Anthony J. Celebrezze

Anthony Joseph Celebrezze Sr. (September 4, 1910 – October 29, 1998) was the 49th Mayor of Cleveland, elected to office in 1953 and remaining there until 1962. He served an unprecedented five two-year terms (Cleveland mayors have been elected to four-year terms since 1979.)

Cleveland was at that time run by a tightly-organized Democratic party, and the Italian-American Celebrezze was not their candidate. Credit is often given to the endorsement of Louis B. Seltzer, editor of the Cleveland Press, for the victory. However, Seltzer may have simply been aware of the strong popularity Celebreeze had among the citizens of Cleveland and threw his support behind the apparent victor. He was also supported by Ohio Governor (and former Cleveland mayor) Frank Lausche.

During his tenure over $140 million was spent on urban renewal projects, including the construction of the Red Line, connecting the East and West Side. In addition, much attention was paid to construction of the freeway system to bring those who were moving to the suburbs easier transit into the city. However, he was also the champion of Erieview, a plan to revitalize the vanishing downtown population by razing old buildings close to the lake and creating vast high-rises and lots of parking. The razing of old housing stock took place, but the rebuilding never materialized, with the exception of the big, ugly, vacant Erieview Tower.

Source:
Wikipedia
Encyclopedia of Cleveland History

Sam Sheppard

Let's dig right in, shall we?

Dr. Samuel Holmes Sheppard (December 29, 1923 – April 6, 1970) was an osteopath who lived in Bay Village, Ohio, my hometown.

The end, moving on.

*Big sigh.*

Okay, let's try again.

Dr. Samuel Holmes Sheppard (December 29, 1923 – April 6, 1970) was an osteopath, living in Bay Village, Ohio. He was married to Marilyn Reese Sheppard, mother to their son, Sam, whom they called Chip.

In the early morning on July 4, 1954 Marilyn was brutally murdered in their lakefront home. Sheppard gave conflicting reports about the events in question, claiming he had seen a "bushy-haired intruder" assaulting her, with whom he got into a fight and was knocked out. Pursuing the assailant to the beach, he was struck unconscious again.

The trail of Sam Sheppard for the murder of his wife ... Jesus, I can't even write this, everybody knows this story. The Fugutive, The Cleveland Press, Louis Seltzer, F. Lee Bailey, it makes my head hurt.

How's this ... the made-for-TV movie Guilty or Innocent: The Sam Sheppard Murder Case was released on November 17, 1975 starring George Peppard as Dr. Sam. Someone in my family watched it. It couldn't have been my father - he had absolutely no interest in this case, the man was guilty, full stop. It was probably Denny, who was in eighth grade. In any event, I took in this horrid story, told in the form of a horrid TV movie, at the tender age of seven. My daughter is seven.


So, since the second grade I have been aware of this gruesome tale, of what the word "bludgeon" means, to know that justice does not exist, that truth can be unknown, what the 46 year-old George Peppard looked like without a shirt ... a child does not need to know these things.

And to think that it happened in my home town.