Code,990013
Subject,Leslie A. Jones
Date,6/6/2013
Interviewer,Katherine Taylor
Abstract,"Les Jones provides a very clear, interesting interview, and has a very touching, local story to tell about how he achieved a home in the community he had always dreamed about. As a young child growing up in the Glenville area (East 105th) he would ride his bike to the Cleveland Heights area, and describes it like ""going on a vacation"" because it was like a different world. He rode his bike past the Forest Hill area and thought the houses were enchanting. He drew a picture of the houses at school and received an ""A"" on the drawing. Once he settled down and his children grew up, he finally purchased a home in the Forest Hill neighborhood. He told the previous owner about his childhood dream/art project, and the home owner held off any other bids because he wanted to make sure the home would be purchased by someone who would appreciate it. Jones is a member of HCC and is in charge of the Home & Garden tour in Cleveland Heights. He is very passionate about architecture and keeping the community beautiful and appreciated. He speaks highly of community service and was always taught tolerance by his parents. Also, he shares an interesting story about the Glenville riots. He worked in a grocery store at the time and had to arrive at a very early hour. The National Guard ended up taking him to work because they were strictly watching the neighborhood."
Tags,"Reaching Heights, Heights Community Congress, Glenville, Cleveland Heights, Glenville Riots, Racism, U.S. Air Force, Military Insignia , Forest Hill, Jim Brown (Cleveland Browns)"
Special Notes,"Excellent Interview...great sound, great quote about forrest hill, the Home and Garden Tour"
minutes:,
0,"born in cleveland, University Hospital, Glenville Area along 105th"
1,"Left for the Air Force in 1969, went to Parkwood elementary, Patrick Henry Jr. High, Glenville High School"
2,"Talks about Air Force Service, Went to Cooper's School of Art in Cleveland ... did art work in the military"
3,"Graphic Arts and Design in the Air Force, Intelligence work..war game plans"
4,talks about military training
5,Designed squadron patches/logos..tail insignias
6,Lived in Cleveland Heights for 36 years
7,Lives now in Forest Hill  *good quote about childhood memory of Cle Heights*
8,"During the era of Blockbusting, he was away in the Air Force, but he knew he wanted to live in the suburbs..Their realtor would not show them houses in Bainbridge, Solon, Richmond Heights"
9,"Always show houses in Euclid, UH Cl Heights, Cleveland. They didnt recognize it as redlining. but looking back it probably was"
10,"Moved into a 3 story home in Meadowbrook, on a diverse street"
11,"Their kids didnt have trouble fitting in, they were well-recieved on the street, became close with neighbors"
12,Was not a huge transition from house on meadowbrook to Forrest Hill.
13,"But it did take a little longer to get to know the Forrest Hill neighbors. Involved in the Heights Community Congress, other community groups"
14,"Involved in Reaching Heights, ... Talks about borders for school borders"
15,"There were convenents on the houses in Forrest HIll, from East Cleveland, to CLeveland Heights High School"
16,The Unique Inner Neighborhoods in Cleveland Heights.. He has learned about that through the HCC.. Home and Garden Tour Chair
17,Talks about the Home and Garden Tour Chair. Coming up on his 24th year in the tour/hcc ...is now chair member
18,"Reaching Heights, worked for them for 2 years...  St. Annes community"
19,"""Steering"" directing certain people to certain neighborhoods ""Checkered"""
20,"St. Ann's Audit Binding,"
21,Heights Housing Service: Part of Cleveland Heights City Hall ..relocation details for incoming residents
22,Collaborate with the City Hall and Historical society
23,The Heritage Home tour
24,"Seek out houses each year that are unique heights properties... They added gardens about 3 or four, and they put on a home and garden tour . That money is a big fundraiser for the HCC but it preserves the history of the homes as well"
25,"So many unique, one of the kind homes...Write up stories on the homes, what they've done to fix the home etc."
26,"One home on the tour this year, a house that has totally been renivated. the house was orinially on tour in 1977 .. Art-Deco steel house"
27,"There was supposed to be a bunch of houses like this one but due to ww2, the steel was shorted so only one was built."
28,"one person has even spent over 300,000 re-vamping a heights house"
29,they have preview party / sneak-peak of the tours
30,People recieve special plaques for being a part of the tour. His sister was teacher/principal of one of the heights schools
31,Not familiar with any cross-burning. Martha Goble director of tour
32,Begins to tell story about childhood memory..Drew a forest hill house for art class in school and recieved an A on it. So he had always wanted to live there.
33,
34,"Drove past the house that they now live in once, and thought it was too small. The door was open and someone was taking a tour .. they were stunned at the inside of the house"
35,"the house originally belonged to a Chevy dealership owner. .. He told the son of the home owner his story about the picture he drew, and how he had always wanted to live there. The son wanted to make sure someone would appreciate the home so, denied any other bids so that Mr. Jones could purchase the home."
36,he even took a smaller bid/offer so that Mr. Jones could own the house
37,"Going back to his childhood, Born and lived on Goodings, the 3rd floor. Then they moved to Pierpont; Then moved to Grantwood by Cory Methodist Church"
38,Met Jim Brown from the Cleveland Browns..he got his hair cut over in that neighborhood in a Barber Shop.
39,"rode bikes to the ski-slope park in the heights area, they would sled there. They would venture up the hill into cleveland heights and remembers the beautiful housing"
40,"Lived in Glenville during the transition from jewish housing, to a black community ..recalls businesses leaving the Glenville area"
41,"His sister was kid-napped from the grocery store, his father ran after the man"
42,"His father was well-known in the neighborhood, good friends with george forbes"
43,Passed out flyers for george Forbes. His father was a precinct commiteeman
44,"Was an entering class in the new Glenville school, the class went from 60/40 to maybe 80/20"
45,"Recalls bussing issues, people wanted to leave becuase the school was totally black. lived in glennville from 1950-1969"
46,Volunteered for the Air Force in 1969..the first time he had left home. The only vacation they ever took was the New York fair in 1964
47,Remembers the Glenville riots..worked in a grocery store
48,"left early to go to work and the National Guard stopped him on his walk to work, and drove him to work."
49,"He wasn't involved with any of the riots, in his Jr. and Sr. years there was rivalry between Glenville and Collinwood."
50,The two schools eventually had a fight
51,talks about his parents
52,"they were so wise, and taught them well about diversity"
53,his father taught him many different trades to keep him well rounded if times ever got tough.
54,Discusses forest hill restrictive covenants
55,"Once they became involved in the home owners association, he found that many people didn't agree with the convenants"
56,"Thinks they are important in protecting the homes and the neighborhoods, as seen in Glenville where people dont have the means to re-paint their homes, etc."
57,
58,Marks asks if he recalls any stories of black families being denied home ownership
59,discusses integrated from his viewpoint in the neighborhood he
60,
61,Discusses where certain people are attracted to in neighborhoods and the quality of businesses
62,appreciates the way the cleveland heights government handles the community
63,"Diverse communities require hard work to stay well-informed about the ""quality of life"""
64,Discusses work career that supports diversity and community activities
65,the importance of community service
66,"recalls trips going downtown. On the bus his mother would tell her kids about the differences in people, to understand other people"
67,Community service exposes kids to other types of people
68,"talks about his sister, Renee Harrison."
69,"his father, has a very interesting history as a WW2 vet"
70,
71,
72,His father is last living person who can tell the history of the town in WV where a battle took place
73,..tells about his fathers life living on the coal mines grounds
74,Father's name is James Jones .