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HISTORY

 
 

John Grabowski

Krieger-Mueller Associate Professor in Applied History, CWRU, and Director of Research at The Western Reserve Historical Society
 

History Department
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, Ohio 44106
Phone: (216) 368-2381
E-mail: john.grabowski@case.edu

Professor John J. Grabowsoki’s interests and research span the fields of public and academic history. He specializes in the areas of immigration and ethnicity; local (Cleveland) urban history;and public history, particularly the fields of archives and museums. He holds a joint appointment with the Department of History at CWRU and the Western Reserve Historical Society, where he serves as Director of Research. In addition to teaching at the department he also oversees the World Wide Web edition of The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History/Dictionary of Cleveland Biography, a joint project of Case Western Reserve University and the Western Reserve Historical Society.


Home Address
2381 Overlook Road
Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44106
(216) 371-1152

The Dictionary of Cleveland Biography
David D. Van Tassel, editor
John J. Grabowski, managing editor





Education

B.A. (Magna cum laude with honors in history) Case Western Reserve University, May 1971

M.A. (History) Case Western Reserve University, January 1973

Ph.D. (American History) Case Western Reserve University, January 1977.
Dissertation - "A Social Settlement in a Neighborhood in Transition, Hiram House, Cleveland, Ohio, 1896-1926"

Certified Archivist, 1989, 1997

Honors

Phi Beta Kappa, 1971
National Merit Scholarship, 1967-1971
Fenn Foundation Archival Fellowship, January-June, 1971
NDEA Title IV Fellowship, September 1971 - September 1974
Hilbert T. Ficken Award, Baldwin Wallace College, 1990
Fulbright Senior Lecturer, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey, 1996-’97

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Employment
(current)

Director of Research, The Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio, 1994 - present.
Krieger-Mueller Associate Professor in Applied History, Case Western Reserve University, 1999-present; Interim Library Director, Western Reserve Historical Society, 2002-present

Previous positions at the Historical Society have included:
     Interim Director, History Museum, 1998-1999
     Curator of Manuscripts, 1985-1994
     Associate Curator of Manuscripts, 1977-1985
     Ethnic Archives Specialist, 1971-1977, and
     Picture Specialist, 1973-1977.
Employment at the Historical Society began in 1969.

Previous positions/ranks in the Department of History at Case Western Reserve University have included:

     Managing Editor, Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, 1981-present
     Adjunct Assistant Professor, 1988-1998
     Assistant Professor, 1998-2000
     Associate Professor, 2000-present

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Courses taught

HSTY 112, "Introduction to American History" (CWRU)
HSTY 206, "History and the American Public" (CWRU)
HSTY 257, "Immigrants in America" (CWRU)
HSTY 250, "Issues and Methods" (CWRU)
HSTY 272, "Sports in America" (CWRU)
HSTY 280, "Cleveland, Growth and Modernization" (CWRU)
HSTY 306/406 "History Museums, Theory and Reality" (CWRU)
HSTY 355, "American in the Era of the Civil War" (CWRU)
HSTY 398, Undergraduate research seminar (CWRU)
HSTY 380/580, "Preserving the Past" (CSU)
HSTY 307/507, "History of Cleveland" (CSU)
LSCI 60652, "Foundations and Administration of Archives" (KSU)
HSTY 431, "History of the US Until Reconstruction" (Bilkent)
HSTY 531, "Social and Economic History of the US I" (Bilkent)
HSTY 532, "Social and Economic History of the US II" (Bilkent)
HSTY 590, "Seminar on Museums, Archives and other Aspects
Of Public History in the US" (Bilkent)

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Employment
(other)

Instructor (Community Services Div.), Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland, Ohio, 1977, 1978, 1980.

Visiting Assistant Professor, Kent State School of Library Science, Kent, Ohio, Summer 1981, Summer 1982, Fall 1992.

Adjunct Assistant Professor, Cleveland State University Dept. of History, 1986 - 1995. Supervision of archival interns and teaching undergraduate/graduate lecture courses.

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Publications

"WRHS in Search of Ethnic History," The Ohio Archivist, Fall 1971.

"Ethnic Collections of the Western Reserve Historical Society," Illinois Libraries, March 1975.

Associate compiler, Ethnic Groups in Ohio: An Annotated Bibliographic Guide, Cleveland: Cleveland State University, 1975.

Co-author, Polish Americans and Their Communities in Cleveland, Cleveland: Cleveland State University, 1976.

"Michael P. Kniola: Polish Entrepreneur," Western Reserve Historical Society News, May 1977.

"Ethnic Research in Cleveland," The Immigration History Newsletter, May 1977.

"From Progressive to Patrician: George Bellamy and Hiram House Social Settlement, 1896-1914," Ohio History, Winter 1977-1978.

"Ethnicity in Perspective; the Collections of the Western Reserve Historical Society," Ethnic Forum, September 1981.

"Ethnic Ephemera and Newsprint: A Case for Better Bibliographic Control," Ethnic Forum, Fall 1982.

Co-compiler, A Guide to Jewish History Sources in the History Library of the Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland: The Western Reserve Historical Society, 1983.

"Mr. Sweeny's Viaduct, A Study using Historic Photographs," Journal of the Cuyahoga County Archives, Volume II, 1983.

"Fragments or Components: Theme Collections in a Local Setting," The American Archivist, 1985.

Co-editor (with David D. Van Tassel) and chapter author, Cleveland: A Tradition of Reform. Kent: Kent State University Press, 1986.

Editor (with David D. Van Tassel), The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1987.

Author of entries on "Immigration and Migration," "Poles," "Russians," and "Settlement Houses."

"Social Reform and Philanthropic Order," in Ohio's Western Reserve, A Regional Reader. Kent: Kent State University Press, 1988.

"1.2 Million Words About Cleveland," The Gamut (Cleveland State University), Summer, 1988.

Co-editor (with David D. Van Tassel), Cleveland: A Concise History. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, l990.

Author of introduction to the reprinted edition of William G. Rose's Cleveland: The Making of a City. Kent: Kent State University Press, 1990.

Co-author, The Terminal Tower, Tower City Center: A Historical Perspective. Cleveland: The Western Reserve Historical Society, 1990.

"Parochial, But Potent: Local Foundation Records at the Western Reserve Historical Society" in Establishing Foundation Archives: A Reader and Guide to First Steps. Washington: Council on Foundations, 1991.

"Archivists and Immigrants, Embarking for New Destinations Together," in Documenting Diversity: The Report of the Committee to Document the American Immigrant Experience. St. Paul: Immigration History Research Center, The University of Minnesota, 1991.

Sports in Cleveland: An Illustrated History. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1992.

"Keepers, Users, and Funders: Building an Awareness of Archival Value" The American Archivist, 1993.

Co-author with Diane Ewart Grabowski, Corporate Memory and Guide for the Future: Creating Archives for U.S. Community Foundations. The Council on Foundations, 1993.

Author of introduction to the reprinted edition of Tom L. Johnson's My Story. Kent: Kent State University Press, 1993.

Co-editor, with David D. Van Tassel. The Fine Arts In Cleveland: An Illustrated History. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1994

Co-editor, with David D. Van Tassel. Women in Cleveland: An Illustrated History . Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1995

Co-editor, with David D. Van Tassel, The Dictionary of Cleveland Biography. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1996

Co-editor, with David D. Van Tassel, The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History (second edition) Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1996)

Co-editor, with David D. Van Tassel, Cleveland: A Concise History, (second edition, 1997).

Co-author, with Diane E. Grabowski, Cleveland: A History in Motion. Encinitas, CA: Heritage Media Press, 2000

"Keepers, Users, and Funders: Building an Awareness of Archival Value" Reprinted in, American Archival Studies: Readings in Theory and Practice (Chicago: Society of American Archivists, 2000.) Edited by Randall C. Jimerson.

"Republican Perceptions, Time and the Gülcemal" Turkish Yearbook of International Relations. May 2002

"Going Public with Introductory American History" The Journal of American History . March 2002

Co-author, with Diane E. Grabowski, Cleveland Then and Now. San Diego: Thunderbay Press, London: Chrysalis Books, 2002.

Co-editor with David C. Hammack and Diane Grabowski, Identity, Conflict and Cooperation: Central Europeans in Cleveland, 1850-1930. Cleveland: The Western Reserve Historical Society, 2003.

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Exhibits

Curator, Remembering D Day, Cleveland Goes to War. The Western Reserve Historical Society, 1994.

Curator, Souvenir; Time, Travel, and Memory. The Western Reserve Historical Society, 1994.

Curator, Spare Time. The Western Reserve Historical Society, 1995

Curator, Cleveland: What’s in a Name? The Western Reserve Historical Society, 1995.

Curator, The Peoples of Cleveland. The Western Reserve Historical Society, 1996.

Curator, Father of our Country and Secular Saint, The Image of George Washington. The Western Reserve Historical Society, 1999.

Reviews

Reviews in Ohio History, Indiana Magazine of History, Reprint Bulletin-Book Reviews, Ethnic Forum, The Journal of American History, and The Journal of Erie Studies.

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Papers

"Ethnic History in Cleveland: A Belated Beginning" National Conference on Ethnicity, Cleveland State University, 1972.

"Ethnic Collections of the Western Reserve Historical Society" NARS/SAA Symposium, De Paul University, Chicago, 1973.

"From Progressive to Patrician, George Bellamy and Hiram House Social Settlement" Ohio Academy of History, Columbus, 1976.

"Ethnic History in Cleveland: The Archivist's Viewpoint" Ohio Academy of History, Columbus, 1977.

"Can there be a History of the People: An Ethnic Appraisal of the New Left's Dream," Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, 1978.

"Lessons for Ethnic Outreach in Libraries" American Library Association Annual Meeting, Dallas, Texas, 1979.

"Collecting Ethnic History: The Cleveland Perspective" Society of American Archivists Annual Meeting, Chicago, 1979.

"Making History Inclusive, The Cleveland Experience" Conference, "Understanding Community History," Edinboro State College, Edinboro, Pennsylvania, 1981.

"Ethnic Ephemera and Newsprint: A Case for Better Bibliographic Control" American Library Association Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1982.

"Fragments or Components: Theme Collections in a Local Setting" Society of American Archivists Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1983.

"Couplets, Club Cars and Cafe Society, The Literary Career of Lucius Beebe" The Rowfant Club, Cleveland, Ohio, 1984.

"The Ohio Network of American History Research Centers" Society of American Archivists Annual Meeting, Chicago, 1986.

"Preservation of Ethnic Sources, A Call for Cooperation." Midwest Archives Conference, Hudson, Wisconsin, 1986.

"Religious Publishing at the Western Reserve Historical Society" Midwest Archives Conference, Chicago, 1987.

"Foundation Records and Local History," Society of American Archivists Annual Meeting, St. Louis, 1989.

"Tools for the Urban Historian: Resources at the Western Reserve Historical Society," Organization of American Historians Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., 1990.

"Keepers, Users, and Funders: Building an Awareness of Archival Value," Society of American Archivists Annual Meeting, Seattle, Washington, 1990.

"Archivists and Immigrants: Embarking for New Destinations Together," Conference on Documenting the Immigrant Experience, Chaska, Minnesota, 1990.

Session chair and commentator at the conference, "Conflict and Cooperation: Comparative Research on the Eastern European Migratory Experience," Bremen, Germany, 1990

"Was Euclid Avenue a Neighborhood: A Cleveland Conundrum Viewed in Historical Perspective," Western Reserve Studies Symposium, Cleveland, 1991.

"Documenting a Benevolent Community: Building a Charitable View of Cleveland," Society of American Archivists annual meeting, Indianapolis, 1994.

"Agreeing to Document the Controversial," Panel presentation, Midwest Archives Conference spring meeting, Chicago, 1994.

"Documenting the New Immigration," Panel presentation, Midwest Archives Conference spring meeting, Chicago, 1994.

"Putting the Cost on the Cost Causer: User Fees in Archives," Panel presentation, Midwest Archives Conference fall meeting, Topeka, KS, 1995.

"Streets Paved With Gold: Immigration and the Image of America." Prepared for the American Studies Association of Turkey, Mersin, Turkey. 1998

"Calling Clio: New Ways (and New Problems) in Communicating with the Past" American Studies Association of Turkey, Nevsihir Turkey, 1999.

"Ideologies in Stone and Bronze: Ethnicity and Monuments, The Case of Cleveland's Cultural Gardens" Ege University Cultural Studies Seminar, Cesme, Turkey, 2000.

"Republican Perceptions, Time and the Gülcemal, Ankara University," 200 Years of Turkish-American Relations, Ankara, Turkey, 2000

"A Question of Identity: Turkish Immigrants in America, Then and Now." Ege University Cultural Studies Symposium, Izmir, Turkey, 2002

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Editing

Managing Editor, Society of Ohio Archivists Newsletter, 1979 - 1989.
Managing Editor, Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, 1981 - present.
Member, Editorial Board, Journal of American Studies in Turkey.
Series editor, "Voices of Diversity," Kent State University Press

Consulting/ Panel Service

Consultant to the Boy Scouts of America concerning the movement of their archives and scouting museum from North Brunswick,New Jersey. April 1979.

Mail Panelist, National Endowment for the Humanities, Travel To Collection Grants, 1986, 1987.

Consultant to the Mahoning Valley Historical Society, Youngstown, Ohio, concerning the construction of a new library/archives complex. Summer 1981.

Consultant to the Hudson (Ohio) Library and Historical Society concerning the installation of equipment for the storage of their archival collections. 1984.

Panelist, National Endowment for the Humanities, Division of Fellowships and Seminars—Fellowships for College Teachers and Independent Scholars, 1988.

Member, Planning Committee, for the NHPRC-sponsored Conference for Documenting the Immigrant Experience, 1989-1990.

Member, coordinating body, Project for Documenting the Immigrant Experience, 1991-

Consultant to University Hospitals of Cleveland for planning a grant to preserve records relating to the new medical curriculum implemented (in 1952) by Western Reserve University and University Hospitals, 1991-1992.

Consultant, with Diane Ewart Grabowski, to the Council on Foundations, Washington, D.C., in the preparation of a policy paper for creating archives at community foundations.

Consultant, with Diane Ewart Grabowski, to the J. M. Smucker Co., Orville, OH, on the creation of an archival storage program.

Panelist, National Endowment for the Humanities, Museum Programs, April 1996.

Panelist, National Endowment for the Humanities, Preservation and Access Programs, October 2002

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Grants

Author, or contributor to successful grant proposals submitted to the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Cleveland Foundation, the George Gund Foundation of Cleveland, and other Cleveland area foundations. Value of grants received is in excess of $1,500,000.

Lectures

Ohio Historical Society Archives-Library Institute, 1972-1974.

Religious Archives Workshop, Bergamo Center, Dayton, Ohio, 1978-1979 (Maintenance of Photographic Archives).

Case Western Reserve University course, "Administration of Manuscript Collections," lectures on collection development, photographic archives and microfilm program administration, 1975 - 1985.

Periodic lectures at Greater Cleveland area colleges, including Case Western Reserve University, John Carroll University, Cleveland State University and Cuyahoga Community College. Lectures have centered about the following topics: the effect of immigration on local urban growth, resources for the study of local history, the technique of conducting oral history interviews, and settlement house reform efforts in the early twentieth century.

Panelist and lecturer for the Cleveland Public Library's "Cleveland Heritage Project," 1982-1983 (funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities).

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Memberships

American Historical Association
Organization of American Historians
Lexington Group in Transportation History
Ohio Academy of History
Society of American Archivists
Society of Ohio Archivists—past vice president and president.
Midwest Archives Conference—past vice president, member of governing council.
International Services Center (Cleveland)—former member of board of trustees.
Fulbright Association of Northeastern Ohio—Vice President
History Associates, CWRU—Board Member

Languages

German, Russian, and Turkish

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