•February 1953•

A Tough Town

We moved to Paterson, shortly after arriving in the US. Culture shock was the least of my concerns, as learning to fend for myself in a city where I understood no one and faced with being German were huge challenges for a young boy from the German countryside.

My dad found a three room front to back apartment at 2 Elm Street in Paterson, on the corner of Mill St. Across the street was a Funeral Home. A block down Mill Street was a Salvation Army and across from that were the famous Paterson Silk Mills where Silk goods were produced and put on large rollers. The smell of dye permeated the air every day.

The apartment was always hot, even in the winter and the noise from outside and from the barbershop that was located on the first floor was a constant reminder we were not living in Utopia.

We spoke no English, yet that didn't stop my mom from taking me to School #2, enrolling me in Grade 1. The classroom also had kids who were in Grade 2. I cried when my mom was ready to leave, but my sister was having fun seeing all the kids and wanted to stay.

Within weeks I had caught the mumps and had to stay home in the darkened bedroom as that seemed to be a requirement for getting over the mumps. I remember being able to listen to the "Lone Ranger" on the radio, but I am certain there were plenty of other radio shows I listened to, as well.

Once I was over the mumps, my parents gave me a pair of roller skates, the kind you bolt onto your regular street shoes. You had to make sure you didn't lose your key for tightening the front hooks, so everyone had a key on a shoestring and carried that around their neck.

I have a vivid memory of eventually being very excited when I could go from the street to the sidewalk and back to the street without first having to stop. That was quite an accomplishment. It was during my frequent skating episodes that I started to learn to speak English. Within weeks, as if by magic, I was able to speak and understand English, making school a lot more fun.

We moved to 106 Mill St where we had 5 rooms on the second floor. It was two blocks up the street from the Elm Street apartment and I had my own room for the first time.

My dad bought a TV (black and white), so we could all listen and learn to speak English properly. My mom loved to watch the "Lawrence Welk Show", which came on in 1955. I liked watching wrestling.

We eventually moved to a friend's empty home on the other side of Paterson, that was very well kept. In 1955, my parents bought their first home in Clifton, NJ

Although we didn't have a place for a vegetable garden in Paterson, we would go to the Paterson Farmer's Market every couple of weeks and buy 1/2 bushel baskets of peaches and tomatoes. These were locally grown by farmers near Paterson and they were the best fruits and vegetables I ever ate.

After living in three locations in Paterson, NJ for 2 years, and my father saving every penny of his 75 cents and hour salary climbing telephone poles, he and my mom bought our first home in Clifton, NJ in early 1956. I entered 4th grade half way through the year and instantly found friendships that lasted a long time.