United Way celebrates its century mark this week

In Fort Wayne 100 years ago, South Side High School opened its doors as the city’s second secondary school, and construction started on a truck factory for a company known as International Harvester.

Women in Indiana had been granted the right to vote just two years earlier, when the state ratified the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The state and the nation were in the grips of Prohibition, prompting Fort Wayne breweries to experiment with lower-alcohol near-beer in a bid to stay afloat.

And a predecessor to United Way of Allen County began a mission to serve the needs of residents and help them become self-sufficient, following a vision of Arthur F. Hall, a Lincoln Life executive who saw the promise of coordinated philanthropy.