In January 2013, Charlie Tharp agreed to give the building in which he operated his insurance and real estate business and the various artifacts he had collected over the years to the City of Dayton. In May of that same year, a committee of seven people began the work of converting the office and storefront into an exhibition hall and archival library.
The individuals uncovered many treasures along the way. Baby shoes made by the Rifkin Shoe Company, which was located at Sixth and McKinney for over 50 years. The original meeting minutes for the City of Brooklyn from 1848. Pictures and real estate information on nearly every house in Dayton as well as many others in Bellevue and Newport.
As the crew worked, people stopped by to share their stories. A young man brought a garment attributed to St. Francis Catholic Church, the church that was destroyed in the flood of 1913. He told the story of his grandfather and father who both were active citizens in Dayton.
During the summer work days, a legacy began to develop. People stopped by to talk to Charlie like they’d done all the years his real estate and insurance company flourished. A 95-year-old man wanted to see high school yearbooks and told stories of life in Dayton during the thirties and forties.
Charlie himself remembered the stories of College Hall of Fame coach John Wooden’s only losing season of his basketball coaching career. In 1933, Mr. Wooden’s first coaching job was basketball coach at Dayton High School. He experienced not only his only losing season here in Dayton, but also his first winning season, with many others to follow.
After Dayton, he coached at Indiana State for two years, then for 27 years at UCLA, where his teams won an unmatched 10 national championships. Wooden’s teams compiled an overall record of 620-147 (a winning percentage of .808) and won 19 conference titles. Under his direction, the Bruins captured a remarkable seven consecutive NCAA titles from 1967-1973.
Dayton Heritage Museum 