This Week in Dayton History: UD raises tuition, Polio porch parade and more stories to remember

Jan. 31—Dayton has a fascinating history, which the Dayton Daily News has been there to chronicle since 1898.

Each week, we're going into the archives for stories both important and interesting that happened this week through the years.

Here's a look at some stories from the week of Jan. 28-Feb. 3.

Jan. 28, 1937: Man caught in Dayton flood tells of being trapped, rescued at Portsmouth

C.L. Long of Dayton didn't have much luck when it came to floods.

In 1913 he had been trapped by flood waters in his Dayton home for two days. It was worse in 1937.

Long had spent the previous few months working for the Vulcan Corporation in Portsmouth and living in a rooming house with five others. One morning he woke up to find three feet of water flooding the first floor. The house was on three-foot stilts, so the water outside was over six feet.

Long and the others were stuck there for five days and nights, living on canned food and limited water.

State troopers finally rescued them.

"I started for home the moment the boat touched shore. Nothing ever looked so good to me as Dayton's dry streets," Long said.

Jan. 28, 1946: Six of Seven sons are home after Army and Navy service

Joseph Pietrzak and his wife, both natives of Poland, were the parents of nine sons and two daughters. Seven of those nine sons served in the Army and Navy during World War II.

Six of those seven sons who served had returned home, with one remaining with the Navy.

The family reunited at their home on Alaska Street. It was the first time in more than three years it had been possible to have nearly all the members of the family together.

One of the sons, Alex, was widely known in Dayton as an amateur golfer.

The Pietrzaks came to America 39 years prior and had been married 37 years at the time of the article.

Jan. 29, 1956: Turn on your porchlight for Polio parade

In 1956, there was a movement to eradicate Polio. It was in 1955 that Jonas Salk's vaccine was announced as safe to use, and a nation-wide immunization campaign began in the United States.

A Polio Porch Parade was organized for all of Montgomery County with a goal of raising $70,000 for the Polio campaign. The overall campaign goal was $225,000.

About 5,000 workers were set to go door-to-door, stopping at residences throughout the city to gather collections. A list of the leaders and authorized workers was published in the newspaper to alert residents who they could trust with their donations.

Residents were instructed to leave a "welcome sign" if they were interested in donating to the cause. The sign was to have a burning porchlight, a candle in the window, a burning lantern or a flashlight. The alternate sign was to leave a necktie on the doorknob.

Green and white donation envelopes had been pre-delivered to each residence to organize contributions.

The parade was to start at 6:45 p.m. and take about an hour to complete.

Dayton Daily News sports editor Si Burick was the chairman of the Montgomery County Chapter of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, and William Bickford was the Chairman of the Polio Campaign.

Jan. 29, 1973: Meet Norma Dorsey, West Carrollton's first woman ambulance attendant

When a midnight emergency call woke up Norma Dorsey, West Carrollton's first woman ambulance attendant, she knew she'd better get out of bed fast, the boss was lying beside her.

Charles Dorsey, her husband, was also the city's assistant fire chief. He took over control of the volunteer ambulance service the year before.

City Council had recently approved the use of women and lowered the age for attendants to 19. Previously, only males 21 or over were accepted.

Several women initially applied, but Norma was the only one remaining after physical exams and the training period.

Although technically a volunteer crew, attendants such as Dorsey received $6 for each 12-hour shift they spend on standby and $3 for each run.

"I like the job because I like helping people," Dorsey said, "The job is not so hard that a woman can't handle her share."

Jan 29, 1988: UD raises tuition 10% to $6,580 for 88-89 year

Tuition was increasing from $5,980 to $6,580, or 10% a year, at the University of Dayton. The previous year the tuition raise was 9.7 percent.

Other costs were also to rise. Rates for double-occupancy dormitory rooms were increasing from $1,480 to $1,570, or 6.1%.

A seven-day meal ticket was jumping from $1,570 to $1,720, or 9.6%.

Brother Bernard Ploeger, vice president for administration, said tuition money helped pay for day-to-day operations of the university, including regular faculty salaries and maintenance of school buildings.