The VITA-MIX CORPORATION, based in Olmsted Township, Ohio, since 1948, has been a privately-owned company operated by the Barnard family since 1921. The company manufactures high-performance blending equipment for consumer use as well as for the restaurant and hospitality industries.
The VIXSEBOXSE GALLERY, one of Cleveland's oldest and most prominent art galleries, was established by Wm. Vixseboxse in 1922. A painter as well as an avid collector himself, Vixseboxse had come to the U.S. from his native Rotterdam in 1904 and taken a job as a designer with the interior design firm of Webber-Lind & Hall. The first gallery opened in 1922 in the Vickers Bldg. at Euclid and E. 65th St.
The VLCHEK TOOL CO., a leader in the hand-tool and plastic fields, was started in 1895 as a blacksmith shop by FRANK VLCHEK, a Czech immigrant. A few years later he opened the Vlchek Tool Co. on E. 83rd and Central Ave., making and sharpening tools for stonecutters and masons. By 1909 the firm was shipping hammers, wrenches, and stone cutters' tools throughout the country.
VLCHEK, FRANK J. (4 Jan. 1871-10 June 1947) industrialist, master tool maker, and author, was born in Budyn, Bohemia, the son of John and Anna Hladek Vlchek. One of 8 children, Frank was an apprentice blacksmith at age 12 and later learned to produce fine surgical instruments in Stryra, Austria. In 1889 he came to Cleveland and worked as a blacksmith, opening his own shop in 1895.
VOCATIONAL ADJUSTMENT DEPARTMENT. See JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE ASSN.
VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE SERVICES is a private, non-profit organization that offers vocational training, employment, community services, and remedial education classes. The organization traces its history to the Sunbeam Circle, formed in 1890, a group of young women who sewed items for sale to benefit children at Lakeside Hospital.
VOINOVICH, GEORGE. See MAYORAL ADMINISTRATION OF GEORGE VOINOVICH.
The VOJAN SINGING SOCIETY was founded in 1924 as a dramatic society under the aegis of the WORKERS GYMNASTIC UNION (Delnicke Telecvicne Jednoty, DTJ). The DTJ Karl Marx Dramatic Society having disbanded in 1923, a group of CZECHS interested in dramatic arts and in preserving the Czech culture founded the new society.
VOLK, HARRY (July 21, 1914- November 2, 1985) was the influential owner and publisher of the suburban SUN NEWSPAPERS. He was one of six children born in Cleveland to Abraham and Lena Volk and went to East Technical High School.
VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA OHIO & INDIANA (formerly known as Volunteers of America of Northeast Ohio, Inc.), has provided relief for Cleveland's poor since 1896, as part of a national agency organized along quasi-military lines, an American offshoot of the SALVATION ARMY. The Volunteers of America formed in New York City in March 1896.
VON BAEYER, ERIC (5 January 1909-2 February 1990) was a prominent physician who established the department of radiology at FAIRVIEW PARK HOSPITAL.
VORCE, MYRON BOND (14 Aug. 1871-?), was President of the Vorce Engineering Company and was responsible for the design of much of the present park and boulevard system in Cleveland.
VORMELKER, ROSE L. (11 June 1895-3 Nov. 1994), though not 5' in stature physically, was regarded as a towering figure in the field of library science. A native Clevelander, she was the daughter of Julius and Amy Hippler Vormelker and went to East High School.
The VORWAERTS TURNER HALL was built at Willson and Harlem streets (1622 E. 55th) in 1893 by members of the Turnverein Vorwaerts, a German cultural and gymnastic group established on 18 May 1890.
VOSMIK, JOSEPH FRANKLIN "JOE" (4 Apr. 1910-27 Jan. 1962), baseball player for the CLEVELAND INDIANS (1930-36), was considered by baseball experts the best hitter to come from the Cleveland sandlots, he averaged over .300 in his major-league career. Vosmik was born in Cleveland to Anna and Josef Vosmik. A local idol of the fans in the Broadway-E. 55th St.
VOTIPKA, THELMA (20 Dec. 1898-24 Oct. 1972), opera singer with the Metropolitan Opera Co., was born in Cleveland to Emil and Jessie Votipka, and studied at Oberlin Conservatory and with Lila Robeson in Cleveland and Anna Schoen Rene in New York City. Her operatic debut was as the singing countess in the Marriage of Figaro for the American Opera Co. in 1927.
The BLOSSOM, a 20,000-mi anthropological expedition sponsored by the CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATIONAL HISTORY, was undertaken to make natural-history collections and surveys on the islands of the South Atlantic. Dr.
The W. BINGHAM CO., one of the Midwest's largest hardware concerns, was founded by WILLIAM BINGHAM and HENRY C. BLOSSOM when they purchased the hardware stock of Clark & Murfey on 1 Apr. 1841 and opened their own store. Located at Superior and Water (W.
W.S. TYLER, originally known as the Cleveland Wire Works, was founded in 1872 by Washington S. Tyler. Born in OHIO CITY in 1835, Tyler attended school in Connecticut, but later returned to Cleveland to work.
WADE MEMORIAL CHAPEL in LAKE VIEW CEMETERY is one of Cleve
WADE PARK, which joins the southern end of ROCKEFELLER PARK at E. 105th and extends south of EUCLID AVE. along East Blvd., encompassing much of UNIV. CIRCLE, was originally the private estate of JEPTHA H.
The WADE PARK ALLOTMENT was a planned residential district immediately to the northeast of DOAN’S CORNERS that covered a large portion of what became
WADE, EDWARD (22 Nov. 1802-13 Aug. 1866), lawyer and member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1853-61), was born in W. Springfield, Mass., son of James and Mary Upham Wade. He was educated locally and admitted to the bar in 1827. Wade practiced in Jefferson, Ashtabula County, Ohio and in 1831 became Justice of the Peace for the county for 1 year.
WADE, ELLEN GARRETSON (18 Jul. 1857 - 21 May 1917) was a prominent Cleveland philanthropist and public benefactor during the late 19th century.
Wade was born on July 18th, 1857 to Ellen Howe Abbott Garretson and Hiram Garretson in Cleveland, Ohio.
WADE, JEPTHA HOMER I (11 Aug. 1811-9 Aug. 1890), financier and telegraph pioneer, was born in Romulus, Seneca County, N.Y., the son of Jeptha and Sarah (Allen) Wade. He operated a factory and worked as portrait painter before becoming interested in the telegraph. He became interested in the telegraph, and in 1847, as a subcontractor for J. J.
WADE, JEPTHA HOMER II (15 Oct. 1857-6 Mar.
WADSWORTH, HOMER C. (3 Apr. 1913-13 Apr. 1994) spent most of his career in community planning and trust work, including ten years as the director of the CLEVELAND FOUNDATION. Born to Leon K.
WAECHTER UND ANZEIGER (The Sentinel & Advertiser) was Cleveland's longest-lived ethnic daily and one of the city's major newspapers in its own right. It began on 9 Aug. 1852 as Waechter am Erie (Sentinel on the Erie), a German weekly founded by Heinrich Rochette, Louis Ritter, and JACOB MUELLER.
WAETJEN, WALTER BERNHARD (16 Oct. 1920 - 16 Aug. 1997) was a university president, professor and author, and an accomplished athlete. He was born in Philadelphia, PA, to Marguerite Dettman, a homemaker, and Walter E. Waetjen, a tool and die maker and industrial arts teacher. He was national Golden Gloves light heavyweight boxing champion in 1939. In 1942 he earned his B.S.
WAGNER, MARGARET W. (19 Oct. 1892-19 Aug. 1984), innovative director of the BENJAMIN ROSE INSTITUTE for 29 years, was born in Cleveland to financier Frank B. and May Warnock Wagner.
WAGON AND CARRIAGE INDUSTRY.Though Cleveland was never home to the massive wagon and carriage factories found in some midwestern cities, it nevertheless possessed large numbers of smaller firms producing virtually every type of horse-drawn vehicle for local and regional markets. More significantly it was home to some of the largest manufacturers and wholesalers of wagon and carriage parts in the U.S.
WAITE, FREDERICK CLAYTON (24 May 1870-30 Mar. 1956), founder of the Dept. of Histology & Embryology at WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY Medical & Dental Schools, was born in Hudson, Ohio to Nelson and Cynthia Post Waite, graduated from Western Reserve Academy in 1888, and graduated from WRU with the B.Litt. degree in 1892 and A.M. degree in 1894.
MAUDE COMSTOCK WAITT, (11 Aug. 1878-13 Dec. 1935) became the first woman from Cuyahoga County to be elected to the Ohio Senate in 1922, two years after the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. She was born and educated in Vermont, and taught school in Massachusetts, where she met and married her husband Walter G. Waitt in 1903.
WALES ST. CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. See JONES RD. CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
WALK-IN-THE-WATER, the first steamboat on Lake Erie, was built at Black Rock, NY, in 1818 under the supervision of Noah Brown and Harris Fulton. A paddlewheel-driven boat 132' long and 32' across the beam, it had a smokestack 30' high set between 2 sails, which were used when the winds were strong enough. Its first captain was Job Fish.
WALKER AND WEEKS, Cleveland's foremost architectural firm of the 1920s, was founded by FRANK R. WALKER (1877-1949) and HARRY E. WEEKS (1871-1935). Both were Massachusetts natives and arrived in Cleveland at the suggestion of John M. Carrere, a member of the Cleveland Group Plan Commission.
WALKER, FRANK RAY (29 Sept. 1877-9 July 1949), with HARRY E. WEEKS, founded the architectural firm Walker & Weeks. He was born in Pittsfield, Mass., son of Frank and Helen Theresa (Ranous) Walker, and graduated from MIT in 1900. He studied at the Atelier of Monsieur Redon in Paris and lived a year in Italy.
WALKER, HAZEL MOUNTAIN (16 Feb. 1889-16 May 1980), the first black woman principal in the Cleveland public school system, was an educator, an actress, and an advocate for racial integration.
Walker was born in Warren, Ohio, the daughter of Charles and Alice (Bronson) Mountain. She married George Herbert Walker in 1922; he died in 1954. In 1961, she married Joseph R. Walker.
WALKER, WILLIAM OTIS (19 Sept. 1896-29 Oct. 1981), black Republican publisher, was born in Selma, Ala., son of Alex and Annie Lee (Jones) Walker.
The WALKS OF LIFE AWARDS OF THE IRISH AMERICAN ARCHIVES SOCIETY are annual awards given to honor Cleveland citizens of Irish heritage.
WALLACE, GEORGE ALEXANDER LEROY (22 Feb. 1848-3 Aug. 1940), CLEVELAND FIRE DEPT. member 62 years, and chief from 1901-31, was born in Erie, Pa. to Geo. A. and Margaret Hendrickson Wallace, came to Cleveland with his family in 1854, and at 14 left school to work as a railroad brakeman.
WALSH, (WALASIEWICZ), STELLA (STANISLAWA) (3 Apr. 1911-4 Dec. 1980), named the greatest woman athlete of the first half of the 20th century by the Helm Athletic Foundation (1951), was born in Wierzchownin, Poland, daughter of Julian and Veronica (Uninski) Walasiewicz.
WALSH, EDWARD JOHN (28 June 1920-18 Feb. 1993) was executive director from 1953-1985 of the Foundry Educational Foundation (FEF) which represented the cast metal industry at 35 leading engineering colleges nationwide.
Walter Daniel Sayle (10 September, 1860-5 September 1941) was a prominent industrialist affiliated with several successful businesses, including the Cleveland Punch and Shear Works. A native Clevelander, Sayle was one of six children born to Thomas Henry Sayle and Jane Clark. Sayle graduated from Central High School in 1880.
WALTER, PAUL WILLIAM (18 April 1907-4 Nov. 1992), arbitration lawyer, served on the National War Labor Board and chaired the regional Steel Inequity Panel during WORLD WAR II. He was a Republican candidate for the Ohio House of Representatives (1930s) and for the U.S. Congress (1953). Walter was born in Cleveland to Carl Frederick and Leda A. (Schneidemantel) Walter.
WALTERS, CLAIRE A. (21 Aug. 1872-18 Nov. 1937) was for 41 years a teacher and psychologist in the Cleveland public school system whose life work was the rehabilitation of underpriviliged children.
WALTERS, REUBEN W. (22 Aug. 1838-19 Apr. 1918), CIVIL WAR soldier, physician, and Cuyahoga County Soldiers & Sailors Monument Commission member, was born in Russell, Ohio (Geauga County), son of Reuben and Emily W. Walters. He began studying medicine in 1861, but halted his education to enlist as a private in Co.
WALTON, JOHN WHITTLESEY (15 Jan. 1845-19 Nov. 1926), prominent businessman and philanthropist and son of Lucius Clark and Mary (Vesta) Whittlesay Walton, formed a partnership with J. E. Upson in 1871 and started a business as ship chandlers and grocers in the Winslow Bldg. The ship chandlery business grew, leading to the incorporation of the Upson-Walton Co.
WALWORTH, ASHBEL W. (1790-24 Aug. 1844), responsible for improving Cleveland's harbor, was born in Croton, Conn. to Julianna Morgan and JOHN W. WALWORTH. He moved with his family to New York State, then to Painesville in 1800, coming to Cleveland in 1806.