Flood of 1913 pays dividends today

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) - Historians say the Great Dayton Flood of 1913 claimed the lives of 360 people and caused nearly $2 billion dollars in damage.

In terms of natural disasters, it remains unmatched in Ohio's history.

For nearly five days, heavy rains pounded the Dayton region, weakening soggy levees that eventually released walls of water that consumed downtown Dayton.

To make sure the Great Miami would never claim another life, John Patterson, president of NCR, began a fundraising effort that eventually evolved into what is now called the Dayton Foundation, one of the largest philanthropic organizations in the country.

Gladys Turner-Finney is what the Dayton Foundation looks like today. She provides a scholarship to promising Wright State University students each year.

Mike Parks, president of the Dayton Foundation said she is one of the 3200 donors whose spirit of giving keeps the foundation strong. 

Parks says since it's inception, generous donors have pushed the foundation's assets to $401.8 million, granting over 15,000 requests last year alone.