Holliday Suicide Focuses Attention on Continuing Turmoil in Schools
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THE PLAIN DEALER . SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1999 5-H OURCENTURY 1985 ATA GLANCE Voinovich re-elected with little opposition Holliday suicide focuses attention On Lincoln’s birthday, George Voinovich broke the suspense. He would run for another term as mayor. He would not run for governor on continuing turmoil in schools in 1986, despite Republicans’ attempts to draft him. One potential opponent said Voinovich By Fred McGunagle might not even survive the primary. He was too “lethargic” and “unimaginative,” accord- It ripped through Cleveland like ing to State Sen. Michael White. the bullet through Frederick Holli- Two weeks later, White decided not to run. day’s heart. So did a lot of other prominent Democrats. “The fighting among school board The best-known of those who did was Council- members and what petty politics is man Gary Kucinich, who represented his doing to the system has sickened me,” brother’s old West Side ward. James Barrett, said his bitter suicide letter. “Use this who had been Mayor Dennis Kucinich’s safety event to rid yourself of petty politics, director, also ran — the first well-known black racial politics, greed, hate and cor- candidate in 20 years. ruption. This city deserves better. In the lowest primary turnout in decades, The children deserve better. Cleve- Voinovich got 33,000 votes to 13,000 for Kuci- land deserves better.” nich. Barrett, with 5,000, was eliminated. Ku- In a P.S., Holliday added: “Kids, if cinich had little money. Many prominent there are any errors in this letter, I Democrats declined to endorse him. In No- did not proof it carefully.” vember it was Voinovich, 82,000-32,000. Holliday’s body was found by a stu- dent reporting for classes at Aviation • High School at 8:30 a.m. Monday, Mabel Gant, 66, died when her home on E. Jan. 28. He apparently had shot him- 50th St. was firebombed on June 2. She had ob- self after typing out his letter in the viously been targeted because she was one of principal’s office. the few blacks in the Slavic Village neighbor- The letter touched off an orgy of re- hood. crimination — one which Holliday As tensions mounted, extra police patrolled started with a beyond-the-grave shot the area. They arrested three teenagers and at a critic. His letter spoke of “one Holliday thought school board charged one with murder. He was acquitted in school board member”— obviously member Edward Young, above, October.A 20-year-old was later sentenced to Edward Young — who had “dedicated was out to get him. himself to ‘getting’ Holliday.” He two years for lying to police in the investiga- PLAIN DEALER FILE PHOTOS added, hollowly, “I forgive him.” tion, but no one was ever convicted of the mur- Superintendent Frederick Holliday, shown above visiting with a der. “He got me,” was Young’s re- sponse. “I can’t think of a more effec- first-grade class, committed suicide, leaving a bitter letter • tive way of getting someone.” condemning the bitterness and petty politics that plagued his It was Holliday’s parting criticism, tenure. Christoph von Dohnanyi ended his first tri- rather than his plea, that set the tone. umphant season as music director of the His supporters figuratively tried to Cleveland Orchestra during the summer of of Holliday. smear his opponents with his blood. Tegreene started a “save our supe” 1985 with a spectacular production of Mozart’s Politicians issued pious statements “The Magic Flute” at Blossom Music Center. drive. “Fred Holliday is more popular that politicians — meaning other poli- in the Greater Cleveland community Not only did Dohnanyi conduct the perform- ticians — needed to mend their ways. ances, he conceived and directed the produc- than he is on the board,” he said. He seemed even more popular tion, which melded classical elements with The suicide was puzzling in that after his suicide. One columnist contemporary references. many Greater Cleveland superinten- dents had been through stormier called him a “martyr.” Callers to ra- By presenting a full-scale mounting of the times than Holliday. At first it ap- dio talk shows castigated his critics. Mozart opera at Blossom, Dohnanyi stretched peared he acted in response to a 4-3 Tolliver complained of “a lynch-mob the artistic reach of the orchestra. He also school board vote two days earlier atmosphere.” stretched the budget, which became so that suggested his contract would not The division on the board re- stressed that the Musical Arts Association told be renewed. mained. In a 4-3 vote, the majority him he had to find another way to perform op- named Alfred Tutela as acting super- era at the orchestra’s summer home. In 1986, But City Council President George intendent. Tutela was “the last of the Dohnanyi found one: a co-production with the Forbes revealed he had worked out a Leftwich seven” — the staff brought National Opera of Belgium of Franz Lehar’s deal with Stanley Tolliver, one of Hol- to Cleveland in 1978 by unpopular de- operetta “The Merry Widow,” with Anja Silja liday’s school board critics, to give segregation director Charles Left- (then his wife) in the title role. him an extension. “I told Fred he had wich. Tegreene charged that Tutela another year and he seemed would be a puppet for board member The partnership helped the bottom line, but pleased,” Forbes said. Madison. not enough to keep opera at Blossom. Since Holliday’s conduct over the previ- Tutela was a finalist for the perma- 1986, the center has presented opera only in nent appointment, but in September concert performances. Dohnanyi, dissatisfied ous two days also was strange. He ap- peared “jovial” during a radio inter- the board chose Ronald Boyd, deputy with the narrow scope of Blossom, withdrew superintendent in Compton, Calif., from the summer home after 1989. view at WJMO on Saturday morning and a former Elyria principal. The Christoph von Dohnanyi was named musical director of the and afterward phoned WJW talk vote was officially unanimous, but the • show host Merle Pollis to make a board had split 4-2-1 in an earlier ex- Cleveland Orchestra for the 1984-1985 season. (Details in At a Under new coach George Karl, the Cava- lunch date for Tuesday. But he had ecutive session. Perk and Young Glance.) liers got off to a 2-19 start. Then they turned it also written checks to pay bills that backed Tutela, while Madison ab- would come due and had cashed in an around, winning 34 of their last 61. That stained. Tolliver joined Bonda, Te- surprise: He would not run for gained their first playoff appearance in seven annuity and sent the money to his two greene and Joseph Gallagher to cast daughters with a farewell letter. mayor, and he would not seek re- years, but Boston eliminated them, 3-1, in the the key vote for Boyd. election as Broadway area council- “I am the Terminator,” Boyd an- first round. His suicide was a jarring ending to man. Instead, he would run for gover- nounced on his arrival in Cleveland. A deal to sell the Indians to New York law- a superintendency which, on the sur- nor as an independent against the face, seemed the most successful in The allusion was to a recent Arnold yer David LeFevre fell through, leaving the Schwarzenegger movie role. “I’m out Democratic incumbent, Richard Ce- team still owned by the estate of F.J. O’Neill. years. Parents liked his call for leste. tougher discipline. Voters passed a to get illiteracy, drugs, unfair treat- Peter Bavasi was the new president. The 1985 ment, the lack of reading ability, the Lacking campaign funds, Kucinich team lost 102 games, tying the franchise re- 9.9-mill levy — the first in 13 years — allowing the system to balance its lack of winning teams here in the set out on a 250-mile walk from Cin- cord. It drew only 655,181 spectators, fewest city,” he said. cinnati to Cleveland to attract media in the majors. budget and escape state fiscal super- vision. There was one more score to be set- attention. He arrived footsore but still Bernie Kosar, star quarterback of the Miami tled. In a heavy turnout, voters re- only a blip in the polls. University Hurricanes, completed his college But he alienated labor unions by at- elected Tegreene and Tolliver to the credits in three years. In a move that made tempting to replace the board’s bus board. They also chose two well- • him an instant Cleveland hero, the Boardman drivers with a private contractor and known political names — Benny Bon- by bringing in replacements for secu- anno, former county recorder, and The Cleveland area wasn’t directly native said he would turn pro if he could play involved, but the collapse of Home for the Browns. rity officers during a “sick-out.” He James Carney Jr., former Cleveland angered black leaders by trying to get councilman. Young finished eighth. State Savings Bank in Cincinnati sent Art Modell quickly arranged a trade with rid of Business Manager Harrison Bonda did not run. shock waves through Ohio and the na- Buffalo for the top pick in the supplemental Dillard. He irritated the majority of As the year ended, a board- tion. The thrift’s accounts had been draft. the board by his close relationship sponsored “school climate survey” insured by the private Ohio Deposit Kosar moved in as a starter when Gary Dan- with board President Alva “Ted” showed parents’ confidence in the Guarantee Fund, which many deposi- ielson hurt his shoulder in the fifth game.