Mary Anne DeGrandis Baucco
Since 2010, the Cleveland International Hall of Fame (CIHF) has inducted people who have made significant and lasting contributions to our multicultural society. Cleveland is home to people representing about 120 different ethnic groups. The CIHF exists not only to honor those special people but also to inspire a new generation of leaders to follow in their footsteps.
In addition, the first annual Debbie Hanson Forever Young Honors have been announced. Debbie's medical issues started in her 50's and her passing was way too early - hence she will remain Forever Young to us. The honor will be awarded each year to a man and a woman who do not seek the limelight but are always there willing and able to help in any way possible with their community. Mary Anne DeGrandis Baucco is an innaugural honoree.
Born on the East Side of Cleveland into a politically active Irish, Italian, and German family with strong ties to the neighborhood. The oldest of eight children of Paul J. DeGrandis Jr. and Rita C. Feller DeGrandis, mother of two and grandmother of three. Grew up in the Our Lady of Peace parish, graduate of Regina High School and St. Luke’s School of Radiology Technology.
Volunteering started from the cradle in our ethnic neighborhood where we welcomed newly arrived immigrant children and their families, helping them navigate a whole new world. It’s always been about the people, making a difference, helping out where needed.
Long time Irish Cultural Garden and One World Day volunteer. Executive Board member of the Scottish Cultural Garden. Member, Lector and hunger center volunteer at St. Patrick’s parish in West Park. West Side Irish American club member and volunteer. Gaelic Athletic Association volunteer. Little Italy Garden Walk volunteer. Cleveland Mayo Society member. Regular contributor on the Gerry Quinn Irish radio program.
Thirty-five year clinical career caring for patients as a radiology technologist and medical assistant then transitioned into the quality and regulatory arena as an investigator for medical devices and patient safety.
All things Cleveland from culture to sports and nature balance my work days. Good friends and travel adventures feed my soul.
When given the opportunity to help out, why not is the only response. We bloom where we are planted so let’s nurture this garden right here on the North Coast together.
Mary Anne was introduced by Global Cleveland CEO Joe Cimperman.
Here is a video of Mary Anne receiving the Debbie Hanson Forever Young Award followed by some photos.
with Debbie Hanson Forever Young Award
Congratulations Mary Anne DeGrandis Baucco!
”ReadCatherine Jorgensen McCutcheon - Class of 2026
Norwegians generally are not eager to seek a spotlight for themselves. They defer to produce actual accomplishments and have them acknowledged by others. An invitation by the leaders of Cleveland to me is totally unexpected and rather embarrassing. You have asked me to outline my involvement in my community in my lifetime. There are multiple areas that captured my interest and time. Ohio Norsemen is the one you have been most aware. I was one of twelve founding members in 1993.
The year was significant. 1893 was the year of the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The exposition was to honor Columbus' discovery of the new world four hundred years earlier. In 1889 Norwegians discovered the remains of a Viking ship later named the Gokstad ship. It seemed timely to build a replica and sail it to America in time for the exposition to prove the possibility of an earlier European arrival in North America before 1492. It was a successful voyage and arrived in Cleveland on July 3, 1893. Captain Anderson and crew participated in an exuberant 4th of July parade in our city.
Our dozen members decided to publicize this one hundred year event on July 4th, 1993 by hosting an open house in the hold of the William G. Mather. It drew a crowd of about 400 people where we greeted them with homemade heart waffles, a tour, a massive display, mapping the voyage provided by the Norwegian embassy in Washington. The Ohio Norsemen club was formed from that time and grew substantially in 33 years. Our mission was to promote and preserve our heritage. Maybe you have seen the bronze sculpture of Leif Erikson on the west bank of the Flats...a joint Scandinavian effort in 2000.
(A quote from an 1893 Cleveland newspaper clip: "Intercepting the Viking was a delegation of tugs...Meanwhile everyone was looking for the Viking. From the lighthouse to the viaduct was a solid line of people, apparently expecting the craft to come up the river. The flag of the Norsemen was flying over the high, red-tongued, green eyed dragon's head on her prow, the red pennant of the Vikings floated from the mast head with the stars and stripes while the Norwegian standard with blue...trailed from the dragon's tail. Lake View Park was crowded with thousands to greet the ship on July 3rd.")
Beyond founding Ohio Norsemen I have participated in the extended ethnic community of my dear city. As a returned Peace Corps Volunteer serving in Istanbul, Turkey I joined the local Turkish club, Tasno and their dance group. My husband and I hosted C.I.P. participants beginning 1968, the first from Tobago, the latest from Brazil with the Cleveland Council on World Affairs.
The Northern Ohio Returned Peace Corps group initiated many service activities both local and international and I taught English to Spanish residents for many years at El Barrio because of NORVA . Later I taught in the ESOL programs in Lakewood, and then at Baldwin Wallace University. As a teacher I resurrected the AFS program at Lakewood High School and we hosted exchange students from abroad, and promoted American students to do the same. It was very successful.
Promoting safe cycling has been another engaging passion. We worked with the state for road signs requiring three foot minimum passing distance and with Bike Cleveland and Silver Wheels. In addition, I created multiple international cycle trips for students. When our nearby Brook Park fire station was threatened with closure we rallied with others to twice collect signed petitions to reverse the move. We are activists and feel a true responsibility to be engaged in our community.
Catherine Jorgensen McCutcheon is the first person of Norwegian, and Scandinavian, heritage to be inducted into the Cleveland International Hall of Fame.
Catherine was inducted by her daughter Karin McCutcheon
Here is a video of Catherine's induction followed by some photos.
her mother Catherine Jorgensen McCutcheon
Congratulations Catherine Jorgensen McCutcheon!
See more photos and videos of the 2026 Cleveland International Hall of Fame inductions
”ReadAndy Fedynsky - Class of 2026
Andy Fedynsky was born in 1947 in Innsbruck, Austria to Ukrainian refugee parents who had fled communist tyranny. He was eight months old when his family immigrated to the United States and soon after settled in Cleveland where he became immersed in the Ukrainian community as a scout and leader in Plast the Ukrainian Scouting Organization, a student at Ukrainian Saturday school, and a regular attendee of Ukrainian events.
After graduating from the University of Notre Dame where he spent a year abroad at the University of Innsbruck in the city of his birth, he became a public school teacher and coach at West Junior High. On Saturdays, he returned to the Ukrainian school of his youth and taught Ukrainian history keeping lessons interesting and relevant by contextualizing Ukrainian history with US and world history. Simultaneously, he spent his summers as an activist with Smoloskyp, an organization devoted to the cultural and political rights of Ukraine and Ukrainians under Soviet occupation. This involved writing articles and press releases, participating in conferences abroad, lecturing at universities and civic organizations, lobbying officials, and even smuggling printing equipment to underground political movements in communist countries. In 1977, he was arrested by Yugoslav secret police for staging a press conference in Belgrade during an international conference.
This activism led him to work on Capitol Hill in 1978 as foreign policy advisor to Senator Bob Dole. Following completion of a Masters Degree at John Carroll University in 1980, he joined the Washington staff of Congresswoman Mary Rose Oakar working on Cleveland development and interfacing with a myriad of ethnic and other community groups. He eventually rose to be her chief of staff. In 1987, he returned to Cleveland, still working for Congresswoman Oakar, to organize the Ukrainian Museum-Archives in Tremont after the passing of his father, the Museum's director. The Museum became a life-long passion for him. In the process, he met his wife Christine, his life partner and mother to their son Michael and daughter Alexa.
Over the past 30 plus years, Andy has taken the Museum to a new chapter-from a worn-out wood frame building to a campus, establishing partnerships with academic and cultural institutions in the US and abroad, and a robust internship program. The Museum welcomes visitors and scholars from institutions like the University of Notre Dame, The Ohio State University, John Carroll University, Cleveland State, the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, Ukraine among many others.
Andy was a long-time columnist for the Ukrainian Weekly newspaper, taught courses on Ukrainian history at The Ohio State University and frequently gives presentations to students visiting the Ukrainian Museum. As Ukraine grows on the American political agenda with Russia's invasion of Crimea in 2014 and the full-scale invasion in 2022, he has appeared on local and national news as an expert both on regional history and on local efforts to support Ukraine. Federal, state and local officials regularly reach out for his advice on Ukraine and U.S. policy.
Andy recognizes the US as a nation of immigrants, with Ukrainians constituting a significant part of the ethnic diversity in Cleveland and beyond. He sees supporting the Ukrainian community and supporting other immigrant groups as part of the same mission. He has devoted his life to the Ukrainian community, to ethnic communities in the US, and to Cleveland.
Andy was inducted by United Ukrainian Organizations of Ohio President George E. Jaskiw, M.D.
Here is a video of Andy Fedynsky's induction followed by some photos.
Andy Fedynsky was born in 1947 in Innsbruck, Austria to Ukrainian refugee parents who had fled communist tyranny. He was eight months old when his family immigrated to the United States and soon after settled in Cleveland where he became immersed in the Ukrainian community as a scout and leader in Plast the Ukrainian Scouting Organization, a student at Ukrainian Saturday school, and a regular attendee of Ukrainian events.
After graduating from the University of Notre Dame where he spent a year abroad at the University of Innsbruck in the city of his birth, he became a public school teacher and coach at West Junior High. On Saturdays, he returned to the Ukrainian school of his youth and taught Ukrainian history keeping lessons interesting and relevant by contextualizing Ukrainian history with US and world history. Simultaneously, he spent his summers as an activist with Smoloskyp, an organization devoted to the cultural and political rights of Ukraine and Ukrainians under Soviet occupation. This involved writing articles and press releases, participating in conferences abroad, lecturing at universities and civic organizations, lobbying officials, and even smuggling printing equipment to underground political movements in communist countries. In 1977, he was arrested by Yugoslav secret police for staging a press conference in Belgrade during an international conference.
This activism led him to work on Capitol Hill in 1978 as foreign policy advisor to Senator Bob Dole. Following completion of a Masters Degree at John Carroll University in 1980, he joined the Washington staff of Congresswoman Mary Rose Oakar working on Cleveland development and interfacing with a myriad of ethnic and other community groups. He eventually rose to be her chief of staff. In 1987, he returned to Cleveland, still working for Congresswoman Oakar, to organize the Ukrainian Museum-Archives in Tremont after the passing of his father, the Museum's director. The Museum became a life-long passion for him. In the process, he met his wife Christine, his life partner and mother to their son Michael and daughter Alexa.
Over the past 30 plus years, Andy has taken the Museum to a new chapter-from a worn-out wood frame building to a campus, establishing partnerships with academic and cultural institutions in the US and abroad, and a robust internship program. The Museum welcomes visitors and scholars from institutions like the University of Notre Dame, The Ohio State University, John Carroll University, Cleveland State, the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, Ukraine among many others.
Andy was a long-time columnist for the Ukrainian Weekly newspaper, taught courses on Ukrainian history at The Ohio State University and frequently gives presentations to students visiting the Ukrainian Museum. As Ukraine grows on the American political agenda with Russia's invasion of Crimea in 2014 and the full-scale invasion in 2022, he has appeared on local and national news as an expert both on regional history and on local efforts to support Ukraine. Federal, state and local officials regularly reach out for his advice on Ukraine and U.S. policy.
Andy recognizes the US as a nation of immigrants, with Ukrainians constituting a significant part of the ethnic diversity in Cleveland and beyond. He sees supporting the Ukrainian community and supporting other immigrant groups as part of the same mission. He has devoted his life to the Ukrainian community, to ethnic communities in the US, and to Cleveland.
Andy was inducted by United Ukrainian Organizations of Ohio President George E. Jaskiw, M.D.
Here is a video of Andy Fedynsky's induction followed by some photos.
into the Cleveland International Hall of Fame
Julie Anna Gulenko led the national anthem
Congratulations Andy Fedynsky!
See more photos and videos of the 2026 Cleveland International Hall of Fame inductions
”ReadAndy Chakalis - Class of 2026
A native Clevelander, Andrew Chakalis attended Brush High School and Case Western Reserve University, where his Italian language studies earned him the Italian Fellowship to the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence in 1966. The school term breaks provided him the opportunity to assist at the marble quarries in Carrara, work at ceramic kilns in Faenza, and later work with internationally renowned sculptor Arnoldo Pomodoro in Milan.
Upon returning to Cleveland in 1970, Chakalis worked in product development and design before joining The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) in 1974 as an exhibitions specialist. He was soon appointed Assistant Curator of the Extensions Division, where he directed a venerable outreach program dating back to 1916. He curated scores of exhibitions for more than 100 schools across thirty-five districts, often tailoring displays to match school curricula. He also expanded the collection by approximately 100 works annually through the Harold T. Clark Education Extension Fund.
Chakalis managed a collection of over 16,000 artworks used for educational programs covering all media and eras of Western and Asian art. They include a range of materials from book arts to Dutch ceramics, African masks, Eskimo art, etc. His projects included lending European folk-art textiles to the Roberson Center for the Arts & Sciences to support the exhibitions "Goddesses and Their Offspring 19th and 20th Century Eastern European Embroideries" and organizing "Life Images: A Child's View," which was an exchange of drawings of daily life between elementary students in Cleveland area school system and Odawara, Japan. He also expanded the Department's collection by approximately 100 works annually through the Harold T. Clark Education Extension Fund. His exhibitions at the CMA frequently highlighted Cleveland's cultural heritage, with notable shows such as "Progressive Vision: The Planning of Downtown Cleveland 1903-1930" and "The Age of Elegance: Cleveland 1880-1914." In 1991, he assembled "The Order of Things: A History of the Column." Additionally, he designed exhibition catalogues and served on the Education Department's ad hoc publications committee. In 1988, he was a guest lecturer at the Taiwan Museum of Art, discussing art collections and educational outreach.
In the late 1980s, Chakalis and Department volunteer Mrs. Helen Collis were asked by the CMA Board to support the exhibition "Holy Image, Holy Space: Icons and Frescoes from Greece." They formed a committee representing four local Greek churches, which energized the community and raised significant support for the exhibition. This group became the nucleus for the Hellenic Preservation Society of Northeastern Ohio (HPSNEO), an organization dedicated to promoting Hellenism and Greek culture. After the Extensions Division was terminated in 1993, Chakalis left the museum to focus full time on his studio and sculpture.
He was a founding member of HPS and served on the Board in various capacities until 2017.
He received a Proclamation from the City of Brook Park for preserving the Greek experience in Northeastern Ohio, a Certificate of Recognition from the Cleveland Public Library's Cleveland Heritage Program, and the Friend of India Award for his efforts in helping to establish the India Cultural Garden. He currently is on the Board of the Greek Garden Association of Cleveland.
Andy is the first person of Greek heritage to be inducted into the Cleveland International Hall of Fame.
Andy was inducted by Lou Frangos
Here is a video of the induction of Andy Chakalis followed by some photos.
Lou Frangos inducts Andy Chakalis
Invocation by Reverend Father Stephen Callos
of Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral
Congratulations Andy Chakalis!
”ReadBranka Malinar
Branka M. Malinar - Biography
Branka Malinar was born in Popovec, Croatia in 1941. At the age of four, the family fled the Communist Revolution in Croatia and escaped to Austria to a DP (refugee) camp. After living in the camp for two years, they moved to Munich, Germany. The final leg of their migration took them across the Atlantic Ocean traveling on the S.S. General Muir arrived on Ellis Island on May 17th, 1951. The family that sponsored them through Catholic charities helped them to settle in Cleveland, Ohio.
Family Life and Education
Branka was a bright young girl who by the age of 10 learned three languages. She attended St. Paul's Croatian Elementary School and then Notre Dame Academy for high school. For 6 years she taught Croatian Folk Dancing to younger children. She was accepted to Flora Stone Mather College for Women, a branch of Western Reserve University where she pursued a chemistry degree for three years. She danced in UAC KOLO Dancers where she met her husband, Jerry Malinar. They married in 1961 and were blessed with four daughters: Drina, Mirna, Vesna, and Nada. They moved to North Ridgeville in 1968 and while her children were young, she was a member of St. Peter's Elementary School PTA, a Girl Scout Leader, and a Library Assistant.
Teaching Career
In 1973, she completed an undergraduate degree in Elementary Education at Baldwin Wallace College and began working for North Ridgeville City Schools teaching math and science. She did not stop there and quickly began working on her master's degree from Cleveland State University in Curriculum and Gifted Education in 1980. During that time, she was approached and accepted the task of creating the Gifted Education Program in North Ridgeville, teaching students in three grade levels for 22 years. Other responsibilities she took on while teaching included: Science Olympiad Competitions, Star Lab, Computer Coordinator at Wilcox Elementary (6 years), and Young Authors Program Coordinator (18 years). She did all while running her daughters around to clubs, sports, and scouts; helping with their homework while preparing lesson plans around the dining room table! Branka was named Teacher of the Year for Northeast Ohio by the Ohio Association of Gifted Coordinators. She was also nominated for the book "Who's Who Among American Teachers" in 1996, and Teacher of the Month in 1997. After many years of educating and challenging young minds, she decided to retire in 2002 becoming a member of the Retired Teachers Association.
Civic Engagement and Volunteerism
In the summer of 1976, Branka helped assemble a committee of North Ridgeville residents who approached the city council to request permission to let the people of North Ridgeville restore the second floor of the original town hall building. Permission was granted and so began the hands-on work to restore the space and produce community theater productions. She chaired the restoration committee as they sanded the old seats, repaired and painted walls, and held fundraisers for the restoration. In Sept of 1977, after producing shows outside the theater, the first production "Little Women" debuted in the newly renovated space of the Olde Towne Hall Theatre. The OTH Theatre is fast approaching its fiftieth year!
In 1977, Branka and Jerry were part of a group of founding members of The North Ridgeville Historical Society. They helped maintain a museum in the Cahoon House from 1978 to 1987 until it moved into the first floor of North Ridgeville Old Towne Hall in 1989. In 1983, both Branka and Jerry were founding members of The American Croatian Lodge in Eastlake, Ohio and their focus quickly became establishing the Croatian Heritage Museum and Library, a keystone for the vision of the lodge. As legacy volunteers, they helped plan many exhibits in the museum and develop the library. Another opportunity arose in 2009 to create a cultural garden in Rockefeller Park, Cleveland, Ohio reflecting the Croatian landscape, culture, and art. Jerry and Branka both volunteered in all aspects of launching and continuing the growth of this Cultural Garden. She has written many grants and written dozens of fundraising letters.
Collectively the goals of the two entities are to promote the Croatian culture in Cleveland by educating the general public (along with recent and past immigrants), collecting, preserving, and maintaining the collections. Branka is a member of the North Ohio Inter-Museum Council. She has also been a member of the Cardinal Stepinac Croatian National Women's Club for over 40 years.
In 2006, Branka encouraged two of her grandkids to join the American Zagreb Junior Tamburitzans. She drove them weekly for their lessons in Croatian instruments, singing, and dance for seven years.
In 1993, Branka participated in the Ellis Island Oral History Project, which is stored at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum to be used by researchers, students, historians, and interested members of the public. In 2016 she donated two Croatian folk dress and a home-made towel with a letter that explains the construction of the garments and a biography of her father, Nikola Frigan to the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island. The donation is a valuable contribution to the understanding of the personal lives of the immigrants who came to the United States from Croatia through Ellis Island.
Retirement and Beyond
At age 83, Branka continues leading and volunteering weekly for The Croatian Heritage Museum and Library and The Croatian Cultural Garden. She is still a member of the Cardinal Stepinac Croatian National Women's Club, The North Ohio Inter-Museum Council, and the Retired Teachers Association.
We have no doubt that her personhood planted in Croatia and transplanted to Cleveland has inspired many, but most importantly she has inspired her first, second, and third-generation descendants and their families!
Branka was inducted by Thomas Turkaly
Watch the video of the speeches.
(Raj Aggarwal not in the picture)
