Celebrating Findlay's Prohibition mayor

Mayor Christina Muryn proclaimed June 27, 2023 as Harry R. Rodabaugh Day with a presentation in City Council chambers Tuesday afternoon. The celebration occurred on Harry Rodabaugh's 144th birthday. Rodabaugh who was the mayor of Findlay from 1922-1923, during Prohibition. The proclamation presentation also celebrated the 100th anniversary of Mayor Rodabaugh's inauguration, which occurred on Jan. 1, 1922. The event was organized by Kay Rodabaugh Reyes, Harry's granddaughter and champion of the effort to remind those in the area of his legacy. Rodabaugh was born on June 27, 1879 on a farm in New Stark, Ohio to Enos and Mary Elizabeth (Harshman) Rodabaugh. He married Lucretia Jessie Unzicker and had three children — James, Louis (Reyes' father), and Martha. Elected mayor of Findlay on Nov. 8, 1921, he worked hard for city improvements by encouraging donations for a new children's wing to the hospital, spearheading funding for a separate building for the public library and a new bridge over the Blanchard River, beautifying the city with many new parks, and even exterminating a rat infestation during the time he served, Reyes said. He also gained a reputation as a mayor who actually enforced prohibition, which lasted from 1920-33, Reyes said. Findlay served as a stop on the mob's bootlegging route from Canada to Cicero, Illinois near Chicago, which was the site of Al Capone's headquarters. She shared that Capone even sent a henchman to Findlay once, but the man ended up leaving town because he could neither bribe nor threaten Mayor Rodabaugh. Rodabaugh died on Feb. 17, 1950 at age 70. His wife died in 1986, two days and a month before her 105th birthday. "It's part of our history getting to celebrate individuals who have contributed to our community, organizations that have made an impact or things that we want to recognize," Muryn said. Proclamations are about "reminding folks of the important things we get to celebrate in our community," she added. Reyes expressed gratitude to all who came to the ceremony. "This is an absolutely tremendous day for me and for our family," she said. "I'm just so happy and so thankful for everyone who has worked for this day."