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Title: The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
Author: Otto H. Adams
Release Date: May 18, 2021 [eBook #65372]
Language: English
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ALLEN COUNTY WAR MEMORIAL
COLISEUM ***
THE ALLEN COUNTY WAR MEMORIAL COLISEUM
An address delivered before the Quest Club by Otto H. Adams, November
6, 1953, at the Chamber of Commerce, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Prepared by the Staff of the
Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County
1954
[Illustration: Boards of the Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen
County]
One of a historical series, this pamphlet is published under the
direction of the governing Boards of the Public Library of Fort Wayne
and Allen County.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE SCHOOL CITY OF FORT WAYNE
_Mrs. Sadie Fulk Roehrs_
_B.F. Geyer, President_
_Joseph E. Kramer, Secretary_
_W. Page Yarnelle, Treasurer_
_Willard Shambaugh_
PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD FOR ALLEN COUNTY
The members of this Board include the members of the Board of Trustees
of the School City of Fort Wayne (with the same officers) together with
the following citizens chosen from Allen County outside the corporate
City of Fort Wayne:
_James E. Graham_
_Arthur Niemeier_
_Mrs. Glenn Henderson_
_Mrs. Charles Reynolds_
FOREWORD
The story of the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum began ten years ago.
The progression of events between the first consideration of the
memorial in 1944 and its completion in 1952 was by no means smooth and
uninterrupted. The account of the solution of the problems involved in
planning, financing, and constructing the memorial constitutes a
community accomplishment.
The source material for this publication originated in a speech
delivered by Otto H. Adams at a meeting of the Quest Club, November 6,
1953. Mr. Adams, recently elected president of the Coliseum Board of
Trustees, reviewed the history of the Coliseum and discussed its value
to city and county in his paper entitled “Coliseum—Asset or Liability?”
James R. Fleming, the past president of the Board of Trustees, A. M.
Strauss, the architect, and Don L. Myers, the coliseum manager, have
supplied supplementary information.
The Boards and the Staff of the Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen
County present this pamphlet in the hope that it will interest and
inform the citizens of Allen County.
In 1944 the Fort Wayne Junior Chamber of Commerce first proposed the
construction of a coliseum as a memorial to the men and women of Allen
County who had lost their lives in both World Wars. Such a structure was
envisioned as serving a twofold purpose; it would honor our heroic dead
and would greatly increase recreational facilities. A Russell Sage
Foundation study was made after World War II; the report indicates a
definite trend among memorial planners to erect “living memorials,”
which serve the people while honoring their heroes, rather than
ornamental arches, statues, and monuments. The Foundation believes that
this trend is commendable and hails it as a “triumph of common sense
over sentimentalism.” Contemporary opinion seems to be that construction
of a useful memorial in no way detracts from the honor paid to the dead.
On the contrary, it is felt that the utility of the monument
demonstrates our regard for them more forcibly by benefiting that
society for which they died.
The members of the Junior Chamber of Commerce conducted a survey of city
residents and concluded that 78 per cent were in favor of the proposed
coliseum. Two independent occurrences in 1944 added impetus to the
movement. First, Psi Iota Xi Sorority sponsored an analysis of
recreational facilities estimated to be needed by the city for a
twenty-year period. The sorority submitted to the mayor a plan drawn up
by Elwood Allen and George Nesbitt of the National Recreation
Association. A memorial field house was one of the major recommendations
of the plan. A memorial honoring General Anthony Wayne, the founder of
the city, was also proposed in 1944. This memorial, too, was envisioned
as a practical structure, and a field house was one of the suggestions.
Both state and national funds could be employed to construct an Anthony
Wayne memorial.
The Junior Chamber of Commerce survey determined that popular opinion
supported the project. Accordingly, that association hired Mr. Allen,
who had drawn up general recreational plans for Fort Wayne, to make a
further investigation of possible sites and building plans. It was
immediately evident that a coliseum would be a costly construction; the
cost would probably exceed two million dollars. The acquisition of funds
was the first problem that had to be solved. James R. Fleming presided
over the meeting at which the survey results were first discussed. He
suggested building a coliseum as a memorial both to the dead of the two
World Wars and to Anthony Wayne. He believed that financial aid could be
obtained from the federal government in this way.
Despite general popular sentiment in Allen County favoring the erection
of a coliseum, the planners faced and overcame many obstacles before
their dream became a reality. In 1945 plans were announced for a sports
arena, which was to be built by private enterprise in the Quimby Village
area. Had these plans been realized, the sports arena would have been in
direct competition with the Memorial Coliseum. The next impediment was
in the form of objections to the proposed site; the residents of the
Lawton Park area, which was the first site recommended, were vocal in
their opposition.
Since at least a portion of the cost of a coliseum would be financed by
property taxes, in 1946 it was decided to submit the question to the
electorate of Allen County in the form of a referendum. After the county
commissioners had agreed to place the question on the ballot, the Junior
Chamber of Commerce organized and carried out an extensive publicity
campaign to secure public approval. The War Memorial Commission, a group
organized with the encouragement of the Junior Chamber of Commerce,
assumed responsibility for the planning and co-ordination of the
campaign. Don Myers was elected chairman. Conventional advertising media
were utilized: newspapers, radio broadcasts, direct mail, and bus
placards. In addition, public attention was dramatically captured by
dropping thousands of leaflets over the city from a plane and by holding
a torchlight parade on election eve. A special appeal was made to high
school students. Commission speakers addressed student assemblies and
explained how the coliseum could enlarge school sports programs. Buttons
in school colors, advertising the coliseum, were distributed at football
games, and publicity appeared in school newspapers. Although the
planning of this well-integrated program must be credited to the War
Memorial Commission, the Junior Chamber of Commerce continued to give
active support and co-operated to carry out all phases of the fight.
[Illustration: Memorial Hall.]
Both major political parties endorsed the issue. The chairmen of the
Democratic and Republican central committees signed a joint statement
which advocated voting “yes” on a project that would benefit every
person in Allen County. The average annual cost to the taxpayer would be
only fifty-five cents, it was stated. Many civic organizations pledged
their support. The Zollner Pistons played an exhibition game and donated
all proceeds to the War Memorial Commission. The check for $1,700 was
used for publicity to win the support of the voters. The Civic Theatre
also gave a benefit performance for the cause. The Fort Wayne Civic
Association paid for advertisements explaining the benefits of the
proposed coliseum.
About this time, fearing that the sports arena function of the coliseum
was being overemphasized, the president of the Junior Chamber of
Commerce reiterated its primary purpose: “War memorials should be for
the living, not for the dead alone. The living must be enabled to derive
a spiritual lift from them. There must be a shrine to which one may go
to commune with the missing and to pay tribute to the returned. A mere
building does not serve this purpose. The true memorial building has a
heart, a focal point. Some symbol within it must tell why the building
was built, and this must be the center of interest.”
The results of the referendum of November 6, 1946, must have gratified
the commission; that organization had endeavored to stimulate the public
interest and approval and had succeeded admirably. The vote was five to
one in favor of floating a bond issue to finance the memorial.
After the first World War, a law had been passed by the state
legislature permitting the county councils to issue bonds for memorial
purposes to the extent of ½ per cent of the total property valuation of
the county. Based on the property valuation of Allen County in 1947,
this proportion would have been approximately one and one-half million
dollars, but it was evident that the cost of the proposed coliseum would
far exceed this amount. Public subscription and federal aid were among
the several sources considered for obtaining the additional funds
necessary to build the structure. But these auxiliary sources were
discarded in favor of raising the ceiling of bonded indebtedness. A
change in the statute was proposed. A bill was formulated and sponsored
by the American Legion legislative committee. The War Memorial
Commission warmly praised Robert Gaskill, chairman of the legislative
committee, for his valuable assistance. The bill was enacted, and in
March, 1947, Governor Ralph F. Gates signed the amended law increasing
the ceiling from ½ per cent to 1 per cent of the assessable property in
the county.
The majority of the voters of Allen County gave their support to the
planners of the War Memorial Coliseum and were eager to have the
preliminary work completed and the construction begun. But a small
minority argued that increasing the indebtedness of the county was
unjustifiable and that the Coliseum would impose too heavy a burden on
the taxpayer. Some members of the minority attempted to thwart the
coliseum plans; they contended that the law permitted the county to
issue bonds for only one memorial and that Fort Wayne already had a
memorial in Memorial Park. Both contentions were correct; if that
memorial had really been built with funds secured from a county bond
issue, it would have been illegal to finance the Coliseum by that means.
Investigation disclosed that the theory that the old memorial was paid
for by the county could not be substantiated. Apparently, funds were
secured largely through the generous donations of individuals and were
augmented by public subscription. Again the commission turned to the
Indiana General Assembly, and this time the legislature unanimously
passed a bill declaring a bond issue for a memorial coliseum legal.
The passage of the bill raising the amount of the bond issue assured
approximately three million dollars for the memorial. The first decision
facing the county commissioners thereafter was the final selection of a
site. On May 19, 1947, a joint meeting of the commissioners and the War
Memorial Commission heard Elwood Allen recommend the Municipal Beach
area. Mr. Allen cited the following sound reasons for his choice: the
tract is well drained, high, and adequate in size to allow for future
expansion; at the present time, two thirds of the rural population of
Allen County have easy access to it; within the next few decades the
center of population probably will shift toward the north of the city.
For a brief period there was some dissension between the county
commissioners and the War Memorial Commission. The members of the
commission had accomplished much of the preliminary work and felt that
the commissioners were not giving sufficient consideration to their
recommendations. Legally, the commissioners had the power of final
decision; as elected officials they could not delegate authority to
another group. The commissioners realized that any rift between the
groups would be detrimental to the progress of the Coliseum; therefore,
they offered the War Memorial Commission the status of “a public body to
advise and counsel with” them. The commission unanimously accepted this
proposal, and full accord was re-established between the two groups. The
commission set up a planning committee to work in close co-operation
with the commissioners and with Alvin M. Strauss, the architect for the
Coliseum.
In April, 1948, the planning committee and the county commissioners
scheduled a special meeting and invited representatives from
thirty-three civic, fraternal, and labor organizations. Mr. Strauss
presented his original plans which called for an expenditure of four
million dollars. He also announced the retention of Elwood Allen, who
had made preliminary surveys, as recreational consultant.
[Illustration: the Sports Arena.]
At this meeting the question of the proper seating capacity arose. The
president of the Fort Wayne Federation of Labor, E. Robert Leach,
speaking for his organization, advocated fifteen thousand seats to
accommodate Fort Wayne’s anticipated population growth. But the business
manager of the Zollner teams, Carl Bennett, expressed the opinion, based
on his individual experience, that a far smaller capacity would suffice.
If the capacity should consistently prove greater than the need, the
Coliseum would burden the taxpayers for maintenance costs. On the other
hand, the Coliseum should be adequate in size to accommodate larger
audiences as the population increased over the years. In order to ensure
the most authoritative professional opinion, the commissioners consulted
the New Buildings Consulting Board of the International Association of
Auditorium Managers. After conferring with that board the commissioners
agreed on a capacity of ten thousand. Judging from past attendance
records in Fort Wayne, it was decided that this size would be more than
adequate for most events but would not create an extravagant community
white elephant. The Memorial Hall was also discussed during this time.
The War Memorial Commission appointed a committee of five clergymen to
work with the architect in planning this important room. It was to be
impressive and dignified.
The War Memorial Act provides that the Coliseum shall be supervised by a
five-man board of which no more than three members may be affiliated
with the same political party. The board members shall serve without
remuneration. Appointed for a four-year term, they may be re-appointed
at the end of that period. The terms are staggered so that all do not
expire in any one year. Three members shall be appointed by the county
commissioners; two by the circuit judge. The original board, appointed
in June, 1949, consisted of Otto H. Adams, James R. Fleming, Chester V.
Kimmell, Ramon S. Perry, and Alfred L. Randall. It was the
responsibility of the board to supervise the construction and the
operation of the building.
In December, 1949, the general construction contract was awarded to the
Hagerman Construction Company, who submitted the low bid of $1,959,921.
Bids were also accepted for the heating and plumbing, electricity,
seating, sewerage, ice floor and refrigeration, and lockers. In each
case the low bid was accepted, and the aggregate amount was under the
three million dollar limit. All the awards were made tentatively,
pending the issuance of bonds.
In January, 1950, the commissioners announced that the bid of the
Chicago National Bank had been accepted for the bond issue. The bank
formed a syndicate with Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner, and Beane; the
Mercantile Commerce Bank and Trust Company; Harris Hall and Company,
Incorporated; and the Fletcher Trust Company. A representative of the
Chicago banking house said that the excellent credit and tax collection
record of Allen County made the $27,445 premium possible. The interest
rate is 1½ per cent.
At long last the finances were arranged, the architect’s plans were
approved, and the contracts were awarded; now construction could begin.
On January 24, 1950, just three weeks after the bond issue had been
floated, the ground-breaking ceremony took place. Chester V. Kimmel,
then chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Coliseum, presided. All
county commissioners and trustees were present, and representatives of
various veterans and civic organizations attended. The cornerstone was
laid in November, 1951. In the spring of 1952, the massive structure was
nearly completed. On Memorial Day the Allen County Council of Veterans
Organizations held a flag-raising ceremony to mark the initiation of the
final phase of construction.
Meanwhile, the Board of Trustees began the arduous task of compiling
complete and accurate lists of the deceased in order that the names
might be inscribed on the plaques in the Memorial Hall. No official list
was available. Otto H. Adams, the secretary of the Board of Trustees,
searched the records of the War Department and the veterans
organizations. The completed list was published in both Fort Wayne
newspapers; relatives and friends were earnestly requested to notify the
board of any corrections or omissions. The roll of honor listed the
names of 643 men and women. The total has since been increased by the
casualties of the Korean conflict.
[Illustration: the entrance to the Memorial Hall.]
The Board of Trustees had the responsibility of choosing a manager for
the Coliseum. The duties of the manager were to include the
administration and operation of the building, the supervision of
personnel, and the scheduling of events. The choice fell upon Don Myers,
who had been a most active promoter of the Coliseum since its inception.
The NEWS SENTINEL published an editorial commending the choice and
praising Mr. Myers: “When others insisted that it probably could not be
done, he kept insisting that it could be done and that he for one wasn’t
going to give up trying. He didn’t. He kept talking about the Memorial
Coliseum night and day, week in and week out.” Mr. Myers has proved an
able manager; his work has won him recognition in his profession, and he
was awarded the trophy at the Auditorium Operators Convention for his
outstanding record during the 1952-53 season.
During the construction period two changes occurred on the Board of
Trustees. Ramon S. Perry’s term expired, and Chester V. Kimmel, the
chairman, resigned to go to India under the Point Four Program. James R.
Fleming, who had served on the board since its beginning, was elected
chairman. Ellison L. Meier and Elmer Kolmerten were appointed to fill
the vacancies.
The War Memorial Coliseum was completed in September, 1952. Nearly eight
years had elapsed since the Junior Chamber of Commerce had conceived the
idea of erecting a suitable memorial to the war dead of Allen County.
The men who had worked unremittingly through those years were amply
rewarded when the building was opened by impressive dedicatory services.
The dedication program was preceded by a parade in which bands from all
the city and county high schools and representatives from twenty-four
county veterans organizations participated. The Great Lakes Naval
Training Center Band opened the ceremony. The Aeolian Choir of the
General Electric Company sang “America, the Beautiful” and “The Battle
Hymn of the Republic.” Lewis K. Gough, the National Commander of the
American Legion, delivered the principal address and said in part: “This
is the hallowed hall of heroes ... this Memorial Coliseum, a living
memorial to our sons and daughters, our brothers and sisters, our
fathers and our dear friends who served their God and their country with
the last full measure of devotion.”
[Illustration: Recreation and entertainment]
The Coliseum is a remarkable structure. Mr. Strauss has stated that a
great many architectural problems had to be solved in planning the
edifice. The necessarily massive size and isolated location might have
resulted in an ill-proportioned and bulky building. Fortunately, the
judicious adaptation of a contemporary modern style by the architects
has achieved a dignified building that is both functional and beautiful.
By placing the ramps between the levels on the exterior, Mr. Strauss
succeeded in overcoming bulky appearance. The ramps modify a bluff
façade of high vertical walls and soften the relationship between the
bulk of the mass and the adjacent ground area.
The exterior of the octagonal building is brick and Indiana limestone.
The bricks are in three different hues to provide variation in the broad
expanse of the walls. Ten rigid steel frames support the roof. Each
frame weighs 70 tons and has a clear span of 239 feet—a longer span than
any other single-welded rigid framework ever erected in the United
States. The dimensions of the Coliseum are impressive: 425 feet in
length, 300 feet in width, and 87 feet in height from the floor of the
main arena.
One problem in the construction of a great building arises from
discrepancies in the rates of expansion and contraction of various
materials used. In the Coliseum the concrete seating construction is
attached to the steel frame of the building by a device operating on the
principle of a hinge. It is so designed that when the steel and concrete
expand at different coefficients, the hinge moves to adjust to the
disparity. Careful consideration has been given to facilitating the
ingress and egress of spectators. The upper main seating area is served
by sixteen vomitory entrances, and the lower arena by four. The multiple
entrances make it possible to empty the building very rapidly after each
performance and are an important safety factor in case of emergency.
[Illustration: one of the ten rigid steel frames which support the
building.]
As the president of the Junior Chamber of Commerce had promised in the
earliest plans for the Coliseum, the memorial to the war dead is the
focal point of the building. The main entrance on the north leads
directly to the Memorial Hall. Five cast aluminum heads have been placed
on the exterior of the building above the windows of the hall. These
heads symbolize the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Air
Force. The interior of the august hall measures seventy-five feet in
length and thirty feet in width. Four kinds of marble are used in the
decoration: French Notre Dame for the background, English Renfrew for
the inserts, Italian Red Levanto for the platform, and Spanish Bois
Jourdan for the door panels. Two bronze plaques, one at either end of
the hall, list the casualties of Allen County beneath the following
inscription: “This Coliseum is dedicated as a living memorial in honor
of these men and women who gave their lives in World Wars I and II of
the nation so that we might live.”
The Sports Arena has an area of approximately 25,000 square feet. There
are 7,250 permanent seats in the upper seating area, and additional
temporary seats can be erected to bring the total capacity to 10,500.
The windowless room is lighted by a battery of 220 one-thousand watt
lamps. The concrete floor is inlaid with almost ten miles of pipe
through which brine is pumped to form ice on the floor. A layer of ice
from three eighths to three fourths of an inch thick freezes in twelve
hours. After an ice show or a hockey game the ice is thawed to slush and
scraped into a large pit to melt and drain away. A portable basketball
floor can then be installed; the floor consists of 214 four by eight
feet sections which can be joined by means of an electric screw driver
in two hours. For theatrical or musical productions a portable stage is
erected.
Two notable features in the arena are the electric scoreboard and the
organ. The first was purchased for the Coliseum by Wolf and Dessauer at
a cost of $30,000 and is one of the finest existing scoreboards in the
country. Spectators in every section of the arena can easily read one of
its four faces. Mrs. Ida Dick of the Dick Piano and Organ Company
donated the organ in memory of her husband.
[Illustration: a southwest view of the Coliseum showing the entrance
to the Exhibition Hall.]
The Exhibition Hall occupies the lower level of the building and covers
an acre and a quarter in area. The hall provides ideal accommodations
for agricultural and industrial exhibits such as the 4-H Club Fair and
the Automobile Show. Because the level has its own separate box office,
lobby, and concession stand, events can be scheduled concurrently with
those in the Sports Arena without interference. Ramps connect the two
levels.
The Coliseum has brought many benefits to Fort Wayne. Local
organizations have better facilities for their activities. For example,
the 4-H Clubs held their annual fair in the Exhibition Hall and were
untroubled by uncertainties of weather. Recently, the Board of Trustees
leased sixteen acres adjacent to the building to this group. The Boy
Scouts served 1,500 guests at their annual recognition dinner in the
Coliseum. During the Christmas season, the Christ Child Festival is held
there. Now the regional high school basketball tournaments can be held
in Fort Wayne.
An important benefit arises from the major sports events and appearances
of famous entertainers. The stars of stage and screen and of the world
of sports bring many visitors to Fort Wayne; increased business results
for the merchants and the hotel and restaurant owners. Sports announcers
and reviewers give much favorable publicity to Fort Wayne because of our
fine Coliseum. Thus, the Coliseum, besides honoring the war dead of the
community, is a great asset to the citizens of the community. The
building admirably fulfills the dual role of a “living memorial.”
[Illustration: Otto H. Adams]
OTTO H. ADAMS
Otto H. Adams was one of the first appointees to the War Memorial
Commission, which was organized in 1946 to plan a coliseum. He served as
a member until the commission was superseded by the Coliseum Board of
Trustees; he was then appointed to this official governing body. In
January, 1954, he was elected president of the board; previously he had
been vice-president and secretary.
The son of William C. and Sophia (Felger) Adams, Otto Adams was born
June 5, 1894, in Allen County, Indiana. After completing secondary
school, he continued his education at the Indiana University Extension
Center in Fort Wayne. For a number of years Mr. Adams was employed by
the Indiana Service Corporation. In 1939 he was named General
Superintendent of City Utilities; and from 1943 to 1947 he served as
City Controller. In 1947 he accepted his present position as controller
at Zollner Machine Works, Incorporated.
The United Commercial Travelers elected Mr. Adams “Man of the Year” in
1952 in recognition of his record of community leadership. An editorial
in the FORT WAYNE NEWS-SENTINEL on February 9, 1953, commented: “The
long-time Fort Wayne civic leader has so many notable facets of
achievement in civic leadership, charitable endeavor, and generally
unselfish service to his credit that it is virtually impossible to
enumerate them all.”
Otto Adams served as chairman of the Allen County Chapter of the
National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis for seven years. He has
served on the directorates of numerous civic organizations, including
the Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce, the Allen County Chapter of the
American Red Cross, and the Y.M.C.A. He has held office as president of
the Lakeside Northeast Community Association and as treasurer of the
Anthony Wayne Council of Boy Scouts. He was also a member of the
organizing committee of the United Fund. Long associated with the
Republican party in Fort Wayne, he has been treasurer of the Allen
County Republican Central Committee since 1950.
A veteran of World War I, Otto Adams is active in the American Legion.
He is a Mason and is a member of the Quest Club and the Elks. He attends
the Trinity English Lutheran Church. Mr. Adams is married and is the
father of four children.
JAMES R. FLEMING
James R. Fleming was elected president of the Board of Trustees of the
Coliseum in 1952 prior to the dedication of the building. He retained
that post until January, 1954. His term of office included a rather
critical and very successful period in the operation of the Coliseum.
James R. Fleming was born November 8, 1881, in Henry County, Indiana;
his parents were George R. and Sarah (Cummins) Fleming. He completed his
elementary and secondary education in local schools and was awarded the
degree of Bachelor of Law at the University of Michigan in 1904.
After graduation the young lawyer began his practice at Portland,
Indiana, where he was soon elected Prosecuting Attorney for Jay County.
He was later elected to the Indiana General Assembly and served several
years both in the lower house and in the state senate. In 1933 President
Roosevelt appointed Mr. Fleming United States Attorney for the Northern
District of Indiana. Many notorious criminals then operated in this
area; James Fleming held office between 1933 and 1941 and successfully
prosecuted many of these gangsters.
At present Mr. Fleming is engaged in the practice of law in Fort Wayne.
He is chairman of the board, co-publisher, and treasurer of the FORT
WAYNE JOURNAL-GAZETTE; he serves as president and treasurer of Erie
Materials, Incorporated, and Erie Ready-Mix Concrete, Incorporated, and
the director and general counsel for the Sheller Manufacturing
Corporation and its subsidiaries.
In addition to his professional and business interests, Mr. Fleming is
active in many civic and social organizations. As a director of the Fort
Wayne Chamber of Commerce, he became interested in the earliest coliseum
plans. His work in advancing this project was publicly recognized in
1949, and he was appointed to the original Board of Trustees.
[Illustration: James R. Fleming]
He has also been a director of the Fort Wayne Art School, the Fort Wayne
Civic Symphony, the Fort Wayne Community Concert Association, the Fort
Wayne Civic Association, the Fort Wayne Musical Society, and the Fort
Wayne and Indiana Presbyterian Foundations. He is a member of the
American, Federal, Indiana, and Allen County Bar Associations; the
Indiana and the Allen County Historical Societies; the Indiana Society
of Chicago; the Fort Wayne Country Club; the Masons; and the Elks. Mr.
Fleming is also an active member of the First Presbyterian Church of
Fort Wayne. He is married and is the father of two children.
[Illustration: Don L. Myers]
DON L. MYERS
Don L. Myers was chosen manager of the War Memorial Coliseum in 1951
prior to the completion of the edifice; he continues in that capacity at
the present time. Wide recognition has been accorded him; he was awarded
a trophy by the International Association of Auditorium Managers for his
efficient and successful management during the 1952-1953 season.
Mr. Myers was born in Wolcottville, Indiana, February 12, 1914. He
accompanied his family to Fort Wayne in 1929, attended North Side High
School, and graduated in 1931. His first positions were in sales
promotion and hotel work; during World War II he was employed in the
essential steel industry. He was sales manager for the V. R. Myers Pump
Supply Company before his appointment as manager of the Coliseum.
In 1942 Don Myers joined the Fort Wayne Junior Chamber of Commerce and
was soon an active member. Through his associations in the “Jaycees,” he
became a proponent of the Coliseum. Mr. Myers assisted in the
formulation of the initial plans for the memorial, and when the War
Memorial Commission was organized to execute the plans, he was chosen
president. Later, when the memorial building was under construction, he
was elected to the Allen County Council. As a councilman, he used his
opportunities to expedite the progress of the Coliseum. Don Myers is a
member of the First Baptist Church. He is married and is the father of
two children.
ALVIN M. STRAUSS
The Commissioners of Allen County selected A. M. Strauss, Incorporated,
to design the War Memorial Coliseum because of the notable achievements
of the firm and because that architectural corporation could complete
all phases of structural planning. Thus, the need for employing
architects from other cities would be obviated.
Alvin M. Strauss, born April 8, 1895, at Kendallville, Indiana, was the
son of Abraham and Frieda Strauss. After the completion of his secondary
education in the city of his birth in 1912, he was employed for several
years in architectural offices in Fort Wayne and Chicago. His career was
interrupted during the first World War by military service. Following
his discharge in 1918, Mr. Strauss returned to Fort Wayne and opened his
own office of architectural consultants. Mechanical, electrical, and
structural engineering personnel were added to the staff in the 1940’s.
The firm was incorporated in 1950 under the name of A. M. Strauss,
Incorporated.
Mr. Strauss is a director of the Indiana Society of Architects and a
member of the state Architects’ Registration Board. In addition to these
professional organizations, he is a member of the Jewish Federation, the
Executives Club, the Elks Lodge, and the Fort Wayne Country Club. He is
married and resides at 1220 Illsley Drive.
Transcriber’s Notes
—Silently corrected a few typos.
—Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook
is public-domain in the country of publication.
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