What makes the picture, so special for our family is that our Dad is pictured among the military marchers home from WWII. Ironton’s parade is the nation’s oldest continuously running Memorial Day parade, a tradition since 1868. Cool representation of patriotic Americana.
Photos Courtesy Connie Dziagwa
Past Ironton Memorial Day Parade Grand Marshals. The undated photo is probably from the late 1970s. (L-R) Unidentified citizens on the extreme left; Clark Haney; Bert Cohen; my grandfather C.E. Mayne; my dad Donald G. Mayne; Judge Harold Spears; Harold Cox; and Judge Roy Henry. I could find all but Mr. Haney on the honor roll of past parade grand marshals.
If memory serves correctly, I think Mr. Haney was a long-time parade commander and probably serving in that capacity here. Dad said marching in the Memorial Day Parade, as a veteran, alongside his Dad was one of the proudest moments in his life.
My grandfather participated in the Ironton parade every year from 1905 (at ten years of age) through the last parade he participated in, 1986. He only missed once, when he was in Europe in the U.S. Army in WWI, but marched in a parade in France in 1919. Thanks, Dad. Thanks, Pop. And thank you to all of our military veterans from times past and right now.
Photos Courtesy Connie Dziagwa
MEMORIAL DAY PARADE
GRAND MARSHALS FOR OVER A CENTURY
| 1868 — Capt. McQuigg |
| 1869 — Gen. Wm. H. Enochs |
| 1870 — No Marshal |
| 1871 — No Marshal |
| 1872 — No Marshal |
| 1873 — No Marshal |
| 1874 — No Marshal |
| 1875 — Capt. Harry Brown |
| 1876 — Capt. Slater |
| 1877 — W. C. Kelly |
| 1878 — T. N. Davey |
| 1879 — No Marshal |
| 1880 — No Marshal |
| 1881 — Capt. W. B. Tomlinson |
| 1882 — Col. John Jordon |
| 1883 — Gen. Marshall Munshower |
| 1884 — Col. Elias Nigh |
| 1885 — Col. Elias Nigh |
| 1886 — Henry R. Brown |
| 1887 — Mr. Moore |
| 1888 — Jere Davidson |
| 1889 — G. H. Holliday |
| 1890 — W. S. Merrill |
| 1891 — Thomas Charlton |
| 1892 — No Record |
| 1893 — M. Phillips |
| 1894 — M. Phillips |
| 1895 — M. Phillips |
| 1896 — Capt. Harry Brown |
| 1897 — T. R. Hall |
| 1898 — H. R. Brown |
| 1899 — Capt. H. R. Brown |
| 1900 — Maj. Carmi A. Thompson |
| 1901 — Valentine Newman |
| 1902 — Maj. Jere Davidson |
| 1903 — None Named |
| 1904 — John Phillips |
| 1905 — John Phillips |
| 1906 — None Named |
| 1907 — Col. J. Phillips |
| 1908 — No Record |
| 1909 — No Record |
| 1910 — No Record |
| 1911 — Court Judge Edward E. Corn |
| 1912 — Col. C. A. Marting |
| 1913 — Wilbur Smith |
| 1914 — Col. R. J. Walker |
| 1915 — W. H. Hampton |
| 1916 — No Record |
| 1917 — No Record |
| 1918 — No Record |
| 1919 — No Record |
| 1920 — George D. Kingery |
| 1921 — George D. Kingery |
| 1922 — Mack Hall |
| 1923 — Ross Blackwell |
| 1924 — Frank H. Pratt |
| 1925 — Bert V. Cohen |
| 1926 — E. E. Corn |
| 1927 — E. E. Corn |
| 1928 — No Record |
| 1929 — Jim Hunter |
| 1930 — Frank B. Pratt |
| 1931 — Dr. G. G. Hunter |
| 1932 — Fred D. Davis |
| 1933 — Dr. G. G. Hunter |
| 1934 — T. J. Miller |
| 1935 — J. O. Swain |
| 1936 — Dr. G. G. Hunter |
| 1937 — Leo Brumberg |
| 1938 — Lester Trumbo |
| 1939 — Henry Woolum |
| 1940 — John F. McGowan |
| 1941 — Carson Minard |
| 1942 — C. E. Mayne |
| 1943 — None Available |
| 1944 — F. B. Davis |
| 1945 — Ralph Mittendorf |
| 1946 — John Boll |
| 1947 — Dr. C. A. Casey |
| 1948 — Earl Kesterson |
| 1949 — Fred Dennin |
| 1950 — Lewis Bryant |
| 1951 — Charles Collett |
| 1952 — Albert Keys |
| 1953 — Carlton Davidson |
| 1954 — John R. Davis |
| 1955 — Forrest Everhart |
| 1956 — Don Mayne |
| 1957 — Gene Smith |
| 1958 — Chester Spicer |
| 1959 — Robert Ridgeway |
| 1960 — Joseph Banker |
| 1961 — Doyle DeMarco |
| 1962 — John Tordiff |
| 1963 — Harold Cox |
| 1964 — Roy Henry |
| 1965 — Lloyd Moore |
| 1966 — M. D. Fortune |
| 1967 — Reynold Green |
| 1968 — Harold Spears |
| 1969 — William Douglas |
| 1970 — E. J. Deere |
| 1971 — Robert Crockrel |
| 1972 — Walter Kesterson |
| 1973 — Fred Hamra |
| 1974 — Hugh Irwin |
| 1975 — Verl L. Smith |
| 1976 — Robert Griffith |
| 1977 — J/Sgt. Ret. Norm McComas |
| 1978 — Connie Gearhart Smith |
| 1979 — Harold Crowe |
| 1980 — James L. Smith |
| 1981 — William Bourne |
| 1982 — Carl Saunders |
| 1983 — Glen Wisenberger |
| 1984 — Tom Billing |
| 1985 — Judy Hartwig |
| 1986 — Robert Lipker |
| 1987 — Joe Williams, Jr. |
| 1988 — Everett McFann |
| 1989 — Marilyn Caniff |
| 1990 — Donald F. Dewitz |
| 1991 — Ruby Robinson |
| 1992 — James D. Shingledecker |
| 1993 — James E. F. Adkins |
| 1994 — Paul E. Glanville |
| 1995 — Ronald A. Bundy |
| 1996 — John E. Stewart |
| 1997 — Lori A. Young |
| 1998 — Connie Adkins |
| 1999 — June Bundy |
| 2000— Kathy Boyd |
| 2001— Jerry Kerns |
| 2002— Sue Lunsford |
| 2003— Marsha Kerns 2004—Frank J. McCown |
| 2005 — Jan Wisenberger 2006 — Lou Pyles 2007 — Brent Pyles 2008 — Bob Blankenship |
Photo Courtesy Connie Dziagwa
6 April 2016 – On this date 100 years ago, the U.S. joined the WWI conflict. Our grandfather Charles Elmer Mayne was one of the first to enlist. As a 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Army, he led a unit in the Battle of the Argonne Forest. “Pop” was a patriot his entire life. Beginning in 1901 as a child, he participated in more than 80 Ironton Memorial Day parades. He served as its grand marshal in 1942. During WWI, he did miss one of the Ironton parades. He was in France in 1919 so he marched in the Paris Victory Parade.
How to register to be in the parade