Tuesday, March 16, 1999
Teacher's $1M to benefit Oxford
Miami's J. Dome also aids hospital
BY STEVE KEMME
The Cincinnati Enquirer
OXFORD — Like the taste of the fine wines he once savored, the legacy of John Dome will linger here.
Mr. Dome, a wine connoisseur and former Miami University professor who died in January, has bequeathed $1 million to the Oxford Community Foundation. It will be used for projects benefiting the city, its youths and also McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital.
A check for $500,000 from his estate will be presented to the foundation at tonight's city council meeting. Another check for $500,000 will be sent in the spring, said K.E. Smith, the foundation's executive director.
“The bequest came as a total surprise to me,” said Ms. Smith. “It's like manna from heaven.”
Mr. Dome's bequest, the largest the foundation has received, will boost its assets to $1.3 million, Ms. Smith said. The foundation is a nonprofit group that receives and distributes donations for projects in the Oxford area.
Mr. Dome, who used to write a weekly wine column for The Cincinnati Enquirer, died Jan. 10 at age 83. His wife, Grace, died 10 years ago.
About $50,000 from the bequest will be available for grants in the first year, said Ms. Smith, who had been a friend of the Domes.
“As the fund grows, the annual amount will be more in subsequent years,” she said.
The bequest will be used to support youth programs involving education in good government, leadership, substance abuse, race relations and child abuse, Ms. Smith said.
It also will provide matching funds for grants for Oxford, and will be used for projects at McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital for 10 years.
“John Dome was a very respected and well-loved member of the community,” said Mayor William Snavely.
Mr. and Mrs. Dome, who had no children, were longtime Oxford residents who were active in the community. Mr. Dome graduated from Miami in 1936. In 1947, he became an assistant professor of aeronautics at Miami, and Mrs. Dome became social director for the university.
Mr. Dome taught photography, started Miami's audiovisual service and became director of instructional resource planning and director of audiovisual service.
For many years, he taught “Geography of Wine” at Miami. In this popular course, students learned about aspects of wine and the culture of the world's wine regions.
Mr. Dome had served on Oxford City Council and the Oxford Planning Commission and had been a director and trustee of McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital.
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