Dick Clough

Dick Clough spreads Good Cheer around town: My Cleveland

Published: Saturday, November 24, 2012, 8:15 PM

Cleveland Plain Dealer

Dick Clough

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Clough rhymes with tough, but Dick Clough's a softie. He leads the Tour of Good Cheer, doling out clothes and toys for the holidays.

What's tour day like?

The Saturday before Christmas, I take two Lakefront buses with 60 friends and almost 4,000 pieces of merchandise. We bring Santa Claus: Mark Holan, who was editor of Scene. We take Dennis Devito and his Cats on Holiday band.

We see nine shelters and St. Vincent Charity, about 750 people and their caregivers. All these kids come roaring into the room. Most people are very appreciative, and I really enjoy watching my friends get into giving.

What sort of stuff do you give?

Mistakes. We've given away thousands of pieces of mistakes. These are mis-sized merchandise or the wrong color or the corporate logo's misspelled.

We also get a lot of unclaimed dry cleaning. It's amazing what people never pick up.

What stuff do you need?

We need gently used coats, sweaters, scarves, gloves, sweatshirts, workout pants, stretch pants, dolls. Extra-large clothes. Homeless folks have the worst diets.

How'd you get into the cheer racket?

When I got divorced, I didn't have anything to do for Christmas. So, 28 years ago, I filled my Mustang convertible with plush animals and took them to Charity Hospital. The next year, somebody said, "That sounds like fun. Can I join in? Why don't we do another hospital or two?"

Dick Clough: "We're in a great location between New York and Chicago. It's an easy town to get around in." Thomas Ondrey, The Plain Dealer

What do you do on Christmas?

I'm going to be tired on Christmas. I like to lay low. I visit some friends.

Favorite holiday song?

"I'll Be Home for Christmas," I think, and "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" I'd sing that one to myself in Vietnam.

How do you make a living?

I've never had a job, except for Berea council president at age 25. I've always had a company. At OU, I had a business selling inflatable mattresses.

I've been in marketing for 40 years. I do a lot of events, was involved with the BP Riverfest and the Ingenuity Festival early on. I've also posed as a mad professor for an American Greetings card.

What's next?

Got some great projects incubating. Jim Levin and I are putting a bakery together to train homeless men. We're also producing an international festival for One World Day next year in the Cultural Gardens.

I love the Cultural Gardens. A representative of the League of Nations came here for ideas for the League headquarters.

What's it like selling Cleveland to Clevelanders?

If you have 500, 600 contacts, then you know everybody. There's 0.5 degrees of separation. Somebody's always related to somebody you know.

It's a friendly town. You can meet just about anybody. I've met Art Modell and Dick Jacobs and the Dolans. I met the maestro, Franz Welser-Most, in the West Side Market.

What are some of your favorite dishes at favorite restaurants?

I love the french fries at Luxe in Gordon Square. They have great home fries at Grumpy's in Tremont. My favorite fries are at the county fair, right out of the deep fryer. I dine once a week with a client at Don's Lighthouse. I get salmon.

Where do you get your suits?

I'm a Unique Thrift shopper. You can go in there on Lorain and dig and find a Hart Schaffner Marx or a Brooks Brothers.

Where do you exercise?

I ride my mountain bike through the Valley or along the lake at sunset.

Other hobbies?

I'm interested in the paranormal. Cleveland's a hotbed for UFOs. Supposedly there's this UFO off of Eastlake.

Sounds like Cleveland fits you well.

I love Cleveland. I grew up in Valley City and Berea. Lived many years downtown, then Lakewood.

We're in a great location between New York and Chicago. It's an easy town to get around in. You can go 30 minutes and get out in beautiful countryside. You can rock on Saturday and do the symphony on Sunday. You've got wonderful art galleries and culture.

I take Amtrak to New York. I get a roomette with a desk. It's a very urbane way to travel. You can wander around, as opposed to being packed in like cattle.

If people want to give to the Tour, how?

Email me at clough1217@aol.com.