March 20, 1991
Dear Amy:
You are truly a woman of your word! Your questions disconcert me as they make clear my inadequacy in dealing with my impaired recognition of happenings in the past. My recent memory banks have run dry. But even my recollection of the past has deteriorated strikingly. I’ve always bewailed my lack of my past, particularly in the area now referred to as “oral history”. I wonder whether a lot of my contemporaries who were the children of newly arrived immigrants have as much difficulty in their recall as I? I’m not proud of my shortcomings.
Well, here we go: Regarding my parents and their background my niece Nancy Brant has researched this area and would be happy to pass it on to you. Her address: 7260 Meadowbrook, Cincinnati, 45237. In addition, my sister Edith Shapiro has indicated that a letter which she wrote to my nephew David Felson regarding several of us who were active trying to teach English to the flood of new arrivals in the 30’s could be made available to you. Edith knows a great deal about my Dad and would be happy to supply you with this information. Her address: 7732 Greenfield Place, Cin’ty 45237.
I understand that Nancy, who I just spoke to can supply you with this data. I know that my dad came over about 1900, and was directed to Cin’ty by some agency (actually, Newport KY). The new Russian immigrants lived immediately adjacent to the Ohio River because of the cheap rentals resulting from the yearly flooding of the river, which would submerge their housing, which they then temporarily evacuated until the waters receded.
You ask where did I live and go to school? We almost lived the lives of transients as my dad had difficulty making a living in his little shops where he repaired clothing and sold 2nd hand clothing. (All of us wore 2nd hand clothes until adulthood.) At times he used his linguistic skills (he spoke five or more languages and studied Bulgarian when he located his business in a Bulgarian neighborhood). My schools were in Newport, Carthage, Addyston (a small adjacent city) as well as 4 other elementary schools in the downtown area. My high school was Woodward, also in an inner city location. As I didn’t plan to go to college, I took the commercial course which stressed typing, shorthand and bookkeeping. My education was a very limited one. Even tho the school was quite adequate and I’ve benefited, my poor education and poor study habits I’ve always blamed my inadequacies in my areas of weakness on the poor quality of my schooling. We always look for a scape goat, I suppose.
A good deal of Yiddish was spoken in my home by my parents — their first language. My dad’s English, except for his accent, was quite acceptable, but my mother’s was rather limited. I believe us kids answered in English. My understanding of Yiddish was not what you might have expected in this setting. I could understand my old Jewish patients’ Yiddish moderately, but did poorly in expressing it. When my folks wanted to keep us in the dark regarding any subject of discussion they would lapse into Russian, which none of us kids understood.
When I started at UC (having been made eligible by taking a summer school course in Geometry at high school) I signed up as a pre-legal student. To this day I have no explanation as to why I switched to pre-med the following year. Why my brother Walter, who had graduated from pharmacy school, then went on to medicine I’m not certain, but his wife’s work at the Jewish agency clinic supported him throughout medical school. Ben, who had skipped 3 grades, went into medicine. And Leo, the youngest one then started in med school, but really had no heart in doctoring as a career. He subsequent(ly) took a course in medical administration and remained in hospital administration thereafter.
My meeting my wife was brought about by my brother Walter and his wife Rosalyn. My wedding was likely carried out at the home of my wife, and the Rabbi was my brother-in-law, Alan Tarswish who was married to Helen’s sister Miriam. This whole period is so vague in my recollection that it seems to have been more a dream than reality. However, my life throughout those early years as I pointed out earlier is beyond my ability to recall.
As for Sophie and Phil’s wedding, this is a complete blank to me. But I’m pretty certain that Allan or Bobby will have been told about details which they can pass on to you.
I believe I’ll stop here. I’m not of the mind to travel the autobiographical pathway as I find writing a rather laborious means of communication because of my inability to express my thoughts. Actually, I would favor the telephone route. The spontaneity attending conversational exchanges in an individual as extraverted as myself eliminates the process of transferring my thoughts into the written word, which in my case uses a great deal of time and energy. If you are a good note-taker, it should work out satisfactorily. Particularly since it enables you to direct my thoughts into the areas in which you are interested in.
Here’s hoping that young Sophie as well as her parents are thriving.
Love, Chippy
The Felson Family 