Browse Interviews

Richard Baznik, University Historian at Case Western Reserve University, provides a detailed history of the development of the university and describes how the school responded to various national and local events and movements. He notes CWRU's relationship with other cultural and educational institutions in the area.

Pamela Ashley, a lifelong Cleveland resident, talks about her life and experiences. She was born in Cleveland and moved to Cleveland Heights in the seventh grade. She describes her travels across the country with her immediate family to visit her extended family. She talks about what she did for fun, which included dances and house parties. She also talks about her education at Dyke College, and then her employment at Standard Oil and the United States Postal Service. She also talks about the…

Frank G. Jackson, mayor of Cleveland, discusses his interactions with Cleveland State University (CSU), his political history, and the projects he has implemented as mayor. He mentions his path to get his various degrees, and how he felt while he was getting these degrees. He also talks about the atmosphere at CSU and how it was different from where he started at Cuyahoga Community College. After his education he talks about his political career, and how he has had a unique experience being on…

This interview was conducted as part of Cleveland State University's 50th Anniversary Comemmoration effort. Geoffrey Mearns is currently the President of Northern Kentucky University. He moved to Shaker Heights, Ohio with his family in 1974 when he was 15 after his father accepted a position as a law professor at Case Western Reserve University. Mearns attended Shaker Heights High School where he excelled in track. After high school he went to Yale where he earned a bachelors degree in english…

Artist Michaelangelo Lovelace (b. Michael Anthony Lovelace) discusses his personal background and career; including details on his family and art education, and insights on the intersection of art and race. Lovelace, a native Clevelander, describes the formative moments of his life, including his first encounters with racism, the mentorship of artist Reverend Albert Wagner, his art education experiences at Cuyahoga Community College and the Cleveland Institute of Art, his first art exhibit at…