dayton and my family has lived there for generations. I'm only 26 and the Dayton shown here I'd only heard about from family but struggled to picture as in my life time it's been a pretty empty and bleak seeming city with most of my fond memories happening in the suburbs. I wish I could've experienced the vibrant and bustling city of the past and I'm not sure if it will ever come close to what it was, but I certainly have a greater appreciation for the area and will take note of landmarks next time I'm in downtown.

[@Johnwilldo]

The paved Trails are some of the best I have enjoyed biking over the last decade. I will be there with my bike in the latter part of march. Please clear the snow!

[@Johnwilldo]

The Air Force Museum is always my favorite place to visit. My Oldest sister launched her news writer career at the Dayton Daily news!

[@brynn_luv_gaza39]

The snow is clear...hope you enjoy yourself.

[@davidrobinson8337]

I saw a lot of memories on here. A LOT OF MEMORIES.

[@DaytonJoey]

I grew up in Five Oaks in the 80s and 90s. I loved the Santa Clara district. Downtown around Christmas in the 80s was out of this world. I loved growing up in Dayton.

[@DurellSmith]

Hearing about Lakeside and different things made me very emotional, only remembering my mommy telling stories about it. I miss her so much. ❤️

[@derekedington777]

Herb McClelland just passed away recently. Just helped clean out his old home here in Dayton.

[@dinaingle9762]

I live in another state now and this brought back so many fond memories.

[@kathampton8041]

Same here. I’ll always miss, Dayton, my home and my 💜.

[@badtriad9684]

just at beginning of vid, but HAD to break off & comment... instead of depressing montages that appear to DOMINATE on KZbin, looks like a CELEBRATION of Dayton -where i spent quarter of a century (some of BEST yr's of my life!!) USAF brought me there late 1989, & dove in (head first) to experience the CHARM of this small midwestern city! Thank you, Dayton, & creators of this presentation!!

[@lajay1944]

Great video, thanks. I graduated from Colonel White in 1962. We had our graduation at the NCR Auditorium of course. I loved going to the Davue theater on the weekend for the double feature plus cartoons, if I could get ahold of .25 cents to get in. Went to E.J. Brown Elementary school on S. Fairview Ave. Liked to go to Marions on Main St. for lunch when I had money in my pocket. My favorite place to hang out and eat was Goody's restaurant on N. Salem Ave. A little further up Salem was the first mall. I'd go with my mom when she did her shopping. I think it was the Salem Ave. Mall but I'm not sure of the name now. They had big festivals there every Summer. I took art classes at the Art Institute and practiced tennis every day across the street at the courts there. I played with Bruce Wallace and we both played on the Col. White tennis team in 1962. We finished second in the city to Chaminade. That was the only match I lost all year! My dads medical office was at 5th and Main and I would take the bus downtown once a week to do some work for him and make $5. My dad (Irving Helfert) was the Chief of Staff (he was a surgeon) at both Good Samaritin Hospital and St. Elizabeth Hospital (at different times of course). One Summer I worked at Mayor's jewelry store at 3rd and Main. I would walk across the street for lunch in the Arcade. So many good memories of Dayton. It was a better time then, not like now, that's for sure. I never cared for the cold winters though and moved to sunny California in 1967 at the age of 23. I'm glad I grew up in Dayton and always proud to be a Buckeye and Daytonian! Loved the Cincinnati Reds and Crosley Field too! What a team - Frank Robinson, Vada Pinson, Wally Post, Gus Bell and Big Ted Kluzewski! They set the major league record with 221 home runs one year (since broken). And the Dayton Flyers under Coach Tom Blackburn was a national powerhouse. My dad got season tickets every year and we never missed a game. They had some really great teams with Big Bill Uhl (7' tall), John Horan, Don Donoher, Chris Harris, Jim Palmer and Jim Paxon. Arlen Bockhorn played there before he went on to play in the backcourt with Oscar Roberston for the Cincinnati Royals. He was my counselor at Bill Schear's sports camp one year. What a great guy he was. I wanted to be just like him.

[@sharoncrawford7192]

I was born in 1956. I remember when my mom would take us to downtown Dayton. We would go shopping at Rikes Dept. Store. Then we would go to a little dinner and get a hamburger with chocolate milk. It was so good.......

[@bruceg5729]

I'm going to Tikes at Christmas at Rikes

[@the.porter.productions]

O-H-I-O Porter greetings.🇺🇸 Happy New Year…2023! Great job! I live in central Ohio & have been to Dayton many times. I love the town & really enjoy its scenery & history. I came from a small railroad town in WV that has a special place in my heart as well & appreciate the older buildings. This gives me some new insight for the next time I visit Dayton & I hope to bring this video up to refresh my memory & try to visit some of the old hot spots. Thanks for the great review & history.🥰🧐✌️

[@johnmatlin1543]

Went to a concert at the Victoria theatre around 1973-1974. Sat in the front row balcony...the theatre only held about 1000 people! Saw Lynyrd Skynyrd and Elvin Bishop! Watching Skynyrd with only a 1000 people rock the hell out of that place is a memory I will never forget!

[@johnmatlin1543]

Listening to the song "Free Bird"

[@elizabethkern5515]

Thanks, Jeanine! I well remember going "Downtown" as a treat! Also going with a group to football games far from Fairview on the bus and once walking all the way home on Main St. to Fairview Ave! It was safe to do! And shopping and having lunch at Rikes' was a special treat! Beth Moodler Kern

[@michaelheintz8853]

I always took the #7 bus - Forest Park/ Redwood/Maplewood.

[@jimb1801]

Just like dayton have something nice and they tear it down

[@jimb1801]

Awesome!!! Thank you!!!

[@michaelheintz8853]

This is a wonderful film. I would have liked to see interior of Rike's, NCR buildings and Dayton Art Institute. I have lived in Alexandria, VA for 50 years and will not be returning to the are until I am buried in Port Jefferson just east of Sidney. Tje only good thing that has happened in Dayton is the Schuster Center which is visited during my 50th HS reunion.

[@drober05]

Great video. Love the extensive coverage of street cars and interurbans. Went to UD in the 80's. Wish I lived in Dayton now.

[@kylewhisman8035]

I absolutely love this video!!! Does anyone know of any good picture books of Dayton from the 1950s-1970s period? Or at least includes photos of Dayton from the mid-twentieth century? Thanks so much!

[@BushcraftingBogan]

I use to live on a road called "Traction" in a town called New Lebanon. It was how I learned that those trollys existed. The street use to be the main street in the small town before the now main st/35 even some people referred to it a 3rd St. became the central road. Back when I lived on Traction you could still see the rails outlined under the road.

[@mikesnyder1788]

When I moved to Dayton in 1957 there were eight downtown cinemas: The Victory and Loew's on N. Main Street, RKO State and RKO Keith's on Fourth Street, RKO Colonial on South Ludlow Street, and the three "poor cousin" cinemas on South Jefferson Street (where I mostly spent my cinema dimes and nickels) The Ohio, The Columbia, and the Rialto. The beautiful facade of The Ohio was apparently boarded up by that time because I sure don't recall it looking that nice. Also, the latter three cinemas did not advertise in the local newspapers so one had to call them each week to find out what was playing... which I did... every week!

[@michaelheintz8853]

Don't forget the Mayfair burlesque theater and the wonderful Art Theater on Wayne Ave.

[@WesternOhioInterurbanHistory]

26:24 Only interurban cars on the Cincinnati and Lake Erie could reach 90 miles an hour. These were called "Red Devils" and there were 20 of them.

[@harlanforman1866]

Awesome video thank you

[@kenthomas9051]

I grew up in Dayton in the 50's, graduated from Fairview in 61 and left for Marine Corps bootcamp that September. Last time in Dayton was 2015 to bury my Step Father and downtown was a slum. My old neighborhood, Gettysburg and Kings Highway is a ghetto that I wouldn't travel through at any time without being heavily armed. As far as Dayton goes I have my good memories, but you couldn't pay me to live there.

[@sharoncrawford7192]

Yes. I remember Dayton in the 60s. I was growing up then. It's nothing like it use to be then. But most places aren't. Alot of cities are slums.

[@sharoncrawford7192]

My sister lives in Dayton. My brother in law worked at Hobart. He's retired now.

[@louisbecke2348]

I was born and raised in Dayton. Went to Wilbur wright high school. I hated Dayton still do. I was there when its manufacturing base took a hike. Grey, cold I went into the USMC and never looked back. Im retired in the Philippines for 20 years now and couldn't be happier.

[@kwebster62]

Lived in Dayton, from 1987-1999. Pretty good place to live.

[@karensaupe6167]

Thanks--love this (especially the message at the end).

[@pauliedf3]

the best memory I had of Dayton was the day I moved back out east.

[@michaelheintz8853]

There used to be an invalid man who sat in a wheelchair on the sidewalk to the north side of the Old Court House selling postcards and pencils from his cup. Je was thee day after day in all sorts of dreadful weather. I think his name was Tom. My mother had been a legal secretary and she went to the Old Court House to do a title search for our house which my parents purchased on Fernwood Ave. in 1948.

[@aaroncarter2699]

Lataynaellicott,is born an raised in Dayton ohio.very cool you tube.😮

[@sharoncrawford3042]

When I was a little girl we would catch a bus with our mom and go shopping at Rikes.

[@michaelheintz8853]

Rike's was the best but I bought my clothes at the Metropolitan across the street.

[@kathampton8041]

Elder-Beerman too!! 😊💜

[@Fari-100]

As a kid, late 60s, early 70s, I remember riding a trolley bus from Lakeview to downtown and going to the Arcade. Smales pretzels, McCrory's toy department downstairs 😄, Rikes' Christmas display in the window with the big toy train set, y'all know what I'm talking about! 😅 however, my family never was allowed to swim in those pools, if you feel me 🤨

[@dnell40]

Dont forget Gallenkamp shoes and A.C Greens lmao

[@dnell40]

my bad i think it was H.L. Greens

[@Fari-100]

@@dnell40 yes, Gallenkamp! Revco & Liberals Market too

[@dnell40]

@@Fari-100 Gaston Drugstore, Sohio gas station, Lakekview Palladium and Concord City, lol

[@Fari-100]

@@dnell40 old Jerry Cohen, "see you, pleeeease" 😄 Lakeview area was my hood. Thinking of Bowser's, Zukewitz IGA, Bell's drugstore and Mallory pool, trying to ride bikes down Argonne hill 😅

[@noctiscaelum6019]

I would have loved to see Dayton in it's prime, now it resembles some areas of Detroit. Being from Detroit it's sad to see the same thing happening here...

[@timgordon4853]

😥Dorothy

[@garyprater8139]

The good old days. Now downtown looks like a ghostown

[@exit5620]

Uncle Orrie sent me.

[@carlascrivens1855]

Land of Funk

[@stilltryin71]

I graduated there in 1959.

[@Sofidoxi]

I miss Dayton

[@jeffbrooks5580]

It's kinda coming back now

[@christopherpooler5398]

@@jeffbrooks5580 stop it, no it’s not

[@timgordon4853]

Brother said, Wright Patterson expanding,to think at 3 caught bus,to model downtown,hair nails, clothes , Bad habits song trigger 😨 Grew up to want to retire and be a beach bum😘‼️

[@timgordon4853]

Anyone live by the railroad tracks😘Dorothy👍

[@jeffbrooks5580]

How did you get this can you find a documentary called dayton silent minority

[@Johnwilldo]

Does living in the Overlook homes Count?

[@timgordon4853]

Loved overlook is it still there? Dorothy asks👍

[@ksw8415]

It’s too bad what’s happened to most of Ohio’s cities in the last 75 years. We were a progressive state. Times change but we didn’t have the leadership to make the correct changes that would have benefited all.

[@LarryKelly]

My simple memories. Mead Building elevator. Pine Club fillet. Air Force museum.

[@danielsee1]

Won't say what destroyed downtown and then malls. YOU destroyed them!!

[@timgordon4853]

What about dancin in the streets,frizzy wassee soap Huit Soap Factory,Dorothy👍😘

[@agbeyenumadison6224]

video: We should count ourselves lucky by the good memories of Dayton me a 19yo: -_-

[@timgordon4853]

1953 to 1989 access to all of it ,remeiness magizine place to hold onto memories,my mother caught her skate in trollies track ripped her face off😨 Dorothy says 👍

[@agbeyenumadison6224]

@@timgordon4853I'm not sure I understand what you're saying

[@millcity9711]

18:55 The name of the architectural firm was McKim, Mead, and White...not Wright. Frank Lloyd Wright had no association with the New York Firm. Just a minute of research would have confirmed this...

[@bascott2010]

Correct.

[@timgordon4853]

Didn't see any sign that he would have been part of that design,roof would have been flat slopped!👍 Dorothy says TY

[@jimb1801]

And now jobs are moving out of state or city because they are ordering by mail and credit cards .. no local jobs .. no little soft ball sponsorship. By local business..no place to meet friend's

[@Jsavage-v3u]

Good old Dayton. Once was a thriving city. Now you can shoot off a cannon downtown and not hit anyone. And Dayton always had black problem. It just was confined to the west side of town out Third Street. Which was a nice area until the riots of 1968. The rule was, if you were black and didn't work downtown, you were expected to be on the other side of the Third Street bridge by six pm daily. That's way it was. And 40,000 people once lived downtown. And most people who kived downtown didn't need a car. And there were five threaters and all kinds of restaurants. Six if you counted the Mayfair burlesque threater. And was hard to walk down the street for all the people. And downtown Dayton days the stores and streets were packed. And every other street was one way in the other direction. Dayton was nice and friendly until the NCR layoffs, then things began to change. All most of the high schooks had their graduations at NCR auditorium. And by then the malls came to Dayton and Rike's downtown began to die. And when Rike's died downtown, downtown Dayton began to die. The seventies saw the death of downtown Dayton. And downtown hasn't recovered since. Oh, various garages have been built, but the arcade sat vacant for close to thirty years. The arcade was the center shopping place downtown. Always a working persons place. They tried to make the Arcade into a Mall but that flopped. Downtown Dayton was a mix of working people and people who had money. They worked together. And it wasn't unusual to see the monied people on a street. And the morning Journal Herald was the favorite newspaper. And paperboys were paid less who delivered the Journal than those who delivered the evening Dayton Daily News for some reason.

[@JosephVespa-ve6zi]

Dayton's a ghost town

[@christopherpooler5398]

Dayton isn’t what it used to be. It actually pisses me off watching this. My family helped shape and build Dayton for generations. My family experienced all this. It’s sad to see the hell hole Dayton is now.

[@timgordon4853]

😥 Dorothy says

[@BL-no7jp]

I was born and raised in the Greenwich village of Dayton from 1957-1971 before the City earned its worst reputation as the heroin capital of the US. Right now, no one could pay me enough to move back. It turned into a gloomy dirty hillbilly-drug ghetto over the years. It’s not the same city in which I grew up.

[@jace76ful]

Its a piece of shizzy now.

[@edgregory1]

What a joke in the final analysis.

[@yorktown1953]

That pretty lady is wayyyyy too young lol

[@jcjensoninspaaaceinc.578]

Ew

[@WeWander2]

Sad

[@sluttyboy69]

My grandma was born in Dayton Ohio in 1963 she passed away in her early 50s sadly