Bellevue has a long list of famous and influential residents ranging from Admirals to billionaire entrepreneurs and on to both famous and infamous broadcast personalities. Here are some of Bellevue's most notable residents
On August 25, 2020, Bellevue lost a valued citizen and one of the town’s treasures – Bill Oddo. Bill has been a mainstay of the Bellevue Historical Society from its beginning.
Bill’s barber shop on Main Street was a gathering place for story tellers. These stories sparked his interest in Bellevue’s history, so in 1983 Bill began writing a weekly article in the Bellevue Gazette spotlighting the town’s rich past. These articles became one of the most popular features of the paper.
As a citizen, Bill has been very active in his church and community. Bill’s faith was very strong as he served the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in many ways, especially in working with the CYO. The Bellevue City Schools benefitted also from Bill’s efforts. He was an organizer of the Bellevue Boosters Club and he helped to initiate the Halls of Excellence program at the High School (Bill himself was recognized for that honor in 2000) as well as the Athletic Department’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
Bill’s contributions to the Bellevue Historical Society are numerous. In 1987, he was a founding member of the Bellevue Heritage Museum which became the Bellevue Historical Society. He served the Society for many years on the Board of Directors, most of them as president. A pet project for Bill was the Tremont House Project. In 2002, Bill was the Society’s president when the building was purchased. He compiled the book, Bellevue: A Pictorial History to help pay for the Tremont House, obtaining a grant for its publication so that all profits would go to the project. In 2005, he was instrumental in the process required to have the Tremont House listed on the National Register of Historic Places. More recently, he dedicated all profits from his latest book, Stories of Old Bellevue – Vol. V, to the project. Just a few days before his death, on a drive past the Tremont House, Bill was excited to see the progress that has been made this summer.
In 2010, Bill received the Individual Outstanding Achievement Award from the Ohio Association of Historic Societies and Museums for his work in helping to preserve local history. A group of family and fellow Society members helped him to celebrate this award at a ceremony in Columbus. At the presentation, his introduction began with, “For almost thirty years, Bill Oddo has been making history come alive in Bellevue, Ohio.”
On May 20, 2010, when Bill retired as president, the Bellevue Historical Society recognized Bill for his many years of dedication at a reception at the Willows Clubhouse. Family and friends gathered to wish him well and to exchange stories. Then-mayor David Kile proclaimed May 20, 2010 to be Bill Oddo Day.
Bill will be remembered by posterity as Bellevue’s historian. His many books and newspaper articles contain a wealth of information on Bellevue’s past that otherwise might have been lost. We will surely miss Bill. He was THE reference person on questions about Bellevue’s history.
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John Aubrey Wright. Among the active men prominent in the business and social life of Bellevue, one of the most prominent is John Aubrey Wright, who is president of the Wright Brothers Insurance Agency. He was born at Bellevue, March 28, 1858, the son of John and Betsy (Ford) Wright.
Both John Wright, the father, and his wife were natives of England. At the age of 20 years he came to the United States and settled on a farm in Lyme Township, Huron County. During his first year here he was employed by Rufus Russell for the sum of $100 per year. With this small start after one year he married and settled on a farm in Groton Township, Erie County, Ohio. Mr. Wright became one of the most prosperous farmers in this section of Ohio and was the owner of 4,000 acres of well improved land. He retired from farming in 1884. He was then living in Lyme Township, Huron County, four miles east of Bellevue, where he spent the remainder of his life. He died in 1907. His wife, Betsy Wright, died in 1886. Both are buried in Lyme Township.
Read more: John Aubrey Wright - Bellevue Banker April 24, 2015
The Henry Flagler You May Not Know by John Blades, The Flagler Museum
Historic St. Augustine Research Institute/Ideas & Images Lecture Mr. John Blades, Executive Director of Flagler Museum "Amazing Things About Henry M. Flagler Very Few People Know"
Published on Mar 26, 2013
Bellevue's Henry Flagler built Whitehall in Palm Beach as a wedding present for his new wife. It now functions as The Henry Flagler Museum. The museum recently received the 2014 Muse Award for Excellence in Historical and Cultural Heritage.