Browse Interviews

Donna McIntyre Whyte, a Shaker Heights resident, has led a colorful life. She describes the life of her parents. Her mother was a pilot in the 1940s – a unique job for an African American woman at the time – and her uncle was a Tuskegee Airman. Whyte's parents passed a strong work ethic and a belief in the value of education on to her. Whyte describes growing up in the Mount Pleasant area and the fun she had with friends. She tells a great story about how kids would hide in the trunk of the car…

Robert O'Neal is the chief probation officer in Shaker Heights at the time of this interview. He was born in the Glenville area and moved to Shaker Heights when he was in the fifth grade. He went to school in Shaker, graduating from Shaker Heights High School. After high school he went to Morehouse College in Atlanta. While in college he worked on the campaign of Maynard Jackson, who became the first black mayor of Atlanta. From Atlanta he went back to Shaker for a few years then moved to Los…

Francis Chiappa describes his role in the Cleveland Heights Nuclear Freeze Campaign in the 1980s. He worked hard along with other members of Cleveland Heights to make Cleveland Heights a Nuclear Free zone. He describes his background that placed him on the path of activism. He also describes the challenges and triumphs in the process of designating Cleveland Heights nuclear free.

Croatian Native and longtime Clevelander, Sonja Unger describes her time in Cleveland. She begins by discussing how she volunteered to help accommodate newly arrived immigrants. She relates several interesting stories about various immigrants she encountered along the way. She then describes her political involvement in two arenas. The first being Civil Rights, which was mostly her husband's field, but she says she could not let him have all of the fun. She then talks about how she spearheaded…

Marilyn B. Bialosky, Shaker Heights native, describes her well traveled life. She recalls what it was like growing up during the Great Depression and World War 2. She met her husband at Forest Hills Park, and at 16 years old she knew she was going to marry him. After 65 years of marriage, her feelings for him are still strong. Living in Shaker Heights around Shaker Square, Bialosky describes what it was like growing up with anti-semitism, and then what it was like teaching at Ludlow during…

Gretchen Larson, Cleveland Native, discusses living in the Eastside suburbs of Cleveland. Born in East Cleveland, it was not long before her father took advantage of the Great Depression and moved them to a bigger, better house in Shaker Heights. She relates many memories about her time growing up on Southington Boulevard. These include how groceries were delivered directly to the house, how she once saw a runaway horse running down the street, and how people would pick the dandelions to make…

Diana Woodbridge grew up in Tucson, Arizona, and Shaker Heights, attended college at Miami University, and taught school for a short time in Painesville, Ohio. She discusses the struggle for fair housing in the Heights in the 1960s-70s and the formation of two key organizations: Forest Hill Housing Corporation and Heights Community Congress.

George Rose, originally from the Bronx in New York City, explains what it was like to live in a working-class neighborhood growing up. He vividly describes marches on Union Square and unionization. He was drafted in World War II, but he still completed college. He entered the oil industry and worked for decades at Standard Oil of Ohio in the Midland Building. He lived with his family in Shaker Heights. During the interview, the changes he observed in the neighborhood were detailed. Although born…

Carolyn Peskin grew up in Cleveland Heights and was a dedicated student. She holds numerous graduate degrees ranging from chemistry to music therapy. She describes the integration of Shaker Heights. She briefly discusses how the role women played in society changed and developed. After having a short career as a teacher, Peskin devoted much of her adult life to the care of her children and traveling with her environmentalist husband. She touches on some of the environmental issues the Great…

John Bourne states that his third occupation is being a genealogist. Due to his affinity for ancestral research he provides a lengthy sweep of the Bourne family history and how they came to Cleveland. At a young age he started to work at Central National Bank and he worked himself up through the ranks. He eventually transferred to Bank One. He soon left the banking world behind and got involved with commercial real estate. He has always been very involved in the University Circle area,…

Christine Branche, originally from Arkansas, moved to Cleveland when she was six. She attended Cleveland Public Schools and excelled in her studies. Her adult life was devoted to promoting the Christian Children's Fund and Head Start around the world. She specifically focused on encouraging parent involvement in their students' education. She raised her family in the Ludlow community and served in the Ludlow Community Association. In full detail she describes the rewards and challenges that the…

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland describes her life in the Moreland neighborhood, including the neighborhood, proximity of shops to their home, the help the city provided to homeowners, the importance of East View Church, and her work as a nurse practitioner.

Marian Garth-Saffold discusses her time living in Moreland, her involvement in the community, and reasons she moved to and from Shaker. The choice to move to Moreland was influencd by its good school system and its acceptance of blacks in the 1960s. Marian talks with the interviewer about her job as a lab technician and then working for the unions. She discusses her daughter's impact on life in Shaker and Warrensville, where she and her husband moved when her daughter became the city's mayor.…

Walter Ratcliffe grew up in Shaker Heights and spent most of his life as a member of the Moreland community. He discusses his life growing up in Shaker playing basketball, going to parties, and his time moving around throughout the community.

LaVera Wingfield shares the story of her family growing up in Cleveland and moving to Shaker Heights. She tells stories about her children growing up in the school district and the affection she has for her community. Wingfield is currently involved with the Neighbor Night program and discusses programs they are hosting within the community.

Allen Foster has lived in Shaker Heights since 1984. He discusses his time on city council, his involvement with the Boy Scouts and youth groups, and his role in the Moreland Association.

Lydia Crowder discusses her childhood and her move into Shaker Heights. She discusses her memory growing up in the Shaker Heights area, including her move from Sutton Road to Milverton Road and the various attractions in the area.

Sharon Curry discusses her life in Shaker Heights. She lived on two different streets, Nicholas and Menlo. She reminisces about her life in Shaker, calling it a great place and promoting many of the aspects about it, especially its safety.

Steven A. Minter was President and Executive Director of The Cleveland Foundation for almost 20 years. In this interview, he discusses his life growing up in the Moreland community, his involvement in the Shaker school system, and education.

Donna M. Whyte speaks about the importance of the education system in Shaker Heights, specifically Moreland, to her decision to move to and remain in Moreland. She also discusses the importance of community and identity in this interview.

Jewel Murphy Kirkland discusses her experiences living in Shaker Heights and the Moreland neighborhood. In this interview, she discusses some of the difficulties living in Moreland as an African American, the importance of the Shaker school system, and the demographic of Moreland.

Miriam Rosenberg grew up in the Moreland community. She shares stories about being involved in Dr. Spock's program, the close friendships she made living in the neighborhood, and attending the Moreland schools.

Frank Gerlak, architect and urban planner, discusses the history of Coventry and, more generally, Cleveland Heights. Throughout this discussion he touches on the topics of streetcars, planned suburbs, public transportation, and the nation's obsession with the automobile, which concludes with thoughts on Cleveland's development, growth, and missed chances.

Bobbie Farrell is a longtime resident of Cleveland Heights and member of the Village Garden Club. She discusses her involvement in the Western Reserve Herb Society, including in conjunction with the Cleveland Botanical Garden, the Horseshoe Lake dam controversy, the importance of planting native species of trees and plants for sustainability, her time as president of the garden club, the club’s Cherry Tree Grove, older members’ involvement in stopping freeways planned in the Shaker Lakes.

Barbara Shockey, a member of Village Garden Club since 1992, moved from South Bend, Indiana, to Cleveland Heights in the late 1950s. She discusses her careers in teaching and real estate, offices held in the garden club, and her work to research the club’s history in preparation for its 85th anniversary in 2015. Shockey provides a summary of this history from its founding, including extensive commentary on the Shaker Lakes freeway fight in the 1960s, as well as on the Horseshoe Lake dam…

Sally Cantor is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, and a member of the Village Garden Club in Shaker Heights. She discusses growing up in Georgia, her research and career in social work, time spent living in Wilmington, Delaware, and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, before turning to her experience in the garden club. She shares stories about her night-blooming cereus parties, the garden club's Cherry Tree Grove, how the club continued to meet virtually during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the Horseshoe Lake…

Lorna Mierke of Shaker Heights has been a member of the Village Garden Club since 1964. She recounts memories of growing up in New Haven, Connecticut, where she lived through college. Mierke describes her mother-in-law Prudence Mierke’s role in fighting the Clark and Lee Freeways that were planned to slice through the Shaker Lakes in the 1960s, as well as her opinions about the Horseshoe Lake dam controversy. She discusses the origin of the garden club’s Cherry Tree Grove, her experience with…

Kathleen Tripp grew up in Connecticut and moved to the Cleveland area in the 1970s. She and her husband lived in a farmhouse on Case Western Reserve University’s Squire Valleevue Farm in Moreland Hills and then spent time living in the Netherlands and traveling in Europe before moving to Cleveland Heights in 2002. In the following year she joined the Village Garden Club. She describes club activities including during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020-21, the club’s admission of its first male…

Anne de Coningh of Chagrin Falls has been a member of Village Garden Club since 2003. In this interview, she recalls moving from Cleveland to Shaker Heights in the late 1950s, her time as a schoolteacher, skiing and sailing, garden club activities including during the Covid-19 pandemic, the club’s Cherry Tree Grove, club members’ role in stopping the construction of freeways through the Shaker Lakes, her opinions about the Horseshoe Lake dam controversy, and her current leadership of the Chagrin…

Pat Agatisa is a newer member of the Village Garden Club in Shaker Heights. She discusses growing up in New York City, living in Pittsburgh, and moving to Shaker Heights in the early 2000s to a house on Green Lake. She discusses her leading role in overseeing the upkeep of the garden club’s Cherry Tree Grove at Horseshoe Lake. Agatisa describes how the club accepted its first male member, reflects on how the club dealt with the Covid-19 pandemic, and shares gardening tips.

Helen Schreiber has been a member of the Village Garden Club since about 1970. She discusses immigrating to the U.S. from Germany in the 1940s with her Ukrainian parents, living in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood through high school, and returning after college to live in Shaker Heights. Schreiber describes her experience teaching flower arranging classes and her service in several positions in the garden club.

Dozie Herbruck is a longtime member and newly elected president of the Village Garden Club. Originally from Newark, New Jersey, she moved to Cleveland Heights in 1967. She discusses the garden club’s Cherry Tree Grove, how the club coped with the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and ways in which the club has evolved in recent years, including welcoming the first male member in its 90-year history. She also offers her thoughts on the current debates over the future of Horseshoe Lake.

Jim LaRue recollects his early childhood in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, eventually leaving for college at Bucknell University where he was student body president. At Bucknell, LaRue encountered Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and took inspiration from King's use of translating love into justice, which became a lifelong mantra for LaRue in his involvement in the ministry and in his efforts in rehabbing homes in the greater Cleveland area.

Kristina Walter, an art educator, recollects her early life and how her faith has shaped her experience living in the greater Cleveland area. Walter notes the importance of religion and social justice throughout her education, which led her to join Cleveland's Catholic Worker Movement.