Browse Interviews

John Nosek (b. 1949) and Leon Stevens (b. 1948) are native Clevelanders who grew up on the east side. They discuss the Cleveland gay community in the 1970s and '80s, including managing the Gay Educational and Awareness Resource (GEAR) Foundation's High Gear newspaper in its early years and their gay activism in the mid- to late 1970s. Nosek and Stevens detail the early history of GEAR, its Gay Hotline, and its long struggle to establish what eventually became the LGBT Community Center of Greater…

Rose Martin describes growing up in Lakewood and changes in both Lakewood and Cleveland since the 1940s.

Paul Martin describes growing up in Lakewood and changes in both Lakewood and Cleveland since the 1940s, his experiences during World War II, working for the Illuminating Company, and his feelings about the mayoral administration of Dennis Kucinich.

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

Paul Mueller is a successful businessman and a Cleveland native. Both of his parents are immigrants. His mother was a house maid for the Halle brothers and his father was a shepherd in Germany and along with being drafted into Kaiser Wilhelm's army for World War I. His parents met in America and had a candy store for a brief stint in the Depression. They started their family in Lakewood. Mueller went to St. Marks, St. Edward for High school, and then attended Cleveland State University. At CSU…

St. James of Lakewood is located at 17514 Detroit Avenue. The church was built between 1920 and 1947 reflecting several prevalent European architectural and decor styles. The parish served the western Lakewood community for about one hundred years through its closing in 2008 by the Diocese of Cleveland. The parish closure is being appealed to the Vatican at this time. In the interview, too parishioners Toni Sabo and Joe Dwyer, describe the church building design, structure and interior decor.…