Dayton Walk of Fame

In the Dayton Daily News last week, I read about something I didn't even know existed, the Dayton Walk of Fame on West Third Street between Broadway and Shannon. The inductees represent achievement in a variety of areas and there are some familiar names like Charles Kettering, Tony Hall, Dale Huffman, the Wright Brothers, and William Preston Mayfield. Many of the inductees, however, I had never heard of until I began to go through the list.

One example that stands out to me is Mac Ross. He was one of the original Tuskegee Airmen who couldn't get into pilot school at the time because he was black, but excelled when he entered the Army Air Corps school in Tuskegee. Sadly, he passed away in 1944 in a plane crash during a training exercise in Italy at only 32 years old.

Mac Ross

Another inductee whose name I have heard mentioned countless times but never knew who he was is Edwin C. Moses. Many of you may have driven on Edwin C. Moses Boulevard in Dayton and never knew who he was. I didn't until I found him on the Walk of Fame. He is known for his athletic abilities, getting his start at a poorly-funded track running team at Morehouse College. He since won Olympic gold twice and holds several world records in hurdling. Moses was even chosen to be enshrined in the Olympic Hall of Fame and has won over 100 consecutive races.

Edwin C. Moses

Betty Schmoll was inducted in 2010 and is the founder of the Hospice of Dayton. She is a major proponent for the compassionate and dignified treatment of terminally ill people and their families. For her work, Ms. Schmoll has received honors from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. While the hospice she founded started small, it now provides services to hundreds of patients each day.

Betty Schmoll

Sources (for information and images):  

http://www.daytonwalkoffame.citymax.com/ross.html
http://www.daytonwalkoffame.citymax.com/moses.html
http://www.daytonwalkoffame.citymax.com/schmoll.html