Code,800005
Subject,"Phyllis M Glaeser, President of the Federation of German American Societies of Greater Cleveland and the German Cultural Garden"
Date,3/11/2005
Interviewer,Richard Jaskolski
Abstract,"Phyllis M Glaeser, President of the Federation of German American Society of Greater Cleveland, discusses Cleveland's Cultural Garden.  She discusses her role as President of the Federation of German American Society of Greater Cleveland and as a delegate of the German Cultural Garden.  Ms. Glaeser recollects on her family history, growing up in Cleveland and the different activities the German community of Cleveland is pursuing.  Other topics include vandalism, the growth of the gardens as a whole, her contribution to the German Cultural Garden, and One World Day."
Special Notes,Cuts in ad Out
minutes:,
0,"German Cultural Center, President of German American Society, Phyliss Glaeser, married to German man from area under Russian dominance"
1,"Mother born in Germany, Father was Austrian, born in Warsaw Russia. She was born here. Father immigrated in teens, mother turn of century, husband came in 1952, was pow in Cleveland 44-46, worked at Heinz pickle factory, parents settled in Columbus's German Village"
2,"Lived further east b/c father was accomplished violinist and accordin player, mother was a ""lady's lady"" her father owned a confectionary, never permitted to finish scholl b/c mother was ill"
3,"Community growing up was different ethnicities, multiple languages, went to Holy Rosary, Latin was language there, run by Franciscan nuns, would say everyone from her class has been successful"
4,"Tops didn't exist, lot of German butchers, sausages, bakeries, found many now in Cleveland, West Side Market"
5,"Sang with the Columbus Mennencore, Harmonia Sports and Singing Society, have German Village cultural center, had Shiller park, not fluent in German today, wasn't acceptable to speak German during WWII"
6,"German foods, musical family, Sunday Afternoons spent having each family member having to play instruments or sing"
7,"Important to look at traditions, first Christmas tree brought by German family to Cleveland, Columbus has an actual St. Nickelaus who gives gifts to kids"
8,"German American Festival used to one 3 hour afternoon, now 3 days, invite young German dance groups, try to stick to bands with German background but musicians mixed, German Ball celebrates October 6 b/c is German American Day, have group perform between dinner and dancing"
9,"Festival is open to public, welcome public to come, plans to make Festival a more organized business like activity, more children oriented"
10,"Have German displays and expanding this year, been involved in German organizations since 1976, not when child because ""times were tough,"" Federation of German American Society of Greater Cleveland"
11,"Supporting public activities, have a candidates review night during election year, party not the answer, it is support for German community, main goals is to let Germans step forward and speak and let continue traditions"
12,"Member of German Central, work for Oktober Fest, ladies group putting on their first Oktober Fest in park and her singing group is putting on show, if you give Germans food they are happy!"
13,"Mission of club is to help each organization continue to exist, Stueben Society, he helped Americans in Revolutionary War, want to bring group back, have German Concert Orchestra, talk of having a fun day at Cultural Gardens, picnic on greens"
14,"Each is their own club, several different groups thorughout Ohio come together on board of Federation, supports them, have 19 organizations"
15,"Americanized festivities, even Germans in Germany have, speaks enough German to shop there, have little problem with older population doing it their way and younger folks need to be listened to"
16,"Hopes her prescence will help this, never saw Cultural Gardens until last June, when joined board of Federation found out about Garden, ""terrible neighborhood"" but beautiful during day,"
17,"Nice place to sit, are coming along, restored all of the busts, had one totally gone, mounted somewhere else with their permission, had new one molded and made in China, next one is Patina"
18,"Will be directly involved b/c the CG's fall under Federation, appointed delegate to Garden meetings, Wolfgang Keich painter and did work on gold leaves, installing fountain again is possibility"
19,"Water is right behind one of the pedestals, have to go through Cleveland Cultural Gardens and their committee, passed as many gardens as could, Ukrainian on one side and Lithuianian on other, probably have largest garden"
20,"Initially German population was ""clannish"""
21,"No longer occurrence because no longer have immigrants, with war (WWII), vandalism started with changes in neighborhoods after WWII and didn't appreciate the beauty, not realizing could be peaceful and need to keep it up"
22,"Bust taken down and stored because of riots, took long time to get back, not until Mayor Campbell, raised money to get out and clean them out, Mayor White wouldn't let busts out because politics"
23,"Not as many people involved as now, One World Day, sidewalks are block stone, pressure washed them, One World Day to celebrate"
24,"Celebrate that are here in America but have a special place, naturalized citizens, saw people estatic to be Americans, most marvellous presentation of the American judicial system"
25,"Consider herself a German Austrian American, lean to German Austrian but allegiance is to America, want to continue German Austrian values"
26,"Have run the German Day Queen event and meeting young women 16-21 is wonderful, are intelligent, smart, undestand what it is to continue German culture, Americanization is making things lost"
27,"Skils of Germans were brick masons, stone masons, some inventors, grandfather immigrated to Columbus and invented the cement mixer but didn't understand what a patent was"
28,"German village in Columbus had a lot of butchers, packing house, Hough neighborhood here, husband lived there, seeing homes around Cultural Gardens are gorgeous, not unusual to live where jobs were near"
29,"Freeway not until 60s so to get from one end of town to the other would take 2 hours, went to work for Savings and Loans and was put through night school at Ohio State by them, took free education"
30,"This is her second husband, moved to Cleveland in 1992, took him year and four months to ask her out, lives in Seven Hills today, not comparable to closeness of past"
31,"Seeing new children coming in, house is vacant across the street, have park behind them, spends summer watching sports there"
32,"Grant money available, if you take on project can get grant money for half if available, have put together a lot of people to weed, trim, shape"
33,"Trim trees out, garden in best shape in last 50 years, can find parking spaces, probably problem everywhere because gardens built in time when transportation not available everywhere"
34,"Pathways might be good idea, might encourage vandalism, one point all flowers had been pulled out and strewn about, gardens are going to get better because people understand more and more"
35,"Working with neighbors on weekends, neighborhood taking positive steps, Hungarian Garden seems to only have two people who work, their area nice and good,"
36,"If could encourage 8-10 students to work with gardens, African American garden has nothing but is at center of ""their community,"" if could establish pride it would help everyone else"
37,"Introduces woman who did ground work and got a hold of bus, and then died on March30 2004, editor of Germania newspaper"
38,"Mayor Campbell opened door for them but Cleveland Cultural Garden Federation really did things, not a priority with Campbell and thinks she could care less"
39,"Euclid Corridor Project is wonderful, knows properties around Cleveland Clinic, yuppies, doctors, and whatnot will be needed to bring area back"
40,Professor from BW wants to speak with her husband because of being captured
41,"Husband is 80 years old, unbelieveable with languages, would drop into cities like he lived there in Germany, 1995 there"
42,Taking picture of her
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