Code,999125,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Subject,Christopher Roy,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Date,3/18/2015,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Interviewer,Mark Souther,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Abstract,"Christopher Roy shares an extremely detailed account of his life growing up in Cleveland Heights. As Roy reflects on his childhood, he illuminates the changes that took place in the suburb during the 1960s and 1970s. Roy engages on a journey of Cleveland Heights' transformation from a place of ethnic enclaves to the rise of the counterculture. He provides such a well informed history of the neighborhood, while still emphasizing a child's most dearest memories of playgrounds, disengaged teachers and high school cliques. ",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Tags,"Cleveland Heights, Heights High, Coventry School, counterculture",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Special Notes,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
minutes:,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
0,"Mark Souther introduces the interview. Christopher Roy provides background information. Family moved to Cleveland in 1958, father worked with the Cleveland Orchestra. ",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
1,Discusses how his father was scouted for the job at the Cleveland Orchestra. The decision to take the job was mainly economic. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
2,The decision to take the job also was for the prestige. Roy relates his experience traveling to Cleveland via airplane. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
3,"Travel experience continues, riding on a bus from Toledo to Cleveland on a greyhound bus. Lived in Cleveland Heights throughout his childhood. ",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
4,"He attended Coventry School, Roosevelt Jr. High, followed by Heights High. ",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
5,Cleveland Heights was a walking community. Busses only came for the Jewish kids to go to Hebrew School. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
6,Cleveland Heights was designed for walkablity. Social/economic divide in the Coventry School district. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
7,"Social/economic divide in the Coventry School district. Children noticed cultural divides between their classmates, usually religious. ",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
8,Apartments/small houses Jews and European immigrants. The bigger houses were Catholic. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
9,In Coventry School his class was roughly 90% Jewish. On major Jewish holidays almost no one was left in the classroom. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
10,"As a child, he was not really aware of religious differences, but identified the different atmospheres in the neighborhoods. ",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
11,Many kids had parents/grandparents that spoke different languages. Mention of Mitchell's. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
12,Shares memories of visiting Mitchell's. Did not pickup on cultural/economic/religious differences as child. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
13,Jewish conflict in the neighborhood. Few establishments were bombed. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
14,"Children did not make divisions on religious/ethnic backgrounds. Divisions based on good/bad, tough/weak distinctions. ",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
15,Problem between Coventry School and St. Ann's School. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
16,Grew up on East Derbyshire and almost every house on the block had kids. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
17,South on Lee Rd. there used to be an orthodox Jewish storefront. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
18,Lee Rd and corner of Euclid Heights there was another Jewish store. Unaware of community center in 1960s. As a kid space was very contained. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
19,Member of the JCC. Every year as a child's ability to travel farther from home got larger it was a triumphant time. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
20,In schools they grouped kids overtly by ability. 1-4 descending on ability. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
21,His view of teachers/students was colored by the grouping system. Lack of academic equality.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
22,He was fortunate because he was grouped in sections 1 & 2. His teachers were overwhelmingly better. Teachers and corporal punishment. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
23,Children hit in school were the kids that would have been diagnosed today with learning/behavioral disabilities. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
24,"Problem children lived on the tougher side of Cleveland Heights. Tougher side, northwest side of Coventry. Race not yet an issue, everyone was white. ",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
25,Northwest side was more economically disadvantaged. Lack of a protectionalist philosophy. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
26,Explanation of protectionalist philosophy and difference. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
27,Description/location of the schools playground. Location differences between the original school and the one there today. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
28,"Difference between upper and lower playground, they were connected. Upper playground, older kids. Lower playground, younger kids. ",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
29,A ramp connected the upper and lower playgrounds. Discussion of skateboarding on the ramp. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
30,Skateboards were not forbidden at school. Skateboarding on ramp stories continue. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
31,Playground discussion continues. Notes when skateboards become popular. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
32,There were no formal ice skating facilities. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
33,The City of Cleveland would flood the Cumberland Park parking lot and turned it into an ice skating rink. Did not have to skate in a circle. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
34,Ice skating in the parking lot continues. Cleveland Arena also had an ice skating venue. Pavilion opened in 1970s. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
35,Graduated high school in 1971. Finished college at Cleveland State University. Coventry School was a spooky building. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
36,"Description of Coventry School building, built into the side of a hill. Different access points to the school. ",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
37,"Two different communities developed by the way the children entered the school. Principals had no relationship with the children, except for punishment. ",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
38,Ponders the universal traumatic junior high school experience. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
39,Explanation of awkwardness common in junior high school. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
40,Explanation of awkwardness common in junior high school. Heights High experience 1968-1971 peak of the Vietnam War. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
41,"Heights High School experienced social dissidence from Vietnam War. Drugs, Vietnam War, alternative lifestyles. ",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
42,"Heights High experienced everything earlier. New subculture, hippies discussion. Reinvention of student lifestyles, becoming some one completely different. ",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
43,Counterculture ethic explained. Transformation of individuals during this time. Different subcultures discussed. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
44,"The emergence of subcultures colored the outside image of Cleveland Heights. Even today Cleveland Heights has a certain image, began in the 1960s-1970s.",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
45,Transformation of Coventry during the 1960s and 1970s. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
46,"1980s-1990s high school football games stopped, could not control the kids. Conflict especially prevalent during Cleveland Heights vs. Shaker Heights games. ",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
47,Cleveland Heights vs. Shaker Heights intense rivalry. Became a more serious problem later. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
48,Roy does not remember the double-knifing at a game in 1968. High school football games were a huge part of the community. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
49,Roy does not remember the senior video of YouTube. 1970 and 1971were the two largest graduation classes. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
50,Roy was in the marching band and remembers playing for the 1970 commencement for 3 1/2 hours.  ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
51,"Early 1970s not too much of a racial issue, only 5-10% African American. Does not remember blacks being marginalized, many were athletes. ",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
52,Athletes could transcend the social groups. First African American student came in junior high. Evert Herd was a star athlete. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
53,Evert Herd became a community hero. Good introduction to how differences could be celebrated. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
54,Heights High and Roosevelt Jr. High had cafeterias. No attention to nutrition. A time of cliques and self-segregation. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
55,"No assigned seats, self-segregation. Did not have to stay in the school during lunch. The counterculture usually took advantage of leaving for lunch. ",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
56,Roy went home to take a nap during school. Others hung out in cars or went to the nearby restaurants. Easy to forge absence excuses. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
57,"Open campus during lunch started in roughly 1968, part of the liberalization of Cleveland Heights. Mention of Blue Moon and Michael's. ",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
58,"Blue Moon and Michael's were classic greasy spoon restaurants. Discussion of other greasy spoon dives. Mention of counterculture restaurant, Earth by April. ",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
59,Continued discussion of Earth by April and what the kids did during open campus. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
60,"Roy notes the difficulty of providing reminisces. Cleveland Heights was unusual because of the dramatic changes that took place in the suburbs,1960s and 1970s. ",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
61,Further notes that changes during the 1960s and 1970s was dramatic and unique. The interview ends. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
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