| Household Names from the Heights |
| |
| |
 |
 |
Like most cities, Cleveland Heights has its share of widely
known, widely respected and even widely reviled citizens. Building
on a research project launched several years ago by Sarah Wean,
we bring you the latest version of our “Cleveland Heights
Hall of Fame.” In addition to Sarah’s contribution,
we would like to acknowledge two reference sources that reatly
helped expand our list: John Stark Bellamy’s books on
Cleveland crime and the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, an
outstanding local-reference document accessible online at http://ech.cwru.edu. |
|
|
| |
| |
|
Click
images for larger views |
| |
|
|
Alex
“Shondor” Birns, legendary archcriminal, lived
for several years at 2813 Edgehill Rd. A Hungarian émigré,
Birns involved himself in rackets, prostitution, theft, assault, and
murder from the days of Prohibition until his
death. In the spring of 1975, Birns was killed by a bomb planted in
his automobile. No one was arrested for his murder. |
|
 |
|
| |
Mike
and Jules Belkin both graduated from Cleveland Heights High
School. In 1966, they were among a small handful of young entrepreneurs
at the forefront of the burgeoning rock and roll concert industry.
Since then, Belkin Productions has ecome
synonymous with rock entertainment, and involved in the careers of
performers such as Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd, Bette Midler, Genesis,
David Bowie, Dave Matthews Band, Phish, The Who, Bob Dylan, Pearl
Jam, Metallica and The Grateful Dead. (Image below) |
| |
 |
|
| |
 |
|
Chef
Boy-Ar-Dee, a.k.a., Hector Boiardi, lived at 2501 Arlington
Road. Born in Italy, he became head chef at the Ritz Carlton Hotel
in New York at the age of 17. After coming to Cleveland, he owned
the Giardion Restaurant, from which he sold sauces and pasta “to
go.” He started making packaged foods in the early 1930s and
parleyed that venture into a multi-million-dollar business. |
|
| |
| Dr.
George Crile, respected surgeon and founder of the Cleveland
Clinic, lived on the parcel of land now occupied by the Cedar Hill
Baptist Church (then 2620 Derbyshire Rd.). Although the house (which
originally was owned by Cleveland Heights Developer Patrick Calhoun)
was torn down in the 1940s, the accompanying carriage house at the
east end of the property still stands. |
|
 |
|
| |
| Pierino
(“Pete”) DiGravio, loanshark and gangster, was
shot to death while playing golf at the Orchard Hills golf course
on June 21, 1968. Known as the Mayor of Little Italy, DiGravio had
recently made the mistake of bad-mouthing his Mob rivals to a Cleveland
Press reporter. His murder has never been solved. At the time of his
death DiGravio lived at 2589 Norfolk Rd.1 (Photo
not available) |
|
| |
 |
|
Dorothy
Fuldheim, lecturer, commentator and the nation's first female
television news correspondent, lived at 2480 Kenilworth Rd. In addition
to being an award-winning journalist, she also was a strong advocate
of historic preservation, a celebrated gardener and an ardent feminist. |
|
| |
| Joel
Grey, Tony Award winning actor, spent part of his childhood
at 2441 Overlook Rd. In addition to his winning stage role in “Cabaret,”
Mr. Grey also starred in more than a dozen movies beginning in the
early 1960s. |
|
 |
|
| |
 |
|
George
Gund, familiar to most Clevelanders as president of Cleveland
Trust Bank and benefactor of the Gund Foundation, lived at 2665 East
Overlook Road. Prior to his banking career, he owned the Kaffe Hag
Corporation, which made decaffeinated coffee. He refined the process
and subsequently sold it to Coca-Cola. |
|
| |
| Samuel
Halle, co-founder of the Halle Brothers Department Store
in 1891, lived with his wife Blanche at 2163 Harcourt Drive. Many
illustrious people were entertained during the 40 years that the family
occupied the house, including Cole Porter, Sinclair Lewis, George
Gershwin, Artur Rubenstein and Sir Winston Churchill. (Photo below) |
| |
 |
|
| |
| Margaret Hamilton—the
most famous witch in the world (or at least in the “West”)
lived at 1295 Yellowstone Rd. (Photo not available) |
|
| |
| Jean
Harris, well-known headmistress of an exclusive east coast
girls' school—until she became even better known as the murderer
of Scarsdale Diet Doctor Herman Tarnower—lived at 2237 Demington
Drive. As unique as her life was, her explanation of why she killed
the doctor was even more unusual: She claimed that the gun accidentally
went off while she was trying to persuade him to kill her! |
|
 |
|
| |
| Ross Hunter,
hollywood producer, lived for a time on Berkeley Avenue. According
to Wikipedia, Hunter was known for producing “light” films
starring actresses such as Doris Day, Debbie Reynolds (the Tammy films)
and (later) Julie Andrews. He also produced Douglas Sirk melodramas
such as “Imitation of Life” with Lana Turner and several
with Rock Hudson. (Photo not available) |
|
| |
| Diana
Hyland, film and television actress, grew up at 2184 Bellfield
Avenue. Known mostly for her television work, the former Diana Gentner
was seen on The Twilight Zone, Wagon Train, The FBI and Dr. Kildare.
She also was John Travolta's first love interest. She died of cancer
in Travolta's arms on March 27, 1977. |
|
 |
|
| |
| Owen Kilbane
lived at 12920 Cedar Rd. from the 1970s until he was imprisoned for
life for his participation in the murder-for-hire killing of Euclid
Judge Robert Steele's wife Marilyn in 1969. (Photo not available) |
|
| |
| Peter
B. Lewis graduated from Cleveland Heights High School. In
1965 Lewis took over his father's company—Progressive Insurance—as
chief executive officer. At that time Progressive had 100 employees
and $6 million in revenue. In 2007, the Mayfield Heights-based company
employed almost 27,000 people and reported revenue of $14.7 billion.
|
|
 |
|
| |
 |
|
Dean
Martin, movie star, Rat Packer and crooner extraordinaire,
married Elizabeth Anne “Betty” McDonald at St. Ann's Church
in Cleveland Heights in 1941 (that’s amore). They lived at 2820
Mayfield Road. In his early life Martin also delivered bootleg liquor,
served as a speakeasy croupier, dealt blackjack, worked in a steel
mill and boxed as welterweight. |
|
| |
| Eliot Ness,
the Prohibition lawman of “Untouchables” fame, is reputed
to have lived at 1265 Inglewood Drive. Ness came to Cleveland in 1935
to become Public Safety Director. During his tenure, he developed
a reputation as “the cop who couldn't be broken.” Other
aspects of his life, however, were far more breakable: He was married
three times, ran unsuccessfully as Republican candidate for mayor
in 1947, suffered serious financial reverses, and died in 1957 at
the age of 54. (Photo below) |
| |
 |
|
| |
| Paul Newman
lived in Shaker Heights for a time, but he also resided at 2100 Renrock
Road. In fact, this was his first residence (his parents resided there
when Paul was born). He graduated from Shaker Heights High School,
spent some time at OSU, served as a radio man in the South Pacific
during WW2, graduated from Kenyon College, and then went on to make
more than 50 movies. (Photo below) |
| |
 |
|
| |
| Eunice
Podis was a renowned, internationally respected pianist who
made more solo appearances with the Cleveland Orchestra than any other
musician. She grew up at 3587 Washington Blvd. in Cleveland Heights
and graduated from Cleveland Heights High School. |
|
 |
|
| |
 |
|
Adela
Prentiss Hughes, the first woman to establish and manage
a major symphony orchestra, lived at 2400 Kenilworth Lane. In that
house, she entertained some of the world's famous musicians, including
Toscanini, Pavlova, Casals and Stravinski. |
|
| |
| John
D. Rockefeller, our suburb's most famous (and wealthiest)
citizen spent most summers at his Forest Hill estate. The actual house
(formerly a sanitarium) stood in what is now East Cleveland, right
at the top of the giant sledding hill in the northwest region of the
(then) 800-acre tract. His son, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., was the
developer of the Forest Hill subdivision in the 1930s: 81 French-Norman
homes in the neighborhood east and north of Mayfield and Lee Roads.
|
|
 |
|
| |
 |
|
Viktor
Schreckengost, who died in January 2008 at the age of 101,
lived much of his life at 2265 Stillman Rd. and graduated from the
Cleveland School of the Arts in 1929. Schreckengost was one of the
world’s most influential industrial designers: everything from
dinnerware to Murray bicycles to world’s first cab over engine—a
design that remains the standard for almost every city bus. |
|
| |
| Dr.
Sam Sheppard, Bay Village's not-so-favorite son, spent his
boyhood at 3062 Euclid Heights Blvd. As most of us know, he was convicted
of murdering his wife Marilyn in the early 1950s. The verdict later
was overturned. After leaving prison, Dr. Sam became a professional
wrestler—not a common or prestigious profession for ex-physicians.
He died of liver failure in 1970. |
|
 |
|
| |
 |
|
Nicolai
Sokoloff, the first conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra
(from 1918 to 1933), lived for a time at 1812 Cadwell Avenue. Although
considered brilliant and innovative, he also was tempestuous, unfriendly,
and generally difficult to work with.2 |
|
| |
| Dr.
Benjamin Spock lived at 1285 Inglewood Drive. Born in 1903,
he became a psychiatrist and, later, the most famous pediatrician
in history. From 1955 until 1967, he was professor of child development
at Western Reserve University (now CWRU). Attributing his longevity
to a macrobiotic diet, Spock died in 1998 at the age of 95. (Photo
below) |
| |
|
|
 |
|
| |
| Herbert Strawbridge,
long-time CEO of the Higbee company, lived on Hyde Park Avenue in
the 1950s. (Photo not available) |
|
| |
 |
|
Debra
Winger spent much of her childhood at 3795 Severn Rd. She
also attended Cleveland Heights High School but moved prior to graduation.
Ms. Winger twice was nominated for Academy Awards: for “An Officer
and a Gentleman” and “Terms of Endearment." |
|
| |
| Sean
Young, who appeared in “No Way Out” with Kevin
Kostner, and “Wall Street” with Michael Douglas, grew
up on Exeter Road. |
|
 |
|
| |
| Bela Zaboly—not
an immediately recognizable household name—lived at 2889 North
Park Blvd. in Cleveland Heights A former student of the Cleveland
Museum of Art and Cleveland Institute of Art, Zaboly assumed the role
of artist for Popeye the Sailor and Thimble Theater cartoons in 1939.
(Image below) |
|
| |
 |
| |
The Heights also has been a favored residence
of several famous people's relatives. For example:
Adela Prentiss Hughes (2400 Kenilworth Lane) was the
aunt of billionaire eccentric Howard Hughes.
Annie Cutter (who resided at 2160 South Overlook Rd.)
was the aunt of Anne Morrow Lindburgh. It is thought that Charles Lindberg
proposed to Anne in the house.
Jessie Schneider (2721 Colchester Rd.) was the aunt
of recently deceased shipping magnate and New York Yankees owner George
Steinbrenner.
Between 1930 and 1941, the parents of Bob Hope lived
at 3323 Yorkshire Rd. |
| |
1 Source: Cleveland Magazine,
October 2006.
2 Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Schreckengost. |
| |
