Browse Interviews

Staff Sargeant Linton Freeman gives a reading called "War" of his experiences during World War II. He begins in 1943, somewhere in Germany, but he was not permitted to explicitly state where he was in Germany. He describes what the definition of war is, and what he thinks that soldiers believe the definition of war is: "War is Hell." He states that war will always be a part of the human experience despite of all of the atrocities associated with war. Freeman continues by stating that man becomes…

Linwood Smith, a member of the Carl Stokes Mayoral Administration, recalls his time working for the city in the 1960s. He describes the riots in Hough and Glenville. He describes the Model Cities program and how people were incredulous that "free" money was coming to them through a $4,000 grant. They always thought there were strings attached. Smith then goes into the problems that Carl Stokes had to deal with, and he lists the police force as first and foremost. Smith discusses the chain of…

Venerine Branham discusses her relationship with Louis Stokes, her memories of Cleveland growing up, Carl Stokes, and the desegregation of Cleveland schools.

Dargan Burns talks about coming to Cleveland to find work in the emerging field of Public Relations. He discusses his educational background and the desegregation of Boston University. Other topics include segregation, World War II and Civil Rights. He talks about Carl and Louis Stokes and meeting a young Martin Luther King, Jr. Other topics of interest include confronting segregation at Cleveland YMCA and “targeting” institutions in need of civil rights reform such as the Cleveland Clinic,…

Julian Earls, former NASA Research Center Director talks about his time at NASA and Cleveland State University’s Nance College of Business Administration. He gives his personal recollections of Carl and Louis Stokes and the Hough Riots. Earls was the first African-American supervisor at NASA and talks about the racism there. He credits Louis Stokes as the reason NASA is still in Cleveland. There are other interesting stories about Civil Rights, Central State University, and Kappa Alpha Si.

Venerine Branham, an educator and school administrator in the Cleveland area, talks about growing up in Cleveland housing projects. Throughout the interview, she talks about childhood friends and neighbors Carl and Louis Stokes. Other notable topics included in the interview are desegregation, busing, and the Hough uprising of 1966. At the end of the interview, she reflects on her teaching career and the pleasures of working with children.

In this 2006 interview, Carmel Whiting talks about growing up in Washington D.C. and segregation of the schools and businesses. She married Cleveland native Elmer Whiting and talks about their Shaker Heights residence, segregation, and racism. There is a great deal of discussion about Carl and Louis Stokes throughout the interview including their personal relationship and the Stoke’s legacy. Whiting talks about the impact of the Hough Riots and other topics such as civic education, local history…

News anchor Leon Bibb talks about growing up in Glenville and working in television news in Cleveland. As a young reporter, he dealt with such historic moments as the Tet Offensive and Kent State shooting. He said he was in the first of a wave of African Americans to work at the Plain Dealer. Bibb talks about Carl and Louis Stokes and offers thoughts about Vietnam, voting, civil rights and journalism. The interview contains memorable quotes and moments reflected on by Bibb throughout his career…

This 2004 interview with Ed Pershey of the Western Reserve Historical Society deals with the Dr. Pershey's education, including firsthand recollections of events at Case Western Reserve University, and goes into detail about programming at WRHS, in particular an exhibit about Carl Stokes and Louis Stokes.

Burt Saltzman, owner of Dave's Supermarket, discusses the evolution of his family business in the Cleveland area and how demographic, economic, and environmental changes have impacted his industry. Burt explains his family history, memories of living and operating in Cleveland, business philosophy, interesting narratives, and predictions for the future of the grocery industry. Despite the dynamic changes throughout Cleveland's history, Dave's has endured where many have failed.

Michelle Broome discusses growing up in the Cleveland area, specifically the St. Clair and Superior neighborhood. She details her experiences growing up as well as her work in the community through the St. Clair Superior Development Corporation. Broome details the organizations impact on issues such as urban development, education, faith based organizations, and community safety. Not only a detailed overview of the past work of the organization, Broome forcasts the groups vision and plans for…

Sam Awad discusses his life here in Cleveland after moving here from Egypt as a teenager. He discusses his work history and how he purchased several businesses in the St. Clair Superior neighborhood. Among his concerns for the future of the area are a need for more police, a desire to see more home owners in the area, and a return to hard working mentality among Americans.

Carl Robson discusses his experiences as a doctor in Cleveland and elsewhere as well as his deep interest in Ethiopian culture and people. He has lived and worked in the St. Clair Superior neighborhood for several decades. Additionally, he discusses his philanthropic endeavors such as providing housing, jobs, and educations for numerous Ethiopians as well as running an Ethiopian restaurant here in Cleveland.

Urshelene Drewery discusses the difficult times her and her family have endured during their years in Cleveland. She attributes much of what she has in her life to her spirituality and to god. She also discusses the decline of the St. Clair Superior neighborhood due to crime and how many of her neighbors help each other out. Several of the residents in the area hope a neighborhood garden will come to fruition.