tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-140330152011-04-21T21:01:43.894-07:00Barbara Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09342370647822771558noreply@blogger.comBlogger21100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14033015.post-1119990748586361892005-06-28T13:26:00.000-07:002005-06-28T15:38:13.820-07:00When I was very little, my parents took me to vacation at Deer Park Farm near Port Jervis. I still remember the mud, the bees and the bungelow. Our family had moved from New York City to Mt. Vernon, NY during 1952. Clearly, after such a move, we had very little money to spend on costly recreation. <br /><br />We lived in Mt. Vernon's newly constructed Vernon Manor, a complex of six six-story brick buildings on the Bailey estate property. Bailey had been a partner in the Barnum & Bailey Circus. Mt. Vernon is closer to New York City than New Rochelle, (which George M. Cohan recognized in the song "Only 45 Minutes from Broadway.") My father commuted to his work in various book binderies in New York from Mt. Vernon for the remainder of his work experience. <br /><br />He said that for his first job, when he was 17, he worked in the printing company that published the first Superman comic book. He brought several dozen of them home and gave them to friends. He regretted that he'd never saved one. (So do I!) I believe he worked for Orthwine Bindery then. <br /><br />At the time, he was a teenager, who dropped out of high school to go to work to support his mother and younger brother. His father, Joseph, died suddenly of a heart attack, which forced my father into the work force. He did finish high school after he married my mother. He was very proud of his solid A grades.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/14033015-111999074858636189?l=hannahson.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Barbara Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09342370647822771558noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14033015.post-1119990294027668642005-06-28T13:19:00.000-07:002005-06-28T15:35:08.366-07:00Ralph Wurtzel, my father, was born October 4. He died on December 11th. He used to say that in his lifetime, he went from driving a horse and buggy to watching men walk on the moon. He actually bought a television just to watch the moon walk in 1969. Prior to that time, we had a television that was primarily radio - that is, the tube was broken and he didn't want to pay to have it repaired. <br /><br />Sputnik was launched on his 42nd Birthday (which is why I always win Trivial Pursuits!) and he was awed and thrilled. He had, after all, fought in World War II, where he rose to be a corporal in the Quartermaster's corps. I am fortunate enough to have a number of photos from his military experience. <br /><br />This 'blog is here for me to capture my thoughts about my father, and to preserve my memories of him.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/14033015-111999029402766864?l=hannahson.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Barbara Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09342370647822771558noreply@blogger.com0