EVERY FAMILY HAS THEIR STORIES…..SOME GOOD AND SOME NOT SO GOOD. THIS IS A GREAT FAMILY STORY ABOUT MY WIFE’S FAMILY. HER GRANDFATHER AND GRANDMOTHER HAD TO FLEE RUSSIA DUE TO THE ANTI JEWISH SENTIMENT IN RUSSIA DURING AN EARLY PART OF THE 20TH CENTURY. MY WIFE’S GRANDPARENTS WERE SOME OF THE LUCKY JEWS THAT MADE IT TO ELLIS ISLAND AND THEN SETTLED IN CHICAGO. IT WAS THEIR HOPE AND DREAM TO BECOME CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. WITH HARD WORK AND LEARNING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, THEY BECAME CITIZENS. THEY PUT ROOTS DOWN IN CHICAGO AND STARTED TO RAISE A FAMILY. SOON AFTER THEY BECAME CITIZENS, MY WIFE’S GRANDFATHER REGISTERED FOR THE DRAFT AND WAS DRAFTED INTO THE ARMY AND WAS SHIPPED BACK TO EUROPE TO FIGHT WORLD IN WAR I. WE HAVE A GREAT PICTURE OF HIM IN HIS DOUGH BOY UNIFORM. HE FOUGHT IN THE TRENCHES AND WAS HIT WITH MUSTARD GAS. LUCKILY HE SURVIVED AND WAS SHIPPED BACK TO THE USA. DUE TO THE RESIDUAL EFFECTS OF MUSTARD GAS , HE WAS UNABLE TO DO ANY HARD LABOR AND HE BECAME A BARBER DIRECTLY ACROSS THE STREET FROM A UNIVERSITY. I BELIEVE IT WAS CHICAGO UNIVERSITY. I DON’T REMEMBER THAT DETAIL. I DO REMEMBER THE STORIES ABOUT THE PROFESSORS FROM THE UNIVERSITY AND HOW THEY LIKED HIM. HE WAS KNOWN AS THE ” INTELLECTUAL” BARBER. HE WAS A EDUCATED MAN AND A SURVIVOR. FIRST AND FOREMOST, HE WAS A FAMILY MAN AND RAISED A FAMILY. HE WAS PROUD OF HIS HERITAGE AND ALSO PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN CITIZEN.

AS THE STORY GOES, FROM THE STREET IN FRONT OF THE BARBER SHOP , ONE COULD SEE THE SCORE BOARD OF THE UNIVERSITY BASEBALL STADIUM. THERE WAS A GAME GOING ON AND THE CROWD COULD BE HEARD FROM INSIDE THE BARBER SHOP. THE CROWD WAS CHEERING ! ONE OF THE PROFESSORS ASKED MY WIFE’S GRANDFATHER TO PLEASE GO OUTSIDE AND SEE WHAT THE SCORE WAS ON THE SCOREBOARD. HE POLITELY WENT OUTSIDE AND TOOK A LOOK AT THE SCOREBOARD. WHEN HE CAME BACK INTO THE BARBER SHOP, THE PATRONS ASKED HIM, ” WHAT IS THE SCORE ? HE ANSWERED IN HIS YIDDISH ACCENT……… ” IT’S IN THE MILLIONS ! “

marc

AS