Bernice Pyke Park: Named for Lakewood Civic Leader and Suffragist

Bernice S. Pyke was an influential Lakewood citizen who’s political and civic impact can still be seen in the city today. She served as the Lakewood City Schools Board of Education president and became the first woman to run for the Lakewood Mayor’s seat in 1921. She lost the race by only 350 votes. Her civic action extended into the life of the community, leading efforts to establish the old Lakewood Hospital and the Lakewood Public Library system. At one point she was even a local businesswoman and ran a bookstore located on Detroit and Cook Avenues.

In 1923 She ran an unsuccessful campaign on the democratic ticket for the state senate against fellow Lakewood suffragist, Maude Waitt, who was on the republican ticket. Both Waitt and Pyke were named to the state honor roll for their work in the suffrage movement in 1930. Pyke often traveled as a speaker for the National League of Women Voters after the passage of the 19th amendment. On a national level, Pyke is notable as the first female delegate to the Democratic National Convention. In 1934 she was appointed as the director of customs collection for Ohio by president Franklin D. Roosevelt. She served in this role for decades, with both Truman and Eisenhower signing executive orders to exempt Pyke from the mandatory retirement age for federal workers. Bernice Pyke died in 1964 and is buried at Lakeview Cemetery in Cleveland Ohio.

The effort to establish a park in the green space had long been a grassroots project of the community. Lakewood's second female mayor, Meghan George, was present at the ribbon cutting to reflect on the legacy of Pyke.

Accessed September 19th 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/1964/05/13/archives/bernice-pyke-84-suffrage-leader-ohio-democratfirstwoman-convention.html.

Accessed September 19th 2020. https://www.cleveland.com/community/2020/08/lakewood-dedicates-bernice-pyke-park-to-commemorate-the-19th-amendments-100th-anniversary.html.

Accessed September 19th 2020. https://www.lakewoodobserver.com/read/2020/08/19/st-charles-green-is-now-bernice-pyke-park.

Accessed September 19th 2020. https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/executive-order-10225-exemption-bernice-pyke-from-compulsory-retirement-for-age.

Accessed September 19th 2020. http://www.onelakewood.com/accordions/city-council-news/.