1908 – 1970
Arthur Beerman came to Dayton in 1930 to take a job as a merchandiser on the ground floor of the Home Store at Third and Main Streets. Twenty-six years later, he bought the Home Store and named it after himself. In 1961 he bought the Elder Johnson Company, and the Elder Beerman chain was born. He had other business interests as well, including publishing, restaurants and nightclubs, the meat packing business, bowling alleys, motels and real estate development. Arthur Beerman was known as a formidable litigant who sued mayors, government and corporations while crusading vehemently against anti-Semitism. He was also known as a benefactor who gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to charities and began the Beerman Family free Thanksgiving dinners for the needy, which continue today. Inducted: 1996