Eight deceased community and business leaders will be inducted in the Toledo Civic Hall of Fame today during the annual Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce meeting at The Pinnacle in Maumee.

They are Virginia Stranahan, Gerald E. "Jerry" Francis, Clement Miniger, Thomas DeVilbiss, Michael DiSalle, William Knight, Jr., William Levis, and Rene McPherson.

The hall was established in 1998 by Mayor Carty Finkbeiner to pay tribute to men and women who helped build and strengthen the city. The public nominated candidates, and a hall of fame commission selected the inductees. Those selected must have died at least three years before being nominated.

A plaque bearing a photo and listing each inductee's accomplishments will be presented to a relative or representative of an organization closely linked to the inductee. The plaques will be displayed permanently along with the plaques of the 44 individuals already inducted into the hall in the local history department of the Main Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, 325 Michigan St.

The new inductees are:

•Virginia Secor Stranahan (1906-1997), who with her husband Duane, created the Needmor Fund in 1956 to carry on the Secor and Stranahan families' tradition of community stewardship. She created the 577 Foundation in 1988 and developed the Secor Fund, an endowment managed by the Toledo Community Foundation, in 1955.

•Gerald E. Francis (1937-1986) served as general manager of the Toledo Sports Arena from 1972-1981, during the eras of the Toledo Hornets and Goaldiggers. Mr. Francis also served as executive manager of the Toledo Area Convention Bureau from 1970 to 1972 and was director of Stautzenberger College of Business.

•Clement O. Miniger (1874-1944) organized the Electric Auto-Lite Co. in 1911 and became president and general manager in 1914 when John Willys bought Auto-Lite. Mr. Miniger's philanthropic endeavors focused on civic affairs and city beautification. His legacy lives on today through the Clement O. Miniger Memorial Foundation and the Miniger Radiation Oncology Center on the University of Toledo Health Science Campus.

•Thomas A. DeVilbiss (1878-1928), with about 100 patents, is credited with perfecting the spray gun. Mr. DeVilbiss also invented the perfumizer for the DeVilbiss Corp. In the 1920s, his spray gun technology became an essential component of furniture and automotive finishing. Mr. DeVilbiss served as a member of the Toledo Board of Education and numerous other civic organizations.

•Michael V. DiSalle (1908-1981) is the only Toledoan to serve as governor of Ohio, elected to one term in 1958. In 1936, he was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives. He also served on Toledo City Council and was elected mayor in 1948. While mayor, he brought Toledo national attention through his support of a municipal payroll tax - the nation's first. President Truman chose Mr. DiSalle to head the newly created Federal Office of Price Stabilization in 1950.

•William W. Knight, Jr., (1905-1984) served on the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority's board of directors from 1955 to 1978, a time when ocean ships were a common site here and Toledo's port was a leader on the Great Lakes. He was chairman for 18 years, starting in 1956. After serving in World War II, Mr. Knight joined Libbey-Owens-Ford Glass Co. and became president of its Plaskon Division. He resigned in 1953 to establish the Nicholas Corp., a real estate holding firm.

•William E. Levis (1890-1962) went from loading rail cars at the family's Illinois Glass Co. to serving as president of the Owens-Illinois Glass Co. in 1930. When Mr. Levis became president, the company had annual sales of about $30 million. Sales were close to $300 million when he retired as board chairman in 1950. Mr. Levis was also a key player in the development of Toledo Express Airport.

•Rene C. McPherson's (1924-1996) joined the Dana Corp. as a sales engineer and worked his way to chairman of the board and chief executive officer in 1972. He is credited with creating the Dana Style of Management: "Empower people at all levels." In 1980, Mr. McPherson became dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

First Published January 24, 2007, 11:38 a.m.