Club hears Lima history lecture.
In the early 1900s, an Allen County sheriff thwarted a riot of residents attempting to storm the Allen County Jail.
Bluffton University history professor Perry Bush told the story Monday at Lima Rotary Club. The club enjoyed a detailed lecture about an incident involving Sheriff Sherman E. Eley from August 1916.
Eley is being hailed as a hero decades later for thwarting a riot of local residents who stormed the Allen County Jail. They wanted to lynch a black man who was being held on suspicion of attacking a white female. Eley was able to move the inmate to a safe location and ensure his right to a fair trial.
Bush is Professor of History at Bluffton University in Bluffton, where he has taught since 1994. A native of California, he received his BA degree in from the University of California, Berkeley, and his MA and Ph.D. in U.S. social history from Carnegie Mellon University. He is the author of four books. Bush has also written widely on peace and religious history in twentieth century America in both popular and scholarly journals, and has taught U.S. history as a Fulbright Scholar in Ukraine.
Also on Monday, the club kicked off a program addressing homelessness in conjunction with West Ohio Community Action Partnership. To help address the needs of our homeless population, the program that will connect our homeless population with the resources needed. A single phone number would provide the connection to our local resources, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Lima Rotary Club has set up a Go Fund Me page to accept donations. Donations will help us do what it takes to get this much needed service started so that we can end homelessness in our community. The funds will also be used to provide public education about connecting members of the homeless community with these services.