Carlyn Meeker Irwin

Lakewood ProFiles
Lakewood Public Library

photo courtesy of Fred H. Irwin; portrait taken by Carl W. Eysenbach

Carlyn Meeker Irwin

excerpted from

Born Too Soon, or Just in Time?

a biography of Carlyn Meeker Irwin

by Janet Elizabeth Carnall

III. "Let Us Then Be Up and Doing"

Although technically no longer a Lakewood resident, Carlyn Meeker Irwin's life has been intimately entwined with the city of Lakewood for much of the twentieth century. Born in Huron, Ohio, in 1904, into a family of Great Lakes ship captains, Carlyn Meeker moved to Lakewood, Ohio in 1908, when she was four years old. Her father, Captain Stephen Meeker, sailed the lakes for the Pittsburgh Steamship Company, headquartered in Cleveland, and brought the family to Lakewood to be closer to the main office.

The move came just as Lakewood made the transition from fruit farms to a developed streetcar suburb. Lakewood was first incorporated as a village in 1889. By 1911, it was chartered as a city, and much of its current housing stock had already been built. Large estates stretched along the lakefront and Rocky River, while middle-class single and double family homes ran up and down the north-south streets. Apartments were clustered above commercial buildings on Madison and Detroit, and in apartment houses along Clifton.   The Meeker family moved into a new Victorian style home on Orchard Grove Avenue, still surrounded by fruit farms. From this home, Carlyn began elementary school at Grant School, then switched to Madison School when it opened. Her high school class of 1922 was the first to attend the new high school building for all four years of education. Carlyn remembered that "the hallways were full of lumber and mortar and mud half the time." (as quoted in Robert Hull's Lakewood: A Thousand Memories). (For more of Carlyn's high school memories, including the fashion of "autograph books", link to Dan Chabek's Lakewood Lore) .

The Meeker family's life moved to the rhythms of the Great Lakes shipping season. During the summers, the whole family would join Captain Meeker on his ship. From December through March, Captain Meeker remained at home, working on household projects and supervising the children's cultural education. In addition to piano and dance lessons, Carlyn studied elocution at the Dorn School of Expression, performing in recitals and Shakespearean plays.

After graduating from Lakewood High School, Carlyn attended Mt.Ida College in Newton, Massachusetts, but had to return home to help care for her father who was dying from cancer of the mouth. She continued taking classes at local Cleveland colleges, but her father's death in 1928 left her feeling "somewhat adrift."

A chance night out in 1929 introduced Carlyn to Fred Irwin, a World War I veteran who had served with the 331st Infantry in France. They were married June 24, 1929. Through Fred's veterans' activities, Carlyn began to explore the issues of war and world affairs, areas which would become a lifelong interest.

The Irwins' only child, Fred Howard Jr. ("Skip") was born in 1930. As social custom dictated, Carlyn devoted herself to childrearing and housekeeping, but felt restricted by this limited sphere. Volunteer activities and organizations became acceptable outlets for activity outside the home. In addition to volunteering at her son's school, she began to join many women's organizations, including the Lakewood Woman's Club, the Lakewood and Cleveland Leagues of Women Voters, and the National Federation of Women's Clubs in Greater Cleveland. Her college coursework in public relations provided an immediate role for her in many of the organizations she joined. The contacts she developed allowed her to work on many worthwhile community projects, and her reputation as a hard and effective worker grew.

IV. "Constant, Steady and Cheerful Endeavors"

During the years prior to World War II, Carlyn's volunteer activities included co-chairing the first successful house to house Salvation Army fund drive, winning an award in the Chamber of Commerce Better Housing Committee contest, and chairing a Cleveland Council of Church Women Relief Committee. Her name was becoming more known and her standing in the community as an effective leader became firmly established in the minds of the women she worked with as well as community leaders. As she worked on various projects, the people with whom she became acquainted continued to increase in number and in scope. She now knew both men and women in church, political, media, business, educational and service positions and they, in turn, had learned of her capabilities and feelings.

Carlyn discovered and joined yet another organization in these pre-wars years which was to figure prominently for the rest of her life: the Cleveland Council on World Affairs. It was formed in the aftermath of World War I "when 21 women's organizations united to form the Women's Council for the Prevention of War. Under the leadership of Newton D. Baker, Secretary of War in (President) Wilson's Cabinet, this group merged in 1929 with leading business and professional men to form the International Affairs Committee. In 1933, the Committee became the Foreign Affairs Council, which was incorporated as the Cleveland Council on World Affairs in 1943." The organization was dedicated to increasing public awareness of the significance of world affairs, and Carlyn attended as many lectures as possible, building her knowledge of the world, particularly Latin America and the Middle East.

In 1942, Mayor Amos Kauffmann of Lakewood appointed Carlyn Irwin to the Lakewood War Price and Ration Board. She became Executive Secretary/Director of the Ration Board through the end of the war in 1945, and remembers it as "a period of high productivity in the service of my country."

Lakewood's Board was one of the largest residential Ration Boards in Ohio, so Carlyn found herself working six days and two nights each week for the duration of the war. She also spent most of her "off-hours" studying new, detailed and often complex governmental rulings and regulations regarding rationing, as they were issued by the federal government. Carlyn managed the Board's staff of hundreds of women volunteers as they dispersed huge numbers of ration coupons for fuel oil, foodstuffs, tires, cars, shoes, rubber footwear, stoves, bikes, typewriters, etc. One newspaper article told of the Board's dispersal of ration certificates for 51,272 pounds of sugar in two days. Another article told of issuing gas books to 32,585 car owners.

These were burdensome and grueling days filled with long hours, unpredictable peaks in work, too little money, help and equipment. At one point, Carlyn rallied her volunteer aides by saying, "We are in the service of our country and should conduct ourselves in a manner that is befitting such a privilege. Let us be motivated by the thought that we are out to help win the war, so that our boys can triumphantly return to their homes and loved ones." (as reported in a newspaper clipping). When the war ended, rationing was phased out, and the Lakewood War Price and Ration Board was officially disbanded, with great praise for its work.

Throughout the years of serving as Executive Secretary of Lakewood's War Price and Ration Board, Carlyn was thrilled with the performance of women. They worked hard and well in many differing functions. When the Board closed, she often tried to persuade her volunteer aides to continue on in other business endeavors instead of returning to their home-based activities.

It was her strong feeling about the importance of women, plus her renewed concerns about the need for obtaining and maintaining a lasting peace in the world, that started Carlyn off in a new round of volunteer activities. She focused her energy by giving lectures about the role of women in front of church groups and women's clubs and also served as a full-time trustee of the Cleveland Council on World Affairs. Her inspirational speeches included the following rededication program, which could still be of benefit today, even though some of the specific points may pertain to outdated programs. Seven hundred members of the Lakewood Woman's Club received copies of this program and were asked to sign their names:

"I rededicate myself to my great American heritage by setting apart time and energy each day to making democracy a reality by:

Pledging a new birth of spiritual interests in my life, and a promise to work zealously in bringing them into manifestation into my home and in my dealings with my neighbors.

Pledging a renewal of interest in my government by keeping informed about local, state and national legislation, and taking action when I deem it necessary.

Pledging support and interest in international affairs, knowing that world affairs are my affairs. I shall write to the State Department and to others in authority expressing my views. I shall keep informed about the United Nations.

Pledging support to the various organizations which are mobilizing for the needs of mankind.

Pledging an active performance in the Civil Defense program in whatever capacity I can serve most effectively.

Pledging adherence to the requests of those who are fighting inflation by buying only what I need instead of hoarding, by supporting credit restriction, fighting waste, saving money to buy bonds, and upholding budget-balancing taxes.

Pledging activer participation in the Letters Abroad Program, an international correspondence project through which women compare their daily lives and hopes, to the end that real understanding and friendship will link together the women of the world.

Pledging an earnest effort to be more interested in justice and opportunity for others than in rights and privileges for myself.

The Letters Abroad Program mentioned above was one of Carlyn's most significant achievements. It was initiated in 1951-52 as a function of the Cleveland Council on World Affairs as one of the first international correspondence programs in the U. S. for the purpose of promoting friendship and understanding between the various peoples of the world; Carlyn was its creator, director and organizer. It was so successful that President Eisenhower absorbed the program into this own nationally sponsored "People to People" plan. This adult pen pal program included lawyers, doctors, judges, bakers, merchants, students, florists, shoe salesmen, dentists, railroad workers, service personnel, clubs, etc. and the countries of the U.S., England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, India, Japan, Afghanistan, South Africa, South America, Mexico and the Philippines. Carlyn called these participants our "Grass Roots Envoys for Peace."

Her associated activities with the Cleveland Council on World Affairs included participating in the West Shore Hospitality Committee for Foreign Visitors, Doctors, and Students, and lecturing on world affairs for various groups. Among her topics were

The Aftermath of the Cuban Revolution

Alliance for Progress -- Will It Succeed?

Cuba -- A Paradox

Guatemala -- A Successful Relationship

Toward Better Understanding in Latin America

Our Stake in Latin America

U.S. Foreign Policy in Latin America

The Right and Wrong Way to Fight Communism in Latin America

Four Faces of Israel

The Arab-Israeli Conflict

Arab Contribution to Christian Civilization

Besides lecturing Carlyn also coordinated a two-week trip to South America sponsored by the Cleveland Press and eight women's organizations.These women visited 6 countries and learned about foreign affairs by meeting with the U.S. ambassadors and foreign leaders of the countries they visited, including Argentina, Panama, Uruguay, Brazil, Chile and Peru. The travelers also met with women's groups in these countries. Upon completion of the trip, the U. S. State Department issued a statement calling the trip one of the best programs ever developed to promote friendship and understanding among the women of the Western Hemisphere.

In 1950, Carlyn was appointed Assistant District Supervisor for the 17th Decennial U. S. Census by Congressman Steven M. Young. This was the largest Congressional district in the country at that time.

V. "Still Achieving, Still Pursuing"

Since she was a tireless and active advocate of peace, Carlyn Irwin pursued many approaches to its attainment. In the United Nations, Carlyn found the only major organization pledged to the pursuit of peace.

The United Nations was formed following World War II on October 24, 1945. It was to be an open forum for the communications of the needs and wants of the nations of the world so that joint, workable solutions could be achieved for the welfare of all mankind.    This seeking of cooperative resolutions through peaceful communication seemed to Carlyn the very best possibility for the attainment and maintenance of lasting world peace. So, in 1950, Carlyn began her active promotion and support of the United Nations (U. N.) as the U.N. representative in several groups, including the United Church Women and the Federation of Women's Clubs of Greater Cleveland and as a very active member of the United Nations Association of the United States of America, Inc. She gave hundreds of speeches explaining and supporting the U. N. to high school students and adults. She also coordinated and chaperoned numerous trips to the U.N. and Washington, D.C. for students from greater Cleveland high schools and club and church women. One such trip for 200 club and church women in 1953 was co-sponsored by the Cleveland Press and was covered in the Scripps-Howard house organ, inspiring many of the chain's newspapers to sponsor similar trips.

Carlyn was a strong proponent of the specialized agencies of the U.N., such as FAO, UNESCO, WHO, and UNICEF. Her staunch support of the U.N did not go unnoticed. In 1956 she was appointed U.N. Chairman by the Mayor of the City of Lakewood. During the developmental years of the U.N., communities were asked to sponsor a U.N. Day to keep everyone involved and in support of the organization. In the role of U.N. chairman, she coordinated these special U.N. day activities, including the planning of an outstanding lecture by a U.S. State Department representative.

The Mayor of Cleveland also appointed Carlyn in 1956 to serve as Secretary to the Mayor of Cleveland's United Nations Committee. She served in this position for seven years, planning and participating in various civic, school, and library programs. She also gave slide presentations to schools in the Lakewood and Cleveland areas to help teach young people about the need for such an organization and its various activities. Carlyn also helped create the mock U.N. Assembly program for high school students which is still in existence today.

In 1960 and 1961, Carlyn coordinated lecture-discussion series on the U.N. The 1961 series, "The Hard Road to Peace," won a national award for the most creative program for understanding of the U. N. and world peace.

The year 1963 was a culminating point for her U.N. related activities. She was elected Vice President of the Ohio Division of the American U.N. Association of America, appointed to the Governor of Ohio's Committee for the U.N., and appointed as co-chairman of the Cleveland Mayor's U.N. Committee. Then, in October of 1964, Carlyn Irwin was awarded the Dag Hammarskjold Award for outstanding service in the cause of the U.N. and world peace along with co-recipients Dr. Benjamin Spock and Adlai Stevenson, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. This was quite an achievement for a volunteer lady from Lakewood, and she accepted the award with these words:

"I accept this award as a tribute to volunteers, especially women volunteers, who not only contribute to public education and support of the U.N., but to all worthwhile endeavors in the Greater Cleveland area, as well as in every community across the nation."

The 1950s and 1960s were very productive years for Carlyn As her volunteer activities and achievements continued to expand, she also decided that it was time for her to get a real paying job to insure some added comfort in her retirement years. This was at the age of 55. Her local civic connections led her to seek employment in local government, and from 1959 to 1961, Carlyn was employed as the Assistant to the Mayor of Brooklyn, Ohio, while maintaining most of her volunteer commitments. She left the position in the Brooklyn Mayor's office in 1962 to become the United World Federalist's Director of Program Development, and then moved to Cuyahoga County employment as Program Director for the Title V Employment and Work Training Project.

The Title V Employment and Work Training Project was introduced by President Lyndon Johnson to help train the unemployed, as part of the War on Poverty legislation in his Great Society initiatives. Carlyn's approach was to establish a training program for dental technicians of which there was a shortage. Her program was so successful in finding placement for people that it was adopted by the U. S. Department of Labor.

With her job absorbed by the federal government, Carlyn was promoted to Director of Public Relations and Information for the Cuyahoga Welfare Department with special assignments from the County Commissioners. This department coordinated all county levies on the ballot from 1965 through 1973, including the proposal to build the Justice Center in Cleveland, Ohio. During this same period, she also served on the Long-Term Care and Nutrition Committees of the Metropolitan Health Care Corporation and completed two terms as President of the Greater Cleveland Adult Education Council, one of the first adult education organizations formed in the United States.

While a member of the Adult Education Council, Carlyn organized a Foreign Policy Conference in conjunction with the Cleveland Press and Western Reserve University Division of General Studies - Cleveland College. The conference was held on June 18, 1964 and was led by George W. Ball, Undersecretary of State of the United States. Over 1500 people attended to learn about what our government policies were in relation to Cuba, Laos, India and Vietnam.

In 1973, Carlyn's husband, who was then 84 years old, asked her to retire. He had been a patient supporter of all her activities, but now he felt he needed a little more of her time and assistance. On September 26, 1973, a retirement luncheon was held for Carlyn. A full contingent of well-wishers gathered together to wish her a fond farewell from the world of county government.

VI. "Should Everyone Bide His Time"

While her paid employment activities had ended, her volunteer activities just took another turn. She now felt led to devote her time to the needs of senior citizens. First in working with the Lakewood Ministerial Association and the Lakewood Community Council, she assisted in the creation of a transportation system for helping seniors attend church services. She also assisted in the reorganization of the Cuyahoga Nursing Home Auxiliary as a trustee and served on the Advisory Committee to the Cuyahoga County Extension Services of Ohio State University. The Meals on Wheels organization was another of her interests.

Carlyn was a founding member of the Lakewood Office on Aging and wrote their first by-laws. She served as a trustee of the Lakewood Community Development Corporation until 1983, and as a member of the Resident Council of Lake Shore Towers, a senior citizen residence in Lakewood, until 1986.

In 1990, Carlyn Meeker Irwin was elected to the Lakewood High School Hall of Fame. She was selected because of her contributions to society and because of the positive role model she provided to students.

Carlyn is now (2000) 95 years of age and is still busy and involved. Although she claims that "age has hit me," and that she can't do the public speaking she used to do, she still retains membership in several organizations, including the Lakewood Historical Society, Friends of the Lakewood Public Library, and the Cleveland Council on World Affairs. She still focuses her energy on world affairs, women's organizations, and helping people. Her sense of citizen responsibility has never dimmed.

In 1992, Carlyn initiated the Carlyn M. Irwin Fund at the Lakewood Public Library to obtain materials and programs for the enrichment of Lakewood children and youths in understanding world cultural diversities and to stimulate them to support the United Nations, still in Carlyn's opinion the only major peace-seeking organizations in existence. More recently, she participated in Lakewood's program in support of the U.N. Year of the Family in 1994.

In one of her speeches given to the League of Women Voters of Cleveland, Carlyn accurately and succinctly described her life. She said,

     "The axiom, "Knowledge is Power," had its first real meaning for me as a woman. I soon learned how much personal confidence I developed when I had information and knowledge on definite subjects. I began to express myself, first in letters to the Editors, then to public officials and Congressmen, and finally to the White House. For you see, I am firmly convinced that people at all levels from all countries must understand each other if we are to attain what more people desire than anything else, peace for all mankind.
    I have been led into strange pathways for the average homemaker. I have been the recipient of political appointments, have advised and run political campaigns for local, state and national candidates.
    The point I am trying to make is that you do not have to be a VIP with position, dollars or intellect, but simply informed enough to be convinced enough to take action.
    A good woman, along with being a homemaker, must participate in community affairs to help create a better world for all children. Women have the soul of their community in their keeping.
    There are hundreds of organizations which citizens can join, contribute to, and work with.
    I was dedicated to becoming informed for a common pupose, i.e., to inform myself and to help others do the same in order to reach intelligent conclusions leading to action in assuming citizenship responsibility -- to the end that we all help to shape events in working toward world brotherhood and peace."

[Carlyn Irwin passed away at the age of 96 on 19 December, 2000. A death notice appeared in the Cleveland Plain Dealer 22 December, 2000 and an obituary in the Lakewood Sun Post 28 December, 2000, p. C2.]
Other articles about Carlyn Irwin:
"WW I vets come to aid of Vietnam comrades in arms," The Plain Dealer 14 August, 1988, pg. A1.
"A Longtime activist votes for women," The Plain Dealer 19 September, 2000, pg. E3.

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