Foellinger Family Flip Wall Exhibit
The following audio descriptions are from a flip wall display located on the lower level at Foellinger Foundation. Press play to hear a description of each of the flip cards.
Foellinger Foundation was created in 1958 by Helene Foellinger and her mother, Esther, but the family’s impact on this community dates to the 1800s.
Learn more about the family’s generational commitment to their values of integrity, accountability, responsibility, and results.
Downtown Fort Wayne, 1880
Helene Foellinger’s great-grandfather Jacob Foellinger immigrated to the United States from Prussia (Germany) in 1836. He was a shoemaker and owned a shoe and boot store on Calhoun Street.
Clay School, Fort Wayne’s First Public School
Jacob Foellinger joined Fort Wayne’s City Council in 1854 and helped launch Fort Wayne’s first public schools.
Esther and Oscar Foellinger
Esther Deuter (1890-1969) and Oscar Foellinger (1885-1936) were born and raised in Fort Wayne. They married in 1909 in a ceremony at Oscar’s family’s home.
Esther Reading a Newspaper to Loretta and Helene
Esther and Oscar Foellinger had two children, Helene Foellinger (1910-1987) and Loretta Foellinger Teeple (1914-1950), who grew up on Indiana Avenue in Fort Wayne.
Newspaper Delivery Trucks
In 1920, Oscar purchased the News Publishing Company, publisher of The News-Sentinel.
Helene Foellinger, South Side High School
Helene Foellinger graduated valedictorian of her class at South Side High School in 1928.
The Foellingers, Outdoors
The Foellinger family loved the outdoors and spent much of their leisure time horseback riding, camping, fishing, and traveling.
Helene Foellinger, University of Illinois
Upon Helene Foellinger’s graduation from the University of Illinois in 1932, she began her career as a reporter and features writer for The News-Sentinel. Soon after, she became editor and columnist for the newspaper’s new women’s section.
Helene Foellinger in Pressroom
Helene became Publisher of The News-Sentinel in 1936 after her father, Oscar Foellinger, died from a heart attack during a hunting trip.
Helene Foellinger, Publisher of The News-Setinel
Helene was just 25 years old when she became The News-Sentinel’s publisher, making her the youngest and one of the few female publishers in the country at the time. She served The News-Sentinel for 49 years, retiring in 1981. She was the first woman to be inducted into the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame.
Richard and Loretta Teeple (Foellinger)
Loretta (née Foellinger) and Richard Teeple died when the plane Richard was piloting crashed over the Fourth of July weekend in 1950. They were active and licensed aviators.
Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory
Helene Foellinger helped fund the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory in honor of Esther Foellinger, who had initially suggested the idea decades earlier. Esther was passionate about gardening and nature.
Foellinger Theatre
Originally known as The News-Sentinel Outdoor Theatre, Foellinger Theatre received a gift, under the direction of Helene Foellinger, to honor her late father, Oscar, who was passionate about performing arts and creating opportunities for the public to enjoy them together.
Oscar Foellinger’s “Building Fort Wayne” Columns
Oscar Foellinger introduced a column entitled “Building Fort Wayne,” which advocated for improvements in the city. Topics included transportation investments and the development of the city’s riverfront.
Fort Wayne Parks’ Lakeside Park
Helene Foellinger played a critical role in the formation of the Fort Wayne Park Foundation, where she was a charter member-director.