City of Columbus

"I was born to circumstances which I refused to accept. I changed them."
- R.F. Wolfe.

R.F. Wolfe, a man of vision and spirit, and brother, Harry Preston Wolfe, were long involved in the development of Columbus in character and economic growth. As co-founder of the Wolfe Bros. Shoe Company in 1895, and as Publisher of the Ohio State Journal (1903) and The Columbus Dispatch (1905), the Wolfe brothers battled for the civic welfare of Columbus citizens, exposing graft and corruption without regard to personal strife.

In 1907, in a move to save a failing banking establishment, the Wolfe brothers diverted their private funds into the Ohio Trust Company, which ultimately led to the formation of the BancOhio Corporation - an organization of affiliated banks in Central Ohio.

His unconquerable spirit is still remembered as well as his respect for his fellow man.