Seneca County Museum Speaker Series returns with talk on John Dillinger

The Seneca County Museum will begin its 2024 Speaker Series with Leonard Skonecki on Sunday, April 28 at 2 p.m. He will present a program on the robbery of the First National Bank of Fostoria. On May 3, 1934, John Dillinger and one of his gang, Homer Van Meter, robbed the bank of $17,299. In the course of the robbery, nine persons were shot, including Fostoria Police Chief Franklin Culp.  In order to make a safe getaway, Dillinger and Van Meter took two bank employees hostage.

Leonard will be sharing information about the robbery, related events, and how it affected the persons most directly involved.  He will also allow time for questions.

Leonard was born and raised in Fostoria and graduated from St. Wendelin High School in 1968. He then lived in Toledo and Dayton and returned to Fostoria in 1995.  He has served as the president of the Fostoria Area Historical Society, and also worked for WFOB where he hosted the Friday edition of the Talk@10 interview show. In addition, he has written for the Fostoria Focus for 15 years and worked at the Kaubisch Memorial Public Library.