Led by local historian, alumnus, and Otterbein registrar emeritus Don Foster ’73, a new historical marker was recently erected to honor Benjamin Hanby, class of 1858. Hanby enrolled at Otterbein in 1849 and alternated college terms with teaching in nearby public schools to pay his tuition. Among his many accomplishments, he composed the antislavery ballad Darling Nelly Gray in 1856, as well as the beloved holiday favorite Up on the Housetop in 1864. Hanby died in 1867 and is buried in Otterbein Cemetery. The marker is located on Grove Street, just north of Cowan Hall.
Otterbein also dedicated a new marker at Homecoming honoring Otterbein’s first Black graduate William Henry Fouse, class of 1893. Fouse worked as a bootblack and waiter to pay his college tuition and graduated cum laude. The idea for the marker came from Frank Dobson Jr., Ph.D., Otterbein’s former chief diversity officer who retired in May 2025. Dobson wanted to ensure students understood this important part of Otterbein’s history and Fouse’s significance. Working with University Archivist Stephen Grinch ’98 and longtime volunteer Alan Borer H’26, the group spent several months researching and preparing the marker proposal for the Ohio History Connection. The marker stands on Center Street behind the William Henry Fouse House of Black Culture, 154 W. Home St., near the site of the Hanby House, which was owned and occupied by the Fouse family.
L to R: Rev. Lucy Kelly, Stephen Grinch ’98, John Comerford, Dezmon Howard ’27 and Phanawn Bailey ’21, MBA’23
