George Nemeth · Kaboom

June 8th, 2009

Love this post from Tom:

Danny Greene was a folk hero to the neighborhood. He used to donate to my old school St. Jeromes. While in the Collinwood area, Danny rented an apartment at Waterloo road. There, as Ned Whelan wrote in a Cleveland Magazine story called “How Danny Greene’s Murder Exploded the Godfather Myth”: “Imagining himself as a feudal baron, he supported a number of destitute Collinwood families, paid tuition to Catholic schools for various children and, like the gangsters of the Twenties, actually had fifty, twenty pound turkeys delivered to needy households on Thanksgiving.” He would often pick up tabs for friends, neighbors, and acquaintances at a restaurant, and made it a point to leave generous tips.

After moving to Waterloo road, Greene made sure that the neighborhood undesirables were kept in line. He evicted a bookmaker who operated out of a small Waterloo business and kept a local bar in order by personal visits, if things got too chaotic or disorderly. When a rowdy group of Hells Angels moved into Collinwood, Greene visited their headquarters with a stick of dynamite. He threatened to light it and throw it into their club house until they came out to receive a warning to keep things quiet when in Collinwood.

On may 12 1975, On May 12, an explosion rocked Collinwood. Greene’s building was destroyed, but Greene somehow had only minor injuries. As the second floor fell, he was shielded from the debris by a refrigerator which had lodged against a wall. A second, and more powerful, bomb had failed to explode. This second explosion would surely have killed Greene. Greene credited his miraculous escape to the intercession of St. Jude, whose medal he always wore around his neck…

via Danny Greene Collinwood Movie | The Daily Bragger.

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One Response to “Kaboom”

  1. Dailybragger Says:
    June 8th, 2009 at 2:06 pm

    I was in the old neighborhood last Sunday. I was taking pictures of Waterloo Road and looking for the building with the bomb marks. It was painted over. For years you could see the markings on the bottom of the building.
    If you ever get the chance, read “To Kill The Irishman” by Rick Porrello.

    There was also a doctor that had a practice above the old Jepson’s building. His name was Dr. Bowman. He was a pioneer in woman’s mental heath. I’m doing more research on him. I had the chance of knowing him personally as he was a fixture in the Waterloo section of Collinwood.

    I’m very proud of being from Collinwood. It has a very rich history some good and some even better.

    Thanks for the Kudos.
    Tom Guard