Code,990022
Subject,Russell J. Toppin Sr.
Date,6/19/2013
Interviewer,J. Mark Souther
Abstract,"Toppin was born in 1940 and grew up in the Cedar-Central and Glenville neighborhoods.  His grandparents came to Cleveland from Georgia during the Great Migration, and his paternal grandfather started Majestic Cab Co.  His father worked at the TRW plant in Euclid.  He recalls the ""Gold Coast"" entertainment venues along East 105th Street, including in the Euclid-East 105 area, in the 1950s-70s and Motown artists who played the clubs.  He describes the racial transition in the area as one from white-owned businesses catering to whites and then, increasingly blacks.  When blacks became the main clientele, whites sold out and left within a very few years in the 1960s.  He remembers seeing the Sowinski riot in 1966, moving just across the line into East Cleveland in 1968, and having bullets hit his house during the Glenville shootout.  Toppin discusses the impact of the Cleveland Clinic on the Euclid-East 105 area.  He attended Catholic schools, including St. Thomas Aquinas (where he was only the third black student) and Cathedral Latin.  He recounts his work for Addressograph-Multigraph in Euclid and, later, the Home Repair Resource Center in Cleveland Heights.  He moved to Cleveland Heights in the late 1970s."
Tags,"African Americans, Cedar-Central, Glenville, Great Migration, Majestic Cab Co., Catholic schools, St. Thomas Aquinas, Cathedral Latin, Euclid-East 105, Gold Coast, music clubs, Sowinski riot, Glenville Shootout, racial discrimination, racial transition, Skateland, Pla mor Skating Rink, The Temptations, Motown, Leo's Casino, Winston Willis, Cleveland Clinic, East Cleveland, Addressograph-Multigraph, Cleveland Heights, Home Repair Resource Center, Thompson Products (TRW)"
Special Notes,Good sound except for phone ringing twice and sound of lawn mower and leaf blower outside
minutes:,
0,Introduction Russell James Toppin Sr.; Born 1940
1,"Born at Charity Hospital what is now Metro; Parents lived on Cedar across from Cedar YMCA, Dad was drfted in World War II moved to E69th and Cedar"
2,"Father was a Polisher at TRW, worked there for over 40 years, polished blades that went on aircrafts, large propellers"
3,The factory job wasproduction not maintainence; grandfather worked at Majestic Cab company
4,"beaten out of cabs by Yellow Cab, went to White Motors"
5,Family never really talked about the cab company; lean out window at Majestic Hotel and told the fare
6,Blacks could not get a Yellow Cab until they figured out blacks paid
7,"Uncle drove for grandfather, mentions Calloway Watson; black entertainers on the west side; black driver had to have a cap to drive thewest side"
8,"Mother during WWII worked at Fisher Body, then a Secretary at Outlet Furniture; Retired from Case Western Reserve University as manager of student union"
9,Grandparents (both sides) came from Georgia
10,"Grandfather worked at Jones and Laughlin, steel company was downtown and moved to the west side; neighborhood was Cedar and Central"
11,Became the Gold Coast later with bars and commercial; moved to Glenville in 1950
12,"Brown brothers on 4th Street, Sears Robuck, 76th and Central Toppin Hatcher Market (maternal grandfather and father ran it); Save More was the only major chain"
13,Meeting at Cedar YMCA to get black merchants together to purchase in large amounts and they could not compete
14,Save More forced black and white merchants out; Jelly beans were favorite candy
15,"Lived on South Boulevard until 18 or 20, was not present during Glenville Shoot out was in East Cleveland"
16,(Phone Call Conversation)
17,"Gordon Park, Rockefeller Park, Golden Era of Baseball"
18,"Sowinski experienced near riot, Liberty Blvd. was blocked off with police facing blacks not whites"
19,"Chitlin Circuit was Euclid Avenue and East 105th, Motown entertainers along with E105th and St. Clair where he saw Nat King Cole"
20,East 55th Gleason's Bar was a high point of entertainment; Show downtown Late 1940s reminiscent of black folks in the balcony
21,Leo's Casino
22,Movie theaters with Saturday stage shows was the way to stay afloat
23,"Saw the temptations for a dollar, did old man river acepella"
24,"105th and Euclid, two shows, with a minister going to jail"
25,Keith Theater; Winston Willis; transition from white ownership to black ownership
26,"Willis had after hour clubs until he was run off of 105th, great big billboard"
27,Councilman Boyd? helped Cleveland Clinic buy up properties; 40 year plan at Case Western
28,1960s and 1970s on East Boulevard; Fairhill
29,Case Western and Western Reserve were not included in package with Cleveland Clinic; Guard Tower proposal  Newt D. Baker building
30,"Clinic was implementing take over, friends brother put down payment on house and Fannie Lewis helped beat people out of property; Womens hospital"
31,Moving theaters downtown
32,During summer months with no air conditioning people would go sleep in the parks; Uncle Chet would go to the park and nap and Russell was suppose to wake him up on lunch at school
33,segregated city whites used Skateland and blacks used Pla mor
34,Defacto segregation knowing where you can and cannot go; Pla mor was on Cedar currently occupied by a factory
35,"Skateland held a coronation ball by Alan Freed, opening it up to blacks, shortly after Skateland was closed"
36,"When all merchants were white and all consumers were black, blacks started buying business"
37,"Mid 1960s, worked at a store named Levit's and sold it to kid who worked there"
38,Winston Willis was one owner who held out until he was run out; businesses that brought in black entertainers were not black owned
39,"Leo's Casino, Veterans of Foreign Wars Club, American Legion; four or five bars and wine joints wine sold by the shot"
40,"Jewish owned businesses, pawn shop was Jewish owned"
41,"Lakeview Riots, Fred Ahmed Evans, rounds hit the back of the building, lived on Hower"
42,"Fred was a bass player and Russell played alto saxaphone with Fred; played with Billy Wells,"
43,On Wade park when he gave up the saxophone because place he was playing got shot up' East Cleveland turn over
44,"Business district in East Cleveland was white owned, one Judge, and heck of a police force; late 1980s when everything started being torn down in East Cleveland; Rev. Small had some marches"
45,Rev. Small was an outspoken for Civil Rights; worked at home repair resource center worked on office reproductive machines from 1965-1986
46,Stop first Recording
Start of B 0,"Running out of Ojays, not familiar with, Addressograph worked with state of Ohio and Ohio national guard"
1,"17 years at home repair resources center, would give classes on how to do repairs and financing and renting equipment at lower rate"
2,had already branched out from Forest Hill; perception of Cleveland Heights
3,"Called insurance agent because of moving into Cleveland Heights to get discount; Steering in the 1970s, asked ""What do you want to spend"""
4,Russell said price range was modern steering
5,another drawback was the financial institution you were getting mortgage from
6,"When dad bought house on South Boulevard cost $8500, down payment had to be $2000"
7,Central National Bank
8,"Uncle James gave his dad $200, house note was $55 a month, dad bought the last white owned house on the street South Boulevard; South Boulevard was the first place to start puttin in $175,000 homes"
9,"Knocking down blighted houses, whites are moving back down town, E 30th, East Cleveland coming back"
10,Family bought last house on South Boulevard owned by Whites
11,Russell was one of three blacks at St. Thomas Aquinas
12,family is not Catholic Russell became Catholic from tenant requirements renting on Cedar pledging to raise kids Catholic
13,"Pledge to raise kids Catholic when married Non-Catholic wife,"
14,"David Smith was another black at St. Thomas Aquinas with Russell, Ms. Ellis ran the buidling Russell lived in, She was upset he attended public school and not Catholic school"
15,Ms. Ellis was heavy contributor to Catholic faith and Russell was first intially denied admission to St. Thomas Aquinas for being being black  until Ms. Ellis threatened to cut donations to get him in; Even though he was at St. Thomas Aquinas he could not join the cubscouts; Cathedral Latin
16,"St. Thomas was elementary, Russell spent a lot of time in University Circle; asks Souther to look into Grandfather opening grocery Store"
17,Toppin Hatcher
18,Grocery store was open around 1949 and last 3-4 years
19,End of Interview