Chapter 18. Newspaper Leak Holds up My Appointment as Business Manager of the Cleveland Public Library

On December 21, 1955, Doctor Charles Garvin, Chairman of the Personnel Committee of the Library Board, read a statement nominating me for the position of Business Manager, followed by a brief biography of me. He then moved that my appointment be accepted.

At that point, Board member Stanley Klonowski asked that no action be taken on the motion at that time because one Board member was absent. He went on to say that he thought that it would be better to call a special meeting on the matter or wait until the January meeting, when all the Board members would be present.

Mr. Klonowski added that he was “disappointed and disturbed that the Cleveland Press had published an article that afternoon announcing Mr. D’Alessandro’s appointment as Business Manager.” He continued saying that he felt, “that newspapers should not announce actions of the Board until they actually had been taken!”

The Board members present agreed with Mr. Klonowski and voted to postpone my appointment until the January meeting. Naturally there was speculation as who might have leaked the news of the impending possibility of my appointment as Business Manager to the Cleveland Press. The morning after the Board meeting, Mrs. Addis telephoned to tell me that Mr. Lindquist wanted me to join him in a meeting with Dr. Garvin, chairman of the Personnel Committee of the Library Board immediately.

I walked into the Director’s office and found a solemn looking Dr. Garvin and a glum looking Director Lindquist. I was shocked, hurt and offended when without any preamble of any kind, Dr. Garvin asked me whether I had alerted the Cleveland Press that I was to be appointed Business Manager? As I look back and recall that moment in time, although I was shaking with anger within, to the very core of my being, I managed to keep my cool. Feeling that they suspected
me of something that I had not done, nor would have ever thought of doing, I said calmly, “No, I did not! I am sorry that you both think that I might be the kind of person that would do such a thing. If that is the case, I am now requesting that you remove my name from consideration for the position of Business Manager!”

I shall never forget the reaction of those two men on that fateful morning. As I said, “No, I did not,” Mr. Lindquist seemed to sigh with relief. However, as I said that I wanted my name removed from consideration for the job, he got a worried look on his face. Dr, Garvin, on the other hand, chuckled, and said kindly, “there is no need for such drastic action, young man! We believe you had nothing to do with the unfortunate news leak!” With this statement, Mr. Lindquist beamed and added his assurance that he too felt that I was not responsible for the news leak. From that day on Dr. Garvin was tops in my book. After all, he had not only managed to defuse the situation, but also had called me a young man! I was forty-two years old at the time. As I took my leave, Dr. Garvin said that he had every intention of presenting my appointment to the full Board in the January meeting. I thanked him and left.

When I returned to my desk in the Main Library Office, Miss Wefel was waiting for me, curious as to what had transpired in my meeting with Dr. Garvin and the Director. When I told her the details, she shook her head and gently scolded me for having told the two men that I wanted my name removed from consideration. She was a wise and grand lady!

Not long after that unforgettable meeting, we learned who had been responsible for that news leak.  It turned out to be a male employee who was a member of the Library Union (AFSCME), who managed in some mysterious manner to learn about my proposed appointment and telephoned it to Noal Wical, who at that time covered and reported Library news at the Cleveland Press. Mr. Wical had always complained that since the Board meetings at that time were held at 7:30 in the evening, The Plain Dealer always had our news first for its morning edition, so he had finally made a contact on the staff for news leaks.

On January 18, 1956 when the Library Board met again, Doctor Garvin as the Chairman of the Personnel Committee noted that since all the board members were present that it was time to re-introduce his December motion recommending my promotion as Business Manager of the Library System. He moved that my appointment be approved, to be effective January 23, 1956. Board member George Callahan seconded the motion. The seven members of the Board voted unanimously to approve my appointment. So it was in January of 1956, I was catapulted into the position that was going to be one of the most challenging and demanding of my Library career!

Within six months of my appointment as Business Manager, I was asked to assume additional administrative responsibilities. During the course of the June 20, 1956 Board Meeting, Doctor Garvin read the following recommendation:

Doctor Garvin then moved that the position of Acting Assistant Director be established sans salary.  Board Member Henry Schneider seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. A second motion by Doctor Garvin proposed that I be appointed Acting Assistant Director, sans salary for that position because I was drawing a salary as Business Manager. George Callahan seconded the motion, and the Board approved the motion unanimously. I now had earned the distinction of being the Library employee who was to wear two administrative hats for twelve of some of the most productive years in the Library’s history, during the development of new library services and the renovation and expansion of the Library’s physical plant.