XENIA — Xenia’s post office will be renamed after longtime WHIO broadcaster Gil Whitney.
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Congressman Mike Turner announced that the House of Representatives passed his bill to rename the post office the “Gil Whitney Post Office Building”.
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“More than fifty years ago, as one of the deadliest storms in our region’s history closed in on Xenia, Gil Whitney identified the imminent danger and took action to warn his neighbors,” said Turner. “People in Xenia still remember that warning and the lives Gil saved. Naming this post office after him ensures that the community he protected will always remember the heroism he showed when it mattered most.”
On April 3, 1974, a dangerous tornado tore through during a “Super Outbreak”; Whitney broke into programming to warn residents to take cover and identified Xenia as being directly in the tornado’s path.
Whitney spent much of his career at WHIO Television and Radio, serving as a reporter, anchor, sportscaster, and weather specialist.
“This began as an effort to honor someone who became an important part of Xenia’s history,” Turner said. “I was proud to bring that effort to Congress and secure the support of Ohio’s entire House delegation to introduce and pass this bill.”
Beyond broadcasting, he volunteered as a firefighter, served as master of ceremonies for community events, and was one of the founders of the Dayton Air Show.
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