Seven Hills: Tree City, USA
Buckeye, maple, oak, pine, apple, sweet gum, ginko, and hundreds of tree varietals grace the modest community of Seven Hills, Ohio, my home for 33 years. Autumn winds herald radiant foliage colors, with golden sunny or soft foggy mornings yielding to crisp, moonlit evenings. Winding, rolling city streets lead to Broadview or Brecksville road, yet forests and gardens grow around every corner. Living in Seven Hills since birth, yet traveling extensively has positively influenced my global perspective. Thank you, St. Columbkille teachers, schools, and parishioners. Thirteen years in the Parma City School System contributed to lifelong friendships with fellow students living in Seven Hills, Independence, Brecksville, Parma, and Parma Heights. We are simply one generation of citizens, academics, public servants, spiritual leaders, and armed service volunteers in this story.
Seven Hills was incorporated in 1926, serving her citizens for the first full year fiscally in 1927. Cleveland was growing geometrically, producing national resources for both World Wars, regional development, and the Agricultural, Industrial Revolution. By 1932 Cleveland was called 'Golden City', boasting 82 banks, Terminal Tower, and shimmering in the sunlight. Diverse cultures and communities expanded, filling the radius of the metropolitan area. Business was good, prosperity was attainable for nearly everyone. Historical evidence, and research indicates fascinating intrinsic connections between Seven Hills, Rome, and her sister in Ohio.
Rome, Italy (Roma) is the capital of Italy, and Roman Catholicism, but the original capital of Rome was the Palatine Hill, near the Tiber River. September 2008: my journey through the Tuscan region, Florence, and Rome, Italy (Toscana; Firenze; Roma, Italia). Walking the seven hills of Rome for one week with my host and guide was a unique experience. One hour after arriving by train in Piazza Della República, my bohemian friend in Sardinia was assuring me that his wife's friend would gladly provide standard Roman hospitality. What I did not understand at that moment was that Roman hospitality exceeds American definitions. Visiting dozens of churches, temples, archaeological sites, Vatican City, and St. Peter's fueled my imagination, and my academic quest. The apartment was humble, yet warm, gracious. For nearly fifty years, his entire life, my new friend had lived and walked the life of a Roman citizen. In one week he shared his knowledge, experience, library, home, and friends, honoring me as I could never have imagined. What I learned changed my awareness. Italy, especially Rome held new meaning when I returned to Seven Hills, Ohio.