First, let me say that when I wrote the Brown and White, I kept things focused on my high school days. The book was about the school and home, but most of the home focused on my parents. I have five siblings, but it would have taken another book or two to cover them.
We were a struggling family. And what I mean by that is simply that my dad was a cop and pay was low in those days--we struggled. He had a full-time job for the Chicago Police Department, took on a second job as a University of Chicago cop and sometimes worked a third job--and it never quite added up to enough.
My three oldest siblings were born in a bunch and after a short rest, a second batch that included me and my older brother and younger sister came along. And I have to say that the older siblings became little parents and each one took one of us on. So we had a mom and dad along with a designated "second mom" who was an older sister.
My oldest sister, Ellen, was the first one to go out and make some money and begin a career. She became a nurse. She bought my parents an early color TV. She replaced the carpet in the living room that was probably as old as the house--circa 1927. She brought the first stereo record player that I have ever seen--one of those portables where the turntable folded down and the speakers swung out the sides. She bought a small selection of albums that we enjoyed--Johnny Mathis, Opera for People Who Hate Opera, West Side Story and more. She bought three pieces of art that depicted in a modern sense the Chicago skyline--she hung them above the coach. She bought a dinning room furniture set that included a table that slid into the hutch for storage and stack-able chairs. She started a tradition of buying new Volkswagens that continued for decades until her weary old van was given to a local high school shop a few years ago. She was strong, determined, and loving. Tall and attractive, Ellen took everything on and set the stage for the others.
My third oldest sister is Margaret. I remember Margaret was the sister that focused on improvements to the outdoors. She was forever planting new grass to replace the dirt patches that my brother and I and others had created in the lawn. She dutifully put out little fences around the spots where the new seed lay and I suppose for two or three days (or maybe it was two or three hours) we kept off the grass. A fresh coat of paint could really make a difference on the wooden front steps or the lattice work that surrounded the front porch--those were the kind of things that excited Margaret. Margaret did what she could to make our house look a little better than the worst houses in the neighborhood. It was not easy. She took on the tough projects.
Margaret went on to nursing school and won a scholarship while there. She got married fairly young and all her kids are brilliant. She was also one of the prettiest young moms to grace the southwest side and had a terrific sense of humor.
My second oldest sister was Marianne. She is ten years older than me. When she was young, she was the odds on favorite in the house to become a nun and she did for 13 years. She was smart, pretty, and full of life. She was my little mom. She babysat for a cheaper-by-the-dozen family. She could make a huge sum on certain weekends if she babysat the large family while the mom and dad got some R&R. She took me to the public pool when I was very young and I remember hanging on to her for what must have seemed like hours. I remember she bought me football cards. And when it was time for her to enter the convent my world fell apart. She took off for Adrian Michigan and I was losing my little mom--although a few hundred other kids would have her services. After she left the convent she continued in education.
Everyone was proud of Marianne and they still are.
