Dayton Walk of Fame Announces 2026 Inductees

June 11, 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Wright Dunbar, Inc.  | Debbie Lieberman liebermandeb@gmail.com

Helen Octavia Dickens

Wright Dunbar, Inc. Announces 2026 Dayton Region Walk of Fame Inductees

DAYTON, Ohio — Wright Dunbar, Inc. proudly announces the 2026 class of inductees to the Dayton Region Walk of Fame, recognizing individuals whose achievements, service, and enduring legacies have made a lasting impact on the Dayton region and beyond.

🎉 Celebrating 25 Years - This year marks the milestone 25th anniversary of the Dayton Region Walk of Fame, a tradition that has honored exceptional individuals and their contributions to the community for a quarter century. 🌟 2026

Inductees The 2026 honorees are:

·       Helen Octavia Dickens

·       MaDonna Grimes

·       Gary Sandy

·       Mary Chapman Mathews

·       Dan Sadlier

Each inductee reflects a legacy of excellence, leadership, and service that continues to inspire the Dayton region and beyond.

These distinguished individuals will be formally recognized at the annual Dayton Walk of Fame luncheon:

Date: September 30, 2026, Time: 11:00 a.m. Location: Sinclair Community College – Ponitz Center

The Dayton Region Walk of Fame celebrates those who have shaped the region through outstanding personal or professional contributions, ensuring their stories inspire future generations.

Helen Octavia Dickens

1909–2001

Born in Dayton, Ohio, on February 21, 1909, Dr. Helen Octavia Dickens broke barriers throughout a distinguished medical career dedicated to health equity and women’s reproductive care. The daughter of a formerly enslaved father and a domestic worker, she earned her M.D. from the University of Illinois in 1934 as the only African American woman in her class. In 1950, she became the first African American woman admitted as a Fellow to the American College of Surgeons — a landmark achievement in the history of medicine. As a professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Dr. Dickens pioneered cancer screening programs for underserved Black women, founded one of the country’s first teen pregnancy clinics, and served as associate dean of minority admissions, growing enrollment of minority students from just two to sixty-four. Her legacy of healing, advocacy, and access continues to resonate in medical institutions and communities across the nation.

MaDonna Grimes

1962–2016

Raised in Dayton, Ohio, MaDonna DeAnne Grimes carried the spirit of her hometown to stages and screens around the world. A 1984 graduate of Ohio State University’s dance program, she built a celebrated career in Hollywood as a dancer, choreographer, fitness expert, and actress — earning the title “Queen of Fitness, Dance and Hip-Hop.” She founded the MaDonna Grimes Fitness Dance Theatre Company in Los Angeles and claimed championship titles including Miss Fitness America, Miss Fitness International, and USA National Aerobics Champion. Her bestselling fitness videos and DVDs introduced millions to hip-hop dance, and her NAACP Best Choreography Theater Award recognized her artistry on stage. MaDonna Grimes passed away in November 2016 after a courageous battle with cancer, leaving behind an extraordinary legacy of joy, movement, and inspiration. 

Gary Sandy

Born on Christmas Day, 1945, in Dayton, Ohio, Gary Lee Sandy grew up in nearby Kettering and attended Fairmont High School before pursuing his passion for performance at Wilmington College of Ohio and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. He is beloved by audiences nationwide as Andy Travis, the program director of the fictional WKRP radio station in the classic CBS sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati (1978–1982) — a role that brought Dayton’s neighboring city to living rooms across America. A prolific and dedicated stage actor, Sandy has appeared in more than 100 theatrical productions, including Broadway roles in The Pirates of Penzance and Arsenic and Old Lace, and has played Harold Hill in seven separate productions of The Music Man. In 2024, he returned to his roots in a local television special filmed at Dayton’s own Carillon Historical Park, A Very Carillon Christmas, which earned an Ohio Valley Regional Emmy Award.

Mary Chapman Mathews

A native of Grove Hill, Alabama who has called the Dayton region home since 1980, Mary Chapman Mathews has spent more than four decades as one of the region’s most passionate and effective champions of historic preservation. She came to Dayton when her husband David became President of the Charles F. Kettering Foundation and quickly became an indispensable part of the community fabric. As the first on-site Executive Director of Carillon Historical Park — a role she held for 18 years from 1985 to 2003, professionalizing the museum’s operations, launched its first capital campaign, and oversaw $15 million in improvements that positioned the park for transformative growth ahead of the 2003 Wright Brothers flight centennial. She was a driving force behind the 1992 creation of Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, lobbying lawmakers and leading stakeholder tours to ensure the stories of the Wright Brothers and Paul Laurence Dunbar would be permanently honored in their hometown. Her decades of service to Wright Dunbar, Inc., the National Aviation Heritage Alliance, and the Dayton Region Walk of Fame itself make her induction a fitting and long-deserved recognition.

Dan Sadlier

Dan Sadlier’s story is one of Dayton through and through — from the basketball court to the boardroom to the community at large. A standout forward at the University of Dayton, he was drafted by the Phoenix Suns in the 1969 NBA Draft and went on to play five years of professional basketball in France before returning to Dayton in 1976 to build a career in banking. He retired in 2005 as president and chief executive of Fifth Third Bank’s Dayton area operations, having served nine years in that role. In retirement, Sadlier channeled the same competitive drive into community service, playing instrumental roles in bringing minor-league baseball to the Dayton region, serving on the University of Dayton’s board of trustees, and supporting organizations including the Salvation Army. In 2009, he received the Presidents Club of Dayton’s Citizen Legion of Honor Award for his volunteerism and community activism. Fifth Third Bank honored his legacy by naming its downtown Dayton community meeting space the R. Daniel Sadlier Community Room.

The Dayton Region Walk of Fame, administered by Wright Dunbar, Inc., honors individuals whose achievements reflect the character, creativity, and resilience of the greater Dayton region. Inductees are celebrated with permanent recognition in the historic Wright Dunbar neighborhood, the birthplace of Orville and Wilbur Wright and the literary home of poet Paul Laurence Dunbar.

For more information about the 2026 induction ceremony, please contact Debbie Lieberman Liebermandeb@gmail.com

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