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BF: So when did you come into the picture? When were you born?

AS: Well, so I was the second child. I had an older brother who was born in, I think, 19-... he was three years older than I was, so he must have been about nineteen, twenty, or something, three-and-half years. Anyway, I was born January 1924, that's when I came into the picture. [Laughs]

BF: And where were you, where were you living? Where was your family living?

AS: Well, my mother tells me, the home that I remember, the first home, is, well, my grandfather was really good with his, and he could build things, and he used to really... which is, most Jewish men were not considered able to do these things, but he was that kind of guy, he could. So he built a very nice duplex for his, for my grandmother and my grandpa, and their, at that point would have had three sons, and -- living at home, I meant. And, and then the upstairs, my mother and father moved in, so that my little brother hadn't been born yet, but my older brother was there. And I don't, so I know my mother had said that they'd lived in another house, whether it was Twenty-third and King, or, but it was more, I'm pretty sure it was south of Jackson Street. But then when the duplex was finished, then my family moved into the duplex. It's, lower, first family lower floor, and then an upper floor. So many duplexes are usually side-by-side, but this was lower and upper. So we were there until I was about six years old. It was very close to Garfield High School, and in fact, it was just less than a half block. We were, that was the first home, it was between Twenty-third and Twenty-second on East Terrace, and my parents rented a home on Twenty-fifth Avenue between, I think at least Columbia and East Marion. I can't remember which comes first now, but anyway, so that's where I grew up until I was about, about thirteen, twelve or thirteen.

BF: So how long were you living in the duplex with your grandparents and...

AS: Yeah, okay, well, I know that I celebrated, my sixth birthday was celebrated in the duplex, 'cause I can remember the kids coming. And I got my first real doll, and -- from one of my uncles -- and I just thought that was the greatest thing in the world, I was so thrilled. So I know I was there for my sixth birthday, and then I'm assuming... oh, I wonder if it was, because I, when I started school, that's really, that's really funny. I can't remember now, because I don't want to... oh, that's right. I couldn't start school at that time, because it was middle of year, and I was, oh, I wanted to go to school in the worst way, I wanted to learn how to read and write, I think. Just couldn't stand it. And so I don't think we moved until maybe the summer of, of my sixth year, which would have been 1930. And the house that we lived in then was less than a half a block to Horace Mann school, so it was very convenient. So I did start, but you know, there's, I'm not sure... no, it's not true. Now I remember, because I can remember once when somebody grabbed some of my stuff, and I was so angry, and I was walking home, and I do remember going up the hill, and I was just, tears streaming down my face, and my mother was outside, said, "What happened, what happened?"

BF: What did happen?

AS: Well, some child, I had some pictures for some, we did some sort of project that, where you have to use pictures from a magazine, and, and so this girl just grabbed it. And she was probably about my age, but she was a little bigger and stronger, and I was sort of stunned because I never had anything like that happen. But I didn't want to tell my mother about it. I just wouldn't talk. [Laughs] Anyway, yeah, so I remember that, so I must have started school, and I imagine the semester usually starts, I think, in February, I think. I should know, I'm tutoring at a school in Seattle. But probably, well, my birthday was January 23rd, so I'm sure it was, it could have been February, because I remember I just hated the idea... at that time, the grades were divided in 1-A and 1-B. And I think 1-A was the first half, that makes sense. And then, so I always felt funny that I was kind of a, in that funny kind of arrangement. And, but things worked out. And I was able to skip a class once, and so that got me where I felt I should have been.

BF: I see, I see. So tell me, you mentioned you had an older brother, and then you have a younger brother as well?

AS: Yes, right.

BF: And is that it? Or are there any other siblings?

AS: Yeah, that's it, yeah. My older brother was -- excuse me -- three years older than I, and younger brother three years younger than I.

<End Segment 4> - Copyright © 2004 Densho. All Rights Reserved.