Browse Interviews

Annette Fromm is a folklorist and museum professional in Miami Beach, Florida. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, she earned a Ph.D. in Folklore from Indiana University and was the curator and oral history project director for the Greater Cleveland Ethnographic Museum in the late 1970s. She discusses her involvement in the museum and describes various grant-funded exhibits and initiatives that it undertook, including working with Icabod Flewellen's African American Museum.

Andrew Fedynsky immigrated to the United States as a child and grew up in the Tremont neighborhood. He describes living in Tremont and notes the different immigrant groups that lived in the area and how Tremont changed with each new wave of immigration. Fedynsky mentions why many immigrant groups, including Ukrainians, left Tremont and migrated to the suburbs.

Taras Szmagala was born to Ukrainian immigrant parents. His father was very involved in the Ukrainian immigrant community. Szmagala followed in his father's footsteps by taking a leadership role in the community. He highlights the strength of the Ukrainian community in Cleveland, the centrality of the church within the community, the migration of Ukrainians to the suburbs, and the importance of being part of the Ukrainian community, and how it has aided in his life successes.

Janet Thomas was born to Italian immigrant parents and lived in the Gordon Square neighborhood. She describes the neighborhood's bakeries, theatres, drug stores, and ethnic shops. Thomas mentions how the Depression impoverished her family, but notes that the Depression brought the different ethnicities of the community together. Her family never fully recovered financially from the Depression, therefore the family's leisure activities included going to church and visiting nearby parks like…

Christina Keegan grew up in Illinois but moved to Cleveland to attend Cleveland State University’s Urban Studies program. She is working to establish a phytoremediation garden in the Tremont neighborhood with the hopes that the garden will encourage a sense of community among neighbors while removing lead contamination from the soil. She discusses the Cleveland Towpath Trail and it’s possible impact on the garden and the city.

Involved in historic development in Cleveland, especially the warehouse district and gateway district, Cleveland native Thomas Yablonsky discusses the Ohio and Erie Canal He is on the Ohio and Erie Canal association board as well as the Ohio canal corridor. He also discusses the changes and developments in the Tremont region.

Interview recorded during Prosperity Social Club 10 year anniversary event.
Bonnie Flinner talks about her acquisition of the pub in 2005, her growing relationship with the Dembowski family and the Tremont neighborhood, and what she’s learned (and come to love) about managing a restaurant.

Interview recorded during Prosperity Social Club 10 year anniversary event. Richard and Theresa Dembowski (son and daughter in law of Stanley Dembowski) talk about Stanley’s acquisition of Hot Dog Bill’s in 1938, how the name “Dempsey’s Oasis” came about, the pub’s early days, and their experiences before and after talking over the restaurant when Stanley retired in 1967. See also the accompanying document: Richard Dembowski. "Our Family Tremont History," October 2015.

Interview recorded during Prosperity Social Club 10 year anniversary event.
Tremont resident Patti Choby describes changes to the neighborhood she witnessed over the last decade, and the importance of Prosperity Social Club as a local landmark.

Interview recorded during Prosperity Social Club 10 year anniversary event.
Jim Duncan recounts his youth growing up in the Tremont projects, the changes he has witnessed in the neighborhood over the past half century, and working as a shoe shine at Dempsey's Oasis.

Interview recorded during Prosperity Social Club 10 year anniversary event.
Erich Hooper is the owner of Hooper Farm, a neighborhood garden that works with the youth of the area. Mr Hooper has lived in Tremont since 1966 and discusses the early days of the neighborhood, and the changes that have occurred there.

Interview recorded during Prosperity Social Club 10 year anniversary event.
John Porter recounts being hired as the first bartender at Prosperity Social Club, and discusses the establishment's development under the ownership of Bonnie Flinner.

Interview recorded during Prosperity Social Club 10 year anniversary event.
Ms Nieves lived in an apartment above Prosperity for three years and relates the story of a unique roommate. In her account, Stan, a previous resident, is now a friendly ghost who haunts the bar and especially the upstairs apartment.

Interview recorded during Prosperity Social Club 10 year anniversary event.
Jean Brandt is a longtime Tremont resident that operated the former Brandt Gallery and her law office across the park from Prosperity. She speaks about the unique Tremont community and how Dempsey's/Prosperity is such an important resource in that regard – serving as a welcome wagon for new residents and a social hub for everyone.

Interview recorded during Prosperity Social Club 10 year anniversary event.
Greg and Jacquie Dembowski—son and daughter of Richard and Theresa Dembowski—describe their experience growing with their family's business, Dempsey’s Oasis. In addition to living next door to Dempsey's, they joined other members of an extended Dempsey’s family in running and maintaining the restaurant. From their perspective, restaurant and home were often indistinguishable.

Interview recorded during Prosperity Social Club 10 year anniversary event.
Tim Yanko describes visiting Dempsey's Oasis during the 1980s for fish fries, his family's ties to the Tremont neighborhood, and working as a bartender at Prosperity Social Club.

Interview recorded during Prosperity Social Club 10 year anniversary event.
Susan Durishin and Christian Webb recount their first visit to Prosperity Social Club, and share their impressions of the establishment.

Bonnie Sonich fondly recalls a variety of work experiences with her Dembowski cousins at Dempsey’s Oasis.

Interview recorded during Prosperity Social Club 10 year anniversary event.
Jessica and Justin share their love story and the role Prosperity has played in their relationship. After a string of first dates, all at Prosperity, Jessica finally met and fell in love with Justin, and Prosperity served as the venue for their wedding rehearsal dinner.