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German immigrant Louis Rings (1826-1911) and his wife, Magdalena Wolpert (1835-1924), built their farmhouse in the early 1860s. As they prospered, the Rings purchased more land, added outbuildings, and grew their family. In 1904, the couple transferred land to their sons John and William. Although the farmhouse passed outside the family in 1929, descendants lived and farmed nearby until the 21st century. Farmsteads like Rings Farm provided the economic foundation for European immigrants to build Ohio communities. In Washington Township, Rings family members participated in the school board while Magdalena’s Wolpert family helped establish Dublin’s St. John Lutheran Church. Spreading development slowly converted the farm’s 150 acres to businesses and homes. In 1979, the Rings house and barns were listed on the National Register of Historic Places for their connection to Ohio’s agricultural development.
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Carl Stokes was born in Cleveland on June 21, 1927. Recognized for his trailblazing service as a public official, Stokes is one of the few American politicians whose career spanned all three branches of state government. Over 30 years, he served 3 terms as an Ohio legislator (1963-1967), 2 terms as Cleveland’s mayor (1967-1971), and 8 years as a municipal court judge (1983-1994). In 1972, he became the first Black anchorman for a television station in New York City. After a decade working in television, Stokes returned to Cleveland to work as an attorney for the United Auto Workers. In 1994, President Bill Clinton appointed him U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Seychelles. While serving as Ambassador, he was diagnosed with cancer. Carl Stokes died, in Cleveland, on April 3, 1996.
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Players of the Cleveland Browns gathered eleven Black professional athletes and future mayor Carl Stokes to discuss with boxer Muhammad Ali (January 17, 1942-June 3, 2016) his refusal to serve in the Vietnam War. After their private meeting on June 4, 1967, the twelve men decided to “support Ali on principle” and held a lengthy national press conference. The boxer, considered the “greatest heavyweight of all time,” garnered national scorn and paid a high price for his stance. Ali was arrested, found guilty of draft evasion, his passport confiscated, titles stripped, and U.S. boxing licenses suspended. The men in attendance also faced condemnation and threats. In 1971, the Supreme Court unanimously overturned Ali’s conviction. The Cleveland Ali Summit is considered “one of the most important civil rights acts in sports history.”
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