2013 Great Ohioans selected

The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board and the Capitol Square Foundation today announced the 2013 Great Ohioans. The 2013 honorees were presented by the Capitol Square Foundation and unanimously approved by the full membership of the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board earlier today.  The three honorees were selected from nominations submitted by individuals and organizations throughout Ohio.

The 2013 Great Ohioans include: Paul Brown, legendary football player and coach, James Garfield, U.S. President and Granville T. Woods, inventor.

“This year’s class of Great Ohioans recognizes three remarkable individuals who have made pre-eminent contributions to Ohio and the nation,” said Senator Richard Finan, Chairman of the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board. The Great Ohioan Award commemorates special Ohioans who have played a significant role in an event or series of events of lasting significance in World, American or Ohio history.  To be selected for the Great Ohioan Award, the nominee must have resided in Ohio for a minimum of five years.  In addition, at least 25 years must have passed since the event in which the nominee participated is being commemorated.

Since 2003, 30 other Great Ohioans have been recognized with the award for the special roles they played in history.  The Great Ohioans include: 

2003 Class:  Orville and Wilbur Wright, inventors of powered flight; John Glenn, first American to orbit the earth; and Neil Armstrong, first man to walk on the moon;

2008 Class:  Jesse Owens, Olympic track and field star; Thomas Edison, inventor; Harriet Beecher Stowe, author; James Thurber, journalist and author; Colonel Charles Young, military leader; Dr. George Crile, founder of the Cleveland Clinic; 

2009 Class:  Catherine Nelson Black, health care humanitarian; Salmon P. Chase, Ohio Governor, Secretary of the Treasury and Supreme Court Chief Justice; Paul Laurence Dunbar, poet and author; Charles F. Kettering, inventor; Eddie Rickenbacker, World War I fighter ace; Denton T. “Cy” Young, baseball legend; 

2010 Class:  James M. Cox, journalist, member of the United States House of Representatives, Ohio Governor; Florence Ellinwood Allen, first woman Ohio Supreme Court Justice; Bob Feller, baseball legend; and Bill Willis, National Football League hall of famer;

2011 Class:  Ulysses S. Grant, Civil War General and U.S. President; William Moore McCulloch, Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, U.S. Congressman and civil rights advocate; William Howard Taft, U.S. President and U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice; and Harriet Taylor Upton, women’s rights advocate and author;

2012 Class: Gordon Battelle, philanthropist and researcher; Dominic Salavtore “Don” Gentile, World War II fighter pilot; Washington Gladden, clergyman and social reformer; Albert Belmont Graham, founder of the 4-H program; Albert Sabin, medical researcher best known for the oral polio vaccine; and William T. Sherman, Civil War general, Lancaster.

“Each Great Ohioan has created a legacy that will be passed on to others. We hope that every Statehouse visitor is inspired by the accomplishments of each one of the great men and women who we have recognized with this honor,” said Charles Moses, Chairman of the Capitol Square Foundation. 

Great Ohioan honorees and their achievements are chronicled in a permanent Great Ohioan exhibit, which is part of the Ohio Statehouse Museum.  The Great Ohioans exhibit presents recipients of the Great Ohioan award on a large touch monitor.  A host of options are available to visitors to explore the life and accomplishments of each recipient. 

While countless Ohioans have performed great actions for their community and beyond, only a select few have been named a “Great Ohioan.” This exhibit allows visitors to have a greater understanding of the recipients of the Great Ohioan award and discover how they affected local, national and world history.  The exhibit uses videos, photos, facts and web based technology to explore the life and legacy of each Great Ohioan. 

Opened in 2009, the Ohio Statehouse Museum features high-tech, interactive exhibits that make learning about all three branches of state government fun.  The museum is packed with historical artifacts and images that tell the stories of how government works and who has come to serve their fellow citizens. 

The Museum includes 5,000 square feet of exhibit space on the ground floor of the Ohio Statehouse that enriches the experience of school children and visitors. The Museum offers exhibits that encourage visitors to participate in the government process by making choices, expressing their opinions, comparing viewpoints and even becoming a part of an exhibit by giving a State of the State address. A thrust on contemporary issues enables visitors to better relate to the governing process.

All citizens, especially teachers and students, are encouraged to participate in the nomination process to select the 2014 class of honorees. A complete explanation of the nomination process and nomination forms can be found online at www.capitolsquarefoundation.org.

The Ohio Statehouse is more than a monument to our past; it's where history happens!  The Ohio Statehouse is open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; weekends from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed holidays.  The Ohio Statehouse Museum is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; weekends from noon to 4 p.m.; closed holidays.  Admission is free.  Free guided tours are offered weekdays on the hour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and weekends from noon to 3 p.m. Tours depart from the Map Room easily accessible from the Third Street entrance. Groups of 10 or more are requested to call in advance to ensure a guide is available. Contact 888/OHIO-123 for more information or to schedule a group tour.  For more information about the Ohio Statehouse visit www.ohiostatehouse.org.

The Ohio Statehouse is handicapped accessible and senior friendly.  The Capitol Square complex was restored to allow for greater access by individuals living with disabilities. Ohio Statehouse public programs and events are held in accessible and barrier free areas of the building so that everyone can participate. Ohio Statehouse visitors needing disability-related accommodations in order to fully participate in an event may contact the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board at statehouse@csrab.state.oh.us or 614/752-9777 to communicate special needs.  Please allow three weeks for arrangements to be completed.

About the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board

The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board is responsible for maintaining the historic character of the Statehouse and Capitol Square while providing for the health, safety and convenience of those who work in or visit the complex.  The Ohio Statehouse Museum Education Center coordinates tours of Capitol Square and provides information about the buildings, their history and Ohio's government. 

The Ohio Statehouse shines a light on the history of this great edifice, its symbolic meaning and its vital historic and ongoing connections to the daily lives of all Ohioans.

About the Capitol Square Foundation

The Capitol Square Foundation was established in 1987 to increase public awareness of and to involve citizens in the history of the Ohio Statehouse. Its purpose is to raise funds to obtain, restore and maintain artifacts and other items related to the history and enhancement of the grand monument and its adjoining grounds, so that the seat of Ohio's government may reflect the dignity of the state and its citizens.