Code,913058
Subject,Alice Palda
Date,10/27/16
Interviewer,Mark Souther
Abstract,"Alica Palda describes her conservative upbringing. Then she explains how she evolved into a libral urbanite. Her calling was the theatre and storytelling. She was employed with the Cleveland Public Library System and the Cleveland Heights Public Library System. She colorfully describes her life experiences as a childrens librarian, a theatre enthusist and a neighborhood integration advocate. She documents her time at the Karamu Theatre and her encounter with the Hough Riots. "
Tags,"Karamu Theatre, Cleveland Public Library, Hough Riots, Lake Erie College for Women, Cleveland Heights, East Cleveland, Near West Side of Cleveland, Jefferson Library, neighborhood integration, Cleveland Heights Library System, The Church in the Circle, Methodism, LGBT"
Special Notes,The sound quality is excellent. 
minutes:,
0,"Introductions are made and Alice Palda states that she was born in Dayton, Ohio on February 24, 1942. She grew up in a small town outside of Dayton called Trotwood and explains how the town got its name. "
1,She continues to explains the story behind the naming of the town of Trotwood. 
2,"By the 1960s, the town started to suburbanize, starting in the mid-1950s. Her father operated the grain elevator for farmers. The town was comprised mostly of German immigrants. "
3,Jewish families started to move to the outskirts of the town. Afterwards black families started to move into the town.
4,"Before moving to Cleveland she had never met a black person, but soon integration became very important in her life. She attended Lake Erie College for Women in Painesville. There she majored in theatre arts and voice and took education courses. "
5,She got a job at Cleveland Public Library as an Acting Children's Librarian. She did all of the children's programing and storytelling at the library branches. 
6,"Although she loved her job she missed the theatre, so she went to Karamu Theatre. The theatre was very diverse. "
7,"She shares that the moment when she realized she no longer described people in racial terms. She met her husband, who was a technical engineer at the theatre. "
8,"Her husband was in the National Guard. In the mid-1960s the Hough Riots happened. Her husband left every morning with his gun to go to Hough. Palda, who was student teaching in a Hough school, left every morning during the riots with books. "
9,Palda describes driving into Hough during the riots. 
10,She continues to describe driving to her student teaching assignment during the Hough Riots. 
11,Palda explains how she came to love the theatre.
12,"One of her friends, she met through the summer theatre program, got her interested in Lake Erie College for Women. She only applied to Lake Erie College. "
13,"After she sent in her application to Lake Erie College, a women from Painesville came down to interview Palda and her family and she was accepted. "
14,She describes how much she enjoyed going to college and why Lake Erie College for Women was the perfect place for her. 
15,Her time in college was starkly different from her life in her small hometown. 
16,Lake Erie was small so there was a real sense of community. 
17,"Palda's college class was the only class with a black women. Palda and her black friend decided to integrate the lunch counter at Woolworth's in Painesville, however, Woolworth's served all people regardless of race. "
18,"Her black friend, Lavern was from Washington D.C. Lake Erie College offered winter terms abroad. "
19,"She was supposed to go to Italy, but at the last minute decided to go to Amsterdam. "
20,She reminisces that the student that decided to go to Italy gained at least 50 pounds while abroad. 
21,"During college Palda would occasionally go to Cleveland by bus. She frequently went to the see plays, went to the public library and would go to fraternity parties at Case. "
22,After experiencing life on her own away from her parents she knew that Cleveland was the place for her. She explains also why she loves living at Judson and enjoys watching Cleveland grow. 
23,She attended college from 1960-1964. Before the Hough Riots she had only went to Hough a couple of time. One of her roommates after college taught at a Hough school. 
24,Her roommates were more involved in the Hough area. Their apartment was in East Cleveland on Euclid Avenue. Afterwards they rented a house in Cleveland Heights.  
25,She describes her house in Cleveland Heights that was built into a ravine. The house was located on Oxford Rd. near Nela Park. After she and her husband got married they bought a house in Cleveland Heights. 
26,She worked at Jefferson on the near west side from ca. 1964-1967. The neighborhood was originally settled by Ukrainian immigrants. Gradually Appalachians and blacks moved into the neighborhood. 
27,"In the area many of the homes did not have indoor plumbing. She remembers how much the children from the neighborhood loved to come to the library, especially for the toilet. "
28,She shares that one time she prevented a young boy from accompanying his younger brother to the restroom. The story continues that the younger brother was unable to clean himself and needed assistance. 
29,Palda describes the very traditional head librarian of the Jefferson library. 
30,She continues that the head librarian used the same tea bag all week and was extremely strict. 
31,One day Palda noticed white spots on the binding of the children's books. 
32,"The story continues that the city had to come and spray the books to kill the pests that were eating the books. Unfortunately the chemical spray attracted other vermin from the neighborhood including rats. The city vermin came from all around, to the libraray, to die. "
33,The library's circulation dropped very low during this month because the smell of dead rats was so bad. 
34,The head librarian took the staff down to the basement one day and ordered Palda to climb through the basement tunnel to see if anymore rats were dead. 
35,The Jefferson Library was a Carnegie Library in the Tremont area. Palda finally transferred to a library in the Harvard area in 1966. 
36,She moved around to another library then she got pregnant and stayed at home with her child. Eventually she became involved with the Young Audiences organization. Then she started to work for the Cleveland Heights Library System. 
37,In 1965 Cleveland Heights was a relatively white community. 
38,"As time went on, however, Cleveland Heights encouraged diversity in the neighborhood. She remarks that she chose to raise her child in Cleveland Heights because of the diversity in the neighborhood. "
39,She mentions how important Karamu House was at shaping her outlook on diversity. 
40,Her job while working for the Cleveland Heights Library System was to put on assemblies at schools. These assemblies encouraged the school children to come to the library. 
41,As the community started to integrate she thought the initial transition seemed smoother than how it was later. Later on she remarks the new people in the community seemed more individualist and less educated and liberal. 
42,"For example, Palda shares that when the community had block parties the children would come out and socialize, but not the parents. "
43,She continues to express how sad she is that the community has changed for the worse. The strong community of neighbors no longer exists like it did when the neighborhood integration first started. 
44,"She comments that the integration was successful in Cleveland Heights, but something has definitely changed. "
45,"She is a member of a Methodist Church called The Church in the Circle. She describes the church as being very liberal, but that it was not always. "
46,Palda continues to describe the changes in her church. 
47,"The church is integrated and is very engaging. The chruch members mostly come from outside the immediate vacinity of the church, hardly anyone fom Judson attends. "
48,Lesbian and gay couples are encouraged and welcomed into the church. Less college students come to the church today. 
49,She continues to discuss how important the merger with Frist Church was towards transforming The Church in the Circle. 
50,Palda states that the church's success depends on a strong leader. She notes the division currently taking place in Methodism because of the LGBTQ community. 
51,"She mentions the biggest issue, her church faces today, is the marrying of gay and lesbian couples in the church. "
52,She further describes why the church members will split over the gay and lesbian marriage issue. 
53,She comments that she can see each side of the argument because she has lived on the conservative and liberal side of the spectrum. 
54,She aatributes her success to the people that have threaded in and out of her life over the years. 
55,Palda feels a higher power is guiding her life. She thanks Souther for the interview.
56,The interview ends with Palda stating that everyone has a gift and hers is storytelling. 
57,The interview ends. 
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