Welsh to Present on Strouss Department Store Jan. 21

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Strouss Department Store will be the topic of conversation at the Youngstown Torch Club‘s Jan. 21 program in Kilcawley Center’s Chick-fil-A restaurant at Youngstown State University.

The program starts at 5:30 p.m. and will feature Thomas Welsh, a researcher and author, whose presentation, “Strouss’: Youngstown’s Dependable Store,” will track the history of the former downtown landmark, from its origins as a family-owned business to its subsequent role as the flagship of a popular division of the May Company.

More than two decades have passed since the community lost one of its most iconic department stores. Yet many local residents can still taste those incomparable chocolate malts, see the dramatic view from the store’s mezzanine, and feel the excitement of the annual Thanksgiving Day parade. In his presentation, Welsh will explore the past of Strouss to uncover a dramatic and often surprising story.

Welsh is the author of “Closing Chapters: Urban Change, Religious Reform, and the Decline of Youngstown’s Catholic Elementary Schools.” He is also the coauthor of “Strouss’: Youngstown’s Dependable Store”; “Classic Restaurants of Youngstown”; and “A History of Jewish Youngstown and the Steel Valley.”

The Youngstown Torch Club, which was chartered in January 1927, is an organization of professional people who gather once a month to listen to a paper presentation, while enjoying dinner and fellowship.

To RSVP to the presentation call Don Butler at 330 856 5897.

Pictured: Thomas Welsh, researcher and author.

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