A Sense of Centerville and Washington Township

Steve is in his 34th year of teaching in the Centerville City Schools. For the last 11 years, he has been a 4th grade teacher at Stingley but before that, he served as the director of the Grant Nature Center. Besides being parents to four children, Steve and his wife Nancy have been foster parents to 45 others over the past ten years. Spending time outside has always been important to Steve and his family; they have wonderful memories of hiking, camping, fishing, and exploring together. In 2022 he received the OUTstanding Teacher Award from Five Rivers MetroParks for his efforts to connect students to nature.

Liz Fultz is the Director of the Washington-Centerville Public Library. She began her career at the library in 1996 in the Reference Department and held various roles before becoming the Director in 2019. Liz has a Master of Library Science degree from the University of Kentucky and a Bachelor of Business degree from Morehead State University. She is a member of the Centerville Noon Optimists and resides in Washington Township with her husband and two children.

Ed Ross is a retired businessman and is the current president of Centerville-Washington History. He has served as the Chairman of the Centerville Board of Architectural Review and is the current owner of the historic Ida Weller estate.

David Warren McDaniel was born December 7, 1938, in Portland, Indiana, a small Midwestern community. He helped with chores in his family’s grocery store and was interested in biology and sports. Dave played football in college where he chose teaching as his profession. After he got married he moved to the area and met Hadley Watts, superintendent of Centerville City Schools. He began as one of the coaches for the Centerville High School football team. Later Dave became the principal of Centerville High School from 1973-2001, the longest tenure as a principal. After his retirement, he joined the staff of Sinclair Community College. He and his wife Jane are the parents of three children. His recent passion is restoring antique tractors.

Mark grew up in Wooster, Ohio and came to Dayton to attend Wright State University to study Theatre Directing and Management. This led to employment in 1996 to provide programming to the newly renovated Washington Township Town Hall Theatre. In 2016, Mark became the recreation director for the Township, where he oversees Town Hall Theatre along with a wide variety of activities, programs and facilities that make up the RecPlex. He and his wife Annie and three boys moved to Washington Township recently to be closer to Incarnation Elementary and the RecPlex. Mark serves as president of the Americana Festival Committee and is a member of the Centerville Noon Optimist.

Anna Weller is a recent graduate of Centerville High School and also the 2023 scholarship winner for Centerville-Washington History. While in high school, Anna participated in National Honor Society, Elk Connectors, varsity soccer, Lunch Buddies and the Swim and dive team. Anna is attending The University of Dayton in the fall and majoring in Education.

Joellen Ulliman has been the Curator for Centerville-Washington History for over 6 years. Prior to that, she was a language arts teacher for 23 years in Waynesville. Joellen has lived in Centerville for over 25 years. She loves spending time with her husband, two grown children, and three grandchildren. In her free time, Joellen loves to hike, read and stay fit.

Kristen Marks is the Executive Director for the Centerville-Washington Park District. She has been with CWPD since 2002 where she began as the Park’s naturalist. In addition, she is the former president of the Ohio Park and Recreation Association and a member of the Centerville Noon Optimist Club. Founded in 1959 as the Washington Township Park District, the Centerville-Washington Park District now operates eight community parks, nine nature parks, and 34 neighborhood parks. In addition to maintaining the parks, CWPD also offers outdoor recreational programming for the community. Their primary focus is to connect residents with the outdoors and the natural environment

Wayne Markworth was Director of Bands at Centerville High School for 35 years. He developed the marching band, known nationally as "The Centerville Jazz Band", into a unique and entertaining ensemble that performed an all-jazz format on the field. In 1992 they were the Grand National Champions. Wayne is an active clinician, adjudicator, arranger and trumpet performer and president of the music & consulting business Shadow Lake Music. He is currently adjunct faculty at Wright State University.

Vickie was Executive Director of Centerville-Washington History for over 14 years. She began as a volunteer and joined the staff as a museum assistant and later becoming Walton House Site Manager and administrative coordinator. To help promote local history, Vickie built collaborations within the community. In 2016 Vickie guided a rebranding of the organization by changing the name from Centerville Washington Township Historical Society to Centerville-Washington History. She retired in 2019, after 24 years with the organization, to spend more time with her grandchildren.

Rajeev Goel is a local Technology entrepreneur who co-founded AccuFit Solutions, Inc. Through his business he helps to provide software applications and tools to help metal manufacturers manage their raw material more effectively. He has been involved in the community through Science Olympiad and more recently, The Centerville Education Foundation. Rajeev is a Centerville High School graduate and son of Surender Goel originally from New Delhi, India. Surender moved to the United States to attend graduate school at UC Berkley in Industrial Engineering. He moved to the Dayton area in 1969 and to Centerville in 1979.

Dr David Meyer was raised in a large family on a farm in Northern Ohio. A Vietnam War-Era Air Force veteran, he is an accomplished public servant who has greatly impacted the Dayton area as a Professional Engineer. Dave, along with his wife Kathleen, became a member of Centerville-Washington History in 2015, and he joined the Board of Trustees in 2017. He has taught at The Ohio State University, The University of Dayton, and is a Professor Emeritus of Sinclair Community College. In 2020 Dave was honored as an inductee into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame.

Brian was the co-founder and first executive director of St. Leonard Center and subsequently President of Mercy Senior Health and Housing Services. He is a fourth generation Daytonian and married to wife, Joyce for 50 years. Brian has a PhD from OSU and is an author, photographer and runner. Today Brian shares the history of St Leonard’s.

Terry Obrien grew up in Centerville, Ohio. He is a local entrepreneur who owns Trilevel Records and Video. Terry helps local Dayton artists write and produce music. Through collaborations with the City of Centerville and Centerville-Washington History, he has produced award-winning projects. He helps to promote local history through his Facebook page, Centerville, Ohio Nostalgia. His recent interviews with past Centerville High school graduates also took a look at school experiences through many decades. He serves on the board of Centerville-Washington History.

Sam, a senior at Centerville High School is the current Student Council President. He is a three-time state qualifier in debate, attending Northwestern University in the fall majoring in political science. In addition, Sam is president of the STAGE club, the theatre club for CHS as well as a regular on the stage. He sings for FORTE, Centerville’s premier Accapella group. As an Elk connector, he helps with freshman orientation and CHS acclimation. Through the student to student suicide prevention network, Hope Squad, Sam contributes to the supportive environment at CHS. He is a commended National Merit Scholar and was selected by the student body as Homecoming King in the fall.

Bill and Faye Elam founded bills donuts in 1960 but the original shop was in downtown Dayton. In the 1970s there were several locations throughout the Dayton area with stores in Vandalia, Wilmington, Kettering, and Huber Heights. In Centerville, the original shop location was closer to the intersection of Franklin and Main but the parking was limited, necessitating a move to the current location at Bradstreet and Far Hills. Initially, the shop wasn’t open 24 hours a day but as more Centerville residents were working the third shift at NCR the store evolved to the shifting demand. In 1995 Bill and Faye sold the business to their children Lisa and Jim.

Richard Diaz works as a Community Coordinator at Miami Valley Communications Council (MVCC), Founded in 1975, MVCC is a municipal communications and technology organization representing eight communities in the area including Centerville. MVCC was formed to monitor, regulate and administer common cable television franchise agreements, manage the operation of the council’s cable access television channels, and develop and implement intergovernmental projects designed to strengthen communications between member cities and their citizens.

Bill Gaul moved to Centerville in middle school, attending Tower Heights Middle school. He graduated from Centerville High School during a time of growth and change. Bill joined the Washington Township Fire department as a volunteer firefighter in May 1979. After nearly 40 years of service to the department, including 11 years as chief, Bill retired in 2018. Retirement is still busy for Bill, who is on the board at Centerville-Washington History and helps to care for his grandchildren.

Laura is the Centerville-Washington History 2022 scholarship winner. This extraordinary young lady has demonstrated her athletic talents and leadership abilities as Varsity Captain of the Centerville High School Swim Team, President of the National Honor Society, and Unit Representative of the East Unit Assembly. Her club memberships include Students Against Destructive Decisions, Key Club and French Club. Laura is very active in the community working at Dunsinane Swim Club and encouraging young swimmers. During high school, she volunteered at SICSA and tutored other students. Laura plans to major in Secondary Education at Miami University in the fall.

Janet Watkins Black is a 6th-generation Washington Township resident. She grew up with her parents and grandparents on a 180-acre farm near Sheehan and Nutt Road. Janet taught 3rd grade for the Centerville School district and then worked at St Leonard Senior Living Community as an activity coordinator. She has been active in the community through Centerville-Washington History, Centerville Women’s Civic Club, and Normandy United Methodist Church.”