Anna's house

Anna's house was almost green!  I had remembered that she had ordered red shingles that summer day in the early 50's when the contractor was putting up green shingles on the front of the house.  I was outside playing when I saw the green, and I knew it was the wrong color.  I ran in and told my mom, and she went into Anna's house to use her telephone to call her at work.  I remember that the siding men weren't too happy about the mistake.

In the spring of 1959 Anna had me install the yellow plastic wall tiles.  If you look closely you can see that the job was less than professional.  On the wall by the telephone is the buzzer button.  If someone called my mom, Anna would buzz twice, and mom would go over to answer the phone (See the brick walk in the first picture).  It looks like there is a church missal, as well as a cigarette lighter and ash tray on the red cart.  Notice the moldy piece of cheese on the table.  The chair on the left at the end of the table was the usual place a visitor would sit and have a beer or two.  It was usually two, as Anna would insist that you can't "stand on one leg".   Anna would sit on the chair not shown in front of the sink and stove.

This room was originally intended as the dining room.  Anna had a kidney shaped desk in one corner, and in the opposite corner was an antique table on which sat a chrome cocktail pitcher and goblets.  The corner of the room pictured was probably used by visiting kids.  Anna liked to do crosswords  She sometimes had me go down to Eddy's on 4th and Parade and pick one out for her.

In the living room Anna had two yellow chairs of which the visitor chair is shown.  The chair she used had a higher back and a foot stool.  Sometime after this picture was taken the table lamp was replaced with a fiber optic lamp, which was the latest thing.  Anna spent many a quiet evening watching TV in her easy chair with her beer and peanuts.  I don't think there were ever any pictures on the walls.



Thanks dad for taking the pictures, and having the foresight to know that one day they would be enjoyed and appreciated.
 

The Ivy League

From the "NEW YORK OBSERVER"

Daniel Cappello’s The Ivy League: The Book Party That Threw Itself

It’s not every book party where you end up in a 5th Avenue estate, listening to a Columbia a capella group sing doo-wop classics.

But such a scene was fitting for Quest Magazine‘s Daniel Cappello, who was signing copies of his beautiful clothbound coffee table book, The Ivy League (Assouline), in the parlor of Candace and Rick Beinecke.

“They are old family friends of Daniel’s,” said Martine Assouline, co-founder of the luxury publishing house. Ms. Assouline was wearing her signature Balenciaga sunglasses indoors, which you are allowed to do apparently, as long as you don’t bump into one of the century-old portraits in the foyer or make the faux-pas of trying to put your drink down on a table without a coaster.

Photographer and recent documentary subject Bill Cunningham mingled among the Upper East Side revelers which included Allison and Jay Aston, Charles Rockefeller, Punch Hutton and Chris Rovzar from Vanity Fair, Anne Vincent from Vogue, Robert Burke, Kelly Rutherford, and The New Yorker‘s Ben McGrath.

The younger men displayed a disproportionate amount of pink and/or ascots, the women wore cocktail dresses. We were sure that what most of the guests shared, besides good genes and old money, was a degree from one of the eight Ivies that Mr. Cappello lushly illustrates in his new book. (Mr. Cappello, a New Yorker alum himself, also graduated from the Ivy’s Ivy: Harvard.)

We overheard Assouline’s Cara Buscaglia and Mimi Crume Sterling proudly telling party-goers how the event basically threw itself.

“We barely had to do anything…Daniel had everything planned out, down to what glee group he wanted.”

And Mr. Cappello did strike us as the type of man who never forgets a detail. When we mentioned that a Cornell alum friend had never heard of Dragon Day–which the book explained as a tradition involving a giant dragon created by architectural students– Mr. Cappello nodded.

“Right, well the dragon is only marched around part of campus as part of Architecture’s traditional rivalry with the School of Engineering.”

“Was your friend a law graduate student?” He asked.

We felt like we were talking to one of those TV psychics. How did he know?

“Law grad students live off-campus and are generally too busy to notice these types of things,” Mr. Cappello smiled. Neat trick!

When we asked Ms. Assouline why she approached Quest‘s fashion director for a book about the top colleges in the country, she admitted that it was partly for personal reasons.

“We were trying to find the best university for our son in the states when we moved here,” The Frenchwoman told us. “But there were so many schools to choose from! We wanted to see something you wouldn’t get from the brochures…something more like stepping on to a campus.”

Ironically Ms. Assouline’s son ended up going up to college in Montreal, since his French was (at the time) better than his English.

Full of history and trivia about each of the top-tier schools, Mr. Cappello does spend extra attention extolling the virtues of his alma mater.

“Well, Harvard is a brand,” Ms. Assouline smiled. “It’s like Chanel.”

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By Drew Grant
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Nancy.....

This past Sunday, March 25, marked my sister Nancy’s 75th birthday. I was fortunate to be able to share part of my time in Ohio these past weeks with her and we celebrated her birthday

Not much can be said, but a lot is said about Nancy….She is gentle, kind, soft spoken, very spiritual and truly loves everyone and has a huge heart.

As we were growing up, I really didn’t feel like I had a sister….she was just an older person who lived with us. During the years, we both married the loves of our lives, I had children and now grand children and a great grand child!

As we lost our parents and I finally grew up (that is still debatable!) we realized that the 9 years difference in our ages was not an issue any more…we were becoming equals….even though she still refers to me as her ‘baby sister’!

The attached picture was taken approximately March 12 of this year with her ‘kids’….Benji and Angel….they both bring her so much joy.

I am so grateful to have you to be my sister….I truly wish I were more like you. I love you more than you will ever know.


Happy 75th birthday to the cousin that Pat Callahan referred to as ‘the boss of the cousins’!!

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Blogged by Dede

My Dad.....

My Dad…..

March 17, 2012 marked the 100th birthday of my father, Michael Patrick Jackson! He was always so proud of the fact that he was born on that day.

Memories of ‘back in the day’ is Dad and Leo Tormey (born on March 16) always celebrated their birthdays together….by usually going to Sullivans, Sophies, and probably the East Erie Turners and other watering holes whose names long ago slipped from my memory. I think John Tormey, Bill Henry, and Harry Callahan tagged along on those ventures too!

I was fortunate this year to get to spend St. Paddy’s day with a bunch of the Tormey cousins….we all met up in Dublin Ohio. And as the Irish are prone to say ‘ a grand time was had by all!! The Tormeys and their kids and grandkids were my only relatives on my Dad’s side of the family in Erie.

This weekend we did them all proud….We had Pat Tormey from New Hampshire, Pete Tormey from California, Margie Wegelin, Amy Cross Lombardo, Judy Cross Murphy and husband Jim, Mary Dale Anthony Rzymek and husband John from Erie. Rick Cross and wife Darcie came from Tennessee. Sherry Wilt Tortora and husband Chuck, and Kelly Wilt Shooltz and husband Duane from Michigan. Roberta Cross Nesbit and husband John from Washington, Pa, and Guy Anthony and wife Jodi from Pleasantville, Pa. Jan Schoen Scopel and husband Drew came from Erie also (Kelly family relatives) and John Rzymek’s brother and his family joined us on Saturday. And of course me from Florida!

The weather was great….we all decided we would go out to lunch to and to an Irish Pub or two on Saturday and do our ‘pubbing’ in the afternoon and then head back to the Marriott. The Marriott had a courtyard that we kind of took over as our meeting and imbibing place. They had an outdoor grill and the guys collected $ and bought and cooked a prime rib on the grill! Outstanding!!

The attached picture shows that table ‘centerpieces’ that we had. We dined al fresco and had a wonderful dinner!

It was a great weekend filled with laughs and lots of toasts!! It always amazes me though that every time the Callahan name is brought up, Pat Tormey is amazed that I am related to the Callahans.

The Crotty connection just keeps going! Happy Birthday Dad!! (we toasted you by the way!!)


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Blogged by Dede

A Good Hair (and Care) Day with Lucille

Beauty is as beauty does. And, yes, we all want a good hair day. Sometimes today it takes the better part of a day at a chic beauty salon or spa. Many women will contend that not only is their visit ‘beautifying’ in the true sense of the word, but also therapeutic and nurturing. If you were lucky growing up, you received it all in our dear Aunt Lucille Barron’s kitchen.

Imagine, living with her husband Tom, her sons Rich, Tommy and Dave and having a quasi beauty parlor right there in her kitchen with all of her guys coming and going all afternoon! Mind you, in the 50’s and 60’s one way to ‘glamour’ was the ‘permanent wave.’ This was no short nor fragrant process. Lucille sectioned your hair with row upon row of pink, blue and purple curlers followed with a solution that rivaled ammonia. Your head was then wrapped in a plastic cap for an hour, and rinsed with a second solution. At the end, the curlers came out to allow the recipient a flock of curls that made you the envy of your friends. You could set your hair in rollers and have waves, or use bobby pins and see tight locks. Yes, for about 6 months you sported your look until 4 or 5 haircuts sent your curls walking. Then, of course, you came back for your next beauty treatment.

Certainly in-style hair was great. However, longer lasting was the therapeutic element of having your hair done at Lucille’s. Throughout the process, you spent the day together. You shared news, exchanged ideas, and discussed fashion with Lucille, the iconic fashion role model. We talked about the state of the state, vented, and chuckled during this bonding process.

I always watched how Lucille did hair. I was fascinated with it all. As the years passed, I stepped in with some of our relatives, including my mother Betty, doing many cuts and perms. I have an especially fond memory of a night I spent with our dear Aunt Virginia Jackson, giving her a cut and curl, following a great dinner she cooked. I’ll never forget how pleased she was when she looked in the mirror and said, “Is that me?” After all these years, I still remember her pleasure.

As I moved on with my life in New Jersey, I continued to give cuts and perms. I bonded with friends and their daughters. To this day, I have great relationships, based upon our quality ‘hair time together.’

I had a great teacher. Thank you, Lucille, for your beauty shop at home, and the inspiration you so generously gave to all of us. Believe me, it lives on. What greater tribute can I give you, beautiful hair designs and forever bonding! Thank you, again, our dear Aunt Lucille.


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Blogged by Lucy

Sister Mary Augustine

Our great-grandmother Lucy Horrigan Crotty Smith had a sister Johannah. She married Dyer Colgrove and they lived in Meadville. Anna was the first child of five. Both her mother and the fifth child died soon after his birth in 1883. By 1890 Anna was living with her cousins Pierre and Richard at 14 East 5th. Lucy and Michael Smith had their saloon at 12 East 5th. In 1896 Anna became a Sister of St. Joseph and took the name Sister Mary Augustine.

I remember my mother saying that a few times when she was young, she would go over to the nun house on East 3rd, and walk back to 509 with Sister (nuns weren't allowed to walk alone), so as Sister and her father could visit. Mom said that Sister was a jolly person and a good conversationalist.

Thanksgiving back in the day…

At the close of yet another Thanksgiving day, I am drawn back to my childhood memories.

We came from a large ‘clan’, but always seemed to celebrate Thanksgiving with our own little family units. The exception was Anna who was always free to choose where she went for the day. My memory is that she always went to Julia and Harry’s, but I could be wrong. I think she had Thanksgiving with us one year, but I am not sure.

One of the strangest memories was watching my mother ‘singe’ the pin feathers off of the turkey. No nicely prepared, ready to cook Butterball Turkeys in the 50’s!! The birds back then were always scrawny! (Remember Donna Reed pulling her Turkey out of the oven in "It’s a wonderful life"). Back in those days most of our meal was the veggies, not as much meat as we eat now.

The kitchen table at our house on Eagle Point was always set with a tablecloth for the meal. When we lived on Fifth Street, we had a dining room, but I don’t remember ever eating in there….but then I was only 4 ½ when we moved from there!

My mom always stuffed the turkey--and none of us died from it! We would have mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing (Southerners call it dressing and make it with cornbread ). I think our vegetable was always parsnips or turnips, and for the life of me, I can’t remember which it was…maybe it was both. Parker House rolls too! I think we always had sweet potatoes (not the canned with marshmallows, but real ones that she would scoop out and put butter and brown sugar on them and of course, pumpkin pie. My mother also made a pudding with ‘hard sauce’. It was delicious, but I can’t remember what it was called.

A staple that I loved was we always had black olives and green olives on the table. A tradition that I continued with my family and they now have for theirs.

When I was little, I used to like to pull the meat off the turkey neck and eat it. I think I was a weird, picky eater. As my scales can attest to, I got over that pickiness!

The best Thanksgiving for a kid was the horrendous snowstorm of 1956!!

Cousin Rich shares the following Barron memories:

I don't remember Anna ever coming for Thanksgiving, but sometimes my grandmother would be with us. I remember that one year my Dad said that he thought that turkey was always dry, and suggested that we have duck instead. It seems that it was all dark meat and we kids didn't really like it. It also seems that for the next few years we'd vote on it, and so sometimes we would have duck. I haven't had duck since.

We always had Thanksgiving dinner in the dining room around 5 o'clock. I remember Thanksgiving 1956, as that was the year of the big snowstorm. It was dark and snowy outside, and we were warm and cozy inside.

This is one thing I remember about Thanksgiving afternoon in 1954. The kitchen radio was on while mom was setting the dining room table. The song playing was 'Hey There' by Rosemary Clooney. About half way through the song, Rosemary says in a talking voice, "Are you talking to me?". Four year old David, playing on the floor, spoke right up and answered her. Wish I could remember what he said, but whatever it was, mom got a big kick out of it.

Happy thanksgiving to all….may our fond memories continue!

Posted by Dede and Rich