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.
WALWORTH, JOHN W. (1765-10 Sept. 1812), early settler and government official, was born in Groton, Conn., son of Samuel and Hannah (Woodbridge) Walworth. He left Connecticut in 1792 to settle near Lake Cayuga, N.Y. Spending the winter of 1799 near Painesville, Ohio, he purchased 2,000 acres of land, and settled his family there in 1800. In 1802, Gov. St.
WAMBSGANSS, WILLIAM (BILL WAMBY) (19 Mar. 1894-8 Dec. 1985) played second base for the CLEVELAND INDIANS (1914-23) and enjoyed lifelong fame for making an unassisted triple play in the 1920s World Series.
The WAR MEMORIAL FOUNTAIN, also known as the "Fountain of Eternal Life," located on Mall A and bounded on the west by SOCIETY CENTER, on the south by the CLEVELAND PUBLIC LIBRARY, and on the east by the Cleveland Board of Education Bldg., is Cleveland's major memorial to those citizens who served in WORLD WAR II.
WAR OF 1812. When Congress declared war against Great Britain on 18 June 1812, the village of Cleveland consisted of 100 or fewer souls huddled near the mouth of the CUYAHOGA RIVER. Except for their geographic location, they had no reason to be either especially interested or principal actors in the war.
The WAR VETERANS BAR ASSN., composed of WORLD WAR II veterans, was formed in 1946 to assist former servicemen in legal matters. Its first president was future U.S. Senator Stephen M. Young. The association expanded services in 1947 to provide legal assistance at reasonable fees to persons of moderate means.
WARE, WILLIAM J. (31 Aug 1901 - 23 April 1997), master plumber, was one of Cleveland's first black union plumbers and a mentor to other minority plumbers wishing to join the profession. He was born in Demopolis, Alabama, to Mary Jane (Fenderson), a housewife, and Willie Ware, a farmer.
The WAREHOUSE DISTRICT is an area north and west of Superior Ave. and W. 3rd St. which is the remnant of the late 19th century Victorian wholesale commercial area. Before 1850 the 8-block district was part of the original residential area of the city, but by the mid-1850s rows of commercial blocks began to dominate it.
WARING ST. METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. See SUPERIOR ST. TABERNACLE.
The WARNER & SWASEY CO. was once a leading manufacturer of machine tools, with a world-wide reputation for its telescopes and precision instruments. New England machinists WORCESTER P. WARNER and AMBROSE SWASEY formed a partnership in Chicago in 1880 but moved to Cleveland, opening a machine tool shop on Carnegie Ave.
WARNER, WORCESTER REED (6 May 1846-25 June 1929), a founder of WARNER & SWASEY CO. and inventor of telescopes, was born in Cummington, Mass. to Vesta Wales (Reed) and farmer Franklin John Warner.
WARREN, DANIEL (1786-13 Oct. 1862), the first settler in WARRENSVILLE TWP., was born in New Hampshire, the son of Moses and Priscilla (Nourse) Warren. In 1808, he left Acworth, N.H., for Painesville, and eventually settled in Jefferson.
WARRENSVILLE CENTER SYNAGOGUE, the second-largest Orthodox Jewish congregation in Cleveland, was established in May 1959 from the merger of TETIEVER AHAVATH ACHIM ANSHE SFARD CONGREGATION, the KINSMAN JEWISH CENTER, and Congregation Nvoh Tzedick (a congregation established by Jewish Lithuanians in 1918).
WARRENSVILLE HEIGHTS, originally part of Warrensville Twp. (see HIGHLAND HILLS VILLAGE), incorporated as a separate village in 1927 and as a city in 1960. Southeast of Cleveland, it occupies 4.5 sq. mi.
WARRENSVILLE TWP. See HIGHLAND HILLS VILLAGE.
WARSHAWSKY, ABEL "BUCK" (28 Dec. 1883-30 May 1962) and ALEXANDER "XANDER" (29 Mar. 1887-28 May 1945), artists, were 2 of 9 children of Ezekiel and Ida Warshawsky, Jewish immigrants from Poland who came to Cleveland from Sharon, Pa. Both brothers attended Cleveland School of Art and the Natl. Academy of Design in New York, then went to Europe.
WASHINGTON RESERVATION (originally Washington Park), at East 49th Street and Washington Park Boulevard, straddles the boundary of NEWBURGH HEIGHTS and the City of Cleveland. It was bought by the city in 1899 after a local amusement park was closed down.
The WATER ST. THEATER, reputedly the city's first theater intended exclusively for dramatic productions, was built by John S. Potter in 1848. Located on Water St. (W. 9th St. after 1905), it seated more than 1,000 and included 2 tiers of boxes and 4 private boxes. The theater was destroyed by fire in 1850, and the site at 1273 W. 9th St. was redeveloped as the Seaman's Hotel and, later, the Showboat Theater.
WATER SYSTEM. The production, purification, and distribution of potable water constitutes a "hidden system" in the infrastructure of the modern city. Until faucets run dry, or reservoirs are exhausted, citizens tend to remain unaware of the nature and condition of the complex technological, social, and political attributes of the water system.
WATERFIELD, ROBERT "BOB" (26 July 1920-25 Mar. 1983), FOOTBALL player with the Cleveland and Los Angeles Rams (see CLEVELAND RAMS), in his rookie season led the Cleveland Rams to the 1945 Natl. Football League championship and was unanimously elected the league's Most Valuable Player.
WATERWORKS AMERICA, INC. was established ca. 1984 by Bruce Wirtanen. Wirtanen, a chemist, formed Waterworks after developing a technique to manufacture acyclic copolymer crystals that helped to reduce water usage. Initially marketed for use with home gardeners,the product was soon utilized internationally by farms and nurseries.
WATERWORKS TUNNEL DISASTERS occurred 6 times during the construction of water intake tunnels for Cleveland's water system, killing a total of 58 men between 1898-1916. Tunnels into Lake Erie were needed because by 1876 the increased sewage flow from the rapidly growing city had transformed its water supply into a health hazard.
WATKlNS, SAMUEL "SAMMY" (ca. 1904-26 July 1969) was a well-known dance orchestra leader and songwriter in Cleveland whose style, quality, and good taste brought pleasure to Greater Clevelanders for over 40 years.
WATSON, WILBUR J. (5 Apr. 1871-22 May 1939), a civil engineer, especially eminent in bridge design, was born in BEREA to David R. and Maria (Parker) Watson. Receiving his B.S.
WCLV, Cleveland's classical music radio station was launched on 1 Nov. 1962, following the purchase of WDGO-FM from Douglas G. Oviatt. New owners C. K. Patrick and Robt. Conrad of Radio Seaway, Inc., immediately changed the call letters to WCLV, broadcasting at 95.5 megacycles.
WCPN traces its beginnings from WBOE, the radio station of the CLEVELAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS. Broadcasting from Lafayette School on Abell Ave., it went on the air as an AM station on 21 Nov. 1938. Two months later it moved to the sixth floor of the Board of Education Bldg. on E. 6th St.
WEARN, JOSEPH T. (15 Feb. 1893-26 Sept. 1984), dean of Western Reserve University School of Medicine, was born in Charlotte, N.C., the son of Joseph H. and Ann (Treloar) Wearn. He received his B.A.