Monday, November 14th, 2016
Crown founder dies
By Jared Mauch
NEW BREMEN - Officials in the village and surrounding area remember the legacy of Crown Equipment Corp. founder James F. Dicke after his death on Friday.
Dicke, 94, died at his home after having suffered cardiac issues.
New Bremen Mayor Jeff Pape said this morning that Dicke, his family and the lift truck company he founded mean much to the village.
"His influence will be missed, but his legacy will continue through the work of his son and grandson," Pape said.
New Bremen would not be where it is today without the Dickes and Crown, he added. The company has a huge economic impact on the village. New Bremen's downtown looks the way it does because of the Dickes and the company.
Over the years, the Dicke family has donated to New Bremen Local Schools, Wright State University and Ohio Northern University.
The auditorium at New Bremen High School is named after Dicke for his support of the district.
The Dicke family donated to Wright State University-Lake Campus for renovations that were completed in 2009 and included a large education hall, which is named after him, development officer Julie Miller said.
The family would often donate toward student scholarships and project fundings at the campus, she said.
"We will be long indebted to the continued assistance of the Dickes," Miller said.
Dicke was one of the 10 founding board members for the Western Ohio Educational Foundation at the campus in 1962, she noted.
Dicke and his wife, Eilleen, also donated to Ohio Northern University for the construction of a new facility for the business college, which was formally dedicated as James F. Dicke Hall in 2004. The business college was officially renamed The James F. Dicke College of Business Administration in 2007, for the Dicke family's support, according to an ONU new release.
