The 1935 Call and Post newsboys photo grows more interesting as more and more people connected to it come forward. Just as it was a surprise that Mrs. Evelyn Patton-Davis was among, what we thought to be a boy’s only photo, another surprise has sprung up concerning our cherished and iconic photo.
By KEVIN ‘CHILL’ HEARD
Managing Editor
The 1935 Call and Post newsboys photo grows more interesting as more and more people connected to it come forward. Just as it was a surprise that Mrs. Evelyn Patton-Davis was among, what we thought to be a boy’s only photo, another surprise has sprung up concerning our cherished and iconic photo.
A call from Mrs. Agnes Lyles shed some new light on a photo that has, for the most part, remained silent for more than 75 years!
The photo, taken in December of ‘35 by photographer Allen E. Cole, commemorated a contest for Call and Post news carriers.
The celebrated picture shows 70 or so kids, standing tall and proud of their accomplishments as the best of the newspaper’s deliverers. With a keen eye, a person may discern that one young man in the second row appears a tad bit different than the rest. The cut and shade of his suit, the blend and style of his hat, and the over all feel of his presence in the photograph seems to, with a wink and nod, whisper that something about this young man’s story may be different that of the other C&P newsboys.
Ahhh, who would ever have thought that this decades old photo would yield an interesting plot twist?
The young man with the lighter shaded suit, in the second row, just a bit behind the front wheel of the top prize winner’s well-earned bicycle, is young Russell Leroy Lyles. Thanks to the darling woman, who would turn out to be this young man’s wife as a teen, we find that young Mr. Lyles was not a newsboy at all but the nephew of the shot’s photographer Allen E. Cole.
As told by the widow of Russell Lyles, who died in a car accident at the age of 23, Allen Cole would take his young nephew to all of his photography jobs while teaching him the skills that came with the trade. On this particular day, Lyles was proudly wearing his snappy looking suit and was told by his uncle to “go stand in the picture.”
Agnes Lyles cheerfully recalls the many days that Cole chronicled many of her family’s activities through his finely-tuned lens. Mrs. Lyles sat down with us to share several stories of Cleveland’s history. The owner of a cutting-edge beauty shop that was on Cedar Avenue, next to Art’s Seafood, she gleefully attests to being at the very genesis of events such as Carl B. Stokes’ historical run for Mayor of Cleveland.
She was also there at the beginnings of the 21st District Democratic Caucus.
Agnes Lyles was a wealth of information concerning the history of Cleveland’s Black community over the last few decades. We look forward to telling more of her story and other’s like it in the upcoming celebration of 95 years of Call and Post history.
The Call and Post newspaper, 95 years and counting, stand up and be counted. Be a part of the history that you or your family helped to build. Email us at Info@call-post.com or give us a call at (216) 588-6700. Yes, we are still looking for you!
(EDITORS NOTE) In last week’s story about Janet Thomas, we incorrectly identified her mother’s as Josephine “Josie” Waller. Her correct name is Josie Waller. We apologize for the mistake.
