Two University of Dayton students, Andrew Dixon and Sarah Pfarrer were planning to wed by April 28th, 1956. As the wedding date approached, Andrew’s father, John, had fallen ill and the outlook was not good. John was dying, and the family talked of postponing the wedding, but John insisted they do everything they can to keep the date and time, even hoping he’d make it long enough to see his son wed. Unfortunately, John Dixon died in his sleep just days before the wedding, and his funeral was planned for the afternoon of April 28th.

Andrew arose on the morning of April 28th at 6:30, ready for a long day of both happiness and sadness. As he dressed and prepared for his wedding, his uncle arrived and noticed three packages on the porch. His uncle brought the three packages in, believing them to be wedding presents. Andrew’s sister and two of his aunts gathered around the table as he began opening presents. The first package Andrew opened was a wedding gift, and the second was a cardboard box wrapped in brown paper. As he began opening the box, it exploded. The blast blew a hole three inches by 6 inches in the table, knocked out chunks of plaster from the ceiling and walls, and damaged furniture and light fixtures. The explosion was heard several blocks away.

Andrew was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital with injuries to his leg, arm, face, ears, and facing potential loss of vision in the right eye. His sister and aunts received minor injuries but recovered quickly. Although the morning nuptials were cancelled, the funeral that afternoon continued as expected.

Police were unable to determine motive, as Sarah and Andrew had been together for some time, ruling out the theory of a disgruntled suitor. The bomb was black powder and nitroglycerin, with wiring indicating the bomber had knowledge of explosives

During Andrew’s hospital stay, the Pfarrer home was inundated with threatening calls. The phone rang every three to four minutes, according to Mrs. Pfarrer. The most frightening call was from an adult woman, telling them Sarah just left the hospital and to not be surprised if she doesn’t make it home. Sarah had been at the hospital visiting Andrew when the call came in. To everyone’s relief, Sarah arrived home twenty minutes after that phone call. Another call threatened to leave a bomb on the porch of the Pfarrer home. Although the calls were believed to be crank calls, the police were taking no chances. The families were given special police protection.

A week after his release from the hospital, Andrew, who had 50 percent vision restored in his injured eye and reported “feeling fine”, married his bride Sarah in June 1956. The couple married at St. Albert’s Church, with police in attendance at each door. Just a few hours later, the young married couple graduated from University of Dayton. The couple then left for their honeymoon.