The 2022/2023 Speaker Series is Scheduled! 

Monthly Speaker Series 2022 - 2023 

Third Tuesday of the month   **   Free & open to the public!

 Reception 6:30 p.m.        Program 7:00 p.m.

Enjoy refreshments and historical education. 

Donations welcome and appreciated.

**NOTE -- Please enter on the south side of the building using the east doors that are closest to the theater. Park between the Subaru dealership and the building for shortest walk.

September 20, 2022
Steve Grismer
Dean, Dillinger & Dayton Ohio: Legend, Lore & Legacy

October 18, 2022
Angie Hoschouer

History, Mystery, Murder & Mayhem

November 15, 2022
Paul Cooper

Doolittle’s Raid on Japan

January 17, 2023
Doyle Burke

“Satan Killer” Darrell Wayne Ferguson 

Veteran homicide investigator Doyle Burke will share his secrets about his last serial killer case in 2001, the self-proclaimed ‘Satan Killer’ – Darryl Wayne Ferguson. Follow along as he describes the crime scenes and autopsies which led to the identification of the suspect and a video confession. 

Doyle Burke is the author of ‘Death as a Living’ and is currently working with the Dayton Police Department in the Cold Case section. His career spans over 22 years as a detective with the DPD Homicide Division as well as 15 years as the Chief Investigator in Warren County’s Coroner’s Office.

February 21, 2023
Tanya Maus

19th Century Quakers in Southwest Ohio 

In the first decades of the 19th century thousands of Quakers migrated west to southwest Ohio from the southeastern part of the United States resulting in one of the largest populations of Quakers in the United States at that time. This talk will consider the historical complexities of slavery and abolitionism as factors in Quaker migration from the south to southwest Ohio as well as the impact of Quaker migration on American Indian tribal nations in southwest Ohio. Finally, the religious, cultural, and social impact and significance of Quaker populations in southwest Ohio as a result this historical migration will be addressed. 

Dr. Tanya Maus serves as the director of the Quaker Heritage Center (QHC) and the director of the Peace Resource Center (PRC) at Wilmington College. The Quaker Heritage Center educates present and future generations of diverse audiences about historic and living traditions and concerns of the Religious Society of Friends. 

March 21, 2023
Hylda Strange

The Crosley Brothers 

Two brothers (Powell & Lewis) built a Business Empire that Transformed the Nation.  From automotive manufacturing (the Crosley Automobile); to the most powerful Radio Station – WLW; to the development and building of the most powerful transmitter that was used by Voice of America during WWII.  They also manufactured and sold kitchen appliances like the Crosley Shelvador Refrigerator; Crosley ranges; and Crosley washers.  In the depth of the great depression, Powell bought and essentially saved, the Cincinnati Reds major league baseball team.

Hylda Strange grew up in the Belmont area of Dayton and she attended Stivers High School and Otterbein College.  She and her husband, Jerry, are members of four historical societies, and both serve on the board for Centerville-Washington History. They own and have restored two old houses: the 1820’s Thomas Collins house in Ripley, OH (which was part of the Underground Railroad) and the circa. 1833 Aaron Nutt Jr. House in Centerville, OH. Hylda's interests include history, gardening and antiques. 

April 18, 2023
David Greer

Al Fouts: A Bootlegger and Safecracker who Lived from 1891-1981

May 16, 2023
Martin Gottlieb

Lincoln’s Northern Nemesis: Clement Vallandigham

Select sessions from 2022 are available on YouTube:

FDR’s Confidential Crusader by Mike Williams - Watch the presentation on YouTube

Hidden History of Dayton by Tony Kroeger - Watch the presentation on YouTube

The War in Ukraine and the Future of Geopolitics by General John R. Allen - Watch the presentation on YouTube

 Enjoy videos of our 2020/2021 speakers on YouTube