, OH
James Cleveland Owens was born in Alabama in 1913 and moved with his family to Cleveland at age nine. An elementary school teacher recorded his name “Jesse” when he said “J.C.” It became the name he used for the rest of his life. Owens’ dash to the Olympics began with track and field records in junior high and high school. Owens chose The Ohio State University without scholarship, supporting himself by working many jobs, including one in the University Libraries. The pinnacle of his sports career came at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where he won four gold medals, frustrating Adolf Hitler’s attempt to showcase Aryan superiority. After his return, Owens found work as a playground director in Cleveland beginning his life work with underprivileged youth.
, OH
The Union and League of Romanian Societies, Incorporated was formed in 1928 from a unification of two separate fraternal organizations, the Union and the League. The Union, founded on July 4, 1906, was originally organized for the purpose of promoting the general welfare of its members through life insurance policies obtained through individual societies located in the United States and Canada. The societies of the Union and League offer social interaction within their local lodges and through the strength of the larger parent organization. The purpose of the current Union and League is to maintain and encourage Romanian cultural heritage by promoting interest in Romanian ethnic values through cultural activities and to sustain loyalty to the United States and Canada among its respective members.
, OH
In 1968, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) established the first practicing Vedic Temple in the state of Ohio. This building represents the beginning of a now growing population of Vaisnavas, worshipers of Vishnu or Krishna, in Ohio who have integrated into the mainstream daily life here without forsaking their own unique traditions. Daily worship ceremonies, formally installed deities, marriage ceremonies, final rites, and many other significant ceremonies related to Vedic culture are practiced at the temple. These ceremonies are prevailed over by authorized Pujaris or priests. The ISKCON House upholds and represents those values sacred to Vedic culture: peacefulness, tolerance, equanimity, patience, truthfulness, honesty, austerity, and mercy. In this sacred place, there is no breaking of the regulative principles of Dharma (religion): no meat eating, no intoxication, no gambling, and no illicit sex (outside marriage).
, OH
The Council of International Programs USA (CIPUSA) promotes international understanding in global communities through professional development and cross-cultural exchange. CIPUSA evolved from the Cleveland International Program, a professional and cultural exchange program for youth leaders and social workers, established by Dr. Henry B. Ollendorff in 1956. By 2003, CIPUSA had grown to include nine affiliate offices nationwide, including two offices in Ohio, the Cleveland International Program and the Columbus International Program. Since its founding, CIPUSA has brought over 10,000 professionals for practical training from 147 countries. As a leader in international exchange CIPUSA continues Ollendorff’s vision–leading people to international training exchange programs in a variety of fields, including social services, business, and education.
, OH
George Bellows (1882-1925) is widely recognized as one of America’s premier artists. His vivid portrayals of modern urban life have become indelible icons of American art. Born and reared in Columbus, he retained close ties here throughout his life. Bellows gained fame while a young artist in New York, becoming a key figure among a group of artists nicknamed the “Ashcan School” because of their preference for commonplace subjects painted in dark colors. Bellows also excelled at printmaking, and it was largely through his efforts that lithography came to be accepted as a fine art in America. Bellow’s career was unexpectedly cut short by his death from complications following an appendectomy at the age of forty-two.
, OH
Isaac Campbell Kidd, Sr. was born in Cleveland in 1884. He entered the United States Naval Academy in 1902 and dedicated his life to the Navy. While an ensign, he sailed around the world with the “Great White Fleet” from 1907 to 1909. During the 1920s and 1930s, he held numerous flag commands. Promoted to Rear Admiral in 1940, he was assigned as Commander, Battleship Division ONE. On December 7, 1941, Kidd was aboard the battleship USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. During the surprise Japanese air raid, bombs detonated her ammunition. The resulting explosion sank the ship, causing the loss of 1,100 crewmen, including Admiral Kidd. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery. Two destroyers were named in honor of this World War II naval hero: USS Kidd (DD-661), 1943-1964 (still afloat as the centerpiece of the Louisiana Naval War Memorial, Baton Rouge), and USS Kidd (DDG-993), 1981-1998.
, OH
The Sarah Benedict House is a rare survivor of the once fashionable Upper Prospect neighborhood that included “Millionaires Row” on adjacent Euclid Avenue. Sarah Rathbone Benedict had this Queen Anne-inspired house built in 1883, when she was 68, and lived here until her death in 1902. She was active in the social, religious, and charitable life of Cleveland. Sarah Benedict was the widow of George A. Benedict, editor of the Cleveland Daily Herald. The house was given to the Cleveland Restoration Society by Dr. Maxine Goodman Levin in 1997 and rehabilitated for its headquarters in 1998. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and contributes to the locally designated Prospect Avenue Historic District.
, OH
One of the outstanding American humorists of the twentieth century, James Thurber was born and educated in Columbus. He launched his writing career as a reporter for The Columbus Dispatch in 1920. In 1927 he began writing for The New Yorker, where the first of his distinctively spare cartoons appeared in 1930. Thurber’s concise, witty prose spanned a remarkable breadth of genres, including autobiography, fiction, children’s fantasy, and modern commentary. Two of his short stories, “The Catbird Seat” and “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” are among the best-known classics of American literature. Though hampered by failing eyesight, Thurber published almost thirty books in his lifetime. He and his family lived at 77 Jefferson Avenue from 1913 to 1917; the house, listed as part of the Jefferson Avenue Historic District in the National Register of Historic Places, became a literary center and museum in 1984. Thurber is buried in Columbus’ Green Lawn Cemetery.
614.297.2300
Contact Us
