John Luckadoo was born March 16, 1922 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He grew up living a good life: his father was a stockbroker who raised horses, and new clothes and good food were the norm. 1929 changed much of that though; the stock market crash brought about a different kind of life for John’s family. All
Stuart Johns was born February 11, 1925 in Walkerville, Ontario. He grew up in and around Windsor, against the backdrop of the Great Depression. Stuart recalls his family being affected by that calamity – but also that they were not living in poverty. His father, a veteran of the Great War, worked at the nearby
Ken May was born November 19, 1921 in Toronto’s East York neighbourhood. He grew up there, against the backdrop of the Great Depression, doing all the normal things for a young boy during that time. Ken left school when he was 15, going to work for Weston’s Bakery, where his father had worked. When the
Art Boon was born November 12, 1924 in Peterborough, England, emigrating to Canada when he was a baby. Art’s father had come to Canada for the first time in 1912, but with the outbreak of the Great War Art’s father and uncle returned to Europe to fight in that war. Art grew up in Stratford,
Chad Bark was born July 16, 1924 in Toronto, Ontario. He grew up against the backdrop of the 1930s, attending Oriole Park Public School and the University of Toronto Schools and playing and excelling at many sports. When the war came, Chad joined the army hoping to get into the action: he began in the
Douglas Fitzsimmons was born July 22, 1924 in Toronto. He grew up in a large family in the city’s east end, in the Gerrard and Woodbine neighbourhood and attended the local Catholic school. Doug’s father was a Great War veteran who went on to a successful career as a salesman, so the family was sheltered
William (Bill) Hoy was born in Welland, Ontario on January 30, 1924. His family had emigrated to Canada from Britain and settled in the Ottawa area, but by the time of Bill’s birth they had settled in Welland, where Bill’s father did his Great War service, guarding the Welland Canal. Bill grew up against the
Edward (Ted) Parker was born March 30, 1925 in Haverhill, Massachusetts. He grew up in Massachusetts and Florida, as the family moved back and forth during those years. He grew up against the backdrop of the Depression and the early years of the war, by which time he was attending the Governors’ Academy in Massachusetts.
Art Cassot hails from New Jersey, where he grew up in the northern part of the Garden State. Art came of age in the Vietnam era, and wondered what his future might hold. He considered the navy or the air force, but had long waiting lists at the time, so Art opted for the army,
Mervin Fisher was born May 7, 1926 in Collingwood, Ontario. He grew up against the backdrop of the Depression in Collingwood, Dixie and Toronto, moving around after his parents’ divorce and some family difficulties. Mervin went into service at the midway point of the war, and trained for the Armoured Corps. He was only 17
Frank Cohn was born August 2, 1925 in Breslau, Germany. Born into a Jewish family, Frank began to understand the realities of Nazism when he was a young boy: an uncle was murdered by stormtroopers, and he saw violence in the streets outside his home. He also compellingly remembers the day his Grade 2 teacher
Leland Chandler was born on January 3, 1923 in Table Grove, Illinois. He grew up in a rural area, working the family farm and attending the local schools, swimming at the local river and playing ball when he was able. Leland grew up in the tough times of the 1930s, but he remembers the people
Eugene Gutierrez was born September 14, 1921 in Harlingen, Texas. He grew up against the backdrop of the Great Depression, and remembers well the tough times that the family went through. His parents had a grocery store that went out of business since customers rarely had the money to pay for groceries. Eugene graduated high
Frank Riesinger was born August 20, 1926 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He recalls moving around the American Midwest during the Depression years, as the family went where work was available. Still, Frank doesn’t remember being poor; he said everyone was, and that’s what they were all used to. Frank describes his childhood in positive terms, remembering
Josef Brody was born April 26, 1936 in Slovakia. During the Second World War, Slovakia came under the rule of the fascist Josef Tiso, and was a part of the Axis powers, alongside Nazi Germany. The country’s Jews suffered tremendous hardship because of this arrangement, becoming victims of the Shoah, first through restrictions imposed by
Alex Hacker was born in Budapest, Hungary on May 7, 1926. His father was a successful businessman in the vegetable oil business, and because of that – as well as Hungary’s alliance with Nazi Germany – Alex and his family and the Jews of Hungary in general were shielded from the immediate brutality of the
Betty Webb was born May 13, 1923, near the town of Ludlow in Shropshire, England. She grew up in the countryside, where she remembers long walks picking wildflowers, and she was home-schooled – so she also remembers cataloguing those same flowers! Betty’s mother had had German housekeepers in the 1930s, so Betty learned to speak
February is Black History Month, and the Crestwood Oral History Project wanted to commemorate the occasion by drawing your attention to the Black Canadian veterans whose contributions we have noted over the years. George Carter was born in Toronto, Canada; he excelled in sports as a cricket player, and he was a strong student as
Paul Fairbrook was born into a Jewish family on August 21, 1923 in Berlin, Germany. His first ten years were spent in that country, but his father saw the writing on the wall and made arrangements for his young family to get out in 1932. First they made their way to France, and then to
Jack Colhoun was born in Philadelphia on February 9, 1945, but moved to upstate New York when he was quite young, growing up mainly in the small town of Sacket’s Harbor and experiencing 1950s small town America. He saw the beginning of the tumultuous changes of the 60s, events which would challenge America – and
Marc Spiridigliozzi was born May 11, 1948 in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He grew up in a large family, in a largely rural area, and he remembers well the idyllic days of his boyhood, which he experienced against the backdrop of the 1950s-60s postwar boom. His father was a member of the WW2 US Army National Guard;
Tommy Clack was born March 9, 1947, and was raised in Decatur, Georgia. His parents were members of the “Greatest Generation”, and both served their country in World War Two. Tommy was a 1965 Honor Graduate and Most Outstanding in Track and Field, from Decatur High School. He attended the University of Houston on a
Rick Weber was born July 8, 1946, and he grew up in 1950s Pittsburgh, the son of a WW2 veteran. His childhood was typical of the time, enjoying the abundance of the “Fabulous 50s”. He played football in high school, where he injured himself, something he aggravated in university. He consequently failed the army medical
Ann Kelsey was born June 20, 1946 in Indiana, though she grew up in southern California. Her father was a World War Two navy veteran, who continued to work with the navy as a civilian contractor in the postwar period. Because of that Ann grew up in Riverside, California, not too far from Branch AFB,
“Papa” Jake Larsen was born December 20, 1922 in Hope, Minnesota. He joined the National Guard when he was 15; times were tough, and he needed the money. By the time Jake graduated high school, the war was underway in Europe and Asia, and the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbour brought the United
Jim Roberts grew up an air force brat in the 1950s and 60s, when his father was a Master Sergeant in the USAF. The family was always on the move, as Jim’s father served on many bases in the U.S., and was stationed in Panama as well. Jim grew up in the Cold War era,
Joseph Peterburs was born November, 25, 1924 in St. Paul, Minnesota, though he grew up mainly in Wisconsin, against the backdrop of the Great Depression. He comes from a family with a military tradition; his father emigrated to the United States from Germany in 1906, and joined the army that same year, completing overseas service
Harry Eisenhauer was born on July 9, 1920, at Lower La Have, Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, one of the nine children of John and Lillian Eisenhauer. His family ties to Lunenburg County go back to 1753, when the German immigrants to Halifax in 1751 were moved to the site of Lunenburg to establish a new
Leslie Vertes was born February 18, 1924 in the village of Ajak (Hungary). His father was a shoemaker who worked alongside his wife. Leslie was 14 years old when the family moved to Budapest, where he was unable to finish the last year of high school and go to university due to the prevailing anti-Jewish
Harry Stewart was born July 4, 1924 in Newport News, Virginia. When he was 2 years old his parents relocated to Queens, N.Y.C., not too far from North Beach airport. Harry grew up in that neighborhood, attending school and having a good time, all against the backdrop of the Great Depression. Harry understood that the
