Wednesday, January 28, 2009

MAIN STORY - Poet, pitcher, fighter pilot among new Great Ohioans

Biographies of six new Great Ohioans

Catherine Dell "Carrie" Nelson Black was born in 1858 in Etna, Ohio, and later moved to Columbus, where she resided until her death at age 78. Nelson Black was a social humanitarian for the underprivileged and dedicated her life to the prevention and control of tuberculosis and cancer. She founded numerous organizations to help those causes, including the Columbus Tuberculosis Society, Columbus Cancer Clinic, Ohio Public Health Association, Nightingale Cottage, Columbus Open Air School and the Ohio Association for Mother's Day.

She received her education from Wesleyan College in Cincinnati. She later studied health care and medicine at clinics in Boston, New York and Chicago. She then returned to Columbus to carry out her work. As the wife of Judge Samuel L. Black, mayor of Columbus from 1897-1898, she was the first lady of Columbus. Nelson Black changed the public health-care systems in Columbus and the way health-care services for the underprivileged were offered throughout Ohio, which served as models for other parts of the United States. She founded the first nursing-care system in Ohio, the Instructive District Nursing Association of Columbus, which is now LifeCare Alliance. Tuberculosis was a common disease of the underprivileged, and Nelson Black established the Ohio Society for the Prevention and Cure of Tuberculosis. From this, she established the Open Air School and Nightingale Cottage, which were dedicated to the prevention of tuberculosis.

In addition, Nelson Black formed the Columbus Cancer Clinic in her home to help the underprivileged through free cancer screenings and medical assistance. Nelson Black was a health crusader and gave her life to public service as a social humanitarian.

Salmon P. Chase moved to Ohio at age 12 after the death of his father in 1820. He settled in Worthington with his uncle, Bishop Chase.

Chase enrolled at Cincinnati College in 1823 at age 15, after his uncle was appointed president of the institution. Chase and his uncle stayed at Cincinnati College for just one year. After his uncle moved to England, Chase moved to New Hampshire with his mother and enrolled at Dartmouth College. Graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1826, Chase moved to Washington, D.C., and established a private school for boys while he continued his studies. He passed the bar exam in 1829 and promptly moved back to Cincinnati, where he opened a law practice.

In 1850, on the votes of the Free Soil-Democratic coalition, Chase was elected to the U.S. Senate. In 1856, Chase was elected and served two terms as Ohio's first Republican governor. Of special note, Chase was the first governor to occupy Ohio's current Statehouse. Although the construction of the Statehouse was not completed until 1861, the governor, General Assembly and Ohio Supreme Court moved into the building in 1857.

Chase returned to the U.S. Senate in 1860, but he gave up his seat to accept Abraham Lincoln's offer to serve as secretary of the Treasury. Four years later, on Dec. 15, 1864, Chase was sworn in as the nation's sixth chief justice.

Chase suffered a fatal stroke in New York City while visiting his daughter Nettie on May 7, 1873. On Oct. 14, 1886, at the request of the state of Ohio, Chase's body was returned to his home for burial and now rests at the Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati. In 1894, a statue by Cincinnati native and Civil War veteran Levi Tucker Scofield, titled These Are My Jewels, was placed on the Ohio Statehouse grounds. The statue features a life- size sculpture of Chase and six other prominent 19th century Ohioans, including U.S. Presidents Ulysses S. Grant, James A. Garfield and Rutherford B. Hayes.

In 1934, the Treasury honored Chase's memory by placing his portrait on the $10,000 Federal Reserve note.

Paul Laurence Dunbar was born in Dayton on June 27, 1872, to parents who had escaped slavery. Dunbar was an African-American poet and novelist. is writings portrayed African-American life of his era, focusing on accomplishments and pride. He was the first black author to gain national recognition and a wide popular audience.

In 1886, Dunbar entered Central High School in Dayton as the only African-American student in his class. He graduated in 1891. In school, he served as editor of the school newspaper and was the class poet.

Dunbar published his first book of poems, Oak and Ivy, in 1893 with his own money, and his second book, Majors and Minors, two years later. William Dean Howells, then one of America's most distinguished literary critics, read the second book and urged the young poet to concentrate on black dialect verse.

With the 1896 publication of Lyrics of Lowly Life, Dunbar's professional career got off to a fabulous start. His works began to sell well enough for him to earn his living as a writer. His short stories, which began appearing in popular magazines in the 1890s, often depicted African-American folk characters, Southern scenes and humorous situations. Dunbar died on Feb. 9, 1906, in Dayton. His stories and poems continue to live on and show how well he succeeded in capturing the elements of African-American life.

Charles F. Kettering was born in Loudonville, Ohio, on Aug. 29, 1876. Kettering enrolled in the Ohio State University and earned an electrical engineering degree in 1904.

Kettering's long career earned him more than 300 patents and the reputation of being a great American inventor. His career began when he became the head of research for General Motors. He served in that role from 1920 to 1947. While at GM, Kettering invented the all-electric starting ignition and lighting system for the automobile. Other patents included a portable lighting system, Freon, a World War I "aerial torpedo," the Kettering Bug, a treatment for venereal disease and an incubator for premature infants. His engine-driven generator was combined with storage batteries to form a "Delco Plant," providing an electrical lighting system for farmhouses and other locations remote from an electrical power grid. Kettering also developed the idea of Duco paint and ethyl gasoline. Kettering was instrumental in helping to develop diesel engines and ways to harness solar energy. He was a pioneer in the application of magnetism to medical diagnostic techniques.

In 1945, Kettering helped found the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, based on the premise that American industrial research techniques could be applied to cancer research.

The city of Kettering, Ohio, a suburb of Dayton, was named in his honor when it was incorporated in 1955. Kettering passed away in November 1958.

Edward Vernon Rickenbacker was born on Oct. 8, 1890, in Columbus. He was an American fighter ace in World War I and Medal of Honor recipient. Rickenbacker was also a race-car driver and automotive designer, a government consultant in military matters and a pioneer in air transportation.

Eddie Rickenbacker developed an early interest in automobiles, and by the time the U.S. entered the war in 1917, he was one of the country's top racers. He began Army service as a driver and soon became a fighter pilot. Rickenbacker was awarded the Medal of Honor for shooting down 26 enemy airplanes in WWI. He later founded and directed his own automobile company. In 1932, he became an executive with several airlines until forming Eastern Airlines.

With the outbreak of World War II, Rickenbacker volunteered his services to the government. En route to deliver a message to Gen. Douglas MacArthur, his plane went down in the Pacific. Adrift for 24 days, Rickenbacker led the survivors in finding food and water until they were rescued. In 1943, Rickenbacker requested permission to travel to the Soviet Union to help with their American-built aircraft and to assess their military capabilities. While he successfully accomplished his mission, the trip is best remembered for his error in alerting the Soviets to the secret B-29 superfortress project.

At the end of the war, Rickenbacker returned to Eastern Airlines. He remained with the company until a downturn in economic conditions forced him from his position as chief executive officer in 1959. He stayed on as chairman of the board until Dec. 31, 1963. Rickenbacker died in Zurich, Switzerland, on July 27, 1973.

Denton True "Cy" Young was born on March 29, 1867, in Gilmore, Ohio. Cy Young's baseball career spanned from 1890 to 1911. Young received the nickname "Cy" as a result of his famous fastball, which was said to be as fast as a cyclone.

Through the years Young pitched for five different major-league teams. Young's career started in 1890 with the Cleveland Spiders. After eight years with the Spiders, Young was moved to St. Louis in 1899. After two years there, Young jumped to the newly created American League, joining the Boston franchise. He was traded back to Cleveland in 1909, before spending the final two months of his career in Boston.

Young set numerous pitching records in the majors, some of which have stood for more than a century. Young currently holds the record for most career wins (511), most career innings pitched (7,355), most career games started (815) and most complete games (749). In addition, Young also retired with 316 losses, the most in major-league history.

Young threw 76 career shutouts, the fourth-highest total in history. Young also won at least 30 games in a season five times, with 10 other seasons of more than 20 wins. He pitched three no-hitters, including the first perfect game of baseball's "modern era."

After his retirement, Young went back to his farm in Ohio, where he stayed until his death at age 88 in 1955.

In honor of Young's contributions to Major League Baseball, the Cy Young Award, an annual award given to the best pitcher in each major league, was created in 1956. Young was elected to the baseball Hall of Fame in 1937.

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