Browse Interviews

In this short interview, Martin Friedman discusses Coventry Village. He says he grew up in Coventry until his parents moved them to University Heights. Martin, however, eventually made his way back to Coventry, much to the chagrin of his parents. They always thought that Coventry reminded them of the troubles they had when they "were moving on up."…

Steve Presser, owner of Big Fun, describes his life in Cleveland Heights, being owner of a toy store, and his love for Coventry. He begins by giving a brief history of the path he took to owning Big Fun. He also talks about the renovations and construction he did to open the original store and then the current store. After that, Steve discusses his…

Nicholas Mazzone talks about growing up in Cleveland's near west side and the clubs and tensions of the 1960s and 1970s.

Beth Hoffman, a native Clevelander, was born to Hungarian immigrant parents. Her father was a pharmacist and owned two drug stores in the Buckeye and East Boulevard Area. She describes this neighborhood in detail and the Hungarian traditions and culture that was practiced and celebrated. Creative writing, especially poetry writing for elementary…

Irene Burkheart grew up in Cleveland and was from a family of Polish immigrants. She attended Flora Stone Mather College and soon became a teacher. Her life was dedicated to teaching, tutoring and raising her six children. She raised her family in University Heights. The later part of her life was spent traveling with her husband across the United…