Rosa Washington Riles
This marks the fifth year of the Brown County Historical Hall of Fame induction, and three new inductees will enter the hall of fame during a ceremony held at the Georgetown United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 26.
This year’s inductees are George Vogel, George Kennedy and Rosa Washington Riles.
George Vogel was born in Georgetown, Ohio on Sept. 27, 1957. His parents were George and Louellen Vogel. He graduated from Georgetown High School in 1975, attended Southern State Community College and graduated from the University of Cincinnati, earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree. He joined WLWT TV as an intern in 1980, and eventually became executive sports producer and then later the Sports Anchor and Director. During his almost 42-year career with WLWT, he covered professional, collegiate, and high school sports across Greater Cincinnati and the Tri-State. He retired in March 2023 after delivering his final sportscast.
George A. Kennedy (1851-1922) was born in Highland County, Ohio and lived in or near Sardinia most of his life. He was a man who had a vision of the future. He did not sit idly by and let someone else fulfill his plans. He worked hard, always planning and looking ahead. He was a small man in stature with big ideas. Many who knew him well said, “He lived ahead of his time.” Kennedy was a large landowner in the Sardinia area and donated the land for the railroad yard and depot. One of his dreams was to develop a fair unlike any yet seen in the area. It would not be an agricultural fair but rather an exposition of new ideas. He produced the Kennedy Fair from 1901-1911. The fairs featured many new inventions including electric lights, airplanes, automobiles, ice cream cones and all types of new industrial and agricultural wonders.
Rosa Washington Riles (March 1, 1901 – December 17, 1969) was born in Red Oak, Ohio. All four of her grandparents had been slaves. In the 1930’s she was hired as a cook for a Quaker Oats executive. Because of her wonderful personality and smiling face, not to mention her excellent abilities as a cook, she was hired as the third Aunt Jemima marketing character in the mid-1940s and continued her portrayal until the 1960s. She did pancake cooking demonstrations locally and across the country. Rosa died in New Orleans, but she was brought home and is buried in the Red Oak Presbyterian Cemetery. She was always proud of her role as Aunt Jemima. An image of her as Aunt Jemima adorns her headstone.