Date: 05/21/05 12:49:14
Subject:
Jesse Owens Tree Photos - Rhodes HS
Cleveland, Ohio
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Dear Dave & Terri:
I happened to be in the vicinity of Rhodes HS this past
Thursday. I took several photos of the famed
Jesse
Owens tree and have appended them as a jpg attachment.
As you can see, the tree appears to be quite healthy. This
was confirmed in a conversation with the school's
groundskeeper who says he does little but trim an occasional
branch and rake its leaves in the fall. The fact that it is
located in a gated courtyard alcove that has limited public
access has probably contributed to its good condition.
You will notice the lack of historical information contained
on the accompanying sign. This is unfortunate, but most
likely the work of a well-intentioned individual with little
knowledge of track & field or appreciation of Owens' feats
and the tree's significance. As an interesting aside, I
spoke with several members of the school's track team who
were working out nearby. None of them had a clue as to who
Owens was or the slightest knowledge about the tree.
Upon
learning a little about the man and the tree, they appeared
to be impressed. This is probably to be expected given
their youth, but illustrates the poor job that USA Track &
Field does in promoting the sport and its illustrious
history. The Cleveland Municipal School District shares in
this shortcoming as well.
The condition of the surrounding courtyard leaves much to be
desired as it appears to have been constructed on a limited
budget utilizing womanized lumber as edging for the walkway
and mulching materials that are not regularly replaced.
There is an abundance of weeds visible in Photo 015 which
reflects poor plaza maintenance. I am also concerned about
the tree's close proximity to the parking spaces that
directly abut it. This can have a long-term detrimental
effect as the tree's circumference grows and car bumpers
come into contact with it. The spaces need to be pulled
back at least 5-6 feet and a permanent barrier installed for
protection.
You may not be aware, but recently Darrell Dawson of the
Buckeye Sports Bulletin did a story on the Owens' trees. He
stumbled upon your web site while researching OSU-related
stories and contacted me for comment. I was on vacation and
unable to reply, but he did a decent story on the trees. He
may be reached at
darrelldawson@yahoo.com . I sent him the same photos
I've appended here.
Feel free to use my e-mail text and the accompanying photos
on your web site, but please credit them to me and the
Cleveland City Planning Commission.
All the best,
George Cantor
Chief City Planner
Cleveland City Planning Commission
216-664-3807
Other Views of the
Jesse Owens Oak Tree
at Rhodes High School at Cleveland, Ohio
(click to enlarge photographs below)
Photo Credits - George Cantor and the
Cleveland City Planning Commission --
all rights reserved
Other E-Mail Concerning the Jesse Owens
Olympic Tree:
From: < gcantor@city.cleveland.oh.us>
To: Terri Wykoff
webmaster@frankwykoff.com
Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2004 5:50
AM
Subject: Check out this page on
cleveland.com (Jesse Owens)
More on the -- Jesse Owens Oak Tree
Dear Terri Wykoff:
George Cantor (gcantor@city.cleveland.oh.us)
thought you would be interested in
this item from cleveland.com.
CLICK to enter article
George Cantor says:
As I suspected, there is great
interest in preserving and more
fully commemorating Jesse Owens'
lone remaining Olympic tree.
Please refer to the attached
article. By the way, Chris
Smith, the architect for the Rhodes
HS renovation project just happens
to be a world class high jumper, who
has gone 7' 5" and competed in the
2004 Olympic Trials held in July.
For obvious reasons, he has a strong
personal interest in this effort.
I will continue to work w/Chris and
the Core Team as we move thru the
renovation project and will keep you
informed as to our progress on the
tree. We hope to get the
Rhodes HS alumni group and, possibly
the Ohio State Alumni Association
(of which I am a member) to
participate in the project.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
From:
GCantor@city.cleveland.oh.us
To:
webmaster@frankwykoff.com
Sent:
Friday, July 30, 2004 8:29 AM
I just read the linked article from the Ohio State Monthly Magazine, which I
remember seeing in print some years back. I am an OSU alumnus and a
professional City Planner with the City of Cleveland. I wanted you to
know that just a few weeks ago, I was at James Ford Rhodes HS in Cleveland,
which is presently undergoing an extensive renovation. I went around to
the back of the school to search out the famed Olympic oak tree. Lo and
behold, it appears to be healthy and is situated in a small plaza between the
main school building and the football stadium. I was distressed to note
that there is presently no plaque commemorating its history. Seeing that
2006 will be the 70th anniversary of the Berlin Games, I will endeavor to try
to right this wrong and focus attention on what is probably the only surviving
tree of the batch. I serve on the Core Team which is advising on the
renovation and will bring this issue up with them. I will keep you
posted on my efforts. By the way, what a wonderful web site you have
created. I am a life-long fan of track & field and was always intrigued
about the 1936 Games. As a youngster I had seen Frank Wykoff's name and
had long wondered about who he was and what he was about. Your web site
has been greatly informative. Thank you for honoring the memory of one
of America's great but under acknowledged Olympians <
Back
to page 10 -- Olympic Tree Series
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