1 10 43 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/06bccf09d049b40aa2c8f7a3195a6b5c.jpeg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=j9E-%7EShOVwzG6XV2shgdYFMKReTcq7RixaO7OOm4pYRGSsddzJqOLHYd0q96UOL-6sN531YHiiLbtC3ipTdPUTLz1pjizx65qoC2DY3mI%7EqZRAzn4AKeRAij1fDpoa427KGNcYWbuVNguZLtXdshnSn41BaWcKkc6%7Elv0QR7DMUOgaLALM0AUt5DM9HfHEbNjnBoAx5lVh1Cn6UjnnRUC0AFhA67a-LPmuFCTopJlYC4C3MRkAHeLo-rHeA2uFCFezm3Ad72zfGH8jTbOc%7E5ocY0BdB1J5pyc6N-qnhRpdS0Sg049dsOxgtHFhkHNOLEtaYjD%7ETOxwrfskdaQe0ogg__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 9f527b78d64b9f2857f22e8ff254e64e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Barbara M. Gerich-Smith https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/a1fe3cb5d0511d26ea6406925b3dcb7e.mp3?Expires=1792022400&Signature=dKYDpDmqasiB1Ta2Q%7ErQJ4l5j-tdxCE%7EBWGp-dsNBKBJEe2DQ9kiJKlGgHKmye7w2LQ9JmtNNpqVu9%7E%7Em1VxqieP9hEkLUHh4SAVVPKmS0EOccFkp1NPiVUaBJq5h55ZlNX3b%7EolHNR5S6yMeebSQadSNkkp4kLySZeeoc6-LVb-zlBeNInqZ9ujw8dcoJhBARRDq6cTundqMINq8sV91MpZp6fE3zRd2HGwMbmXlHAt-BqZs09zcVP35MimXGBCYv0a2PhtptgLKY6ouY4uySlv%7EhXq%7EfgnuB-PXznJyGc1heipaK7TyGZrfKY6BY1F0Qaep6WNgk4GT%7EQHKFqWLg__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM f92f28e3353d6d3e3ab556edb052535f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story- Barbara M. Gerich-Smith https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/d9a61818186ee4bbfe269be9bf4b6e93.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=YIW%7Ela7N619-tOE8TBdLVwmt32-NgoLI2uGELATQpkkir6a8o1Il8FpfRsCNetrxAMoizMSh2G4lp77yK5twuj7rRc7Bv92QFabsFn%7EN1ZIgSQqr9D5JMK9hkIaSzNSK%7EUwOTZ4xscuAtTRtvEnyLWvcOaXtmd3c5oeMbOGTXdYttSrp0qZvUz8Dii-Z9EJM9Cuwp79gPgG6mg5HQ231ceVrI%7ERHrxIwwIVAl%7EIhEdq8cvczrL6wETa3CqZ8vFjklh-aPzpO1e1eCpQdp373H4JHka31TSrZ-JwX7hMHy%7EUU1tYrnP%7EHtfrW-mRLhIzrI3HKI5y9P05-D5fhFM-ytw__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM ee63f1da4bc115b9308286efd82b10d3 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Barbara M. Gerich Smith, 1950 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/17024f90bd0baa7876c78e97b87a45bf.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=SzuAIM7Mln857pPHdxA5M8GEARa80CVZ6Lc8BAiua3%7EH292fZUpaIF6NzoVNNnl6WlybUuck0JqKQUIOR7sX1fxrRNK61m-o1INrBDzcrrt%7EMt4iNyxYNpBfR4q1hLIn-7Y-a0WhTCX3roYN8PqdK9zQTATXlkHjevPSoerLVzRRBD0x7%7EcbZeGYxQBwAmiOvTmd1e2-wFddy5EwZBpY1wrGRS00dy6vvqz69cvhkc-2ZJC9CrVMKMb330AjUYh1PBD%7Ems7g1Y3HdtfOTze0czxS96natwFZM3w-rY6zjzWwQLIyq0K2qBQw2pWQxp-7FN4sGuGc2IIxb%7EJxYBE70w__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM b791dfe08b9abbe63d18dbf99ea6276e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Barbara M. Gerich-Smith - 3810 W. Fitch Lincolnwood, IL. c.1957/58 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/52fa708b65b8595b35eb465a3d16476d.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=n-yKvudW0ftngHOOJxEAMJeglWhWgKrwryPUcyeoXbjQ3J7%7ERSSgwK8WGMVh2XQ7khSCurvJ8MhEOJ8hYBBHX5whdDDEE8AzOc1f1oZ7tScCpwRHcAZSOUUx%7EG0Na2x1w7XrOu1A%7EwtLyjOKVxr3mJpuuv41-nA3Tolsgrtu-7fNZndoekeyVaFWQjDPx9vrU9Q-0AXFzwLgmtNZIRw6LFPes7K0s5LYjxiTLRob5L8cTLGM0P0PjGfaHATDjUq3iTkbPhd5L2k2yPunYE0QHzWkwS3MPdNtyRBTCVcY5obAjdhFp2ulsR-ManNcsFViiZEn%7EE4uMZjSq09ok8e4Dg__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM dce31a9081c1b4b55a6ef49dc26993c9 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Smith family house at 6904 E. Prarie Rd. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story Description An account of the resource My Lincolnwood Story was an oral history project which aimed to explore the past and present of Lincolnwood by documenting stories of its residents. The main goal of this project was to record, preserve, and share audio interviews with the Lincolnwood community in order to connect residents with the history of their neighbors. This project presented Lincolnwood residents with an opportunity to share their story, and for all patrons – a chance to learn about the diverse community of Lincolnwood. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story- Barbara M. Gerich-Smith Subject The topic of the resource “It was wonderful growing up in Lincolnwood. I’d do it over again in an instant.” Barbara Gerich Smith has lived in Lincolnwood her entire life. She spent 35 years working at the Lincolnwood School (now District 74), working her way up from the cafeteria to the administration office. Her sense of humor, vivid memories, and pride in her hometown make her an excellent first participant in My Lincolnwood Story. We hope you enjoy listening to her story as much we’ve enjoyed recording it. The views and opinions expressed in interviews do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Lincolnwood Public Library, including its Board of Trustees and staff. TRANSCRIPT: Lev Kalmens 0:00 Today is March 27, 2019. My name is Lev Kalmens. I'm an Information Services Librarian at the Lincolnwood Public Library, and this is an interview for the my Lincolnwood story oral history project. Please tell me your name and how long have you lived in Lincolnwood? Barbara Gerich-Smith 0:19 Okay, my name is Barbara Gerich-Smith. I've lived in Lincolnwood all my life so far, which is 77 years. Lev Kalmens 0:26 And how did you- how did your family end up in Lincolnwood, or Tessville, as it was called before? Barbara Gerich-Smith 0:31 Okay, on my side, my mother- my parents' side, they came to Lincolnwood- because I asked my oldest sister, who is now deceased- when they came, and she said 1935. Which means my sister was five years old. My brothers were probably three and a half, two. Something like that. I didn't come along 'til 1941. But when I did, I came straight from the hospital to a little house, a very old farmhouse at 3810 Fitch Avenue. It's been since torn down, and there's two houses on those two lots now. But they, it was my grandma Reels, my grandma and grandpa Reels, which is my mother's parents' house. But they weren't living there. My parents moved from Chicago to that house, to that old house. And that's how they came. And the other side of the family, my in laws, they came around 1924 from Chicago- of course, it was Tessville, both times- and had a little house in the prairie on the east side of Hamlin. Except Hamlin wasn't there. It was a rut in the road where one of the farmers used to drive his plows down because he had corn growing in those fields. And then they switched lots with Mr. Reinberg. And then my father in law built a Montgomery Ward house at 6910 North Hamlin, which is still there. And that's how we all came to Lincolnwood. [laughs] Lev Kalmens 2:03 What prompted your parents to move from Chicago to Lincolnwood? Barbara Gerich-Smith 2:07 Probably economics, I don't know. I never really asked, but, you know, they went through the Depression and everything, and I suppose my grandparents' house was available. Nobody was living in it. So they moved there. It's all I can think of. I never asked, really. So they stayed there until my grandparents, one day, decided to move in. According to my mother, they didn't tell them. So got kind of squishy after that, and my dad found- you know, Lincolnwood was little. Everybody knew somebody then, and they heard that the house on East Prairie and Morris, which was owned by Mayor Proesel, was vacant. So my dad went over and asked if they could rent it, and they said yes. And then we moved a whole five blocks down to 6904 East Prairie. Which was a little red house at the corner of Morris and East Prairie where my parents lived for 25 more years, and I until I got married. And that's how we moved five blocks down, but we didn't go very far. And that's where I went to school from. The school was right there, and my parents both worked at the school. My father for 25 years, my mother for 24. I had an uncle who worked there for 16 years, and then I worked there for 35 years. I retired in 2005. Started out in the kitchen and ended up in the administration building, which was great. Was a great place to work. Great place to work with these people that I knew. The little red house had a cute thing. This is just from memory. I call it a creek, but it was really a drainage ditch. Right at Morris and East Prairie. And the thing about this little drainage ditch, if you will, is it had a little bridge over it, and that's how I would go to school. I'd go through the yard, over through the hedges, over that bridge and through the other hedges and over to school. But in the springtime, when we had a lot of rain, that whole creek would flood and the bridge would be floating. So I had to go through the street and around to go to school. But I always got a kick out of that. And in the winter, if we were lucky and we had rain, it would flood again, and it would turn to ice. And I have a picture somewhere of my girlfriend with her skates on, skating on that overflown creek. I thought it always was cute. Lev Kalmens 4:30 What are some of your earliest memories of living in Lincolnwood? Barbara Gerich-Smith 4:35 The earliest memory I can remember, and you're probably going to laugh. Lev Kalmens 4:40 [laughs] Barbara Gerich-Smith 4:40 I remember, I was in the little house that my grandparents owned. I was laying on the carpet, and we had the radio on. And there were two windows on the side of the radio, and there was a- it was thunderstorming. And I don't know if something hit, if the lightning hit a branch on the tree or the wind blew it. It knocked the glass so that it broke, and a piece of the glass somehow hit my lip, and I was bleeding. And I'll always remember my mother picked me up from one arm, my sister the other, and they carried me out to the kitchen by the sink to do that. That's about my earliest memory of that house. Kind of traumatic, wasn't it? Lev Kalmens 5:24 A little bit, yeah. Barbara Gerich-Smith 5:25 And the other one was I was going to, I was going to kindergarten. And I was still in that house at the time. It's the only time I got to ride the school bus, which my father drove for that first year. I really liked driving- riding in the school bus. But my friend and I, we went to kindergarten together, and we had come home. My mother was working at the school at time, my grandma was taking care of me. She was living there then. And there were fields all around. And my friend and I were playing in this field, and there was like a dugout thing where it looked like they took sand or something out. And the two of us, we were just, you know, kids playing, and I jumped into that hole- another traumatic experience. There was a coke bottle sticking out of my leg, and I had to pull it out. And my grandma bundled it all up and and when my mother came home- we didn't go to the doctor! We poured peroxide on it, and she bandaged it all up. For years, I had a scab there, but I guess my memories there are kind of traumatic, I don't know. But other than that, I loved it. I had two friends there that I- they're lifelong friends. Still today, I still see them. And then when I moved five blocks, there was another group of kids. And they were all boys, except for one girl, and she wasn't left off Cherry Lane for a while. And so I became quite, quite a tomboy. I didn't have a choice. [laughs] Lev Kalmens 6:47 Right. Barbara Gerich-Smith 6:48 So I played baseball and we built forts. We built a lot of forts. We had one really good one, which we got in trouble for, because we built it right on East Prairie, right on the street, kind of. But it was all field, like I told you. And right across the street, that house is still there, it's now owned by Mrs. Roman, and this older couple lived there. And they resented the fact of looking out their window seeing this hut. Actually, it was a very good hut. [laughs] So they complained to the police, and the police came and it was one of our, my friend's uncles, as a matter of fact, that told us we had to tear it down. And I didn't- we told our parents. And, I don't know, a group of the- including my dad and I think my brothers and his friends- they actually moved that fort, hut, whatever you want to call it. Picked it up. They put boards on the side. They picked it up and they moved it back into the field where they couldn't see it anymore. And then everybody was happy, and we still had our fort. But of course, they tore that all down when they built Todd Hall. Because they just leveled all that land, you know. And again, there was a creek there too, only it was a drainage ditch. I don't know what else to tell you. I went to a brand new school. It was beautiful. Just loved that school. Still do. But what it looked like before, I wish you could have seen it. It was really nice. So I went to Lincolnwood School from kindergarten to eighth grade. Had a lot of good friends. At first, we were all in the same class, because there was only one first grade, second grade, until fourth grade, when Fairview came over and we had more kids. So then we got two classes of, you know... But we still kind of knew all everybody. And I was delighted when they put the gym in, because I loved sports. I don't know where to go from there. Had good friends. Still have some. Lev Kalmens 8:45 What were some of the, you know, fun things that you did with your friends growing up? Barbara Gerich-Smith 8:50 Oh God, we got into all kinds of trouble. Well, in summertime, we built that fort. But we also played baseball, mostly the boys. Sorry, that's all I had. Was boys. We played baseball. We went through the sprinkler. One of us, who was very brave, would drive over to Devon Avenue. This was a big deal- I know you're going to laugh- and get a thing of Kool Aid and come home, and we thought we were really that was really neat, because we could have Kool Aid. We go to the Skokie Show on Saturdays, which cost a whole quarter. One of the parents would drive us and pick us up. Thankfully. Lev Kalmens 9:29 And where was this? Barbara Gerich-Smith 9:31 In Skokie, the Skokie Show. That's the only one that was around. And, gosh, what else did we do? We got into some- oh, we did- [sighs]. We used to- when they put the- this is a terrible thing to tell. I think of it and I shudder, how silly kids can be. How stupid. When they built the gymnasium, there was a porch that came out and there were steps going up. And you have to, you'd have to see it to understand. And on top of that porch- which is up there- it's gone now. They enclosed it. We would- and underneath was a cement sidewalk that went into a door, and over on the other side was landscaped and a little hill. And us silly kids would perch on the edge of that porch and we'd shove off with our legs and land on the other side of the landscape. But when I think of it, if when any of us had missed we would have gone down on that sidewalk. See what silly things kids do? Nuts. One kid jumped off the top of the monkey bars. One of my friends. That's the old fashioned monkey bars. He was the only one who did it, though. The rest of us only did it from the next one. But I mean, those were bad things. You know. I don't know if you want to know about it- with all these prairies, we would get prairie fires. Lev Kalmens 10:56 Oh, really? Barbara Gerich-Smith 10:56 I don't know if someone started them, but I remember many times my dad and other men and my brothers, my teenage brothers, they'd have burlap bags and they'd wet them, and they'd fight these fires, you know. Never did the prairie much harm, I have to tell you. It at all sprouted out very nicely. And my dad always had a garden in that prairie, so. But I mean, it was something different. You know? Those prairie fires. I can remember that. Over by Fitch, all the land east of Hamlin up to Bell and Howell and the railroad tracks. And there was an Illinois Tool Works there. It was all prairie, and a lot of it was in corn. Huffman's had their cornfield-pumpkin field. And like I told you, Hamlin was just a rut. But in that section, believe it or not, sidewalks had been put in because they thought at one time they were going to build houses later. Now it's all, [inaudible]. There is some houses on Hamlin, but behind that's all business, as you know. And my friends and I, my two friends on Fitch that were still there, my two oldest. One day, we decided to go down to the railroad tracks on these sidewalks with our bikes. And you'd go up and down where there was no sidewalk you'd go down and up into the next sidewalk. We got all the way down- which seemed to us a very long way- all the way down to the railroad tracks. And imagine our surprise. We turn around, there was a prairie fire, and we're going, "Oh, this is nice!" because there's a lot of smoke. So we decided we better head back. So we started heading back, and one of us, I don't know which one, whoever was in the lead, fell off the bike. And now he was in the ditch. So we all, two of us joined him, and there was so much smoke. It was like, you know, it was not fun. It was gagging you. So we kind of dragged our bikes while we were in this ditch until we got kind of out of it. We kind of smelled from smoke after that. But that's how I mean about the forest fires. I mean not the forest fires, the prairie fires. All of a sudden they were there. I don't know how they started, or if someone started them, but that was one of our so-called adventures. I don't know if you want to know about a fellow that- his name, I only knew his first name. His name was Frank. And he- the story I heard from my in laws was that he once had a little money, but he was kind of cheated out of it by another neighbor. And the neighbor, sort of in response, gave him a little bit of land to live on. And frankly, he lived in a shack right on- behind what would be Froman's house. Right off East Prairie. And right in front of a house that's also been torn down that the Shays lived in. And he was behind Shays between those two houses in this shack. And his nickname was Prairie Frank. And he wasn't a bad man. He didn't, didn't do- have any harm toward us kids or anything. But he would come and he would ask my parents, could he get water? You know, from the taps or the hoses. And most all the neighbors there knew him, and they were all very good to him. They gave him water, some gave him some food. And unfortunately, he passed away in that shack. And it's been since torn down. And, you know, so he was kind of a character. I don't know what else to talk about, really. Lev Kalmens 14:37 How has Lincolnwood changed over the years? Barbara Gerich-Smith 14:40 Oh, jeez. Lev Kalmens 14:41 I mean, you've seen it from the ground up. Barbara Gerich-Smith 14:43 Let me put it to you this way. When my parents moved out there, my dad's brother said to him, "Why'd you move out to the boondocks?" It was like living in the country. I mean, all of us kids went out and played. We never thought about- our house was never, never locked. Anyone could- we didn't have anything- they could walk in there anytime. And I think a lot of the neighbors' houses, half the time, weren't locked. It was, it was wonderful. I loved it. My sons were very jealous. You know, you got to grow up here when you could do all kinds of things and build forts and, you know, play and have a good time. And it, you know, it's just so changed now. I mean, at East, at Toohey and McCormick, there was an old farmhouse there. And I think it was, you could- we'd rent horses there. What do you- a livery, whatever. Lev Kalmens 15:40 Mhm. A stable. Barbara Gerich-Smith 15:41 Because I know I have an old, old, very old newspaper clipping that's falling apart with my sister on a horse with a bunch of other people. And they were horseback riding down McCormick Boulevard, I guess. As a matter of fact, if I remember right, my grandfather Gerich, which was my dad's. He was- both my grandparents came over from a little, tiny village in Yugoslavia called [inaudible] around 1911 or so. It's strange, they were both from the same town, and my mother and father got married. And he farmed at first, my grandparent, my grandpa Gerich. And he rented land where Queen of All Saints is now, and also at Touhy and McCormick. And my dad said, when they lived near queen of All Saints, when they plowed, they'd find arrowheads. Because a lot of Indians, Potawatomis, I guess, were there at that time. Not that time, but before that. And as my dad said when he retired and they interviewed him, they just threw them in a cigar box. They didn't think anything of these. But I think it's kind of cool. That there was traces of Indians there, you know. But my grandparents finally ended up in Chicago on Clifton with a three story apartment building. How in the world, both sets of my grandparents saved money- I mean, they were just manual laborers, the guys. You know, to even buy something amazes me. God bless them for coming here, though, because I didn't have to go through the second world war like my poor uncle did, who was left there. But, you know, it's just like everything else. Things change. I mean, I could tell you there was a vacant lot across the street, you know. There were homes that burned down that were there. There was a greenhouse, another greenhouse, between our house, the little red house on East Prairie and Morris and Crawford. There was a greenhouse right behind it. And there was an alley that went all the way from right past our house. Right from East Prairie and then you'd go up a hill, around the greenhouse and out to Crawford Avenue. You could do that. It's, course, it's all gone and there's no alley there. You can't do that anymore. It's all school property. But I used to love to ride- it was, all the alleys were cinder. You'd better not fall down on them. They hurt. And I used to love to go up that hill, but I liked coming down better. It was fun. So there was that greenhouse, and there was a greenhouse on Touhy and East Prairie. That was Myers'. And the only one left, of course, is the one over here, Erhausen's. Which sell flowers in the spring, and they've been here a long time. Unfortunately, the two older brothers are gone. So it's the kids that carry on. And I don't know how much- I mean, they're my son's age- so I don't know how much- unless they were told stories, of course, like I was. So everything's grown just like everything else. I mean, look at the school. Started out with like 285 kids, and at the peak it was over 2,000. Now it's settled down to around 1,200. But it was beautiful school. Barbara Gerich-Smith 15:42 How did you get started working at the school? Barbara Gerich-Smith 17:36 Well, as I told you, my mother worked. My dad was the only custodian at the time and drove the school bus. One for the east side, one for the west side, another fellow drove the west side. They were free school busses. Which were- they used to have Lincolnwood days, and whatever profit they made, they bought those two school busses. But remember, it was a small school. Lots of kids walked. So, my mother started working part time in the lunchroom when I went to kindergarten. And I grew up, blah, blah, blah. And I've had my two kids. And I think they ran out of substitute helpers, part time workers, in the lunchroom. So they asked me if I wanted to do it. It was just a part time at first. And the lunchroom is where I stayed for, I think, nine years? And then I went to look for a full time job because I thought I would need it. And something opened up at the administration building, just by chance. And it was on the switchboard, and I went over, and then I started working in the switch- on the switchboard. And then later became secretary to the assistant superintendent, where I remained. That's how I ended up there. And it was nice, because I could walk right to work, you know. Didn't have to do it. I was home. Well, no, by that time the kids were older and I did work through the summer. Of course, when I worked in the lunchroom when they were young then, little, I was home for the summer. So that worked out perfectly. You know, they were old enough later to look after themselves in the summer. And I was close by if they needed me. So that's that story. Lev Kalmens 20:55 Who are some of the people that you met while working at the school district? Barbara Gerich-Smith 21:00 Wow. Well, when I started working there, Dr. Garelick, Marvin Garelick, was the superintendent. Ron- Dr. Ron Berwald- was the assistant superintendent. And of course, the gals- I was the youngest one there. I think they just patted me on the head. Anyway, I worked with the gal that was in charge of some of the business stuff, Mrs. Holt. No, she was Miss Holt, sorry. I can't, trying to remember her first name. I can't. There was Marlene Lawson, who was Mr. Moody, Mr. Eugene Moody, who was the business manager. She was his secretary. Edith Binus, who was Dr. Barewall's secretary. And Marian Von Holt, who was Dr. Garelick's secretary. And they were a really good group to work with. Really. I always said I always respected Dr. Garelick and Mr. Moody. Mr. Moody was a lot of fun. He'd have these sayings. We called them Moody-isms. Lev Kalmens 22:00 [laughs] Barbara Gerich-Smith 22:01 And it was a pleasure to work with them. But then through time, I worked with other superintendents. And, you know, the staff changes. And they were all pleasant to work with, I have to say. I just enjoyed my time there. Lev Kalmens 22:18 What were some of those Moody-isms? Barbara Gerich-Smith 22:20 Oh gosh, I can't even think of them all, but he would come up with some. You'd just have to laugh at him. And I really can't tell you some of them. Lev Kalmens 22:30 [laughs] Barbara Gerich-Smith 22:31 So I'm gonna skip that part. But he was from Southern Illinois, as Dr Garelick was, and I think they were- I don't want to say, they understood each other. I think because they came from the same region, same age, you know. And they worked wonderful together, I thought. You know. It was a pleasure to work with them, and I always respected both of them. And the other girls, ladies, too. I don't know what else I could say about that time. It sure went fast. I'll tell you that. You know, 35 years, pfft. It's a long time. Lev Kalmens 23:08 Now I saw on- I saw a picture that there is a street named after you. Barbara Gerich-Smith 23:14 Yeah. Lev Kalmens 23:16 Which is just at the corner of- Barbara Gerich-Smith 23:17 Morse and East Prairie. Lev Kalmens 23:18 -Morse and East Prairie, correct. So how did that come about? Barbara Gerich-Smith 23:23 Well, when I retired, they had a party for me. And I was, actually, I was in awe of how many people came. The teachers and people I had worked with that had retired, they came. And Dr. Garelick came, and Mr. Moody, and some of the ladies from my first group came. And it was really wonderful. My sister was there, my husband, my kid, and even my sister in law came. And my friend, one of my oldest friends, one of the guys, came. And they presented me with this big, long thing, which I had no idea what it was. And I opened it up, and it was the street sign at which part I cried because my sister cried, because I was very happy that they put my maiden name in there, Barbara Garrick Smith. And it was put at that corner because I felt that it represented not just me for my 35 years, but my dad for his 20- I'm going to get choked up now- 25 years, my mom for 24 and my uncle for 16. And it was at that corner where the little red house was, and I felt it was an honor to them. Not just to me. And my sister and I just looked at each other, and we both had tears in our eyes. Mainly because I could see my dad smiling down at us for that. You know, it wasn't just for me. I felt it was for my whole family. So I was very- I don't know whose idea it was. Someone told me it was the principal at Lincoln Hall then, but God bless her. And so we had a picture taken. Our family makes homemade sausage. And I said, whoever wants to come, come and we'll take a picture by that sign. So there's a sign. There's one picture with all of us, whoever came underneath that sign. Which I think is cool. So that's how that happened. But really it's for my family, not just for me. Lev Kalmens 25:20 That's really incredible that, you know, you had so many, kind of generations almost, working. Lev Kalmens 25:25 It is. I guess it's nepotism, I'm sorry. But I was a good worker! [laughs] Lev Kalmens 25:25 And what are your- tell me about, a little bit about, your kids growing up in Lincolnwood. Barbara Gerich-Smith 25:25 Oh, my kids growing up in Lincolnwood. Lev Kalmens 25:30 And how that was maybe a little different from yours. Barbara Gerich-Smith 25:39 They were lucky in this respect: we lived next to the greenhouse. And of course, the Smith family and their house and family knew each other for years. In fact, John, who was the older of the two boys. I shouldn't call them boys. They were men. Used to tell me- he was, he was four years younger than my husband. Husband was older than me. He was four years older. But he said to me one time, you know, when I get home from school, I used to like to go over to the Smith house, because I always knew Marvin was working on something. And they'd say, "He's in the basement". And he said, "He was always doing something". So I enjoyed it. You know, he'd go to the dump and he'd get, he'd get pieces of bikes and put them together to make a bike. He built a huge, huge glider. It was- I have a picture of it- the size of the door of the garage. That's how big it was. And he has his sister and another neighborhood gal- picture with it. It was amazing. He lost it over Lake Michigan. He got it up in the air, and it went over Lake Michigan. Never saw it again. Uh, Forgot what the question was. Lev Kalmens 26:52 I was just- I was asking about how your children's expereince, growing up here. Barbara Gerich-Smith 26:56 Okay. So they were lucky, because they had the Erhausens. And they they still have that land in back, if you ever go down Hamlin. And so they played a lot with them, and so they had a little bit of room, whatever you want to call it. And they did build a fort on their land. They did do that. And when they were a little bit older, actually, there's a grassy part there. And the neighborhood kids, plus the Erhausen kids, they'd be over there after supper, and the uncle and the dad, they would- one would be the pitcher and one would be the catcher- and all the kids played baseball together on that land. So they were lucky that way. And in the winter, they could actually go inside the greenhouse, from what I understand. And there, you call those things beds. You know, this was before they grew flowers. At that time, they grew tomatoes in the wintertime. Very good tomatoes, I might add. I wish they still did it. So there wasn't- they had some room, and they played with the cars and the dirt and stuff like that. So that way they were lucky, you know. And course, they did have the school yard. But, you know, it was really funny. My friends and I, when we were there, we used that school yard. We played baseball on it, you know, and everything. The kids didn't seem to do that. That was just when the pool was coming in. And really, my kids really didn't even go to the pool much, but they weren't as happy as I was growing up, but they were fairly okay. You know, they went to Lincolnwood School and Niles West at that time. And that's about all I can say. They seemed to enjoy themselves. They had friends. Lev Kalmens 28:45 Do you have grandchildren? Barbara Gerich-Smith 28:47 I have- each of my sons has a son. I have step grandchildren. I even have a step great grandchild. Lev Kalmens 28:59 Wow. Barbara Gerich-Smith 29:00 So yeah. So I only just have two boys carrying on the name. I need one for each boy. Lev Kalmens 29:08 And where are they growing up? Barbara Gerich-Smith 29:09 My son, my older son, lives in McHenry. He was a Skokie fireman. Became a lieutenant for 31 years. He just retired in September. He lives there. My other son, my younger son, lives in Minnesota. In a little town. It's like a blink. Don't open your eye too much, cuz you'll go through it. That's where he lives. And he fixes huge, huge copy machines. He has to get a lot of training for it. Did you ever look at, inside one of those? I don't even know what they're looking at, but that's what he does. So they're kind of each a little bit far away from me. But McHenry, at least, is maybe an hour. Depends on the traffic, 15 minutes. So. My son, very much- the older son- very much, takes after his father in that he'll build things. He's very good at what he does. I have to tell you. You know, he knows a little bit about plumbing, electricity, building. He and his wife have a shop in Lake Geneva. That's about almost two years old now. And they bought the building and he's rehabbing the two little apartments upstairs. Beautiful job. Takes after his dad that way. Sure didn't get it from me, but he got his love of history from me. I'll tell you, he did a lot for the Skokie Fire Department and the Skokie Historical Society. He had the Amish build a replica of the first hand-pushed, whatever you want to call it, fire engine. And that's at the Historical Society. And then he managed to get back an old pumper that they sold on Mount Prospect, which was rotting. And he and the other guys fixed it up, and it's in the Historical Society. Then he, before he left, he made three huge dining room tables for each of the stations with their emblems and everything on it. The guys helped, too. And they have fire hydrants for legs. He left his mark. So, anyway, kind of proud of him for that. Lev Kalmens 31:30 Well it sounds like you definitely, I think, you left your mark on Lincolnwood as well. Barbara Gerich-Smith 31:33 Eh, my family did, I don't know about me. Lev Kalmens 31:36 Your family did. Barbara Gerich-Smith 31:36 And even my father in law, believe it or not, had a little bitty, dinky, little thing where he ran for trustee of Lincolnwood. Which I get a kick out of. With Nick Huffman. Lev Kalmens 31:37 Mhm. Barbara Gerich-Smith 31:38 They didn't win of course. Proesel had that all locked up. But yeah, Smith's been here a long time. Lev Kalmens 31:57 If you had to sum it up, what has been your favorite part about living in Lincolnwood, over all these years? Barbara Gerich-Smith 32:03 Oh, wow. How do you sum up a lifetime? I liked the fact that when I was a kid, I had all that freedom. Along with the other friends of mine, that I still have. My oldest two friends. We still get together. God bless them. And I'm still in touch with a few of the ones from where I moved, you know, to the red house. Still in touch with a few of those and some of my other friends from- we went from kindergarten up together. They have a few of those yet. The fact that it was so free, you know, you could go outside, you could play. You know, you never even thought about someone kidnapping you or anything except- except when that William Heirens supposedly kidnapped that little girl. Then it was a little scary, because he lived right on Touhy Avenue. That wasn't- was it Touhy Avenue and Kendale? Anyway, that's where he lived. So that was a little bit scary. That was pretty close to home. But other than- Oh, would you like to hear an interesting thing? Lev Kalmens 33:15 I would. Barbara Gerich-Smith 33:15 I think this is interesting. When I was still living on Fitch, I was about four or five years old, down on Fitch and East Prairie. At that time, there was about, oh, it was a pretty nice size lot. More than one lot I'm talking about. Next to it was my friend's house, and then next to his house was my other friend's house. Both torn down. But at that time, it was this nice, big space. And later on, we played baseball there too, at that place. But I was about five years old. It was before we moved. And I remember this, my mother would not let me go out one day because this, I'm going to call it a caravan of about three or four horse drawn trailers. I don't know what you want to call them. I wouldn't call them like, like when you cross the prairie, but they were these little things. And these, and I don't want to call them this. It sounds racist. I'm not trying to be but they were like gypsies. That's what probably my parents called them, and they camped in that area. My mother would not let me go out, because, you know these stories about them kidnapping children. She wouldn't let me go outside until- they only stayed there one night. I think the police came and told them they could only stay there and they had to move the next day, which they did. But I still remember that. That my mom wouldn't let me out because they might kidnap me. But I thought that was interesting. To think that's in 1946, you know. It's kind of crazy. Lev Kalmens 35:00 Yeah. Barbara Gerich-Smith 35:02 But aside from that, it was very free. So I don't know what else I can add to that. You know, it was- I enjoyed it. I know sometimes my son, you know, thinks I should move somewhere else. But I think my friends are here, you know. And he's not that far away that I can't, you know, see him. And I, you know, now, with the modern technology and everything you can keep in touch. And so it was wonderful growing up in Lincolnwood. I'd do it over and again in an instant. It was also nice going to Lincolnwood school. It was a beautiful school. And now it's Township High School. The original was also beautiful. I'm sorry they tore it down. So anyway, I don't know what else to say to you. Lev Kalmens 35:53 I would like to thank you for taking the time and talking to me and sharing your Lincolnwood Story with us. Barbara Gerich-Smith 35:59 I hope I hit everything I thought of. https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/ea504461b74c8780a2d4dda6f3c1d721.jpeg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=hQkE6EXL3Hoio-Z4z75PmTcVN-RAJGwAlqp3Q2sUK03NTkVUQsNi5PXmONbDkx3R9pvPqB-R0sHCESNsnDDMepECg3GQijj%7EqAmRXB9DLEwKWfblWX2x8DxWKy7p-2tRaEcdAlAMiVTL-d2ZYU2r82wA8jZuVYY3SWuYkD6ZZfad9hBMAQ2H9XxYUTqYgsiBxi-krzPSkrd7LT7wb7jLIBqTpOEgLVIDxs-SjJqJu59zpCEI8iBhNV2vCeB0G-gq1kWN3qVmtBXjavnzO4A7FfDwuaWqtadgnBi8qG1fupbNo0H%7ETEnJeGOfG6cYdJXUzXaVUp2AISg2D5PZA9UV1Q__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 997d2d86c02671a6c2c01c477156bfd2 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rich Hedquist https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/dfcdbf4108c08936bd116712ff19d06f.mp3?Expires=1792022400&Signature=atf1iVkimP%7E4mhhJbwy9ZveGz7-26VD1CeW0I03zPxatRubLt-aIkYV-0%7EVz5A0w81KqgJ6Ha55bS5rHufE8AafE79FUfxlsUMI6qlnPerwxsdcr%7EAC%7EaPK6GPOkHzRG0DG20tTDOiEf3tn-H2iQO5iNVfovr20YEvoi5ML4XyN7KGg8-0t82stS5hoOLe8Us07HsDM5s794b98dba7Hp48zDOi39G0opXWfCquAidHomzxVey8ALdDvT7Sht4K6aEKFkF4pt7LZ2cjxJU%7E0iwWuHnGTNuMb3wLpuX-usxkifku4%7EYM%7EMWWijVQSoRz5n54KCvP3WBcC1jEbjJGSbg__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 7f9f622deed5a9c840fefef9078406ab Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story- Rich Hedquist https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/cff15f5f107a705e932c4a15eb926cea.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=hoHiqjGPA%7Ej19t3fpxy%7EDBXv%7EOVyNgg6Lj9IdlV7QkMM-1uvk%7E6FX-3RycaeOFc1yQGN8ig9wp4OE%7E9U7A6O2nFEoLs6hId7vzEoI3E48GcloNG2NmysccW43kWWa90xLjB50xFS7RMzRSWAFhgVMcgw4pKuwmFitmZYQOnCWdAxxVfBvY%7EqhfMZVkDe-TTdRKi742u9rd2U3KYUiQcfrGXbZG78B6nvmUDhM1P3P6RAWCAglcwHAACAKqkEBaLl54Y-q-cl1wMNgZI-XNtbF-43UB%7EU-BCopAyh53QkIqUnIQv3tqdBsCPXM0ulmdnI4ifuYTbzan14wQqSpBMk1A__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 86c98f76f2067acf9c1d8e9bd28147ac Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rich Hedquist (left), 1959/1960 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/4a0680348dc197d5d27d830e10d9d2ce.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=QtHHtmXqxYCRqVIjTFd7XWRcK1pmOOk78oAspRaGAqMQFa8ktZ-olsBRpQY%7EpWlbz4oF70M6jz8r7kS1VixtCs4GHaaK4hSLI2-DeMGxGNWq8QmTo%7Ek5oOpLuxyohUOUupGDvjV4jebYbobzCXJZYEvBadEFKMuxDcdPdh4Api2tUzkRFFR0IklfUoWz-Rw3Bpy%7EHaAo4qd-LmIMs0inbrrsgLyb5wHKMza1bL-t8ZcAXOXTUnGByCFmQRvNgnBdGxKHDCUnYgNQmdTYFgSpgPWe%7EqOIoNOmrv7YW6%7ENlmB6TibEkmMhEqE0Jw3hed74wFmd%7EMMy-Cew89f%7Ez%7EAiHA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 500f58e39c15e58db35f8df16ff0f8d6 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rich Hedquist and Barbara Gerich M. Smith, 1946 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/66541a1a10473f5d107f3568a97acf6e.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=u6wNK2vIaAYIyjCXMRhRLsQ-KekQBwvf3nRLhawBe-b2%7Ewb5zT5LAKobXu-5-eBMui470d99JREn1yh-eCC4M-0fBAVVWxdkx35e2sj2-kpFwgBy1Vb2Hv57Kln1orWL83Tywbp3UL053dEClzq6FALczRdHuniPkGBAKWPfioTT0biTGxEiMn%7E7UJhRUkXRfwQuiIMcfZDv4HWEXdaja9A8h2w4en0j9fwntrU7JrsPL%7E44dQYFhkS3L-z1Xr%7EYac1Wq2nMv-2EG6UQ-ALc5xE0ORokPUqFlfD-iYMmrtF%7EGtQ2JndS4n55ExxU0%7ECuUePBgFnrHg0eQ06zxD6eBw__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM d5a074aa52bbf6e5322867543348ebc0 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Hedquist family home on East Prarie Rd. and Touhy Ave. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story Description An account of the resource My Lincolnwood Story was an oral history project which aimed to explore the past and present of Lincolnwood by documenting stories of its residents. The main goal of this project was to record, preserve, and share audio interviews with the Lincolnwood community in order to connect residents with the history of their neighbors. This project presented Lincolnwood residents with an opportunity to share their story, and for all patrons – a chance to learn about the diverse community of Lincolnwood. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story- Rich Hedquist Subject The topic of the resource “What happens - happens. And you gotta make the best of what life is.“ Rich Hedquist lived in Lincolnwood until the early 2000s. He took over his father’s business in 1960 and ran it until 1999. Listen to his story as he talks about his childhood in Lincolnwood, his professional life, and raising 5 kids. The views and opinions expressed in interviews do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Lincolnwood Public Library, including its Board of Trustees and staff. TRANSCRIPT: Lev Kalmens 0:00 My name is Lev Kalmens. I'm an Information Services Librarian here with Lincolnwood Public Library. Today is April 9, 2019, and I am interviewing Rich Hedquist. Rich, welcome, and what is your Lincolnwood Story? Rich Hedquist 0:15 Ok, I lived in Lincolnwood from 1942 to 2002. Then we moved up to Wisconsin. My father owned a business in Lincolnwood from that time, and I took it over in 1960. So, like I said, really, truthfully, I went to school with my friends, which is Barbara Smith [inaudble], and also with Marty [unaudible]. I more or less remember the school going there, and I went up to third grade. Then in third grade, I went to Sweden for a year. And then I came back and then I went to a school up in Morton Grove. I was a resident of Lincolnwood all that time. My father owned a business, Lincolnwood Sheetmetal & Roofing, and I had a good time, meaning, as far as going to school there, and also into high school, which is Niles Township High School in those days. I'm, more or less, how can you say, enjoyed myself. Time went so fast, I can't believe it. But I tried my best to remember a lot of things now that I go back on. I'm hoping that I can do this interview, and do it right. Lev Kalmens 1:43 Do you know how your parents ended up in Lincolnwood? Rich Hedquist 1:46 My parents, of course, lived on Clark Street in Chicago, and my dad had the business there. Just before I was born, less than a year before, a young man got hit on the road outside their shop. My mother told my father, we're moving out into the country. Of course, Lincolnwood was the country in those days. It was a nice place. I enjoyed it. It was open. There was a lot of open fields and stuff, and we would fly our kites and build forts and everything. I had a good childhood in Lincolnwood doing things that was enjoyable. Another thing we did is we also would go into the gardens that the farmers around here would plow, and grow different products. We would get carrots. We would get potatoes and everything and cook them on a fire outside, and enjoy yourself and have that as our goodies. In those days, the only place that sold any candy that is I can recall was at McCormick and Touhy, which was a little gas station by Bell & Howell. But that was too far as for us to go. We had to enjoy whatever we could get from the fields as our candy, or whatever you would like to call it. Lev Kalmens 3:07 What is your family's history? I know you mentioned that you went to Sweden; is there a Swedish background? Rich Hedquist 3:13 Great. Both my parents were born in Sweden. My father was a coppersmith there. He came over in the 20s, and my mother, also in the 20s, and lived in Chicago. And of course as I mentioned, moved out to Lincolnwood in 1942. Lev Kalmens 3:32 How did your father get started in his business? Rich Hedquist 3:34 His father owned a big coppersmith company in Sweden. He was supposed to inherit the business, but he went over with a bunch of Swedish boys to America here. He started his own business in, roughly I would say 1930, 32, or something like that. From that point, he kept it going until '60, which he had to retire because of a heart problem. I took over the business and ran it from then to 1999. Lev Kalmens 4:14 What were your -- going kind of back -- what are some of your best memories of growing up in Lincolnwood? Rich Hedquist 4:20 The best memories was with all of us. It was Barbara, Marty and I, and Freddy [inaudible] also, and Carrol Sue. There was a lot of us that knew each other. In those days, you would do things together. You would play in sandboxes. If we had sandbox [inaudible]. We would make forts. There were so many things that we did outside. We didn't have all the modern conveniences they have today. We have to make our own fun, even climbing trees and that. And sometimes I could not believe that we didn't kill ourselves in some of these things that we did. But the good Lord was with us and we're here today. Lev Kalmens 5:02 Did you guys get into trouble? Rich Hedquist 5:03 Oh, never. We were good kids. [laughs] There's a couple times we were up on the roof. Next to our home, which was 7163 East Prairie Road next to Touhy, there was a gas station on Touhy there. I remember the one time we got up on the roof, Marty next door to us, we got up on the roof. We were taking spitballs, and throwing them at the cars. Spitballs were nothing. But the officer, Bill was his name, he stopped by and saw us one day. He came up the back ladder, which we had climbed, and was standing there. I swear he was about 40 feet tall. He said, "What are you boys doing?" We almost died. I was afraid that we would get in trouble with our parents. But in those days, he said stop it. We went down a ladder. He said, "I don't want to see you up there again." And again, we would climb ladders. The one thing I remember, there's a train that used to go just east of Hamlin and Morris, and there was an old weigh-in station. I remember going under there with Barbara and Marty. Somehow, something broke, and we get trapped in there for a little bit. But, we were able to get out. That was scary at the time because we thought "Oh, now we're here forever." But, other than that, we had a good time. You were very respectful of your parents so you didn't want to do anything that would make them come after you. That was the rule of thumb. You could do it a little bit, but you had to watch what you did. Lev Kalmens 6:44 What did you want to be when you were little? Rich Hedquist 6:46 An architectural engineer, a structural engineer, that was my love. I love to draw homes and stuff. That was something that I always wanted to do. Because of my father's heart attack in 1960, no '59; he had his third heart attack. The doctor told him to give up. So, I either took over the business or my dad had to sell it. And, of course, I took it over and ran it. Lev Kalmens 7:18 Tell me about the business. What was it? What were your duties? Rich Hedquist 7:20 My duties when I was young kid growing up in it, I did many things. But the one thing with my father was when we go out on a job we would- what do you call it? How can you say... do things with the men, I was a go-getter when I was a young kid, let's say in my 13, 14, 15s- go get things in the truck for them and bring it to them. They were very wonderful in trying to teach me how to do the trade as well as my father. I learned that and, as a younger boy, I worked in Urhausen' s greenhouse with Marty [inaudible] making tomato boxes. We'd make about 50, and then we'd eat tomato. Then, we'd make another 50, eat a tomato. I recall at the time, Johnny and Nick was staying there with their, I think it was their uncle. And what happened was, I remember I knew German at the time, some German, and I remember him saying, "How can those boys eat so many tomatoes?" He didn't mind us eating the tomatoes, but he couldn't figure out how we could eat them. It was joyful. We made a penny a box. Then the other thing we did in the greenhouse is to tie up chrysanthemums. I remember there was 3,500 something like that, and it was about two blocks long and about five feet across. We would sit there and we'd make something like a bench. We would make like $30 or something, 30 or $32 a bench, and we'd split it. We made a lot of money for two weeks. That was $16. How many candy bars and coke you could buy in those days! It was enjoyable. Lev Kalmens 9:07 How did you learn German? Rich Hedquist 9:10 Well, I grew up, as I mentioned- my father spoke five dialects of German, and my mother spoke Swedish. She knew some French, too, on her side because she was French and Swedish. But really, the German was what they spoke, German and Swedish. I picked it up then; you know when you're a young kid, you hear it and then right away you pick it up automatically. Lev Kalmens 9:40 Did your mom work? Rich Hedquist 9:42 No, my mother was always a housewife. She always stayed home and took care of the house. Plus, she loved to work in the garden, and she used to grow tomatoes and cucumbers and everything like that. That was her thing. The days when she didn't go to store to buy cucumbers or tomatoes when they were grown because she had fresh ones all the time. We had two cherry trees, and an apple tree, and a peach tree. I remember Barbara Smith's brother got up in the cherry tree. He was a little older than us. He was like five or six years older. He got up in a tree and he went for some cherries and the branch broke. He came down, but luckily, he didn't hurt himself. He ran home. My mother was so worried that he had hurt himself bad. Lev Kalmens 10:35 Did you have siblings? Rich Hedquist 10:36 No, I was the only one; my father and mother had me and in those days, one kid was enough. Lev Kalmens 10:46 What are some of your best memories of your parents? Rich Hedquist 10:50 Best memories was... my mother and father, we would take trips in the old 1937 truck out in the country. I used to, in the summer, just sit in the back with my dog Tommy. Tommy was a black, not Labrador, but similar to it. But he had really black curly hair. He had his short snout, and, believe it or not, on his rear feet, he would put his front paws on my father's shoulders. My father was about six foot, and he put them on his shoulders and look right at my dad right in the face. He was a very protective dog because he got to know Marty and Barbara and I, and the rest of kids. But if anybody else come around, he would growl. Because he didn't want nobody come close to me. Lev Kalmens 11:43 What do you do for a living right now? Rich Hedquist 11:45 Right now, I'm retired. I work for the Aurora Hospital in Kenosha, Wisconsin. I'm 50. I do the grounds work there. And also sometimes they bring me in the operation roof where they fix things and stuff like that because of my background. I do both of them for them. Rich Hedquist 11:46 Do you enjoy what you do now? Rich Hedquist 12:02 I really enjoy it. You got to realize when I took over the business, I went from one business to four businesses. One was, my father was in the heating business. I got into the air conditioning right after that because it was starting to get very popular. I took on a partner from '66 to '69, and I got into the hot roofing part. Then then also I did some siding. And of course my favorite was doing the copper work. I did a base and everything with copper, and I was known as a coppersmith to these contractors. Lev Kalmens 12:47 What about that work is enjoyable for you? Rich Hedquist 12:49 Oh, copper work was enjoyable because, number one, you had to be very careful what you did. First of all, the price of the copper was very expensive, even today. You had to know what you were doing, and you had to double check and triple check. Every bend you made or every thing you did was right on the money. Enjoyable. My father used to do very ornamental work. When I took it over the ornamental work was going out very much. What I did was, I did bay roofs in copper, I did regular roofs in copper, and some art- how can you say- something that was out of the normal I would do in copper. Copper was really my joy because it took my mind off of. Where the other stuff was the same thing every day where this, you really had to get used to it to know what you're doing. Lev Kalmens 13:50 Were there any specific life lessons that you learned from the work that you did in life? Rich Hedquist 13:56 Well, yes, there was. For instance, when I made a mistake, I had to live with it. The biggest mistake was- and I was just young guy, I was only about probably 23- I estimated a job for the United States Post Office. They have one on the South Side. I read the complete chapter on it. That was late at night, and I decided to write the contract rather than wait in the morning. I wrote the contract and I used one word that was very dangerous. It was "all," and when they went to do it, I got the contract and everything. I was so happy. When they came down to it, "all" meant anything that belonged to copper, I was responsible for. In the bottom where the foundation and the brickwork started, that was called a vapor barrier copper. I didn't figure that in and that was about $8,000. Lev Kalmens 14:58 Oh, wow. Rich Hedquist 14:58 I got found out, and that was really a problem. I was doing a complete job all the way up, and it came time for me to do the job with the roofers. That day, I didn't do the roofing, somebody else did. I did the copper work, and then they did the work. Then when I was through with the job, I was really not happy. But I learned a lesson: when you make out a contract, always remember, the smallest word can bite you real bad. Lev Kalmens 15:29 Have there been, either when you were younger and working or now, certain hobbies that you've enjoyed or you currently enjoy? Rich Hedquist 15:38 My love for motorcycles and antique cars. I had an number of antique cars; so did my wife. I still, to this day, have an 1937 stake bed truck. Original. That is my love. I'm in the process of selling it because- many of my friends that I grew up with, friends back in the 60s, we went touring with the old cars. But now that many of my friends are gone, more or less, the truck sits in a garage, so it's time for it go on to somebody that can enjoy it. Lev Kalmens 16:14 You mentioned, so you were married? Rich Hedquist 16:19 Yes, I was married. My girlfriend, which was Barbara Harrison at the time. She lived in Morton Grove. I met her, believe it or not, I met her junior year at Niles Township High School in the study period. We dated in, if I'm not mistaken, in '58 or '59. We got married in 1962. April 7 of 1962. Lev Kalmens 16:49 Did you have any children? Rich Hedquist 16:51 I have five. Lev Kalmens 16:51 Oh, wow. Rich Hedquist 16:52 I have two daughters and three sons. My oldest daughter is Barbara Jean Hedquist, same as my wife. My second one is Karen Sue Hedquist. My oldest son is Clifford Hedquist. Then comes Christopher Hedquist. The youngest is Steven Hedquist. They all went to Lincolnwood school. They also went to Niles West. Lev Kalmens 17:18 What was for you, raising them or watching them, grow up in Lincolnwood, how was that different from your own childhood here? Rich Hedquist 17:27 To be very honest, I was working so much that I didn't have much time. Matter of fact, sad to say, I missed my oldest daughter's graduation from grade school to high school. The reason for that was - when they own a business, one night, or it was probably about six in the evening when we were supposed to be there at 7:30 - I got a call from a contractor in Skokie asking if I could come over and talk to him about a contract. I told him no, I got to go to a graduation. He said, "It'll only take a minute. Can you come?" I said, "Yes I can." So, I asked my wife to take the car, and my daughters, and my kids, and then I would meet them at the graduation thing. And when I got over to the house and walked into the house, he took out the blueprints and we were talking about it. All of a sudden, I said. "Well, I got to get to the graduation." He says, "It's 10 o'clock." I never seen three hours go so fast in my whole life. I swear, I walked in and just talked to him for 5, 10 minutes. With my yap [laughs], I found myself three hours and I didn't even want to go home that late. Of course, they didn't speak to me for about three months after that. But I didn't make the same mistake with the rest of them, you know. Lev Kalmens 18:46 And they, all your kids, went to Lincolnwood School and- Rich Hedquist 18:50 That is correct. Lev Kalmens 18:51 -Niles Township Schools? Rich Hedquist 18:51 That is also correct. Lev Kalmens 18:53 And what do your kids do now? Rich Hedquist 18:55 My oldest daughter, she works for ProHealth in Wisconsin. She takes care of all the billing and everything there. She's well known there. She's been doing that for 30 some years, if I'm not mistaken. My youngest daughter- her name is Karen Sue- she works for Sigler's Automotive on Lincoln Avenue. And she's been with Avi Sigler now for I would say 30 years, something like that, 30 years. And then my oldest son, he owns a heating and air conditioning company in Naperville. And then my middle son, he's a fireman-paramedic. Now, he started his fireman-paramedic here in Lincolnwood. He was on Lincolnwood when they first started the fire department here. I'm very proud of him on that. And what happened was his first case when he was on the fire department was that they got a call on Eden's Highway by Devon. A motorcyclist had lost his bike doing- they figure- about 100 miles an hour going northbound. He got there, and he was able to get this young man on a stretcher- it was not a nice sight, you see- and to the hospital and his parents donated his organs, which, to me was nice. And then my youngest son, he- what do you call it- he was diabetic since he was a baby. And I've almost lost him now five times through comas. But, gratefully, the Good Lord was with. And then last year in April, just about now 15th, he had a transplant, a pancreas transplant, and now he's doing real good, and he lives in Woodstock. He got married last year. Lev Kalmens 20:39 Wow. Rich Hedquist 20:40 So I'm very proud of him. Lev Kalmens 20:43 Speaking of pride, what has been the proudest moment in your life? Rich Hedquist 20:49 Well, there have been a lot of moments that I'm proud [of]. I'm proud of my children; the way they they've done their life and stuff. Really, with Barbara Smith and Marty [inaudible], we're friends to this day. And I think, really truthfully, really through the years, a lot of things made me proud. It's not one overshadowed the other one, because we all live our lives, we go different ways, and now that we've gotten this over, we're starting to all come back together again. But like I said, I just feel that life has been good to me. It's up and down, like we all have, but you got to take the good with the bad. Lev Kalmens 21:57 You mentioned that you've been friends with Barbara and with Marty for your entire life. What is the secret to maintaining a lifelong close friendship? Rich Hedquist 21:43 Well what that is, we're lucky. We grew up in a day that you got to know each other, and it wasn't as hectic as it is today. I hate to say it. Many of the kids today, there's just too much out there that take away their thing. When we grew up, you learn to enjoy each other. You did things. We played in the sand. We had a good time in the sand and in the trees. We did things, like I said, in the fields, and we would eat fruit. It was just a real close friendship. And, of course, as time went on, we also turned around where, you know, you sort of part away because now you have your families. You're not together all the time, you know, so we sort of went apart. Marty lived in Florida. Barbara lived in Lincolnwood. Of course, I lived in Lincolnwood, too, but, even though it was only about four or five blocks away, I had my life to live, and they had their life to live, our families. But we still met because Barbara would take walks and stop by our house. Sad to say, I didn't walk over to her house. But that was part of the life. We enjoyed ourselves. I think what made it so nice is, in those days, you just enjoyed. You didn't hear all the stuff that's going on in this world. I hate to say it, and in my true feeling, that this hurts kids very much. Because there's just too much knowledge out there that I think should be sort of put to rest, you know. This is my feeling about growing up in an environment. I think we grew up in one of the best years of this century because we got to know each other, as far as that goes. Lev Kalmens 23:33 What were some of the places that you guys, besides playing in the sandbox or climbing trees... what were some of your favorite businesses? Maybe restaurants or places you used to go like that? Rich Hedquist 23:47 Restaurants. I'll be very honest. As we grew up, the restaurants were not that much around us. But as we got older and we got into it, it was Jack's restaurant on Touhy Avenue. There was the Desiree in Skokie. I love matzah ball soup. I was a good fan of matzah ball soup. Any delicatessen like Normie's or anything that had that, I enjoyed it. And Ruben's. We had Ruben's. Adult Services 24:18 I know that Jack's is in Skokie. Any Lincolnwood specific businesses? Rich Hedquist 24:24 Oh, Lincolnwood? I'll tell you where we used to eat. My wife and I used to like it. It's gone now. It was a restaurant on the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Crawford Avenue on the southwest corner. And I forget the name of it now, but- [voice in the background]. No, it wasn't [inaudible]. I'm trying to think of the name of it. There was also, right across the street, there was Jaylin's, if I'm not mistaken. They had delicious food. Then they closed up and remodeled it and got fancier and the prices went skyrocketing. We lost it there. But that's it, you know. Lev Kalmens 25:10 Tell me about a historical event in your lifetime that really stuck with you, or is really something you think about, or something that was really memorable for you. Rich Hedquist 25:18 Okay. Well, one of the things that I remember- on the corner of East Prairie and Touhy, on the southwest corner, there was a... not a farm, but it was like a farm. It was a barn area, which my father used as a shop in the 40s. That was torn down. When it got torn down, other things started to go. For instance, there was a greenhouse where Barbara was living growing up. Behind it was a greenhouse. And that greenhouse, more or less was - I remember going there. We used to play back in there and have a good time. But what happened was that different things started to change. I didn't really notice 100% because you're busy, you're growing, you have family. But as time went on, today, I really notice it tremendously. Touhy Avenue was the best. As I remember now, Marty's father used to grow vegetables from their house to Hamlin along Touhy Avenue, and he used to sell them. Marty and, I used to be out there on Touhy Avenue selling them. Of course, in those days, if you saw a car, probably two or three cars, let's say in 10 minutes, 15 minutes, that was a lot. You didn't have to worry about getting run over. You could almost stand in the middle of the street and sell stuff. Today, in the middle of street, you'd have to be doing some running. But, like I said, what really started hurting is when I started seeing buildings that I knew getting torn down. The greenhouse, which was Myer's Greenhouse, which was just west of our house got torn down. I mean, now everything started changing. Across the street, the little stores that were there, now they did more like a mall along there. And over Crawford and Touhy, which is on the northwest corner, there was a gas station, George's gas station it was called. Next to it, there was a- what do you call it- there was a grocery store. I used to work in there, too, as a young kid, making some money and stuff like that. One other thing, right next to our house, which was on East Prairie, there was Marty's and then the gas station, but there was a house right there that also belonged to George. But he moved over to Crawford and they tore that house down. I remember them tearing it down. I was in there being a young kid, I was probably only about six, seven years old. I remember tearing it down because Dave Olson was the owner of the property. There was this jar in the wall, I grabbed the jar, and it had a bunch of green stuff in it. So I showed it to his brother, Avi, that was doing the tearing down. He said, "Oh, I lost that. Give it to me." I swear there was a lot of money in there. I can't swear to it, but it was green. And I remember that because it was a clear jar. The jar had to be at least about 10 inches high, and probably about eight or nine inches around. All I saw was green in there. Things like that start changing. And then, of course, they built the homes along Touhy Avenue where [inaudible] used to grow vegetables. These houses started to come in where we used to play. This was things I noticed. But you don't realize that when you're young, until later in life, you say, "Oh, everything's growing up around here." Plus, on top of it, Barbara and I was looking at a picture where Marty is in it, and you can see the field behind up to where she lived. All that is gone. It's like everything comes together and you can't see more than probably about 100 feet away and that's it. Lev Kalmens 25:18 It certainly sounds like Lincolnwood today is a completely different place than it was when you were growing up. Rich Hedquist 28:35 It was, it was. Urhausen's is still the way it was, that's the only thing. Everything else, where the factories are, that was all fields. And another thing I did is - I think it was in fifth grade- I learned to make gunpowder. Of course, I wasn't much into, what do you call it, science, that but that I liked. I was taught how to make gunpowder in school. Since my father was in construction, I was able to get a pipe, a 12-inch pipe, and capped both ends. Then, I drilled a hole about an inch down from the top one. And then, I would put the gunpowder in there, and then I would hit it down with a rod. Luckily, the good Lord with me in those days, rods were brass. They weren't steel. So, as I sat there and pounded it down, it didn't explode. My mother used to do knitting and stuff like that. She had yarn. Put some glue on it, then I'd roll it in the gunpowder and we went out on the Hamlin, just north of Hamlin, in the fields. We put it in a [inaudible] thing, Marty and I. And what happened, we lit it, and we got behind this hill, which was about a good half, three-quarters of a block away. I'm just hearing, "Boom!" We blew the top of the tree off. When I turned around, right across the street on the west side of Hamlin, there was a bungalow with a big picture window. I heard it go, "Crinkle, crinkle." I turned around and watched it falling, and the lady that lived in there had her arms crossed, and she was looking at us, wondering what we had done. So, of course, we got up and ran home. Well, she called my dad and we went over there and looked at. And all that tree, there was nothing left to the top of the tree. He told me, "See, if this had been you, you would have been gone". I remember I had to replace the bay window with the money I'd saved. And I had $103 saved and the bay window cost them $100. When I took the money out, my father says, "You take the complete $103 out." I said, "But dad, I get $3." "No, that goes to her for problems." I was nice. [inaudible]. But I learned the lesson not to do it again. Lev Kalmens 32:02 So, they were teaching you how to make gunpowder in school? Rich Hedquist 32:05 Yeah, you gotta realize. Now today, it's more how to make an atom bomb. But in those days, it was gunpowder. It was a very simple life, you know. We figured gunpowder was dangerous, you know, in those days. We didn't know at the time what the scientists were thinking up next, you know. Lev Kalmens 32:25 What were your favorite subjects in school? Rich Hedquist 32:28 My favorite subjects was anything to do with building things like woodshop, auto shop, printing shop, anything that had to do with that. Now, math was one of my strong things. When I went to Sweden, I was in school there for a year, I told you. I was going into third grade, at the time. Over there, third graders were almost in division. And here I was just learning to do subtraction and adding. So, I got a real fast course in that. By the time I left there, I could do multiplication, division, and all that. That was just one of the things that was good about going there because the schools were completely ahead of ours. I enjoyed it, and stuff like that. Lev Kalmens 33:26 Looking back on everything, I know you mentioned missing your daughter's graduation and regretting that. Have there been other big regrets in life now that you look back on that? Rich Hedquist 33:37 Not really. Life is life. You got to live it with what the Lord gives to you. You got to realize that you are not in control of it. What happens, happens, and you got to make the best of what it is. My mother always used to tell me nothing goes smooth in this world. You got to live with what happens. You don't like some things that happen and you regret it, but it happens. One of the things is, I was injured. I was injured in my back. My- what do you call it- vertebrates were not broken, but they were cracked, and I laid in the hospital for I think it was about six months. I couldn't move. Then I got out of there, I was in a wheelchair, then crutches. I think it was just before I got into high school, it was the year before high school, which was probably '55 I think it was. And, of course, I just had to live with that and got back to where I was walking good. Lev Kalmens 34:43 What happened to your back? Rich Hedquist 34:44 It was an accident. We were playing baseball and some boy lost the game, and he got mad and came after me. He lived in Chicago and judo chopped me in the back of the neck. In those days, didn't know anything about judo. But he was mean. He kept hitting me. I rode home, I remember riding home, not realizing it. The next day I went to the hospital. My dad was going to take me because the pain was severe. I took the bus down to Touhy to Clark, and Clark to Presbyterian Hospital down in Chicago. That's when they realized how serious it was. Then they put me in traction. But it's like anyting. Look at today: now, I'm walking. I've had a lot of things happen after that, thank God that happened because it saved my life. I've rolled off two roofs, really three roofs. A two story onto a one story and into a thorn bush. Which took the fire department about 45 minutes to cut me out of. Lev Kalmens 35:54 Wow. Rich Hedquist 35:55 I used to be stupid when I was young boy. I would run off, jump off of one story onto the grass, go get something, I'd come back up the ladder. My dad would hit me in the back of my head say, "Wait till you get my age." He was 50 in those days. Believe it or not, now I got two bad knees that need to be operated. So, now I wish I hadn't done such a stupid thing. But it saved my life, really, truthfully, a number of things that happened. But you live with it. And that's it. You know? Lev Kalmens 36:25 You have grandchildren? Rich Hedquist 36:26 Yes, I have. My oldest daughter has Dana, and now she's married. She has two children of hers. I have great grandchildren. She has grandchildren there. Then my Karen Sue, she never got married. Then it comes Clifford. He has here my oldest one. He's 19. Then he has several others. Then comes Christopher, he has, let's see, five. So, I do have that many now, you know, as far as that goes. My youngest one just got married last year. Steven. He lives in Woodstock now with his wife. Lev Kalmens 37:10 And do you get to see your family often? Rich Hedquist 37:13 That's a thing. Because we're so far apart in a lot of things. It's the same way with me when I was young: you try to see them as often as you can, but you don't find time or they don't find time, you know. Dana and her children, that I was telling you about my great grandchildren, they live in Maryland. So I only see 'em probably once- once a year, you know, as far as that goes. My other children I see occasionally. Lev Kalmens 37:43 How would you like- how would you like to be remembered? Rich Hedquist 37:51 I would like to be remembered as fun-going, enjoying people. Hopefully, they think that of me, you know. And if I talk too much, they say "Hey, shut up, Rich." [laughter] That comes from- what do you call it- taking on a business age 19 because I had to do a lot of talking. When you go out to sell something to a customer, and he looks at you and says "How old are you?" and you say, "19." "And you're selling me this roof? You're selling me this heating?" They look at you, but it took about 10 years before people would start to really trust me. Not that I didn't get work. I had to do a lot of talking and convince them. One of the things I feel that I was very smart in doing, which I wasn't taught by nobody, was that when I would go to a house, the lady would say "Well, my husband's not home. You'll have to wait 'till he comes home." I'd say, "Why?" And they'd say, "Well, I don't know much about it." And I said, "Well, let me explain it to you, and then you can explain to him." And a lot of women liked that. Then when their husband would get home, they says, "We want Rich to do it." That's the way I got it because I had a lot of trust in the ladies of the house. As a matter of fact, I found many times where I would say something to a lady and explain something- it would get back to her husband 100%. If I had to explain it to her husband, it would get back to the lady, it was probably 50% truthful. And I will say this, my mother believed in the woman power because she was like that. She wanted to learn to fly, but she never did. Never even drove, but she believed in women can do what men can do. She- she made sure I knew it. Lev Kalmens 39:35 That's a good lesson, too. Rich Hedquist 39:37 She was a little under five foot, and she was dangerous. I never fought her. I'd rather go into a room full of snakes than to fight her. My dad was more understanding, but even he could be kind of... but only once he hit me in the behind. And that was because I smirked at him, and I was only probably about four or five years old. I learned how big his hand was. Went flying. Lev Kalmens 40:02 Well, Rich, um, I want to thank you for coming down, and I would like to thank you for sharing your Lincolnwood Story with us. Rich Hedquist 40:09 Okay, listen, I want to thank you for having me. I hope this goes on and younger people will hear it and enjoy it and understand that right now, you got to enjoy yourself now because, as you get older, things change. Lev Kalmens 40:25 Thank you. Rich Hedquist 40:26 You're welcome and thank you for your time. https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/24779cc77eb64ff260bb5a93d6121faf.jpeg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=Ex0EESBvOyG6pAEbV4JoOUr7WereU3SagKzjthOCd4fOBq3IEGauEKSptjV6eL81E0FlmwhjNfGL84WYURfP-0fv9KaM2Nz4TB1vxLGpecYMUMqQkxyvgjbOgFOXyepxSSLYcssvqY7uaZuOFbniUhDDc9dcyxRRl11-yE5EdQyZ%7EvOY2v5ws5jHj0w3DETYMGN-XjgMBN-4PUlI6H3QeQeeT0hhNdvw0-HMOE%7EHiCqlKGLEp1I2AmgA3zPgqvmVT8Ayo%7Eh19h9WqKr87Xdo7pMoURf5q3POycsbFd%7Ely%7EECFbnbzfLx0jue7G3UWVDw5LvTum7NbEidWGZCvIwn%7Eg__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 411a48bb165426161bed6182db824709 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oliver Hintz https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/fc7b89c0e4a0bc94af8b6d70068badcc.mp3?Expires=1792022400&Signature=D0Lm0W-5XuOrl0Q9g97Piz6YMvnh-7GCDL6YbgDnx3dlnd5duUowOyuCkTvy05gYRaT22t4d4dJuQITKuyyt36GqFX18FHcFo30v%7Edp-BXWNX3dlfP7nQ4XK1sGm-Fs7Bs9dZblm4Gaz-Ydx-t3t%7Ex61p-Pny9hUWa1Xjzy9I7x7cZKqjUj8MtlpaPOw3KOS1mnZ0NREJS%7EiPjgfv74vcA47u3mFI3Tx%7EwLbrHHDQmVQYT83GJ7AiSp2wcHzWAhK0as1CWamrTu-ag-vKAmDQJ7xtT%7EgD6Ve9q14MLLwIoFNHPT%7EXySfPsQQHtQMAImXmQl1i4mpF2g8vm73q6PUjA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 6f9d18b261a1c748146a961a7fd313b5 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story- Oliver Hintz https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/23551e95ccc64619d1dd4ba4f9106f8a.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=pxK2EgCRfRqr7pq8I6DGyE6%7EHigWzVMVLnwslN-4P2O612rlMTWNlRI1xHz-KuP5yz7tS%7EqPeSJc9bd5YgUcXCWOM-EE-LEmp3mUxLjKiAUYMjXhtkmH%7EZ4TYqf9%7E4KwgVHmDb0QeaIW8Q1LU0VMVbSb3BpuHxl-kg9l9oQkQ9TNrX0Io7kehecc5Lyrl%7Er-RSUfACIegTbJW51BpClmxIbUr7nfB3l7-kyjDihFT6RkNgiW43msiAk2-UuK25VYn26tXtUy4dYhStpTwRlrWTfVZXevc%7Ennfdv%7EtmUEZ6Hjw9KB73gJoRL6t4tw6EYcwyVWbeQAaBbr%7EeL7fLiDsQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 8d91bb2c397ea0e0e2af6f0e3845b48c Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oliver Hintz (center), 1979 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/5a754532936a17e7b6bc47d4a15f2b7f.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=iEXSSNnQF4HR25HIOLcb22FBHo%7Eef57smpxCoJE1YhErladCqhJTI6vWYFmCw1MA5wv9J3TshsYXcuCHGH0EUbgmgkhuTXgyqTgEOGlABtSQJQau%7EZQG3HCx1EHGLTzW0IcLVCQcb1coVahJ00ShOCAEkR8daTn0LLYfkAzWvYcZHhLLugNfFX-mqIry5wl%7ESPm28GcXc-Uj2zon%7EcLkVlFHQ9CePGoWYF4KA9ItkhZGMjtUNq3lIJU3d8xSS2R0YHlPD3mPeXuyi8A94Hv-7O0i8m5YO78OtqfMCmvBts7AAv0TwdBolinYxyW6G4OPvsRemQaO8DNPjASU4qWF-w__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 839d5693b50de5631dc52edaf31b589e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oliver Hintz (center), 1970s https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/591217908922e55d6ef952f1a6c41da4.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=Dx5GAkAv7gYyw9VbTxCUhnv3UIjKSy8hafdZ55ep1q3VWCppzh-ibyEHcE1hTY8PdumUhNwFO12A-maqiZ2C2q8Q5kq2EJ-UKOg5BHbBKiA8u8khe2GcX7JnmT8D5qYrKketxVxOfcr%7EBc2FvVqYOlsZUrR1lMTSKNvdBUzoe3hbPBVa5ukKtqEoYDVKUsrjaRVoNgAj2ih1b%7EUddM03FdSD77cTyPCTsMIxn6X%7EDit4tgtnhOAZtgWeRwZUTZROiab3do-d8UvTtsDvd4FLhdYYhhhEzHIT5kW0L8Q5os39ik53ZKnIevsSHNQHnMwv9jUvwff0wZ0t%7EY0gC1Zdnw__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM f92e50c640c502c02600ae7214c9b6f2 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oliver Hintz (right), 1970s Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story Description An account of the resource My Lincolnwood Story was an oral history project which aimed to explore the past and present of Lincolnwood by documenting stories of its residents. The main goal of this project was to record, preserve, and share audio interviews with the Lincolnwood community in order to connect residents with the history of their neighbors. This project presented Lincolnwood residents with an opportunity to share their story, and for all patrons – a chance to learn about the diverse community of Lincolnwood. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story- Oliver Hintz Subject The topic of the resource “Lincolnwood represents so much goodness and happiness for me.” Oliver Hintz was born in Germany, moved to Chicago in 1964 with his family, and to Lincolnwood in 1972. Oliver is a professionally trained chef, and recently published his memoir, “Journaling Through Bipolar Disorder”. In his story Oliver recalls his childhood, meeting his wife, and adjusting to life in the United States. The views and opinions expressed in interviews do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Lincolnwood Public Library, including its Board of Trustees and staff. TRANSCRIPT: Lev Kalmens 0:00 My name is Lev Kalmens. I'm an Information Services Librarian here at Lincolnwood Public Library. Today is April 10, 2019, and I'm speaking with Oliver Hintz. Oliver, hi, and what is your Lincolnwood Story? Oliver Hintz 0:15 Hi, good morning. My name is Oliver Hintz. I was born in Germany, raised in the United States. We came here in 1964 of April; we lived in Ravenswood. And my father decided that we wanted to live in a house. So we moved to Lincolnwood in 1972, with my brother, my mother, and I went to District 74, which is currently on the other side of the library. I had many friends at the time, neighbors to my left and my neighbors to my right. There was Ron Smith, Paul Smith, Martin [inaudible], the Urhausens. Mrs. Smith was my neighbor. She was also my rock and my, like den mother, you know, she helped me with the Scouts and stuff. And I would frequently go to their house for help because at home we spoke German, not English. And she was a true American patriot. And she helped me with my math, with my English, with the Constitution test twice. She would also cook for me. Brian and Paul were friends that I had. We played in the neighborhood with GI Joe, you know, games that we played in the past from the 70s. So I moved to Lincolnwood in '72, and I went to -- I think I started in second grade. I had Mrs. Wonzong. She was my teacher and at Todd Hall, which is the smallest of the three schools. Then I would play with the Urhausens. There was a greenhouse, tomato house, on East Prairie and Lunt. They were called the Urhausens, and they had benches where there was dirt; we'd play with our Tonca trucks. There was Gerard Urhausen, and we played on the trucks, you know, and then we would pack tomatoes, sometimes we would make boxes for the tomatoes; get a penny a box. After we made 100 boxes, we would take our money and buy tomatoes and eat them. So it was a win win for everyone. My parents actually divorced in 1977. So it was just my father, my brother and I, and I had an interest in cooking. I was seven years old and I made my first crepe called Grand Marnier crepes. I started cooking more often at home, my father said, "hey, he's going to be a good little chef". I started cooking for my friends and family. I learned a lot when I went over to the Smiths; how to make really good spaghetti. And basically, I just grew with the family. Mrs. Smith, like I said, she's a mentor to me because she showed me a lot in life, told me a lot how to do things. She's like a second mother. And she knows that, and she always will be and she's a true, true person. Lev Kalmens 3:15 So you were -- you said you moved? What year did you move from Germany? Oliver Hintz 3:19 We moved to Germany in '64 -- from Germany. And we moved to the United States; we were living in Ravenswood in the '60s. Lev Kalmens 3:27 And where we are in Germany are you from? Oliver Hintz 3:29 Essen, E-S-S-E-N, which means to eat, which really fits well with my profession. Lev Kalmens 3:36 What do you remember from Germany growing up? Oliver Hintz 3:39 Well, we moved back and forth three times. So it was really hard. I did a lot of studying. I tried to learn English, but it was very hard. It was very difficult. First, I didn't have anyone in Germany to teach me English. So I stayed with the German language. And so then my mother said, "let's move back to the United States to see your father". They were like, away from each other, still married but they were away from each other. Parents got back together and my brother moved out at 17. My parents got divorced around 1977. Then it was just me and my father. And he had a girlfriend who was a lot my age than more his age. But going back to Mrs. Smith, I wrote a book on bipolar disorder, which I'd suffer. My first illness came at age 29. I was a chef at many hotels in Chicago. I could not complete the work because of the bipolar; it interfered with my work. It interfered with how I was able to train other chefs. It was just -- it let me down. And I was very disappointed that I had to give up the trade. I mean, I tried and tried, but I knew I couldn't do it. So, if it wasn't for Mrs. Smith, who taught me the proper English I needed, I couldn't have wrote this book. I've been trying to write this book for 20 years. I had many accidents that caused interference, preventing me from writing the book. But I wrote this book last year, and it came out by Archway Publishing this year, March 26, 2019. And I hope many readers out there will take a look at the book. It's for everyone from 18 to 64. It's about my life's journey. And I hope everyone enjoys it. Is there anything else I should -- ? Lev Kalmens 5:44 Yeah, I mean, we can talk a bit more about growing up in Lincolnwood. What Lincolnwood was like in the 70s. Where did you go to college? How did you train to become a chef? Oliver Hintz 5:56 Oh, yes. Well, I went to Niles West in 1983. I was in track and field. I was running. I got 10th place in an invitational run of 150 students. I got 10th place. I got a medal. I got a plaque. My father couldn't come to track and watch me run. So Mrs. Smith came often to see me run; she would support me. And that was kind of my rock, the person that I can fall on. Of course, it was Mr. Smith, that's her husband, who told many great stories. He was like -- he knew everything on everything. He was a veteran as well. And he's, he'll be sorely missed. He died a few years ago. But basically -- Lev Kalmens 6:51 Do you remember how you first met Mrs. Smith? What your first memory of her is? Oliver Hintz 6:54 Yes. Actually, Paul Smith, who is now in Minnesota, who is remarried, he came to my house. I lived at 6918 North Hamlin, next to Lunt, in Lincolnwood. He came, he showed up my door one day says, "Hi, I'm Paul. I'm your neighbor." I said, "Hey, come on in." And we became good friends. His name is Paul Smith. And we are about the same age. I was held back one year because of the age differential. So I mean, I actually graduated in 83, which I really don't mind at all. But we played GI Joe; we played cops and robbers in the neighborhood, we ran around the houses, we had fun. I mean, the Urhausens was there since the early 1800s. That's a five acre lot. Lev Kalmens 7:31 (overlapping) Yeah, it's still there too. Oliver Hintz 7:46 It's still there. They don't do tomatoes anymore. They do herbs, plants, perennials, annuals; so they're very successful. They lost a lot of members of family, like the two parents, the uncle and the father became deceased. But the children run the property; Urhausens run the property. I'm still friends with Gerard, who's the oldest. He sends me a card once a year for Christmas. But it was -- I did work at Northtown Bussing at age 16. I got a job. I just had to check -- they had a lot of buses; they had about 30 buses. I had to check to see if all the fuel was full. I mean, I wouldn't drive them because I wasn't of age yet. I had to make sure the oil and the water was in there; they paid me I think $4.50 hour. Lev Kalmens 6:58 Was this a Lincolnwood business? Oliver Hintz 8:47 Yes. It was just down on Lunt towards the railroad tracks. It was East from our home on Hamlin. Our side was residential and the other side which is towards the east was industrial. And we had gone into factories. There were lots of factories there, and then we found tools from Client Tools. They were partially bad, but you can still use them. So we bought, you know we got tools, and we found a candy company. We found candy in the garbage. I mean, at 16 you're not gonna to think that you're not going to eat the candy. We ate the candy. We had gone to several factories, and we just found stuff that was amusing for us. You know at 16, you think you're going to live forever. And if I go back a few years, I was trying to play on the tracks of the Skokie Swift. I wanted to squish a quarter. And, of course, after the cop told me, he says "you could derail the train because of a quarter". I walked into the back end; I got electrocuted on the third line of the track. The policeman came over, took a suitcase, hit me hard so he would knock me off the track because if he would touch me, he was grounded, he would be electrocuted like I was. But -- so basically, Lincolnwood was my second home in America for me. Mrs. Smith, like I said she is -- I know I bring her up often, but she is one that my life wouldn't be complete without her. Like I said, she was my mom; she helped me with my schoolbooks. My friends were there. So I am -- Lev Kalmens 10:44 What was it like growing up in the United States, but not being born here? There were difficulties? Oliver Hintz 10:50 Oh, it was very hard. It was very hard. I couldn't get the T, THs [sound]. I had hard. They gave me special teachers in sixth grade and seventh grade that helped me with my English. I had such a hard time -- I had such a hard time trying to learn the language. I still took German in school. I mean that we spoke German at home. My mother's English was very poor. My father would ask me for English terms that he couldn't understand. And he had his own business. So the only person that you know -- as I would read, I would read as much as I could, you know, like children's books, read as much as I could. Again, Mrs. Smith was always there. Other than that, I really didn't have anybody except for Mrs. Smith. My father didn't get married again. He had girlfriends and stuff. But no -- no one that really cared about me. I was kind of lonely. If I didn't have Mrs. Smith, I wouldn't know what I would be doing. Lev Kalmens 12:01 Do you remember what kind of books you were reading? Oliver Hintz 12:03 Yes, children's books. I also won a contest in seventh grade. By Random House publishing. I had to finish to end of a story. And I won first prize. I won $500. Lev Kalmens 12:15 Oh, wow. What was that? What was the contest? Oliver Hintz 12:17 It was a contest; you had to finish the end of a story. I don't remember the story. It's over 30 years now. But I remember I won a contest, and Mr. Wilson, who was my sixth grade English teacher, said that I'll be a good author one day. And this is perfect, because as a result of what he said came true. Lev Kalmens 12:40 Do you remember coming to the library at all? Oliver Hintz 12:42 Yes, I came. We came to the library frequently. The library was different. Back in the 80s. Back in the 80s. And that it was smaller. And it was -- all our friends; we came here we met, and we were, you know, goofing around. We came to library. Yes. So we goofed around; we really didn't read the books. We did more just hang around. But there was one place that we hung around. I think it's still in Lincolnwood, it's called Bunny Hutch. Lev Kalmens 13:10 Yes it is. Oliver Hintz 13:11 Yes, it's on Lincoln and Devon, and they had a batting cage. They had game rooms, and my dad would say, "Here's $20, don't come back until the evening." Twenty dollars got me a long way in quarters, and I was good at some of the games. So, I played the games. Bunny Hutch had a restaurant where you can go eat hamburgers, or hamburgers and fries. And we hung around there. It was really a great place to meet, you know, after school. Lev Kalmens 13:38 Would kids come to -- because I know right now, after school a lot of the kids come to the library. Was it always like that even back in the 80s? Oliver Hintz 13:45 Yeah, we came to the library. We really didn't come to read the books; we were more interested in just goofing off and roughing around and -- Lev Kalmens 13:53 It's still the same. Oliver Hintz 13:53 It's still the same. It never changes. I didn't have my girlfriend till I was 16. I went to Niles West from '83, no, '79 to '83. I apologize. I'm thinking about when I went to hotel chef school in Europe, which was in Munich from 1983 to '86. And I got my culinary degree, and then five years later I got my masters in culinary. Went back to Germany. I failed the first time because I didn't take it to heart, the study, because everything is verbal. I made my master's degree my second year in Germany in a town called Bielefeld. I lived many times in Germany. I traveled to different parts - Hamburg, Munich, Berlin, Bielefeld, Augsburg - which was my first residency of the city of Munich where I lived. I learned how to cook different methods, different ways. So, culinary is actually my strength. Writing is my secondary. So, I really am blessed with everything that's happened to me so far. I met my wife 20 years ago; we're married 20 years in January. We met in the Tribune. Before it was online dating, on a computer. And I when I left a message to her, I forgot to leave my name. So, she called me back. Somehow she got ahold of me, and we dated. We actually met at the Ritz Carlton, where I used to work in the 1990s. I worked at the Ritz Carlton in Chicago. I would take the train from the Howard El down to State Street and walk over to the Ritz Carlton, which then was safe. I wouldn't recommend walking there anymore, taking the train, because a lot of robberies have been happening in the city. Lev Kalmens 14:09 Tell me more about your path as a chef; your training, how you got interested in it in the first place. Oliver Hintz 16:09 My inspiration came from when I was -- when my parents were divorced. And my father, you know, said, "just make a box of macaroni and cheese". That wasn't food. It's just a filler. So I came up with dishes. I was doing maybe Duck a l'Orange at age 16. At 16 years of age, I was doing hard meat entrees, you know that nobody does. It's, you know, back then we didn't have Chef Jr. This was like 1977, 1978, 1979. That's why we'd go to Mrs. Smith's house, next door. Mrs. Smith, she always had something to eat. And she knew when Oliver was coming, he'd be hungry. So that was really phenomenal that she was there for me. And I really wish that I can see her more often, you know, and have our talks. And I do meet her on Facebook, and talk to her there. And her sons, Paul and Ron are on Facebook as well. But there's nothing like meeting them face to face, and sitting down and talking about the old days when we used to be together. Lev Kalmens 17:22 And what takes up your time these days? Oliver Hintz 17:24 I'm not cooking anymore. I have a slipped disc in my back. So, it makes it very hard to stand. I wrote the book; it came out March 26 of 2019. It's called "Journaling Through Bipolar Disorder". I have a pen name, which is named Max Joseph, which is the name of the book, and it's a memoir about my life in America and the present time. I encourage everyone to read it. It's a book from the bottom my heart, and it's about the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Other than that -- cooking I still try at home; my my wife is actually a better cook than I am, even though she didn't take cooking skills. But I always tell her how to use a knife because knowing how to use a knife is the most important thing else you wind up with cut fingers. Lev Kalmens 18:22 Tell me about some of the people you met in high school. Oliver Hintz 18:25 I met Walter, who was a second friend in junior high, at Niles West, which is over in Skokie. I met him in junior high school, in gym class. We were playing a game; one of those little electronic computer games. And I asked if I can play, and we became good friends and his parents were very good to me. They were from Yugoslavia and Germany. His dad was from Yugoslavia and his mother was from Germany. And Walter spoke some German, some English, not really good. But he did the best he could. And I praise him for that. We went to a lot of the German functions in the German areas like the Dank Haus; we went to Schwab Center, different German places to go where we would meet and speak German. Shopping was very popular over in Buffalo Grove. It's called the Schwab Center, and they would have a late Oktoberfest in August. We're still friends today. He lives in Prospect Heights. He works for American Airlines. I'm really blessed that I have so many good friends that I can relate to and we always talk about the past. We also lost a lot of friends recently. We lost David Woodfield from Lincolnwood. He was a Wooder. A Wooder is a person that's from Linclnwood and we call them Wooders. And we call them Grovers if they are from Morton Grove. I just want to let the parents know that he will be missed. Dave Woodfield was his name; he was in the army. He lived in the Philippines with his wife and two kids. And we just had spoken on Facebook a few weeks ago, and it's very sad to see someone pass at such a young age. Lev Kalmens 20:23 Looking back on your life so far, how has it been different from what you may have thought it would be when you were growing up? Or when you were little? Oliver Hintz 20:31 I actually had no idea. You know, at eight months old, you know, I didn't know much, but 1967 came around. That was the big snowstorm in Chicago, and I remember living on Southport near Cubs Stadium. Lev Kalmens 20:53 Southport and Addison? Oliver Hintz 20:54 Yes. I know we lived by a huge ballpark. And then it later came out to be Chicago Cubs. And I'm always a big Cubs fan. Always will say, "hey, go Cubs". We had a big snowstorm in '67. And the snow was taller than me because I consider myself tall at 6'4". I was probably only three feet tall, and the snow was higher than I was. I remember the big snowstorm. Buses were left in their tracks. Taxi cabs were all over the place. And if you can bring a taxi cab back to the station, you could get $50. But I did not know how to drive. I was eight years old. But I had a great life living in the States. I know we moved several times in Ravenswood. But my best memory was Lincolnwood. Even when I'm at home in Rolling Meadows. I listen. "Lincolnwood? What are they talking about Lincolnwood? What's going on?" It's just that name represents so much; so much goodness, and so much happiness for me. So I am happy to share my story with Lev, and hope that other people will enjoy my story. And thank you from the bottom of my heart. Lev Kalmens 22:12 You're welcome. And thank you for sharing your Lincolnwood story with us. Oliver Hintz 22:15 Thank you. https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/bc5dfefb0b0ed0a3627e7e3b8b5e6c0a.jpeg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=HOwtm6fwxhCNXrDmjfurNP7cHTlPDwnQ4EuWLmZXNip51sQs8Ba1PaAMPuGVyDn3ykGsyoLRNsKAi2nbjWZ4oxW%7EFTsNHoOdl6dUPz85cmyqQ2XZux%7EWvSeBfMeckFRdomwaVNeXnZ%7EsO7h1MUpfPndepzK-HQoeyFV4IpTOS2LAT9OFXYXEyB-cuhzlh4RvzogM0oL1TX2K51DBSzJnodui7NRI0dX3OljlL1zDM3u4vlG4VHvupcODJYHRGgTJToTc9Ky-Fx0LT1An-6wwu3X7IuY00NdV8i2CTfOVPv8QtHS7RFSKybuy-LBLaL1PtVBIgOu9nLYfwmF88XPQIw__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM bf49cf7c121529f7fa624bc6ce5854bb Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Chuck and Lawrence Miller https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/11191d524f51f86157fa256f66189eee.mp3?Expires=1792022400&Signature=minN3q-KNDOBsMPgJ2oCvS45JIGZUB7cwf0Y-dEIYIuXpKVXZgnZK71qck-0-NojMTBYnxJtoS9GAQ0z2eDgSGb8TSG1tNdbi43QM9HeYZKJ2gFDWnyLiXNx5hGLQPnmPH%7E42iq7A0NKQzWQ9oFtWMwusOuZAHf8jRWUykrGMS8D9rtzffAFSE2wepQ4fii4F%7EvQ8faGbGjOrVVUGcrwDlimTAJU7xcgv2Tnj-YTbG-9zoPhXLklsF5AJf0ntN4KZZh0TrOF6CXLdUSFvI0BFp7cWxBKOyu5Y%7EitZwo4xLN-KTHpfKItxaspbVK%7EHSKdMrPGkNCKekqRlIOxeyfrLA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 4faf4394bb4bca5d6a368242e8b6ff03 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story- Lawrence H. Miller https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/e8927240fef23f6a1e1bb2d08ea3d0f7.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=XkPiKSEto9Mhk2JR1mGARnO0JmuU2rkfm71UMm1BfFJD8jgvwS5jYpagLC64vF5IAtc0CeUsP0xBMVqLooShEXvEf9GoQpEyzmA9dFENQUkBcFPNTUUzQXw6iCTjPWhDeDf1zNCLhEp1u2pI3rE0C5lxcF4ZCztt7yGTNEt8FkdX-vDPQulZ6fiPjIrGIjY0wAQ4xRlAiaMAcB3DgIkkpLOeHTKq0Gp-9WQmB4HmIDtfIk8IFCGFNrFZXqlOzjAwZWbDZ8Dqs0mLPfyhIPB1KCbdcvp6E8VCO7HtVUGiRIigbYhdAWnBeTMQxy-NoAuSv9YfioVCHMRxLYhw8gzeQw__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 181be2c03c096c9fd6cb3bf0e53b8ee2 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Mr. Miller’s father (left), Charles, with his siblings, (l-r) Catherine Miller, Fred Miller, Clara Blameuser, Henry Miller, Marie Miller, June 1955 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/9edc2a33f0949f6f459de9fc05784e92.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=gs7gbHjzZFTjBGqAOZfmi43WGWIYkC52QaRCSo6qucGN8eIch8o6N6ePCNgr03vYp20Nia4dIXXlrxNRysFarsvm8tmWGN1ohGi9YYJiTsdslQMpya5ugCC0RhJ-784fTflU0JX1K3ycUyfOy307xE5igHr6EQjcTDYYtxZDtMefqz03MESeL3Cp3cS-mdJfJezXrr89RY7o-CwFzVgYZPKKlAvvS0oQgszu4U8XhF2qCNckaKf64cpu-3rrRy%7E7bUy13ZTGT3mzFuoKgqmtBiwybF46-q0Dd585Hn55zWFITx0aGjHslGKaW5rCMTTHFv8YSxLxPJNLPnUfVbkRKA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 7c3c0a04f02f15794644515cd83ef9a7 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Mr. Miller’s grandfather, 1934 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/ff7c7cb3001bc3e11694e2f38f778830.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=fjg1HTriyPO95K6P6LtrhADwqaDM7JcZJgKIKb4CGq6sAJRJNb6C46NSwtk7a1hmI0aUOUms6cP1TO-rGjaIe1tDfNJn3TZglCDZd2l383oyNl23cby5nHpSKXna%7EiC6zxuQRbCXzy02MrXV4LW3cY%7EHH36nVkU5XR7Z26Wq5HT0SbRmeQYJEDc9yzhz0HYicTnyGo44SDYxoemBfvh5kuQF2iZlzBmzTn%7EZ-MdFCw26VwLMDv1dCxlsMoXkzHVkaBsDrLAJ4w-qcJ0LI6-bkSZ8J5eipvH2AmEx16FdPev-fJNcSIV%7EOgxZSF3g0X4A7lrCzDB2xlWKIUL5UJucxA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM e6aabef8bfae038d4f22a0f63092bdbc Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Mr. Miller’s wife, Ruth Oppice, 1942 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/86adfba09ccedc8d144ac0e0b4f8d869.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=YDJVDHTJtXjgOvwIWy8uvEb%7EH0O%7ELeKE8hkbIogf4T-k0Bw3fSct7cXhdlcFPQBrlLvegek47%7ERpWXhalXfk1c-Qe0phlkRb30Phh95WywZD0o55Ba%7E9w%7EcfxhkxRElfbS47l%7EMWgM4dNjYOmWTvgqNm%7EKp5P7xbbia7RC55THPYOpsmjp0kcta5ynKsKKKzieH5GsTz7MwxoEJjX%7EkwYMBnrBjCQa8gBWMcVN6UnWfsJnGaprTgjwxyE9h9ILrsrSVauKIAeowYD3Db9ludd0kXkOtzdZAxmTIocoACXoKtU1OxKi4fcZrnFfrM311WeM6rHwrudRxT%7EYM2WBLS4Q__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 31b9743b91868d1a447900378822d1c8 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Charles N. Miller Greenhouse, looking east. Touhy Ave on the far right, Chase Ave. in the center, 1930s Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story Description An account of the resource My Lincolnwood Story was an oral history project which aimed to explore the past and present of Lincolnwood by documenting stories of its residents. The main goal of this project was to record, preserve, and share audio interviews with the Lincolnwood community in order to connect residents with the history of their neighbors. This project presented Lincolnwood residents with an opportunity to share their story, and for all patrons – a chance to learn about the diverse community of Lincolnwood. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story- Lawrence H. Miller Subject The topic of the resource “At the time, when I was there, the population of Tessville was 450.” Lawrence (Larry) H. Miller was born in Morton Grove and moved to Lincolnwood with his parents and siblings in 1925 to a house on Kostner Ave. and Chase Ave. In this interview, Mr. Miller talks about being in the first graduating class of Niles Township High School, coaching little league baseball, his background as a graphic artist and more. He is interviewed by his son, Chuck Miller. Click <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQsE2qn578c" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a> to view footage of the construction of Lincolnwood School provided by Mr. Miller. The views and opinions expressed in interviews do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Lincolnwood Public Library, including its Board of Trustees and staff. TRANSCRIPT: Chuck Miller 0:00 Good morning. This is Chuck Miller and my dad, Larry Miller. It's April 18, 2019. I am interviewing him about his time when he grew up and knew Lincolnwood and Tessville. So dad, can you tell me who was the first Miller in the family that came to Tessville before you? Larry Miller 0:24 The first one who came here was my grandfather, Henry Miller. And he built the house, and it had to be before 1900. Chuck Miller 0:41 You found records. Where was the house? Larry Miller 0:45 On Kostner Avenue, about 7241? I think North Kostner. And according to the Census Bureau -- in 1900 was Henry Miller, my grandfather, Clara, his wife, and three of his oldest children. The oldest one was Charles, my father, and then Henry and Clara. That was in the 1900 Census. Chuck Miller 1:23 All right. Now, was the house, you said, on Kostner, which was between Chase and Touhy. So just north of Touhy Avenue. Larry Miller 1:31 Yes. Chuck Miller 1:32 Okay. Chuck Miller 1:33 And you mentioned greenhouses. What can you tell the people what they mean by the greenhouses? He was in the greenhouse business. Larry Miller 1:43 Well, a greenhouse business was where growers -- they were wholesalers -- and the greenhouses were what they used. They were a unit. Each unit was called a house, together it was the greenhouses, and they totaled 66,000 square feet. Chuck Miller 2:10 Wow. Okay. That was quite a big greenhouses setup then. Larry Miller 2:15 I think so. Chuck Miller 2:16 Okay. Now, when he built that -- your grandfather, or when he was there -- he wasn't actually the builder. But he was out there working the land to get it ready for somebody to build. Is that correct, or --? Larry Miller 2:32 My father and another man, who handled a horse, did most of the leveling of the ground, preparing for the builders when they came in. Chuck Miller 2:45 And then when it was all built, your father and brothers bought the house? They bought the greenhouse and everything from them? Larry Miller 2:56 My dad and his two brothers bought the greenhouses from my grandfather. And they were now the owners of -- at that time was called Miller Brothers Greenhouses or Miller Brothers Florist. Chuck Miller 3:15 But then sometime later your father bought out your brothers. Larry Miller 3:20 My dad was drafted -- went into the army in 1917 -- [during] World War I, and came out in '18. Shortly after that my two uncles decided to sell to my dad, and they went into a different business. So somewhere around that time, my dad purchased the greenhouses from his two brothers. Chuck Miller 3:49 Okay. I think you had told me at one time you were born in Morton Grove. Larry Miller 3:58 I was born in Morton Grove because when my dad came back from service, my uncle Fred had the house next to the greenhouses. My dad and mom rented a house in Morton Grove. And my sister, who was born in 1920, was born in Morton Grove, and I was born in Morton Grove also. Shortly after that, about 1925 or thereabout, my folks moved into the house that my uncle Fred had originally built when they bought the greenhouses from their two brothers. Chuck Miller 4:43 Now, when you lived in what was then Tessville, do you remember what the population was? Larry Miller 4:51 At the time when I was here in a population of Tessville was 450. Chuck Miller 4:55 [laughs] Okay. And a lot of a lot of policemen and people would take care of the town? Larry Miller 5:05 Yes, we had one policeman. His name was Lawrence Shea. I don't know how you spell it, if it was S-H-E-A or S-H -- I think that's the way it was spelled. Chuck Miller 5:18 You were telling me he used to do something every summer for the kids in Tessville. Larry Miller 5:25 Every summer they had Tessville day, which was an all day party in a park, or sort of park, next to where Henry Proesel, the mayor's house was. Lawrence Shea, the chief, would make the rounds of all the homes in Tessville that had children and give each of them five free tickets to Tessville Day. These tickets were worth five cents apiece. But they were good for pop, or hotdog, or whatever. Chuck Miller 6:07 You told me you remember a big fire back in the day. It was at Becker Box Company or Beaker? Larry Miller 6:18 Yes, Becker Box Company was located on Lincoln Avenue just east of Touhy. It was quite a large box factory, all wood. And when that burned, it was quite a tremendous fire. Chuck Miller 6:37 And what building then came there later? Larry Miller 6:45 The building that you're referring to, I think, was the restaurant and so forth at Lincoln and Touhy, that later on was the Purple Hotel. And I can't remember the name of the restaurant, but that burned also - it was quite a fire. Quite a few fire departments in the area were there for that one. Chuck Miller 7:15 Now, when you were growing up, you went to school in what was called Niles Center. Larry Miller 7:22 [overlapping] That's correct -- Chuck Miller 7:23 Which later became Skokie. Larry Miller 7:25 Right. Chuck Miller 7:26 Okay. You told me you remember the first Tessville school bus? And there was something unique about that? Larry Miller 7:37 First of all, I think that Tessville school bus was really the first school bus for the area around there. It was, I remember, green and wicker seats. In fact, if I want to go further, double seat on the left and a single seat on the right, Chuck Miller 7:58 Okay. Larry Miller 7:58 It's my memory of the Lincolnwood school bus. Now, that took care of East Prairie School in Tessville and also St. Peter's Catholic School in Skokie; at that time was Niles Center. Chuck Miller 8:16 Right. Okay. You went to high school. You said you spent a year at St. Gregory's High School and then you transferred after that. Larry Miller 8:32 I transferred my sophomore year into the brand new Niles Township East High School. So I was in actually in the first graduating class from Niles East. Chuck Miller 8:48 Okay. And in your senior year, you met somebody there who you got to be close to for quite a while. Larry Miller 8:59 Well, I met Ruth Oppice. We dated a few times. At that time, when you got out of high school, you could anticipate going into service and so it's 1942. So, I was in service from '42 to '46. And after I came back from service, we got together again and got married in 1948. Chuck Miller 9:31 Okay, and married quite a few years, as I recall. Larry Miller 9:37 Fifty-six. Chuck Miller 9:38 Fifty-six, holy cow! That's not very common nowadays. But congratulations on that. Larry Miller 9:44 Thank you. Chuck Miller 9:46 I think I was there some of the time. Larry Miller 9:50 I believe you were. Chuck Miller 9:53 And then you moved into a house in Lincolnwood in, what - 1953? Larry Miller 10:00 I think that was -- I'm not -- Chuck Miller 10:02 Somewhere around there. That's when I was born in '53. Larry Miller 10:07 Okay, you were born in '53 then it was a couple of years later -- no, it was right after you were born when we moved there, yeah. Chuck Miller 10:20 Okay. In one of your notes, you told me that there was something interesting that all the houses in Lincolnwood had to have. Larry Miller 10:29 Well, at that -- Chuck Miller 10:30 [overlapping] Which I hated. Larry Miller 10:31 At that time the rules were when you built a house, a house had to have an incinerator in the basement, so that you could burn your garbage and trash because they didn't have garbage pickup at that time. So every basement had an incinerator and that's where you put your newspapers in, whatever food stuff we weren't using went into the incinerator in hope it burned completely. Chuck Miller 11:07 One of the things I remember you telling me about was there was a place at Lincoln and Devon that you used to go to that was a root beer stand. Larry Miller 11:20 I don't think anything like that could ever exist now. It was a root beer stand and the price of root beer was 5 cents a glass. Now, the important thing was when you got a glass, you had to wait until all the foam settled because otherwise you couldn't drink more than one. But you hung out and it was an unusual situation, I think. Chuck Miller 11:49 Well, an interesting sidebar to that, at Lincoln and Devon, there was a bowling alley at some time, across there called Devlin. Larry Miller 12:03 Devon Lincoln. Chuck Miller 12:06 Now the sidebar is, my wife's grandfather owned that bowling alley. She lived in Morton Grove, but we have some photos. There was a photo that shows her grandfather's greenhouse, which was about eight blocks away from the greenhouse where you grew up. Larry Miller 12:28 That was the Fortman's Greenhouse. Chuck Miller 12:32 So when you had the house and Lincolnwood what would be like your fondest -- was there a fondest memory or something of the house or the neighborhood that you would pass on to people, something that you really liked about it? Larry Miller 12:49 Well I liked the house and I liked the area. Across the street, directly across the street from me, was a small park which was about maybe 90 feet in width. The kids in the neighborhood used to play ball in there and if we didn't watch them, they would get a league ball and -- Chuck Miller 13:14 [overlapping] Smack some windows -- Larry Miller 13:16 -- a couple of times I went out in front of the house and played left field not by their request but to protect my picture window in the living room. Chuck Miller 13:29 This house was on Kildare, which was also between Touhy and Chase, and still there. Larry Miller 13:36 Yes, still there. Chuck Miller 13:37 The park is still there. I've driven by there and it's twice as small looking as it was when I used to play there. Larry Miller 13:43 Oh, it's a beautiful park, you know. Chuck Miller 13:48 But other than that, yes, I thought it was a very nice, quaint neighborhood, something you would always see in a TV movie. And one of the things I remember is when I would ride my bike down the street, it was always very shady. The trees grew over and it was just this beautiful tree lined street. And then at some point later something came in and took care of all that and changed it forever. Larry Miller 14:19 Well, and during the Depression years, Mayor Proesel hired a lot of young fellows who are unemployed and they build and planted elm trees throughout all of Lincolnwood -- or Tessville, I think it was Lincolnwood by that time. And this would have been just a beautiful -- every street covered with trees, curb to curb. Later on Dutch Elm disease came in and everything was cut down and destroyed because of the Dutch Elm disease. So we lost all the trees that would have been just beautiful. Chuck Miller 15:20 You noted something about Fourth of July with fireworks or fireworks stands. Larry Miller 15:28 Well, at Touhy, and, you might say at Touhy and Kostner was a great old place called the Kenilworth Inn. And next to that was always -- maybe two or three weeks before Fourth of July -- would be a firework stand and across the street at tullian Lincoln was another firework stand. Now, the Kenilworth Inn was a bar and many of the slightly inebriated people from the bar would start shooting off fireworks for a couple of weeks before Fourth of July near our house, which was just a block away. We heard much, much fireworks at that time. Chuck Miller 16:31 And then I think years later the big empty lot over there that was right off Touhy and Lincoln became a driving range for golf. Or a lot of years later, I think. Larry Miller 16:43 It would have been really if Kostner had gone through it. We would hit the old Kenworth in which was still there at that time and just to the east of it was a golf driving range for a couple of years. That's long gone. Chuck Miller 17:03 And then Kenilworth moved, kind of accross the street. Larry Miller 17:07 Kenilworth was torn down and a new one was built across the street and that building is still there. I'm trying to think -- Chuck Miller 17:17 [overlapping] I don't know if it's L Woods or -- Larry Miller 17:21 Yeah, I'm not sure the name now. Chuck Miller 17:25 And I think your dad used to be a patron of the old Kenilworth in the evenings sometimes, because he had to do something over at the greenhouse. Larry Miller 17:35 Well, some times the greenhouse used to have a fireman, which stayed through the night to make sure that the boilers were going and temperature was up or you would lose the entire crop. And during the war years it was difficult to find someone to do that sort of work and my dad would go over and stoke the boilers and then maybe late evenings go over to the Kenilworth and sit for an hour or two with the owner and have a few drinks and come back about two in the morning and restoked the boilers again until the crew came in early on next morning. Chuck Miller 18:33 Now during the time that you were in Lincolnwood you knew of, I think, one mayor? Larry Miller 18:40 Well it was one mayor that started, I think, before I was there and was still mayor years and years after. I don't know how many years. Henry Proesel was mayor of Lincolnwood Chuck Miller 18:57 You were pretty good friends with him? Larry Miller 19:00 Well -- Chuck Miller 19:00 [overlapping] or you knew of them or everybody knew everybody? Larry Miller 19:03 We knew the family and I knew his son and daughter. I knew Henry also. Chuck Miller 19:11 And your father knew him obviously from being on the school board. Larry Miller 19:16 I'm not sure. I think my dad might have been on the village board but I'm not sure. I know later on he was on the school board. Chuck Miller 19:28 Someone else that knew him was your father in law. Because when your wife, when mom, Ruth Oppice, moved to Lincolnwood, and then when you guys got married later, her father lived in Lincolnwood. Off of Pratt and Kilpatrick over there. Larry Miller 19:48 Yeah, Kilpatrick. Chuck Miller 19:49 I know he was pretty good friends with Mayor Proesel. Larry Miller 19:53 I think he was on the village board also. He was also, I'm trying to think of what year that would have been, about 1951 or so. He was president of the American Dental Association. [inaudible] the first before that president of the Chicago Dental Association, and then later the American Dental Association. Chuck Miller 20:31 When you lived in Lincolnwood, you belonged to a few groups or organizations. You were in American Legion. You are a member of the Legion, right? Larry Miller 20:44 American Legion had a very nice building there, a nice post. In fact, I think, you worked there part time. Chuck Miller 20:57 I worked there part time. Yes. For some weddings and dances and stuff. But it was quite a -- you had a big group of members, I think, in there, didn't you? Larry Miller 21:10 Yeah. Chuck Miller 21:12 And then later on I remember you helping out with coaching in Lincolnwood when they had Little League. I mean, I remember having you as a coach one year. Larry Miller 21:23 Yeah. Well, your older brother Tom, was the first one in little league from our family. And you were the second and I was an assistant coach, I think, at that time. As I recall from that, our coach used to get in some unusual spats with other coaches and the rules finally came out that he was not allowed to step across the foul line. And if there was any discussion or description or discretion going on, I was to take his place because if he crossed the line, we forfeited the game. Chuck Miller 22:10 I know who the coach was, but I'll refrain from naming them [laughs] for posterity. In case one of his children happens to hear any of this. You noted something about Lincolnwood fastpitch softball. What was that? Larry Miller 22:27 Well, that was a softball league that had teams from -- we had one from Lincolnwood, there were a couple of them from Skokie, and a couple from Morton Grove. And these [players] were mostly from about 18, 25, 30 years old, something like that. That league dissolved during the war, and then after we came back from service, it continued for a couple more years. Chuck Miller 22:58 Now, fastpitch and slowpitch are two different things. So what is the difference? Larry Miller 23:04 Fastpitch was a 12 inch ball and slowpitch was a 16 inch and very slow. The pitch had to have an arc on it. Fastpitch was as fast as the pitcher could throw it. Chuck Miller 23:24 I think now you'll see sometimes in Hollywood, the celebrities will play softball. They all were mitts. Now they're playing 16 inch with a mitt. Chicago is, I think, is the only area where they do not wear mitts to play 16 inch softball. Larry Miller 23:41 Well, Chicago was about the only place where 16 inch slowpitch was played. I played one season there. No, we never use mitts for 16 inch softball. Chuck Miller 23:58 When you lived in Lincolnwood, you worked where? You worked in Chicago, right? In a number of places. Larry Miller 24:08 Yeah. And studio in Evanston, and then downtown Chicago. Chuck Miller 24:15 Well, you were on Michigan Avenue. Larry Miller 24:23 Michigan and -- Chuck Miller 24:24 Wacker. Larry Miller 24:25 Wacker. Right. Chuck Miller 24:26 Which is now a hotel. Larry Miller 24:28 Yes. I think it was the Stone Container building. Chuck Miller 24:32 The old Stone Container building, which moved years later. And the type of work that you did, I remember growing up, you had pencils from when you had your studio and it said "advertising art". And then years later it was transferred to really be called graphic arts. You know, you grew up as a graphic artist. Larry Miller 24:57 That was it. Yeah. Chuck Miller 24:59 And you went to school. You went to art school in Chicago. Larry Miller 25:03 Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. Chuck Miller 25:08 That's where Walt Disney went. Larry Miller 25:09 Oh. I didn't -- Chuck Miller 25:11 He wasn't in your classes there. Larry Miller 25:12 [overlapping] He wasn't there. No. Chuck Miller 25:13 [laughing] Okay. You stayed in Lincolnwood and then you finally moved out in - what was that about? 1986? Something like that? Larry Miller 25:26 I can't -- don't recall it the year. Chuck Miller 25:35 Since then you've driven by the old neighborhood a few times to see how it looks and everything. I'm sure you're going to say things changed a little bit? Larry Miller 25:47 Well, after we sold the house, those people who bought the house resold some years later, and it was enlarged quite a bit. From the outside appears to be the same. But inside it was enlarged and improve quite a bit. Chuck Miller 26:18 What would you think was the biggest change from when you grew up in Lincolnwood to when you left Lincolnwood? And now that you're been away from there, what do you think was the biggest change that you've noticed? If anything? Just the population or -- ? Larry Miller 26:39 Well, the population for certain I don't know what the population is now. Chuck Miller 26:45 Probably 470 now or something? If it was 450 back then it's probably grown alot. Okay. Oh, because when I drive back, I look and I notice it's a town of Walgreens, I think. There seems to be a Walgreens at every corner. But yes, it's grown a lot over the years. I don't know. I know you said your favorite memory was that, you know, it was a pretty town and you really liked the quaintness. Was there anything else about Lincolnwood that, you know, [is there] one thing you could say about Lincolnwood? Larry Miller 27:25 Well, it always seemed to be a very well kept, clean town. And as the years progressed, I think there were almost every lot was filled with homes. So very seldom did you find a vacant lot around Lincolnwood after many years, Chuck Miller 27:50 As opposed to when you were growing up, looking at the pictures that you gave me. It was pretty empty. And I remember when I was growing up, there were a lot of empty lots, which were fun for us, because we would go play in the construction sites of houses, but you'd get in trouble. Yeah, but one of the things I recall people telling me about Lincolnwood was years ago the taxes were reasonable. And if they needed certain services they would get them from other communities. Like, before they had a fire department, it was Chicago and Skokie. They would just call them when they needed them and paid per -- Larry Miller 28:20 Yes. Chuck Miller 28:38 But then since then they've got their own Fire Department. More than one policeman now. Larry Miller 28:46 Yes. Chuck Miller 28:50 Were there any businesses in Lincolnwood that you, you know, have fond memories of? Oh, I really like this place or that place? Or I remember the little grocery store that used to be on Touhy by Keystone. There was Linwood, I think was when I was there. Larry Miller 29:08 It was an IGA grocery. That was about the first large grocery store in Lincolnwood. Chuck Miller 29:20 Now did you know the people that owned that, or -- Larry Miller 29:23 No, not the IGA. There was a very small grocery shop, you might say, prior to that, we knew those people, but that was just very small. Chuck Miller 29:53 You remember the two hardware stores in Lincolnwood? They were both Touhy Avenue. Larry Miller 30:00 I just remember the one -- trying to think, I think I had a name? I don't recall the name. Chuck Miller 30:08 The one that was closer to Cicero or Skokie Boulevard had an interesting sign that would flash. It was called Sam the Hardware Man. Larry Miller 30:20 Right, Sam Lerner I think was his name. And there was a drugstore, a small drugstore next door to him. I can't remember -- well, we dealt with him. I can't remember his name. That was before the the giant Walgreens and so forth took over. Chuck Miller 30:46 And a couple of doors away, I remember, was the First Bank of Lincolnwood. Larry Miller 30:52 Well, First Bank of Lincolnwood was at Lincoln and Touhy. Chuck Miller 30:57 I thought it was right by the railroad tracks on Touhy. But maybe not. I remember the one at Lincoln and Touhy but I thought prior to that it was there but -- Larry Miller 31:08 Could be. Chuck Miller 31:10 You're kind of old. What do you know? Larry Miller 31:11 [overlapping] Yeah, I'm getting old now. Chuck Miller 31:13 And you do remember the Purple Hotel, which I always knew it as the Hyatt House. Larry Miller 31:22 I think the nickname always still prevails, they still refer to it as a Purple Hotel. Because it was purple. Chuck Miller 31:35 And over at the big Lincolnwood Park, as we called it, now it's Proesel Park, they used to have a day camp there. And I remember all of us kids going to the Lincolnwood day camp. Do you remember what the fee was for that? By any chance? Larry Miller 31:58 Gosh! I don't even remember if there was a fee? Was it $5? Chuck Miller 32:03 I think it was $5 a kid for the summer. I think the guy in charge was Mr. Gundy. I think he was a principal over at Lincolnwood School for a number of years. Just a big memory there. But yeah, it was quite a quite a park. Anything else you can think of that you want to pass on about your life growing up and Lincolnwood and spending a lot of time there? Larry Miller 32:38 I enjoyed my time there. I don't know what else to say. Chuck Miller 32:45 Would you move back? Larry Miller 32:47 Would I move back? At this time? At age 94? I don't think I would move back into a house. I'm in a condo now. Chuck Miller 33:01 Anything you would want to tell people about maybe if they thought about going to Lincolnwood or what they should look for? To say something to finalize your interview. Larry Miller 33:15 I would say if you're planning to go to Lincolnwood check with realtors and find out what's available. It's not going to be the same price as it was when I built there. Chuck Miller 33:33 But you had many happy years there and lots of good memories, it sounds like. I know I did. I want to thank you for coming here with me to take the time to do this interview. Larry Miller 33:45 Well, it was my pleasure. I'm sure. Chuck Miller 33:50 Well thank you again. https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/1e1eec6b8c4be86be7dbdf787221efe1.jpeg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=t85fJ9P1GNg-Q27FfiruOOHv6JOMcHdk9uDVczByPcdpmNB6h9F2e6FGuSqRBDoFkhwMP-MNavZoWmgUg-Q8-mOfp0Ize55USZ-kfucbhOFxmhjLg6o-DjrirGd5bmGLNh%7E1mNnUPXu3V4AtwlbbYRykN08LrYU1srg9Pfi927mH4-Ti2UryUXXaSGq0-P69v%7EJ2sZecO95LqQ%7EUkjEN922SPUPpoPea1Icj95k8IUYppAcyts2NtCVrBnex9HqILkSMKajO%7ETBRzBQ13wTBD0qe9g0%7E8zJ8JcjxGkgtjlHAkr8mSV870yldYpKz3aHjl5L-UZF-ohpUVsqdhPNuug__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 5dcdc3cb273dbc1542d30b90b83cb4e3 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource John and Juli Rossi https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/0cef1f794a1355acc62cfc47f239d766.mp3?Expires=1792022400&Signature=JeD1kBUub9i-axgd2yI2KKQp5CRYB6i9w-IIKFhTdKORVrjZfULmup%7ErPtbKo7KUflWW1eHObQ%7E3Nxhh47fSgDDVFOppHwfC0M22gOiGGJUekiCM0FDWVB7gtoObf5jqU7-NhfLwczukAWUw3UjON7ZlDPBkNQiFajHnkGvFlddN1h8RkHtkmyotGuOjlEPIgApLTVZseOOchnAhvEulJQg%7EZgSj1Dk8SUhYEMcAkPJ4YuRp4REmN3a70mc31TKpTYI%7EARNylsadTCWJLxjkCdzDyFotKrsM9sNtx54zMgM2MN0Kd-4tXcaCdCxW-3RyPR0Y801QpD1-540iF1Bg9w__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 37794e3cb126523e02ce12221a6110fa Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story- John Rossi https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/814b2412673cd0f63bdab5a7fb6ef777.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=sY2VP8yNRnRB8E0dSSZpTMkkPa4xiGE3dJ1qUOpR8taG9EqhOq%7EQUb7O06bVkIJbmMijxF4Haawa6ijLBm9QZe7uoP0YEBZQ5HUM8EZ5A13u8VajvcNS4CPmo6usBk2CnFeZXaKFCBPLVCQwq3FM9BergnG-xfAyFJ3sqBZ2NKfpPhNrkNfJgsa-9RJ3DNMLveAfaZOI8Pu3ULzUFyFaQ9zFH7eeZoYdFQR0AJgBZ7DfrAD1hvojDujNaSNoZ-QT59om2LiUO7x2m%7ExefKEtRwTm1NAAigy%7EZ3GuC5QCIgjvo3srZ28muUFfvBN2RGeaClomNZNsGGJQJbKOWFBKJg__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM b6858b24530f39cdde69147308014277 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource John and his pet turtle, Hardhead, 1958 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/995883e9d642a22f9664f0b4714dbdfb.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=TLG4egSTBe51WAIsrWTv0b65ouxn8pbcMoP6N7%7EuWea96APqo1TDAPJ4v-pdGLW-vPn9qm52EPLf-z8SYzgXypU4FbJ3lYQ4hWNoqcJM3kuNJs-Pa1RsbU2wVsQRIIxq0MTXf%7EfS4qFt66LeU9cvMbWtHBDViHi6wLjv6W70xgFRrVcaXKzk5IG%7EK7KTVIJf-LTZRU59ZrCUa2b6DtXeEx6YWIqt3IMhwGUkSww-MUVwIrscbe2N6zo0sRor3KFroxS-OgGdwII12kAX6rqqK8LZicabSiOPUKfd7jz5kAoT8BXVXdwXnSTAn7PSCfbJIyq1lnErlCvwbLSTTtv5Eg__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 81ea6ba6f92a8bf7181e313d1799c8ac Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource John’s (circled on left) kindergarten class, 1958 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/a70460eab6b32c3ec27039f8a40b2eba.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=Z5dfuBDapuSx-2H4omYxq8YvS%7EMKB0zNLYR-nt-XV-t%7EDFMFwtvOA-0xxgYr2X2JKhuQw5hAZ4hSPS9I51KKPLsNPNnHmdwiRzaLuP9fxfMjmUoPlBDCcKDKHnsId8cBEK4Rfrp6cNlq%7EJrQMkQ79b6lotnuwp7vD2KEH4hFSQetzV9V%7EqU53uZLiqjOkS9UKqJqf6ThLAhjfxnrkDaMjuBDZmdxDvas7d6cKqSQKGrBOFNc7G8EQaihjQBMgNZH-7bqQEIKUle%7ELaiPjizMqr4qQl%7ESwvOkZJ6SOCf3uBABt5zPnwXhokW1RsfyHBoAwBltbOFFmHxpXUBjtwgFbg__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 8669c420775b4978403e465faae6c7b9 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource John and Tiger, 1965 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/8e30200f00b19f7eb4e6c954b81a70df.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=WemNc2gSASUvWAgq7vaW%7ElDuJt8-3ScXfKZgMOyX9QcP%7EeyjzYV%7E-vdxNR%7EHdY06X%7EDXY2kcc2p6DoGi9JpUEx12%7EwpQHgKIMEo4H05DMRt%7EXsGkKyKU%7ElX%7EqLY%7E6b%7EJDKR6sPQ71boQJgBAirmZ84DzyWYFccs7x7GIii6uwEUXlwEhTP6aV69J9DDmRrdOM6pGew272c9ST0ZPCuUIZHLVEEycIhAfQSmIp55dQ1h1Dx2vRsN0tCaJjNgtOVhIAjIlP9hkAKn1aSUlBMt6kSUf3iObWPGpeda5ddERDRdTz3d1aSvVX9pBFapNCli5vAFiejxqUsscyjYlfuJd-w__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM c8610a3c053890a2b3d690ce6fced75a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource John (left) and Dick (right) Rossi, with their father, Richard Rossi (center), 1971 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/1000935273dc1560cf28106218badfc3.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=iGkZYfO3g2alIvpsdJcTBFLp4J%7ERVbcvGAG43hkhKoxQ66657RcJXJ2YZv8O0LibMtNP4%7E%7Emd6DXS-uvrW33rW3DiKBKlvf5Q7F20urXAgivf8bFQMUJ0AZYDYh7cshSAKewSczj6V0K3BpjYoP3sDqGiypeZjqhBiUqzLTlRYV1nb9Kr51v-bC0L%7EU9mIzrgYpjSkHq8%7EiJT1cij-iG2QZGW0IInDHSfUCo0pvRb1UI%7E%7EpWw8CtVeJpUA--dH%7Ei%7EvnuIT%7E0J6h3Zjwjw97-B0ou66uSn6t6t9tRh8nQUE9Bu838pNSRDNyz%7Edp9cQDNVyFdFdD6NBgb2nzNrrSOgQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM a74aaecdd059bcf8850e66030609b79f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource John Rossi and Chuck Miller https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/bb734a7fbd3952a660dd01f7dcb392c5.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=Ml9pDB73mgnKg5YpM5ZF3fDVmQa9MAATlWbBP3tPjpe93HRT%7E1i09ruP4VVkuPUI4AL4w73C81myXXy1NL69RG99hRGRKqQ9iAin2ZY4pRz4dQQk8gfezuOs52ZJ-NqM9-EQlTvmkvawMpPjFx3GFYAHG1Fg00czEgL9JHlTLtpIk6jLpQbPYRsZR5mK-T9Gbn42GNXxElufEKv8hvdVsEzc0UrcRty1aqnzRh8cJbkRyg59%7EjvrC65PRu%7ElEl9kKWxjiAMUYaUJqD1HygNBxHJnb8d5IeFB%7EVfUIv7paodATIX3zuwzv0UeKbsInOkrbfhlxoLUaPkjB-0bGsNLuQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 309e4fa70da1240a1eeae33209746f87 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Keystone Park renamed to Rossi Park https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/c06d1dcc2826884a6c30725a70f35eff.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=kES0lShr2N12Fpr5tYPLF%7EeRDdI7AkFG8Cmr1YN%7E-C08KFpRrPhJxGR-9omUHF8WeX2qcY1UyrfZCIgYvJP2f15vi6jZ7zbe6EGu6lm6k7QHKVi8yxx023hCBSiv7asUOY3AGpceDSIo6UA1ZTWf9hzjt1aFCKhjgM%7EQN%7E0eyeFpFYoMU1d-hFSDcfunigBT-8sOy2GZ7fja6nCpn5gtmS6HR-ZC72sorzJhpn8%7E%7EIYZ4Vy2WgClZk7A%7EIDhbV31qqyq3stTzYzai1wK8-yYHiiUJFaPEC0BH7eSoLI2G7FbrD-AaQSMflgvoBYaVs13VU%7ETlcIdRXNZLVEjrOBxDA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 9bfd1ed3ff4f6f7dc33c332d9f3a9ff4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard R. Rossi Park on Keystone Ave. https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/18401eb19a81fea077f8cab369d28eb1.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=hDg0zmNuqLCxLEP2AEp5yWycs8bgCY76%7E%7EkwOcwcYO-pyZOnVf5d1ezgrKsLuB-cyRU0RgnkLzzP7PiNX53Nw--FxYY8wvCbjiWaYPYB9%7ERG7rlVKN3740QcakZtWhFzU2U%7E2WncPY2T7pKZTVH9BqefbGH3b2ZjWQdyT4K9a5VxvAhuXaQ2LEhJLm2cLeSDr-%7EWzU54QCRUtGH7LUDcNQIMnLtNsLk45A3Oy805-eO3sbTe6K3grA1kaVasLJgyMofKOtBHkdeDSGDTQM-LY3uD4VpADEV-EKcoG4GrJPK4kbVTpaD-StcJQxDfxziUSjT6qCSwZwRD37-qbl6GzQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 4d0fe47d6b429d03e7afae67ae198c13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The former Rossi house in Lincolnwood Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story Description An account of the resource My Lincolnwood Story was an oral history project which aimed to explore the past and present of Lincolnwood by documenting stories of its residents. The main goal of this project was to record, preserve, and share audio interviews with the Lincolnwood community in order to connect residents with the history of their neighbors. This project presented Lincolnwood residents with an opportunity to share their story, and for all patrons – a chance to learn about the diverse community of Lincolnwood. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story- John Rossi Subject The topic of the resource “Being so close to the city, you could do things when you were 13 or 14 years old, that you couldn’t do in the other suburbs. Like take a bus to the Cubs game.” John Rossi is interviewed by his daughter, Juli. He talks about his childhood in Lincolnwood, his various jobs growing up, playing baseball, and participating in community traditions such as seeing the Lincolnwood Towers holiday decorations and the annual Halloween bonfire in Proesel Park. The views and opinions expressed in interviews do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Lincolnwood Public Library, including its Board of Trustees and staff. TRANSCRIPT: Julie Rossi 0:00 Today is April 23rd--Right? Yeah--2019. My name is Julie Rossi and I will be interviewing my dad, John Rossi, for My Lincolnwood Story. So, hi, Dad. John Rossi 0:13 Hi, Julie. Julie Rossi 0:14 How are you? John Rossi 0:15 I'm good. Julie Rossi 0:15 [Laughs] Good, good, good. So I guess we're just gonna talk about what it was like when you were growing up in Lincolnwood. John Rossi 0:22 I guess so. Julie Rossi 0:24 So how old were you when you moved to Lincolnwood? John Rossi 0:26 Just over one. So we moved here in October of 1954. Julie Rossi 0:32 Do you know why your parents picked Lincolnwood? John Rossi 0:34 My Grandma, Grandma Berger, my mom's mom, owned some lots in Lincolnwood, for some reason. And my grandfather died six years earlier, and they decided to build a house on one of those lots. Julie Rossi 0:46 Your grandmother on which side? John Rossi 0:48 The grandmother that lived with us. Julie Rossi 0:49 Oh, that's right. Grandma Berger. Right? John Rossi 0:52 Yeah. Julie Rossi 0:52 And she lived upstairs. John Rossi 0:53 Yeah, she lived upstairs. So they built the house on Keystone. Julie Rossi 0:57 That's awesome. I love that house. So when they first moved to Lincolnwood, it was you and Nonnie and Poppy-- John Rossi 1:07 I was a year old. Uncle Dick was like eight and a half and Auntie Betty was almost eleven. So I was the baby. Julie Rossi 1:14 And then where did Uncle Dick and Aunt Bettie go to school? John Rossi 1:16 Queen of All Saints. Julie Rossi 1:17 Both of them? John Rossi 1:17 Both went to Queen of All Saints. Julie Rossi 1:19 I don't think I realized that. John Rossi 1:20 Yeah, they both did. That's where they started when we moved here. So there were a lot of kids at that time who went to Queen of All Saints. Julie Rossi 1:26 Really? John Rossi 1:27 Yeah. My understanding now is Queen doesn't have any kids from Lincolnwood. But at the time, there was tons of us. My whole block went to Queen of All Saints. Julie Rossi 1:35 Okay. [Laughs] And you did too. John Rossi 1:38 Well I did for first grade; I went to kindergarten at Todd Hall here in Lincolnwood. Julie Rossi 1:43 What is it? John Rossi 1:44 Well, one of the buildings is called Todd Hall. That's where I went to kindergarten, which was cool. I got to go with some kids that I would have never met, but a lot of the Queen of All Saints kids went to kindergarten here. Julie Rossi 1:55 Okay. That's kind of neat. John Rossi 1:59 Yeah, there was a lot of building going on I guess when we moved in. I don't remember that that much. There was a few empty lots on our block. We used to play in the house behind my house. Our house was under construction, so we played in there all the time. And then one of my friends fell in a hole once and cracked his head open, so they wouldn't let us play there anymore. Julie Rossi 2:16 [overlapping] Wait, what? John Rossi 2:16 [Laughs] When I was five or four, one of the kids that lived behind us fell in a hole in the empty house -- when they were building the house behind us -- fell into the basement. There was no walls. There was just ladders and he fell off the ladder. Julie Rossi 2:29 Didn't you have some neighbor who had birds? Joe-- ? John Rossi 2:34 No, Joey? He still lives on Keystone. Julie Rossi 2:36 Does he still live on Keystone? John Rossi 2:37 [Laughs] Julie Rossi 2:39 That's crazy. John Rossi 2:40 We won't drop any names. Julie Rossi 2:41 Okay, no names. That's totally fine. So you moved here when you were one. And then what did Poppy do when he first moved to Lincolnwood? John Rossi 2:51 He worked Downtown. He was a photo engraver. He worked behind the Sheraton on Michigan Avenue--off of Michigan Avenue. Now there's all condos and high rises there. It was a little two shop building. But believe it or not, the funny thing was, he used to get a ride from one of our neighbors to work every day. And then he used to come home, someone would drive him home and drop him off on the Edens Expressway--not at an exit, just pull over to the side and drop him off. And we would sit on on Cicero, and he would come up the hill and hop in the car and we'd drive home. [Laughter] Julie Rossi 3:22 So he just like made his own bus stop. John Rossi 3:24 Yeah, they stopped in the middle of the expressway. They would pull over on the shoulder, and he would get out. Julie Rossi 3:29 It's just exactly something that Poppy would do. John Rossi 3:31 They didn't get off the expressway. Julie Rossi 3:35 "Just pull over here." I can see him just diving out of the car while it's still rolling. John Rossi 3:38 I don't remember when the Edens was built. It was built before I remember, but it was probably built when I was like five or six. Julie Rossi 3:45 He worked Downtown, and then didn't he eventually work in Lincolnwood? John Rossi 3:51 No, he never worked here. Julie Rossi 3:52 He never worked in Lincolnwood? John Rossi 3:54 No. When we moved in, there were so many people moving in here. Julie Rossi 3:58 Right. John Rossi 3:58 It was the baby boom. Everybody had kids. There was like thousands of people. What happened was Poppy got involved in this whole baseball thing. My dad was a big baseball fan. Julie Rossi 4:09 He was like the baseball coach. We called him Poppy Coach. That's true. Like it's not even an exaggeration. Everybody called him Poppy Coach. John Rossi 4:16 Well, they had so many little league teams, and they didn't have enough teams. And so Uncle Dick was nine the next year or 10 or something, and he tried out for a team and didn't get picked. So my dad went and they had tryouts at Lincolnwood School which is right over there. Julie Rossi 4:30 So Poppy started a team just so Uncle Dick could play baseball? John Rossi 4:34 [overlapping] [inaudible] the son of a guy my dad went to high school with, they lived in Lincolnwood -- Julie Rossi 4:38 I thought you weren't gonna say names. John Rossi 4:40 Oh, you're right, I'm sorry. Julie Rossi 4:41 [Laughs] John Rossi 4:41 They didn't get put on a team, and so they went over and complained to my dad, to Poppy, that they didn't make a team and "we're as good as those guys, but they said if we got a coach they'd give us a team." So, Poppy started coaching and he coached for like 40 years. Julie Rossi 4:43 Poppy, by the way, is Richard R. Rossi, and there is a park named after him, called Richard R. Rossi Park. Is the park on Keystone? John Rossi 5:01 On Keystone. 7000 block of Keystone. [Laughter] The park that you guys went to when you were kids and threw kids out of because you said it was your park. Julie Rossi 5:09 [overlapping] Because we were like, "this is my grandpa's park. You guys can't come here." John Rossi 5:13 So that's how he got involved in baseball. And the rest is history. Julie Rossi 5:16 And he was involved in the [American] Legion here too, right? John Rossi 5:21 Yeah, a lot of the World War Two vets were in the Legion. So he was involved in the Legion, then he coached baseball. Eventually he got into the park--I guess the Park and Recreation board, which was like a subcommittee of the trustees. And then in the '80s, he became a village trustee, which he was for like 15 or 20 years. The guy who had no political--like couldn't tell you who the vice president was--became a village trustee. If it wasn't a sport, he didn't know it. Julie Rossi 5:54 But he knew every single baseball player ever. John Rossi 5:58 Yeah. But he got into the running of it. And he was basically in charge of it. He was on the zoning commission all the time. Julie Rossi 6:03 Okay. John Rossi 6:04 So when they built the library, it was a big deal. When they built the Lincolnwood Town Center, it was a big deal because those were things that were changing. Julie Rossi 6:11 And then Poppy knew everybody because he coached all of their little league teams. John Rossi 6:15 Yes, he did. Yes he knew everybody. Julie Rossi 6:18 So my dad will look at old pictures of little league teams or something like that. Didn't you say that there was something on your Lincolnwood Facebook group? John Rossi 6:26 Yeah. A lot of them. Yeah. When I was a kid, for a boy that was born between like 1945 and 1965, in my little world, baseball was king. And that was what we did. We'd play in the streets, before I had a mitt, I played with the older kids. Uncle Dick played all the time. All my friends played, and then it just grew. The best thing about living in Lincolnwood was how small it was. So you could ride your bike anywhere. And I don't know if they still have it--they had a big summer camp at the big park, which is now called Proesel Park. And you would go there for first through eighth graders going into second and going to eighth is what it used to be. And if you went there every morning, what the boys did was play baseball for two and a half hours. That's all they did. And the girls would-- Julie Rossi 7:21 So it's barely a camp. John Rossi 7:22 And then we went home at lunchtime, then some of us came back in the afternoon because they had arts and crafts and stuff that most of the boys didn't like. Julie Rossi 7:28 So it was just like supervised baseball kind of? John Rossi 7:30 Yes. It was like twelve-inch softball. And Uncle Dick was a counselor when I was there. Julie Rossi 7:34 Did that -- was that -- John Rossi 7:35 It was horrible. [Laughter] He was going into high school and I was going into second grade. He was a junior counselor, then he became a full counselor. Yes. And I had to be in his group one year where he was my baseball instructor. Julie Rossi 7:51 And then he became a teacher. John Rossi 7:52 When he got out of college, Uncle Dick taught at Lincoln Hall for like seven or eight years. Yes, he did. And Nonnie, your grandma, started working at the village hall. So yeah, we're all over the place. Auntie Betty and I didn't do anything. Well, then I worked at the village hall during the summer. I picked up the garbage. Julie Rossi 8:06 But didn't you say Auntie Betty got married at the Purple Hotel? John Rossi 8:09 She did. Her reception was at the Purple Hotel. [Laughter]The Lincolnwood Ritz. Julie Rossi 8:15 Which is gone now. Right? John Rossi 8:17 Yes. Julie Rossi 8:18 We were driving around looking for a place to eat, and he's like, "I think the Purple Hotel is over here." No, it's not. It's gone. John Rossi 8:23 It's gone. They knocked it down a while ago. So anyway. But yeah, Lincolnwood--what I loved about living here, and I probably didn't appreciate it at the time, was well there wasn't a lot of traffic because there were no streets. Julie Rossi 8:37 What? John Rossi 8:38 Well, there are no main, busy streets like Devon was the southern border. Touhy wasn't really the northern border, but it was kind of. There was a couple blocks north of Touhy that were in Lincolnwood. And then on the east side, it was McCormick. On the west side, it was Central. So Pratt was the only kind of halfway busy street that went through the whole town. But there was no cars on it because they couldn't cross the canal on McCormick and it ended at Central. So you could ride your bike anywhere. There was not a lot of cars to worry about. It was Nirvana. It was great for a kid, which I didn't really appreciate at the time. There was just not a lot of cars, now there's a lot more traffic, but it was just different back then. Between Devon and Touhy was where Lincolnwood was, and that's where we always were. I started riding my bike. We'd ride our bike to that day camp every day, and there'd be thousands of kids riding away from there every afternoon. At Lincoln Avenue, they finally had to have a policeman stop the traffic. Julie Rossi 9:38 Like the great summer camp migration? John Rossi 9:40 Yeah. And you know what it cost? Like $3 or something for six weeks. Julie Rossi 9:44 Of course it did. John Rossi 9:45 Yeah, it was unbelievable. It was something to do every day. And most of the kids you knew went there. I knew a lot of the kids I met in town were because of the camp or little league. Julie Rossi 9:57 After camp days, when you got a little bit older, where did you hang out? John Rossi 10:02 I actually-- Julie Rossi 10:04 Parking lots? John Rossi 10:05 No. Julie Rossi 10:05 [Laughs] John Rossi 10:07 When I was in like seventh and eighth grade, I actually had a job, kind of, working. I sold subscriptions to the news-- Julie Rossi 10:14 You were a newsie? John Rossi 10:14 Yes. Julie Rossi 10:14 I did not know that you were a newsie. John Rossi 10:16 [overlapping] -- which was a local newspaper for Niles Township. And they paid us a quarter for every news subscription and 15 cents for renewal. And we would just go door to door. We would ride our bikes to the news office, which at that time was by Niles East High School, and there'd be like eight or ten boys that are 12, 13, 14 years old. And this guy would put us in this big convertible with all 10 kids in there--this was really safe--and then just drive us to neighborhoods in Morton Grove, Niles, Lincolnwood, or Skokie and just drop us off for three hours. And we would walk door to door, split up the blocks, and ring doorbells and talk to ladies, talking them into buying subscriptions. It probably would be child abuse today [laughs] if they did that. Julie Rossi 11:01 Yeah, I don't think they could do that. John Rossi 11:02 And at the end of the day, if you sold a couple subscriptions, you'd make a couple bucks. And it was the money we needed to spend or, you know, hang out. Julie Rossi 11:08 To buy chocolate shakes. John Rossi 11:09 To buy chocolate shakes. Because then in high school, my friend's parents bought the Baskin Robbins on Touhy. So I started working there my freshman year in high school. Julie Rossi 11:19 And you worked there forever. John Rossi 11:20 No, I only worked at that store for a little less than a year because they got rid of it. And then what happened was I started working in the store in Edgebrook. And then I worked at the Baskin Robbins in Edgebrook on Devon until I went to college. Julie Rossi 11:31 Right. And didn't you say that you were from Lincolnwood and you worked in Edgebrook, and all the guys that lived in Edgebrook worked at L-Woods? John Rossi 11:40 There were many of my friends from Edgebrook [inaudible] that worked at Kenilworth Inn is what it was called. So we were crossing on the way to work [laughs]. So I worked at Baskin Robbins, which is a great job if you were-- Julie Rossi 11:52 --in high school, yeah. John Rossi 11:53 I went to Loyola Academy. It was an all-boy high school, so who buys ice cream? Girls! [Laughter] So that's how we met girls. Julie Rossi 12:04 So you hung out at Baskin Robbins. John Rossi 12:06 I used to hang out at Baskin Robbins in high school a lot. Julie Rossi 12:07 Did you even go there on your days off? John Rossi 12:09 Yeah. Julie Rossi 12:09 And you're all like, 'I'm just gonna go hang out at Baskin Robbins." John Rossi 12:11 Well, we would meet there and then-- Julie Rossi 12:13 "In my sweet car." Didn't you have a sweet car? John Rossi 12:16 I had a 1969 Mustang. Julie Rossi 12:19 Yeah you did. John Rossi 12:20 That was actually my mom's. Julie Rossi 12:22 Damn straight. John Rossi 12:22 That I drove all the time. [Laughter] Julie Rossi 12:26 I love the idea of Nonnie just driving around in a '69 Mustang. John Rossi 12:29 Yeah. It had a 351 engine, and I got a ticket going 97 miles an hour. Julie Rossi 12:35 On the Edens? Were you going to pick up Poppy? John Rossi 12:36 No, I was on the Indiana tollway. Coming back from college. Coming back from school. Julie Rossi 12:36 Got this sweet ride, you're just goin' 97. Oh, wait a minute. Didn't you guys go to Windsor? But we're not talking about Windsor. John Rossi 13:01 We got some more questions here. Julie Rossi 13:03 Oh, sure. More questions. Let's see. Oh, I believe you wanted to talk about the Legion Hall dances? John Rossi 13:11 Yeah, you know. Yeah, that's another thing. When I was in seventh grade, they started doing these teenage dances at Lincolnwood. At the Legion Hall. Every Friday night--I don't know what it cost to get in--they would have bands play. And a lot of big name--well, eventually, what became decent local bands would play there. And so from 7 to 11, every Friday night, they had these dances. And so I was at the end of seventh grade and I was a big kid. So I was 12. I wasn't even 13 yet. And they needed kids to work at the dances, and they wanted kids whose parents were in the Legion. So I started working there when I was like in May of my seventh grade year because I was 5'11. Julie Rossi 13:55 Were you like a bouncer? [Laughter] John Rossi 13:57 No, I hung up coats, and then we'd work behind the bar and passed out drinks. Passed out Cokes. There was soft drinks. So I worked there. And then I worked there all through eighth grade, and then by the end of eighth grade, the kids that I knew, that were my age were old enough to actually go to the dances. Julie Rossi 14:12 Did you work there when he kids [inaudible] John Rossi 14:13 [overlapping] Yeah, it sucked. Everybody in eight grade thought I was cool because I worked at the dances because I was really young to do that. Julie Rossi 14:29 When you were working at the Legion Hall dances, were there also like American Legion members just like sitting around being all like, "Kids these days." John Rossi 14:36 Yeah. No, your grandfather was a bouncer as well as many of the other Legion members. Julie Rossi 14:41 But Poppy would be a terrible bouncer. He would just let everybody in. John Rossi 14:43 No, he was a bouncer. Dr. Calahan, Mr. Serentakis, there was a lot of them that were bouncers. Julie Rossi 14:48 Who are those guys? John Rossi 14:49 They were other Legion members. Julie Rossi 14:50 Okay. And they're all just friends? John Rossi 14:53 And the boys who worked there were all Legion brats, like sons of legionnaires. Julie Rossi 14:56 Legion rats? John Rossi 14:57 Brats. Julie Rossi 14:57 Oh, brats [inaudible]. I like calling you guys the Legions rats better. John Rossi 15:02 But it closed when I was like a sophomore in high school. Julie Rossi 15:04 The whole Legion or the dances? John Rossi 15:05 The dances ended. There was a big fight and someone actually had a problem. Julie Rossi 15:11 What? John Rossi 15:12 Someone got stabbed. Julie Rossi 15:12 [gasp] At the Legion? John Rossi 15:14 Actually in the park. A kid in my class actually. He didn't get killed. Julie Rossi 15:19 He got stabbed? By who? John Rossi 15:20 Another kid. Julie Rossi 15:22 What? What a jerk! What kind of knife? John Rossi 15:24 Lincolnwood dances kind of turned into--the normal kids stop going there--it turned into all the like troublemakers. And it got worse and worse and worse. Julie Rossi 15:33 And Poppy did a worse job bouncing. John Rossi 15:36 Evidently. After the dance one night, one of the kids in my class got stabbed. He wasn't in my class. He had gone to grade school with me. Julie Rossi 15:43 Where? Like, in the arm? John Rossi 15:44 [overlapping] He was a Niles West student. Julie Rossi 15:45 Like in the arm though? John Rossi 15:45 In the side. He was fine. Then they ended the dances after that. Julie Rossi 15:50 That sounds crazy. John Rossi 15:51 Yeah. Julie Rossi 15:52 Due to a local stabbing, the Lincolnwood Legion ... John Rossi 15:54 Yeah, they ended it. But I worked there often. I worked there like, yeah, almost all the time it was open. Julie Rossi 16:00 Really? John Rossi 16:00 Yeah, pretty much. I was really happy when it ended. Because I didn't have to work there anymore. Julie Rossi 16:05 Right. And then you got to get your job at Baskin Robbins. John Rossi 16:08 [overlapping] Well, every Friday night was kind of a crap shoot. Because I used to have to work at Baskin Robbins a lot on Saturdays. So yeah, so it was kind of awful. Yeah. Julie Rossi 16:17 Right. John Rossi 16:18 So I mean, there were days I didn't. I mean, if I had a baseball game or something, I didn't work at the Legion that night. Julie Rossi 16:22 How long did you play baseball? John Rossi 16:24 I stopped when I was 16. Julie Rossi 16:25 Okay. John Rossi 16:26 I played much longer than my ability. But yeah, the baseball program in Lincolnwood was--I don't know how to explain it. Most of the kids I knew played but some didn't. But for a little town, from 1969 to 1974 had amazing success at the older level. It all started with a group of guys that were like my older brother's--your Uncle Dick's--age. So they were like, six to 10 years older than me in that group. And they were in a college team that did very well and won a central states championship. And a lot of those guys played in college. Julie Rossi 17:05 But not like through their colleges. John Rossi 17:07 No, it was a summer league-- Julie Rossi 17:09 [overlapping] Where did they go to college? John Rossi 17:09 St. Joe's and Rensselaer. But not their college teams. Julie Rossi 17:12 College level. John Rossi 17:12 It's what they did while they were in college. Julie Rossi 17:15 Right. Okay. John Rossi 17:15 So all of us younger kids would go and watch them all the time. And it got to be that baseball became the Lincolnwood thing. And I know it's all because of, you know, it's mostly because of your grandpa, my dad, because your Uncle Dick wanted a place to play in the summer. So they started a college team for him. And he got all these guys that-- Julie Rossi 17:35 [overlapping] So he started like three different leagues. [Laughter] John Rossi 17:38 Yeah, basically. And they got this league together. So what that did is the kids that were four to eight years, 10 years younger than them would watch them play and get really into this baseball stuff, and we'd play all the time. Julie Rossi 17:53 Right. John Rossi 17:54 And so in 1969, they started a big league, they called the Big League Program, which was 16-, 17-, and 18-year-olds. It was a division of Little League. They also had a Little League and then a Senior League for 13-, 14-, and 15-year-olds. So when I was still in the Senior League, they started this Big League. Julie Rossi 18:12 Okay. John Rossi 18:12 And the first year, the Big League--they picked an all-star team that went to the Big League World Series in Winston Salem, North Carolina, but I'm not sure how they did. I know they didn't win it. But then in 1970, the team from Lincolnwood went to Fort Lauderdale for the Big League World Series and won the whole thing. And it just snowballed and everybody wanted to play after that. Everybody wanted to go to Florida. Everyone had to try it. So then in '71-- Julie Rossi 18:37 And did Poppy coach that team? John Rossi 18:40 He was like an assistant coach on the '70 team. Julie Rossi 18:42 Okay. John Rossi 18:43 He coached the '71 team. Julie Rossi 18:45 Gotcha. John Rossi 18:45 And the '71 team came in second place in the world series. Julie Rossi 18:49 Okay. John Rossi 18:49 '72 team didn't go anywhere. They lost in the regionals. Julie Rossi 18:53 [overlapping] Bunch of losers. John Rossi 18:53 But, the Senior League all-star team, the 15 year olds-- Julie Rossi 18:56 Okay-- John Rossi 18:57 Made it to the Senior League World Series which was way cool. Julie Rossi 19:00 That is pretty cool-- John Rossi 19:01 That was actually a bigger deal because there were so many more Senior League teams than Big League teams. Julie Rossi 19:04 [overlapping] Yeah. John Rossi 19:05 So those guys were just behind me. Julie Rossi 19:08 And didn't Poppy always say something to the team members? John Rossi 19:11 I'm not sure. Well, then the '73 team won the Big League World Series, and the '74 team came in third in the national tournaments. So in five years, they were in the national tournament four times. Julie Rossi 19:25 Which is awesome. John Rossi 19:25 No, in six years, they were in it five times. Julie Rossi 19:27 Right John Rossi 19:27 That they made it through the states, the regionals, and then the World Series. It was incredible. Yeah. One of the guys that--I'm quoting a guy that's actually on Lincolnwood Time Machine--he'd sent me a message that said-- Julie Rossi 19:41 Which is a Facebook group. John Rossi 19:42 Which is a Facebook group. And one guy said to me, "John, I remember your dad telling me, 'You're a world champion and nothing, no one will ever take it away.'" He goes, "I've thought about that for the last 50 years of my life that your dad told me that." Julie Rossi 19:56 Yeah. John Rossi 19:56 "He said that I was once a world champion." Julie Rossi 19:59 Which is awesome! John Rossi 20:00 Yeah, it is pretty cool. Julie Rossi 20:01 That's cool. John Rossi 20:02 So then after that, it's just like the younger kids just weren't into it. It kind of ended. And you know what it was that there was the population started to go down. There weren't as many kids anymore. Julie Rossi 20:10 Right. John Rossi 20:11 But little Lincolnwood was on the map with those first six years for doing. And I know that allegedly in Williamsport, Pennsylvania--allegedly,I don't know if this is true--at one time, there was a thing that they sent my dad--they sent Poppy--a letter saying he was one of the few coaches at that time to have won a world title twice. Julie Rossi 20:32 Really? John Rossi 20:32 Yeah, from 1970 and '73 I guess is what it was. Julie Rossi 20:37 Wow, that's kind of cool. John Rossi 20:38 Yeah. So one of my, like, bucket lists was to go to the Little League Hall of Fame someday and see that. Julie Rossi 20:44 Oh, [inaudible overlapping]. Because is his name there then?. John Rossi 20:47 I don't know if his name is. Lincolnwood's there, though. Julie Rossi 20:49 I guess we're gonna have to road trip. [Laughter] John Rossi 20:50 So that was a big deal. I mean, I was around one of those teams. Julie Rossi 20:59 How long did he coach Little League? John Rossi 21:02 From 1955 till probably 1975, -76. Julie Rossi 21:10 Oh, okay. John Rossi 21:11 You know when he stopped? Julie Rossi 21:11 When? John Rossi 21:12 When Jay started playing. Julie Rossi 21:13 Oh, because then he went to all of went to all of Jay's games. John Rossi 21:15 His oldest grandson. When Jay was eight-- Julie Rossi 21:18 [overlapping] His first grandchild. Yeah. That makes sense. That makes sense. John Rossi 21:23 Yeah, there's an article in the paper, "The father of Little League baseball retires," and they had a picture of Poppy and Jay in it. Julie Rossi 21:31 By the way, here's a park. John Rossi 21:32 Yeah. No, the park came later. Julie Rossi 21:34 Oh, no. The park came in like the late '80s. John Rossi 21:35 It's because he was a Trustee. That's what the park came. Julie Rossi 21:37 Yeah. John Rossi 21:38 All the parks in Lincolnwood are bouncing here. Julie Rossi 21:41 Bounce away. John Rossi 21:43 You know, Henry Proesel Park. Mr. Proesel was the mayor for like 50 years or something. I don't know. He might still be in the Guinness Book of World Records for having been mayor of a municipality the longest of anybody. Julie Rossi 21:56 Really? John Rossi 21:57 His grandkids went to school with me. Julie Rossi 21:59 Okay. John Rossi 22:00 Henry the third was in my classes. A friend of mine. But there was, you know, Richard Rossi Park--my dad, he was a trustee. Charlie O'Brien has a park. Julie Rossi 22:12 I bet his park's not as good as Poppy's park. John Rossi 22:14 [overlapping] G. G. Rowell has a park. These are all fathers of people I grew up with. And Les Flowers was the chief of police for a long time and there's a park. Julie Rossi 22:22 Okay. John Rossi 22:22 And they named all four of those other parks I think at the same time is when they dedicated all four of those to Mr. O'Brien, Mr. Rowell, my dad, and Les Flowers, chief of police. So it's pretty cool. The nice thing about like having your dad be so politically connected is I could never get in trouble. Julie Rossi 22:37 Yeah? John Rossi 22:39 I was going 55 miles an hour down Touhy one time, and someone pulled me over. And I went, "Oh, God, I'm gonna get--" It was like, I just got my license. And I thought I was gonna get in big trouble. And pulled out my license, and he said, "Are you Richard Rossi's son?" And I went, "Yeah." And he goes, "Okay, just slow down." [Laughter] Julie Rossi 22:59 I didn't get any of those breaks growing up. John Rossi 23:00 Actually, you know, I know Jay got a break one time for the same reason. Julie Rossi 23:04 I'm sure uncle Dick got a break at the same time. John Rossi 23:06 I don't know. He was already gone, you know, when Poppy got to be a trustee. He was married in '71. So, he wasn't around that much. The other thing that was unusual is people were--and probably a sign of the times--you know, because it was small, we knew a lot of people. When I was like eight, I went to Queen of All Aaints, so that was kind of far away from where we lived, I had to go home at lunchtime to have some drops put in my eye. I'd screwed up my eye. And of course, my brother was supposed to pick me up because he was off of school that day and he was in high school. Well, he never came. So I started walking home, and I got lost, which is normal when you're eight, you don't know not to get home. And some lady just picked me up and she said, "What are you doing?" And I said, "I'm just looking for my parents' house." I said my name. She goes, "I know your parents and don't you know the Mancusos? They live over on the next block." She took me over to Mrs. Mancuso's, and I stayed there till they could get a hold of my mom to come and get me. Julie Rossi 24:00 It was that kind of place. John Rossi 24:01 Yeah. Julie Rossi 24:01 You just get in a car with a stranger. John Rossi 24:03 Exactly. Yeah. Julie Rossi 24:04 Didn't even have candy. John Rossi 24:05 No. And this woman, I've never met her in my life. I know what her name is: Mrs. Midwood. I met her son later on: it was Billy Midwood who was a little older than me. But yeah, I didn't know her at all. I was just walking down the street all by myself. And I think she saw this kid, an eight-year-old, in the middle of the school day that shouldn't have been walking down the street probably. Julie Rossi 24:22 And now that would definitely be considered a kidnapping. John Rossi 24:25 Yeah, well, maybe, or they wouldn't have let me leave the school. Julie Rossi 24:28 Probably not. I guess that's more accurate. Yeah. John Rossi 24:31 [Laughter] But at that time, they let us. When I was in first grade, I got in an accident at school. I knocked a tooth out in the bathroom. And my brother was in eighth grade. They called my mom and she wasn't home. She was out somewhere. So they just let me go with Dick--Uncle Dick. Like, "Okay, go home guys." I walked out of school and go, "What do we do now?" And he goes, "I don't know. We're not in school anymore." They just let us loose. It was a different world back then. Julie Rossi 24:58 I feel like I would have been a lot out of school. John Rossi 25:01 I don't know. We just took a bike out of the bike rack, rode home, and biked back the next day. Julie Rossi 25:05 Yeah. John Rossi 25:08 So I don't know. It just was a different type of play. But Lincolnwood was a small community. Everybody knew each other. It was great. Julie Rossi 25:14 What were the holidays like in Lincolnwood? Was it like a magical fairyland in the winter? John Rossi 25:18 The Lincolnwood Towers, people say it's nice now. It was unbelievable when I was little. Julie Rossi 25:24 What are the Lincolnwood Towers? John Rossi 25:26 They're an area--I guess it's west of Cicero, in between Pratt and Devon. When I was a kid, there was a lot of famous people who lived in there. Julie Rossi 25:26 Who? John Rossi 25:31 Jim Moran, which at one time was one of the Forbes 500, owned a car dealership, and had a TV show on WGN, and he lived in there. Andy Frain--there was Andy Rrain Ushers. Julie Rossi 25:51 Oh. John Rossi 25:52 Andy Frain lived there. Julie Rossi 25:53 I worked for Andy Frain once. John Rossi 25:53 [overlapping] And Auntie Betty went out with his son in high school. Julie Rossi 25:54 Of course, she did. John Rossi 25:57 Of course, she did. And some of the houses there were incredible. I know there's some of them still have the Christmas tree going through all the floors and the taxidermy reindeer. But there was there was-- Julie Rossi 26:13 We're talking Christmas decorations, right? John Rossi 26:15 Yeah, Christmas. There was a choir and like an actual singing--not people but a recording. Julie Rossi 26:21 I was thinking, like they hired children? John Rossi 26:22 [overlapping] I don't know. Some kind of animatronic choir that would sing songs in front of a house. Queen of All Saints school had live animals and a manger when I was really little. It was just unbelievable. And I don't know what it's like now, but remember when you were little, we'd drive through the towers? Julie Rossi 26:42 Yeah, even in the '80s, we would drive through the Towers. And it was just bumper to bumper traffic just going down like side streets, and everybody's just taking pictures of that crazy clock with Santa like going around in a circle like a cuckoo clock thing. John Rossi 26:55 And the elves also? Julie Rossi 26:56 Oh all the elves making--I don't even know if they were making candy. John Rossi 27:00 There were a lot of like plastic. To these people, they were like Disney World decorations. Julie Rossi 27:04 Yeah, they were straight up serious about their Christmas decorations. John Rossi 27:08 And it's still pretty famous. But it's not anywhere as elaborate as it used to be. Julie Rossi 27:11 Yeah, it was everything in the yard even in the '80s. John Rossi 27:14 [overlapping] Like everything else, people move so they stop. Julie Rossi 27:17 Didn't some of the houses like sell the decorations with the house? John Rossi 27:20 Some of them did. Yeah. Julie Rossi 27:21 Which is crazy-- John Rossi 27:23 Some of them do. Julie Rossi 27:23 And kind of awesome. John Rossi 27:24 Well, the house that has the Christmas tree that goes through all three floors ... Julie Rossi 27:26 Yeah. John Rossi 27:27 I know the people that grew up in that house. Julie Rossi 27:28 Is that the same one with the fake deer? John Rossi 27:30 Yes. Julie Rossi 27:31 Yeah. John Rossi 27:32 [overlapping] Obviously went with the house because they still have it. Julie Rossi 27:34 Yeah. John Rossi 27:35 That was the Boulder family when I was a kid. Julie Rossi 27:36 Oh. Of course, you remember all of their names. Was it really just Christmas, or were there any other holidays? Like Fourth of July? Big Fourth of July things in Lincolnwood? John Rossi 27:48 Lincolnwood didn't even have a fireworks display. Julie Rossi 27:50 Really? John Rossi 27:51 No. The other big one was Halloween. Julie Rossi 27:53 Okay. John Rossi 27:53 Halloween, they--and I think they still do this at the big park--they would have a hot dog thing after trick or treating at night. Julie Rossi 28:00 Okay. John Rossi 28:00 So they had like a bonfire. Julie Rossi 28:02 Was it like a Super Dog hot dog thing? John Rossi 28:03 No. It was like an Oscar Meyer gross hot dog. [Laughter] There would be hundreds and hundreds of kids there after trick or treating that'd go to the park and have hot dogs. I know they did that for a long time after because I know Poppy had to go there all the time on Halloween night and do that. Julie Rossi 28:21 As a trustee? John Rossi 28:22 Well, he just liked doing it. Julie Rossi 28:24 He'd just like going there and talking to people and telling stories. John Rossi 28:28 Yeah, so they had that for a long time. And I guess the kids didn't have to be driven places. And I know the whole world was like that: kids could ride their bikes differently. But it was actually safer here because there weren't any-- Julie Rossi 28:38 It was even like that when I was a kid. John Rossi 28:40 There weren't any big streets, though. Julie Rossi 28:41 Like, I rode my bike everywhere. John Rossi 28:43 Yeah, we didn't have to cross any main streets. Julie Rossi 28:44 Yeah. John Rossi 28:45 So it was a little bit different. Julie Rossi 28:48 Yeah. John Rossi 28:49 Yeah, it was nice. Julie Rossi 28:50 What did you want to be when you were growing up? John Rossi 28:53 A cartoonist. Julie Rossi 28:53 I know you did. [Laughter] Tell me about the comic book shop where you used to go. John Rossi 28:59 No, comic books were bought at drugstores back then. Julie Rossi 29:02 It was just a drugstore? John Rossi 29:03 Yes, Orlov's. It was right across, kitty corner from here. Julie Rossi 29:05 Okay. John Rossi 29:06 Which is now, I think it's a Walgreens or something. Yeah. Used to be Orlov's pharmacy. Yeah. My friends and I, we'd get off the bus and go stand there and wait for the comics to come out on Thursdays. Julie Rossi 29:14 Just every Thursday. John Rossi 29:14 Till they unpacked them and then buy a couple and bring them home. Julie Rossi 29:18 [Laughter] And that's it, just go to that drugstore? John Rossi 29:22 Or we'd go to the other drugstores later in the week to get other things, but yeah. Julie Rossi 29:26 Did you guys trade comics ever with each other? John Rossi 29:28 No. Julie Rossi 29:29 It was like everything you bought was just yours? John Rossi 29:30 Always, usually. Julie Rossi 29:32 Yeah? John Rossi 29:33 You know, I still have some of them. Julie Rossi 29:34 I know you do. John Rossi 29:35 I retired on them. Yeah, I thought I could be a cartoonist, but I found out I couldn't draw. Julie Rossi 29:44 Right. John Rossi 29:44 I met kids who could really draw. Then I decided no, I better not do this for a living. Julie Rossi 29:49 I feel like when I was little, Nonnie had this--or maybe it was yours, I'm not sure--but it was like this big plastic thing that had a light shining under it so you could learn how to trace. And that was yours, and then Nonnie always let me play with it, so I could learn how to draw. John Rossi 30:03 Yeah, when I was a little kid, they bought me that so I can learn how to draw. Julie Rossi 30:05 Loved that damn thing. It was great. It didn't work, though. John Rossi 30:09 Well, my mom went to the Art Institute. Julie Rossi 30:10 I know--oh. John Rossi 30:10 She was an artist. For one year. Julie Rossi 30:12 I knew that she was an artist, but I didn't know she went to the Art Institute. John Rossi 30:14 Yeah, she did. Julie Rossi 30:15 Okay. She went to the Art Institute, and then when did she start working for the village of Lincolnwood? John Rossi 30:21 When I was in college. Julie Rossi 30:22 Oh, so way later. John Rossi 30:23 Yeah. She only worked there for about 10 or 15 years. Julie Rossi 30:25 She only worked there for 10 or 15? That's a long time. John Rossi 30:28 She was probably in her mid 50s when she started there. Julie Rossi 30:30 What was she doing there? John Rossi 30:32 She actually started on just filling in for people who were sick. Julie Rossi 30:37 Okay. John Rossi 30:38 And then on vacation. Julie Rossi 30:39 [overlapping] Probably just because all of her kids had moved out. John Rossi 30:41 They taught her how to run like an accounting software. And then I'm like, "Are you kidding? You're like 65 years old. How are you going to learn how to do?" So she did some accounting thing after a while. Yeah, but she worked there for a while. Yeah, so she worked at the village, Poppy was a trustee, and Uncle dick taught at the school. Julie Rossi 30:57 Yeah. John Rossi 30:57 And I picked up the garbage during the summer in college. Julie Rossi 31:00 Well, you didn't tell me. I forgot that you were a garbage man. John Rossi 31:02 I was a garbage man. Julie Rossi 31:03 Oh. John Rossi 31:05 I worked for the village during the summers when we picked up our own garbage. Julie Rossi 31:08 You were a newsie and a garbage man. John Rossi 31:10 We actually decorated one of my friend's apartments with what we found in the garbage Julie Rossi 31:13 And a garbage decorator. John Rossi 31:14 Yes. If someone was throwing a couch out or a chair, we wouldn't pick it up. I'd tell we'll come back. We'd come back later and get it and bring it to his-- Julie Rossi 31:22 And just put it in his house? John Rossi 31:23 His apartment, yeah. Julie Rossi 31:26 We did stuff like that in college too. John Rossi 31:28 So anyway. Now all that stuff's licensed out. They don't have their own garbage men anymore. Julie Rossi 31:34 And you can't just steal things from the garbage dump. Or from the garbage. Well, you can take these from the side of the road, but not like ... All I'm saying is that I've picked up furniture from the side of the road before. John Rossi 31:45 Because my dad was a trustee, when all of us kids were out of the house, then the villagers actually plowed there snow a lot, which they never did when I was a kid. I would have liked that because then I wouldn't have to do it myself. Julie Rossi 31:56 [overlapping] you wouldn't have to do it yourself? John Rossi 31:58 But they did. They did it after, you know, all of us were gone and he was getting older, the village would come and do his driveway. Julie Rossi 32:04 That's adorable! John Rossi 32:05 I know. Julie Rossi 32:06 That's so cute. That makes sense. It's a long driveway. John Rossi 32:09 Yeah. Julie Rossi 32:09 It was a long driveway. John Rossi 32:10 There used to be a lot of factories behind the school, east of the school. [inaudible overlapping] Just thinking of other stuff that was around here that's gone. Well, I started thinking about that they threw out Oscar Mayer Weiner whistles. So the kids used to ride their bikes up there and go through the garbage, speaking of going through garbage. Julie Rossi 32:27 Oh, God, you would just go through the garbage and take thrown out whistles and just use them? John Rossi 32:30 Yeah. And then we would bring them home and wash them, and we'd have Oscar Mayer Weiner whistles. Julie Rossi 32:33 You didn't wash them, and you know it. John Rossi 32:34 Probably not. Well, when we got home, we had to wash them. Julie Rossi 32:36 You would stick them in your mouths. John Rossi 32:37 Well, we did, but by the time we got home, our moms made us wash them. Julie Rossi 32:41 I'm like there's no way. You brought them home, and then Nonnie would yell like, "Where'd you get that?" And you'd be like, "I found it." "Did you wash it first?" "No." John Rossi 32:47 No, she knew we got it from there. Julie Rossi 32:49 [Laughter] Like there's no way you washed it. John Rossi 32:54 Lincolnwood's a lot. We're sitting at the library. This was a Jewel. Julie Rossi 32:57 Right. John Rossi 32:58 Not a big Jewel but a Jewel. Where I bought all my baseball cards when I was a kid. Julie Rossi 33:02 What were your favorite restaurants when you were a kid? John Rossi 33:04 There weren't that many. People didn't go out to eat. Julie Rossi 33:06 Really? John Rossi 33:07 Like Burger King is about the most biggest restaurant I ever had. That's right. Julie Rossi 33:09 Right. We drove past the Burger King, and my dad was like, "I used to ride my bike to that Burger King." And I was like, "Very cool, Dad." John Rossi 33:15 Lou Malnati's took over a restaurant that was called Novak's. Julie Rossi 33:21 What was Novak's? John Rossi 33:22 Just a restaurant. Julie Rossi 33:23 Okay. John Rossi 33:23 And then it was the very first Lou Malnati's on Lincoln. And Novak's I guess didn't have a liquor license, or there was a waiting list to get liquor license. And my dad was on the zoning board at the time. So Lou wanted a liquor license. Julie Rossi 33:42 Good old Lou. John Rossi 33:42 And somehow my dad got him a liquor license, so we used to get free food at Lou Malnati's because he wouldn't have opened without that liquor license that my dad got for him. Uncle Dick had his rehearsal dinner at Lou Malnati's for his wedding. Julie Rossi 33:54 I think there's some connection between Poppy and Dominic's? John Rossi 33:57 Grampy, your grandpa. That's nothing to do with Lincolnwood, though. Julie Rossi 34:00 No, no, but it's just a story. No? Okay, that's fine. John Rossi 34:04 My grandfather was Dominic's first butcher. Julie Rossi 34:06 The first butcher at Dominic's, which is gone now, so it doesn't matter anyway. Okay, let's see. So Grandpa--not Grandpa 'cause Poppy--Poppy's dad was the first butcher at Dominic's. John Rossi 34:23 Right. Nothing do with Lincolnwood. Julie Rossi 34:25 But where did he come from? John Rossi 34:26 Italy. Julie Rossi 34:27 Yes. Where in Italy? John Rossi 34:29 That's got nothing to do with my Lincolnwood story. Julie Rossi 34:31 It's part of your life. John Rossi 34:32 I'm fighting with my daughter on this thing. Julie Rossi 34:34 It's part of your life. John Rossi 34:36 [inaudible] Godforsaken little town in the middle of Italy. Julie Rossi 34:40 Okay, okay. And you actually went there? John Rossi 34:41 I went there a couple years ago with one of my cousins. Yes. Julie Rossi 34:43 Which is awesome! John Rossi 34:43 It was neat. It was cool. Julie Rossi 34:47 You didn't find any old like Rossi relatives, did you? John Rossi 34:51 We found them after we left. They tagged us on Facebook. Julie Rossi 34:54 Oh, right. They found you guys, which is kind of cool. John Rossi 34:57 Right. Julie Rossi 34:58 And Aunt Pat's gone back there. John Rossi 34:59 She goes back there and stays with them. Julie Rossi 35:01 But it's kind of neat that they moved over. What about like the Berger side of the family? John Rossi 35:05 I don't know much. Julie Rossi 35:06 No? Which is funny because Grandma Berger lived with you guys on Keystone. John Rossi 35:09 Yeah, but Nonnie was an only child. So I didn't have a lot of cousins. All the cousins on that side were second cousins. Julie Rossi 35:15 How long did Grandma Berger live with you guys? John Rossi 35:16 My grandmother lived with us. I don't know. After I got married. She died the year I got married, so ... Julie Rossi 35:26 '77? John Rossi 35:25 28 years. Well, we moved in in 1954, and she died in 1978. 24 years. And she lived with us for 24 years. Julie Rossi 35:26 That's crazy. John Rossi 35:34 I did thought it was normal. One of my neighbors thought that she was our cleaning lady. Julie Rossi 35:39 Really? John Rossi 35:39 She didn't know she was our grandmother. She had a different last name. Julie Rossi 35:43 Like a servant's quarters? Julie Rossi 35:44 [Laughter] That's awesome. John Rossi 35:49 Yeah, she was with us forever. Julie Rossi 35:50 Which is crazy. Because I feel like Nonnie was cleaning constantly. Couldn't they just tell that like Nonnie cleaned? John Rossi 35:55 Who knows? Julie Rossi 35:56 Yeah. Okay. So let's see. So your jobs because I never even knew you were a newsie. So you were a newsie. John Rossi 36:05 I was an newsie. Julie Rossi 36:06 And then you were a bouncer. No, you were a coat checker. John Rossi 36:10 And yeah, and I passed out pop. Julie Rossi 36:12 And then you sold ice cream to ladies. John Rossi 36:15 Yes. Julie Rossi 36:16 Not ladies. John Rossi 36:17 Girls. Julie Rossi 36:17 To girls. John Rossi 36:18 And everybody else. Julie Rossi 36:21 And then you were a garbage man. John Rossi 36:22 For the village. Julie Rossi 36:24 And then you moved out of Lincolnwood. Right? John Rossi 36:27 I moved. When I graduated college, I didn't live in Lincolnwood. But then right before I got married, I moved back for a few months. Julie Rossi 36:32 Right. John Rossi 36:32 So and then I left and got married. Julie Rossi 36:34 What about Uncle Dick? What else did Uncle Dick do in Lincolnwood? Did he have any weird jobs? John Rossi 36:37 He was a he was a counselor at the day camp for years. Julie Rossi 36:39 It's so weird to me that he was a counselor and then he was a teacher because it's like such a normal trajectory for like a career path but not for Uncle Dick. John Rossi 36:40 [Coughs] Excuse me. He was a counselor at the day camp for probably four or five years. Julie Rossi 36:53 Okay. John Rossi 36:54 And then when he got out of college, he taught at the school. Taught math, seventh and eighth grade math. Julie Rossi 36:58 If you have to pick one thing - John Rossi 36:59 Which wasn't bad wasn't good, because I was only like a freshman in high school when he started doing that. Julie Rossi 37:03 Oh, okay. John Rossi 37:04 So I knew a lot of the kids he had in class. It was awful. Julie Rossi 37:08 Did those kids ever, like complain to you about Uncle Dick? John Rossi 37:11 Constantly. Julie Rossi 37:15 Of course they did. John Rossi 37:18 He taught there, six or seven years. Julie Rossi 37:21 Neat. Cool. John Rossi 37:23 He liked it. Julie Rossi 37:24 But you went to Loyola, right? John Rossi 37:26 Yeah I went to political science in the Loyola. So I didn't go to Niles West. I didn't go to Lincolnwood school. Julie Rossi 37:30 Did you still have friends that were going to Lincolnwood High School? John Rossi 37:32 Tons of them. Julie Rossi 37:33 Yeah. John Rossi 37:33 You couldn't not - it was a small town. So yeah, playing baseball going to the camp your met kids from everywhere. Julie Rossi 37:39 I guess that's true. Yeah. John Rossi 37:40 It always surprised me when I met a kid when I was older who lived in Lincolnwood that I didn't know as a child. Julie Rossi 37:45 Really? And you still know a lot of them, like, you still talk to them. John Rossi 37:49 I thought I knew at least almost all - there are a lot of girls I didn't know. Because I wasn't really into girls. Julie Rossi 37:53 Cause you went to an all boys school too. John Rossi 37:54 Plus in high school. It was different because I had a driver's license by then. So I was leaving a lot. But I knew if I met a boy who had been here a few years, and I didn't know him. That was weird. Julie Rossi 37:55 Especially with all the baseball stuff. John Rossi 38:02 And baseball, soccer camp. Yeah, just having friends that went to Lincolnwood school going to their bar mitzvahs and stuff like that. It was just, yeah, met a million kids. Julie Rossi 38:18 Which is awesome. Is there any favorite singular experience about growing up in Lincolnwood that you want to share? Before we go? John Rossi 38:26 Do I want to share anything? Um, no. I don't know. I thought I thought I didn't appreciate this area until I left. Julie Rossi 38:39 Yeah, that sounds... Yeah. John Rossi 38:41 It was such the thing that and I don't know if it's like that now. And I have to think it's probably like that, because it was so small. And it had at one school. Three buildings, but one school, all the kids had to be at the same school. So the kids all know each other because they all were at this - good or bad - they all know each other. Now, I didn't go to that school. But I did - Julie Rossi 39:02 Still knew everybody. John Rossi 39:02 Knew a lot of kids from those schools. I think that - and then it was - being so close to the city, you were allowed to do things - well, or not be allowed - you could do things when you were 13, 14 years old, that you can't do in the other suburbs, like take a bus to a Cubs game or go downtown or just buy do things on your own. Julie Rossi 39:28 Because of the ease of it as well. John Rossi 39:29 You just knew what to do. You just knew where to go. You know, it's just, and I don't think I appreciated that. I know when I was when I was in high school. I wanted to live in an area where all the kids went to school together. And maybe it's because I went to a different school where you know, every kid you met you, they would know each other. Right? And so I thought moving out to Naperville was going to be more like that. But and it was I mean neighbor, you you lived in it. It's great. It was a great living in Naperville. Julie Rossi 39:55 It was a wonderful place to be until I was about fourteen. John Rossi 39:57 What I found out being in a big - those big high schools So far away from- that's more trouble kids getting, there's more trouble out there than there is around here because there's more for kids to do. Kids get in trouble and there's no doubt kids are gonna, you know, kids around here aren't going to get hurt in car accidents because nobody can drive fast. So I didn't appreciate what this area had to offer till I left. How does that sound? And I kind of wish I never did in a lot of ways. Julie Rossi 40:25 Is that what you miss most about Lincolnwood? John Rossi 40:27 Yeah, I miss the proximity to Chicago. I miss that the most. Julie Rossi 40:30 Yeah, you come to Chicago to visit me all the time. John Rossi 40:35 But the accessibility of the city is what I miss the most. Julie Rossi 40:38 Well that's awesome. Cool. I think we got to wrap this up now. John Rossi 40:42 Probably, they're gonna throw us out. Julie Rossi 40:44 They're gonna kick us out of the library. John Rossi 40:45 Hopefully nobody will ever listen to this. Julie Rossi 40:46 Everybody's gonna listen to it. Everybody needs to listen to this. John Rossi 40:52 Well thank you for interviewing me. Julie Rossi 40:53 Thank you for having me interview you. John Rossi 40:54 Did we cover all your stuff? Julie Rossi 40:56 I'm - Yeah, sure. Why not? This was a general - I'm looking at it like a list of talking points. It was a general list. It's good. I think we did good. But thanks again. John Rossi 41:05 Thank you. https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/6db6d757e10a11c00613b732a656c00e.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=DOpxvZGxL-w9opDFj-Vl1bBtofW127iA2o1z2FhlRfrDBwsLGojELrphbFomvfb9c5f3IhlQJXrwnCN2qQwI4huNS%7E5I8xoIIUvGnWP1KDeY-CUWusJonW35586DPUcqQdAEG%7EB01V9235T2apwCvibHbCr3egQqwPHnc7z1vRJi9v-VXffXBzgB13Z8njcsz7hA8lej3bqoMI-0OdVBeyarWoJAD-hxSra32bH3ePdV8J4WM%7EacIr2RCQNGGEvyjVtjF3lTB4DIKyDBWOWbuwqOa6irwMp6Wy2VIytlD%7ET6Fa6XspGwUWvLw9ythu18eKT1X9u8gM4t4HelxIP4Ew__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM d52f9acae901336780916c7b991b7260 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Jerry Schenwar, May 2019 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/8074c5b75cda0ee5150ea3d2f3bc4522.mp3?Expires=1792022400&Signature=E1hR7TWnduRHS-k1wsSZRIC4qSUiZcTDImOKShoQdWgyUgs7SOyNQBJ7ktfSfji-i5pD9CuJ6WfcN15NQahAOjkF6LqqHNGgLs3gSD%7EFoRAp0ut2rnSnjKxW-K1H5eVIcpqTRNJ-8ScZI70Ho9fBzaidIVIv8xHKSJSwgL3xIKVEhbiAy6DDnDGkMcpKK1b2C8U4jyMqgwYp%7EYRDybBKi4m-n22g4eX0BFQ2hQtAuFR0UTn0si0v-4p09n9XL68CE6b%7EDF7mFkJiBAYtQL%7EGB7PH3D%7EhTznoDwWwdK70IS2Q-xIPvdsWedAUlU3HSrzFxMoklM%7EyriLhEKXPCzXa6Q__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM ff71fc292ce52ec17d330d6e5cb50f39 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story- Jerry Schenwar https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/d76007586591385f371cd0f6e68fc3a8.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=NsAKayJMgSGwzpyndvv3JorPyKhdAjQ4RhyoOc2g7fNSeZ%7EQdBKI04fUE6LStunjKbeTeuthgRtIIitwG10xEM7G30PLsg2MScK5RgbPvl3cFn4dQNQZ8tY0Pm0ITqMU5W1CKFIv7t9C6O%7E7AbGIIy5-4uN3G9t%7EzDfSL6mhANdt3ZBOKrpzFU1t0DPZLexKEam9E4vwFdQmPes2WvtTYiLfVdNnRr-WTONKm73KmAUMP9l1su70p4xZHZY43moKqvAjx4QEtGTuJP0hXc0bzYJMomv%7E%7EZZIbwGnrYwGOvjTt%7EsYoWWOCMAy-0Ss5EJ3g7ge9x-UTWAE59GPH30mig__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM a30a985c45ae51964dacde1a6981592e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Milk Pail (Courtesy of consumergrouch.com) https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/d9caf3aa4a1025ac59ed2f7270d403ea.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=kTozwuhEpsq1PqbkGzgYNED1XLbvKp0tJZ-WNocXe%7EXGei2H9XQaowFz%7E0vSrhQhyB9%7EZ3ZM1kXMw3q5mm5Xj2ZVahKHg2oD--9qKn6oqREWFvYXQmS0Tdp7ccVkZ8mMA7DkfPhh3yCuNQ2ukn9IRR2QOIfFe-1-RCyD51sUGC1G6OA3dZzC6sGy7qnpv16d3ucWhGfGLtFl-WgKGEbVF2tXhxbLqExDI3jaP1JhvzPJx%7EdTDtzraC%7EQ5FNXNfStDH1pTvVe4Md1mh0bdtLeykATilG1217I-W0l%7EM-2CH6oZhbhgKTYt-5Bf%7EQbET0ytOjAg8gxhDNWoMjixaR6rg__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM aebdd43eca2d13b571dc70b9ed87bfdb Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Milk Pail (Courtesy of craigslostchicago.com) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story Description An account of the resource My Lincolnwood Story was an oral history project which aimed to explore the past and present of Lincolnwood by documenting stories of its residents. The main goal of this project was to record, preserve, and share audio interviews with the Lincolnwood community in order to connect residents with the history of their neighbors. This project presented Lincolnwood residents with an opportunity to share their story, and for all patrons – a chance to learn about the diverse community of Lincolnwood. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story- Jerry Schenwar Subject The topic of the resource “Compared to the sixties, Lincolnwood is a whole lot more diverse, and more interesting.” Jerry Schenwar has lived in Lincolnwood since 1989. Originally from Chicago, his first job was at the Milk Pail in Lincolnwood. Jerry remembers jobs from his teenage years, talks about his career as a high school teacher, and why he enjoys living in Lincolnwood today. The views and opinions expressed in interviews do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Lincolnwood Public Library, including its Board of Trustees and staff. TRANSCRIPT: Lev Kalmens 0:00 My name is Lev Kalmens. Today is May 6th 2019, and I am interviewing Jerry Schenwar for My Lincolnwood Story. Jerry, thank you for being here. What is your Lincolnwood story? Jerry Schenwar 0:15 Well, I'm 74 years old, and I only moved to Lincolnwood in 1989. But my Lincolnwood story takes place 1962-63 when I was in high school. I lived by Devon and Kedzie, in Chicago. But Lincolnwood was a couple blocks away. I got a job in high school, working after school and on weekends, at the Milk Pail, which was about a block west of McCormick on Devon. It was a small supermarket, very popular, small supermarket that was there for many years. It was one of my first jobs, it was a big experience, for me. It was a great experience in high school. Just to describe the Milk Pail a little bit. It was a small supermarket, you'd say now, and at the back of the store there was a counter where the dairy products were and we, the clerks, would -- people would come up to the counter and ask for milk, or butter, or eggs, or sour cream, or half and half. And we would get it from the cooler for them right in back of us. Then we would ring up their order, it was all one counter and just had registers and [the register didn't specify] nothing about how much change we owe them, we would just take their bills -- no charge cards then, just money -- you take their money and count back from the price to what they gave us. And here's your change. We would put it in a bag for them, no plastic bags, just paper bags. The funny thing is, I still remember the prices. Even at the time the groceries were average prices. Oh -- also there was a produce counter at the front end of the store; by the street, by Devon. There was a produce guy who worked there, Byron, very funny guy. He would weigh the produce for the people, put in a bag, mark the price, and then they bring it back to us. The prices were very reasonable. It was a very popular store. A gallon of milk cost 79 cents. If you bought a gallon of milk, you'd get a pint of half and half for 23 cents. Only with a gallon of milk. Half a gallon was 42 cents a quart was 24 cents. Cigarettes, we sold them cigarettes, 25 cents a package for the regular -- you know, the non-filter, 28 cents for Marlboros and the filter cigarettes a carton was $2.41. I don't know, I just happen to remember these prices from way back and it sounds funny nowadays. Lev Kalmens 3:59 So customers didn't walk around picking up their own -- Jerry Schenwar 4:01 They did. They would pick up the produce, the fruit and vegetables. He [Byron] would weigh them and put them in a bag for them mark the price. But otherwise they would walk up and down the aisles with their shopping carts and it was self service. Then they would bring it to us in the back. Mostly guys, for some reason, worked there. There were a couple of women, older women. Lev Kalmens 4:34 How did you start working there? How did you find out that there was a job opening at the Milk Pail? Jerry Schenwar 4:40 That I don't remember. I was a junior in high school. In those days you just went around to stores in the neighborhood and asked them if they needed help. I worked at the Red Hot Ranch on Devon before that, that was slave labor. That was 60 cents an hour. Even then it was a terrible wage. Milk Pail was much better, it was a $1.50, or something. I worked at Thillens ballpark a little bit, but the Milk Pail was my best experience. When I started there I was as a kid, I was very nervous. It was new, it was hard for me at first. The manager who worked during the day -- I worked on the days and Saturday and Sunday -- was Louis Guskey. He was just a great guy, he took me under his wing and was like, "it's okay, kid I'll teach ya." I was kind of this, you know, sheltered, middle class Jewish guy. And the place was not a Jewish business. It was Art Blanch, by the time I knew him, he was a really old guy and he'd sit up in the office. It was just a very broadening experience for me just to learn about the world. I remember Art Blanch, the owner, said to me, "Kid, this is a penny business." In other words, you know, every penny was important. [The manager] Louis was a great guy. Saturday we would work three to twelve. Afterwards we would go out bowling sometimes. For a 16 year old kid that was big experience, you know, go out late at night, and it was okay. Lev Kalmens 7:06 What about it was mind opening for you? Jerry Schenwar 7:14 The guys I met there, the workers, were different. Kind of a different milieu that I was used to. They weren't Jewish, they were working class guys. It was very interesting for me, it was very broadening in that sense to get to see the greater world outside. It was it was very educational, I would say. Lev Kalmens 7:46 You said you grew up in West Rogers Park at Devon and Kenzie, right? Jerry Schenwar 7:49 Yeah. Yeah. Lev Kalmens 7:51 Where did you go to school? Jerry Schenwar 7:53 Mather. Lev Kalmens 7:54 Mather High School. Jerry Schenwar 7:57 I don't know if that's allowed because this is Lincolnwood. Can I talk about -- [laughs) Lev Kalmens 8:02 [overlapping] Of course. You live in Lincolnwood now, everything is fair game. Jerry Schenwar 8:09 Okay. The working in high school was a great experience for me because teenage years can be kind of hard and socially I wasn't too adapt. The jobs were great. It was fun working at the hotdog place at Thillens. There was a bigger supermarket called Hillmans in those days, by Devon and Western, I worked there one summer. Lev Kalmens 8:47 Tell me about what it was like on Devon Avenue back when you're growing up. I'm familiar with the area now but I'm curious to know what the neighborhood was like back in the 50s and 60s. Jerry Schenwar 9:03 Very quiet, middle class. Mostly Jewish, but not orthodox at all. Not orthodox, like it is now. Let's see. There was a Robert Hall, that was kind of a cheap clothing department store. Rosen's Drugs on Devon in Sacramento. Randal's Restaurant on Devon and California. Very thriving. Very thriving, lively place. Lev Kalmens 9:53 What was your experience like in Mather High School? Jerry Schenwar 9:58 Well Mather was a brand new school when I went there. It had just opened up in 1959, that's when I started high school. I was sort of new in the neighborhood. My family had moved from Albany Park. Like a lot of other kids at that time, I had moved from Albany Park up to Rogers Park Lev Kalmens 10:24 Why did they decide to move? Jerry Schenwar 10:32 I guess it was a nicer neighborhood, you'd say. So I moved out to Rogers Park when I was about 14. It was a different world, I was [really] into cars and in those days cars were -- it was just interesting because every year the new styles would come out, and there wew big changes. Now cars kind of look like each other more. Lev Kalmens 11:25 Right. Jerry Schenwar 11:26 They were very -- they had their own personalities. Lev Kalmens 11:29 Did you have a favorite? Favorites? Jerry Schenwar 11:32 Oh, yeah. Corvettes. [laughs] But we had a Studebaker Lark, which was a compact car. From the Studebaker Company. Lev Kalmens 11:43 What was your first car? Jerry Schenwar 11:45 That I owned myself? Lev Kalmens 11:47 Right. Yeah. Jerry Schenwar 11:47 1965 Ford Galaxy. So it's like a two door Ford. It's okay. Lev Kalmens 11:58 Was there a specific dream car that you wanted? Because in 1965 you were just out of high school, right? Jerry Schenwar 12:09 Well, like I say, you know, the Corvette, you know, there was the Thunderbird. Those were beautiful sports cars. Lev Kalmens 12:18 What did you do after graduating from high school? Jerry Schenwar 12:20 I went to college at the University of Illinois, Champaign. Lev Kalmens 12:26 What did you study there? Jerry Schenwar 12:29 I ended up majoring in history. Lev Kalmens 12:31 Okay. Jerry Schenwar 12:32 But later, I picked up education classes and I became a high school teacher in Chicago. High school Spanish then English teacher. Lev Kalmens 12:42 Where did you teach? Jerry Schenwar 12:43 I started on the south side; Tilden High School, Philip's High School for some years. In those days, you would get transferred, suddenly, for some reason, and I get transferred to Kelvyn Park High School, which is on the northwest side by Fullerton and Cicero. And I was there for 25 years. Lev Kalmens 13:07 So is that where you retired from? Jerry Schenwar 13:09 Yeah, I taught for 34 years. Lev Kalmens 13:17 Was that something you wanted to do growing up, was to go into education? Jerry Schenwar 13:21 No. Lev Kalmens 13:21 What was your dream job? Jerry Schenwar 13:24 For a long time, I wanted to be a lawyer. And then I thought I would be a judge. But also, when I was very young, they wanted me to umpire a baseball game. It was very unpleasant for me, my friend was tagged out at second base, and I called them safe. The other guy threatened to beat me up after the game. So I said, you know, I don't think I want to be a judge. Because my experience as an umpire wasn't good. For a long time I wanted to be a lawyer, and then that kind of faded away. I really didn't know what I wanted to do in my early 20s. Then I just sort of fell into teaching but ended up really loving the job, being a high school teacher, I tried to teach at grammar school, and that didn't work at all. So the older kids were better for me. Lev Kalmens 14:30 What's been the highlight of your career as a high school teacher? What made it worth it? Jerry Schenwar 14:41 The day to day. If I could connect with the students in a way; if I felt they were learning something and excited about learning. That was very satisfying to me. When you're standing up in front of a group of teenagers you can't really go to sleep; you got to be alert and time went fast. There were a lot of difficulties too. I was in an inner city school. So there were a lot of problems. But it gave me a direction in life because I grew up in the 60s, and there was a lot of uncertainty about things. So that was great. Lev Kalmens 15:38 So you said you moved to Lincolnwood in 1989? Jerry Schenwar 15:42 Yeah. Lev Kalmens 15:44 Tell me about that. Jerry Schenwar 15:55 We were living in Rogers Park, my wife, Clara, she had been a teacher, but at the time, she owned a bookstore, a children's bookstore on Touhy near California. So we were living in Rogers Park and [my daughter] was at Rogers School. The kindergarten class was very big and we weren't excited about the teacher at all. And Clara had this bookstore and this woman came in, Mrs. Naka, she and her husband lived in Lincolnwood for a long time, and still do. And Mrs. Naka, she was an aide, then she became a teacher in the Lincolnwood Schools. She came into the store a lot, bought a lot of books. She and Clara would talk and Clara was talking about the school Maya was going to and Linda said, "you know, the schools and Lincolnwood are good." So that's really why we moved to Lincolnwood. But the funny thing there, another Lincolnwood connection, her husband, Denny, and I went to grammar school together. And we knew each other. Just more recently, we become good friends.We go to Starbucks together up on Touhy. So it's kind of funny how things are -- what it was, six degrees of separation. Lev Kalmens 17:49 Right. Jerry Schenwar 17:50 But anyways, we moved to Lincolnwood for the schools. And it worked out. It was good for Maya. Our daughter Maya. Lev Kalmens 18:02 How old was she when you guys moved? Because she started in Chicago schools and then you immediately brought her here? Jerry Schenwar 18:10 Yeah, first grade, she went to first grade in Lincolnwood. Yeah. The first teacher wasn't great, but most of the teachers are very good. She got a good education. Lev Kalmens 18:23 So it sounds like Lincolnwood was your first experience living in the suburbs, having grown up in Chicago. Jerry Schenwar 18:36 Oh, yeah, yeah. I wasn't dying to living rooms but you know, Lincolnwood, it's great. Just because the location you know, you're so close to things. Lev Kalmens 18:49 Was there was there some was there a difficulty adjusting? And I know, like you said, we are very close to Chicago. Was there a difficulty adjusting to the suburban life versus the city life? Jerry Schenwar 19:01 Not really. Yeah, that that wasn't it. There are plenty other problems. But no, the neighbors were friendly. We felt welcome. Infact, back in the 90s, we had block parties every summer for a while. The selling point -- I didn't mention this -- the selling point is we live right next to O'Brien Park by Chase and East Prairie. So that was definitely a selling point. At that time we just had Maya. Later Keeley came along, our other daughter. The people that lived around O'Brien Park would come to this block party every summer. We had maybe five, six years. It was very nice. I've always liked it. I love, well I like the location because we're a block from the Touhy with Dunkin Donuts. Wholly Frijoles. Now Wholly Frijoles -- we went in there when they first opened, and it was very much smaller than it is now, it was just a little place. And we ate there and it was really good. And we were the only ones there. So we say jeez we hope this place survives! Because this is really good. We got to tell people about it. Then something happened that I think it got reviewed in the [Chicago Tribune] or something. And it just changed real fast. It caught on in a big way. And then you couldn't get a seat. Renga Tai is on the corner, the Japanese restaurant. So I like having that stuff close by. Especially Dunkin Donuts [laughter]. Lev Kalmens 21:18 It's a good place to have nearby. Jerry Schenwar 21:20 Oh, yeah. I mean now that I'm retired -- I've been retired for 12 years now -- just to go there in the morning, have my coffee, sit down, read or do a crossword puzzle. I like being in public spaces like that. So that's nice. I like that. Because the the other thing is, I like living next to the park because what I don't like about suburban living is the empty streets without any [unintelligible]. So when you got the park there, whenever the weather is nice there are people there, a lot of people. And the park is just nice. Lev Kalmens 22:05 So you said you've been retired for 12 years, what have you been doing with your time since then? Jerry Schenwar 22:10 Well, I had a couple of part time jobs. I was what they call teacher in the library in Chicago Libraries, where you come in like 3 to 6 and help kids with their homework. So I did that for several years. And I do some volunteer things for quite a few years at Gail's School, which is an East Rogers Park program where you help kids with their reading. You sit down and read with them. As I said Dunkin Donuts, and I like to explore the city, and just kind of have fun like that. Lev Kalmens 22:57 What are some life lessons you've learned over the years? Jerry Schenwar 23:01 Keep trying. Keep moving. Be kind. I like what the Dalai Lama said, "kindness is my religion". [laughs] Lev Kalmens 23:11 So you've lived in Lincolnwood for 30 years now what? What's different? What has changed? Jerry Schenwar 23:16 I don't notice. I could compare Lincolnwood in the 60s, the Lincolnwood that I knew just -- Lev Kalmens 23:25 From living down the street? Jerry Schenwar 23:26 Yeah. Oh, the other thing, just a couple of things about Lincolnwood. A colleague of mine at Kelvyn Park, Harold; he was older. He's about 10 years old than me, older Jewish guy who had grown up in Chicago. And he said he would come here in the 30s, -- it must have been in the 30s or 40s. And Lincolnwood was a network of sidewalks without any houses because I guess what happened is they laid out the village in the 20s then the depression hit and they weren't doing any construction. So yeah, he told me he would come out with his family for picnics and Lincolnwood was just this open place with all these sidewalks. If you look at the inscription on some of the sidewalks, it says Peter Lutch 2905 Farragut 1928. But the houses are not from 1928 they're, you know, from the 40s, 50s -- Lev Kalmens 24:58 Right. Jerry Schenwar 24:58 Right? Lev Kalmens 24:58 Yeah. Jerry Schenwar 24:59 So it was really interesting. I actually went to check out the 2905 Farragut in the city and [it's a] big, old house. Really nice. I think now as compared with the 60s Lincolnwood is whole lot more diverse and more interesting. You know? We've got very international, which is nice. Lev Kalmens 25:27 Is there anything about Lincolnwood that made you feel like you really belong here? Anything that comes to mind? Jerry Schenwar 25:33 I really enjoyed watching the eclipse from the school. They had like a little event for the eclipse. Lev Kalmens 25:44 Right. Two summers ago now. Jerry Schenwar 25:48 Was it that long ago? Lev Kalmens 25:49 I think so, I think it was 2017. Jerry Schenwar 25:51 You know, the big, where the the glasses -- Lev Kalmens 25:53 Yeah it was the whole thing. Jerry Schenwar 25:54 Yeah, that was that felt like a nice community event. I liked that. Lev Kalmens 26:01 Well, Jerry, I want to thank you for coming down and sharing your Lincolnwood story with us. Jerry Schenwar 26:05 Very happy to. Thank you. https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/2ea27ef6c2791990e9c119de50043229.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=Z2ruiRcxFDPhYk9msfxRvl01chCRinSrkLE2KsegT7F1OQiEC-VHTeo%7Eh5-cNrASvv-gAHCXEYQYXfMyacJP6cA69c1iEyBOiv9YaCtFQ9KfqLcDGH345EivvMWYeRveTExY3NjOdqCUlkKOXMEPKfQUwfPKP7A1UeSzYLKolfx2BLfzJAAfvZf-eUTsqkNPtmvuGG2R9ES0y5quWBDBsWqVM%7E3T28aPcoc7dxARdRYk2Llcae67UIxRea-9eq-6EOpkX8k6b4SiBXHr3gk-xL4LMsivWNMzt6ZdnO4wRU2oTvt2DqteH%7EKWUYOchgNi4MXN-QKtZuPLlj93US2OPw__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 1df809c99827aae51aca8f799715a971 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Robert Liss and Jerry Schenwar, May 2019 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/1f9f4b11361c6916fe8c0d8d173a9ede.mp3?Expires=1792022400&Signature=CYzGrxWag6he7VHVApnJ4FVs7Dv8EXSHUvXzSwqg1qYmSgFQ92gX%7Ep%7E0ID95hKIzwvPl--xDVvCfe9laVb%7EnMqEiwq9BsSpQA32-Xf8TJ7e20x3RhSqU3cQEGaPdwGWx%7E0Sd4fwLAw8P9XFZbYP77XTLYgDribTGYLq0-01l%7E9adbj7KflW2Up1mfWqN9D5c8RaMvi6ywGQLL3w3GeSTMzhn7qQgq2FyFje3r2FSiRHFZbfUNb596xfF2flHwaELnLxBMwsnhI0cs20ELsIuPuUrVQgsScGwqRi7HHjEhHc4g579qGGWjdFYsBUclGszI-b9nA9ozX6SIPyFUCDHfQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM b526b4880d97fd55faf110b246e9592a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story- Robert Liss Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story Description An account of the resource My Lincolnwood Story was an oral history project which aimed to explore the past and present of Lincolnwood by documenting stories of its residents. The main goal of this project was to record, preserve, and share audio interviews with the Lincolnwood community in order to connect residents with the history of their neighbors. This project presented Lincolnwood residents with an opportunity to share their story, and for all patrons – a chance to learn about the diverse community of Lincolnwood. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story- Robert Liss Subject The topic of the resource Robert Liss lives in Rogers Park, but was born in Lincolnwood. He is interviewed by his friend, and teacher, Jerry Schenwar. Robert talks about growing up in Lincolnwood and the various places he’s worked and volunteered his time over the years. The views and opinions expressed in interviews do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Lincolnwood Public Library, including its Board of Trustees and staff. TRANSCRIPT: Jerry Schenwar 0:01 Hi, I'm Jerry Schenwar and I'm here with my friend and my student, Robert Liss. Now, Robert, I know from what you've told me, you've been really active in the community, but let's start at the beginning. When were you born? Robert Liss 0:27 1960. Jerry Schenwar 0:36 In Lincolnwood, right? Robert Liss 0:37 Yes. Jerry Schenwar 0:39 And like you were telling me, from your birth until just a few years ago, you lived in the same house. Robert Liss 0:49 See my mom had to make a house for Lincolnwood. And my mom-- Jerry Schenwar 0:59 They built it for your parents? Robert Liss 1:02 Yeah. Jerry Schenwar 1:03 Oh, so it was a brand new house. Robert Liss 1:05 My mom showed them the paper to tell them what to do. Jerry Schenwar 1:10 Yeah, the blueprint. Robert Liss 1:11 Right. Jerry Schenwar 1:11 [overlapping] Yeah, yeah. Huh. Okay. So I know you've told me a lot about the stores and-- Robert Liss 1:25 Movie. Jerry Schenwar 1:27 Yeah. So there was a movie theater here. Robert Liss 1:30 Yeah. Long time ago. Jerry Schenwar 1:32 Where? You said on Lincoln Avenue? Robert Liss 1:34 Yeah. Jerry Schenwar 1:36 And you used to go to the movies there. Robert Liss 1:38 Yeah. Jerry Schenwar 1:39 Yeah, that was surprising because I never knew there was a theater around here. Robert Liss 1:43 Yeah. Jerry Schenwar 1:44 Do you remember other things from when you were a kid? Like, places in Lincolnwood that aren't here anymore? Robert Liss 1:52 Yep. Long time ago, the library was at nextdoor to this street. Jerry Schenwar 1:59 [overlapping] across the street. Robert Liss 2:01 And then long time ago, office right here--doctor's office-- Jerry Schenwar 2:06 Where Walgreens, as you were saying, where Walgreens is now was like a doctor's office. Robert Liss 2:11 A long time ago, yeah. Jerry Schenwar 2:17 Okay. Now, just thinking about your connection. Now, I know you you've been volunteering and still volunteer at the pool every summer, right? Robert Liss 2:27 Yes. Jerry Schenwar 2:28 How long have you been doing that? Robert Liss 2:30 At 1981, '82. Jerry Schenwar 2:38 Volunteering at the pool? Robert Liss 2:40 Yeah, worked at a camp. In one of the camp too. Jerry Schenwar 2:45 Oh, you were helping them with the camp. Robert Liss 2:50 I was a counselor in 1991 or 92. Jerry Schenwar 2:56 You were helping a counselor? Robert Liss 2:58 No, I'm the counselor. Jerry Schenwar 2:59 You were a counselor? Robert Liss 3:00 Yeah, I got-- Robert Liss 3:01 At a camp? Robert Liss 3:02 [overlapping] I got paid for it. Jerry Schenwar 3:03 Okay. So is that how you started volunteering at the pool? That's how you made the connection because you were working at the camp? Robert Liss 3:12 I'm working at the camp in the morning then afternoon at the pool. Jerry Schenwar 3:17 Okay. And you've been doing that steadily, right? Every summer since the '80s. Robert Liss 3:26 [overlapping] Yeah. Jerry Schenwar 3:28 So how do you-- Robert Liss 3:30 In 1995 I did the fest--the Lincolnwood fest. A long time too. Jerry Schenwar 3:38 Right, you help out at the Lincolnwood fest. Robert Liss 3:41 Right, the beer tent. Jerry Schenwar 3:45 The beer tent. Okay. Yeah, that's in August, right? Robert Liss 3:51 Yeah. Right. No, sometimes after Fourth of July. Jerry Schenwar 3:57 After the Fourth of July. Yeah, yeah. So yeah, you help out, you volunteer at the Lincolnwood fest and the pool. Robert Liss 4:06 [overlapping] Right. Jerry Schenwar 4:06 So what do you do when you go to the pool? Robert Liss 4:09 I walk around, make sure nobody fighting, ID because some people [inaudible] wrong people ID cannot do that [inaudible] alone and they have to be living in Lincolnwood. If you don't live in Lincolnwood, please go someplace else. Jerry Schenwar 4:30 So like with the kids to make sure they-- Robert Liss 4:33 No, kids, adults, anybody. Jerry Schenwar 4:37 Yeah. Okay, so the festival. You help out the pool. What other Lincolnwood activities did you do? Robert Liss 4:57 [inaudible] Jerry Schenwar 5:00 What? Robert Liss 5:02 So people tend to walking, people wanting [inaudible] Jerry Schenwar 5:09 At the pool? Robert Liss 5:10 At the park. Yeah, I did that. And then I did Halloween. And I've been to Halloween in the park, too, long time ago. Jerry Schenwar 5:25 Prosel Park? Robert Liss 5:26 Yeah. Where the pool is. Jerry Schenwar 5:27 Yeah. Robert Liss 5:28 Yeah, everything at the park. Everything. Jerry Schenwar 5:32 But I'm not clear on what you're talking about now. The other activities... Robert Liss 5:39 I help out to Halloween makeup. Help them out to Halloween. Jerry Schenwar 5:44 Oh, a Halloween thing. Oh, okay. So they had something for the kids. Robert Liss 5:52 Yeah, I did a long time for that, too. Jerry Schenwar 5:55 Okay. I know you have a work history too. You were working at that nursing home for about 20 years, right? Robert Liss 6:12 Like 21. Jerry Schenwar 6:13 Yeah. And that was a part-time job, right? Robert Liss 6:19 No. Full-time. Jerry Schenwar 6:21 Full-time? Robert Liss 6:21 Mhmm. Beginning part-time, then changed to full-time. Jerry Schenwar 6:30 But I remember that you used to have to work different shifts? Robert Liss 6:35 Yeah. Jerry Schenwar 6:35 Right. They would tell you they need you here, they need you there. Robert Liss 6:38 Right. Weekend too. Jerry Schenwar 6:42 Yeah. Robert Liss 6:43 Saturday and Sunday. Jerry Schenwar 6:44 So you worked there a long time. And then it was about what, seven, eight years ago you started at the-- Robert Liss 6:53 Heinz. Jerry Schenwar 6:54 At Heinz Medical Center. You were helping out with shipping, right? Robert Liss 6:58 Right. Jerry Schenwar 7:02 So you took the bus from Lincolnwood all the way down to Heinz every day, right? Robert Liss 7:11 Yeah. Morning and night. Jerry Schenwar 7:13 Yeah. And how long was the commute? Robert Liss 7:16 2 hours. Jerry Schenwar 7:17 One way took you two hours? Robert Liss 7:20 Yeah. Jerry Schenwar 7:21 And then two hours coming back. Robert Liss 7:22 Right. Jerry Schenwar 7:23 Yeah, well, you're very determined. That was a long commute. Robert Liss 7:31 It is. Jerry Schenwar 7:31 Yeah, but it was a good job though. You liked the job. Robert Liss 7:34 I get off the weekend. And now off the holidays. Jerry Schenwar 7:39 Yeah. And then I know you had to stop because you had an illness. Robert Liss 7:47 Right. Jerry Schenwar 7:49 So you had to stop and take care of that. But now you're telling me that you're interviewing for some kind of job closer. Right? Robert Liss 7:59 Right. We don't know yet until Thursday morning. Then I'll find out what's going on. Jerry Schenwar 8:06 Yeah. So, I know you don't drive. But I also know you're very familiar with the bus system. Robert Liss 8:19 Yes, I do. A lot of people ask me how to get someplace. And I'll tell them. Jerry Schenwar 8:27 Yeah, I guess I ran into you at the bus stop once and we got on the bus together, and the bus driver said "hi" to you like he knew you. Robert Liss 8:37 Yeah long time ago. Yeah. Now, no new drivers don't know me yet. Some do. Jerry Schenwar 8:46 But at the time when you went to work at the nursing home, every day you'd be taking the Touhy bus. Robert Liss 8:53 Yeah the one bus to my mom's house. Jerry Schenwar 8:55 [overlapping] They got to know you. Robert Liss 8:56 Mom's house first and then where I live. Jerry Schenwar 9:01 So yeah, like you were telling me, you lived ... until your mom finally moved out to a nursing home. And then you were living with your sister for a while, and then you got into a group home in Rogers Park, right? Living around Howard and California. And ow's that working out? Robert Liss 9:29 Good. Jerry Schenwar 9:29 Yeah. I know you've told me you take turns cooking supper, right? Robert Liss 9:36 Yes. Everybody doing one [inaudible] Jerry Schenwar 9:38 Which night is your night? Robert Liss 9:41 Thursday. We're still waiting for more people to move in. Jerry Schenwar 9:47 Yeah. Robert Liss 9:48 Because we have an empty room right now. And the next one will be fixing the house again soon. Everything: the floor, the kitchen, everything. Jerry Schenwar 9:59 Right, you were telling me they're gonna do a lot of remodeling. Seems like a nice place. And the guys get along pretty well. So that's great. Oh, then you told me something about an incident at the pool where a kid was drowning? Robert Liss 10:25 Yes. Jerry Schenwar 10:26 What happened? Robert Liss 10:27 He could not swim. Jerry Schenwar 10:29 When was this? Do you remember more? Robert Liss 10:32 1986 or '87? Jerry Schenwar 10:37 Yeah. So it was a little kid? Robert Liss 10:40 Yeah. And then sometime, they asked me my name and everything. I'm on [inaudible] I said Robert Liss. Jerry Schenwar 10:53 Oh, the newspaper? Robert Liss 10:54 Yeah. Jerry Schenwar 10:56 But what happened? Robert Liss 10:58 People didn't know how to swim. And the mom said, "what's your name?" "Robert Liss" "Well, we'll give you whatever you want to eat." That's all. Jerry Schenwar 11:06 So the kid couldn't swim. Robert Liss 11:09 Two people cannot swim. So I get a one out at a time. Come back in, get another one out. And then take them. Jerry Schenwar 11:15 Oh, you jumped in and pulled them out? Robert Liss 11:17 Yeah. Jerry Schenwar 11:18 Wow. Okay. Yeah, that's great. You must have felt good about that. Robert Liss 11:27 Everybody saw the paper with my name on it, and everybody's happy seeing what's going on in Lincolnwood. See? About me. Jerry Schenwar 11:36 Yeah. So any other stories come to mind about when you're growing up, or a young man, or middle aged man? Robert Liss 11:55 I know I worked with Reuben who lived near my house before they take it down. I'm working with him for three days, four days. And my brother worked there before I came. Jerry Schenwar 12:17 Mark. What did he do? Robert Liss 12:20 He worked with Reuben. It's a Jewish place. Jerry Schenwar 12:26 Reuben's? Robert Liss 12:27 Yeah. Jerry Schenwar 12:28 The deli! Oh, yeah. That was right on-- Robert Liss 12:31 On Touhy. Jerry Schenwar 12:31 That was Reuben's Deli on Touhy right here. Yeah. Robert Liss 12:37 Mark worked there first, and then I work there. Jerry Schenwar 12:39 You work there? Robert Liss 12:40 With him. Yeah. Jerry Schenwar 12:41 Oh. What did you do there? Robert Liss 12:43 Clean up. Jerry Schenwar 12:44 Huh. Okay, I didn't know that. Yeah, when I moved here, it was still there for a few years and then it stopped. Robert Liss 12:54 Right. And then I worked at 31 Flavors a long time ago. Jerry Schenwar 13:02 The Dunkin Donuts? Robert Liss 13:05 No, no. Plain 31 Flavors. Jerry Schenwar 13:10 Oh, that was on the other side, on Touhy, right? It was a ice cream place. Robert Liss 13:14 Only. Yeah. Jerry Schenwar 13:15 I think I remember that. Robert Liss 13:17 And then I worked at Long John Silver. Jerry Schenwar 13:22 Yeah. Long John Silver. Yeah. That was funny because it was there for a long time. Then it closed, then it opened, and then it closed again. Yeah. They kept trying. Yeah, they kept trying. So yeah. Hoe about the Dairy Star on Devon? You used to go there. Right, the ice cream place? Yeah, I used to go there when I was a kid. Yeah. Robert Liss 13:52 And to Wendy, long time ago. They used to have a salad bar a long time ago. Jerry Schenwar 14:00 Yeah, you were telling me just as we were driving here today: Lincolnwood Town Center and Mariano's, any of those stores on Touhy, they weren't there before. Robert Liss 14:16 No, it was empty lots. Jerry Schenwar 14:20 Yeah. But you said the Wendy's has been there a long time. Robert Liss 14:25 Right. I know because Wendy's had a salad menu--make your own salad there. Jerry Schenwar 14:34 Yeah, they had-- Robert Liss 14:35 A salad bar place. Jerry Schenwar 14:37 They don't have it anymore. Robert Liss 14:38 No. Jerry Schenwar 14:41 Can you remember any other businesses over by your house, by Touhy and Crawford? Robert Liss 14:46 I know one here. Beginning right here. With a [inaudible] beginning a food place there before it was taken down. Got peanuts and put it on the floor. Jerry Schenwar 15:01 It was a restaurant? Robert Liss 15:04 Yeah. Jerry Schenwar 15:04 A restaurant. And yeah, I remember like a place where they had peanuts on the floor. Right. Okay. Robert Liss 15:18 Before it was taken down and changed it. Jerry Schenwar 15:22 Now when I first moved in-- Robert Liss 15:24 And then the bowling alley was there a long time ago. Now it's not there anymore. Jerry Schenwar 15:33 The bowling alley? Robert Liss 15:35 Bowling alley, yeah. Jerry Schenwar 15:36 On Touhy? Robert Liss 15:37 On Lincoln. Jerry Schenwar 15:39 Lincoln? Robert Liss 15:40 Yeah. Jerry Schenwar 15:42 Yeah. I didn't know there was a bowling alley. Robert Liss 15:44 Yeah. It was on East Prairie. Jerry Schenwar 15:52 East Prairie and Lincoln, a bowling alley. Did you did you go there? Robert Liss 15:57 Yep. Jerry Schenwar 15:58 Yeah, I know you're in a bowling league in Niles, right? Robert Liss 16:05 Yes. Jerry Schenwar 16:07 Yeah. Have you gone back to that yet? Robert Liss 16:12 I'm going back we have [inaudible] Jerry Schenwar 16:18 Nice because I know I went to some of those banquets they had at the end of the bowling tournament. You did that for quite a few years, right? Robert Liss 16:29 Yes. Jerry Schenwar 16:33 The bowling? Robert Liss 16:34 Yeah. Jerry Schenwar 16:35 So we talked about the swimming, the bowling, the work. Any other activities that you haven't told me about? Robert Liss 16:42 One day ago, I went to an apartment. I have an apartment with my sister by [inaudible]. And I worked at the bar, cleaning the bar. And the lady asked me to go to Walgreens to get something for her, and I got $45 for cleaning and getting everything done in the bar. Free food, free drink, and everything. Jerry Schenwar 17:31 The bar was in Lincolnwood? Robert Liss 17:33 No. I worked with Lauren. Jerry Schenwar 17:40 Alright, so after you moved out of your house... Jerry Schenwar 17:43 Right. Jerry Schenwar 17:43 ... you were with Lauren. Robert Liss 17:46 Beginning in that apartment and then the condo. Jerry Schenwar 17:52 Right. And you-- Robert Liss 17:54 Now, I'm back in my mom. Jerry Schenwar 17:54 But meanwhile you had a little side job. Robert Liss 18:01 Right. Jerry Schenwar 18:02 Okay. I didn't know about that one. Robert Liss 18:05 [inaudible] First was the apartment then. Okay. Apartment. Then I moved to a condo. Jerry Schenwar 18:18 Okay. Now I know another important part of your life now is your girlfriend Susan. Right? Robert Liss 18:28 Yes. Jerry Schenwar 18:29 How long have you been with her? Robert Liss 18:31 About nine, maybe around nine. Jerry Schenwar 18:34 About nine years? Robert Liss 18:35 Yeah. Jerry Schenwar 18:36 But she lives all the way in--is it Arlington Heights? Robert Liss 18:41 We met where [inauble] lived. Jerry Schenwar 18:47 Hoffman Estates? Robert Liss 18:48 Yeah. Jerry Schenwar 18:48 Oh, wow. Okay, now Susan doesn't drive either; she takes buses. So when you guys get together, does she get a ride sometime over here? Or she mostly takes the bus. Robert Liss 19:01 Yeah. Jerry Schenwar 19:02 Okay, so you guys-- Robert Liss 19:04 [overlapping] Susan takes Pace for a long time. Jerry Schenwar 19:07 Oh, the pace bus? Yeah. You mean they pick her up or ...? Robert Liss 19:12 Yeah, all the time. Jerry Schenwar 19:14 Oh, they pick her up. Robert Liss 19:16 To work. To go everywhere. Jerry Schenwar 19:18 Okay, that's good. Robert Liss 19:20 My sister took my girlfriend to the synagogue, to the cookout before, if it's going on. Love cooking. My girlfriend loves horses, dog. And similar kinds... food. Now my girlfriend's doing better. Had something wrong [inaudible]. My girlfriend can't have too much fries or taters. Jerry Schenwar 19:48 Oh, she's got to watch what she eats. Robert Liss 19:50 Yeah. Jerry Schenwar 19:51 Yeah. Okay. Sometimes you meet at Old Orchard, right? Robert Liss 19:59 Sometimes there. Sometimes at a bank. Bank near her. Jerry Schenwar 20:08 Okay, so you guys-- Robert Liss 20:09 [overlapping] Or the mall. Jerry Schenwar 20:10 Either you or her have to take a long ride to meet, right? Robert Liss 20:14 Yeah. Jerry Schenwar 20:15 Okay. Alright. Anything else come to your mind about-- Robert Liss 20:28 [overlapping] That's all I know. Jerry Schenwar 20:29 Yeah, well no, I don't think that's all but it's ... yeah, yeah. Robert Liss 20:37 There's a lot of stuff I know. That's it. I moved out winter of 2014--13 or 14, I moved out. Jerry Schenwar 20:56 Right. But you're not far away, and I know we--Robert and I--have a lesson every week. Robert Liss 21:11 Went to my mom's house first. Jerry Schenwar 21:14 That's correct. Robert Liss 21:15 And my mom went to school to vote. And then my sister Lauren said, "Oh, who's the guy there?" Jerry! Jerry Schenwar 21:26 Oh, yeah, I was an election judge. Yeah. Robert Liss 21:29 And then Lauren said to Jerry, "I need help my brother." And he said, "Yes, I'll help your brother." And then you walked about five minutes away, my mom lived. Jerry Schenwar 21:46 Right. We lived just a few blocks from each other. So I start working with Robert on reading skills and math skills. Writing Skills. Yeah, everything. That was about 15 years ago. Yeah. Robert Liss 22:01 Before you got hurt yourself. Your knees. Then we got somebody else. Jerry Schenwar 22:10 My friend to substituted for a while. Yeah. Robert's made a lot of progress in that area. very. I can certify that he's a perfect student. Very motivated. Robert Liss 22:19 [overlapping] And then my neighbor. I knew my neighbor before my neighbor moved. And I know my Rabbi for a long time. Jerry Schenwar 22:21 Right. Robert Liss 22:21 Yeah. I know a lot of people. I know them before they die or move. Jerry Schenwar 22:27 Yeah, it was a long time. How about the people where you're living now? Do you know any of the people around-- Robert Liss 22:43 No, no. Jerry Schenwar 22:46 --around Rogers Park? Robert Liss 22:47 No. Jerry Schenwar 22:48 Yeah. But when you were growing up, you knew a lot of the neighbors. Yeah. We've covered a lot. Anything else? Robert Liss 22:57 That's all I know. Jerry Schenwar 23:00 I think we can wind it up. Yeah? Robert Liss 23:03 Okay. Jerry Schenwar 23:03 Thank you. https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/1525e9a3aadb5b4aab3d50217011b828.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=I5JYhFASHRNjUY8JQHxHlhdP2CyKwkVi2CdzMLVVg6Z0N9hjHZnLkiXKs9rU1R%7EAIyINpIr3hd%7EMjxSMpcvACEJSBlkAskCeDLE2YJnlXXOo4Exe8obhpnoWnC206dAZ6rsX-ewo9OnccuTeIC8vc7EjHwUNuG0c6Y%7EN1NarynG09tfFYjH4BuolHi5dA9ErtI%7E-7Q9SJ8ZM5jWCdlia%7EZVql3aZkwV8oMqOqdjbgSoTiKVQSu1xClw-sq%7EHfXk%7EkCxNHBjDGP2lZQHQe2dM08-X%7EGh34gNokPSzF16OGnhp%7EN578iqhyPSWSbyXy8S5Gr0CdOr28FdjNSwxq35yCg__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 6b0ac047d5454ad179297112a6d60b91 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Pamela Stavinoga, May 2019 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/ac493e87005ca623e3e86db6922ccfba.mp3?Expires=1792022400&Signature=RwUaF3%7E%7EV1fm0XK0ihNJaRzXQamNj6eIPDIb16Bd8h-7GbItekP5e7SAgkBq6I8d5rB7tihJM6f-Ik%7EkG%7E-ptQunolj2ujFmAZupuN7miaOEkvOUJILOuQ3HE5bldEmIo%7EQBqYzNCpmPJEMHIkQPhJbg6Ww5KWIoHm-rtj7KcnHxziWJbqiMM5VEF1Mi5qRkUnMdonUhrHQeFK-fR3YAiB66dX5Wt19NBdK3462xMEAJn5mTRTbV6I3eui5ZJmab%7EMR9MKgtfDVI2ina-%7EHpijtfPVsgKU1RXKZhHfEIpxqsfxRYSsn5%7EdAXrvJ%7ELUx65S-piM8PNRs6ZpYMPXnXkA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM c89e2fc1a996e69d294ec2591afa0257 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story- Pamela Stavinoga Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story Description An account of the resource My Lincolnwood Story was an oral history project which aimed to explore the past and present of Lincolnwood by documenting stories of its residents. The main goal of this project was to record, preserve, and share audio interviews with the Lincolnwood community in order to connect residents with the history of their neighbors. This project presented Lincolnwood residents with an opportunity to share their story, and for all patrons – a chance to learn about the diverse community of Lincolnwood. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story- Pamela Stavinoga Subject The topic of the resource “Life is a bowl of cherries. Just keep eating all you can. Everything out there is to be explored.” Originally from Knoxville, Tennesee, Pamela Stavinoga has lived in Lincolnwood since the late 1980s. She is a published author, and a very active member of the community. Pamela is interviewed by Chris Renkosiak, the library’s head of marketing. The views and opinions expressed in interviews do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Lincolnwood Public Library, including its Board of Trustees and staff. TRANSCRIPT: Christopher Renkosiak 0:00 My name is Christopher Renkosiak of the Lincolnwood Public Library. I'm here with Pamela Stavinoga to do the interview for My Lincolnwood Story. Pamela, if you'd like to introduce yourself. Pamela Stavinoga 0:10 Hello, everyone. Christopher Renkosiak 0:12 Hi, Pamela. How long have you lived here in Lincolnwood? Pamela Stavinoga 0:15 About 30 years. Christopher Renkosiak 0:18 Nice. How did your family come to Lincolnwood? Pamela Stavinoga 0:22 I brought myself here. I met my husband, and I moved up here. And I've been here ever since. Christopher Renkosiak 0:31 Can you talk to us a little bit about your ethnic background. Pamela Stavinoga 0:35 My great grandfather was Cherokee, and my great grandmother was, as the record says, darky and Cherokee or Indian. She said Indian and darky. And he is Cherokee. And that's on my father's side. And on my mother's side, my mother said that we were Blackfeet, but I haven't been able to prove that. So basically, that's my ethnic background. My grandmother on her death certificate, when it asked what was her race - I think they asked race - I think she said American. Well, American Indian is as close as you can get, right? Christopher Renkosiak 1:18 Yeah, absolutely. How about geographically? Where does your family come from? Pamela Stavinoga 1:22 Knoxville, Tennessee. But most of my people are from Sweetwater, Tennessee, which is about 20 miles outside of Knoxville, about 20 miles north of Chattanooga. Christopher Renkosiak 1:36 So right in the Smoky Mountains. Pamela Stavinoga 1:37 You got it. Christopher Renkosiak 1:40 Alright, so talk to us a little bit about how life was growing up. You said Knoxville, Tennessee is where your family was from. Pamela Stavinoga 1:47 Growing up, it was. Let's see. Slow. Christopher Renkosiak 1:52 [overlapping] What does slow look like? Pamela Stavinoga 1:55 Slow means nothing really ever happens. You know, you go to school, you come home, you probably put on some shorts, you go out and sit on the curb. And you talk about the day at school. So it was slow. And to do something really exciting was to go downtown, and stand around and watch all the people go in to hear the rock stars and hoping that you'll get a peek at them. Christopher Renkosiak 2:26 Downtown Knoxville? Pamela Stavinoga 2:27 Yep. Christopher Renkosiak 2:28 Awesome. Pamela Stavinoga 2:29 There's only one street in Knoxville. Main street, and that's called Gay Street. And it runs straight through the City. Christopher Renkosiak 2:36 What was your favorite place to go? Pamela Stavinoga 2:39 My favorite place to go was the woods that was behind my house. Christopher Renkosiak 2:43 Okay. Pamela Stavinoga 2:44 I liked going up there because it was so quiet. Nobody was there. It was just me and Mother Nature and the sun. Oh, there was a lot of sun. Christopher Renkosiak 2:55 Yeah. Was it close to the river? Isn't there...? Pamela Stavinoga 2:58 There is a river, but the Tennessee River is a little further away. Christopher Renkosiak 3:05 Gotcha. So, tell us, did you get into trouble at all? What was the worst thing that you did? Pamela Stavinoga 3:12 The worst thing I ever did was that I stole honeybun. I was hungry; so I went in, I got it. I went out and I sit down right in front of the store. The man said, "You know you stole that." I said, "I'm sorry." And they were only a dime, I think at that point. Christopher Renkosiak 3:33 Well... Pamela Stavinoga 3:35 I said "I'm sorry." I said, "I'll pay it back." So I gave him his money out of my lunch money. Christopher Renkosiak 3:43 Alright, so childhood Pamela likes to steal honeybuns. And then she moves up to Lincolnwood. When you came up here...well, before you came up here, what did you want to be when you grew up? What was your dream job? Pamela Stavinoga 3:58 A ballerina. Christopher Renkosiak 3:59 A ballerina? Did you take lessons? Pamela Stavinoga 4:02 No, but I used to see them on TV, and I thought they were so pretty. I thought they were so pretty. Their little tutus, seeing them when they go flopping around; that's so pretty. And then I said, "Well, I'll be a doctor." And I said, "I don't know if I can do that." Well, I'll be a physical therapist. Believe it or not in my high school, I didn't know there was an opportunity to go to a counselor and figure these things out. Christopher Renkosiak 4:35 Sure. Pamela Stavinoga 4:35 No one ever told us, or at least they didn't tell me. I pretty much thought that all the occupations there are are teachers and nurses and house cleaners. I didn't know. My venture was kind of sporadic. I didn't know what I really wanted to be. Christopher Renkosiak 4:59 Sure, and when where did you land? What was your... Pamela Stavinoga 5:01 I wanted to be a fashion designer. That's where I ended up because I drew a lot. I paint and draw. When I came to Chicago, I didn't have the money. I came here with no money. One friend and no money. I finally got a job and couldn't afford a portfolio. Someone told me about junior college. I didn't know anything about junior college because there's no junior colleges in Knoxville, Tennessee. But, I found out about junior colleges. Christopher Renkosiak 5:45 [overlapping] Sure. Pamela Stavinoga 5:45 And I went. And I went into physical therapy. Christopher Renkosiak 5:56 Okay. Pamela Stavinoga 5:57 Now for an art major, that is really the other side of the spectrum. Christopher Renkosiak 6:06 [overlapping] A complete left turn, absolutely. Pamela Stavinoga 6:09 I didn't have anyone to tell me, to guide me doing that. And I cried, I cried. In physics, I cried because I did not understand what that man was talking about. He took me aside and tutored me. I was a 'A' student. In fact, I was on the Dean's list three years in a row. Christopher Renkosiak 6:37 Nice. Congratulations, Pamela Stavinoga 6:39 And the President's list. I was really proud of myself. Christopher Renkosiak 6:44 Two good lists. Pamela Stavinoga 6:45 Yes. Christopher Renkosiak 6:46 Alright, so physical therapy. Let's talk about how you actually got to Lincolnwood. Pamela Stavinoga 6:52 Lincolnwood. I was working for Catholic Charities, and I was developing the computer department for the company or institute or sector. It was to go from paper to electronic. I had a business, so it fit in real nicely. I left emergency intake when I started working at Catholic Charities. I was creating this department because it didn't exist. We were buying Zenith computers, and the person who was our vendor was right down the street on Devon Avenue. I come up, and that's when I met my husband. He was talking one day, and I said, "What do you like about me?" And he said, "You have the prettiest legs." I said, "Oh, thank you." He said, "Seeing you get in and out of that truck was really interesting." [laughter]. After that we started dating, and then I moved up here. Then the company closed and I retired from that business. I worked at my own business for a while and then I closed the doors on that. So that's how I got to Lincolnwood. Christopher Renkosiak 8:33 Nice. Alright, so let's talk about that early life in Lincolnwood. About what year was that when you moved here? Pamela Stavinoga 8:40 About 1989? Christopher Renkosiak 8:43 1989. So, just about 30 years ago. There's been a lot of change in 30 years. Pamela Stavinoga 8:48 Oh, yes. Christopher Renkosiak 8:49 Have you been in the same house? Pamela Stavinoga 8:51 Yes. Christopher Renkosiak 8:52 Ok, so you've been in the same house? Pamela Stavinoga 8:54 Yeah. Christopher Renkosiak 8:56 Talk about some of those changes. What have been some of the biggest... Pamela Stavinoga 8:58 The biggest change? Well, let's see. I didn't see a lot of people because when I moved here, the Village was pretty much a senior village. There was a lot of seniors; no one came out. Mostly, all the kids had grown up and moved away, or the parents were the ones living in the house. A senior village, it was. I got involved in some things through the center. That was enlightening because I never knew they had these activities, the 50 something club for seniors. Christopher Renkosiak 9:52 Sure. Pamela Stavinoga 9:54 That was really, really interesting. I started to get to know some of the people in the Village, and then one of the ladies - I forget her name - her and her husband. Oh, God, that's my senior years. Oh, God. Well anyway, they invited me to join the Friends. They were looking for someone to work on the board. Christopher Renkosiak 10:24 The Friends at the Lincolnwood library? Pamela Stavinoga 10:25 Yes. Me and my neighbor Gerry; I met my neighbor Gerry. I'm a gardener and she liked to work in her yard. We became good friends. I'd take her places because she didn't drive. So me and Gerry joined the Friends. And I got to meet all the gang there, more and more people. I'm beginning to learn more and more people. And I'm also getting involved with the Village. But I was also doing a lot of things outside of the Village, so my time was limited to what I actually did for the Village. Did I answer your question? Christopher Renkosiak 10:25 You sure did. Pamela Stavinoga 10:44 And I didn't go off on a tangent, did I? Christopher Renkosiak 11:09 Tangents are always good. For those of our listeners who don't know you personally, it's important to note that you are still very active in town. You are on the board of the Lincolnwood Public Library. You're a member of the Friends. You are an avid photographer, a published author. What's been your favorite hobby? Pamela Stavinoga 11:32 I'm also on the Beautification Commission. Christopher Renkosiak 11:35 And the Beautification Commission. Yes. Pamela Stavinoga 11:37 My favorite hobby is gardening. And the arts; I'm still into the arts. The painting and photography, I think that's where the photography came in, just in making the picture. Christopher Renkosiak 11:53 Sure. Pamela Stavinoga 11:56 Those things I like. I'm really into cooking lately, since my husband died. I cook a lot. I freeze it and I give it away. I cook like I normally cook. Christopher Renkosiak 12:12 Sure. Pamela Stavinoga 12:13 Then I put it into the little containers, and then I give it to people. Families that I know that would appreciate it. Christopher Renkosiak 12:22 For sure. Pamela Stavinoga 12:24 That gives me the opportunity to cook a lot of things. And find all these different countries with all these interesting foods. The idea was to go around the world in my kitchen, and I was going to try as many dishes from different countries that I could. I got five from India already. I've got 10 from the Mediterranean. Turkey. I got Greece. I mean, I'm going all the way around. Christopher Renkosiak 13:01 Yeah. Pamela Stavinoga 13:02 I don't know what I'm gonna do when I get to Finland. Christopher Renkosiak 13:04 I don't know any Finnish recipes. I'm sure they have some kind of... Pamela Stavinoga 13:11 Yeah. I don't know what I'm gonna do in Japan. Sushi is not quite my tea. Christopher Renkosiak 13:18 Ramen is always good. I'm sure you could find a ramen dish. Pamela Stavinoga 13:21 Yes. Christopher Renkosiak 13:23 All right. Let's get to know you a little bit better, too. I've got a bunch of questions. We'll kind of go through these... Pamela Stavinoga 13:31 Real fast. Christopher Renkosiak 13:32 Real fast. All right, who has been the most important person in your life? Pamela Stavinoga 13:38 God. Christopher Renkosiak 13:39 God, all right. Why? Pamela Stavinoga 13:41 Because He's always been with me. And if I need Him, all I have to do is call and He answers. Christopher Renkosiak 13:50 Would you consider yourself a spiritual...? Pamela Stavinoga 13:52 Yes. Pamela Stavinoga 13:54 But I'm also very cardinal. I am in this world, but I'm also very spiritual. Christopher Renkosiak 14:01 Okay, nice. Who has been the biggest influence in your life? And what lessons did that person teach you? Pamela Stavinoga 14:11 My grandmother. She taught me how to be good to people; how not to judge people. Look at them from their heart instead of the facade that's on the outside. You look here and not here. She also taught me something that's very important. It is that to get an education. That's something that no one can take away from you. Christopher Renkosiak 14:39 For sure. Pamela Stavinoga 14:41 She was right. And I have four degrees. Christopher Renkosiak 14:44 Wow. Four degrees. All right, let's go through them real quick. Pamela Stavinoga 14:47 Okay. Chemistry. Christopher Renkosiak 14:49 Chemistry. Pamela Stavinoga 14:49 Business. Christopher Renkosiak 14:50 Business. Pamela Stavinoga 14:51 Computer science. Christopher Renkosiak 14:52 Computer science. Pamela Stavinoga 14:53 And Human Services. What is that Master's in? Human service? Let's leave it that, Human Services. Yes. Christopher Renkosiak 15:05 And we got four of them. It's not important to know what they are called. It's fine. Alright, so looking at your life, what are you most proud of? Pamela Stavinoga 15:19 The books that I have written. Christopher Renkosiak 15:21 The books you've written. Let's talk about that. Pamela Stavinoga 15:23 Okay. Christopher Renkosiak 15:24 Well, tell us about the books you've written. Pamela Stavinoga 15:26 My first book was the genealogy called People of Difference: Annals for Posterity. The second book was a fiction called Moments of Feelings. The third book is Effie: The Farm Fairy and The Runaway Queen. Fourth book is Hastings Ghosts, which is a mystery. I'm getting ready to do My Goblin, which is a fantasy book. I have another one in an anthology called Jordan Goes Home and Paper Marriages. Christopher Renkosiak 16:25 Okay, I'm noticing a little bit of a pattern here, too. Just like your cooking. It seems like you're sampling the different genres. Pamela Stavinoga 16:31 Yes. Christopher Renkosiak 16:32 You go around, which I think is an important lesson for for people out there to have, an open mind. Pamela Stavinoga 16:38 Yeah. Christopher Renkosiak 16:38 Try different things. See what you like, see what you don't? Pamela Stavinoga 16:41 Mm hmm. Christopher Renkosiak 16:41 Awesome. Pamela Stavinoga 16:42 Life is a bowl of cherries. Just keep eating all you can. This is spice of life. Everything out there is to be explored. And if you miss out, you know, it's your fault. Because it's there for you to do. It's there. Christopher Renkosiak 16:58 Yeah. All right. When in your life, have you felt most alone? Pamela Stavinoga 17:05 When my husband died. That killed me. Almost did. Christopher Renkosiak 17:10 Yeah. Pamela Stavinoga 17:10 But I came out of it. I came out of it. Christopher Renkosiak 17:14 Good. Pamela Stavinoga 17:14 Yeah. Christopher Renkosiak 17:15 Do you have any regrets? Pamela Stavinoga 17:19 That I wish I knew everything I know now when I was younger. Christopher Renkosiak 17:27 Oh, man, don't we all? Pamela Stavinoga 17:32 Oh, boy. Maybe my main regret is marrying my first husband because there was a voice in my head that said, "You don't want to do this." And I went on and did it anyway. Christopher Renkosiak 17:44 Well, live and learn. Pamela Stavinoga 17:45 Yeah. Live and learn. Christopher Renkosiak 17:49 With all of your lessons in life that you have learned throughout the years - from stealing that honeybun, to having the good legs in the car, to being a published author - what would you want to say to the Lincolnwood community right now? What is your hope for the Lincolnwood community moving forward in the future? Pamela Stavinoga 18:09 I would to see Lincolnwood keep growing. I know we're in an envelope. We're backed up on all sides. We can't grow landwise, but we can grow intellectually. Christopher Renkosiak 18:27 Sure. Pamela Stavinoga 18:27 And economically. I think it's something that we have to maintain and keep growing so that we don't become dead. That's not the right word. Christopher Renkosiak 18:53 Stagnant? Pamela Stavinoga 18:54 Stagnant, yes, stagnant. There's so many good things about Lincolnwood, and so many businesses that could come here and open up. We're right next to Skokie and Niles. We've got these great communities around us and if we could just grow inside then maybe we can uplift ourselves through some of the things like they do. They have a downtown that's really cool! We have a village hall, but it would have been nice to have a downtown. I mean, downtown could be Lincoln Avenue. You know, build it up in that way. It would be nice to see see us grow. Christopher Renkosiak 19:45 Yeah. Okay. One final question for you. What is your absolute favorite Lincolnwood memory? Pamela Stavinoga 19:54 My absolute favorite. The first time I marched in the Memorial Day Parade. Christopher Renkosiak 20:01 What year was this? Pamela Stavinoga 20:03 I don't remember. Christopher Renkosiak 20:04 Okay. Pamela Stavinoga 20:04 But it was the first one. I just started working with the Friends, and we were in the Parade that year. I did the Queen's wave, and I threw candy. It was just marvelous. Christopher Renkosiak 20:22 Sure. Pamela Stavinoga 20:23 The most recent memory that I can think of? That would be it. Christopher Renkosiak 20:28 Awesome. All right. Well, thank you so much, Pamela, this has been wonderful. Pamela Stavinoga 20:31 Thank you. Christopher Renkosiak 20:32 Is there anything else you'd like to say? Pamela Stavinoga 20:33 No, I can go on and on and we don't want that. Christopher Renkosiak 20:38 All right. Well, again, my name is Christopher Renkosiak of the Lincolnwood Public Library, interviewing Pamela Stavinoga for the My Lincolnwood Story project. Thank you, Pamela. 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Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story- Elizabeth Fischer Monastero https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/c453279d55c09fbb23558c07e67f8e7f.png?Expires=1792022400&Signature=YJH-07FJcQAQTH6s7tD%7EdQWGq8RzeswSo4m1TxuTR1rqjwnVwlNJGEM49H9XRoBTbDXlDGK5gw%7ECv3IbA1WqQ4T96Z6z1DQ2dLdWgmXMWEQNSR9PFIMXsd5zNVQED1Cn9dNsyoPtYIQhcayyy8PBDnV0oVeTGSd%7Etrsh0Zfv7hRflikM1y5YvSRwhnxgC8LJKtNMFvpJKOkhYbOtza3fv33NdWcZkqETeZEjVBfOojxu%7EjX-QfhJDR6Vl35B7ZXeI7zHGOiA9nbtiyOdM0WxKl8suqrg9ijGLoVzVLcozaoGQtWszsSWxa2fz92Z8LuTgfl2TyDKC1sTV6del9UiVg__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 928b4033901c9472ff870183d984b930 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New York Times, September 1963 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/5f6461b44214ea57fcc55e0f8dd7a837.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=ug0XUx1wbudAXo-USQ07WnHOhKrgT7QwwN%7Ef8WoKe-Wg5Ym4rNhES5EYfzyieBuyQ48cqpMrTYUllx-eYYjzfv2rhOzSSQu3fOLrD1QO-zXhrgX3xJPsv9dfxd7NJXO1hgzXfBwbjKhPcPqAecZHyKCpxA-NslXpqCxt7JPpxc8uf3hIfjiBPvGwKC5gy9xRAw4cDKLOMbn-ExJEtzi3rLg0zCD0aGZDZMiZECtKCHnyIa4DQLWZ2EgySk9Ai9c9QWIwtZ%7ESd8tMQVVJVQeMW1ti0hrbp5f3DLxnVxRAYm24t3Mp43%7EMKXJEAdiMPY8Ggzz8rU2ubwjz6drUC6sM%7EA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM c6c0742a45245e66417fb841bbea396b Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Ms. Fischer Monastero, 1960s https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/1b65503b3838d067c80428bc31eda31b.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=ay8-i1URYTHU438NS7r5a7dm2RlRysKj3dVoye7vZFA5y7ZFrJ1H%7E7DB5QhDdmhesplRsDaeWXKC%7ElBUGm2Ook-TiT%7ETzxLKr8RJlvgA2CwNePHzlwbU-homOm9PQ78fZr-ZrnmVek5rg3sU-Vxd8BY4bdkXKrsHf1CTOH7Mr7fapb0KcgbmIHUs4FlBK7Fk5R9HaossMPo0eDgxfIJlCiCfzB0dtYABA4u6o7aRYSlYho1JECiujUn95RSoDF1vA6uK-lFc3%7EcB3nJSiXXTmVZJy5eCcfs7iQ5NsrFdSwoDynXjcEZmXhvCu9Q2ycRy0i1FrJl3ZHwrSufLfJK3kA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 187afe93e620db4555ed2c0126cf7701 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Ms. Fischer Monastero, 1998 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/1d6a31e93e053024f2f70bd1aef0f028.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=TBOKRikoufsYtd1AFFWOOA81-xedXdNHj5J3a7ABfEuA74%7EysM9oj05YRO56em0JUgidAkDY7v4QsqAcmZFHSWXM24-v6%7E6ZonUewxr4eNNroZlYoOotHgnbfiiRfuhQQeZJm2zNxrjPXJ3Nc5FMsxhxt1jL04PWZdw3ISfgrfCYmKuKc43bJbcv63KiFojBAHHq3C3E1eDOvqdOZiwuG-hEJnkcIz-Ldjlq6okXLu%7Et0Z7cObR5eHG7dMlilV42hNI2jhX6BXUiIuoJ3p7qcDRddw4DtlOh7l5IDBXilMVfKvElE8BiVsnF2eEULYPReuy5PAhObocN00V10e6AOg__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM c53cf6ca5fd4ca95fcc83c7241590026 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Salvy Monastero https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/a16cc5097943386e8392b40192ed68a3.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=V-0KdCSHrNQ2Q2IZTHh91Ll-I8mrJY1NJTwDm13irfpNVk09xJ%7EipFspscqy4ScwpXxkVqKcSIy1f8j14iEtQGkNmWZGoGHGleO-Bmb%7EVPvuM4rpjqacON%7EMBojWIlnaBfbhtsyiTdkpoobqempONmIeQEQhJd5LJR7%7E9L7EY5A5jcwxqwzv2Jr64Mb%7E8Z0qwDlXXpfNiXjBhRuL2lXu6RDjBGT-0c%7ED6ONBqngLmBk1IXWkO6c7LHC0A8ecXm0UjqkW-SlW7HZwqbwuRORBrbfe3X0YQxO5qEqHavURERn2XEI71b0ycc-ckS1ar-jkOp5hTsnUK0SMCPNpHcAkAA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM b31850abd93d785136ace40fbdd91b88 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Ms. Fischer Monastero surrounded by her grandchildren https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/b0525cd7d87acf5d637b0ddc70139bc9.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=AMCn5PjOnOmm5paNKhyCO3uMv8qxlpqu0TnRI29-ItKJhdI3VqfL1vx77AIC6D-hoojB%7E2HJB1jZh9QJzk-WfFW7iT84a0CJiGurZtoi6RArUdlq2kotHb4e94BWfnDH7ZMgIptvjab2qxac%7Eld2Kg9sWsJJyoY9Q%7EMmKGFt9jrygzEeu-aGqEs0Zy40bOgVNKDYkz4oVlqWSBU71Tj7L%7ErreYIP8jlgnUi8WlkOEXu7yDPI2adLqr%7E3OA8gWVDLqZW0mF2CxzxMYFUv118hTBdQwqTeVpqgpWXLqQNGXSxGlnLzh9JKiY2x5mgPuk02WGMUREPPEM2udwHlGUjmvA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 3aab5663a96d15f6c9067a5bb48b78db Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Ms. Fischer Monastero teaching music Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story Description An account of the resource My Lincolnwood Story was an oral history project which aimed to explore the past and present of Lincolnwood by documenting stories of its residents. The main goal of this project was to record, preserve, and share audio interviews with the Lincolnwood community in order to connect residents with the history of their neighbors. This project presented Lincolnwood residents with an opportunity to share their story, and for all patrons – a chance to learn about the diverse community of Lincolnwood. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story- Elizabeth Fischer Monastero Subject The topic of the resource “Life can be short, but you can extend it.” Elizabeth Fischer Monastero, originally from Dubuque, Iowa, has lived in Lincolnwood since 1971. Ms. Fischer Monastero has performed with the Lyric Opera, and sang for President Kennedy in 1963. She taught voice and opera at Northwestern University for 36 years, retiring in 2009. In this interview she talks about her impressive career in music, what she loves about teaching, and her close-knit family. The views and opinions expressed in interviews do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Lincolnwood Public Library, including its Board of Trustees and staff. TRANSCRIPT: Lev Kalmens 0:00 My name is Lev Kalmans. I'm an Information Services Librarian at the Lincolnwood Public Library, and this is an interview with Elizabeth Fischer Monastero for My Lincolnwood Story. Elizabeth, welcome. Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 0:12 Thank you very much. Lev Kalmens 0:13 And what is your Lincolnwood story? Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 0:16 Well, I've been in Lincolnwood since 1971. I live here, and I'm in still in my own house. I'm retired, sort of. What else could I say? That I like coming to the library because it has become like a second home for me. And I know everybody here, I think they're very friendly. I have to be quiet, and that's hard, because I'm used to dealing with people in many different ways. Lev Kalmens 0:51 So you said you moved to Lincolnwood in 1971 ... Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 0:53 Yes. Lev Kalmens 0:53 How did you end up in Lincolnwood? And where did you come from? Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 0:57 I was born in Dubuque, Iowa. I am of German background. That's the Fischer side of me. When I came to Chicago in 1962 I came to sing with the Lyric Opera as a performer from my debut in Italy in Milan and Florence. Somehow I became Italianized. And I'm at the first party of the Lyric Opera in Chicago, I met a man sitting next to me whose name was Salvatore Monastero. And Salvatore said to me, "I'm going to take you away from all this." I said, "You are pazzo" You are crazy because and he said, "Ma come che parli italiano?" Why is it that you speak Italian? I said, "I just got back from Italy, and I lived in Italy, and I got my master's degree in Italy, and a lot of long story." He said, "Well, really, well, can I take you out?" I said, "No, I don't date anybody." So that's why I'm here, because I married the next year. Eleven dates later, I got a ring on my finger on Mother's Day of 1963 and in September, two weeks after singing at the White House for President Kennedy, which my husband-to-be, would not go because he was running a new restaurant called Monasteros Ristorante at 3935 West Devon Avenue. But it was really called La Canopy Ristorante. Many people might remember that. It ... the building is still there. The tiny 44 seat restaurant is still there, but that became the focus of my life with this man, until I started to have three children in about the next five years, and I kept singing at the Lyric Opera in the fall. I did a lot of cover roles. It was not always leading roles, although I had done some leading roles in other places, throughout Italy and here in America. Then what else? What could be the next? Lev Kalmens 2:50 So let's go back. How did you first start singing? Where did that passion for opera come from? For you? Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 2:59 It wasn't even opera. It was church singing in Dubuque, Iowa. My father had a very strong musical talent, but never got a chance to develop that himself. He could play the harmonica, but he was a bricklayer who met my mom in Chicago, and they moved to Dubuque in the Depression, before the Depression, because my father and mother were here in the 20s. They were married in '29 and went to Dubuque because he lost everything in the banks crashing, and he had already lived in Dubuque, Iowa before, where there was work. And having been in the First World War, and coming from Indiana, from a large family, and my mother came from a large family in Kentucky, that sort of a family thing was very strong, and it attracted them. Besides, my mother was a good dancer. My father liked the fact that she liked to dance. Then they moved to Dubuque. We had, it's all written on my little outline that I gave to you, and had a family there. I grew up there. My father could play the harmonica, as I say, he could sing, he could play baseball. But he didn't do any of those things because he was a bricklayer and he had to support the family. So he built two different houses in Dubuque and many other beautiful stone and brick houses that Bob Fischer could do. My older brother Bob Fischer, not Junior. He has also learned how to become a bricklayer before he went and got his education. We all got our education, pretty much in Dubuque, always working. Our kids worked in different ways in our family. I had a sister after Bob Fischer. I had Darlene Fischer, then I came in, then my younger sister came, and 10 years later, the last brother came. The two brothers now live in Denver. The older brother has just written his sixth book. My younger brother is a police retired officer in Denver. The two of them somehow got to beautiful Denver. My sister, younger sister, lives in California. My older sister has passed away. She was an artist, and she could do a lot of things. She was very talented, but she passed away when she was 80. My younger sister is 83 and I am 85 and my younger brother is 73 so that's about where I am. Lev Kalmens 3:00 It's a big family. Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 3:07 Well, both my parents, as I say, came from large families, but that was what was necessary in the days that my father grew up in Jasper, Indiana, and then had to leave the family because they couldn't sustain 11 kids. So he was, he had to go to work right away, and learned came somehow got to Chicago after the First World War. I know that whole history because I've been researching that at the Lincolnwood Library, which is becoming my second home. Let's see - my sister is a nurse in California, and she's retired, married to a doctor who is also retired. I love traveling. I love traveling with her. She and I do a lot together. We go to visit our brothers in Denver. We take cruises; we have in the past. She's not as well anymore, and neither is her husband. And my older brother, as I say, just finished his sixth book, and I brought that along to show to you, if you'd like to see it. Lev Kalmens 6:16 Of course. Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 6:16 He's a Marine retired colonel who served in Vietnam. Lev Kalmens 6:22 So how did - so you said your origins of singing came from, started with church singing... Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 6:27 It did, because in the Nativity School, which was across the street from our second home that my father had built, a brick house, with gardens, vegetable gardens, all around. Corn. We raised sweet corn, raspberries, tomatoes, carrots, all kinds of things, because in those days during the second world war time, that's when I kind of grew up, right there, across from nativity school. In second grade, my teacher was the organist in the Catholic Church, and every time there'd be a funeral, she'd call me and my older sister, and we'd have to go and sing the funeral mass in Latin, and that's how music - well, then, of course, I had to take piano lessons. My father was able to buy an old, used piano, and he could sing beautifully and he could play the harmonica. My older brother was more of a writer and artist. He could draw airplanes. I knew how to draw airplanes and brides. From when I was three, my father would sit us around the dining room table, and my mom would cook the dinner in the kitchen. And we were poor people. We were. And I learned how to be a working child of a family that always, we always had to do some kind of work, which people did during that second world war. And I remember a lot of things. My memory is pretty active, I would say now. I haven't really forgotten too much. That's why I'm writing the story of my whole life. Lev Kalmens 6:27 So did your - would your father sing to you? Do you remember him singing to you? Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 7:54 He liked hearing me and my sister sing as a duet, and the two little Fischer girls would sing, sometimes on KDDH radio, we'd go and sing for the Catholic Daughters, meetings that my mother belonged to. We were raised very religiously, I would say. In fact, my mother, having three daughters, thought that one of us would have to be a nun in the convent, and because she had three sisters who were nuns, and she was from a family of 11 or 12, my father also, but his was not in the same way. They were religious in Jasper, Indiana. My mother was from Kentucky, so family was always very close, and piano was something that I had to do, my sister had to do. Rita, my younger sister became a nurse after a while, but we all went away to school and continued language and continued music. I was a pianist as a child and did some kind of recitals at the visitation academy across the street from nativity school with the visitation sisters. I know my husband thought, well, you've got to be Mother Superior. I said, "No, I'm just the mother of your children." [Chuckles] Lev Kalmens 9:01 So, so at what point did you decide that music was going to be something you were going to pursue on a professional level? Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 9:08 Well, it happened to me. I didn't really happen to it. I went to Mount Sinclair Academy and Junior College in Clinton, Iowa, where my mother had gone to school with her younger sister.And I studied there - piano first. And then as a senior in high school, I started taking voice lessons because the sisters said, "Well, we have to have you singing in our chorus." So that happened, and all of a sudden my voice started to be recognized as something nice. And I would do, I did a recital as a C, as a second year college, Junior College person. And at the end of that time, my voice teacher, who was a nun, she said, "I'm going to send you to Interlochen," the national music camp, because I didn't know where I'd finish college, the other two years. My parents could afford to send me to that boarding school where my mom had gone. So I went to Interlochen, Michigan, and took credit courses in music. I said, "But I know that already." And all of a sudden it seemed like I was getting selected to do small roles in opera and choral solos with, and then I finally, several summers, I went there and got credit at the University of Michigan, and what happened? The director of admissions one time heard me sing, and he said, "We know that you're a pretty good musician, but we'd like to have you come down to Michigan. Would you like me to take your application personally?" I said, "Yes." [chuckles] Went to Michigan. Never saw the campus. Had no money. Applied for every scholarship I could get. Worked at every kind of a job, because my parents couldn't afford to send me to Michigan. But I managed to spend the next two years, and I decided to stay a third year. Because in the summers, I'd go back to Interlochen, which was where I would work. I was editor of the camp newspaper. One summer, got to sing with orchestras and choirs. At Michigan I took tours with the Michigan singers and sang in many different places. Not ever as a really, as a soloist. But all of a sudden, Rosemary College, which is now Dominican University, heard that I would be a candidate for study in Italy. I wanted to go to Germany with a name like Fischer. I said, "Well, you know." And the teachers would say that I minored in French, of course. So I had, you know, music education as a major at Michigan, and minor was French. And the way I got the grade for the French was to sing a recital in French, because I'd learned two years in college at Mount St Clair in Clinton, Iowa, and then I took one more year in Michigan, and I had to do a recital in French. And the teacher said, "Ah, très bien!" I'm fairly good in French but better in Italian, because I ended up going to Italy all by myself, taking a boat across the ocean. Traveling all by myself down through Europe, and it just turned out fine. I got to Florence. As I went into Italy on the train, I said, I've been here before. I had that strange feeling that I was in Italy before. There was something so beautiful. And I still feel that way. Lev Kalmens 12:17 So it sounds like everything kind of happened organically. Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 12:21 If that's the word you want to use. Both 12:25 [Both laugh.] Lev Kalmens 12:23 Was there . . . when you were growing up, what did you see, you know, yourself doing professionally? What did you see yourself Lev Kalmens 12:28 [unintelligible, as Elizabeth starts to answer question] Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 12:30 Being a teacher of music. Getting a job. The job was always the important thing in our family, being practical and being religious, as close to our religion as we could be. And I have maintained that pretty much - raised my children at Queen of All Saints here. We didn't get to go to Queen of All Saints because they were overcrowded when we moved. First of all, I had to get married to my dear husband, and I mentioned took me away from all that. We got married in 1963 when I came to sing in Chicago after my career developed quickly. As soon as I finished coming home from Italy, getting my masters, I got a job teaching music in Milwaukee. I became Milwaukee's mezzo soprano. Taught three years of music in the grade schools of Glendale. I did a lot of solo with choirs. I wanted to sing in choirs again, because it was just a part of me. And I taught music in grade schools - three, three schools. And at the end of the third year, the principal said, "No, Miss Fischer, we think, my children are, our children are seeing you on TV." There was a Woman's World program that wanted to use all the languages that I could sing in different songs and wearing a costume. And this is a TV show. And every once in a while, she'd call me and this lady named Beulah Donahue on Woman's World, and she'd say, "You have any song in this and this and this?" I said, "Oh, okay, I got one of those." So I ended up entering competitions. But I met a wonderful voice teacher in Milwaukee who spoke nine languages and was a pianist and retired and living at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. So I studied with her and entered a lot of national competitions, and I started winning everything. I'm very surprised, because I think our whole attitude was, you let things happen and you do the best you can with what you've got. Lev Kalmens 12:30 You mentioned that you sang for. . .you sang in the White House for President Kennedy? Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 14:21 Well, one of the competitions that I won was the National Federation of Music Clubs Young Artists Competition. My competition was Shirley Verrett, who was a famous mezzo soprano. I met her in Kansas City at the finals, and her accompanist was Charles Wadsworth from Californ. . . from New York City. And Shirley brought him along, and I said to the accompanist that they gave me, I'm sorry, but you can't play any of the music that my teacher and I have gotten together in this competition. And in and out I was coming to Chicago to do finals and this and various other competitions. And during that time, Carol Fox from Lyric Opera, heard me singing in something and she said, we should get that girl to come and sing at the Lyric Opera. So between all those different kinds of performances, I was able to go to New York. The man who played for me in Kansas City for the finals of that competition, he says, I'm not going to rehearse with you, I'll meet you at the fermata. You know what a fermata is? The hold sign. We went on and did the audition, and they created a prize of $500. In those days that was a lot. Shirley Verrett won 1,000 and was already a professional singer, and we got to be friends. After that, Shirley and I would meet every once in a while. She went and taught at the University of Michigan much later, and I had her come to visit here, and came to Chicago. Anyway, I went on, and one of the competition prizes was to sing at the White House in 1963 September. And I was married September 28. My husband would not go because he was running a new restaurant. Lev Kalmens 16:03 What do you remember about that? Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 16:05 I did see President Kennedy walk through with the Shah of Afghanistan. And there was a violinist who I was still very good friends with, Elaine Skorodin from Chicago, who's been wonderful friend. She was the violin winner in this national competition. There was a tenor from Chicago. Also Alan Rogers was a winner. And there was another singer from Milwaukee who won another area. It was a national competition, $1,000 prize. You don't turn those things down in those years. So I had money in the bank for a change, and I could buy nice clothes, and I was being contacted to sing solos with orchestras throughout the United States. I didn't sing as much with, well, I did a couple concerts in Italy with orchestra, but I didn't have a manager. I never wanted a manager. They wanted me to audition for the Lawrence Welk Show. [laughs] One time somebody said, "Oh, Elizabeth, you should be his dancing, champagne lady or something." And I said, "No, I don't think that's going to be," I'm not a good dancer like my mom, she was a good dancer. So no, life went on. And when my husband would not, he said, "Well, we're getting married September 28." I said, "Oh, okay." He planned the whole wedding, and that's it. And then I moved to Chicago after that, and I've been here ever since. Lev Kalmens 17:26 So what was your . . . Did you have any role in the in the restaurant? Part of the family business? Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 17:33 I brought music. I brought music to the restaurant. Because my husband's older brother, Joe, who's still living in Lincolnwood, Joseph Monastero, Sr., and I actually was a very - I gave him a special gift. I introduced him to a girl that was a student of mine, when later, a few years later, after I had three children, I was invited to come and teach at Northwestern University, which I ended up teaching there for 36 years. They said, "Well, we'll have you fill in for a year." I had the three kids at home, and they were just going into school in Lincolnwood. They went all through the Lincolnwood schools because there was no room in Queen of All Saints. Well, I ended up teaching music in the CCD program. That's the Saturday and Sunday programs that they have for children that are not in the school. And that's how that sort of happened. And I went to teach at Northwestern, and about the second or third year, I said, "They don't know how to sing in Italian." And I, Miss Fischer, teaching at Northwestern for one year, ended up being 36, so I must have done something right. And a girl came in to me, and she, her accompanist friend of hers brought her, and said, "You need to study with Miss Fischer. She'll have you singing the way"- she, because she this girl was playing piano for my students and me at my lessons. And who came in? A young lady I introduced in our competition, which we started for Northwestern students, which was called the Bel Canto Foundation. Bel Canto means beautiful singing bel canto and that started, and we lasted with that for about 40 years through our restaurant, which was devoted strictly to Italian and Sicilian, Siciliano, food. And people who live in Lincolnwood probably will remember Monastero's. It is no longer there, because we sold about two years ago. And I never really worked there, but I would sing sometimes with my husband, because he liked to sing. And who came along my second year at Northwestern? My younger child, Roberto Monastero, so I have Sebastiano, I have prima. I have Maria, then I have Sebastian, then I have Alicia. Alicia sings with Symphony Chorus under Riccardo Muti, whom I'm crazy about. He's a wonderful Italian conductor. Alicia teaches at Deerfield High School. Her final concert is tonight. I'm going to that. She's almost 30 years at Deerfield High School. Beautiful voice. Maria also could sing, but she ran the restaurant and helped my husband a lot. Sebastian lives in Glenview. He has two children. He has an outstanding second child named Salvatore Monastero, after my husband. And he plays clarinet beautifully. So now you hear practically the whole story. Roberto became Chicago's best DJ, and he lives in Skokie. Maria lives in Skokie. She's the first. Sebastian lives in Glenview. Alicia lives in Libertyville, and Roberta lives in Skokie. So they're all very active. They grew up in Lincolnwood, went to the schools, did some things in music. Alicia, more than anyone. So that's that's about where I am right now. I'm going to her concert tonight. Lev Kalmens 20:42 So it sounds like you're, you're, you're, you have a close knit family and they live nearby... Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 20:45 And that is what is so attractive about the Italian culture and the Sicilian culture. That seemed to me an answer to something in me. Although I'm really of German background, and my mother's name was Cash and my father's name was Fischer. My mother is on the branch of Cashes that Johnny Cash sort of came from, and James Cash Penny. That's Cash. That's the name. And so I've done genealogy club here at the library. I'm starting that, to do a lot of that, and I'm finding out about that, which is very interesting. Lev Kalmens 21:20 So. Hold on one minute. So, Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 21:22 yes Lev Kalmens 21:22 So are you saying that your mother's side of the family? So the whole the Cash family Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 21:28 Came from Scotland and England. My father's family came from Frankfurt, Germany, Fischer, and settled in, eventually, Indiana. My mother's family settled. My grandfather was born in 1864. I've been doing all this research because it's interesting. Lev Kalmens 21:43 Absolutely. Well, you mentioned Johnny Cash. I just wanted to... Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 21:46 Oh, yeah. Mother met Johnny Cash on when he was on a tour. Lev Kalmens 21:49 Oh, so, but so was it, was there... Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 21:51 No, We don't think, Lev Kalmens 21:52 Okay Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 21:53 There were two Cash brothers that came from Maryland and settled in Kentucky, and then we lost track of one in the genealogy study. But my grandfather settled in Fancy Farm, Kentucky, and raised 12, 11 or 12, children, and I'm still very close with a lot of them. So family, in that case, was very close, both sides. My father's family, not as much - they were very poor. But my father had the work ethic, which is strong in all of us. Mother, Mother will always work too. So work and music and God in heaven. Lev Kalmens 22:24 So tell me about your, So you, you were at Northwestern you said for 36 years. What were... Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 22:32 I was a professor of voice and opera. Lev Kalmens 22:34 What, what were some of the highlights of your career there? Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 22:39 Well, other than bringing the Italian repertoire more into the school and being recognized as someone who could teach that a lot. And we started the foundation, Bel Canto Foundation. Started as the Monastero Award at Northwestern. And all of a sudden, five other universities in Chicago said, "What's wrong with us? Don't we get to have a prize?" Oh! So we happen to have banquet facilities by that time, and we could have a place Lev Kalmens 23:06 At the restaurant Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 23:06 At the restaurant. We, even though I never really worked there, I would help audition singers from these different schools. But I never really judged, because it wouldn't be fair. I was teaching at Northwestern. So that's how that kind of developed. And then Martha Monastero married my brother-in-law. The young girl married, and I gave him a wife. You know, I'm just doing my duty in family. And she's very proficient in Italian, Sicilian, raising her children, who are musical as well. And everybody worked at the restaurant at different times, my children and their children too, and so we see each other quite frequently. We have a club called the Sicilian American Cultural Association. Lev Kalmens 23:50 What are your memories of Lincolnwood? And you know you you said you moved to Lincolnwood in 1971... Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 23:56 We lived in Rogers Park, in the family building, a three apartment building. We was on the third floor, and I had three babies up on the third floor, and the laundry, in the basement. And out of the opera career. I still would sometimes go to sing support roles and rehearsals and things downtown. I didn't have a car by that time, and I had already had owned a few cars in Milwaukee growing up and being a singer, but love came into my life, and love took over. So that's what happened. We moved to Lincolnwood because I said the third floor is too high and the laundry is too low, and I want to get into a house with a yard, a bigger yard, for my children. So I started looking around, and I surveyed about 150 houses. I found one for my daughter, Maria, which she still lives in. Where else? Then I looked in Lincolnwood, and we found the house that I still am in. Lev Kalmens 24:49 What was, what was it about Lincolnwood that attracted you? Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 24:51 It was that, well, Lincolnwood Terrace area. It was a brick house like my father would build and did build in Iowa. And he actually, before I moved into Lincolnwood, my father passed away, and I was sad about that, because he would have enjoyed the house that I'm in, and I'm still in brick and stone, and it's the right place to live and to raise a family. That's what attracted us. And the restaurant was close Lev Kalmens 25:21 Right, right. Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 25:22 Across the street on Devon. Lev Kalmens 25:25 What have you been doing since your retirement from from Northwestern? I know you teach . . . You still teach children? Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 25:32 I teach preschool. I taught preschool when my Maria, my oldest daughter, had two little boys, and she said, "Mom, sister Hillary doesn't have anybody to play the piano for her preschool, three, four and five year old children, you've got to go there on your way to Northwestern." Oh, okay, and I did that. Then I met another nice lady named Bonnie Shanahan, who probably lives in Chicago area, and she was teaching at Tiny Tot preschool. My son Roberto, had to be taken to a preschool, so I didn't take him to where I was already playing. I took him to Tiny Tot and the director there said, "Oh no, no, no, he's going into the four year olds" because he was born after I went to Northwestern and he could get up and sing. He was eight years younger than my third child, Alicia, and he'd get up at the restaurant and sing when he was three. She said, "No, he's going to go in the four year olds." So about 14 years after that, I would teach on Tuesday and Thursday at Bonnie's school. I loved teaching little children all the time. And I taught at Queens, and I taught at Tiny Tot preschool. And now I'm still teaching with Sister Hilary at her school in, where she uses a kindergarten room in Skokie. Lev Kalmens 26:45 What is it about teaching? Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 26:47 Music makes children happy. Languages. A friendly personality who shows love for them and teaches them. And I support Sister Hilary, who is the teacher of the class. I do the music time, an hour, two different classes. She has about 24 children. But at Tiny Tot, the earlier one, I can't go there anymore because they have little babies who have more germs. [laughs] Oh, I don't know. I would spend more time at the Tiny Tot preschool with touching the children and carrying a piano keyboard around so . . . Lev Kalmens 27:22 And as far as just you know, you know, Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 27:24 I loved Lev Kalmens 27:25 Teaching for 36 years at Northwestern . . .What? What about that kept you going for so many years? Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 27:31 Well, I have a lot of successful students. One became a professor at India- at Illinois. Another one was teaching. I've got several who are still performing in Europe and throughout the world. I had the young lady who did "Porgy and Bess" when they did the reproduction of it in London and Glyndebourne in England. That's Cynthia Hayman. Now she has just decided to quit teaching at University of Illinois. I have a man Victor Benedetti, a good Italian boy from California, who is, has his own musical theater school. After making his debut in New York City as Don Giovanni and singing at the Lyric school and Lyrics performing various things, he went off to France, and he's got his own school in France, and has two grown sons. I have a lot of contact with my former students. I would, was going off doing master classes and teaching voice lessons at some of these various universities, University of South Carolina, Florida, Ave Maria University. I can't even remember all the places, but it's all in the book that I am trying to write at the Lincolnwood library. [laughs] Lev Kalmens 28:41 What have been some of your favorite operatic roles to play? Lev Kalmens 28:48 Well, I did "The Medium," and I'll show you my picture of that one of these years. It looks like a drunken seance conductor, and that's what I learned at the National Music Camp. When I went to Michigan, the first summers I went there, they picked me out and they said, "We think you can do this role. We'll give you a pianist to help you learn the role." So in 11 sessions with that man, who was a wonderful pianist, I memorized "The Medium." And I scared those people. She really scared them. Then I also did something, which, by Leonard Bernstein called Trouble in Tahiti. If you look at the Ravinia summer programs dedicated to Leonard Bernstein, whom I also met in New York at one time, I found out that they're doing Trouble in Tahiti this summer at Ravinia. I premiered it. Lev Kalmens 29:40 Wow. Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 29:40 In Interlochen, when it was first written. What a movie! What a terrible, awful movie! And I'm gonna go and see this and sing the whole darn thing in choir Lev Kalmens 29:50 In the audience Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 29:51 At the Murray Theater. So that, Ravinia, I was the first singer under the new roof of the big theater. I sang there, winning the, one of the prizes, in the Michaels Award of the summer of 1962 before I went back to make my debut in Italy, and I sang there having won that prize. Ah, you know, there's, it was just one thing after another. It just all started to happen. One thing really led to another. And the competitions, people would say, I never went under management, though. I did not want to have someone else telling me where to go, because I was getting a lot of performing experience, and I just really liked going back to Italy. Eventually we had a home over there, the Monastero family. We bought a home, farm home, outside of Florence. Florence is my heart. My granddaughter, Alicia's daughter, is going to study one semester in Italy, but she has to go to Perugia. Lev Kalmens 30:46 Mmhm Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 30:46 And I said, "no, devi andare a Firenze," you have to go to Florence, because that's - she's, "Oh, Nonna, I know that." They all call me Nonna, which means grandma, Lev Kalmens 30:54 Right. Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 30:54 So, yes. So she's going next year. She's a sophomore at University of Minnesota. Her older brother just graduated from Indiana. My Maria's oldest son graduated from Bloomington, Illinois, university, Illinois there. And he's a teacher in the school where my two youngest granddaughters are going to school in Skokie. Would you believe it? Lev Kalmens 31:18 Oh Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 31:19 Yeah. So I have nine grandchildren, and I brought their picture to show you, and they're very sweet kids. We get together, we love - this is what I like about the Italian culture. The family is very important. And that became very obvious when I met my husband, Salvy, and I met his parents, and they said, this girl, "Questa Signorina, parla Italiano," she speaks Italian, but she's German. I said, "Well, yeah, I kind of lived in Italy, you know," because I spent a year getting my master's there. And that was really, that's what did it - God took me there. I met Pius XII in a private audience, because the school I went to was a Dominican college called Pius XII Institute, and we got to go down to Rome. I was in his office with the people that were the students at this school in Florence on December 8 of 1956, the year I got there. That's a long time ago, so you can tell how old I am. And I met Pius XII and he said, "Well, where are you from?" I said, "I'm from Dubuque, Iowa." "Oh," he said, "I know. I was, I've been to Chicago." Oh, my God. And he was a wonderful, saintly priest, very tall. So I'm very devoted to a lovely saint called Pater de Pio. That's the saint who has the stigmata of Jesus Christ. So I'm quite religious, and it's too bad sometimes people think that can get in the way. No, no, no, it guides the way. So shall I give you a sermon? [laughs] So that's about where we are. Lev Kalmens 32:50 What are some life lessons that you've learned throughout your life? Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 32:53 Haven't I told you enough yet? Oh, my goodness. Life can be short, but you can extend it, and I am lucky that I have the health, although, you know, I have normal health problems. For an old lady. I'm not - I don't feel like I'm that old, because my memory is quite good. Lev Kalmens 33:11 It certainly seems like it. Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 33:12 I think so, because I am writing my memoirs, and it's called "A Life of Love and Music." And it used to be a life of music and love, but when love came into my life, I had to turn that around. Both 33:25 [Chuckling] Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 33:26 So that's exactly what's happening now. And there are many lessons that you learn as you're going along. I hope I've transferred them to my children. I'm very proud of all of them. Lev Kalmens 33:37 Well, that was gonna be my next question is, what are you most proud of? Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 33:40 My children. I think, my children. And my grandchildren, nine grandchildren. Lev Kalmens 33:45 Wow, Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 33:45 Yeah, each of them have two, except Alicia has three. She has an Italian husband too, you know. And so she has this girl that's at Minnesota, and one that just graduated from Indiana, and a young one who is a top volleyball player. And other, he's 15, like the 15 year old of my son, who is the clarinet player and can jump higher in all kinds of things. He's, he's a gymnast as well as a clarinet player. So, music is going along through the family. The two little ones, my young, young son, Roberto, is married to a Filipino girl, and as I say, she, the two younger grandchildren are in the school where my oldest grandson teaches. Lev Kalmens 34:25 Has the kind of, the commitment to music in your family? Can that be mostly attributed to you? Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 34:32 Oh, well, my husband thought he was a good musician too. He couldn't really do as much, but I let him think. you know. [laughs] His brother was more musical, actually, Joe, his older brother was more musical. Who was a good accordion player, but he also was a good cook. So between music and food, you know, and religion, we've managed to pull it all together. Lev Kalmens 34:57 Those are both very beautiful things, to dedicate your life to. Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 35:01 I think so. My husband thought I was Mother Superior, as I probably told you. [Laughing] not really, no. But my husband passed away in 2003 but he's with me all the time. Me with my dear friend, Padre Pio. I think they look down upon me and I am guided to do a lot of things. It just happens that way. It happens. Lev Kalmens 35:24 Well, I want to thank you for Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 35:26 Is that enough? Lev Kalmens 35:27 coming Both 35:27 [laugh] Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 35:28 You want to see my book? I brought all my pictures. Lev Kalmens 35:31 Yeah, well I will include your pictures on our website, but I would like to thank you for coming down to the library and sharing Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 35:35 I'm here almost every day except Sunday. It's too busy. I can't get to the computer. Lev Kalmens 35:40 But thank you for sharing your Lincolnwood story with us. Elizabeth Fischer Monastero 35:43 Oh, no problem. https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/1686340b54722a38dd81afa7bde92dc6.jpg?Expires=1792022400&Signature=O5JslksfIR19kxq2QALUePQ6zyowSJH3jBWoDns5j0diZ9wX88VVA-ru5OXmVakln4H1hQ6t2aLQdXHE4HjC5J%7EYmzPbqFtjOm7cSfpxmIeyv9uIkuKuSFk7xTPVWJIbCM7RniDfZuSaerDjZ5961HstFU8VoURKAdZMs5Rc%7Eq6d0TPHiYli6hBTQHoQdgj-hgQ2kUa4WdFksl6BiXx-w9hF7lDSKKmZCMIW6Nm2omjWAbXHKkjDJnb04MkJyVp%7EtvbBizmhoT5WxiYBkS35Zq9L8TiuOU10qqueorHuHskvcU2M4tdTC8IDwWuOxQ2Otm6bRJh530tW0HxS2kIVvA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM a64107d47fc76d240450ba38126d4ccc Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Julie and Norman Kremen, July 2019 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/21996/archive/files/41c093cb46b0a81f5642c1d83fe3f248.mp3?Expires=1792022400&Signature=nK61x-pxr1NDN6QWJkICzLAxEvZPA0VKfjr5bL3ie4Qs15NfC9tduvK3RW2EQXUjBPLodR7b7doxhomR%7EiVXUcYNVNAGzxEapvVvOfnXgDSbpXJhZiErVKekRFEb96MxSzBfdkaLqK4MwvQDw1L4U2Gcb0cjQh2AjueRdDgwmNCMU4oSRXImSEkP4EKCgdl5Ze3G3MsJTynE-fQ6orb5Zf7tC7t8jgTsWH8c4s6-Rem5ZAybPFtENQpGHUfwoZQ03JYIdFa1I1WnnIhEvttiE%7EBxy0MvI8ArDibb58oR-TrfsdSWiihwz9PnnS1gxnTTE-RdhO-TfoZ5H4xuiC-opw__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 2be43243801bc874a7b092a9a35da78d Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story- Norman Kremen Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story Description An account of the resource My Lincolnwood Story was an oral history project which aimed to explore the past and present of Lincolnwood by documenting stories of its residents. The main goal of this project was to record, preserve, and share audio interviews with the Lincolnwood community in order to connect residents with the history of their neighbors. This project presented Lincolnwood residents with an opportunity to share their story, and for all patrons – a chance to learn about the diverse community of Lincolnwood. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource My Lincolnwood Story- Norman Kremen Subject The topic of the resource Julie Kremen talks with her father, Norman, about living in Lincolnwood. Mr. Kremen has lived in Lincolnwood for 55 years. Julie and Norman reminisce on the years spent in Lincolnwood, as well as other experiences, most notably the various countries he has visited over the course of his life. The views and opinions expressed in interviews do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Lincolnwood Public Library, including its Board of Trustees and staff. TRANSCRIPT: Julie Kremen 0:00 Hi, my name is Julie Kremen and I'm interviewing my father. Here's my father; his name is... Norman Kremen 0:06 Norman Kremen. Julie Kremen 0:09 My father bought the house I grew up in, in Lincolnwood, in 1964. It was a little bit before I was born. In 1964 - we actually just looked this up - we went into our files, and we found out that you paid...how much did you pay for the house in 1962? Norman Kremen 0:25 About $25,000. Julie Kremen 0:27 $25,000. Now in Lincolnwood, today, can you get anything for $25,000? Maybe you could get or a buy a garage. He still lives in the house. Now it's 2019. So do the math. I think it's 55 years; it's a lot of time in the same house in Lincolnwood. My father has seen a lot of changes through the years. Are you happy that you live in Lincolnwood? Norman Kremen 0:50 Very much; very satisfying. Julie Kremen 0:52 Do you think if you were to live your life over you would not live in Lincolnwood? Norman Kremen 0:56 Say that, again? Julie Kremen 0:57 If you were to live your life over, would you maybe live somewhere else? Or you're happy that you chose Lincolnwood? Norman Kremen 1:01 I wouldn't know unless I lived some other places to make the comparison. [Laughter] Julie Kremen 1:06 Okay, fair enough. It's interesting, some of the changes that we've seen in Lincolnwood. When I think about when I lived here, the biggest thing that comes up for me is...I don't know the year, but it was maybe the late 1970s, early 1980s. Dad, do you remember when all the community got the Dutch Elm disease? Because most of the trees in Lincolnwood were Elm trees. They all got this horrible disease called Dutch Elm. Do you remember what happened on our street? Norman Kremen 1:38 There was a lot of funerals of the trees. Julie Kremen 1:41 [Laughter] They came to chop our tree down. You could say I'm a tree hugger because I literally went to the tree and I hugged it. I looked at the people who were there to cut it down. I said, "You can't have this tree. It's my tree." We argued, but they eventually chopped our tree down. It was very sad. Our block and most of Lincolnwood was really bare for many, many, many years. I remember, Dad, do you remember they came and they asked us we could choose what kind of tree they were going to replace it with? Remember? Norman Kremen 2:14 No. Julie Kremen 2:14 Some will some of the trees on our street now are different species. Our street doesn't have all the same trees anymore. Right? It has different ones. Norman Kremen 2:23 I've never made an exploration. Julie Kremen 2:28 [Overlapping] You don't remember? Julie Kremen 2:28 Lincolnwood did that because they figured that if we ever got another disease in the area, at least not every tree would die because they were all the same tree. Anyways, that was one of the beautiful things that my dad wanted to live in Lincolnwood because it was beautiful with all these trees. It was gorgeous. You used to say it was like an umbrella. Remember, you come down the street was like an umbrella of trees? Norman Kremen 2:49 Yeah, yeah. Julie Kremen 2:50 Is there anything you can think of that you remember from the early days of living in Lincolnwood? Norman Kremen 2:56 Say again? Julie Kremen 2:56 Is there anything you can think of from the early days of living in Lincolnwood that stands out in your mind? Norman Kremen 3:02 Well, there were more children on our block where we lived. Julie Kremen 3:06 That's true. Remember what we did at night, we used to play games like... Norman Kremen 3:10 [Overlapping] Outside, you used to play games. Yeah. Julie Kremen 3:13 Olly olly ocean free. We had what, like 10 or 15 kids on our block? Norman Kremen 3:18 That's right. Julie Kremen 3:19 That's exciting. Norman Kremen 3:20 It's a different type of block today. Julie Kremen 3:22 Yeah. Very, very different. Norman Kremen 3:23 [Overlapping] Bunch of adults. Julie Kremen 3:24 [Overlapping] Yeah, not that much... Norman Kremen 3:25 Kids are't there. Julie Kremen 3:26 Yeah, not on our block. Other blocks. Those are some of our early memories of Lincolnwood. The other thing, that to me was kind of a big thing, is when we got a swimming pool, remember? Norman Kremen 3:38 Yeah. Julie Kremen 3:39 That was kind of fun. You used to swim in it. Remember, you would go and do laps? Norman Kremen 3:42 Yes. No, you are right, and the physical activities change. Julie Kremen 3:50 Yeah, we used to go to Proesel Park for Halloween; it was a big festival. Fireworks, I think, was a big festival. My dad has lived in Lincolnwood a long time. But these days, the two things that he loves to do are play rummy cube. Norman Kremen 4:11 Well, interact with other people. That's one way of interacting. Julie Kremen 4:15 That's true. Our block has an annual block party. The Village of Lincolnwood, we call them up, and we get a special permit. They block off our street. We have a lot of people of different ethnicities on our block. We have people from Cuba; we have people from Greece. We have people from Ukraine. We have people from Lebanon; we have people from Pakistan. We have people from Japan; we have people from Korea. We love the diversity in our block. It's a potluck so everybody brings food, and we all get to know our neighbors. Norman Kremen 4:48 Yeah, we block off the street, and have the tables right in the middle of the street. Julie Kremen 4:52 We do. Didn't the fire department come and let the people climb...? Norman Kremen 4:57 Yeah, we toured the fire... Julie Kremen 5:00 The fire engines. That's kind of a nice thing. That's kind of a nice thing for Lincolnwood. But my dad loves this game called rummy cube. Do you want to explain what rummy cube is? Norman Kremen 5:11 Yeah, I do. Julie Kremen 5:13 No, explain what it is. Norman Kremen 5:15 You have tiles, and your object is to get rid of them. You have certain procedures in the game, and you hope to get rid of them. Julie Kremen 5:26 How often do you play rummy cube? Norman Kremen 5:28 A minimum of once a week. Julie Kremen 5:30 But if you had it your way would you play every day? Norman Kremen 5:34 Yeah, for a small amount of time. It's a challenging game. Julie Kremen 5:39 The other thing my dad loves to do is walk every day. He's 92 years old. Every day he walks in the Lincolnwood Mall to keep fit. Norman Kremen 5:48 That's right. Julie Kremen 5:48 Do you remember when the Lincolnwood Mall was going to open up, and how people didn't want the Mall? Remember? Norman Kremen 5:53 Yes. Julie Kremen 5:54 What did people have in their windows? Remember? They put signs up? Norman Kremen 5:58 Yes. Julie Kremen 5:58 What did the sign say? Norman Kremen 5:59 I don't remember. Julie Kremen 6:00 They made the symbol of do not enter; no mall. People did not want the Lincolnwood Mall. They protested because they thought it would trash the community. But are you happy that the Mall is there? Norman Kremen 6:12 Yeah, very happy. It's very convenient. Julie Kremen 6:15 Yeah. Norman Kremen 6:15 A lot of the facilities are very convenient. Julie Kremen 6:18 Yeah. The temperature is always the same. He goes every day of the year. Norman Kremen 6:21 I remember what was there before. Julie Kremen 6:23 What was there before? Norman Kremen 6:25 A company. Julie Kremen 6:27 Oh, was it Bell & Howell? Norman Kremen 6:29 Yes. Julie Kremen 6:29 Bell & Howell. They made slide projectors and things like that. But people didn't want it. They did not want that Mall. I'm really happy the Mall is there. My father and my mother started what they call the "Mall Walking Club," remember? Norman Kremen 6:44 Yes. Julie Kremen 6:45 What they would do is everybody would chip in $1 every week and they would all buy lottery tickets together as a group, remember? Norman Kremen 6:55 Yeah. Julie Kremen 6:55 They actually signed contracts because legally you could get in big trouble if the ticket actually wins. I think my mother was the administrator of the lottery. But my dad has met a lot of his very close friends from that mall. Isn't that true? Norman Kremen 7:09 Yeah. Julie Kremen 7:10 I think that's how you met Leroy, Maxine... Norman Kremen 7:12 [Overlapping] Many people, many people. It became a social thing, too. Julie Kremen 7:17 Yeah. That's one of the nice things we like about Lincolnwood is that it has the Mall. Norman Kremen 7:22 Okay. Julie Kremen 7:22 Sometimes he goes to the Mall, and plays rummy cube there. They wanted to hear some funny stories and interesting stories. How about how many countries you've traveled to? Norman Kremen 7:33 Well, 118. Julie Kremen 7:35 Do you have a favorite? Norman Kremen 7:37 United States? Julie Kremen 7:39 Very good. I haven't been to 118; I've been over 50. But there's one country I've been to that you haven't been to, and you're very jealous of me. Do you know what the country is? Norman Kremen 7:50 No. Julie Kremen 7:50 Do you remember? Norman Kremen 7:51 Where? Julie Kremen 7:52 I'm going to give you a hint. You tried to go there once on a cruise ship. You couldn't because I think the weather was bad, and they wouldn't let the ship come. Norman Kremen 8:01 Europe? Julie Kremen 8:02 Yes. In Europe. It's near Greece. Norman Kremen 8:04 Albania? Julie Kremen 8:05 Yes! I've been Albania. My father hasn't, so he's jealous of me. It's kind of funny. But what are the five countries you really want to go to? Norman Kremen 8:15 The five countries? Julie Kremen 8:16 Yeah, you know, the five... Norman Kremen 8:18 The stands? Julie Kremen 8:18 Yeah. What are the names of the stands? Norman Kremen 8:20 Oh, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kurdistan. Julie Kremen 8:27 It's hard to pronounce them. So those are the five stands. And then the three... Norman Kremen 8:31 Uzbekistan. Julie Kremen 8:33 [Overlapping] Uzbekistan. Julie Kremen 8:34 Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Urzikstan. Then the three that are called the caucus countries that are nearby. Do you know those other three countries you want to go? Norman Kremen 8:49 Oh God, I forgot. Austri...? Julie Kremen 8:50 No, no. Where's.... Norman Kremen 8:51 Georgia? Julie Kremen 8:52 Yeah, yeah. Norman Kremen 8:54 Oh, I can't think of... Julie Kremen 8:56 Azerbaijan. Norman Kremen 8:58 Azerbaijan. Julie Kremen 8:58 And Armenia. Norman Kremen 9:00 Armenia. Yeah. Julie Kremen 9:04 My father has taken a lot of cruises, at least 40, 50. Pretty much every destination that a cruise ship goes to by water you've been to. The only countries he has left are ones that are landlocked. I don't think you're going to be going anytime soon to Central Africa, right? Like Republic of Congo. I don't think that's on the list. Norman Kremen 9:27 Well, all continents I've been on. Julie Kremen 9:30 He's been to Antarctica twice. Right? Norman Kremen 9:32 Where? Julie Kremen 9:32 You've been to Antarctica twice. Norman Kremen 9:34 Yeah. Julie Kremen 9:36 My dad loves to drive. He's 92 years old and he drives every day, right? Don't you drive every day? Norman Kremen 9:42 Yeah. Julie Kremen 9:42 Every day. He's probably a better driver than people that are younger. A lot of people just work from home and they only maybe drive... Norman Kremen 9:48 I've driven in 50 states. Julie Kremen 9:50 Yeah. You know what my father used to do? He still does it, but he is what's called an amateur radio operator, a ham radio operator. He used to have a mobile antenna on the car. He would drive all around. We used to do vacations all around America. He would talk in the car to countries all over the globe while we were cruising the highways of America. Norman Kremen 10:15 Yes. Julie Kremen 10:15 One time we went to Israel. Remember this? You brought it with, and you were broadcasting from Israel, a special mobile. Norman Kremen 10:22 I don't remember. [Laughter] Julie Kremen 10:24 He did. How many countries have you worked on your radio? Norman Kremen 10:29 Oh, that I don't know. I have to look that up. Because some of the places were not considered countries, but they're considered places. Julie Kremen 10:39 Yeah, 'cause they have these contests. Sometimes with the contest, they go to what's called an atoll, a little island that's uninhabited. You can try to work them, and get a special award. Describe how many awards do you think you have? Norman Kremen 10:53 Oh, God. They're all over the wall. Julie Kremen 10:56 He has a little room in the basement, his little workshop, and the entire walls are covered with these awards. One is worked all states; one is worked all Canadian provinces; one is worked all Europe; worked all continents. What's your callsign? Norman Kremen 11:13 Whiskey. Nine. Alpha. Charlie. Echo. Julie Kremen 11:18 Give us an example of when you turn on your radio, when you tune in and you want to try to talk to somebody, what do you say? What's your little thing that you say? Norman Kremen 11:26 Well, most of my communication is due to a contest. Julie Kremen 11:31 Ok, let's pretend there's a contest right now. Describe a sample of what a contest would be. Norman Kremen 11:39 Well, working all nations. Julie Kremen 11:42 Okay. Norman Kremen 11:42 Or working countries in Europe. Julie Kremen 11:45 Okay, so let's say there's a contest right now. Norman Kremen 11:47 [Overlapping] Or in Asia, you know. Julie Kremen 11:48 What would you say on the radio when you turn it in? Norman Kremen 11:51 Well, you hear somebody calling, and you answer them. Julie Kremen 11:54 So what do you say when you hear someone calling you? Norman Kremen 11:56 You give them your ID. Julie Kremen 11:58 Just for the people who are listening who have no idea. Norman Kremen 12:01 So basically... Julie Kremen 12:03 Just give an example because the people listening don't know how it goes. Norman Kremen 12:07 Well, they're asking for countries or people. Julie Kremen 12:11 But don't they usually...? Norman Kremen 12:12 You answer that's all. Julie Kremen 12:12 But don't you usually go Hello, CQ. Hello, CQ. Norman Kremen 12:16 That's if you're looking for countries. Julie Kremen 12:18 Let's pretend you're looking. How do you say it? Norman Kremen 12:20 That's about it, you know. Julie Kremen 12:22 But then you have a whole thing you say; you say this is alpha? Norman Kremen 12:26 It depends. You can get into all kinds of different conversations, if you like: where you're located, different aspects of your radio activities, you know, that type of thing. Julie Kremen 12:40 I think I could be mistaken, but I think there's people you became kind of friendly with that you eventually visited. I think. I think that happened. Norman Kremen 12:47 Anyhow. Julie Kremen 12:49 He's talked to people all over the world. Norman Kremen 12:51 {Overlapping] Yeah. Julie Kremen 12:51 He himself has been all over the world. Norman Kremen 12:53 Yeah. Norman Kremen 12:55 Two interesting things that my dad did because he loves to drive. It was before I was born; I think it was 19, maybe 61. The Pan American highway opened up, which went all the way down to Panama or maybe just Costa Rica. I don't know if it got all the way to Panama. What happened when it opened up? You wanted to go, right? Norman Kremen 13:21 Yeah, we went. Julie Kremen 13:23 Describe how that was. Norman Kremen 13:26 Adventurous. Julie Kremen 13:29 But remember, you told me there was only one gas station in each country? Norman Kremen 13:33 Oh, yeah, there wasn't too much activity at all, auto-wise. The road was there, and that was it. Julie Kremen 13:39 The first paved road that went all the way down. In Mexico, there was probably gas stations every 100 or so miles. Once you got to Guatemala, you told me only one gas station in the entire country. He said Honduras had one. Nicaragua. He had to really plan. On the way back, you told me that you left Guatemala, and you just hit Chiapas, which is the furthest southern part of Mexico. And what happened? Do you remember what happened? Norman Kremen 14:07 No. Julie Kremen 14:09 Well, you had to come back to Chicago because it was the summer. Your summer was ending, and you had to get back to work because you had the summer off. Julie Kremen 14:15 Oh, yeah. Yeah. Julie Kremen 14:16 What happened was my parents had already blown one of the spare tires. Then you blew the other tire. Now, you were stuck. Do you remember this? Norman Kremen 14:25 No. Julie Kremen 14:26 They were stuck. It was getting dark; it was about to get dark. They're in a rural area. Mexico, southern Mexico; it's never been safe. In the early 60s, you told me, there was no cars on the road. Occasionally, you would see a semi-. He told me all of a sudden a car came and stopped. It was a married couple, and they had their chauffeur. My mother knew a little "chicken" Spanish, but they spoke a little English. Conversation ensued, and they said, "Do you need help?" They pointed at the tire and they go, "Llanta! Llanta!" because in Spanish llanta is tire. "Llanta, no bueno! Tire, no good!" This really nice couple took them in their car with a chauffeur; they were obviously very wealthy. As they're driving, they're like, "We'll help you." They're driving back to their estate or whatever. The woman was sitting next to my mom in the backseat, and she pulls out a gun. Not pointing it at my mother, but showing her. She said, "Ladronis, ladronis," which in Spanish means thieves. Or banditos, banditos. I think she said, "Banditos. I have this for protection." It's the wild, wild west down there in the 60s in Mexico. That's a pretty interesting thing that you're with these strangers, and they pull out a gun. They took my parents to their home in Chiapas. The two daughters, one of them was nine years old, and one of them was 11. They went to private school, so they were fluent in English. The two children helped translate. The parents said, "We're gonna take your dad with my husband, and we're going to go get a new tire. Then we'll drive them back. We'll help you, and get your car fixed." They were very, very nice and very friendly. My mom really bonded with the nine year old, and the 11 year old, or maybe they were a little older. They came back, and they insisted that they stay in their house. My mom ended up being pen pals with the nine year old. That relationship lasted at least 40 years. In the 1990s, when Chiapas was having a civil war going on, they wrote to my parents. It's before the internet. They said, "Will you take our children? Will you help them if things get really bad?" What happened was the nine year old ended up marrying a man who became the governor of Chiapas. This was a civil war going on in his territory there. In his state of Mexico. It never came to them; the children coming to my parents. I went to Guatemala in...I've been four times. The second time I went, I believe, was around 2000, or 2001. My mom put me into contact with the nine year old who was now 49, or whatever she was. Long story short, she invited me to come and stay at their home. Now, when they picked my parents up in 1960, or 61, they were already pretty wealthy. They have a car and a chauffeur and a beautiful home. They won the Mexican lottery, and they got even wealthier. Then she married a man who became the governor. These people had a lot of money. She invited me to come. What happened was, she sent her driver to pick me up at the border of Guatemala. Somehow, I took a bus or something; I arrived at the border of Guatemala. This is, I think, 2001 or 2000. They picked me up. The man told me - it was a really nice car; it was a van with air conditioning - it was automatic car. He said, "Oh, we rented this just for you." Because in Mexico, it's very common to only have a standard, a stick shift. It's pretty rare, very expensive. Not that many people have a have an automatic. They rented it just for me. Then they bring me to the home, and she wasn't even there. It was this chauffeur/caretaker guy and a cook, and they treated me like royalty. But the one who was 11 years old, when my mom met her, she lived next door. Basically the two of them, the two sisters, had an entire city square block. You wouldn't know from the outside because down in southern Mexico and Guatemala, and these places, they're all colonial style towns. By the way, the name of town is San Cristobal de Las Cosas. That's the town that they live in. They have this colonial style architecture, and you can't tell from the outside how big of a property the person owns. So you wouldn't know from the outside they actually own the entire city square block, but between the two sisters they did. They had this big dinner in my honor. They have the family over, and I got to meet a lot of these people. It's kind of an interesting story; kind of comes full circle that I met them. I know my dad has a lot of other fun travel stories, but we've been talking for too long. Maybe we just wrap it up unless you have anything else to say? You have anything else to say? Norman Kremen 19:26 No. I'm listening to you! [Laughter] It's very interesting. I don't remember all the details. Julie Kremen 19:33 I think you've enjoyed living in Lincolnwood, and I think you're really happy that you raised me and my brother there. Norman Kremen 19:40 [Overlapping] Well... Julie Kremen 19:41 [Overlapping] It's a very good place to grow up. Norman Kremen 19:41 You can't compare it to any other place unless you lived in another place. Julie Kremen 19:46 Yeah. Norman Kremen 19:47 That way you can make comparison. Julie Kremen 19:49 Yeah. Norman Kremen 19:49 But we lived in Lincolnwood all these years; over half a century, you know. Julie Kremen 19:57 A long time. Norman Kremen 19:57 Life has changed in general. Lincolnwood has gotten older. Julie Kremen 20:03 Yeah, Lincolnwood's matured. Norman Kremen 20:07 There's pluses and minuses. The newest is the street lighting. Julie Kremen 20:13 Yeah, my dad has a lot to say about the street lighting. Norman Kremen 20:15 Yeah. Julie Kremen 20:16 You're happy with the current street lighting? Because you weren't happy at first. Didn't they change some of it? Norman Kremen 20:23 Oh, it's fine. Julie Kremen 20:24 But you didn't like it at first; you thought it was ... Norman Kremen 20:26 What, the new lighting? Julie Kremen 20:27 No. But before, you thought it was too dim. Norman Kremen 20:29 [Overlapping] You're right; you're right. It was. Julie Kremen 20:30 [Overlapping] You were upset about that. Norman Kremen 20:32 Now it's much better. Julie Kremen 20:33 He's really happy about that. Norman Kremen 20:34 Yeah. Julie Kremen 20:35 Now they just got to work on the potholes. Norman Kremen 20:38 A lot of the major streets are getting new lights. Julie Kremen 20:41 That's great. Norman Kremen 20:42 Cicero, I believe and McCormick. They're getting new lights. And Devon; west on Devon. They're getting new lights. Julie Kremen 20:53 My dad's really into this light thing. He keeps track of it. Norman Kremen 20:58 That's it. Julie Kremen 20:58 It's important. Julie Kremen 21:00 All right. Well, thank you for allowing me to interview you. Norman Kremen 21:04 Yeah. It was a good experience. You had a good experience in school. Julie Kremen 21:09 I did. Norman Kremen 21:11 You know, you and your brother both. Julie Kremen 21:13 There's definitely worse schools I could have gone to. Norman Kremen 21:15 You made a lot of friends. Norman Kremen 21:17 Yeah. Julie Kremen 21:19 Lincolnwood schools were good. Norman Kremen 21:22 That's it. Julie Kremen 21:23 That's it.