After 46 years as a judge with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio — seven of them as chief judge — Walter H. Rice retired from the federal bench Aug. 28. As reported by the Dayton Daily News, the 89-year-old judge will occasionally preside over reentry court cases and naturalization ceremonies. He plans to keep active with the University of Dayton School of Law and the Dayton Dialogue on Race Relations. Known for his decades of activism with reentry initiatives, he cochairs the Montgomery County Reentry Council with Debbie Lieberman. The council offers the Reentry Career Alliance Academy four-week program of workshops on career and job readiness, case management, and the opportunity to connect with community resources, service providers, and employers.

In 1980, when Rice was appointed a federal judge by President Jimmy Carter, he inherited oversight of the implementation of the desegregation order for Dayton Public Schools. In 2002, he presided over the Dayton NAACP and Dayton Public Schools settlement to end the failed desegregation program. “The civil rights issues of today aren’t about where you can live, go to school or eat,” the judge told The Observer in a previous interview looking back on Black-Jewish relations in Dayton. “It’s the state of public education, it’s the criminal justice system, it’s housing, it’s banking, it’s social services, a thousand other things.”

Greenville Federal has promoted Scott Hochstein to the position of vice president/chief financial officer. “Scott brings banking experience and professionalism to the organization every day,” Greenville Federal President/CEO John Schipfer said in the announcement. “I am confident that he will continue to build on our strong foundation to lead the company into its next chapter of success.” Established in 1883, Greenville Federal bank has branches in Greenville, Tipp City, and Troy.

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To read the complete October 2026 Dayton Jewish Observer, click here.