I have a memory that persistently pops up. It is so seared in my mind. We had returned to class in New Utrecht H.S. We were in English class and a student had volunteered to speak about his summer vacation experience. He was describing his work as a counselor, teaching younger campers to swim and boating and other sport activities. I was so envious because I had never been to a camp and knew nothing about these activities. My summers as a child was the local street and as a teen-ager the store. This same summer , when the student was in camp, I was seeking a job to earn money to help support the family. I signed up with the Good Humor Ice Cream Co. I reported to work on the first day of my vacation from High School. Unfortunately, a new law had been passed by our new Mayor . It was the beginning of the Anti-Noise Campaign, pushed through by Fiorello LaGuardia, whom we all loved and respected. When I reported to the warehouse to pick up the 3 wheeler Ice box and ice cream stock, I was given special instructions. Avoid the police, hide behind cars when you see an officer and refrain from using the bells.
I cycled towards the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn for 4 hours. I was more concerned ducking from police and holding tight on the bell ringers, silencing them, that I became paranoid about being accosted by the police. “I don’t need this”, I said to myself. “I feel like a criminal, ducking the police”. I turned back to the warehouse and returned the cart to the manager. Boy, was he angry- out for so short a period of time and no sales. Thus, ended my first day of employment.
After this incident, I went into Manhattan, seeking employment. Sixth Avenue , between the 20’s and 30’s, were many employment agencies for summer jobs. Mostly for busboys or manual work in the mountains. I found nothing for a fifteen year old youngster. However, on the way home from the elevated train station, I saw a young man selling Eskimo Bars from a cart. I spoke with him about my experience. He told me that he rents his cart and buys the ice cream from the renter. He works on a 100% markup. He doubles his money and is very happy with his work and there is no trouble from police. ” The carts have no bells. The renter is close by on New Utrecht Avenue. Go in and speak with the owner”.
So a week later, I went into business. On my first day out, I cycled my cart down New Utrecht Ave. and happened upon the Semi-Pro baseball stadium, where I heard cheering. I parked myself at the exit on the street corner. When the game was over, the spectators emerged and bought lots of bars. I was glowing from my success and stayed at the spot for awhile to sort of rest, when the baseball players came out. You never saw a happier group of men. Ice cream, they yelled, yea. They bought me out. My first day and what a success. Even the renter was surprised. When brother Bill heard about my success, he decided to join me. He had two friends,who lived nearby , who had an ice cream freezer truck for sale. Bill had a driver’s license and he had free time, because the store was not busy during the summer and he was not needed. So, we bought the truck for $25.00 and it conked out at the first effort to drive it. We pushed it to a repair shop and were ready the next day. We scouted around for a territory and chose Manhattan Beach and Sheepshead Bay. It was a good choice. We stored my cart in a nearby garage and drove the truck to and fro and finally had use for our garage. This turned out to be a worthwhile venture. It also created a close bond with each of us. We worked together for many years.
Archive for January, 2008
Summertime( no school)
roth’s health plan
In a previous blog, I told you how much I admired my parent’s fortitude in adjusting to the adversities endured when the 1929 crash affected their income. They circled the wagons and enlisted the entire family. We were all aware of the family predicament. The mortgage had to be paid. The older children, out of High School worked in offices or factories and part or their salary went toward payment of the debt. I worked in the store after school hours and was paid $5.00 per week and sometimes I had to give my savings towards the payment.
It occurred to me that our parents also had built into this family enterprise a health plan. It was important to keep us healthy and this they did with the home remedies that they learned in Europe. It was during this period that the Polio scare was rampant. Children were rendered paralyzed by the virus and adults were put into iron lungs to keep them alive. It was a scary time. It was important for our parents to stifle any minor cold or soreness as soon as it occurred. Finally, in 1952, Dr. Salk developed the vaccine that dispelled the polio virus.
The number one comfort item for a sniffle or a slightly sore throat was chicken soup. This was the wonder drug. For a Bad sore throat, Mom would cut up an onion and put it in a cloth strip, roll it up and wrap it around your neck. The onion would draw out the soreness and also keep people a distance from you.
To avoid the polio virus, it was suggested that one should not go to crowded areas, such as movie theaters or trains, etc. But this was difficult to do. So, it was Mom’s idea to put a garlic clove on a necklace, or a string and wear it around the neck. This would ward off the virus. For a fever, Mom called upon Pop, who had a set of ( “Bankes) Small glass tumblers that he heated up in a bowl of hot water. He would then hold the glass cup , turn the open end over a candle flame for a short period of time and place it on your back. The glass cup would stick to the body. He used about 6 or 8 cups. The idea was to suck out the illness from your body. My dad loved acting the part of Doctor. In fact, he had placed a sign on our window, advertising “I do Bankes” and in Yiddish “Ich shtehl bankes”. I don’t think he got any patients. I think it worked. I don’t recall any problems with this medical practice.
For a stomach-ache, or if all else fails there is always the ENEMA. How I hated this. I still have in memory, the first time I was introduced to this cure-all. I cringe when I think about it. As Mom said “it will clean out your insides”. Well it did and I never had a stomach-ache again that I reported. If I felt one, I would let nature cure me.
1930-1940 depression
It occurred to me, while I was writing about the above period in time, that we are now in a similar situation. The housing market was in a state of turmoil. Banks were failing and the unemployment ranks was in a state of increase, up to 40%+. Presently, I look for a period of adjustment on a slow momentum. But, I worry about the easy credit card culture that has grown so rapidly and has inculcated a ” spend now and pay later” on our young members of our society. I described how we as a family strove to save our home and re-adjust the earnings of the family . We learned to spend only for necessities and only spend, if we had the cash to pay for it. Reading our reports now makes me uneasy about the future. Banks are overextended because they were giving mortgages to poor risks and selling off the mortgages to be sold as funds. The banks and financiers were making money, but the base the mortgagees was weak. The entire structure is caving in. To prop the banks and financial gurus, we have oil money from foreign countries buying into our banking and financial companies. Where do we go now? Do we need another FDR to set the recovery rolling?
1930-1940
Reflecting on past incidents and behavior of our family, one sees things more objectively. We know the final results and can understand how our family was able to cope with the depression and preserve our home. I have to admire my parents for not panicking and for making the adjustment to the economic downturn a family enterprise, each of us responsible for survival, to help wherever help was needed. And when I think of the manner in which we all helped, I saw that our organizer and actually CEO was my mother. And of course my father was the provider. Mom never spoke to me about her background and I am sorry that I never asked her. But I finally got information from other members of the family, which I will divulge to you. Mom was born Aug. 1884. Her name was Hinda, anglicized to Annie. Her father left for the U.S. when she was two years old. Shipping records show her traveling with her mother Rivka from Hamburg, arriving in NY in 1896, 10 years after her father’s arrival. So, for 10 years she did not know her father. And I learned from sister Reggie that she had a miserable home life. I assume that she went to school and learned to speak English, which she spoke very well. She also spoke Yiddish and Polish. When she was 16 yrs. of age she worked in a fur coat factory as a seamstress. Her father had a junkyard and may have been a peddler. So, you can see from this type of background, Mom had to develop into a patient, understanding personality. There is no record of her move to New York. It is believed that she was introduced to Pop by a Mieletze Revra Society shiddach. (I would love to get more details, It turned out to be a great match.Anyone have pertinent info?}
Mom was a very calm person, shy, not very talkative and a good listener. I can’t recall ever hearing a harsh or angry word from her. This scene that has remained in memory for close to 80 years+, occurred after Pop’s business failure. Jack was working in the business and now was unemployed. Also, he was engaged to a young lady, which I was not privy to. He was about 22 yrs. of age, a former successful business man and a good catch for those days. And also very handsome. A good dancer, dressed well, wore spats and a derby When he walked up 46th Street from the train station, all female eyes were on him. To add to his misery of losing his job, he also lost his fiance, whose mother insisted that she should cancel their engagement. He was devastated. The memory I have took place in the kitchen and I was seated in the eating area, at the table that faced the kitchen where Mom and Jack were discussing the situation. Mom patiently listened to Jack unburdening his sorrows and offered soothing platitudes to ease his pain. “Yankele” she said, “life is never smooth, there are always problems. You have to roll with them and seek a way to overcome the situation. Now, you are free to go on your own. I suggest you get a job and go to college . Get a profession and with your business experience, you will be successful. You can do it, I am confident that you can”.
Well, with that boost, Jack enrolled in StJohns U., became a CPA, worked with Ronson as a C.F.O.and proved Mom’s prediction of his ability to succeed.
