Historical society to host Arby’s reunion

The Mahoning Valley Historical Society is hosting a reunion on July 24 of Arby’s corporate employees from 1964-1976 and franchisees to celebrate the restaurant’s 50th anniversary.

Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc. is sponsoring this special gathering as part of the anniversary celebration. The reunion will culminate with a public panel discussion moderated by Bill Lawson, MVHS Executive Director, with businessman and founder of the Arby’s chain Leroy Raffel, as well as historian Dr. Thomas Welsh, who authored “Classic Restaurants of Youngstown,” and Dr. Donna DeBlasio, professor of history and Director of the Center for Applied History at Youngstown State University. The three panelists will discuss the history of the Arby’s restaurant and its rise in the national fast food industry, how food culture evolved in the Youngstown area through suburbanization and the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship in the Mahoning Valley. The public is invited to the free panel discussion on July 24 at 7 p.m. in the Tyler Mahoning Valley History Center, located at 325 West Federal Street in downtown Youngstown.

This public program is supported by The Ohio Humanities Council, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The planning committee is looking for contact information of former Arby’s corporate employees from 1964-1979.

Contact Rita Wilson at ritaw7500@aol.com, Stephanie from the Trumbull County Tourism Bureau at Stephanie@exploretrumbullcounty.com, or Cheryl Lewis at the Tyler History Center at clewis@mahoninghistory.org if you can provide any information. Contact the Historical Society at 330-743-2589 or visit www.mahoninghistory.org for more information.