Browse Interviews

Ann Sindelar, is the Reference Supervisor at the Western Reserve Historical Society and explains what the special collections library at WRHS can offer patrons. She emphasizes the amount of material WRHS has on the University Circle area, the Wade family and Wade Park. She expresses her love of history and the joy in connecting researchers to the WRHS collections. WRHS partners with many cultural institutions and schools in University Circle and has recently been helping with the Circle Walk…

Gene Roy was born in Alfred, New York and first moved to Cleveland in 1947. After moving away for some time she returned to the area in 1970. She taught at the Cleveland Institute of Music. During her tenure with CIM the school moved from Mather Mansion to University Circle. She and her husband were involved in the Cleveland music scene. Her husband worked at Severance Hall with the Cleveland Orchestra and was instrumental in starting the Cleveland Art Prize. She lived in Cleveland Heights…

George Havens was born in 1924 in Cleveland and grew up in East Cleveland. He graduated from Case College, served in World War II and eventually ended up in the advertising business. The University Circle area was integral to his life, which in the 1930s and 1940s was referred to as the 105th Street area. He frequently ate at Wade Park Manor, attended programs at Severance Hall, and even took a dip in Wade Lagoon. The 105th Street area was very active and Havens shares multiple stories of his…

Kathleen Shamp, originally from Wooster, came to Cleveland to work for the Cleveland Public Library. She lived off and on at the Evangelist Church that doubled as a Salvation Army sponsored women's home. Throughout her life Shamp has been involved in the Cleveland music scene. She sang in multiple church choirs, including the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, Jewish Singing Society and took voice lessons at the Cleveland Institute of Music. She led a busy life by working at the Cleveland Public…

Robert Brooks was born in Cleveland. He spent much of his life in the University Circle area. More specifically, Brooks lived on the corner of East 105th Street and Chester Avenue. He vividly describes and shares some of the experiences he had in that neighborhood. He learned French at the Demonstration School for Foreign Languages and subsequently taught French in the Cleveland Public Schools. Later in life he dedicated his time to volunteering with the program Project Learn, as well as with…

Murray Davidson came to Cleveland in 1967 to work for the University Circle Development Foundation. His main professional purpose was to revitalize the University Circle area. He developed intimate professional relationships with many people of the community from all walks of life. He highlights the importance of the University Circle Development Foundation to the community and the new focus of the rebranded University Circle Incorporated. Davidson provides a multitude of interesting stories…

When Oliver Seikel was five years old, his newly widowed mother moved to Cleveland for work. He occasionally went to the Cleveland Museum of Art and Severance Hall growing up, but he summered with his grandparents and attended boarding schools. However, Seikel does note the different businesses that came and went from places like the Elysium, mentions the art museum's lagoon, and going to breakfast at Wade Park Manor. He continued his education at a string of institutions including MIT. When he…

S. Jordan Perlman moved to Cleveland in 1936. Perlman describes his experiences, in the 1940s and 1950s, growing up in the 105th Street Area. He names the theaters, restaurants and other leisure venues that he frequented. After high school he served in the army and went to college, therefore, he became quite estranged from the University Circle Area. However today Perlman has reconnected with his roots by living at Judson and volunteering at the Cleveland Clinic.

Louise Carpenter was born in Pennsylvania and moved to Cleveland in 1939 to study voice and music at Case College. When she first moved to the area she lived in a women's boarding house on 114th Street and Mayfield. She remembers many of the places she used to go to in the 105th Street area including the Elysium, a variety of restaurants, the Cleveland Orchestra and the 105th Street Market. She notes where different Case College and Western Reserve buildings used to be and where they are located…

Alexander Cook was an editorial cartoonist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. He also taught art in Cleveland Public Schools for approximately 25 years. By focusing on his teaching career, he mentions busing desegregation and the noticeable change in students' work ethic and discipline. Cook also makes a distinction between suburban schools and city schools. He served in World War II and describes the experience of being one of the first troops in Japan after the dropping of the atomic bombs.

Ann Fabens grew up on a farm in Tennessee. She left to attend college and there met her husband. Her husband's love of Cleveland eventually brought the new family to the area. Much of Fabens' life was spent volunteering with the Junior League and Rainbow Hospital. She vividly describes the experiences she had at her various volunteering assignments. When not volunteering, Fabens enjoyed spending time with her family, and much of their leisure time was spent on the lakes. Fabens also frequented…

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 States in their own airplane and flying around the world with the People to People Program. She spends a considerable amount of the interview…

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 students, was a passion of hers. Hoffman became very successful in her profession and eventually earned a PhD. Even at Judson she is still educating…

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…

Alica Palda describes her conservative upbringing. Then she explains how she evolved into a liberal urbanite. Her calling was the theatre and storytelling. She was employed with the Cleveland Public Library System and the Cleveland Heights Public Library System. She colorfully describes her life experiences as a children's librarian, a theatre enthusiast and a neighborhood integration advocate. She documents her time at the Karamu Theatre and her encounter with the Hough Riots.

Allen Ford's family has been in the area since the early 1800s. He is connected, therefore, to many of the buildings in downtown Cleveland and provides quick histories of many of those places. He worked for Pickands Mather and Standad Oil. He covers various topics that focus on energy sources including OPEC and fracking. He explains the importance for Cleveland to embrace and encourage technologically advanced businesses to come to the city to promote growth.

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,…

George Havens grew up in East Cleveland. He wrote a book about living in the area so much of this interview focuses on his childhood. The YMCA, Big Band era music, dancing and dating were important to Havens. He grew up during the Depression era and he explains how his family was affected. He highlights how fads that many thought would be around forever always seemed to fade like talkies, streetcars and Big Band dance music. He served in World War II and had his own advertising firm. Later in…

Allan Peskin describes his early childhood in Cumberland, Maryland, and his family's arrival in Cleveland and eventual settlement in Cleveland Heights. The interview offers a colorful insight into the life of a young Jewish man living in a suburb of Cleveland. Peskin vividly describes growing up in Cleveland Heights. The interview also highlights Peskin's relationship to Western Reserve University and Cleveland State University.

Eugenia Vainberg, originally from Kiev, Ukraine, arrived in Cleveland as a Russian Jewish refugee in 1977. She starts by explaining the persecution she and other Jews had to face while living in communist Russia. For Vainberg, mathematical and scientific achievements were the common threads that wove throughout her life. Once she arrived in Cleveland, Vainberg explains that the Jewish community was strong and supportive. She and her family found great success in Cleveland and elsewhere in the…

Originally from Massachusetts, Robert Arnold discusses growing up during the Depression. He moved to Cleveland to be closer to his wife's family, who were longtime Clevelanders. Arnold actively served in World War II and explains in detail his involvement in the war. After the war Arnold became involved in the real estate business. He speaks to the integration of Cleveland neighborhoods. He enjoyed being involved in the local government and was elected Mayor of Cleveland Heights.

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…

Jenifer Garfield grew up in New Orleans during the 1930s and 1940s. She describes growing up in the South. She moved to Cleveland after marrying a well-connected husband. She was involved in real estate and describes the changes in the Cleveland and Shaker Heights neighborhoods over the years. She and her husband were very involved in community organizations. She spends a considerable amount of time pinpointing where restaurants and businesses were in the Cedar Fairmount, Coventry, Shaker and…

Ruth Thompson, originally from Pennsylvania, is an avid baseball fan. She discusses how important the Cleveland Indians have been in her life. The evolution of gender roles in the healthcare field and in general are expressed throughout the interview. A proponent of racial diversity, Thompson describes the integration of baseball teams and her neighborhood of Shaker Heights. Thompson describes the advances in healthcare especially in the genital biology field and women's health.

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…

Robert H. Arnold born in Massachusetts, but made his mark in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Arnold begins his story by discussing his time during World War Two, and he mentions several harrowing experiences he had abroad, and challenging experiences he had once he came back state-side. After his time in the war, Arnold had several offers. He could have studied law at Yale or became part of an executive training program at General Electric, a program that he had begun before the war. instead of these…

Patricia Kilpatrick, Cleveland native, describes the changes that occurred around her city, her job, and her university. She begins by talking about living in East Cleveland during the Great Depression. Here she mentions that she went to the Aquacade, which was part of the Great Lakes Exposition of 1937. She chronicles the changes that East Cleveland has underwent over her 80-plus years in the Cleveland area. Change in the city was not the only thing she mentioned. She discusses changes in her…

Oklahoma native, Marjorie M. Lamport recalls her move to Cleveland and the changes that have occurred in the last fifty years. She begins by talking about her time in Oklahoma during the Great depression. She continues by saying that her husband told her that they were moving to Cleveland because of work. Once in Cleveland, they settled in Maple Heights, until she divorced her first husband and moved to Cleveland Heights. There she lived behind what is now Severance Town Center, which she…

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…

Betty Gaetjens is resident of Judson Place who has recently celebrated her 100th birthday. She has lived in Cleveland for her entire life, and graduated from Flora Stone Mather College in 1935. She talks about where she grew up and where she went to school. She also remembers going on various trips with her parents and later her husband and two sons. She tells about how she and her husband took their kids to all 50 states and 6 Canadian provinces before they were out of high school.
A majority…

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…

Robert Brooks, a resident at Judson Place, gives a detailed description of his early life. He discribes his various homes and the neighborhoods they were located in. He also remembers nuanced details about the schools he went to A.J. Rickoff and Hazeldell. He recalls his time in college and what he did after college. Then after working for Cleveland Public Schools for many years, he retired and gained all kinds of freedom and volunteer opportunities. He concludes by talking about the various…

Dorothy Kuhn, while not born in Cleveland, has spent nearly fifty years in Cleveland. She was born in Pennsylvania and describes what it was like picking up cans for the war effort during World War 2. She came to Cleveland after stints in California and St. Louis to become a nurse. She got her degree from the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing and was immediately hired to be on the faculty of the school. She mentions her husband and how they were active members at Grace Lutheran Church until…

Ursula Korniechouk, a native of Germany, describes her life in Germany and the experiences she had in Cleveland. Growing up during World War Two had a tremendous affect on Korniechouk. Her father was outspoken against the Hitler regime, and her mother was concerned that he would be apprehended by the authorities. She came to Cleveland because of her husband, and she quickly became acquainted with the racial divide in Cleveland. She was shocked at how people could be so racist in a country that…

Martha Hickox describes her life over the last 96 years. She is the daughter of the great business tycoon, Joseph Eaton. She has a high opinion of her father and all he did for her. She relates stories about travelling to Italy with her family and seeing many of the museums and other sights in Italy. She then talks about where she went to college, and what she did after college. She explains she was a professional volunteer and served on the board of many non-profit organizations. She also…

William H. Collins, successful architect, spends a lot of time discussing the various projects he worked on throughout Cleveland. He begins, however, talking about growing up in Cleveland Heights, a place where he spent 84 years of his life. He recalls going to the Euclid-105th area and spending time at the movie theaters there. He also talks about the streetcars and how he would take them downtown. He remembers how he became an architect, and he continues by talking about his favorite projects…

Alice R. McKinley, a Maryland native, describes moving to Cleveland. She talks about her experiences as a librarian. She remembers moving to Hunting Valley because her husband was the Headmaster of University School. She describes fox hunts and hot air balloon rides that occurred while she was in Hunting Valley. McKinley also discusses the children at various schools where she worked. Finally, she talks about how University School, as it was planning its move to Hunting Valley, was extremely…

Oxford, Ohio native and current Judson resident, Mary Susan Davis, discusses how she had to balance raising a family and advancing her career. She talks about how difficult it was to raise her son while being a single mother. She spends a good deal of time describing the tumult surrounding the Hough Riots, and she relates a touching story about a little girl whose house was turned into a outpost. She also talks about her job and the various studies she was a part of over the course of her…

Paul Goldman was the son of immigrants and a Cleveland native. He discusses his life's experiences with regards to World War II, the Great Depression, and growing up in an ethnic neighborhood. He begins by describing that neighborhood and the schools that were available to the kids. He moves into a discussion about his experiences during World War II. He especially focuses on his time working with a medical corps treating transcontinental truckers. He goes back to talking about growing up in an…

Massachusetts native, Zelda Segal discusses what it was like teaching at Boulevard School in Cleveland Heights for over thirty years. Segal gives a background of her life growing up during the Great Depression and attending college during World War 2. She then gives the reasons why she came to Cleveland; along with teling the story about how she got a master's in education. She worked for the Cleveland Heights school district for thirty years and relates many of those experiences. Integration…

Donald Kuhn describes his life from growing up on a truck farm in Avon to retiring in Cleveland Heights. He provides detailed and vivid memories of how places have changed and transformed over the years. He begins with Avon. He says that the pivotal moment in Avon was when they got the sewers in place. After that people began moving in droves. A similar situation happened in Cleveland Heights, but instead of creating sewers it was the removal of a ban on for sale signs. According to Kuhn, the…

Dr. Mary Kay Howard describes growing up in Cleveland with a major disability. She begins by talking about the neighborhood she grew up in, and what she did as a child. She describes how she was moved around in the school system to accommodate being blind. A disability that did not seem to hinder her because she eventually received her doctorate in history from the University of Pennsylvania. She also talks about the problems that faced her for being a woman trying to get a Ph. D, which at times…

Amy Isaacs, or Mimi Isaacs, is a resident of Judson Manor and was a life-long resident of the Cleveland Area. She grew up in the Glenville neighborhood of Cleveland before moving to Shaker Heights. She eventually attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. She met her future husband in Chicago, and the two of them would move back to Shaker Heights after he returned from World War II. Once they moved back to Cleveland and her kids were in school, Mimi finished her degree at what was…

Ivan L. Otto, an immigrant to Cleveland, recalls traveling from Hungary as a refugee after World War Two. He describes the schools he went to throughout his life, and how he befriended an African American in the sixth grade who taught him English. According to Otto, they were two outsiders who stuck together. He mentions the different areas and neighborhoods that he lived in as a Clevelander. He also describes the big cases that he worked on as a lawyer. The biggest being the Doan Brook Dam. As…

Kerstin E. Trawick born in Texas ended up moving to Cleveland after her husband got a job at Cleveland State University. She came to Cleveland by way of New York City, where she has fond memories especially of the arts and culture there. She explains how she was focused on her children when they first moved here, but decided to rejoin the workforce after her kids got older. After working at Case Western Reserve for several years as the assistant to the secretary, She got a position with the law…

Helen M. Moise, longtime columnist for both the Plain Dealer and The Cleveland Press, discusses her career and her beliefs. She talks about how she began in home economics before she moved into writing a food column for the Cleveland Press. She also discusses how the Press declined and how she got a job working for the Plain Dealer. She mentions her successful efforts to create a large book and author series in Cleveland. Along the way she gives examples of some of her favorite and most…

Elizabeth Twaddell describes her life. She begins by sharing her birthday and home. She then describes moving to Philadelphia due to her father's job. She recalls a story of being in France during the start of World War II and having to come home. Once home, after a few unsuccessful attempts at jobs, Twaddell joined the Navy and became a cypher decoding secret messages.Once she left the war she went to work for the Quakers in Philadelphia. Three-quarters of the way through the interview she…

Gilbert Frey grew up on Cleveland's east side in Collinwood and Euclid. Immediately out of high school, he joined Lincoln Electric as a factory worker and climbed the company's rank to Director of the Personnel Department. Gil relates his experiences and loyalties with Lincoln over 43 years of service. Lincoln Electric is noted as a unique business model utilizing employee incentive programs to reward productivity via shared profits. Gil's experience testify to the model's success.

Kenneth H. Cooley, longtime Cleveland resident and native, discusses how Cleveland has changed over the years. He recalls being a kid and growing up in the Cedar Fairfax neighborhood. There he worked as grocery delivery boy where he got exposed to houses of prostitution, but he did not realize where he was until many years later. He continues by talking about the various clubs, bars, and other joints all around a neighborhood called Little Hollywood. Although, he never stepped foot in any of…

Sara Caruloff, a resident at Judson Manor, describes her life living in Lorain, Ohio. She was born in Follansbee, West Virginia and move to Lorain with her mother when she was 2 years old. She recalls the many languages that were spoken in her house including English and Italian. She also discusses the living situation she found herself in as a poor family during the Great Depression. She then discusses her varied employment history, including a 20 year stint as a small business owner. She then…