Cleveland Blast from the Past

In the process of streamlining our personal belongings (also known as getting rid of stuff) I've come across two panoramic photos that have come down through the family. Both show a bit of Cleveland history as well as family history.

The first is of the Union Printers International Golf Association's summer outing in Cleveland, in August of 1935. The tournament was held at Ridgewood Golf Club in Parma. In the photograph at the front right are my paternal grandparents, Clarence and Blanche Claspy.

Here is a zoomed crop of Blanche and Shorty- she is standing behind him with a brimmed white hat. I'm totally digging Shorty's bow tie and navy blazer with white bucks. I'm pretty sure he's got seersucker trousers on as well. Nice. I wonder who was baby sitting their 9 month old son that day?

And here is a scan of the Plain Dealer, announcing the winner of the tournament. The association also held a baseball tournament at the same time.

The other photograph is of the faculty at the Thomas A. Edison School in Cleveland. As this article relates, the Edison school was for "incorrigible children" and offered them vocational training in a strongly structured atmosphere. My maternal grandfather is pictured here. William S. Hoffman was a printer (like Grandpa Claspy!) but also an educator. He taught printing in the Cleveland Public School system for many years, at Edison, West Tech and other schools.

Here is the crop and zoom of Grandpa Hoffman. This is is about 2 and a half years before my mother was born. He was 23 years old when this photo was taken and looks quite natty in his three piece suit and pomaded hair.

I plan on donating the original photographs to the Cleveland Memory Project.