I was born February 18, 1932; my mother was 35. We lived at 122 Columbia Street. My father said it was so hot that he walked to Flower hospital in his shirtsleeves. My birth was quite traumatic for Frankie, 2 ½ years older. He gave Lena quite a "dressing down" for her part in this. Why did they to have to have me he demanded to know!! Despite his feelings we became good friends and as the baby of the family for 9 years, I enjoyed the love, affection and sense of security afforded to me by my older siblings.
As it happened, my birth was incidental compared to another event that took place several months later. During summer vacation, Sidney age 16, kept the books at Adolph's factory. He told me that one Friday afternoon Adolph walked to the Morris Bank, a privately owned institution known for its Morris Plan (still operating in Chicago). He took out $10,000 for the pay roll. Walking home that evening, Adolph was held up and the money taken. Adolph's partner mysteriously disappeared, too, and neither he nor the suspect was ever found. From that time on, Adolph began paying back the huge sum, little by little. ($10,000 in 1932 would cost $112,041.75 in 2001)(4)
This was the beginning of worse things to come. Sidney was a Boy Scout, later became an Eagle scout. The troop was scheduled for a weekend retreat. Stanford, 4 years younger ran after him. The weather turned bad and Stan, having no jacket or warm clothes, caught cold which developed into double pneumonia. Bed rest and drinking cream was about the only therapy given. Stan, about 12 years old, was hospitalized for 6 months. Milk was not homogenized. Every day Lena lifted the cream that floated above the milk in the glass bottles, saving it for Stan, and coaxing him to drink it. Milk was a luxury item, but when Lena's children were in need, nothing stood in her way to find help.
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The actor Buddy Rogers, who was married to matinee idol Mary Pickford, was performing in Toledo and came to visit this ward in St. Vincent's Hospital.
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Adolph and Lena were down and out with 7 mouths, plus me to feed. In the Shtetl, girls were taught to become nurturing creatures. Breast feeding their children was the most fundamental of the rituals. When I was growing up, my mother lamented over and over that she was so stressed (probably lacking proper foods, too) during these years, that she didn't even have enough milk to nurse me. As a woman and mother this was the ultimate humiliation for her-unable to fulfill her female and motherly obligations. In today's world, we can hardly imagine let alone understand such giving and unselfish thinking. And my mother also chanted "take me before you take any of my children" and she meant it. That was her mantra, instilled in girls almost from birth.
Adolph tried once more to support the family by opening his own business making coats and suits for little girls, but few people could afford the cost of custom tailoring. When that went under, my father, with no prospects for work in the garment industry, joined thousands of others and went on "Relief". It was the lowest point in Lena and Adolph's marriage, I imagine. They felt so ashamed, so disgraced, so degraded to publicly ask for help.
The WPA program instituted by the New Deal, offered men work such, as " digging ditches for 50 cents a day"(5) which my father did. Brian Trombore writes: "By the time the Crash of 1929 had wound itself down, with the market bottoming on July 8, 1932, the stock of General Motors had fallen from $45 to $3.75".(6)
Many fine city WPA projects were instituted because of the New Deal. Toledo's Main Library, the Toledo Zoo, and road construction , built by men working under the Government's incentive program, helped beautify the city. My own experience was the thrill I had listening to live concerts performed by the WPA musicians, held at Fulton School where I attended kindergarten. My teacher, Miss Shanon, a professional soprano, performed with them. The orchestra would visit the school once or twice a year and it was one of the highlights of my school memories.
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