I was a Frankford kid who started his own business 1937 when I was 19.  Within a year I started to purchase a nice home with a warehouse in the rear at 4721-23 Howell St. 

I "married into Wissinoming" when I married Edna in 1939.  By the time I was drafted into WWII, my daughter Dolores was born and my son Johnny was on the way.  He was born while I was in Okinawa.  The business survived the war, mostly because of Edna's efforts.  She deserves a lot of credit for raising the children, being a good homemaker, and helping with all of the "at-home" aspects of the business.

My family life really started when I returned home from the war.   By 1946, we had two beautiful children.   And there was a lot of work to do to restore business lost during the war.

I can remember shoveling snow into an igloo that Delores loved to play in.  She was a real snow-bird.  She loved to help making snowmen with buttons of coal, a hat, a pipe, and a face.  Johnny liked the warmer weather, and even when very young, he had a ball in his hand all the time.

On weekends we had picnics and parties and joined other families in Wissinoming Park.  We rarely had a baby sitter when the kids were little and since we both liked the movies, we devised a unique way to see them: I would go to the early show at the "Northie," just around the corner at Torresdale and Benner while Edna put the kids to bed; after the movie, I'd leave and hurry home, passing Edna at Comly St. going to the late show. 

Edna and I loved holiday parades.  And church and school activities were a lot of fun for Edna and the children.   Edna was active at the Hope Lutheran Church where she and some other mothers got involved with a group of young girls named "Papooses," similar to the Girl Scouts.  The moms made their uniforms, with a single feather headband, Indian style.  The group grew and is still active after 50 years.  One event brought Chief Half-Town of television fame to their meeting.

Johnny was a member of Cub Scout Troop 372, an active troop that had many activities, one of which was a "Soap Box Derby."  Johnny was a champion for three years.  Cliff Shinn, a Post Office worker, was Cub Master, and a dynamic leader who really understood how to build large community family groups.  His Dad's Association group was very active in supporting the Cub Scouts.  During the Cub's annual meeting, almost as many men attended as Cubs.  It was all fun for the Cubs during the day, and fun at night for the men playing cards or just shooting the breeze in the mess hall.

I was President of the Dad's Association the year the group practiced for three months to put on a fund raising "All Girl Review" at Lincoln High School that ran for three nights and raised $2,500.  The Mom's Association made all the "girlie" costumes for the men's Hawaiian Ballet and Bubble Dancing numbers, which was a riot,  with fat, skinny, tall, short, and hairy men in these skimpy outfits.  The ladies supplied the music, and Pastor Benithum built a soap bubble machine that blew bubbles across the stage.  I taught eight or ten men to play ukulele numbers for the Hawaiian belly dance by Carl Ferguson that brought the house down.  I always thought that the Dad's enjoyed the Review even more than the audience; they had a lot of laughs at themselves during the three months of practice. 

As our children grew older, it was always dates and dancing for Dolores.  She attracted many nice boys and danced at the now famous American Band Stand on television.  Johnny was sports minded as I was and we became very close both as players and as baseball fans.  We always enjoyed talking baseball especially when the "greats" like Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, and Ty Cobb came up.  As a young adult Johnny became a very good long ball hitter.  

Now, in the year 2000, I'm a happy guy with a great wife and family.  

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