Oxford News

Many of the prominent citizens who died last year in the Butler and Warren county areas left footprints outside their arenas of expertise.

It wasn't so much what they accomplished at work, but the services they offered to their communities.

For instance, a Lebanon businessman who owned a department store was saluted for his years of service to the county's civic organizations.

A 43-year-old client of Butler County Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities was applauded for his dedication to Middletown High School athletics.

A school administrator was praised for his 33-year career with the same district, where he served as a bus driver, teacher, coach, principal, treasurer and superintendent assistant.

A Middletown woman was remembered for her years of service — and financial support — to the local hospital, its women's center and her temple.

A former Hamilton resident was recalled for his participation in Philadelphia's civic life, and his rise as one of that region's wealthiest African-Americans.

A high school and college basketball standout received a standing ovation for his accomplishments in religion, not roundball.

And who could ever forget Hamilton's Stewart "Stew" Jones?

Wait a minute — in his honor, change that question mark to an exclamation point!

Victor Auvil, 80, of Middletown

Died Nov. 10 at Atrium Medical Center

Auvil became Middletown fire chief in 1973 when the city did not have any ambulances or paramedics. Other accomplishments during Auvil's nine-year tenure as fire chief included upsizing supply hoses for the front-line pumpers; improving the city's fire insurance rating; and opening the fire headquarters at the corner of Roosevelt Boulevard and Wicoff Street. Auvil retired in 1984 after a 30-year career.

Robert Boni, 80

Died July 1

After a yearlong battle with leukemia. Boni retired as chairman and chief executive of Armco, the predecessor company of AK Steel Corp., in 1990, a position he held since 1986. Boni graduated with a master's and doctorate in metallurgical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 1954 and joined Armco in 1956 as a research engineer in the company's Research and Technology Center in Middletown.

James Henry Brown, 43, of Middletown

Died Oct. 12, at home after hernia surgery

Brown, a 1985 Middletown High School graduate and client of the Butler County Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, roamed the sidelines as equipment manager for the high school football and basketball teams.

Charles "Bud" Chamberlain, 94, of Carlisle

Died Nov. 25

He retired from Carlisle Local Schools in 1975 after 33 consecutive years with the district, where he served as a bus driver, teacher, coach, principal, treasurer and superintendent assistant. His service to the district inspired the community to name the middle school after him in the 1990s, dedicating it as Chamberlain Middle School.

Mary Jean Cohen, 83, of Middletown

Died July 30

She and her husband of 62 years, Wilbur, supported the Women's Center at Middletown Regional Hospital and the center at Atrium Medical Center bears their name. Some of her other causes included the Middletown Symphony, Abilities First and Temple Beth Sholom.

Rev. Nathaniel Cooper, 89, of Middletown

Died Nov. 23

The Rev. Cooper retired in 2007 after serving 38 years as pastor at Second Baptist. He left his full-time job at a Dayton factory to accept the call to full-time ministry in 1969.

Larry Crisenberry, 70, of Lebanon

Died Sept. 19 at Bethesda North Hospital in Montgomery

He was a partner and later owner of Kaufman's Department Store of Lebanon. He was one of Warren County's most civic-minded citizens, serving as president of the Lebanon Area Chamber of Commerce, a six-term Turtlecreek Twp. trustee, and in 1992 was elected Warren County Commissioner, where he served three terms.

Carl Donald Ennis, 86, of Trenton

Died Oct. 5 at the Otterbein Retirement Community

He had 32 years of service to Trenton as policeman, mayor, life squad captain, and councilman. He was the co-founder of Trenton Knothole and the rescue squad.

Ken Glidewell, 48, of Hamilton

Died May 27 of injuries suffered in a Memorial Day motorcycle crash.

Glidewell, known as "Mr. K," was a disc jockey on WEBN-FM in Cincinnati and a member of bands, Big in Iowa, Chem Dyne and the Tequila Kings.

Staff Sgt. Travis Griffin, 28, of Clearcreek Twp.

Died April 3, in a roadside bomb explosion in Iraq.

Griffin, who also served two terms on active duty in the Middle East, was part of a detachment from the Air Force's 732nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron filling jobs that have typically been done by the Army in Iraq. He attended Army Ranger school in 2007.

Ragan A. Henry, 74, formerly of Hamilton

Died July 26.

The 1952 graduate of Hamilton High School became a Harvard-educated lawyer, a pioneering media leader, an active participant in Philadelphia's civic life and one of that region's richest African Americans. He was inducted into the Hamilton City Schools Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000.

Stewart "Stew" Jones, 89, of Hamilton

Died Dec. 3, at Fort Hamilton Hospital

He was the man behind the punctuation mark that brought international attention to Hamilton. He had the idea to promote Hamilton by adding an exclamation point to the city's name in the mid-1980s.

Thomas Kirby, 73, of Springboro

Died Nov. 10, at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton after a six-month battle with cancer

Kirby practiced in various areas of family law for more than 40 years, most recently in personal injury litigation. He was a one-time Warren County assistant prosecutor and Franklin city prosecutor. After beginning his practice in Franklin, he had a law office in Springboro for the past 25 years. He also helped out the Franklin and Springboro athletic departments. In 2006, he was elected into the Franklin High School Hall of Fame.

Joseph D. Larsen, 19, of Middletown

Died June 19, in San Diego, Calif.

He graduated from Middletown High School in 2008 and was serving in the United States Navy as an Info Tech at the time of his death. He died in a one-car accident while returning to his base.

Shelby Linville,78, of Middletown

Died Aug. 5 at Garden Manor Retirement Village

Linville was a standout basketball player on teams that won two state championships at Middletown High School in 1946 and 1947 and a national championship at the University of Kentucky in 1951. He taught and coached basketball in four Kentucky counties and in districts throughout Tennessee and Ohio, including Monroe, Edgewood, Franklin and Middletown. He also was a preacher for numerous years.

Charles "Mickey" McDade, 84

Died April 17, in Centerville

His name is in the city's community park, which McDade helped develop during his 40 years serving the parks. His name is in Franklin High School's auditorium, dedicated in his name to honor his 52 years of service as a respected head basketball coach, athletic director, principal and teacher. He served 13 years as the head basketball coach, leading the district to 155 wins, eight league championships, an undefeated season in 1961 and four second-place finishes.

Paul "Moon" Mullins, 71, formerly of Middletown

Died Aug. 3. suffered from Parkinson's disease and died at the Hillspring of Springboro Health Care Center

Mullins made his way to Middletown in 1964, when he began working for WPFB-AM radio, where he developed a reputation as a bluegrass music pioneer and one of the best broadcasters in the business, making an impact that people still remember today. "Moon" Mullins was given the Ohio Heritage Fellowship Award in 2007 by Cityfolk, the Ohio Arts Council and the Ohio Folk Arts Network. Mullins worked for WPFB until 1989, then he broadcasted from WBZI, retiring in 2005.

Butler County Juvenile Court Judge David

Niehaus, 64

Died of a heart attack on July 31 at Fort Hamilton Hospital.

Niehaus was a judge in Butler County for 27 years. He was the county's first juvenile judge, taking that bench 21 years ago. Niehaus brought in state dollars to build an innovative juvenile center in 1990 to help troubled youth in the community.

Bruce L. Peters Sr., 93, of Monroe

Died Jan. 31 at Mount Pleasant Retirement Village

He retired from Armco General Management as Director of Advertising and Creative Services in 1979. During the last 30 years he contributed more than 100 paintings to the Middletown Fine Arts Center's Annual Art Auctions.

John Pont, 80, of Oxford

Died at his home in Oxford on July 1

He succeeded spectacularly as a player and head coach for Miami University's football team. Pont, whose football jersey No. 42 was the first of only three to be retired at Miami, was a charter member of the university's athletic hall of fame. As a halfback, Pont helped lead Miami to a Mid-American Conference title in 1950. As a head coach, he guided the team to two more championships in 1957 and '58. He also had coaching stops at Yale, Indiana and Northwestern.

Donald Schwab, 70, of Milford Twp.

Died at Fort Hamilton Hospital on Jan. 23

He was a civic leader and highly involved in Butler County. He was Milford Twp. clerk for more than 20 years and served on numerous Butler County government and business boards. He also served on the Southwest Regional Water Board for 27 years.

Chuck Thackara, 90

Died July 6, in Westerville

He was one of Hamilton's most successful high school football coaches, leading the Big Blue from 1948-1956, recording a 61-25-3 record, including back-to-back No. 2 state rankings in 1950 and 1951. After serving in the Navy, Thackara began working for Hamilton High School in 1948 as a teacher and coach. He was principal of Harding Junior High School and was eventually assistant superintendent for the district before retiring in 1976.

Jean Wolf, 99, formerly of Hamilton

Died March 14 at her home in Cincinnati's Hyde Park neighborhood.

She served on the boards of Mercy Hospital, Girls Scouts of America and the YWCA and was passionate about causes that affected women's equality and reproductive health. She and her late husband, William, were among the founders of the Hamilton Community Foundation.