Woodcut Prints in the 1930 FRAM

During the 1929-1930 school year, Miss Yocum’s art students at Sandusky High School assisted the members of the Journalism A Class in the publication of the 1930 FRAM. Several woodcut prints are found at the beginning of the various sections of the yearbook. Charles Sallee, Aloys Sacksteder, Dorothy Lonz, and Elinor Alvord, four of the young artists who contributed prints to the yearbook, appear in the FRAM photograph of the Art Club. The woodcut prints reflect the Art Deco style which was popular from 1925 through 1939.

Six woodcut prints are pictured below in the order in which they are found in the 1930 FRAM. Visit the Archives Research Center of the Sandusky Library to view historical yearbooks from Sandusky High School, St. Mary’s High School, and Perkins High School. While we do not have a complete set of yearbooks from these schools, there are five shelves devoted to the yearbooks. By browsing through the old yearbooks, you can learn details about the high school activities in which your ancestors may have participated. It is interesting to view the changes in hair styles and clothing throughout the years.

Charles Sallee, Jr. went on to become a mural artist for the WPA. His many achievements have been discussed in an earlier blog post. Elinor Alvord Little Sidnor studied art at Ohio Wesleyan University, and she was known as a local artist and art collector. Elinor donated a significant portion of her art collection to the Cedar Point Center of Firelands College. Elinor also gave many artifacts to the Follett House Museum.

Aloys Sacksteder was known for her work in sculpture, design, and ceramics. Her art work was on display at the National Arts Club and in Paris Salons, according to the website AskArt. Dorothy Lonz married Norbert Keeley, and she taught ceramics in Lucas County.

Louis Lombardy, who was only a freshman in 1930, enlisted in the Army Air Corps in World War Two, and moved to California. Karl Kruger’s obituary appeared on the front page of the Sandusky Register shortly after his death on May 6, 1966. Karl had been a standout athlete at Sandusky High School, and he was a Veteran of World War Two.

Artist Charles L. Sallee, Jr.

Charles L. Sallee, Jr., the oldest child of Charles and Coranell Collier Sallee was born in 1911 in Oberlin, Ohio, where Charles, Sr. worked as a plasterer. By 1915, the Sallee family moved to Sandusky, Ohio. There were fourteen children in all, though only seven survived to adulthood. Charles, Jr. graduated from Sandusky High School in 1931. He was actively involved in art while enrolled in Sandusky City Schools, drawing cartoons, posters, and designing scenery for school plays. Charles contributed illustrations for the book Heart of Democracy, written by James Ross in 1930. During an Art Club display in 1931, Charles sketched pictures of all his high school teachers.

Below is a print created by Charles L. Sallee, Jr. for the 1931 Sandusky High School Fram:

In 1934, Sallee was the first African American to be admitted to Cleveland School of Art, now the Cleveland Institute of Art. From 1935 to 1941, Sallee was an artist for the Works Progress Administration, creating prints and murals. One mural painted by Sallee was for the Outhwaite Home, one of the first federally funded housing projects. After graduating from the Cleveland School of Art, he earned an Art Education degree from Case Western Reserve University. Sallee taught art at Kennard Junior High and Outhwaite Elementary School.

According to Mr. Sallee’s obituary which appeared in the Plain Dealer on February 25, 2006, he did much of his early important work with the Playhouse Settlement, which became the Karamu House. Before serving in the Army Corps of Engineers, Sallee was a civilian employee with the Army Map Service. After being drafted into the Army, he was a supervising draftsman, and later a cartographer in England. While in France, he helped design roads and escape routes, and made signs for Red Ball Express supply truck drivers. He also spent time in the Philippines.

Charles L. Sallee, Jr. enjoyed a long career as an interior designer. One his most well known designs is the ballroom at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Cleveland. Other projects included the clubhouse of the Cleveland Indians stadium, the Stouffer Hotel, and Cleveland Trust. In 1957, Sallee returned to Sandusky to place oil paintings at the Second Baptist Church, where he had been baptized. The paintings were placed in ornamental plaster frames that had been created by Charles Sallee, Sr. These paintings are still located in the church sanctuary at 315 Decatur Street. Several prints by Charles L. Sallee, Jr. can be retrieved at the digital exhibits of the Case Western Reserve Kelvin Smith Library. A video from WVIZ television which discusses Charles L. Sallee, Jr. is available at YouTube. An etching by Sallee entitled “Swingtime” appears in a selection from American art at the website of Howard University.

Charles L. Sallee, Jr. died on February 15, 2006,, at the age of 94. He was survived by two daughters, a stepson, four grandchildren, and four sisters. A biographical sketch of Charles L. Sallee, Jr. is found in the database Contemporary Black Biography, available through the ClevNet database Biography Resource Center. An article in which Mr. and Mrs. Charles Sallee, Sr. discuss their family appeared in the October 13, 1958 Sandusky Register, on microfilm at the Archives Research Center of the Sandusky Library.