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Lou Holtz Hall of Fame eyes grand reopening, new name

EAST LIVERPOOL — The Lou Holtz/Upper Ohio Valley Hall of Fame has served as a cultural fixture in downtown since its founding in 1998 but an era of transition has begun.

With a grand reopening set for May 21 as part of the Hall of Fame induction Saturday, the museum will take on a new name — The Upper Ohio Valley Museum and Learning Center at the Lou Holtz Hall of Fame — and will be back operating on a schedule that sees it open from 10 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.

Founder Frank Dawson, 87, is stepping aside as the man in charge of the museum and will give way to new director of operations Shelly Roberts on June 1.

“I just can’t do it anymore,” Dawson said on a recent tour of re-configured facility.

Following the end of the school year, Roberts is retiring after 32 years as an East Liverpool middle school social studies teacher. A lifelong area resident, the Beaver Local High School graduate is the daughter of Hall of Fame member David Hoppel.

Her work has already started to a degree.

The Hall of Fame closed during 2020 as auctioneers descended on the building to remove hundreds of items associated with the College Football Hall of Fame coach. Dawson says the items on display were always there on loan from Holtz and that he could choose to do what he wanted with them at any time.

Dawson said initially said that initially auctioneers took away 137 items and later South Bend auto dealer and Notre Dame supporter Mike Leep took around another 130 more.

There was a discussion of closing it permanently but Leep joined the Board of Directors — replacing the late Beth Holtz — and the attempt to revamp the museum began in 2021.

Dawson credits the work of Roberts, Roberta Pennybaker, Kade Reynolds, Aaron Durk, Time Duke, Preston Dawson, Cole Dailey, Emory Wright and Ed Summers in the drive to refresh the facility inside and out. The changes were first on display at the Christmas Open House on Dec. 18.

The focus in the museum is now more centered on the inductees and local history (but there are still reminders of Lou Holtz hanging around).

For instance, you can see things such as East Liverpool’s first fire engine or one of five death masks of the notorious criminal Pretty Boy Floyd. There’s models dealing with transportation running through the heart of the museum. You can see the equipment Pittsburgh Steelers legend Jerome Bettis wore in his final game. There’s the famous working Rock Springs Park Model 153 Wurlitzer in the lobby. The display cases are full of items from prominent citizens such as Salem businessman and philanthropist Bob Sebo, entertainer Dean Martin or a treasure trove of items from the Hoppel family high school wrestling dynasty.

In the basement, there’s a giant model railroad signifying Dawson’s love of model trains going back to his youth. If you’re looking to gaze upon items from the vast history of East Liverpool High School sports, there’s whole rooms with things like old game programs, football game films and vintage memorabilia including Dawson’s old medical kit he used when he was a trainer for the Potter football program.

The goal for the museum moving forward is to become part of a cultural district within East Liverpool and the first step to that is developing a link with the nearby Museum of Ceramics. There’s plans to consult with officials of the Pittsburgh Cultural District soon to further develop East Liverpool’s own plans.

But for now the museum is back on its feet and refocused on its goal of educating patrons on the upper Ohio River valley’s rich past.

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