750 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS American Red Cross and his public-spirited devotion to the general good has been expressed in terms of actual accomplishment. He is a trustee of the Horace Kelly Art Foundation, a trustee of the John Huntington Art & Polytechnic Institute, and is a trustee, and actively identified with the Children's Aid Society, the Children's Fresh Air Camp and Hospital, the Cleveland Protestant Orphan Asylum, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the Lake View Cemetery Association. GUSTAV SCHAEFER Gustav Schaefer, the founder and president of The Gustav Schaefer Company, is conducting one of Cleveland's best known and oldest manufacturing plants, devoted to the designing and building of motor-truck bodies and trailers, which was established as a wagon-making concern in 1880: He was the first man to insist upon, and continually advocated through the newspapers the building of bridges to connect East and West Cleveland and make Cleveland a metropolitan city, and he has lived to see his dreams come true. He was born June 26, 1845, in Herzog-Nassau, Germany, and acquired his education in the public schools of that province. When a lad of eight years he began working in the shop of his father, who was a wagon maker and wheelwright by trade, and he attained such proficiency in this line that as a youth of fourteen he made a complete wagon wheel, iron work and all. He learned blacksmithing as well as wagon making and was able to build a complete job. At the age of eighteen he opened a shop of his own, which he conducted for three years, or until he had attained his majority, when he sold out. It was in 4866 that he crossed the Atlantic to the United States and worked in New York a few months, where he learned more about his trade and in December took up his permanent abode in Cleveland, Ohio. Here he was employed in shipyards for a time and also worked for John D. Rockefeller, who had organized the Standard Oil Company a short time previously. Gustav Schaefer made barrels for Mr. Rockefeller, who assured him that he made "good ones." He also built the first satisfactory wagon in Cleveland, and his repu- - 753 - 754 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS tation for such work grew until he was soon making heavy-duty wagons for all the leading firms of the city. When horse-drawn vehicles gave way to the automobile, Mr. Shaefer turned his large factory over to the designing and building of motor-truck bodies and trailers, equally as fine in construction as were the old Schaefer wagons. The Gustav Schaefer Company, established in 1880, is now in the fifty-second year of its existence and is one of the best known en-terprises of its kind in the city, with an extensive and profit-able patronage. We quote from an attractive booklet issued by The Gustav Schaefer Company on the occasion of its fiftieth anniversary in 1930. The dedication is as follows : "To the honest old 'Daddy' who founded the plant, by whose wisdom and pa-tience the business matured ; to all the skilled craftsmen, of various trades, who have helped build the fame that our products enjoy ; to the banks, the investors, the sellers of goods, who, by credit extended, have helped us to grow; to the host of our customers, distant or near, all of whom we consider with friendly regard; to all of our workers, competitors, friends, we joyfully, gratefully dedicate this, the story that tells of our first fifty years. We greet you. We thank you. We wish you success. "Wherever are met the great builders of railroads or bridges or dams ; the builders of organizations; the devisers of systems and plans; the ones who have builded great names for themselves in commerce, in science, in art; in these men, through all time, as we have in the past, we shall find the ̊Teat dreamers of dreams. "James J. Hill is claimed to have said that he never started to build a railroad until he had ridden over it, had seen all its roadbed and bridges, its stations, its shops and its trains; until, in his mind, he had seen it, a completed and functioning whole. Thus success is forever preceded by dreams, and attended by courage and effort. "So all of the younger members of the company sending THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS - 755 this greeting are glad as they pause to consider the dreams of a young immigrant. When he arrived in Cleveland, in 1866, he had his heavy handmade trunk, the scant possessions it contained, the almost threadbare clothes he wore, and fifty cents in cash. These were his physical assets. And yet he was rich in his vast belief in the goodness of Providence ; he was well accustomed to effort and was skilled as a wagon builder; and he dreamed that the world would appreciate a product of genuine worth, with only the best materials and the finest of workmanship. "For thirteen years he continued to dream of a Schaefer wagon works. Meanwhile he had married and had a son ; he had worked and saved and built a home. But in 1880 the house was sold to establish the business of which he had dreamed. Where is the spirit and courage which can match that required for such ventures? What hunter, explorer, or hero can boast such a calm, studied daring as this? "To all those who have helped build a business, who with infinite patience have planned, who have carried development burdens, who have weathered the beating of storms, who have waded through swamps of depression, and have sat 'on the top of the world,' there will come a great surge of remembrance as these words bring the past to their minds. And when romance in business is mentioned, although some may derisively smile, all of those who have lived near the center of things, know that romance was there, all the while. For a vast disregard of great effort, and a courage that nothing can wilt, a vision, a faith, a persistence—all the things of which romance is built--a great love of the utmost attain-ment, a devotion to purpose and plan, must be built into every great structure, be it business, or building, or man. The man or the business that cherishes dreams will continue to bathe in the Fountain of Youth : as they vanish, the marks of stagnation appear ; there is certain to follow decline and decay. " It is hard to believe that a plant such as this can be 756 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS found in this country, today. I felt fully assured that all plants of its kind had been out of existence for twenty-five years.' The chief body engineer for one of the largest motor car companies in the world was talking, after being shown through the plant of The Gustav Schaefer Company. 'In the earlier days,' he continued, worked as a body builder. And here is the statement repeatedly made by the master who taught me my trade : "When you're putting a body together, if you glue it so well that you need no screws, and screw it so well that you need no glue—then you will have a good body." I can see that your workmen still build them that way, and I marvel to see the material used ; but how do you manage to sell what you make, in the face of low-priced competition?' "The whole answer to this question lies within the theory, held when Schaefer's plant was started, later proven by its growth, that we all prefer a product just as good as can be made, and that when we learn its merit we will pay what it is worth. The great sales effort of The Gustav Schaefer Company is to prove to prospective customers the superior worth of its products. This sometimes requires a persistence and patience extended through long weary months; but the company knows, once a customer buys, it is sure of his business for years. In order that one may know just what to expect of a product, it is needful that he should understand what excellence enters its making. For this reason all prospects are earnestly urged to visit the plant, and to see for themselves, how the craftsmen are skilled, how the lumber is cured, how each move is performed with the utmost of care. "The whole policy at Schaefer's, followed now for fifty years, has been founded, and expanded, on a series of ideals. The nearest approach to perfection, in the service a product may render, is only attained as the product is built with a perfect ideal of construction. In this is involved an ideal of the parts, each to be of the best composition ; an ideal of the skill that has fashioned those parts and assembles them into THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS - 757 completion. And this latter involves still another ideal, that pertaining unto the relation of those who employ to the peo-ple employed, which always affects the production. In some places the attitude prevails that employment is benefaction, and that workmen should feel a deep gratitude to those who have given them jobs. At Schaefer's another relation prevails. They are proud of the skill that their men have attained, and are grateful to them for the part that they play in maintaining a high reputation. A thoughtful observer can readily see how this benefits Schaefer's production. With conditions like this the men hold to their jobs, their skill and their loyalty growing with time; and the ripeness of years of experience goes into all of the products of Schaefer. "In seasoning wood to retain all its strength, as in grow-ing. a tree, the whole process is slow, and methods to hasten this gradual way are now making good lumber a thing of the past. At Schaefer's the time-honored custom survives of sea-soning lumber the natural way. It is put into storage, away from the sun; it is well ventilated, protected from rain ; and slowly the air takes the moisture away, but allows all the strength and the life to remain. And that ripeness which only the years can impart is required in all lumber at Schaefer's. "The perfect ideal of construction is pursued in all Schaefer departments. The braces of iron are all forged, with more thickness where strain is the greatest. Lead paint is applied where the iron touches wood, and all wood receives two coats of priming. With a similar careful attention all parts of the work are completed. And the name plate of Schaefer affixed to a job is the mark of good faith and long service. "How alike are human nature and the world in which it lives! Both of them are full of wonders—full of wonders and surprises, smiles and frowns and contradictions, secrets, wiles and paradoxes. Sunshine on a distant mountain makes it seem a smiling Eden, though its peaks 758 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS with snow be covered and its slopes be bare and frozen. So may man be warmly smiling, though his heart be chilled with losses ; he may wear a calm demeanor, though his mind be sorely troubled. And as ore beds are uncovered by a continent's upheaval, so the best in human nature is uncovered by disaster. "In December, 1927, the Lorain Avenue plant and the offices of The Gustav Schaefer Company were entirely consumed by fire. As its officials stood, in the chill darkness between midnight and dawn, watching the leaping, roaring flames, so swift in their destruction, an official of one of their largest and oldest competitors came to them with outstretched hand, and this is what he said: 'Send your men to our plant, tomorrow. We will furnish them floor space without any charge. You are welcome to all our facilities to help you keep up your production !' "To their surprise, the next morning, there arrived upon the scene, from customers and competitors in all parts of the city of Cleveland, a vast array of office chairs, of desks and filing cases, typewriters and adding machines to set up an office for Schaefer's; and, for weeks, a score of customers' trucks helped clear away debris—but Schaefer's never re-ceived a bill—what a wonderful way to express good will ! All this in the world of business. "Rebuilding was started at once and soon a new plant was completed, more modern, more spacious and better equipped than the old one had ever been. And their business has thrived and expanded till they are well known, far and wide, as outstanding producers of custom built bodies for road transportation equipment. "Many wonderful changes have taken place in the passing of fifty years, but Schaefer's have ever adapted their products to meet all the changing requirements. The buggies of which they were once so proud have, long since, been withdrawn from production ; their places are taken by huge motor busses, and traveling houses for tourists. The building of bodies for THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS - 759 motor trucks has become the main part of their business and only the trailers now slightly resemble the wagons of earlier days. The tractor equipment which they produce, a patented earthmoving scraper, although but quite recently introduced, has been shipped to all parts of the world. Their line has expanded, from year to year, keeping step with advancing conditions, until it includes that great time-saving feature—their specialized loading machines. They offer a service distinctive, unique, in the solving of all sorts of problems con-cerning the handling and hauling of goods, in the plant—in the yard—on the road ; equipment is planned and is custom-built to best suit the specific requirements; and each problem, when solved—just because it is solved—then becomes a new recommendation. "The Schaefers and their associates have striven, for fifty years, to establish a basis of confidence by honest and friendly relations. They have learned that business is not a thing which is furtive and heartless and cold, but that it is warm and human, abounding in sentiment. They have given fair dealing and service and there has come back to them a treasure of loyalty, friendship and faith—of good will and unselfishness. "The ones most concerned take this backward look with a feeling of gratitude. They rejoice in the good of the present and look to the future with hope. Yet they need not fear for that future if they follow those ideals which were held aloft by that grand old Dad who founded the House of Schaefer." The official personnel of The Gustav Schaefer Company is as follows : Gustav Schaefer, president ; Henry G. Schaefer, vice president and general manager ; Ernest Schaefer, secretary ; and Fred F. Ristow, treasurer. This is a closed family corporation, Henry G. and Ernest Schaefer being sons of the founder, while Mr. Ristow is a son-in-law of Gustav Schaefer. Mr. Schaefer was one of the first members of the National Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D. C., representing 760 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS the city of Cleveland, and among the most active members of the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce and the West Side Chamber of Industry. He was the prime mover in the build-ing of the Superior street bridge and of the many fine bridges that now span the Cuyahoga river, connecting the east and west sides of Cleveland. A forceful speaker at the pioneer meetings of the West Side Chamber of Industry, he reminded his listeners of the time when but one bridge connected New York city and Brooklyn, now joined by five suspension bridges, overhead towers and tunnels, making it the largest commercial and industrial city in America. His ambition was to see Cleveland's east and west sides develop along simi-lar lines into a metropolitan city and he has lived to see many of his dreams realized. His has been a long and useful career, and at the advanced age of eighty-seven he enjoys "the blest accompaniments of age—honor, riches, troops of friends." On July 17, 1872, Mr. Schaefer was united in marriage to Miss Mary Maschmeyer, a native of Hordinghausen, Hanover, born December 28, 1847, and who passed away April 10, 1931. We quote from the Cleveland Plain Dealer : "Mrs. Mary Schaefer, eighty-three, co-founder with her husband of The Gustav Schaefer Company, which began building wagons in Cleveland fifty-one years ago, died yesterday at her home, 19340 Lorain avenue, Fairview, after a brief ill-ness. Mrs. Schaefer was born in Hordinghausen, Hanover, Germany, and came to the United States early in 1872 with neighbors after both parents had died. Soon after her arrival she met Gustav Schaefer, an employe of a Cleveland wagon works, and in less than a year they were married. During the next eight years the young couple saved enough to purchase a home, the first house built on what is now West Eighty-fifth street. At the same time both dreamed of establishing their own business, and in 1880 they sold their home that they might found the wagon company." Although the family by this time had begun to grow, Mrs. THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS - 761 Schaefer took an active part in the business, doing all she could to help her husband and acting as official nurse to all employes of the concern. In later years, as the automobile began to displace the horse and wagon and the company turned to the manufacture of automobile truck bodies, Mrs. Schaefer continued her first aid activities among the employes. She lived to see the concern become one of Cleveland's best known and oldest manufacturing plants. During this time she reared eight children. Besides her husband, the survivors are five children, Henry G. and Ernest Schaefer, Mrs. Mary Kruse, Mrs. Louise Moritz and Mrs. Anna Ristow, all of Cleveland, and fifteen grandchildren and one great-grandchild. For fifty-nine years she had been a member of Trinity Lutheran Church of Cleveland. Mr. Schaefer's life has been guided by the precepts of the Golden Rule and in the evening of his life is enjoying life to its full. JOHN G. ARMSTRONG John G. Armstrong had the advantage of an early start in the banking business and his is the record of an orderly progression that has brought him from a humble position to the vice presidency of the Union Trust Company of Cleveland. He was born in Youngstown, Ohio, March 20, 1878, a son of Robert Armstrong (II) and a grandson of Robert Armstrong (I), who was in the steel business with Andrew Carnegie. Robert Armstrong (II) removed to Cleveland in 1878 and was long connected with the American Steel & Wire Company. He married Elizabeth George,. a daughter of John George, who was a steel expert, identified with the Carnegie interests. Both parents died in Cleveland. An infant at the time the family came to Cleveland, John G. Armstrong attended the grammar and high schools of the city and when a youth of seventeen started to work in the Park National Bank. There he remained until the institution was consolidated with the Euclid Park National Bank, which later became the First National Bank, and was repeatedly promoted, at length assuming the duties of assistant vice president. Subsequently the First National Bank was merged with the Union Trust Company and on December 27, 1927, they opened offices in the Terminal Tower. At that time Mr. Armstrong became vice president and manager, in which capacities he still continues, and his labors have constituted a vital element in the upbuilding of this great financial institution. With a comprehensive knowledge of the intricate details of the banking business, he is qualified to speak with authority on matters pertaining. thereto, and also figures in - 763 - 764 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS industrial affairs as secretary, treasurer and a director of the J. H. R. Products Company, engaged in the manufacture of barium products at Willoughby, Ohio. In 1904 Mr. Armstrong was married to Miss Mabelle Bate, a daughter of Newton and Lydia (Edwards) Bate and a granddaughter of Josiah Bate, who was one of the founders of Cleveland. To Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong. was born a daughter, Jane Mabelle, who is now deceased. Mr. Armstrong is a member of the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce and the Shaker Heights Country Club. Impelled by a laudable ambition to advance, he has made the most of the opportunities that have come his way and his post-graduate work in the school of experience has placed him with Cleveland's leading financiers, while his probity and fidelity to trust have gained for him a high place in public esteem. HOTEL STATLER The Hotel Statler of Cleveland is one of the institutions through which the life and resources of the city are enriched and made accessible to the world at large. It is not an institution altogether peculiar and unique in itself, since it is only one of a chain of hotels comprising a system and service which are in fact unique and superlative and have given the name Statler a prominence not exceeded by any other hotel system in the world. The Cleveland hotel of this system was opened October 19, 1912. As a matter of history some of the facts regarding that opening might well be set down. More than twenty-five hundred Clevelanders dined in state at the formal opening and five times that number of people came within the brilliantly lighted interior and appreciated and admired the many features that gave this hotel fame. There was not a place at any of the numerous tables in the four first-floor dining-rooms that was not filled, and many others stood and waited for tables to be vacated. There were two great banquets on the messanine floor, one given by the eastern hotel men in honor of E. M. Statler, proprietor of the hotel, and the other in the adjoining lattice room, where Charles L. Pack, the eminent Cleveland lumberman and capitalist, entertained a hundred of his fellow business men. Great floral displays presented by the leading Cleveland hotels, friends and customers of E. M. Statler, formed a literal hedge running down the center of the lobby dividing the foyer from the office. There has never been anything just like the formal opening of the Hotel Statler in Cleveland. The only entertainment offered was dinner, which was served from six until midnight - 765 - 766 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS to the accompaniment of five orchestras. It required all the efforts of the two hundred and fifty waiters to serve the dinner, preparation for which had been in progress a week. The other four hundred servants required in the many departments of hotel operation were all in their place and then and there exemplified the intrinsic meaning and significance of the famous Statler service. At the banquet table in the ballroom more than a hundred eastern hotel men dined in honor of Mr. Statler. The toastmaster was H. M. Garrans, manager and proprietor of the Iroquois Hotel of Buffalo. E. M. Tierney of New York, former president of the New York State Hotel Men's Association, was the first speaker, and toasted Mr. Statler as the "king of all hotel men." The last speaker was George W. Sweeney, proprietor of a chain of hotels throughout the east. As James P. A. O'Connor, the manager of the Cleveland hotel, attested, the opening. was planned merely and solely "to show Cleveland they had a real hotel in the Statler." The Cleveland Statler stands at the corner of Twelfth street and Euclid avenue, is fourteen stories high, and originally contained seven hundred rooms and seven hundred bathrooms. In 1916 it was enlarged to the capacity of a thousand rooms with baths. It is built of steel, concrete and hollow fireproof tile, the exterior being of granite, Indiana limestone, dark red brick and white terra cotta. More than seven hundred and fifty people are employed in the conduct of the hotel, and in normal times the monthly pay-roll is fifty-five thousand dollars. James P. A. O'Connor was manager of the Cleveland Statler from the time of its opening until April 1, 1918, when he went east to assume the management of the great Hotel Pennsylvania in New York city, said to be the largest hotel in the world. He was succeeded by Thomas P. Cagwin and Russell M. Keith, the predecessor of Howard F. Dugan, who has been the Statler manager in Cleveland since January 1, 1929. CHARLES E. ADAMS Long association with manufacturing operations in the Forest city as president of the Cleveland Hardware Company, Charles E. Adams has made this the foremost organization in its particular field. His life has been spent in this city and throughout his career he has combined constructive business energy with disinterested public service. He was born June 8, 1859, a son of Edgar and Mary Jane Adams, who were natives of England. As young people they came to Cleveland and here the father prospered as an art dealer. The advantages of a public school education were accorded Charles E. Adams, who early entered business life and soon gave evidence of his capacity for commercial pursuits. Entering the employ of the Chandler & Rudd Company in 1884, he remained with the concern until 1891, and in June of that year was elected president of the Cleveland Hardware Company, whose destiny he has since controlled. He has occupied the office for over forty years—a period of notable growth and progress—and under his administration this has become the largest institution of the kind in America. The company specializes in the manufacture of drop forgings and maintains two plants in Cleveland. In banking circles of the city Mr. Adams is well known as a director of the Cleveland Trust Company and has other financial and business interests. On the 11th of June, 1884, Mr. Adams was married to Miss Jennie M. Bowley, of Cleveland, and they reside at 2700 East Overlook road, Euclid Heights. Their daughter, Bessie - 767 - 768 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS Jean, is the wife of George H. Hall, of Cleveland, and has four children, Charles, William, Jane and Elizabeth. Mrs. Adams died March 13, 1931. In religious belief Mr. Adams is a Presbyterian and his political allegiance is given to the republican party. He belongs to the Union Club, and to the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce, of which he was president in 1910 and 1911. With a high sense of civic duty, he has worked untiringly to advance the general welfare and his life has been fraught with the accomplishment of much good. For many years he was general chairman of the Community Fund, which he aided in organizing, and is a trustee of both the Young Men's Christian Association and the Young Women's Christian Association. Commenting upon his outstanding achievements, a Cleveland historian wrote as follows of Mr. Adams in 1918 : "His public spirit has been as conspicuous as his private business record. Probably not a single important movement has been undertaken during the last twenty-five or thirty years with which his name has not been identified. These services have risen to their supreme exertion in recent months when the entire nation has been subject to the strain of war times. No community in the country with respect to proportionate share based upon population has done more to share the war funds and resources needed in the different lines of service than Cleveland. Mr. Adams has furnished a boundless amount of enthusiasm, energy and wise judgment in all the various campaigns. He was head of the local organization which in the closing weeks of 1917 raised nearly four hundred thousand dollars more than the quota assigned to Cleveland for the Y. M. C. A. fund. This had hardly been completed when he was called upon to direct much of the policy and the plans for the Red Cross membership drive. These are only very recent instances, and going back only a few years, examples might be multiplied by the score of Mr. Adams' contributions individually and through organized THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS - 769 movements in behalf of some undertaking for the benefit of Cleveland as a community and for the upbuilding of the prestige of this city as one of the great and progressive centers of America." LEWIS BLAIR WILLIAMS In investment banking Lewis B. Williams has found a field of endeavor well suited to his capacities and powers and has successfully engaged in this line of business in Cleveland from the age of twenty-three years. He is an influential factor in the affairs of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and his business interests are varied and important. Born in Kent, Ohio, October 16, 1880, he is a son of Scott Taylor Williams and of Welsh descent. The grandfather, Austin Williams, spent his early life in Russell, Massachusetts, and prior to 1820 came to Ohio with his father, Dudley Williams, who was one of the founders of Western Reserve College. Scott Taylor Williams was born near Kent, Ohio, where he engaged in the milling business for a number of years, prospering in the undertaking. He married Harriet Converse, a native of Portage county, Ohio, and a daughter of Elias Converse, who left his home in Vermont to cast in his lot with the early settlers of Ohio. Lewis B. Williams acquired his preparatory school education in his native town and at Western Reserve Academy. In 1898 he came to Cleveland to attend Adelbert College of Western Reserve University, in which he pursued his studies until his graduation as a member of the class of 1902. Since December 1, 1903, he has engaged in the investment banking business in this city, becoming widely known in that connection, and is now associated with Hayden, Miller & Company as a partner in the organization. They have a large list of clients and are classed with the leading brokerage houses of the city. Mr. Williams' financial status is indicated in the - 771 - 772 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS fact that he is vice chairman and Class C director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. In 1917, during the World war, he was made director of the Liberty Loan Organization for the Fourth Federal Reserve District, and thus served until 1919, covering the five war loans. He is well known in transportation circles as treasurer and a director of the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad Company and is also serving on the board of directors of the National Tool Company, of the F. E. Myers & Brother Company, The Glidden Company and the Faultless Rubber Company. On the 8th of October, 1908, Mr. Williams was married to Miss Helen E. Croxton, of Cleveland, and they reside at 2491 Marlboro road, in the suburb of Cleveland Heights. Mr. Wil-liams' business address is 1250 Union Trust building. In religious belief he is a Presbyterian and his political support is given to the republican party. In civic movements and projects he takes a deep interest and stands for all that counts as an asset in public progress and community welfare. He is a member of the board of trustees of the Cleveland Museum of Art and the president of the board of trustees of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, a trustee of Lake Erie College, Western Reserve Academy, the Cleveland School of Art and the Musical Arts Association. He belongs to the Union, Mayfield Country and Chagrin Valley Hunt Clubs. His college fraternities are Delta Kappa Epsilon and Phi Beta Kappa. Mr. Williams' interests and activities are well balanced, and his salient characteristics are such as command respect and inspire confidence. ALBERT H. TINNERMAN Albert H. Tinnerman is a representative native son of Cleveland who has gained success and prominence in both financial and manufacturing circles here, being president of The Lorain Street Savings & Trust Company and sole owner of the business conducted under the name of the Tinnerman Stove & Range Company. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1879, a son of George August and Caroline (Ruhle) Tinnerman. George A. Tinnerman was born in Prussia on the 10th of April, 1845, his parents being Henry F. and Sophia (Dryer) Tinnerman, likewise natives of Prussia. Henry F. Tinnerman, a wagon maker by trade, was in his fiftieth year when, accompanied by his wife and their son, George A., he came to the United States in 1847. Shortly after his arrival in Cuyahoga county, Ohio, he purchased a small farm on the west side of Cleveland, near what was then called Rockport. It was a wooded tract, a part of which he cleared, building thereon a log. house. In addition to cultivating his land he engaged in general blacksmithing and shod horses for the farmers residing in the vicinity. In 1850, however, he sold the farm and opened a blacksmith and wagon-making shop on property which he purchased at what is now the corner of Lorain street and Fulton road, his being undoubtedly the first establishment of its kind on Cleveland's west side. In 1858 Mr. Tinnerman retired from the work of his trade, and he then removed to another farm, which he purchased, but two years later he took up his abode in Cleveland, where he con-tinued to maintain his home until his death, in 1880. His - 773 - 774 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS widow passed away in 1888. Both were devout communicants of the First Reformed Church. George A. Tinnerman, the elder of the two sons of Mr. and Mrs. Henry F. Tinnerman and the father of A. H. Tinnerman of this review, was about two years of age at the time the family crossed the Atlantic to the United States, and in the schools of Cuyahoga county, Ohio, he acquired his early education. At the age of sixteen years he entered upon an apprenticeship to the tinner's trade in Cleveland, and after his three years' apprenticeship he followed his trade for a time as a journeyman. He then opened a shop of his own, on the site of his father's old blacksmith and wagon shop, and it is interesting to record that on this site now stands the substantial modern building of The Lorain Street Savings & Trust Company, of which A. H. Tinnerman is president. In 1867, after having taken a course in a local business college, Mr. Tinnerman engaged in the hardware business, in a building on the site of his former shop, and for more than half a century he here continued successfully established in this line of enterprise as a practical tinsmith and as the owner of a well equipped general hardware store. It was, however, as the inventor and the manufacturer of stoves and ranges that Mr. Tinnerman gained his most noteworthy financial and business success and prestige. He developed a large and prosperous manufacturing enterprise that stands as an enduring monument to his ability and his progressiveness. While handling stoves in his hardware store he conceived clear ideas for improving these essential household equipments, and eventually he perfected plans for the production of ranges of wrought steel. He obtained patents on his invention, and after making his first range he commissioned his wife to bring to the store a batch of biscuit dough, which he placed in the heated oven of the new range, with the statement to his wife that in seven minutes the biscuits would be baked and ready to eat. This statement proved true and established the value of his improved mechanism. Then, in a modest way, he THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS - 775 initiated the marketing of his ranges. He demonstrated the range to a number of his friends, to each of whom he made a proposition virtually as follows : "Give me ten dollars and your old stove and I will set up one of my ranges in your kitchen." In most instances his offer was accepted. The new ranges gave full satisfaction, and thus a basis was established for a new manufacturing enterprise of important order. In 1885 Mr. Tinnerman was ready to initiate the man-ufacture of what are now known as the Ohio steel stoves and ranges. By a judicious system of circularizing literature sent forth into various states the business of the new concern rapidly expanded in scope, a properly equipped factory was built, and for nearly a half century the products of the Tinnerman stove and range manufactory have been recognized as representing an important factor in the industrial and commercial activities of Cleveland. George A. Tinnerman retained the ownership of the business until his death in April, 1925, and his son, Albert H., is now the sole proprietor thereof. In 1890 George A. Tinnerman was one of the organizers and incorporators of The Lorain Street Savings Bank Company, of which he served as president from May 12, 1897, until he passed away twenty-eight years later, his efforts constituting an important factor in the continued growth and success of the institution. In 1868 he married Miss Caroline Ruhle, who was born on a farm near the city of Cleveland in 1848, the Ruhle family being among the pioneer settlers of what is now East Cleveland. At the advanced age of eighty-four years Mrs. Caroline Tinnerman is well and active, manifests a keen interest in current events and greatly enjoys travel, spending the winter seasons in Florida. By her marriage she became the mother of four children, as follows : Mrs. Emma Tarnutzer, a resident of Cleveland ; Frank, whose death occurred in February, 1916; Albert H., of this review ; and Mrs. Lillian Diebold, of Buffalo, New York. Albert H. Tinnerman, whose name introduces this article, was educated in the public schools of Cleveland and after put- 776 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS ting aside his textbooks entered his father's hardware establishment, receiving thorough training in both the hardware business and the manufacture of stoves and ranges. As his father's duties in connection with the presidency of The Lorain Street Savings & Trust Company increased, Albert H. Tinnerman took over the entire management of the stove manufacturing business, which grew to such an extent that in 1914 a large and modern factory of brick and steel construction was erected, three stories in height and equipped with up-to-date machinery. The plant has about sixty thousand square feet of floor space and is located on Fulton road, near Lorain avenue, where Mr. Tinnerman is now specializing in the manufacture of a high-grade gas range, marketed throughout the central states and metropolitan New York. The Tinnerman Stove & Range Company is a closed corporation, with Albert H. Tinnerman as sole owner. As stated above, Mr. Tinnerman is also president of The Lorain Street Savings & Trust Company, the history of which is printed in another part of this work. In 1904 Mr. Tinnerman was united in marriage to Miss Ida Neubauer, who was born and educated in Cleveland. They are the parents of three children, as follows : Alberta, the wife of William Buttriss, of Cleveland; George A. (II), a graduate of Purdue University, who married Jeannette Ledogar and has a son, George A. (III) ; and Betty, a student in the Junior high school. George A. Tinnerman (II) is now manager of his father's stove and range factory. Mr. Tinnerman has attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite in Masonry, belonging to Halcyon Lodge, No. 498, F. & A. M.; Thatcher Chapter, R. A. M.; and Cleveland Consistory, A. A. S. R. He is also a member of the Cleveland Athletic Club and the Chamber of Commerce. Lifelong residents of Cleveland, both Mr. and Mrs. Tinnerman have an extensive circle of warm friends here who greatly enjoy the hospitality of their attractive home at 6910 Franklin street. JOHN LONG SEVERANCE John Long Severance is a worthy representative of an honored pioneer family of Cleveland whose achievements and abilities rank him among the foremost business leaders of the city and of the nation. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, May 8, 1863, the son of Louis Henry and Fannie (Benedict) Severance. An earlier writer said : "His grandfather, Solomon Lewis Severance, was a pioneer merchant of Cleveland, and his father, the late Louis H. Severance, was for many years an official of the Standard Oil Company and also prominent as a banker and philanthropist. There was nothing in the character of John L. Severance which would allow him to remain the son of a successful father. He accepted the fortune of good birth and family position merely as a starting point in the attainment of still larger success." John L. Severance was educated in the common schools of his native city and graduated from Oberlin College of Ohio with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1885. His active career began as an employe of the Standard Oil Company of Cleveland. He became identified with the broadening scope of that corporation's activities. For several years he was treasurer and secretary of the Cleveland Linseed Oil Company. Later he became a factor in organizing the American Linseed Oil Company, a corporation which took over the in-terests of the Cleveland company. His principal business connection in more recent years has been as head of the Colonial Salt Company. His father organized this company and - 777 - 778 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS he has done much to fortify its position as one of the largest business concerns in Ohio. Mr. Severance also had a part in the organization and for several years was secretary and treasurer of the Linde Air Products Company. He is now chairman of the board of the Youngstown Steel Door Company and the Colonial Salt Company; president of the Cleveland Arcade Company; and a director of the Youngstown Sheet & Tube Company and the Cleveland Trust Company. "His own career," wrote a contemporary biographer, "like that of the business institutions in which he has been an executive officer, has nothing' of the meteoric and has been rather persistent than brilliant. Those most familiar with his business life say that he has come up from the rank and file because he possessed exceptional qualities as a business builder and organizer, and his early training and the sheer force of his inherent ability fitted him well for a captain's rank in the army of industry. In any well conceived list of Cleveland's business men the name of John L. Severance would appear in the front rank." Mr. Severance is also a prominent factor in the city's cultural development as president of the Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Musical Arts Association of Cleveland supporting the Cleveland Orchestra. He is a trustee of Nanking (China) University and of Oberlin College and Western Reserve University in Ohio. The Severance Union Medical College and Hospital and allied institutions of Seoul, Korea, which was founded by his father, is being carried on by Mr. Severance and his sister, Mrs. F. F. Prentiss. In politics he is a republican. His appreciation for the social amenities of life is indicated by his numerous club connections. His name is on the membership rolls of the University, Union, Mid-Day, Rowfant, Pepper Pike and Kirtland Country Clubs of Cleveland ; the University Club and Bankers Club of New York, and the Annandale Golf and Midwick Country Clubs of California. THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS - 779 On the 3d of November, 1891, Mr. Severance was united in marriage to Elisabeth Huntington DeWitt, of Cleveland, who passed away January 25, 1929. His home is at 3616 Mayfield road, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and he also maintains a winter residence at 1100 Oak Grove avenue, Pasadena, California. STERLING B. HUBBARD Sterling B. Hubbard is the able successor of his father in the presidency of the Cowell & Hubbard Company of Cleveland, which is the leading jewelry firm between New York and Chicago and has had a continuous existence covering about six decades. He is a native son of Cleveland, born July 8, 1885, his parents being Addison Thomas and Mrs. Katherine (Beckwith) Knight Hubbard, the former born in Holden, Massachusetts, and the latter in Cleveland, Ohio. His maternal grandfather was an early settler of this city. Addison T. Hubbard, father of S. B. Hubbard, came to Cleveland in the late '60s and worked for a few years in Hogan's jewelry store. He had learned the jeweler's trade in Boston, beginning work at the bench when a youth of thirteen. It was in 1873 that he embarked in the jewelry business on his own account in association with Samuel H. Cowell, establishing the Cowell & Hubbard Company, successors to Cowell Brothers. Their first store was located in the old Weddell House, whence they removed to the north side of superior avenue, near Bank street, and subsequently occupied the corner of Sixth street and Euclid avenue from 1895 until 1920. On the 18th of May, 1920, they moved into their own building at the corner of Thirteenth street and Euclid avenue, where they had erected a two-story structure with a foundation for sixteen stories. The second story is rented to I. Miller & Sons with the excep-tion of a space in the rear which is utilized for their own business. The main store is forty-five by one hundred and ninety feet. Addison T. Hubbard remained at the head of - 781 - 782 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS this extensive and successful enterprise until his death, which occurred June 23, 1930, Cleveland thus sustaining the loss of one of its foremost jewelry merchants and representative citizens. He held membership in the Union Club and was highly esteemed in both business and social circles of his adopted city. He is survived by his wife, who yet makes her home in Cleveland, and Mrs. Fred Tod, of Miami Beach, Florida ; and a son of Mrs. Hubbard by a former marriage, Walter O. Knight. Sterling B. Hubbard was graduated from the University School of Cleveland in 1905 and then became associated with his father in the jewelry business, in which he has continued very successfully throughout the intervening period of more than a quarter of a century. As stated above, he succeeded his father as president of the Cowell & Hubbard Company at the time of the latter's death and has since been the administrative head of the concern, strengthening its enviable prestige and reputation by wise, conservative and reliable business methods. The Cowell & Hubbard Company has a "wonderful background of confidence." On the 29th of April, 1908, Mr. Hubbard was united in marriage to Miss Evelyn Levkowicz, a native of Costa Rica and a daughter of Marcus W. and Florence (Hyde) Levkowicz. Her maternal grandfather, G. A. Hyde, was a Cleveland pioneer who became the first civil engineer of the city and at one time kept all weather reports here. Marcus W. Levkowicz, the father of Mrs. Hubbard, left Costa Rica for the United States and thereafter followed the profession of dentistry until his death. Mr. and Mrs. Hubbard are the parents of five children, namely : Sterling B., Jr. ; Harold H., a student in Dartmouth College ; Winifred W.; Addison Thomas (II) ; and Evelyn. Mr. Hubbard is a member of the Canterbury Golf Club and enjoys deserved popularity among his legion of friends. RICHARD T. EDISON When a young man of twenty Richard T. Edison became an employe of the Society for Savings and has devoted the greater part of his life to the service of the institution, of which he is now secretary and treasurer. He was born in Cleveland, July 22, 1869, a son of Simeon O. Edison, who was a native of Vienna, Canada, and came to the Forest city as a young man. During the period of the Civil war he operated a blast furnace at Black River, now Lorain, Ohio, and subsequently removed to East Orange, New Jersey, where his death occurred. He was an uncle of the late Thomas A. Edison, who was a cousin of Richard T. Edison. Simeon O. Edison married Julia Tilden, a native of Unionville, Ohio, and a daughter of Dr. Philo Tilden, a pioneer physician of that place. In the acquirement of an education Richard T. Edison attended the grammar and high schools of Cleveland and first worked for the Bradstreet Company, with which he spent but four months. He then secured a situation in the Union Na-tional Bank, with which he was identified until 1889, when he entered the bank of the Society for Savings, and has remained with this organization for forty-three years. Steadily he ad-vanced through the various departments as he gained in experience and knowledge and in June, 1922, became assistant secretary and treasurer. In 1922 he was elected secretary and treasurer and as an officer of the bank he manifests the wisdom, foresight and executive capacity of the successful financier whose first concern is the safeguarding and protection of the interests of the depositors. - 783 - 784 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS On the 13th of November, 1894, Mr. Edison was married to Miss Ella A. Cook, who was born in Perry, Ohio, and has long occupied an enviable place in social circles of Cleveland. Mr. Edison belongs to the Union Club and his loyalty to his city has prompted his effective work as a member of the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce. Impelled by a strong sense of duty and honor, he has conscientiously and satisfactorily fulfilled every trust reposed in him and is highly esteemed in the city in which his life has been spent. ROBERT H. CLARK. Robert H. Clark, well known citizen of Cleveland, represents a family that has been actively identified with the work of progress and development here for almost a century. He was born in this city on April 25, 1863, his parents being Henry Freeman and Eliza (Crowell) Clark, who were also natives of the Buckeye state, born in Cleveland and Warren, respectively. He is a direct descendant of Thomas Clark, who landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts, from the ship "Ann" in 1623. Several members of the family fought in the Revolutionary war. Edmund Clark, the paternal grandfather of Robert H. Clark, left Massachusetts for Cleveland, Ohio, about 1835. He became president of one of the largest banks of this city, also president of an insurance company and a director of a rail-road company and was one of the founders of the Society for Savings. His son, Henry Freeman Clark, the father of R. H. Clark, became one of the early editors of the Leader. Inter-ested in scientific rather than business pursuits, he was a naturalist of more than local renown. His wife, Mrs. Eliza (Crowell) Clark, was a daughter of John Crowell. His father, William Crowell, came with his family from Connecticut to Rome, Ohio, in 1801, and was among the early pioneers in the Western Reserve. William R. Coates, in his "History of Cuyahoga County and the City of Cleveland," published in 1924, says : "John Crowell was born in Connecticut in 1801, attended school at Jefferson, Ohio, studied law in Warren and was admitted to the bar in 1827, practiced law there, elected to the state senate in 1840, elected to congress in 1846, re-elected, came to Cleveland in 1852, and resumed the practice - 785 - 786 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS of law. His father was a lawyer before him and he inherited a natural interest in the principles of his great profession. He was editor of the Western Law Monthly and president of the Ohio State and Union Law colleges." Robert H. Clark was graduated from Racine College of Racine, Wisconsin, in 1886 and thereafter worked on the Leader for a few years. Subsequently he turned his attention to the insurance business, in which he continued most successfully throughout the remainder of his active career. He is now living retired save for the supervision of his affairs. He has membership in the Union Club and the Kirtland Country Club of Cleveland and in the Gibson Island Club of Chesapeake Bay. In 1886 Mr. Clark was united in marriage to Miss Julia Wick Bissell, of Cleveland, Ohio, daughter of Charles Semple and Cynthia (Wick) Bissell and representative of a prominent pioneer family of this city. Mr. and Mrs. Clark are the parents of a daughter, Millicent, who is the wife of Franklin Buchanan Owen, an insurance man of Cleveland, and the mother of one child, Julia Owen. HOWARD M. YOST No representative of the Society for Savings Bank is better known than Howard M. Yost, who has been with the institution for forty-four years, and since 1924 has occupied the office of vice president. He was born in Wiconisco, Pennsylvania, October 5, 1857, a son of the Rev. William and Maria (Gish) Yost, who came to Cleveland in 1863, and here both passed away. The father was a general officer of the Evangelical Missionary Society and by example as well as precept pointed out to others the higher course in life. At the age of six years Howard M. Yost came to Cleveland with his parents and in this city he acquired a high school education. For a few years he worked for the Lake Shore Railroad and in 1888 entered the bank of the Society for Savings, starting as a bookkeeper. Diligent, trustworthy and capable, he steadily progressed, serving in turn as loan teller, assistant secretary, secretary and treasurer before assuming the duties of vice president. At all times he has performed his work with thoroughness, exerting every effort to further the interests of the institution which he represents, and has long been regarded as one of the most capable executives of the bank. In 1885 Mr. Yost was married in Cleveland to Miss Kate Winans, who passed away in 1929. She had become the mother of five children : Ransom, now deceased ; Malcolm, attorney at law, with office in the Engineers building in Cleveland; Harold, who is both a mining engineer and civil engineer and lives in Phoenix, Arizona ; Dorothy, the wife of R. S. Sanborn, of Cleveland ; and Katherine, deceased. Mr. Yost belongs to the Canterbury Golf Club and also to the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce, cooperating. in the movements which are projected by that organization for the development of the city and the exploitation of its advantages. - 787 - LOUIS W. DINGELDEY Louis W. Dingeldey, proprietor of a first-class, up-to-date shoe repairing establishment at 322 Euclid avenue, was the first man in Cleveland to introduce modern machinery in the repair of footwear. He was born in Sidney, Ohio, September 20, 1871, a son of John and Anna E. ( Stutz) Dingeldey. The latter was a daughter of John Stutz, who emigrated to the United States from Switzerland, when his daughter was twelve years old. John Dingeldey, a native of Germany, crossed the Atlantic to America when a lad of twelve years and by dint of earnest labor provided the funds necessary for his education. He worked at the moulder's trade until he had saved sufficient money to pursue the theological course at Capital University of Columbus, Ohio, for he had determined to enter the Lutheran ministry. His first pastoral charge was at Sidney, Ohio, and later he established a branch church at Anna, this state, serving both congregations with consecrated zeal. Subsequently he went to Richmond, Indiana, to take charge of the Wernle Orphans Home, where he remained for thirty years. On the expiration of that period he came to Cleveland and here served as pastor of Peace Lutheran Church to the time of his death, which occurred in 1924, when he was seventy-one years of age. His wife also passed away in Cleveland. Louis W. Dingeldey acquired a public school education at Richmond, Indiana, and continued his studies in the Lutheran Teachers Seminary at Woodville, Ohio. On returning to Richmond, Indiana, he embarked in the retail shoe business, conducting an enterprise of that character until 1896, when - 789 - 790 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS he sold out and came to Cleveland. Here he entered the shoe department of the Cleveland Dry Goods Company and later established a shoe repairing business in the basement of Nate Danby's store. Subsequently he conducted his repairing business in a space leased from the Stone Shoe Company and on the 10th of March, 1932, opened a large shoe repairing establishment at 322 Euclid avenue, his present location. There is also a splendidly appointed barber shop, under lease to others and a clothes pressing. establishment. In 1930 Mr. Dingeldey invented the "As-You-Wait" sanitary foot-rest, which he manufactures in his own shop and which is now sold all over the United States. In July, 1931, he opened a private golf course near Solon, Ohio, a nine-hole course beautifully laid out, on which stands a comfortable club house amid attractive surroundings. The privileges of this course are ex-tended to the public for the nominal fee of fifty cents per day. During the summer months Mr. Dingeldey makes his home on the farm which he owns at the golf links. In 1895 in Cleveland Mr. Dingeldey was united in marriage to Miss Anna E. Haag, a native of Upper Sandusky, Ohio. Their eldest child, Lenore, died in infancy. The other members of the family were as follows : Louis G., associated with his father in business, who married Agnes H. Egan and has two children, Lois and Robert ; Carl, who is deceased; Elmer, who graduated from the Ohio State University on the completion of a course in journalism ; and Elenore, twin sister of Elmer, who is connected with the Guardian Trust Company of Cleveland. GEORGE IRA VAIL George Ira Vail, a business man of marked inventive ingenuity and a respected citizen of Cleveland, who passed away in the prime of life, was the head of the Vail Manufacturing Company, makers of the Vail shutter-awning, which he patented and placed upon the market. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, January 9, 1883, his parents being George Ira and Fanny (Case) Vail, the latter a daughter of William and Lucy (Palmer) Case. George I. Vail, Sr., born in Louisville, Kentucky, October 2, 1833, was a bookkeeper and became an early associate of John D. Rockefeller. He came to Cleveland about 1875. His death occurred July 22, 1888. The mother was born in Centerville, Michigan, October 9, 1843, and died November 11, 1924, in New York. In the acquirement of an education George Ira Vail attended the University School of Cleveland, Ohio, and Cornell University of Ithaca, New York. His university training was abruptly ended when the family physician advised travel abroad for the benefit of his failing health, and Mr. Vail made a world cruise which covered two years. In 1905 he became associated with the D. T. Owen Company of East Cleveland, Ohio. After eleven years, in 1916, he joined the staff of the Guardian Bank real estate department, and in 1920 he started to work on an idea which he called the "shutter-awning." He began experimenting on a permanent and rattleproof wood and metal awning, and soon applied for a patent, which was granted on October 25, 1921, carrying patent No. 1394656. Other improvements soon followed, and subsequent patents were granted. On February 9, 1926, No. - 793 - 794 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS 1571981 was assigned to him, and a final on his "shutter-awning" was given the number 1818286, and dated August 11, 1931. On January 2, 1931, he arranged with the Bostwick-Goodell Company of Norwalk, Ohio, to sell, manufacture and install this article under the name of the Vail shutter-awning, on a royalty basis. We quote from an attractive pamphlet published by the Vail Manufacturing Com-pany : "Vail shutter-awnings are a patented device espe-cially designed to give perfect protection from sun, rain, snow or wind for sleeping porches, verandas or any window. Shutter-awnings have all the advantages of both shutters and awnings without any of the objectionable features of either. Shutter-awnings do not keep necessary light out of a room. They do keep out the direct rays of the sun or prevent rain from beating in and allow complete circulation of air at both top and bottom under any conditions. Vail shutter-awnings are made to last a lifetime. They are constructed of sturdy, well seasoned cedar and are equipped with high grade hardware. They are as near weather-proof as it is possible to make them. . . . Vail shutter-awnings were not originally designed for general use. They were made by a man for use on his own home because he could find nothing like them on the market. Their present perfection was reached only after years of experimenting with various window openings and porches. Their first use was on a large sleeping porch to give absolute privacy and protection without sacrificing a free circulation of air. The decision to commercialize shutter-awnings was made only after neighbors and friends of the inventor had insisted on having shutter-awnings in-stalled in their homes and requests from other sources began to come in." In the fall of 1929, Mr. Vail began experimenting with a sliding window blind which he later called the "shutter blind," spending much time and effort in perfecting this idea. The blind, as in the case of the awning, also is controlled from the inside of the room by means of a bronze chain. If desired, the blind also can be projected at the THIS CLEVELAND OF OTJRS - 795 bottom and have the appearance of a long awning. There are at this time two patents pending. On the 12th of June, 1906, Mr. Vail was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Kent Wickham, the ceremony being performed at the residence of George W. Kinney at the corner of Euclid avenue and East Eighty-ninth street in Cleveland, then the home of the bride. Her parents were Owen B. and Lizzie (Kent) Wickham, the latter a native of Pennsylvania. The Wickham family was established in America in colonial days. Owen B. Wickham, born in Cleveland, Ohio, September 5, 1842, was connected with an oil company and subsequently with the Barber Asphalt Company but spent comparatively little time in active business. He passed away June 24, 1923, when in his eighty-first year. His daughter, Elizabeth Kent, was born in Cleveland and educated in the Hathaway-Brown School for Girls of this city and in Wells College of Aurora, New York. By her marriage she became the mother of three children, as follows : Virginia, born October 31, 1910, who is a student at Connecticut College of New London, Connecticut; George Ira (III), who was born May 10, 1914, and died July 31, 1923 ; and Elizabeth Wickham, known as Betty, whose natal day was April 8, 1921. Disqualified by physical disability for active service overseas at the time of the World war, Mr. Vail performed effective work in connection with the Cleveland headquarters of the Red Cross. He was a popular member of the Mayfield Country Club, the Cleveland Country Club, the Cleveland Advertising Club and the Hermit Club, all of Cleveland. One who knew him well said of him : "Possessed of a most wonderful personality, he made many friends. He was thorough and exacting' to a fault. His warm-hearted geniality and friendliness embedded itself into your heart. His keen sense of humor increased his popularity at all gatherings. He was shrewd in all his business dealings and yet most generous and charitable, a most desirable combination. Above all these outstanding characteristics he was a model of home-loving 796 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS and family-idolizing husband and father, beloved by all who were fortunate enough to know him and count him among their friends. His memory shall live and his wonderful attributes are cherished and emulated by his many friends and acquaintances." He was called to his final rest February 23, 1931, when forty-eight years of age. Mrs. George I. Vail, who survives her husband, resides at 2197 Harcourt drive, Cleveland Heights. SIDNEY V. WILSON As a merchant and manufacturer Sidney V. Wilson was long a vital force for progress in Willoughby and ever manifested a deep and helpful interest in matters touching the welfare and progress of the community in which he made his home for fifty years. Born in Norway, Herkimer county, New York, October 15, 1823, he was the third in a family of thirteen children and removed to Chautauqua county, that state, with his parents, who settled on a farm which was later incorporated in the grounds of the Chautauqua Assembly. In early life Mr. Wilson sought the opportunities of the middle west and at Crawfordsville, Indiana, he learned the trade of a wheelwright. Soon afterward he decided to return to Willoughby, Ohio, a place toward which he had been especially attracted on his westward journey, due to the knowledge that it was named in honor of Dr. Willoughby, the family physician, who assisted in bringing him into the world ; and by the sign of "S. Smart," which hung over the little red general store, and the striking appearance of a hotel painted in alternate colors of red, blue and green, known to the traveling public as the "Zebra Inn." Upon locating in Willoughby, Mr. Wilson established a shop at what is now the corner of Erie and Spaulding streets and there engaged in the manufacture of wagons. They were made entirely by hand and one of them was used on the plains as late as 1890. After an interval of a few years he became manager of the Zebra Inn and among his guests were the officials of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad Company, who met there when the last spike connecting the Chi- - 797 - 798 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS cago and Buffalo divisions was driven. From 1854 until 1860 he was associated with A. S. Baker in the conduct of a general store at Findlay, Ohio, and they were the first Yankees in that old Dutch settlement. On his return to Willoughby, Mr. Wilson formed a partnership with his brother-in-law, S. W. Smart, a merchant, with whom he continued until 1872, and afterward was engaged in business alone on Erie street, opposite Vine street. In 1889 he moved to the Carrel block and enlarged his operations, admitting his son, Sidney S., to a partnership in the firm of S. V. Wilson & Son. In 1892 Ray Wilson, a younger son, entered the firm and at the same time they bought one of the Bond stores. The death of Ray Wilson in 1898 was a great loss to the firm and to the community at large. In 1899 the business was expanded by the purchase of two stores and the entire stock of Dickey & Collister. From that time until the close of his career Sidney V. Wilson was Lake county's leading merchant, due to his enterprise, ability and fair dealing. He was a victim of pneumonia and after a week's illness died February 14, 1903, at the age of eighty years. Mr. Wilson was married February 3, 1856, to Hepzibah B. Smart, who was born in Orange, Cuyahoga county, July 4, 1833, a daughter of Samuel Smart, who came with his fam-ily to Willoughby in 1836 and for many years was the proprietor of the general store over which was displayed the sign "S. Smart." A graduate of the old Willoughby Seminary, now Lake Erie College, Mrs. Wilson held her membership and her interest in the Alumnae Association until her death, which occurred March 10, 1903, in Indianapolis, at the home of her daughter, Mrs. E. E. Flickinger. Of the six children born to Mr. and Mrs. Wilson two sons and a daughter died in infancy, and Ray in July, 1898. Florence, who became the wife of E. E. Flickinger, passed away July 30, 1920, and the son, Sidney S. Wilson, secretary-treasurer of the Western Reserve University in Cleveland, is the only surviving member of the family. His biographical record appears elsewhere in this work. THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS - 799 Of Sidney V. Wilson it was said : "Mr. Wilson was a man of strong individuality, among his most notable traits being his undoubted integrity, rigid scruples of honor, genial courtesy and his unbounded hospitality. Sympathetic and charitable, he had also a keen sense of humor, making him a most delightful companion, and was especially loved by the young people. No man, it is safe to say, ever had a better sense of the true value of wealth and ease, and no man exacted from it and imparted from it a greater amount of happiness."