Résumé

Draftsman, Elmer Gylleck, Architect, Chicago, IL, 10/1940. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation: The National Archives in St. Louis, Missouri; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for Illinois, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 42, accessed 06/04/2020.) In 1940, Elmer Gylleck maintained an architectural practice at 140 South Dearborn Street in Chicago. Gylleck, (1898-1988), attended the Armour Institute (later renamed the "Illinois Institute of Architecture" or IIT) following this with time spent at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, in Paris. Gylleck served as Chicago's Regional Director for the Architects Small House Service Bureau, an architectural service originating in MInnesota, that furnished small residential plans between 1919 and 1934. (See Lisa Marie Tucker, Wiley.com, Journal of Interior Design, “The Architects’ Small House Service Bureau and Interior Design in the 1920s and 1930s,” published 09/24/2008, accessed 06/04/2020.) He maintained his own practice in Chicago, until he relocated to Elgin, IL, about 35 miles northwest, in 1945.

Draftsman, Alden Dow, Architect, Midland, MI, c. 1949.

Draftsman/Project Architect, Edmundson and Kochendoerfer, Architects, Portland, OR, 1953-1960. (See Portland, Oregon, City Directory, 1953, p. 51 and Portland, Oregon, City Directory, 1960, p. 32.)

Professional Activities

Member, Portland City Club, Portland, OR, 1968.

Member, Portland City Club, Government Center Committee, Portland, OR, 1968. This committee worked on the Multnomah County Ballot Measure #8 of 1968 “authorizing sale of county bonds to finance cost of purchase of site for expansion of County Court House.” (See Portland City Club Bulletin, 11/01/1968, vol. 49, no. 22, p. 215.)

Member, City Club of Portland, Urban Renewal Report Committee, Portland, OR, 1971. Members of this committee included Ralph Appleman, Scott Durdan, Clyde H, Fahlman, Neil Farnham, John A. Mills, Peter H. Paulson, Robert R. Rogers, William C. Scott, Jr., and A. Thomas Neibergall, Chair. (See City Club of Portland (Portland, Or.), "Report on Urban Renewal in Portland," (1971). City Club of Portland. Paper 336.)

High School/College

Graduate, Lincoln High School, Plymouth, IN, 1934. Appleman was part of a number of high school actvities. He was part of the Debate Club at Lincoln High School during his sophomore year. (See Lincoln High School Yearbook, The Mayflower, 1932, p. 36.) He was active in the local social club, Hi-Y, in 1933 and 1934, the yearbook, student newspaper, (known as Ye Pilgrim), Journalism Club, Drama Club, and the track team in 1934. (See Lincoln High School Yearbook, The Mayflower, 1934, pp. 18, 37, 47 and 57.)

According to the Mayflower of 1934, Appleman had his sights set on becoming an architect in high school. A rhyme accompanied his senior picture that read, “To be an architect is his desire, We hope he sets the world on fire.” (See Lincoln High School Yearbook, The Mayflower, 1934, p. 18.)

Coursework, University of Michigan (U of M), Ann Arbor, MI, 1947.

Relocation

Born to Irvin W. Appleman and Martha A. Cohr in Plymouth, IN, in the north-central portion of the state, Ralph Frederick Appleman lived here until college. (See Ancestry.com, Source Information: Indiana, Birth Certificates, 1907-1940 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016, accessed 06/04/2020.) The three-person Appleman Family owned a house at 515 East Sophia Street in Plymouth, as per the 1920 US Census. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation: Year: 1920; Census Place: Plymouth Ward 2, Marshall, Indiana; Roll: T625_456; Page: 9A; Enumeration District: 169, accessed 06/04/2020.)

Ten years later, they resided on Pennsylvania Avenue in Plymouth according to the 1930 US Census. The family owned its own dwelling, valued at $3,000. Five lived in the household at the time, including Martha's widowed father, Emil. (The 1930 US Census recorded the address number as being "575," while his World War II draft registration card listed his parent's address as "515.")

In 1940, Appleman had a residence at 6540 Minerva Street in Chicago. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation: The National Archives in St. Louis, Missouri; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for Illinois, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 42, accessed 06/04/2020.)

After the war, Appleman lived in Ann Arbor, MI, while he attended the University of Michigan. His address in 1947 was 902 Edgewood Place, Ann Arbor. (See Ann Arbor, Michigan, City Directory, 1947, p. 38.) Following his time in Ann Arbor, Appleman moved to Midland, MI, to work for the noted architect, Alden Dow, c. 1949.

The architect and his wife, Esther, dwelled at 2204 NE 14th Avenue in Portland, OR's Irvington neighborhood. (See Portland, Oregon, City Directory, 1950, p. 50.) Three years later, they had moved about five blocks north to 3443 NE 16th Avenue and remained there in 1960. (See Portland, Oregon, City Directory, 1953, p. 51 and Portland, Oregon, City Directory, 1960, p. 32.)

Ralph Appleman died in Clackamas County, OR, on 04/17/2001.

Parents

His mother was Martha A. Cohr, (born c. 1896 in IL), his father, Irvin W. Appleman, (born c. 1875 in IN). Irvin Appleman worked as a mechanic in a metal-working business in 1930. His father had been married twice, his first wedding occurring when he was 21. Martha Cohr was nineteen years younger than her husband, when she married him at age 17 in about 1913. In 1930, Martha managed a household that consisted of Irvin, Ralph, and her daughter Fern Dell (born c. 1922 in IN) and her father, Emil Cohr, (born c. 1852 in Poland). Emil immigrated to the US in 1872 from a German-speaking community in Poland, and had been naturalized before 1930.

By 1934, Irvin may have operated a local filling station, called the "Appleman Super-Service Station" for the Johnson Gas and Oil Company. (See advertisement, Lincoln High School Yearbook, The Mayflower, 1934, p. 78.)

Spouse

At 32 years of age, he wed Esther Jane Richardson (born 04/12/1927) on 04/30/1949 in Midland, MI.

Children

Esther and Ralph had the following children: Keith Irvin Appleman, (born c. 1952 in Portland, OR) and Jeff S. Appleman (born c. 1954 in Portland, OR)

Biographical Notes

At age 23, Appleman stood 5-feet, 9-inches tall, and weighed 140 pounds. He had a light Caucasian complexion and had blue eyes and blonde hair. His draft registration card of 10/16/1940 indicated that he wore glasses. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation: The National Archives in St. Louis, Missouri; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for Illinois, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 42, accessed 06/04/2020.)

SSN: 310-03-7728.