Does the name Clayton Townes ring a bell?

Perhaps not for most. But for Will and I, as well as our families, the name is especially significant.

Clayton Townes served as Cleveland's City Council President, a position that effectively made him the city's first mayor when the city adapted a city manager plan in January of 1924. He also was father to Jean and Betsy, Will's and my grandmother, respectively.

Having this deep personal history in Cleveland --it was also where my grandfather grew up and met my grandmother-- intensified our interest in visiting the city and discerning a sense of the place that shaped people we love dearly.