Code,913050
Subject,Jenifer B. Garfield
Date,10/25/16
Interviewer,Mark Souther
Abstract,"Jenifer Garfield grew up in New Orleans during the 1930s and 1940s. She describes growing up in the South. She moved to Cleveland after marrying a well-connected husband. She was involved in real estate and describes the changes in the Cleveland and Shaker Heights neighborhoods over the years. She and her husband were very involved in community organizations. She spends a considerable amount of time pinpointing where restaurants and businesses were in the Cedar Fairmount, Coventry, Shaker and Cleveland Heights areas. "
Tags,"Pan American Airways, New Orleans, Newcomb Pottery, French Quarter, jazz clubs, Carnival (Mardi Gras), Severance Center, downtown Cleveland, Playhouse Square, Jacques Brel, Junior League, East End Neighborhood House, Cleveland Heights, real estate, race relations, Hattie Larlham, Lawrence School, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Cedar-Fairmount, Coventry, University Circle Plan, Judson Park"
Special Notes,The sound quality is excellent. 
minutes:,
0,"The interview begins with brief introductions and Jenifer Garfield states that she was born in New Orleans, in 1933, in the Garden District. She and her family then moved Uptown."
1,Garfield remembers the network of family and friends she had growing up. She attended Trinity Episcopal Church on Jackson Avenue. 
2,Dr. Copeland was the director of the church and he had a long tenure there. Garfield continues that her father was a traveling salesman of heavy electrical wire. When World War II broke out her father joined the Navy and subsequently became an officer. He ran an Anti-Submarine Warfare School in Honolulu. 
3,Garfield's mother was a housewife. In the third grade the family moved Uptown from the Garden District. She attended Country Day and then Isidore Newman School. After World War II the family moved to Atlanta for her father's job. 
4,"Garfield attended college in New Orleans. While at college she met her future husband, and she followed him back to Ohio. She  describes her husband's personality. After graduating from Williams College, her husband took a job with Pan American Airways. "
5,"After being married in 1954, the Garfields moved to Cincinnati. Soon after the couple had a child and they moved to Cleveland. While in college at Newcomb, Garfield studied biology and some art history. "
6,Garfield shares a story about how her sister's Newcomb Pottery was not destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Garfield then describes the French Quarter and frequenting jazz clubs as a teenager.
7,"She mentions that she heard Pete Fountain play at a few parties she attended. However, Oscar ""Papa"" Celestin was her favorite. She frequented the clubs before Preservation Hall became a more popular venue. "
8,"Garfield shares that one evening, upon arriving home from a jazz club, she discovered that Papa Celestin played at her mother's debut party. Her father was in some of the Carnival organizations and so she attended some balls. "
9,Garfield shares her first thoughts on Cleveland. 
10,She continues to describe downtown Cleveland. She lists some of her husband's family connections to important people in American history.  
11,Garfield continues to list her husband's family connections to important organizations and people in American and Cleveland history. 
12,"For 22 years Garfield lived in Cleveland Heights, specifically on Coleridge Rd. near Coventry. Then for 33 years she lived on Ardleigh Dr. and Judson for the past 4 years. She went downtown occasionally, but once Severance Center was built her shopping needs were met there. "
13,Garfield comments that generally you could get everything you needed from one store downtown. She then lists some stores located downtown. She also mentions she went to Sterling Lindner Davis to see the big christmas tree they had on display. 
14,"Garfield continues that at the back of Higbee's and Halle's there were places to park. In the late 1960s early 1970s the department stores started to leave the downtown area, which is when Garfield pinpoints as the start of downtown Cleveland's decline. "
15,Garfield was very involved in the Playhouse Square project of the early 1970s. She specifically remembers seeing Jacques Brel at least 8 times. She mentions she also went to the Hanna Theatre.
16,She mentions Lanie Hadden and her conenction to Playhouse Square. Garfield then starts to list other individuals that were instrumental in saving Playhouse Square including John Lewis and Pudge Hanckel. She became aquanited with John Lewis through her real estate company. 
17,"She continues that ultimately John Lewis decided to come to Cleveland because of the challenge Playhouse Square presented and the opportunity he would have to write his own musicals. Garfield explains what ""show the lifestyle"" meant in real estate lingo. "
18,"Garfield further explains that she would sell potential buyers on Cleveland, or Cleveland Heights by showing them the sights around town. She sold real estate mostly in Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights, but she also had some selling opportunities in the country. She sold real eststae from 1976-1997. "
19,The real estate agents were fervently schooled on the Fair Housing Laws. She mentions her experiences in the South with African Americans and how that experience shaped her outlook on black and white interactions and relationships. 
20,She mentions that she showed all clients respect regardless of race and was never sued. Garfield mentions while living in the South she was not aware of the racial strife in the big cities.  
21,She continues that she never had a firsthand experience with racial strife in the South. She explains that the work environment for blacks in Cleveland was clouded with lack of trust. 
22,Garfield mentions that she has many African American friends and aquaintances. She also attends St. Paul's Church and was a part of the Junior League. 
23,The first Board she served on was East End Neighborhood House and Lawrence School. Her role on The Board was to ask community businesses for monetary support. 
24,She was appointed the Chairperson for the Lawrence School Capital Campaign. The purpose of this Capital Campaign was to aquire funds to build a secondary school for the children with dyslexia and attention deficit disorder. 
25,He husband served on the Board for Hattie Larlham. Hattie Larlham is a non-profit organization that focuses on providing care for the severly to high functioning mentally handicapped individuals. 
26,She mentions that she and her husband co-chaired the Capital Campaign for Lawrence School. Her husband led the Capital Campaign that built the South Wing Gallery at St. Paul's. She was a member of Junior League starting in 1954.  
27,"In the 1960s the Junior League focused on Nursing Homes, helping nurses get accreditation, worked in the hospitals and in settlement houses. "
28,She notes how attuned the women of Junior League were on identifing the negative and positive practices in an organization. 
29,"In the 1970s the Cleveland Heights community changed, however it held onto its values. The neighborhood always retained a great sense of community. "
30,Souther wonders and then discusses why people chose Cleveland Heights over other suburbs. What were Cleveland Heights' selling points?
31,Garfield insists that Russo's was a wonderful store in Cleveland Heights. There used to be block parties and the schools were strong. 
32,As the schools became majority African American they started to have problems. She also mentions how the wonderful churches were in Cleveland Heights were also a selling point. 
33,"Cleveland Heights had community anchors. Russo's, where Dave's is now, started as a vegetable stand and grew into a big grocery store. Russo's also provided home delivery services. "
34,The delivery service at Russo's was $1.50 and they also ran charge accounts. Mr. Russo got his produce from the market near 55th and Woodland. Russo's also specialized in meat. 
35,"In the Cedar-Fairmount area, Garfield's husband's uncle had an European antique store. There were also two women's dress shops; one was Mary & Nesbit. "
36,Also in the Cedar-Fairmount area there were three drug stores and one had a soda fountain. Where Starbucks is today there was a flower shop owned by a family with the last name of Dunn. Where the Heights Medical Building is today there was Damon's Restaurant. 
37,Mad Greek Resturant came into the area. Nighttown fine dining had also been successful in the area. 
38,"There was a drug store on Fairmount and Taylor, called McPhetres. The pharmacist there would reopen his store late at night to fill a prescription. "
39,"There were a couple of dry cleaning services on Cedar and Fairmount, one was called Fairmount Cleaners. Garfield mentions she does not remember much about Coventry expect for the theatre and Hyde Park Grille. "
40,"On Taylor, almost to Euclid Heights Blvd., there was a toy and furniture store called Heights Toy. There also was a bicycle shop in that vacinity, as well as an Leetha's Ice Cream. "
41,Garfield thought that the University Circle Plan was phenomenal. She believed they were really nurturing the organizations that were there including the museums and Severance Hall. 
42,"She does mention the sadness she felt when the mansions on Euclid Avenue were being torn down. Discussion ensues on Neil Carothers, Keith Glennan and the Atomic Energy Commission. "
43,"Garfield mentions that she knew of Mrs. Mather, but never met her. However she knew a Mrs. Bishop who introduced Garfield to her husband. "
44,A brief discussion continues on how Garfield met her husband. Garfield mentions how hopeful she is for the future of Cleveland. She is especially impressed with the current mayoral administration. 
45,Garfield expresses how happy she is with living in Judson Park. 
46,She also comments on how thankful she is for the students from the Institute of Music musicians who come and play for the residents at Judson. 
47,Garfield notes how happy she is with Cleveland and only misses New Orleans when she visits there. Even the cold weather in Cleveland she does not mind and she shares how she used to make a ice skating rink in her backyard for the children. 
48,She also mentions how she used to miss the change of seasons while growing up in New Orleans. She learned to embrace the seasons and never let the weather interfere with fun. 
49,The interview ends. 
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