My Lincolnwood Story- Robert Liss

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.