Phil Scott sent us some microfiche pages from the July 5, 1914 Dayton Journal newspaper account of the Central A.A.U meet held in Dayton, Ohio on July 4. A crowd of 12, 000 spectators were entertained by some high level performances from athletes primarily from the state of Illinois including teams from the U. of Illinois, U. of Chicago, and the Illinois Athletic Club. An Ohio State meet was contested simultaneously offering an Ohio Championship to the winning club. The results in the newspaper are separated into the two categories.
A flyover by a Wright Flyer was another attraction as well as a fireworks display later in the evening. In all it was a full day for the 12,000 Daytonians who attended the festivities.
We're not sure if the races were run on the horse track. I doubt it, because many of the times were quite good and running on even on a well groomed horse track would not have been a very good running surface. Also that track was one half mile in length. So we are speculating that an infield quarter mile track may have been used. Also if it were run on the horse track, a survey crew would have to been engaged to do a very accurate measuring of the distances. Our archeological team will be going out to make preliminary inquires as soon as funding can be arranged.
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| Central A.A.U and Ohio State Results July 4, 1914 |
However Phil also came up with the 1915 A.G. Spalding Athletics Almanac which has the results of many meets all over the world for 1914 including the Dayton meet.
You can scroll through this history by clicking on this link:
Spalding Athletic Almanac 1915 Click here.
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| Results of the July 4, 1914 Central Association A.A.U meet found in the Spalding Athletics Almanac |
This was the summer when Europe and the world were preparing for war. Many of these athletes would soon be wearing a military uniform including Henry Binga Dismond seen below. Binga Dismond ran a very good 440 in Dayton 48 and 3/5 seconds. The Dayton Journal claimed it was a World Record. Not quite true, but not far off. In a few years time he would win another sort of medal for 'courage under fire' in France, and would return healthy and ready to pursue a career in medicine. A brief biography is seen below. In 1914, the Dayton Journal headlined Dismond's win stating that a Negro had set a World Record as if that were something to be considered exceptional. Perhaps it was, because there were very limited opportunities for people of color to compete at the national level. On this same field for sport, only a few years later the Klan would hold a major rally.
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| Henry Binga Dismond |
Henry Binga Dismond star athlete, medical device inventor, pioneering physician and poet was born on December 27, 1891 in Richmond, Virginia to Dr. Samuel H. Dismond and wife Jessie Cornelia Binga. Henry attended Richmond public schools, Virginia Union University, and Howard University where he graduated with a B.A. in 1912.
In 1911, at his first Smart Set Athletic Club track meet in Brooklyn, New York Dismond took the point trophy by winning the 220 yards and quarter mile events. Invited by his cousin, banker Jesse Binga, he enrolled in the medical program at the University of Chicago. During freshman year, he broke a 19 year Central Amateur Athletic Union record with a 48.3/5 time; and was chosen for the 1916 U. S. Summer Olympics team, to compete in Berlin, Germany. Despite cancellation of the Summer Olympics, Dismond received a gold medal for matching the American quarter mile record time of 47.2/5 set by national champion Ted Meredith. Later, after defeating Meredith, he became the western intercollegiate champion and earned his varsity letter.
In 1917, a student of orthopedic medicine at Rush Medical College, Dismond enlisted with the 370th Infantry during World War I. His was one of three battalions fighting under French authority that were commanded by black officers. Near war’s end, he received an honorable mention for courageous leadership under heavy gunfire and promotion to First Lieutenant.
By 1919, Dismond returned home to intern with Provident Hospital and there he invented the Radex Steam Infuser, a respiratory treatment device. Dr. Dismond and wife Geraldyne, whom he married in 1917, moved to New York City in 1924. There he developed an electrotherapy, physiotherapy, and x-ray medical practice and by 1925 operated the “Dismond Reconstruction Clinic.” In 1930, he was a physician at Harlem Hospital and later established the “Emergency Industrial Service,” Harlem’s first workmen’s compensation clinic.
In 1941, the Workman’s Compensation Board of the New York County Medical Society designated Dr. Dismond a Physical Therapy Specialist; and he later established the Physical Therapy Department at Harlem’s Sydenham Hospital, the first New York public hospital to serve African Americans. Dr. Dismond also organized the physician’s board at Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church to administer health education programs, promoting community wellness.
A student of Haitian culture, Dismond created the “Society of the American Friends of Haiti,” to educate Americans about Haitian history, culture, and socio-political and economic issues. Following the Haitian Massacre, a 1937 political crisis, he organized the shipment of medical supplies to the country and later raised money for the Haitian Orphanage Fund. In March of 1938, he received the title “Chevalier of the National Order of Honor” by the Haitian government. In 1943, Dismond wrote a book of poetry entitled, “We Who Would Die and Other Poems including Haitian Vignettes.” The book included socio-political protest poetry, Haitian Essays, personal anecdotes, romantic prose and other verse about the physician’s life.
Dismond was active in the National Urban League, NAACP, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and the Council of Elks, Prince Hall Masons and Knights of Pythias. Dr. Henry Binga Dismond died in Harlem, New York on November 21, 1956. He was 64 years old.
The Spalding Athletics Almanac is filled with information about meets and track associations in a multitude of countries including Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, France, Ireland, Scotland, England, Australia, Hungary, Bohemia, Philippines and esoteric information such as best Hungarian results in Foreign lands. There were two javelin records, freestyle and held in the middle. There are records for a Stone Gathering event, and many different types of hurdle races by distance of race, height and number of hurdles. There are results of college meets around the country except the Southwest and Southeast US including the Drake Relays and the Cal-Stanford dual meet. Interspersed are swimming events, boxing and wrestling. Cross Country is recognized and results of many meets are listed. A variety of pictures of individuals and teams of which we include several below. There are shoe ads. The prices range from $2.50 for indoor running shoes to a full $6.00 for certain track shoes. A five dollar pair of Spalding shoes would be $120 in 2017 dollars. You can also find ads for hammers, hammer cages, polevaulting standards and vaulting poles with a spike in the tip. This was the time before the vaulting box was introduced to the track world. A bit of time going through this almanac is a must for any real track fan.
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| $5 then equals $120 today |
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Women's Records. Note the maximum distance is 120 yards.
This is the only page mentioning women's track. |
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| Note the hanky on the bar for a sighting device? |
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| James E "Ted" Meredith (lower right) |
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| Thought we were joking about the stone gathering event? |
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| Standford athletes |
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| Abel Kiviat, the famous Jewish distance runner |
This being a vintage edition of our blog, we've decided to throw in a number of other photos of the age up into the 1920s. Some of the pictures are remarkable in their quality.
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Number 21 E.T. Cook served for many years as the Oakwood, Ohio high school coach. Also of note in this photo are #8 Amos Alonzo Stagg, #4 Ralph Rose top row middle not in uniform shot putter, #20 Mel Sheppard, #7 Ray Ewry, multiple Gold medallist in standing high jump, and #24 A.C. Gilbert, who invented the Gilbert Chemistry sets and Erector sets that all boys growing up in the 1940s and 50s had access to.
the 1908 olympic pic showed my gym teacher, Ed. Cook (sometimes spelled with an 'e'). a few panels later he is holding a vaulting pole and labeled Cooke. In Oakwood he was always without the 'e'. He was the 1908 pv winner, or co-winner, in an unusual final decision. Glad you finally reported on something that extends far enough back in time to include ME. Richard Trace
He was competing in the Running Broad Jump in the London Olympics and Pole Vaulting at the same time and got no slack from the officials while going between events. May have cost him a medal in the RBJ. |
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| Ed Cook(e) again with vaulting pole in hand. Mel Sheppard upper left and J.P. Sullivan upper right. |
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| No problem selling tickets at the first modern Olympics in Athens |
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| George Goulding |
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| A grade school meet in Washington D.C. circa 1924. White shirt and neck tie no hindrance. |
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| High School Competion Washington D.C. 1924 |
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| Mel Sheppard |
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| Wounded veterans race 1918 |
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Newark NJ. 1922 US womens team prior to leaving for France to compete in the International Women's championships.
This gathering of women was in direct competition with the Olympics as women were second class in the athletic world. The IOC quickly put an end to that movement. |
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| Hurdles Coaches needed. 1924 |
