STATEHOUSE NEWS

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(Columbus, Ohio)- The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) and the Capitol Square Foundation announce the 2025 Great Ohioan Award recipients. The Capitol Square Foundation presented the selected individuals from nominations submitted by citizens and organizations across Ohio.

The 2025 Great Ohioan awardees are legendary movie stars Dorothy Dandridge, Clark Gable and Paul Newman.

Dorothy Dandridge was an actress, singer and dancer, born on November 9, 1922, in Cleveland, Ohio. Notable for her work in the 1945 film musical "Carmen Jones," she became the first African American to be nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award. Dandridge continued to break barriers as the first Black woman featured on Life magazine’s cover, and the first Black performer to headline the Waldorf-Astoria’s prestigious Empire Room in 1955.

Clark Gable was born in Cadiz, Ohio on February 1, 1901. After landing a role in "The Painted Desert," MGM offered him a contract where he went on to star in "Dance, Fools, Dance" and eventually win an Academy Award for "It Happened One Night". Known for his charm and charisma, he quickly became one of the largest names in Hollywood after appearing in many films in Hollywood’s Golden Age. During World War II, he served as a pilot in the Air Force, where he achieved the rank of major.

Paul Newman was an actor, philanthropist and film director raised in Shaker Heights, Ohio. After serving in the Navy, Newman attended Kenyon College and played football before majoring in theatre. After beginning a family, Newman found success on television and film. He went on to win multiple Academy Award nominations, and one Academy award for "The Color of Money." He later began his own food company that has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for charity, and was a race car driving enthusiast.

“Ohio has an extensive list of incredible film and television stars,” said Capitol Square Foundation Chairman Charles Moses. “Ohio’s contribution to the arts should be appreciated, and we are proud to recognize these three Ohioans for their work.”

The movie stars were recommended by Molly P. Kreuzman. She is the Program Director of Ohio Goes to the Movies, a 2026 signature event of the America 250-Ohio Commission. To celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday next year, movies will be presented in all 88 counties to celebrate Ohio’s actors, directors, writers, composers, animators and more.

The award's selection criteria rely on whether the nominee was born in Ohio or lived in Ohio for at least five years and whether the commemorated event the nominee participated in took place 25 years ago.

“The Ohio Statehouse is excited to add three stars to the Great Ohioans exhibit,” said Phil Miller, CSRAB Assistant Director, “We welcome visitors to learn about these and all the Great Ohioans who made an impact in people’s lives.”

There have been 62 Great Ohioans previously recognized for this award for their essential contributions to history, ranging from politicians, astronauts, healthcare pioneers, writers, athletes, abolitionists and more. To learn about the other awardees, visit our website.

Great Ohioans Exhibit
The Ohio Statehouse Museum exhibit allows visitors better to understand the recipients of the Great Ohioan Award and discover how they affected local, national, and world history. The exhibit uses videos, photos, facts and web-based technology to explore the life and legacy of each Great Ohioan. The Ohio Statehouse Museum is open every day of the week except on state holidays.

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Contacts:
Mike Rupert
Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board
614-745-6949 ¦ mrupert@ohiostatehouse.org ¦ ohiostatehouse.org

Charles Moses
Capitol Square Foundation
614-221-5825 ¦ csf@assnoffices.com ¦ capitolsquarefoundation.org

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(COLUMBUS, OH) — Members of the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) will meet Tuesday, February 18, 2025 at the Ohio Statehouse in downtown Columbus. The business meeting will be held in the Robert E. Netzley Conference Room (room #004) and will begin at 10:00 a.m. The meeting is open to the public. The meeting agenda is available upon request.

Contact:
Phil Miller, Interim Assistant Director
Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board
614-752-9777 ¦ phil.miller@ohiostatehouse.org ¦ ohiostatehouse.org

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All walk-in tours will be canceled on Friday Feb. 14. They will resume Saturday, Feb. 15 from noon - 3 p.m.

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(Columbus, OH)- The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) will celebrate Black History Month with four 60-minute programs. These programs will be presented every Tuesday, starting on February 4 and ending on February 25, in the Statehouse Atrium at noon. Melvin Barnes with Ohio Humanities will introduce the documentary “The Lincoln School Story;” storyteller and poet Lyn Ford will share works created by African American narrative artists while discussing her own Black Appalachian heritage; Columbus Metropolitan Library will talk about the Columbus, Black-owned newspaper Call & Post; and the National Park Services will give a presentation on Brigadier General Charles Young, the first African American national park superintendent.

All events are free and open to the public. Reservations are not required, but groups and schools should save their seats by calling Ariana Glaser at 614-728-3726.


Scheduled noon presentations include:

Feb. 4 - “The Lincoln School Story” with Melvin Barnes of Ohio Humanities
“The Lincoln School Story” is a short film that highlights the fight of African American mothers in Hillsboro, Ohio for school integration in 1954 following the Brown v. Board of Education decision. Despite facing severe backlash, they persisted in one of the longest civil rights protests in American history. After the screening, Dr. Melvin Barnes Jr. will lead a Q&A session to discuss the impact of their struggle.

Feb. 11 - FROM THE HEART, SO MUCH TO DISCOVER: The Heritage of Ohio's Black Voices presented by Lyn Ford
There are many lesser-known treasures of stories and poetry developed by African American narrative artists in the past and contemporary literary arts. Storyteller and poet Lyn Ford will recognize and honor a few of them as she shares from her research, her poetry, and her own Black Appalachian heritage.

Feb. 18 - The History of the Columbus Call & Post presented by the Columbus Metropolitan Library
Join us as we explore the King Arts Complex Collection’s photos from the Columbus Call & Post, an African American newspaper published from 1962 to 1990 by the late publisher, Amos Lynch.

Feb. 25 - Life and Legacy of Brigadier General Charles Young presented by the Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument
Join a National Parks Ranger for a presentation on the life and legacy of Brigadier General Charles Young. Young was a trailblazer who became the first African American national park superintendent, Colonel in the U.S. Army and military attaché. He also served as a mentor to many, including students at Wilberforce University and future Army leaders like Benjamin O. Davis Sr.

Each program will be live-streamed and recorded by OhioChannel.org.
Located on the ground floor, the Capitol Café will be open 8 a.m. – 3 p.m., and the Statehouse Museum Shop will be open Feb. 18 and 25.

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UPDATED 2-12-2025 CSRAB
The Statehouse Museum Shop will be closed starting Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, for mechanical component updates in the ceiling for the ongoing HVAC project and the annual store inventory for three weeks or more. The store will reopen after President’s Day.

The online Shop will remain open during this time at https://statehouseshop.com.

For questions regarding store operations, please contact the store manager Lee Anne Back at 614-728-9234.

For questions regarding construction, please contact Assistant Director, Phil Miller at 614-644-2022.

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In honor of the inauguration of the 47th President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has ordered that the flags of the United States and the state of Ohio to be raised to full-staff upon all public buildings and grounds throughout the state of Ohio on January 20, 2025. The flags shall be lowered back to half-staff in honor of former President James Earl Carter, Jr., on January 21, 2025, and shall remain lowered until sunset on January 28, 2025.

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In honor of the life and service of former State Senator Ben Espy, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has ordered that the flags of the United States and the state of Ohio to be flown at half-staff upon all public buildings and grounds throughout Franklin County and at the Ohio Statehouse, Riffe Center, and Rhodes Tower from sunrise to sunset on the day of his funeral, January 13, 2025.

All other public buildings and grounds throughout the state may fly the flags at half-staff at their discretion for the same time period.

Learn more about State Senator Ben Espy on OhioStatehouse.org.

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(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—In accordance with the orders issued by the President of the United States of America, in honor of the life and service of former President James Earl Carter, Jr., Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has ordered that the flags of the United States and the State of Ohio shall be flown at half-staff upon all public buildings and grounds throughout the State of Ohio for a period of 30 days from the day of his death. The flags shall remain lowered until sunset on January 28, 2025. Older Posts