Ronald Henry Tammen, Jr. (19) Missing since April 19, 1953 from Oxford, OH
Ronald Henry Tammen, Jr.
Missing since April 19, 1953 from Oxford, Ohio
Classification: Endangered Missing
Vital Statistics
Date Of Birth: July 23, 1933
Age at Time of Disappearance: 19 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'10"; 175 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White male. Dark hair and muscular.
Blood type: O Positive
Circumstances of Disappearance
Tammen was last seen in old Fisher Hall, a former Victorian mental asylum, at Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio on April 19, 1953.
Ronald Henry Tammen Jr. was just another hard-working Miami University student until that cold Sunday night on April 19, 1953, when he walked out of Room 225 and into oblivion.
Forty-five years later, the sophomore business major remains Oxford's favorite ghost story.
Mr. Tammen, a 19-year-old residence hall adviser, vanished from old Fisher Hall, a former Victorian mental asylum that was some said was haunted.
About 8:30 p.m., he entered his room after returning from a road engagement with the Campus Owls, a popular dance band for which he played string bass. Outside sat his 1938 Chevrolet sedan. It is said he heard something that disturbed him, and he went into the hall to investigate. Apparently he didn't intend to go anywhere. He left his wallet, car keys and personal items on his desk. He also left the lights on, a book open, the radio playing and his clothes in the closet. His bank account, with about $200, remained active.
Authorities checked all bus, rail and air terminals. The Air Force ROTC sent 400 men to help students search the countryside.
Officials have discounted any theory of foul play, commenting that the missing man is rugged and strong. Tammen was not in any financial difficulty . . . since counselors are chosen for their stability, there seems to be no reason for a voluntary disappearance. Thus, officials have temporarily settled upon the thesis of amnesia. Friends and family -- from Maple Heights, near Cleveland -- said Mr. Tammen wouldn't leave without telling them. At first, police developed the amnesia theory, but later they did consider that he might have deliberately disappeared.
Phillip R. Shriver, a former Miami president and history professor who came to Miami in 1965, thinks Ronald Tammen somehow lost his memory and later that night arrived on the doorstep of Mrs. Carl Spivey in Seven Mile, about 15 miles east of Oxford. At midnight, she heard a knock on her door. She saw a young man -- he fit Tammen's description -- standing outside. When she opened the door, he asked her how to get to the bus station. But there was no bus station in Seven Mile. She told him to go to Hamilton. She noticed he had a smudge of dirt on a cheek and his eyes were vacuous. Snow was on the ground that night, but he wore no coat or hat. She shut the door and expected to hear his car start, but it didn't. Then she realized the young man was walking. There's every belief he was Ronald Tammen. The supposition is that he had an attack of amnesia. He had no idea who he was, but he wanted to get to the bus stop.
The problem with the amnesia theory is the condition doesn't usually last. Dr. Peter Simson, a psychologist at Miami, said most post-traumatic conditions last a matter of months, at most.
The late Joe Cella, a reporter who covered Mr. Tammen's disappearance for the Hamilton Journal-News, claimed the police investigation wasn't thorough. He continued to inquire about Mr. Tammen for 25 years, and he carried the student's class photo in his wallet. He learned that Mr. Tammen asked for sheets and pillowcases an hour before he disappeared. Mr. Cella also discovered that five months before Mr. Tammen disappeared, he visited Garrett Boone, a Hamilton physician, to determine his blood type. Nothing more.
But by then, police had neither leads nor reasons to continue the investigation. They didn't even keep the original case files. The next year, the university razed 120-year-old Fisher Hall to make way for the Marcum Conference Center.
An arrest card was found for Mr. Tammen. He was cited for running a red light at Main and High streets on March 21, 1953. His $5 fine was suspended.
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact: Oxford Police Department 513-524-5240
Source Information:
The Cincinnati Enquirer 10/31/98
Ron Tammen Disappearance
The Doe Network: Case File 1562DMOH
Link:
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1562dmoh.html
Ronald Henry Tammen, Jr.
Missing since April 19, 1953 from Oxford, Ohio
Classification: Endangered Missing
Vital Statistics
Date Of Birth: July 23, 1933
Age at Time of Disappearance: 19 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'10"; 175 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White male. Dark hair and muscular.
Blood type: O Positive
Circumstances of Disappearance
Tammen was last seen in old Fisher Hall, a former Victorian mental asylum, at Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio on April 19, 1953.
Ronald Henry Tammen Jr. was just another hard-working Miami University student until that cold Sunday night on April 19, 1953, when he walked out of Room 225 and into oblivion.
Forty-five years later, the sophomore business major remains Oxford's favorite ghost story.
Mr. Tammen, a 19-year-old residence hall adviser, vanished from old Fisher Hall, a former Victorian mental asylum that was some said was haunted.
About 8:30 p.m., he entered his room after returning from a road engagement with the Campus Owls, a popular dance band for which he played string bass. Outside sat his 1938 Chevrolet sedan. It is said he heard something that disturbed him, and he went into the hall to investigate. Apparently he didn't intend to go anywhere. He left his wallet, car keys and personal items on his desk. He also left the lights on, a book open, the radio playing and his clothes in the closet. His bank account, with about $200, remained active.
Authorities checked all bus, rail and air terminals. The Air Force ROTC sent 400 men to help students search the countryside.
Officials have discounted any theory of foul play, commenting that the missing man is rugged and strong. Tammen was not in any financial difficulty . . . since counselors are chosen for their stability, there seems to be no reason for a voluntary disappearance. Thus, officials have temporarily settled upon the thesis of amnesia. Friends and family -- from Maple Heights, near Cleveland -- said Mr. Tammen wouldn't leave without telling them. At first, police developed the amnesia theory, but later they did consider that he might have deliberately disappeared.
Phillip R. Shriver, a former Miami president and history professor who came to Miami in 1965, thinks Ronald Tammen somehow lost his memory and later that night arrived on the doorstep of Mrs. Carl Spivey in Seven Mile, about 15 miles east of Oxford. At midnight, she heard a knock on her door. She saw a young man -- he fit Tammen's description -- standing outside. When she opened the door, he asked her how to get to the bus station. But there was no bus station in Seven Mile. She told him to go to Hamilton. She noticed he had a smudge of dirt on a cheek and his eyes were vacuous. Snow was on the ground that night, but he wore no coat or hat. She shut the door and expected to hear his car start, but it didn't. Then she realized the young man was walking. There's every belief he was Ronald Tammen. The supposition is that he had an attack of amnesia. He had no idea who he was, but he wanted to get to the bus stop.
The problem with the amnesia theory is the condition doesn't usually last. Dr. Peter Simson, a psychologist at Miami, said most post-traumatic conditions last a matter of months, at most.
The late Joe Cella, a reporter who covered Mr. Tammen's disappearance for the Hamilton Journal-News, claimed the police investigation wasn't thorough. He continued to inquire about Mr. Tammen for 25 years, and he carried the student's class photo in his wallet. He learned that Mr. Tammen asked for sheets and pillowcases an hour before he disappeared. Mr. Cella also discovered that five months before Mr. Tammen disappeared, he visited Garrett Boone, a Hamilton physician, to determine his blood type. Nothing more.
But by then, police had neither leads nor reasons to continue the investigation. They didn't even keep the original case files. The next year, the university razed 120-year-old Fisher Hall to make way for the Marcum Conference Center.
An arrest card was found for Mr. Tammen. He was cited for running a red light at Main and High streets on March 21, 1953. His $5 fine was suspended.
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact: Oxford Police Department 513-524-5240
Source Information:
The Cincinnati Enquirer 10/31/98
Ron Tammen Disappearance
The Doe Network: Case File 1562DMOH
Link:
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1562dmoh.html