Pauline J. Thoma

After spending 57 years in the newspaper business, Pauline Thoma retired in 1993 from the Cleveland Plain Dealer, where she had been a reporter for 24 years. Pauline June (Leonhard) Thoma was born June 30, 1918, in Irwin, Pa. She grew up in Lakewood and then Fairview Village, where her dreams of becoming a professional writer blossomed. She always considered it some kind of miracle that she was hired by the Cleveland Press at age 17 just after graduating from Fairview High School. A highlight of her career occurred when she was only 19. She was assigned by The Press to escort a group of nuns and their pupils to Washington, D.C., and write about their participation in the annual national spelling bee sponsored by Scripps-Howard. During the visit, the Washington Bureau staff arranged for her to attend a news conference in the White House. She was speechless to be directed right to the desk of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, where she stood in awe during the entire session. Mighty heady stuff for a young woman! Between the jobs at the Press and Plain Dealer, she was a reporter in 1944 and 1945 at the Oklahoma City Times while her husband, Walter, was training pilots in the Air Force during World War II at Will Rogers Field. Her husband died in 1992 after a long illness. She was Editor of West Life, a west suburban weekly newspaper, from Oct. 1965 to Sept. 1969, when she was hired by the PD. She had been a stringer for the PD for 11 years, starting in 1958. While editing West Life, she was named Editor of the Week in 1967 by Publishers' Auxiliary, which was published by the National Newspaper Association. Another special moment while on the PD staff was receiving an Associated Press award in 1991 for investigating and reporting suspicious escalating costs of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo's tropical Rainforest. Her delving and that of a colleague, John S. Long, resulted in a PD series disclosing collusion between the parks director Lou E. Tsipis and architect Thomas T. K. Zung that was instrumental in causing the original estimate of $4 million to soar to $30 million by its completion. A Cuyahoga County Grand Jury ultimately indicted Tsipis on 56 felony counts. Pauline was also named an Ohio Roadrunner by Gov. James A. Rhoades for assisting in getting work re-started to complete Interstate 480 through Cleveland despite bickering between state and local politicians. She was a member of the executive board of the Newspaper Guild and during her early PD years served as treasurer of the Cleveland chapter. She was formerly a member of Theta Sigma Phi, now known as Women in Communications. In 1978 she served on the board of directors of the Cleveland chapter of Sigma Delta Chi, now the Society of Professional Journalists. She was treasurer of the Press Club of Cleveland for 21 years and was inducted into the organization's Journalism Hall of Fame in 1993. Subsequent to her retirement, she served on the Fairview Park Board of Zoning and Building Appeals, tutored adults as a member of Project Learn and was a member of the Fairview Park Chamber of Commerce and its Project Pride which raised funding to build a large gazebo that is used for community band concerts and other civic events. At the request of the Ohio Turnpike Commission, she wrote the first-ever history of the toll road, which she had covered 16 years as part of her infrastructure beat. The 80-page colorful book was published in 1996. Pauline and a former PD colleague, Richard Ellers, were the team that planned quarterly luncheons of Plain Dealer retirees. A fortunate woman, Pauline also had a male "harem" with whom she regularly lunched. This group of politically savvy men included present or former state, county or city engineers who used to be her news sources when she was the paper's infrastructure/ transportation reporter. Pauline passed away on Sunday, February 8, 2015. She was the Loving mother of Judith A. Nicoloff (the late Richard) and Dr. Deborah T. Dennis (BJ). Adoring grandmother of Jennifer Thomas, Kristopher Nicoloff, Rick Nicoloff (Mary), Ashley Dennis and Brett Dennis. Doting great-gramma of Abigail Thomas and Camden Thomas. Dear sister of David W. Leonhard (the late Evelyn) and the late Charles A. Leonhard and late Helen Jane Leonhard. Cherished daughter of the Late Howard and Mary Leonhard. Aunt of the late Mark Leonhard (Amy), Steven Leonhard (Michelle), Sharon Draper (Brain), Patricia Leonhard, Susan Leonhard (the late Tiger), Shirley Kovacs, Sandy Ryan (Bill), and Stacey Goetz (Martin). Great-aunt of many. Memorial contributions may be made to the Fairview Park Municipal Foundation (sponsor of Summerfest), 20777 Lorain Rd., Fairview Park, OH 44126 or to the Fairview Park Education Foundation, 21620 Mastick Rd., Fairview Park, OH 44126. Funeral services will be held at the funeral home on Saturday, February 14th at 12noon. Interment will follow at Lakewood Park Cemetery. Friends may call the BUSCH FUNERAL HOME, 21369 Center Ridge Road, Fairview Park, on Friday, February 13th from 1-3pm and 6-8pm. 440-333-9774. www.buschcares.com