People
Residents
George and Josephine Voinovich
291 Corning Dr.
George Steven Voinovich was the founder and presided over his own architectural firm, George S. Voinovich and Associates. He also served briefly as a member of Bratenahl Village Council.
Voinovich was born on May 5, 1908, in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. He grew up on the South Side of Cleveland, near Harvard and East 78th Street. He attended Warner Elementary School, South Junior High and South High, graduating in 1929.
He received a Kroger Foods partial scholarship to Carnegie Institute of Technology, now Carnegie Melon, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the School of Architecture. Early in his career, Voinovich served in the City of Cleveland Architect’s Office. Later, he worked for Walker and Weeks, a major architectural firm, and as a project planner for the Federal Public Housing Authority in Northern Ohio.
As architect, Voinovich worked on several public buildings, including the Life Science Building at Ohio University, the Hawthornden State Hospital in Macedonia, Ohio, and the Ohio Correctional Institution at Marion, Ohio. He was the architect responsible for designing the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville, a maximum-security prison opened in 1972. Paradoxically, he heavily criticized the prison’s isolated rural location during early planning stages. Locally, he was architect for Garfield Heights, Richmond Heights and Maple Height City Halls and the Westside and Eastside Health Centers for the City of Cleveland.
Voinovich was elected president of the Architect’s Society of Ohio and the Builder’s Exchange (the first architect to receive this honor). Active in both boy scout and girl scout organizations, he was the holder of the Boy Scouts of America Silver Beaver Award and holder of the Girl Scouts of America Outstanding Service Award.
In 1935, George married Josephine Bernot. Josephine was born on June 6, 1911, in Cleveland. She was in the first class to graduate from Collinwood High School in 1928. She continued her education at Flora Stone Mather College of Western Reserve University, where she received a bachelor's degree in 1932.
Josephine and George had six children: George Victor, born July 15, 1936; Michael; Paul Victor, born January 23, 1943; Victor Steven, born April 2, 1946; Joanne (Indre), born January 24, 1948; and Mary Ann (Schmitz) born January 28, 1949.
Their son, George Victor Voinovich, served as United States Senator from 1999 to 2011, as the 65th governor of Ohio from 1991 to 1998, and as the 54th mayor of Cleveland from 1980 to 1989.
Josephine Voinovich was a den mother for her children’s scouting troops, then became a trainer of scout leaders, eventually becoming a day camp director. From 1971 to 1975, she was president of Lake Erie Girl Scout Council receiving the “Thanks” award for her service.
She extended her community service to the United Way and the Cleveland Women’s City Club. She was honored with the “Margaret Ireland” award given in recognition of her social consciousness, civil achievement, and community service. Josephine was also an active promoter of the Mather College of Case Western Reserve.
The Cleveland Catholic Diocese acknowledged her twelve-year stint as a full-time volunteer head librarian at St. Agatha-St. Aloysius, with the “Excellence Award” given only to outstanding educators and volunteers. She received the “Outstanding Citizens” award from the National Services Center. She was inducted into the Senior Citizens Hall of Fame as a member of select seniors with outstanding contributions of service to Ohio.
George died on September 24, 1974, at their home in Bratenahl. Josephine died on June 10, 1998, and buried alongside George at All Souls Cemetery in Chardon, Ohio.