West Dayton Civic League Minutes

The West Dayton Civic League became, in 1911, the successor to earlier civic leagues in West Dayton, namely the West Side Improvement Association (founded 1889), which had become the Westwood Civic League (in 1910). The purpose of the league was to improve conditions in West Dayton, the area immediately west of the Great Miami River, on both public and private property, to develop business interests, and to improve sanitation and utilities. The first president of the West Dayton Civic League was Clarence E. Bice (elected 1911), followed by L. W. Crandall (elected 1913).

Officers elected in the spring of 1915 (and so featuring most prominently in this volume) included I. Robert Blackburn as president (replacing Crandall); H. A. Thompson as vice president (replacing Blackburn); C. S. Billman as treasurer; and M. M. Hively as secretary.

Committees noted in the collection minutes include: Parks and Playgrounds; Public Safety and Health; Public Buildings and Utilities; Lawns, Flowers, and Trees; Streets, Alleys, and Sidewalks.

Dr. Joseph Martin Phillippi was the editor of the Religious Telescope, a publication of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, which was published in Dayton by the Otterbein Press. In addition, Dr. Phillippi founded the Otterbein Home, located in Lebanon, Ohio in 1912. He was also instrumental in the building of Roosevelt High School in Dayton and was one of the principal speakers when the cornerstone was laid for the school. Dr. Phillippi died in 1926.

The noted local historian Dr. Augustus W. Drury (of Bonebrake Theological Seminary) was also involvement with the West Dayton Civic League and is mentioned several times in the minutes as having led the opening prayer.