Category: Technology

MCGEAN-ROHCO, INC., a manufacturer of industrial and proprietary chemicals for the plating and metalworking industries, was founded as McGean Chemical Co. in May 1929 by John A. McGean and his son, Ralph L. McGean. With offices in the B.G. Keith Bldg. at Euclid and E.

The MCILRATH TAVERN was a well-known hostelry located on the northwest corner of EUCLID and Superior Aves. in EAST CLEVELAND. Abner McIlrath opened the tavern in 1837, although some accounts state that his brother, Alexander, had earlier maintained a general store and tavern at the same location.

MEDUSA CORP., a nationally known cement company, was founded by 3 brothers, Arthur, Spencer, and Wm. Newberry, as the Sandusky Portland Cement Co. in 1892, with offices in Cleveland and a plant at Bay Bridge near Sandusky. The company was shortly renamed Medusa Portland Cement Co. for the Greek goddess Medusa, who turned all who looked at her to stone.

MELAMED RILEY , see MELDRUM AND FEWSMITH.

MELDRUM AND FEWSMITH, creator of influential and memorable advertising, was founded in 1930 by Andrew B. Meldrum, a copywriter, and Joseph Fewsmith, an account executive, who were partners for nearly 40 years in Philadelphia, then in Toledo, and then as Sweeney & James in Cleveland before forming their own firm.

The MERCANTILE NATIONAL BANK, one of the early banks in Cleveland, opened as the Merchants Bank on 24 June 1845 on Water (W. 9th St. and Superior) with capital of $112,500. It was one of the 2 state branch banks allotted to Cleveland under a new state banking law enacted that year.

The MIDLAND-ROSS CO. was a diversified manufacturer of consumer and industrial products, aerospace and electronic components, and capital goods. It began as the Parish & Bingham Co., founded in Cleveland in 1894 to produce bicycle, wagon, and trolley parts. On 21 March 1923, ELROY J. KULAS merged Parish & Bingham, the Detroit Pressed Steel Co., and the Parish Mfg. Co.

MIDTOWN CORRIDOR, INC., was established in 1982 at 4614 Prospect Ave. in Cleveland. The purpose of the nonprofit organization was to promote and revitalize 1 sq. mi. east of downtown Cleveland, and to retain and create jobs for residents of the city. The original boundaries were Carnegie Ave. north to Chester and Perkins avenues, and E. 79th St. west to the I-90 Innerbelt.

MILLER, RUTH RATNER (1 Dec. 1925 - 26 November 1996) was a civic leader, businesswoman, and philanthropist who was responsible for the rebuilding and renovation of TOWER CITY CENTER in the mid-1980s. Born in Cleveland to Lillian (Bernstein) and LEONARD RATNER†, she earned a B.S.

MILSTEIN, CARL (2 May 1924 - 7 Nov. 1999) was a prominent developer and self-made millionaire who built homes in Brook Park in the 1950s and later built high-rise apartment complexes. Milstein was born in Cleveland to Ida (Rosen) and Morris Milstein, who ran a poultry business. He graduated from John Adams High School and briefly attended Ohio State University.

MINTZ, LEO (1911-4 Nov. 1976) was instrumental in the development of ROCK 'N' ROLL with Alan Freed and making Cleveland the "capital of Rock 'n' Roll." Mintz founded Record Rendezvous in 1938 at 214 Prospect Avenue and moved to 300 Prospect Ave. in 1945.

MITTAL STEEL USA is the American subsidiary of Mittal Steel Company N.V., headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, which as of 2005 was the world's largest steel producer. Mittal Steel was formed from the merger of Ispat International and the International Steel Group, Incorporated (ISG) in 2004.

The MOTCH CORP., formerly Oerlikon-Motch, is one of the nation's leading designers and builders of special turning and grinding machines. The firm originated in Cleveland in Sept. 1904 when brothers Stanley and Edwin R. Motch and Geo. Merryweather formed the Motch & Merryweather tool manufacturers.

MR. GASKET, a company which manufactures automobile accessories, was founded by Joseph F. Hrudka in 1965 to produce a new type of gasket he designed to withstand high temperatures. At the time, Hrudka and his brother Tom participated in the drag-racing circuit and hoped to make around $6,000 annually to fund their racing.

MTD PRODUCTS, INC., a national leader in two industries—tool, die, and metal stampings, and garden equipment—began in 1932 when Theodore Moll, Emil Jochum, and Erwin Gerhard founded the Modern Tool & Die Co. with a plant on W. 130th St. in PARMA. A modest business for many years, the company grew rapidly after WORLD WAR II.

MURPHY-PHOENIX CO., the family-owned manufacturer of Murphy's Oil Soap, was organized in 1889 as the Phoenix Oil Co. and incorporated in 1890 with $25,000 in capital. The company manufactured oils for valves, cylinders, dynamos, machines, and harnesses under the Green Seal label in a plant located in NEWBURGH. By 1910 the company was directed by Jeremiah T.

The MUSTEROLE CO., manufacturer of a famous over-the-counter ointment, began in 1905 after pharmacist A. L. McLaren developed a mustard ointment at his Cedar and E. 97th St. drugstore. As the ointment's popularity grew, McLaren was unable to maintain his supply and eventually restricted its sale to regular customers.

NACCO INDUSTRIES, INC. evolved from the North American Coal Corp., once a major supplier of coal in the Great Lakes region. 

The NASA JOHN H. GLENN RESEARCH CENTER AT LEWIS FIELD, a major component in the U.S. aerospace program, was established in Cleveland in 1941 as a laboratory of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), an institution responsible for encouraging the growth of American aviation through government research.

NATIONAL CARBON CO., an early leader in continuous industrial research, originated in 1881 when W. H. Boulton, a foreman at Brush Electric, formed a partnership with Willis H. Masters to supply carbon for arc lights. Five years later, WASHINGTON H. LAWRENCE, an associate of CHARLES F.