1989 – Construction on the new police station located at Bennett and Royalton Roads was slated to begin by year’s end 1989. The new station would be 24,000 square foot, two level facility with entry access on both floors directly from the outside. The new polices station was expected to be fully operational by late summer 1990.
NRHS varsity basketball Lady Bears’ winning record of 14 – 1 won them the spot as number 15 in the Plain Dealer’s top 20 for basketball as reported by the Recorder for January 25. The camera shy Lady Bears did not have a picture but their record made a very nice portrait. They were tied for the number one spot in the Pioneer Conference with arch rival, Medina Bees, with identical 9 – 1 records. Top scoring team members were Lynn Holzman, Jennifer Maga, Pam Fiala, Debbie Andrews, and Amy Krawczyk.
Mrs. Mary Cashman accepts the Silver Star for her son, Lance Corporal Cornelius “Jimmy” Cashman, USMC. Col. Fagan recommended Jimmy for the Silver Star shortly after his death in 1969, but the paperwork got lost between Viet Nam and Washington. Col. Fagan resubmitted the request in late 1987 when he became aware that Jimmy did not receive the award. Jimmy Cashman, 19, was Royalton’s first casualty of the Viet Nam war. He volunteered for the Marines in October 1968 to fulfill his military obligation. In Viet Nam he was assigned to Company D and was ordered to go out and bring back two Marines who were at a forward listening post located on a knoll in a rice paddy seventy-five meters ahead of the main body. “Machine gunners didn’t usually go out on offensive mission like this one but Jimmy went anyway. He remained forward single-handedly holding off the advance of the enemy company, while his fellow Marines returned to friend lines. Jimmy was last seen alive firing the machine gun from his hip, killing, wounding, and stopping the onrushing enemy attackers. His body was recovered from the rice paddy where he fell. The Silver Star Citation read, “‘Lance Corporal Cashman was killed by enemy small arms fire, while holding his position, valiantly giving his life to insure the safety of his fellow Marines.’ “The original citation given to Mrs. Cashman along with the Silver Star, on January 14, 1989, was soiled. A replacement citation arrived on January 19, the fourth anniversary of Jimmy’s father’s death. Mrs. Cashman said, “His father would have been so proud.”
Royalton Recorder switched to U.S. Mail for the 100% prompt guarantee. U.S. mail delivery began with the May 10 issue.
On June 15 NR police stopped Robert W. Gladys, 30, of North Royalton. Gladys’ traffic infringement was a small failure to assure a clear distance from the car ahead of him, which he hit. When police inventoried the contents of Mr. Gladys’ car they found $200,000 worth of cocaine, plus a bottle of barbiturates and over $1200 in cash. Gladys was charged with trafficking, possession of criminal tools and four counts of drug abuse.
The June 22 issue alerted parents to a dangerous combination that is quite tempting to teens – Summer time-empty time, alcohol and drugs. “Summer can be a deceptive period when a child is abusing alcohol or drugs or is chemically dependent,” that includes pain pills. The article from Glenbeigh Hospital advises parents to look for changes in personality, changes in friends and places to hang out, reluctance or inability to account for their time, withdrawing from family and activities, frequent use of eye drops, excessive moodiness and sleep, drug paraphernalia, and/or the strong smell of alcohol or MJ. Don’t think, “It can’t be my child.” Summer is upon us again.
Caterina’s Fine Jewelry & Gifts opened her elegant showroom at 5160 Wallings Road. Caterina’s offers gold jewelry, watches, gifts and fine diamonds in settings that can be uniquely designed for you by Caterina herself.
Fire damaged a century home on Wallings Road. The fire was caused by a bomb type pest repellant that was set off in a shed attached to the kitchen of the Kelleher home, 4507 Wallings Road. Owner- occupant said, “It looked like the straw in the rodents’ burrows caught fire and spread to the kitchen.” The house was still structurally sound. Insurance estimated the damage to be about $35,000 dollars. The home was rebuilt.
Royalton gets another grocery store, Food for Less, a warehouse type store at the Timber Ridge Plaza on Sprague and York.
A Compliment by Joyce celebrated its tenth anniversary of keeping Royalton’s lovely ladies even lovelier.
As November rolled around the Recorder posted Santa’s address for letters and reminded readers of the need for donations for the Royalton Food/ Hunger center.
The Chamber of Commerce held their final Christmas party of the decade looking forward to the 1990s.
1990 – A century ago the 1880s were called the Elegant 80’s. The 1890’s were called the Gay 90’s. How will the last decade of the twentieth century be remembered? Transition and change for the 1990s.
Royalton Recorder enters its 50th year of publication. Proudly supporting and highlighting everything good about North Royalton.
Father John Viall, Pastor of St. Albert the Great Parish, returned home in December after spending three months studying in Rome. Fr. Viall reported that the highlight of his time in Rome was celebrating Mass with Pope John Paul II. “I stood right next to him during the liturgy. I was impressed by his prayerfulness and holiness,” said Fr. Viall. The Mass was celebrated in English by the Pope in his own chapel in the Vatican. The Pope’s private chapel is about the size of St. Albert’s chapel.
North Royalton Animal Hospital reminds all pet owners to check your dog’s teeth to prevent decay and promote healthy gums.
It was cold outside on January 21 but inside the new High School cafeteria the people were warm and cheery. The new middle school/high school complex was dedicated. The new construction included 13 new classrooms, Performing Arts and auditorium, cafeteria, high school Gymnasium, as well as a new band room and media center for middle school use. The expansion was made possible by the 4.75 mill levy passed in November of 1987. The new facilities were quickly used as the enrollment in the school system is growing by leaps and bounds. The system expected to have projected 10% increase in enrollment per year for the next several years.
The Recorder has a feature called Royalton’s Beautiful Babies. Each issue introduces three to five of Royalton’s newest residents. That’s a population explosion.
If you grew up in Cleveland and watched local station KYW (WKYC) Channel 3, you know that Barnaby always said hello. Long time Royalton resident, Linn Sheldon aka Barnaby, was retiring at 70 and moving to Florida to be with his son, Perry, a NRHS graduate. Barnaby hung up his straw hat on March 30. Barnaby had a bird cage that housed “Long John, world’s only invisible parrot.” He also did the first on-air commercial for McDonald’s before they sold their first million hamburgers. “Remember, if anybody calls, tell them Barnaby said, ‘Hello’.”
At the end of March, the NRHS Basketball Lady Bears were number four in the Plain Dealer Top 20. They battled their way to second round of sectionals only to lose to Revere High School. They ended their 89-90 season with 20 wins and 2 loses. Despite their success there were no pictures of this winning team.
Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) and three communities; Strongsville, North Royalton, and Broadview Hts., band together to push for widening of Rt. 82. However, in Letters to the Editor residents question widening of Rt. 82. “It’s just a cover disguise to benefit a proposal by Jacobs, Vinconsi, and Jacobs for a shopping mall on Rt. 82 in Strongsville,” wrote Mr. and Mrs. Dennis McCarthy. Another resident, Connie Watson, asked, “What will happen to my house? Too much is happening too fast.”
Route 82 is currently a four lane thoroughfare through Strongsville from W.130 to the Lorain County Line right past the large shopping mall built by Jacobs, Visconsi, and Jacobs.
Kiwanis planted 50 Liberty Elm seedlings at Royal View. The Liberty elm seedlings are from root stock resistant to the Dutch Elm disease that killed most of the Elm trees in the nation. The little Elms will remain at Royal View for ten years when they will be replanted throughout the city.
Mr. Hero on Royalton Road celebrated its grand opening on November 24. Mr. Hero is the home of the Romanburger and steak sandwich. You can’t get a Romanburger anyplace else, it’s patented by Mr. Hero.
MCI’s Operations Center, a combination telecommunication and data processing center was Royalton’s largest taxpayer. The 160,000 square foot switching center employs 44 of the 19,200 people who work for MCI nationwide. The building houses 130,000 tapes with billing and call records. MCI was on the leading edge of information technology.
Only 18 shopping days left ‘til Christmas, the Royalton Recorder bids farewell to 1990.

By LINDA KWARCIANY
Contributing Writer