NEWMAN, AARON W.

NEWMAN, AARON W. (1881-22 Dec. 1963) moved from a career in newspapers and advertising to inaugurate and promote Cleveland's annual Sportsman's Show. A native Clevelander, the son of Simon and Hanna Cohn Newman, he left Western Reserve Univ. (see CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIV.) after a semester because of poor eyesight and went to Colorado to work as a ranchhand, surveyor, and newspaperman. Returning to Cleveland, he became a reporter for the CLEVELAND WORLD and in 1906 the first business manager of the Jewish Independent (see CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS). Newman then spent several years in advertising, working among others for the NEWMAN-STERN CO., a sporting goods store run by his brothers Arthur and JOSEPH S. NEWMAN. In 1927 he opened the Little Theater of the Movies on E. 9th St., reputedly the city's first foreign movie house. Newman teamed with Morris Ackerman, outdoors editor of the CLEVELAND PRESS, that same year to launch the first Sportsman's and Outdoors Show in PUBLIC AUDITORIUM. After 3 years the pair sold the enterprise, which then fell victim to the Depression. Newman revived it alone in 1938, promoting it annually as president of Expositions, Inc., until his death (see AMERICAN AND CANADIAN SPORT, TRAVEL AND OUTDOOR SHOW). A charter member of the CITY CLUB OF CLEVELAND, Newman wrote several satirical political pamphlets during the 1930s. Married twice, his 1st wife Rita died in 1933 and his 2d wife Lucille succeeded him as promoter of the Sportsman's Show. He was also survived by 4 children: Edward S., William S., Marian H., and David.


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