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A Father's Day Story From Judy (Marcus) Shivers '64
My Dad was an immigrant from Romania and came to this country around 1910. He and his brothers and sisters all resided in a "cold water tenement" located down on the lower East side of Manhattan. His father died very shortly after entering this country so that left his widow and older brothers and sisters to provide for the family. My father, Sam, only went to school up to the 8th grade, having to leave and assist with work to help make ends meet for the family's survival.
My Dad's idea of Heaven was moving his own family out to Hicksville in the early 1950's. Owning a piece of land, having a private home to call his own, and being able to provide for his family all the luxuries that he did not have as a child, was more then he hoped for in his life time. That we were still on the lower end of the economic spectrum did not concern him because we had a pool to swim in in the summer, parks to play in, fresh air and sun shine and a wonderful beach to go to on hot July and August days.
I never felt deprived as a child growing up in Hicksville. I had a bike and skates and friends and places to go and hang out. As very young child my Dad would explain tome and my brothers just how much it cost to run the home and provide a roof over our heads. We would watch him make out the bills and sometimes he allowed us to put a stamp on the envelopes. He was very proud he could afford to keep the roof over our head and wanted us to know that it didn't come cheap!
He lived long enough to see his children become a "success". Two daughters nurses, one son a lawyer, and one a sports writer. Education was not his forte and he often did not understand his boys going to work and not using their hands but rather their brains. Sometimes there was a piece of envy attached to his pride concerning my brothers. He had to work so hard his whole life and they got to use there brains! What's that about?
I think it is appropriate to talk about this because of the hard plight of our many Hispanic Immigrants in this Country today. We are a country built on Immigrants and all people deserve a Chance to live the American life that we have enjoy and worshiped for all these years. I would be interested to learn of other folks from Hicksville who were also first generation Americans, and to hear their story. Judy Marcus Shivers, 1964.
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