Approximate Years 1952-1959
Ages 16-23
If someone wanted to know my grandfather’s hobby, every member of my family could answer “fishing” without skipping a beat. One year my grandfather had caught over 1,000 fish. He’s not a man to hyperbole, so he had given me the precise figures, cataloged by species in a letter written in his delicate cursive. He explained what he had done with what fish–and which ones he preferred baked to fried. It was a letter, but he smacked his lips, I could hear it.
I’m posting in five-page segments. It’s relatively short five pages since it was hand-written–but it gives me time to do a little research. And, to fit more pictures in. 🙂
This section jumps pretty quickly from 16 years old to Germany in the army, so it clips along.
The autobiography is transcribed exactly as it is presented in the original document, which was handwritten and did not have the benefit of spellcheck.
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half in and half out of the water, just like a salmon moving up stream in very shallow water.
There were a couple of anxious moments and lots of instructions from my father and that fair dandy was in the grass on the bank. It had been quite awhile since my Dad had seen such a nice brown trout and it was the biggest one I had ever seen. To me they were a very much sought after and seldom caught fish. And here was this dandy laying the grass all wet and shiny and I caught it. What a trophy. Dad hurried to the car to get a tape and we measured the fish. It was 16 inches long and fat as a football.
We drove back to Dalton and we stopped at Gramp’s garage and Uncle Larry Lyons. After every one had a look at the fish and made some comments about the good ole days that used to be and fish caught years ago, I was in a big hurry to show it
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to our neighbor Walt Kelly who had taken me fishing with him a few times in the past year.
Summer was coming to an end and Dad moved us to Mt. Morris Tremble street, an apartment up stairs in the house of Fred Patilla.
We had one half of a two car garage, half a garden, and the washing machine in the cellar.
Fred and I now began to explore the Genesee River at this point and all of the lands and farms surround the township. We spent most of our time at the river. I more than Fred. From August 1, 1952 to Oct 22, 1955 this would be my part of the world. We spent our first month finding new friends and getting the lay of the land.
Here in Mt Morris I went to 10th thru 12th grade. I took six subjects each year to make up for the two I lost in 9th at Dalton. I graduated with 20 credits, I only needed 16.
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Those years 8/52 thru 10/55 were good years. I hunted each fall and winter, mostly on the farm of Russel Ace’s where he raised sheep from the State TB Hospital line to
the Mt. Morris Dam.
But there was not hardly any part of the out skirts of town in any direction that I didn’t set foot on pretty regular within three miles of the center of town. And I had a trap line that ran all the way from behind the [Perry] knitting mill
all the way down to the Canaseraga Creek on the Bush farm and I ran that once in the morning and again after school every day from Jan 1st to the 15th of March.
And the fishing on the Genesee River from Mt. Morris Dam to Bum’s Island on Brady’s Farm [hard to find reference, colloquial name]. I had a good time in school there and I even liked my teachers.
I don’t think my Dad of Mom ever objected to my devotion to the outdoors. We had fish and game to eat real regular. I used to shoot so many rabbits I had regular customers on the way back into town I would stop at their homes and give them a
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rabbit and they gave me a dollar. Between the fur I sold and game I sold I always had spending money in my pocket.
When I graduated from High school,
Mount Morris Class of 1955 (Left to Right )
(Top Row): Tom Sardenia, Lou Zanggi, Cid Goodman, Joe laeusa, Bob Kelly, Mike Terry, Lowell Nichols, David Sawer, Lanny Terry, Bob VanNostrad, John Albanese, Pete Tripi, Sam Provo
(Second Row): Joe Marcara, Gary Bennet, Jim Rizzo, Barbra DiImpero, Gail Sherwood, Fran Gullo, Phillis lacusa, Fran Megliori, Shirly Hollawell, Darwin Dale, Frank Patinella, Vinny Genco, Anthony Redesi
(Third Row): Dick Provino, Rosemary Klunck, Mary Loverde, Jo Cristiano, Helen Forbes, Deloris Stramovich, Joann Latona, Rose Mulley, Peggy Curry, Mary George, Keren Gross, Phillip Lopez
(Front Row): Mrs. Brioos, Maryella Megliori, Grace Lowry, Ann Montizano, Cindy Vickers, Mr. Lonco, Cynthia Trysack, Margeret Michelli, Betty Chenny, Gerty Conigleo, Mr. Joe Romanoski
my Dad gave me his 1948 Kaiser Sedan and he bought himself a 1948 Packard.
1948 Kaiser Sedan
I went to work at Genesee Frozen Foods [Cannot find reference] for one month and then went to work as a civil servant for Soil Conservation [Cannot find reference]. Then I volunteered for the army draft and then got tired of waiting and enlisted in the Army Corps of Engineers.
Sold my car for $35.00. Dad took me into Rochester on the day of my induction, and I was on another adventure. Three years in the Army.
We went from Rochester to Buffalo by bus. Spent two days in Buffalo taking tests and getting checked out, physical and stuff. Then it was off to Fort Dix, New Jersey for ten days of getting my new wardrobe and shots and a steady dose of KP duty.
Then we flew by DC-3 from Fort Dix to Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. I was down there 11/55 to 5/56.
I had my basic training, then my
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advanced Basics, with the 92nd A.B. then Engineer Foreman School.
Then we took a train ride back up to Fort Dix N.J. for ten days of KP and more shots. Then we got our orders for permanent duty.
Got on a troop transport at Brookland Navy Yard and we were on our way to Germany. Seven days and a half day of sea sickness later we were at Bremerhaven, Germany. Train ride to Karlsruhe and I was at the 499th Combat Engr.
It was still the month of May. I was in C. Co. After about a month we were sent up to Murnau to the USERUR school to learn all about Demolitions, mines, and booby traps. It was a fun summer. When I say we, there were 26 of us that stayed together the entire three years of service.
Of the North Shore 