Metropolitan Avenue reminded me of a day I spent with my Dad about three years ago. He was born in Long Island City, but grew up in Maspeth. We drove from spot to spot, finding the places where he had lived and gone to school. We visited Grover Cleveland High School, where a picture of my uncle's championship soccer team from the late 1940s is still hanging in the trophy case, next to a plaque from my Dad's championship team. It was also the place where my Dad was arrested with his best friend, Herb Pluschau, on suspicion of being a Communist because they had organized a protest against homework over school vacations. I passed Grover Cleveland, which sits in a little park on a small hill on the south side of Metropolitan Avenue, when I drove in tonight.
I also passed The Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery, where my great, great grandfather, Martin Blessinger is buried. Martin's parents, John and Eva came to America from the Rhineland on October 9, 1841 on the SS Pauline. He was born 10 months later, in August 1842. Martin grew up to fight in the Civil War with the 45th New York Volunteers, also known as the "German Rifles." He fought at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. He's buried with his wife Adeline (also my grandmother's name) and his son Fred. His first son, John is buried nearby.
The reason we know about Martin's passage to America and his service in the Civil War is because my Dad went out and looked it all up.
And that, in a nutshell, is my Dad.
When I was a kid, his response to almost every question I asked was, "Let's look it up." If I showed interest in any subject, from model planes to architecture, my Dad would help me find a book (usually a LOT of books) that had answers and information. When we were very young, he would get up early, before work, and sit on the kitchen floor and read to/with/for us.
In our later years, my brother and I took to rolling our eyes and acting annoyed whenever my Dad would push a stack of books on us about some subject we had mentioned, even in passing. But we should really be grateful, because he made us believe we could master any subject we could think of. All we needed to do was find the right books.
Thanks, Dad.
8 comments:
I'm happy to see that the Colonel, like you and your friends, is not afraid to enjoy a nice relaxing drink.
The Colonel managed to hang on until 1907.
Unfortunately, he did not pass down any money or land to me, so screw him.
Yeah, what good are ancestors if all they leave you is some DNA?
Dave, seems we have quite a bit in common - other than general humankind hatred. My great greats came over from Germany (Kassel) to Brooklyn. Some long dead dude in my family founded Coney Island. It's one of the reasons I have adopted Brooklyn as my home. There's also extensive military service in my family - multi generational West Point attendance. It seems the difference is my old man said: "Go look it up" instead of 'Let's look it up'.
I'll never forget the way that my Dad would absolutely humiliate me in games of one on one basketball. You see, he was a military man...oh, wait. That wasn't my life. That was The Great Santini.
Never mind.
Dave,
Thanks for bringing up a memory from over fifty years ago. As described, however, there could be an implication that your Dad was a political activist. Actually this was an entirely childest activity and not an attempt to overthrow the government.
It all began when the principal, Mr. Tonser said that the teachers were to give homework assignments over the Christmas holidays.
No one knows who started it, but before long the whisper of strike was in the air. It was repeated in the halls, put on popsicle sticks, etc.
The morning of the day of the strike, I and my friend Herb went to school and discussed the possibility of strike, and would it take place. When we arrived at the school the students had refused to go into the school, since no one was sure if a strike was really on. While they were milling around some of the adminstrators came out and confronted the group. Uncertainty prevailed and some went back to school, while another group was pushed to the side and ended up in a small park just outside Grover Cleveland. Herb and I became of that group.
Not knowing what to do, someone suggested that we go to a nearby school and get support. We then started our walk to Newtown HS which was a few miles away. We sang and engaged in other activities to keep up our spirits.
When we arrived at Newtown HS we were yelling "Strike" "Come out and Support us." These were just expressions of young HS students enjoying the fact that they took a stand on the "homework over the holidays" issue.
A point was reached where the Newtown HS principal came out and confronted the crowd and took one or two students into custody.
Thinking this was still a non- event, your Dad walked up to the principal and said, "Let them go and we will all disperse."
The principal than grabbed your Dad and said, "We have the ring leader." This impression was enhanced as the crowd started chanting, "Cavalier, Cavalier, etc."
But to the main point. You have to remember that in the 1930's and throughout WW II the communists were very active and growing in support. By the 1950's there was a fear that the Communists were trying to infiltrate our schools and universities. This out of the blue, spontaneous eruption seemed like a perfect example of Communist infiltration and naturally the FBI was called in, which they were.
I was interrogated by the FBI but could not understand what they wanted and had nothing to offer them. The issue eventually was cooled down and no real actions came out of the "Cleveland Holiday Strike." No one was arrested or sent to jail. A normal school atmosphere returned when the students when back to school after the "homework free" holidays.
Dave, I wonder if there is a file on your father in the FBI records. Maybe you should file a Freedom of Information to get the files released.
Love,
Dad
That's great, Dad, but what do the 1950s have to do with it? You graduated from High School in 1947.
Everybody, meet my Dad.
My dad used to say "look it up"... I think the "Let's" would have been more helpful.
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