A Sense of Centerville and Washington Township

Originally from Millersburg, Ohio, Jason and his family adopted Centerville and Washington Township as their permanent home in January 2021 following his retirement from a 25-year career in the U.S. Army. The Army took Jason and his family across the U.S., Korea and Germany, including multiple deployments to Afghanistan and Qatar. Jason holds a B.A. from the University of Akron and master’s degrees from the U.S. Army War Coll...

Hylda has been a conservator of historic homes since 1985. Hylda worked as a teacher’s aid in Centerville City Schools. In 2004 Hylda and her husband Jerry purchased the Aaron Nutt Jr house, an 1833 stone cottage on Alex Bell in Centerville. The couple also own a historic home in Ripley, Ohio and are active in two communities. Hylda is involved in many local boards and has been involved in Centerville Womne’s Civic club...

Bob and Berneta Daley met in New York when Bob was with the Army, stationed in Staten Island. Bob worked as a journalist and an assistant to Governor Jack Gilligan in the 1970s. In later years, Bob was with the Kettering Foundation with a focus on public affairs and communication. Berneta, an avid gardener, focused her career on nursing, both at Good Samaritan and Kettering hospitals.  Berneta and Bob, honored in 2015 by Cente...

Dale Ewing grew up in the town of Centerville, graduating in 1951 at Town Hall. The youngest child of Earl and Catherine Ewing, Dale was senior class president and played both baseball and football. He also played in the marching band and performed in the musical Operetta. He went to school in Centerville when there was only one school; the building currently called Magsig. He married his wife Doris in 1956. He keeps in contact wit...

Greg Horn is a native of Wooster, Ohio and has been married to Cathy for 49 years. They raised three sons who were all CHS graduates and are now married. He enjoys being a grandfather to six wonderful grandchildren. Greg Horn was the Centerville City Manager from 1992 to 2017. Before coming to Centerville, he served as the city manager for Tipp City for seven years, village manager in Minerva, Ohio, for 5 years and as city administ...

Emily Albright has been active at Centerville High School with volleyball, dance, and tutoring. She has been the Varsity Captain for volleyball and received awards for the Most Improved and Best Offensive Player, while balancing her dance career. After school, Emily tutored three times a week while creating an individual lesson plan.  She is a member of the National Honor Society, Early Childhood Education Program, and Spanish...

Kevin O’Brien is one of Centerville-Washington History’s scholarship winners for 2025. He has volunteered with Centerville-Washington History over 40 hours since 2021. In addition to volunteering with CWH, Kevin volunteers with the Miami Valley Down Syndrome Association, Incarnation Parish, and the Special Olympics Track Team. Kevin has been involved at Centerville High School as a member of the Investment Club, Circle ...

Lee Snyder owns Snyder Concrete Products, a fifth-generation family business that began in 1949 by Milton Snyder. The business continues to expand and has multiple locations around the area. Lee’s father was a volunteer firefighter in Kettering and Lee followed that example through 35 years of service as a volunteer firefighter. He served our community as a zoning commissioner for 18 years and a trustee for 12 years. He has l...

Tom Ovington was born in the country of Rhodesia which is present day Zimbabwe. He became an architect and got a master’s degree from Yale. He eventually moved to Centerville where he was employed as an architect. Now retired, Tom spends much of his free time volunteering.  He is a 2019 Winner of the Mayor’s Award for Community Service and has completed over 4,000 hours of service at The National Museum of the U.S....

Jenell Ross is the daughter of Robert Paul Ross, Sr and Norma J. Ross.  Her father, Bob, became the first black automobile dealer in the state of Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and West Viginia. Bob became the first black Mercedes-Benz Dealer in the world. When Bob passed away unexpectedly, Norma successfully ran the business. Jenell has taken over the role since her mother’s passing in 2010. Jenell was recognized in 2022 by th...

Al Price, a retired engineer, uses his hobby as a metal detector to find historical artifacts. Metal detecting has been an interest for over 20 years. He has created many educational display cases from his local finds which he has donated to Centerville-Washington History. He does extensive research to discover the significance of the artifacts. Beyond metal detecting, Al is also interested in researching the history of his family....

Carol Kennard was with the Centerville-Washington Park district for almost 33 years with the last 17 years as director. She started in 1982 as the first program director and introduced popular programs such as Hidden Meadows and Winter Woods Day Camps. During her tenure many new parks were acquired and features such as the Nature Nook, skate park, dog park, and an all-access playground. The Nature Nook on McEwan is named after Caro...