| Repository: | Western Reserve Historical Society |
| Creator: | Ostrow, Alexander L. and Thelma S. |
| Title: | Alexander L. and Thelma S. Ostrow Papers |
| Dates: | 1939-1960 |
| Extent: | 1.40 linear feet (3 containers) |
| Abstract: | Alexander Ostrow was an award-winning investigative reporter, working for the Cleveland Press, 1951-1964. He later became a public relations officer and then an administrative aide to Congressman Ron Mottl. His wife, Thelma Swank Ostrow, was an employee counselor for Vultee Aircraft Corporation, developing a counselor training course designed to aid women entering the work force during World War II. She later worked for Cleary Realty in Cleveland, Ohio. The collection consists of biographical material, a diary, and scrapbooks of newspaper articles written by Alexander Ostrow, primarily on Cleveland topics. Also, clippings and speeches of Thelma Ostrow and a 1944 counselor's manual for Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation, San Diego. The collection pertains primarily to Al Ostrow's career as a journalist at the Cleveland Press and specifically to his coverage of the Sam Sheppard murder trial, the 1951 concrete "shakedown" of Auditor Joseph T. Ferguson, and the expose of conditions at Cleveland State Mental Hospital. Thelma Ostrow's papers highlight the problems of women entering the work force during World War II and the efforts of employers to address them. |
| MS Number | MS 4349 |
| Location: | closed stacks |
| Language: | The records are in English |
Alexander L. Ostrow (1915-1977) was an award-winning newspaper reporter who spent much of his career at the Cleveland Press. Born in New York City, Ostrow attended New York University prior to joining the Navy during World War II. His early career in journalism included stints at the suburban New Jersey papers, New York Post, Brooklyn Eagle, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Oklahoma City News. At the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, he served with a team of reporters who won the Pulitzer Prize for their campaign for smog elimination. This was followed by the Lasker Award for his series, "People in the Dark," which was published in the San Francisco News and concerned the California mental hospitals. During his tenure (1951-1964) at the Cleveland Press, Ostrow received a number of Cleveland Newspaper Guild awards for investigative reporting, as well as a Heywood Broun Award for his series on the deplorable conditions at the Cleveland State Hospital. In the 1960s he turned to public relations work, with such clients as the Milk Producers Association, AFL-CIO Cleveland Federation of Labor, and Mayor Carl B. Stokes. From 1974 to his death he served as administrative aide to Congressman Ron Mottl. Thelma Swank Ostrow (ca. 1912- ? ), wife of Alexander Ostrow, attended Oklahoma Business College and Oklahoma University prior to her eight year tenure at the Oklahoma City United States Employment Service as a statistician, interviewer, field placement representative, interstate and foreign placement officer, and an office manager. She joined Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation (Convair) of San Diego, California, in 1942 as an industrial relations staff assistant. Concerned for the problems of women workers, she helped originate and construct a counselor training course and counseling manual for the counseling department which Convair designed to aid women entering the corporation during World War II. Ostrow was appointed Director of Counseling in 1944 and headed the women's counseling activities for thirteen Convair divisions. Under Ostrow the counseling department sought to eliminate the personal problems women faced and which impaired their efficiency and attendance. After the war, she moved with her husband to Cleveland, Ohio, working for the Cleary Realty Company.
The Alexander L. and Thelma S. Ostrow Papers, l939-l960, consist of biographical material, one diary, and scrapbooks of newspaper articles written by Ostrow, primarily on Cleveland topics. In addition, Thelma Ostrow's files include some clippings and speeches concerning her activities and a l944 counselor's manual for Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation in San Diego, California.
This collection pertains primarily to Al Ostrow's career as a journalist at the Cleveland Press and specifically to his coverage of the Sam Sheppard murder trial, the 1951 "concrete shakedowns" of State Auditor Joe T. Ferguson, and Cleveland State Hospital. Thelma Swank Ostrow's papers highlight the problems of women who entered the workforce during World War II and the efforts of employers to deal creatively with individual situations.
None.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 4349 Alexander L. and Thelma S. Ostrow Papers, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Thelma Swank Ostrow, l977.
Processed by Bari Oyler Stith in 1989.