This is a compelling memoir by Robert P. Madison: an architect, entrepreneur, and civic leader. Born the grandson of slaves in Cleveland, Ohio in 1923, he studied architecture at Howard University before serving in Italy in World War II.As a proud member of the historic Buffalo Soldiers, 2nd Lt. Madison returned to civilian life in 1946 to resume his education. But his application for admittance to the School of Architecture at Western Reserve University in Cleveland was summarily denied. The stated reason? He was black. A few days later, Madison returned in full dress uniform, complete with the Purple Heart awarded to him as a result of battlefield wounds sustained in Italy. Shamed and under duress, the university grudgingly admitted Madison. Still, school administrators taunted Madison: "You will never work as an architect." How wrong they were. Madison would earn a B.A. in architecture from Western Reserve University, an M.A. in architecture from Harvard University, study under with Walter Gropius, and complete additional studies as a Fulbright Scholar at L'Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. In 1954, Madison opened the first African-American architectural firm in Ohio, and only the tenth in the country. Just a few of the many projects by his firm include the U.S. Embassy in Dakar, Senegal, the Engineering &amp; Nuclear Facility at Tuskegee Institute, the Stokes wing and the Cleveland main library renovation, and the Rock &amp; Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Reformer of urban development in the 1960s and architectural ambassador to China in the 1970s, Madison learned along the way that the halls of academe are not the only places to learn about life. Fully illustrated with photos, documents and project renderings, this is Robert Madison's story, as only he can tell it.

Designing Victory

Carlo Wolff

Robert P. Madison

Act 3 Publishing

In 1959, after chasing a professional baseball career in the Milwaukee Braves farm system, Mike Belkin was making a name for himself in the Belkin family clothing business. But very soon, the name of this son of Russian immigrants would become synonymous with top-quality live music shows and spectacular festivals – and he would become known as one of the architects of the rock ’n’ roll industry. Belkin later made a name for himself as an authority and collector in the prestigious world of art glass.\nDriven by a competitive spirit and a zest for life, Mike Belkin’s life makes for a one-of-a-kind story of success in business and zest for life.\nPart memoir, part history of rock ’n’ roll, this biography is a success story of an immigrant son breaking new ground in rock entertainment. It is also the story of a man’s passion for art and life.\nThis colorful and rollicking biography is illustrated with more than 150 photos, illustrations and rare archival images.

Socks, Sports, Rock and Art

Mike Belkin

ACT3

The story of one of Cleveland’s most popular and influential radio stations Before FM radio and the commanding album rock stations of the 1970s, there was WIXY 1260, a tiny Northeast Ohio AM radio station that became an entertainment powerhouse. Three visionaries assembled a legendary staff of on-air personalities and, with savvy programming and groundbreaking promotions, created WIXY 1260―a station that would become synonymous with 1960s pop culture. A Midwest juggernaut, WIXY aired everything from surf and Motown to country and the British Invasion. Crossing cultural and generational lines in one of the hottest radio markets in the country, it regularly took in more than fifty percent of the Greater Cleveland audience. Bob Weiss, Norman Wain, and Joe Zingale knew the kind of radio Cleveland wanted to hear. They also knew how to market that sound to make it a lifestyle. They bought a small station with a weak signal and renamed it WIXY, and it wasn’t long before their competition fell by the wayside. Mike Olszewski and Richard Berg spin a lively tale of popular culture that will appeal to everyone from baby boomers to media scholars and cultural historians. “Through extensive interviews with insiders, the authors chronicle WIXY’s relatively brief yet exciting run and how the station came to dominate the airwaves in the ’60s and ’70s with a winning combination of tastemaking playlists, unforgettable on-air personalities, and outlandish promotions. It’s a fun story, recounted with ample humor.” ―John Soeder, Music Critic, The Cleveland Plain Dealer

WIXY 1260: Pixies, Six-packs, and Supermen

Humor & Entertainment

Richard Berg

Mike Olszewski

Radio

The Kent State University Press/Black Squirrel Books

Cleveland lawyer Terry Gilbert looks back on a career that was forged during similarly trying times—the social upheaval of the 1970s.Trying Times recounts Gilbert’s 50-year struggle as a people’s lawyer. Dedicating his life to pursuing justice for the disenfranchised, Gilbert puts his cases in historical context and demonstrates that even losing a case can move public opinion in the direction of equity. It was Gilbert who, in the 1970s, filed one of the first lawsuits against the Cleveland Indians to stop their stereotyping of indigenous people.Written with Carlo Wolff, Gilbert’s memoir attests to the two Americas that we inhabit: one for the wealthy and powerful and the other for minorities and the poor. From his work with legendary radical lawyer William Kunstler defending native Americans at Wounded Knee to his advocacy on behalf of Sam Reese Sheppard seeking to clear the name of his father, Dr. Sam Sheppard, Gilbert wields the law as both sword and shield.Attorney Barry Scheck, co-founder of the Innocence Project, writes, “Terry’s efforts to represent victims of police misconduct and to highlight the toll of mass incarceration exemplify his drive to overcome deep flaws in the U.S. criminal justice system. Trying Times is the inspirational journey of a man dedicated to bettering the lives of the ignored and the marginalized.”Trying Times follows Gilbert’s life from his upbringing in a traditional Jewish family in suburban Cleveland through the patience and passion that made him a role model for liberal advocacy. Gilbert believes that the law is a tool to use against injustice and in support of the highest ideals of America. Activism and diligence, he says, are the only means to advance the causes of liberty, equal justice and human rights.

Trying Times

Terry Gilbert

Act 3 LLC

It's time to set the record straight by telling a Black story shot through with white participation. It's as much about race as it is about music. It's about a period 40 to 70 years ago when the call for civil rights, for an end to economic inequality, and for Black power tore cities apart-and at the same time gave rise to music of lasting expressiveness and groove.Blacks tuned into songs by artists who recorded on a gang of local labels and major labels such as Motown, Stax, Volt, Atlantic and Philadelphia International. In the '60s and into the '70s, Motown hitmakers in particular appealed to Black and white alike.Soul music was the soundtrack for civil rights. It was the voice of protest and freedom, too, from Marvin Gaye's "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" to the Temptations' "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," the Impressions' "People Get Ready," and "Respect," a defiant Otis Redding hit that Aretha Franklin covered even more successfully. In confronting social issues, soul music presented a reality rarely touched on by mainstream rock.A deep love soul music can ease despair about today's circumstances -political polarization, climate crises, violence, economic inequality, intransigence over gender issues. The appreciation of soul music can be a restorative for our fraught souls.

Invisible Soul

Ron Hill

James O'Hare

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Books by Carlo Wolff