The 6th Ward

When my grandfather first arrived in Allentown, he lived in the Ward, on 2nd. Street. It was around 1895 and the neighborhood was full of immigrants. Some groups came from the same area in the old country, most noticeably the Syrians, from the village of Amar*. They were Greek Orthodox, a minority in a Muslim country. The congregation of St. George's Church on Catasauqua Ave., largely is descended from those immigrants. Well known names in Allentown, such as Atiyeh, Haddad, Hanna, Makoul, Koury and Joseph are among their members. They were among one of the first groups to organize, and those organizations still exist. The photo above was organized by the Syrian American Organization in 1944. Note that Jewish, on the left, is treated as a nationality.

* hopefully my Syrian friends will correct any historical errors I have made.

click on photo to enlarge

reprinted from March 2010

Allentown's Mysterious Arena to Water Trick

It's difficult to understand how an arena which promises to revitalize Allentown cannot generate enough new taxes and commerce to save our water system. It's difficult to understand how municipal bonds for a discretionary recreational facility sold like hotcakes, while bonds backed by a revenue stream of captured water users, would be a hard sell. It's difficult to believe that this city, and this city council, have both these acts going on at the same time. One must question to what extent the Pennsylvania Economy League really acted as an honest broker in it's advise to council. An Allentown Water Authority could buy the system from the city by issuing revenue anticipation bonds based on water and sewage income, and keep control and ownership for the citizens of Allentown. Water, unlike hockey tickets, is recession proof, a necessity of life. These are exactly the type of bonds sought by investors. The pension crunch is two years away. A responsible City Council would seek another opinion on the marketability of water bonds, especially with so much citizen opposition to the current plan.

Best By Test

Growing up in Little Lehigh Parkway, now called Little Lehigh Manor by the Realtors, the milkman was an early morning fixture.  Almost every house had the insulated aluminum milkbox.  The milk trucks were distinctive, and the drivers wore a uniform, indicative of their responsibility.  Freeman's milk was the best by test, or so the slogan said.  Their trucks were red and immaculate.  The dairy building  still stands, a quarter block north of 13th and Tilghman Streets.  They competed with a giant, Lehigh Valley Co-Operative Farmers.  That dairy, on the Allentown/Whitehall border, just north of the Sumner Avenue Bridge on 7th Street, even sported an ice cream parlor.  Milk, up to the mid 50's, came in a bottle.  The milkman would take the empties away when delivering your fresh order.  In addition to white and chocolate,  they produced strawberry milk  in the summer.  About once a week the milkman would knock on the door to settle up;  times have changed.

Occasionally the bottle, and later the cartons, would feature themes and advertisements.  A picture of Hopalong Cassidy would entertain young boys as they poured milk into their Corn Flakes.  Earlier, during the War, (Second World) bottles would encourage customers to do their part;  buy a bond or scrap some metal for the war effort.

reprinted from August 2009

Allentown's Democracy Dilemma

Although it's the photograph  currently on the City Web Site, it's again out of date. They have yet to take a new picture,  showing that Jeff Glazier replaced Mike Schlossberg. Glazier is the third appointed member. If the new redistricting map had not been rejected by the court, Peter Schweyer would have also resigned for the state house, making four of seven council members appointed, instead of elected. Our appointed Council now tells us that it is their decision to make in regard to the water; that we have a representative democracy.
Long time east side activist Dennis Pearson observes: I recognize that at present in Allentown the providing of water service and sewer service is a monopoly held by the City. The City being a corporate entity in which the stakeholders, the electorate, have the opportunity from time to time to chose the decision makers who ultimately control the operation of these facilities. And at public meeting, these stakeholders with property owners and citizens included, from time to time can be vocal concerning issues related to these municipal monopolies. But what the Mayor is proposing to do with Council's consent is turn this monopoly over to another entity whose operations would be more private, providing fewer opportunities for the public to vocalize their concerns about future problems related to the new more private entity management decisions related to the operation of these plants.

The citizens of Allentown have a dilemma. I believe that selling the water system (lease is a misnomer for a 50 year term) is above a mayor's pay grade. It certainly is above the pay grade of a temporarily appointed council.

The People's Candidate

In the late 1970's, neighbors would gather in the market on 9th Street to complain and receive consolation from the woman behind the cash register. Emma was a neighborhood institution. A native Allentonian, she had gone through school with mayor for life Joe Dadonna, and knew everybody at City Hall. More important, she wasn't shy about speaking out. What concerned the long time neighbors back then was a plan to create a Historical District, by a few newcomers.

What concerned Emma wasn't so much the concept, but the proposed size of the district, sixteen square blocks. The planners unfortunately all wanted their homes included, and they lived in an area spread out from Hall Street to 12th, Linden to Liberty.* Shoving property restrictions down the throats of thousands of people who lived in the neighborhood for generations didn't seem right to Emma. As the battle to establish the district became more pitched, Emma began referring to it as the Hysterical District.
Emma eventually lost the battle, but won the hearts of thousands of Allentonians. Emma Tropiano would be elected to City Council beginning in 1986, and would serve four terms. In 1993 she lost the Democratic Primary for Mayor by ONE (1) vote.

Her common sense votes and positions became easy fodder for ridicule. Bashed for opposing fluoridation, our clean water advocates now question the wisdom of that additive. Although every founding member of the Historical District moved away over the years, Emma continued to live on 9th Street, one block up from the store. In the mid 1990's, disgusted by the deterioration of the streetscape, she proposed banning household furniture from front porches. Her proposal was labeled as racist against those who could not afford proper lawn furniture. Today, SWEEP officers issue tickets for sofas on the porch.

Being blunt in the era of political correctness cost Emma. Although a tireless advocate for thousands of Allentown residents of all color, many people who never knew her, now read that she was a bigot. They don't know who called on her for help. They don't know who knocked on her door everyday for assistance. They don't know who approached her at diners and luncheonettes all over Allentown for decades. We who knew her remember, and we remember the truth about a caring woman.

* Because the designated Historical District was too large, it has failed, to this day, to create the atmosphere envisioned by the long gone founders. Perhaps had they listened to, instead of ridiculing, the plain spoken shopkeeper, they would have created a smaller critical mass of like thinking homeowners, who then could have expanded the area.

Parting Allentown's Water Lease

Allentown City Council had hired the Pennsylvania Economy League to analyze their pension debt problem, in-regard to Pawlowski's plan to lease the water system. The League, while hedging their recommendations, found Pawlowski's plan the most feasible alternative. This conclusion provided all the cover Council members needed to reject the petition last night, in a 6 to 1 vote. An expert on municipal matters feels that the water activists made a strategic mistake. Had the petition been a simple ordinance against selling the water system, instead of a Charter Amendment change, it would have required only one vote from the citizens, instead of two. Such a pending vote in May would have clouded the water for companies bidding on the lease. Never the less, the battle is far from over. Water Companies certainly know that there is citizen opposition to this plan. With over 4000 citizen signatures, an injunction may be considered by the activists.

UPDATE: This blog started out as an adjunct to my activism. After numerous battles and years against City Hall, I am, more and more, allowing my written word to represent me. I consider my late friend Emma Tropiano to be a mentor. Although I never met or knew of him, I had another mentor, Bert Luckenbach. Mr. Luckenbach was still giving them hell when he was 92 years old. He lived in the neighborhood of my youth, Lehigh Parkway (Little Lehigh Manor) and was a staunch park defender. Here's a passage from one of his letters to the editor.

What this town needs is for its citizenry to assert its basic rights and priorities over those public servants who perform with an assumption of proprietary interest, ignoring their true status.
                                                                              Bert Luckenbach,1987

An Important Meeting

This evening at 6:00pm, City Council will decide on the fate of the ballot petition submitted by Dan Poresky and other members of his action committee. If council approves the petition, which contains over 4,500 signatures, the scheme to privatize the water will be effectively halted.* It is essential for those who believe that the water system should remain under city operation to attend the meeting. Only your presence will convince City Council that their vote does have political consequences.

photocredit:Colin McEvoy/Express Times

*If Council votes no, or doesn't vote, voters will be asked in May if it should appear on the ballot in November:  By then, the water lease will be a done deal.

Lunch At Allen

Up to the mid 60's, students at Allen High could leave the building for lunch. Scattered in alley's around the the school, garages had been converted into lunch shops and hangouts. The Hutch was in the alley between 17th and West Streets, in the unit block between Hamilton and Linden. Suzy's was behind the Nurse's Dormitory, between Chew and Turner. Another was across Linden from the Annex. They all had the same basic decor, a few pinball machines, a few tables and a small lunch counter. Most of the business was during lunch period, and before and after school. It's my understanding that occasionally a kid or two would skip school and hangout all day. Today these garages, turned into luncheonettes, have long ago reverted back to garages. Most of the current residents of West Park probably don't even know about this commercial history right behind their houses. I missed photo day at Allen for my yearbook, but if anybody has a picture of the gang from the Hutch, I'd appreciate a copy.
reprinted from November 2011

For the remainder of January this blog will reprint some posts which glimpsed back into our past. This nostalgia will be interrupted with current news and commentary as the city turns.

Cloning Yuppies for Allentown

When molovinsky on allentown began almost five years ago, I used to say that It's good to be Butz, I must now add, but it's better to be J.B. Reilly. In today's Morning Call we learn that "under Allentown's arena block master development agreement, if City Center determines a hotel is not feasible, it could build apartments or offices instead."  That is news to me, and as a blogging naysayer I'm more informed than most. All state taxes in the 130 acre NIZ will be going to pay for the arena complex. Reilly will own from the second floor up on two portions of the complex, one on Hamilton Street, the other on 7th Street. Lehigh Valley Hospital will the the tenant on the Hamilton portion, while the 7th Street side may well now be apartments instead of a hotel. Reilly is also building apartments on the other side of 7th Street, at the Linden Street corner. Although I have no background in office development, I do know the apartment market. No upscale apartment development in center-city has ever met it's target demographic without substantial subsidy, and then only with limited units. There are not enough Yuppies in Allentown to occupy the current supply of loft apartments, much less without Reilly's new apartments. Perhaps he can use his influence with Lehigh Valley Hospital for a clandestine Yuppie cloning laboratory.

The Wind At Pawlowski's Back

With the wind of the NIZ at his back, Ed Pawlowski will announce for a third term this week. Do not expect a similar announcement from a Republican. I have written before that Allentown may have well passed the tipping point where anyone could be elected as a Republican. One potential R candidate has apparently decided against the effort. A liberal yuppie told me this week how excited he was about plans for the river front. Another described the arena complex as only a positive for Allentown. When I explained that the arena will be a dormant white elephant during the daytime, and many nights, he said that was better than what was there before. He hopes all the development displaces some of the element that live nearby. In one way or another, Pawlowski seems to have wrapped up segments from all the demographics in town. What sacrificial lamb the Republicans produce remains to be seen.

The Lehigh Valley At War

If you lived in the Lehigh Valley during either World War, you knew that those victories required an enormous amount of equipment. Mack Truck was under control of the War Department during both conflicts, starting in 1915 and then again in 1942. The Queen City Airport on Lehigh Street is a vestige of the second war. Mack Truck and Consolidated-Vultee Aircraft joined forces to produce planes and plane parts. Mack's biggest contribution was it's trucks, establishing their reputation for durability. The naval gun shop at Bethlehem Steel was one of the largest in the world when built. With barrels up to 14 inches, it was capable of providing up to 30 guns a day.

Mack Trucks for War Department 1918

Protect Your Water

By the time this postcard was made in the early 1900's, Allentown was already insuring it's residents of clean water for decades. The water tower shown on the upper left was east of the current YMCA on South 15th Street. If the current Administration has it's way, that responsibility will no longer be a municipal obligation. This evening, Thursday January 3th at 6pm, City Council will conduct a special meeting and decide if they will respect the petition with over 4,500 signatures, and indeed put the issue to the people by ballot referendum. By attending this evening's meeting you can tell Council that you do want to retain ownership of our water, and that you will hold them accountable for their vote.  The citizen action committee, that has worked so hard to protect our water, reminds both us and Council:
  The Council shall protect and promote the rights of the citizens of the City of Allentown to participate in a positive and constructive manner in the government of the City. Any citizen of the City may participate in the government of the City by [among other things] exercising the right of initiative and referendum as provided in this Charter or as otherwise may be provided by law.

  We don't need to privatize the water to solve the city's pension woes. Privatizing Allentown water is the most costly option.

 http://www.facebook.com/SaveAllentownsWater

Petitioners' Committee Contact: Bill Hoffman 484-695-1157 email: wjhoffman10@gmail.com

UPDATE: Suburban Wake Up Call
Residents of municipalities surrounding Allentown, served by the Lehigh County Authority with water, will be affected by the Water Lease Plan soon enough. Today's Morning Call reports that the Authority started using more Allentown water, with plans to increase the amount in coming years. A sale to a private company will eventually adversely effect the cost of that commodity. Suburban leaders saw fit to protect their citizens in regard to the NIZ tax grab last year, they should certainly do no less in regard to their drinking water. The townships mistakenly believe that they're protected by long term contracts, which would be inherited by the new operator. The devil will be in the pass along capital improvement costs. Unlike the NIZ, which only affected their citizens who worked in downtown Allentown, this plan will effect every property owner. Their silence on this matter is incomprehensible.

UPDATE: (9:30 am)   I have just received notice from the City Clerk that the meeting has been rescheduled for January 8th, at 6:00pm

A Different Past For The Baby Boomers

Little Lehigh Manor was built for the returning GI's after the War. It was a self contained development of several hundred brick twin houses, nestled between Lehigh Parkway and Lehigh Street. It had it's own elementary school, and nearby grocery stores. Although this development may have been more idyllic than some older area's in Allentown, it shared it's best feature with the rest of the city; It was a neighborhood. I hear these same memories from people in my generation who grew up on the East Side, across the river in the Ward, or center city at 9th and Chew. Great mentoring occurred at the Boys and Girls Clubs, and another dozen organizations devoted to the community's youth. Although there were economic differences and poverty, they seemed to have less of an effect on quality of life and opportunity than now. Perhaps it was the massive number of children from the Baby Boom that created a communal sense of caring among the parents and organizations, but something special seems missing today.

picture dates from around 1949. An enterprising photographer brought a pony around the neighborhood as an alluring prop.

End Of A Legend

When Joe Louis retired as Heavyweight Champion in 1949, he had beat all challengers for a dozen years. Before winning the title, he had avenged the only loss in his career by knocking out Germany's Max Schmeling, in one of the most famous fights in ring history. The only man he feared was the tax man, who wouldn't let Joe rest. On October 26, 1951, he climbed back into the ring to fight a young, undefeated Rocky Marciano, who had won 31 out of 36 fights by knockout. In the eighth round, the aging legend was knocked through the ropes, down and out, in what would be his last fight.

reprinted from May 2011

One More Purse

In August of 1951, thirteen years after energizing the country's morale by knocking out Germany's Max Schmeling, an aging Joe Louis was fighting again to pay back taxes. The Brown Bomber had first retired as undefeated champion in 1949, after winning 61 fights starting in 1934. In two more months, on October 26, 1951, Rocky Marciano would knock him out and threw the robes. It would be the last time Joe Louis would fight.

Photo: fighting Cesar Brion, Louis wins in 10 round decision.

reprinted from August 2010

Securing Our Assets

During the World War we secured our assets with armed guards. The private police force at Bethlehem Steel outnumbered the City's police force. Last week, Wayne LaPierce, vice president of the NRA, outraged the liberal element when he suggested policeman for our schools. The president of the Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, responded: Schools must be safe sanctuaries, not armed fortresses. Anyone who would suggest otherwise doesn’t understand that our public schools must first and foremost be places where teachers can safely educate and nurture our students. An unintended consequence of this debate was the frenzy it created at gun stores across America. Although the figures have not yet been compiled, it may have resulted in the sale of an additional 30 million firearms, especially those of high capacity. Weingarten must consider that even if the sale of firearms were banned tomorrow, there will still be over 200 million guns in the United States. I believe that a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines does not infringe upon the Second Amendment. However, whatever changes are implemented in regard to the sale of firearms, it will take decades to affect the volume of weapons currently in private hands. In the meantime, I don't think that a friendly policeman at a school is a bad role model. We must guard our assets.

Knock Down At The Garden

You could knock Joe Louis down, the problem was when he got up. Shown above, Louis's former sparring partner, Jersey Joe Walcott, circles above Louis. Louis had returned from four years in the service, and resumed defending his title. Walcott himself would eventually become champion, but not this night, not against Joe Louis.

Madison Square Garden, December 5, 1947

reprinted from January 2011

FlashBack

                   Joe Louis vs. Abe Simon, Madison Square Garden, May 1942

In the 1930's and 40's, slow film emulsion and fast action, required bright light to capture the scene. A Speed Graphic camera, equipped with a large flashbulb gun, was the standard workhorse for the ringside photographer. By the 1960's, smaller format cameras, electronic strobes and faster film were standard equipment.

reprinted from November 2010

The Corner Market

Although I doubt that there will ever be a show at the Historical Society, or brochures at the Visitors Bureau, perhaps nothing encapsulates the history of Allentown more than the corner grocery stores. Allentown proper, is mostly comprised of rowhouses built between 1870 and 1920, long before the era of automobiles and suburban supermarkets. Most of the corner markets were built as stores, and over the years many were converted into apartments. Up until the late 1940's, there may have been well over a hundred operating in Allentown. Some specialized in ethnic food. The bodega at 9th and Liberty was formally an Italian market. Live and fresh killed chickens were sold at 8th and Linden, currently H & R Block Tax Service. A kosher meat market is now a hair salon on 19th Street. The original era for these markets died with the advent of the supermarket. In the early 50's some corner stores attempted to "brand" themselves as a "chain", as shown in the Economy Store sign above. That market is at 4th and Turner, and has been continually operating since the turn of the last century. Ironically, as the social-economic level of center city has decreased, the corner stores have seen a revival. Most of these new merchants, many Hispanic and some Asian, know little of the former history of their stores, but like their predecessors, work long, hard hours.
ADDENDUM: The first supermarket's in Allentown were the A&P. In addition to occupying a former corner store near 2nd and Hamilton, they operated the super store on 19th St, home later to the Shanty Restaurant. The Shanty now is becoming TC Salon, subject of recent post on this blog, and a feature story in today's Morning Call by Jarrett Renshaw.
ADDENDUM 2: Although there was an attempt to brand the corner stores to appear as a chain, the Economy Stores sign shown, apparently came from an early A&P format in 1912 when they leased small stores. If this particular store was such an A&P, or just dressed later with a reused sign, I have yet to determine.

reprinted from March 2009

UPDATE: December 2012: TC Salon closed, the property is currently vacant and for sale.

Good Deed Punished

While the Department of Defense took full advantage of Private Joe Louis's fame and ability to raise money, the Internal Revenue Service keep a running tab on The Brown Bomber. Louis's contribution to the war effort was more than substantial. In addition to serving during his prime fight years, he also donated entire fight purses to the Army. The two Joe Louis- Abe Simon fights were donated in their entirety. After the War, the IRS even charged Louis income tax on those donations. The upper end tax rate during those years was 79 to 90%. Louis's debt, and the government's aggression in collecting, forced Louis to fight till 1951.
UPDATE:
A few previous posts on the Louis-Simon fights
Heavyweight Championship of the World
Simon Fearless Against Bomber
The Weigh In
Simon Gets Brother's Verdict

reprinted from March 2011

Doing It His Way

He was Frank Sinatra's favorite fighter. Tami Mauriello started fighting professionally when he was 17 years old, as a light heavyweight. After two loses to Gus Lesnevich for that title, he moved up to the heavyweight division. In 1943, Sinatra paid $10,000 to buy an interest in his fellow Italian American. Sinatra sang the National Anthem before one of his fights. Eleven straight wins set up his title shot with Louis on September 18, 1946, in Yankee Stadium. This incredible photo shows the first round knockout. Mauriello ended his career with an 82 - 13 record. He later appeared in the movie classic, On The Waterfront, with fellow heavyweights Tony Galento and Abe Simon.

click on photo reprinted from December 2010

The West End Train

The Lehigh Valley Railroad operated a train branch line which served Allentown's commercial west end. It ran along Sumner Avenue servicing the scrap metal yards, warehouses and numerous coal dealers located there. The line then crossed Tilghman Street on a diagonal at 17th, before looping back east by Liberty Street at the Fairgrounds. The line ended at a rail yard now housing the small shopping center at 12th and Liberty. Although many of former commercial buildings still exist, all now house more retail type businesses. The B'nai Brith Apartments occupy the site of the former Trexler Lumber Yard. These historical shorts are difficult to write. Most current residents have no frame of reference to our former commercial past. True historians, such as the local railroad buffs, cringe at the lack of detail and specific location of the tracks. Suffice to say, that once upon a time, the mid-section of Allentown had much more commerce.

photo of train crossing Tilghman at 17th Street taken by Kermit E. Geary in 1974, from the Mark Rabenold Collection.

March 27, 1942

Guest Post by Mike Casey
Before 18,220 fans at Madison Square Garden on March 27, 1942, big Abe Simon stepped into the ring for the final fight of his career. Scaling 255 1/4lbs, he was a massive, bear of a man who had once used his considerable size and muscle on the gridiron. Abe outweighed Joe Louis by nearly 48 pounds, but already knew the dangers of duelling with the Brown Bomber. Just a year before at the Olympia Stadium in Detroit, Joe had decked Simon four times and stopped him in thirteen rounds.Coming back for seconds was never a good idea against the prime Louis. But Abe had heart, pluck and a big punch and everyone knew that anything could happen in heavyweight boxing. Simon had knocked out Jersey Joe Walcott in six rounds, beaten Roscoe Toles and drawn with Turkey Thompson. Abe had also waged a thrilling battle of the giants with Buddy Baer, in which he had beaten Buddy severely in the opening round before being stopped in the third.......Louis finished the fight quickly in the sixth round, sending Abe down and out with a final left-right blast. Perhaps Joe had been riled after first snapping Simon to attention with a quick-fire combination in the second round. Big Abe had laughed at him....
copy courtesy of Mike Casey Archives
photograph(added by molovinsky): Abe Simon in corner after fight, with manager Jimmy Johnston

reprinted from October 2011

The Last Fight

When Abe Simon stepped into the ring at Madison Square Garden on March 27, 1942, it would be his last fight. He had been recently married, and promised his wife that he would stop fighting. One year earlier he had fought Joe Louis the first time, and endured a tremendous beating for thirteen rounds. Fighting since 1935, ranked 6th by Ring Magazine, a shot at the title was something a fighter cannot pass up. Many fight historians consider Louis the hardest hitting heavyweight of all time. Because of the publicity Simon gained from these Louis fights, he was offered a lucrative cross country boxing tour, which he declined. It was also Louis's last title defense for four years, until fighting Billy Conn in June of 1946. After the Simon fight he joined the U.S. Army, where he would fight 96 exhibition bouts at bases throughout the country. Shown above, Simon got knocked out in the sixth round.

reprinted from February 2010

Arena Dooms Old Allentown

A resident of N. 8th Street expressed concern about traffic congestion at last night's arena meeting. She should be concerned, because the City has said that existing traffic patterns and existing parking can accommodate the arena. That's only true if the arena is going to be a failure, anything more successful will impact both traffic and parking. What that resident should really be concerned about is the Old Allentown Preservation Association; Once again those lapdogs ate their doggie biscuit, but this time it's poison. For decades those yuppies yearned for an adjoining quaint downtown, although they never sufficiently patronized such merchants that did remain. For years they supported City policies, and in return had a problem building occasionally removed at taxpayer expense. Welcome to the architectural wasteland coming your way. Welcome to a square block parking lot with a white elephant monstrosity sports palace. Welcome to the fruits of your complicity.
reprinted from November of 2011

UPDATE: Since this was published over a year ago, the arena complex plans have expanded to include an office building and hotel. Also the Reilly Cabal is building additional buildings, on the corners of 7th,  at both Hamilton and Linden. Professional advocate for the low income, Alan Jennings, pushed come-lately CUNA out of way, and is getting some funding for his operation. Despite all this wheeling and dealing, not a dollar has been thrown at our yuppie friends holding down Fort Apache.  They should reprint this post, and redeem it on the fifth floor of City Hall for some consideration.

The Great White Hope

The Wage of Fame

As a young man in the mid 1930's, Abe Simon worked summers as a life guard at Coney Island. Girls would pretend to be drowning to meet the 6'5" hunk. The former high school star athlete was recruited to boxing by Jock Whitney, future Ambassador to Britain. Although amassing a winning record, absorbing punches from the likes of Buddy Bear, Jersey Joe Walcott and Joe Louis took their toll on Simon.

Simon's brother congratulates him after going 13 rounds with Louis in Detroit in March of 1941, earning a second shot at the Heavyweight Title.










                                               
                                               reprinted from November 2009  

Christmas City

In 1937, Bethlehem was still struggling from the Great Depression. In December of that year, the Star was built on top of the mountain, elaborate street decorations were installed, and the city began calling itself                                                Christmas City.

reprinted from December 25, 2010

A Jewish Christmas Card

Most Jews experience some conflict during the Christmas Season. This is essentially a Christian nation, and to totally ignore that reality could be perceived as rude. Although Abe Simon proudly wore the Star of David on his boxing trunks in NYC, he also sent out Christmas cards to his non-Jewish associates. Simon, in 1942, was the last Jew to fight for the Heavyweight Championship of the World.

reprinted from December 2011

Tough Guys

Not too many guys could say that they knocked Joe Louis down, but both of these guys did. Buddy Baer, 6'7", met Tony Galento, 5'9'', on April 8, 1941 in Washington D.C. Galento did not come out for the 8th round, giving Baer the victory, which set up his title fight with Louis. Galento, who trained with beer and hot dogs, had a pulverizing round house left hook, with which he knocked out 51 men. Louis described him as "Absolutely fearless."

reprinted from October 2010

December 21st At Cedar Park

There always has been something, somewhat ominous about the 21st of December. If not the mysterious pagan celebration of the winter solstice at Stonehedge, it is the shortest, or darkest day of the year. Notable heavies, including Joseph Stalin. were born on this day. If all that isn't enough, this year was anticipated as the Mayan Apocalypse. Although we appear to have dodged the doomsday bullet, Allentown's Cedar Park experienced significant flooding.

Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria

The Church and Theology School in Alexandria was established by the Apostle Mark in 60AD. Most of the early converts were common Egyptians who spoke Coptic. Although Christians became the majority before the Arab invasion in 636, by the 12th century they were the minority. The concept of monasteries in Christianity was started by the Coptics in the deserts of Egypt. Currently, the Coptics are threatened by transitions in Egypt, let us pray for their safety.

photograph of St. Marks Coptic Church in Alexandria, Egypt.

reprinted from January 2011

King Levinsky

In 1964, a young Cassius Clay trained in south Miami Beach for his first fight against Sonny Liston. At that time, this section of the city was home to mostly retired Jews on fixed income. The hotels, decades after their prime, became pension rooming houses. Decades later, these same buildings would be restored to their art deco splendor, creating today's South Beach. As Clay trained, a middle aged punch drunk necktie peddler told him, "After Liston punches your head, you'll be selling ties with me." The street peddler was a fixture in Miami Beach. He didn't ask, he told people they were going to buy a tie. The future champ probably didn't realize that the heckler was none other than King Levinsky, legend of the 1930's, and veteran of over 118 heavyweight fights. Levinsky was born Harris Krakow in Chicago, and worked at his parent's fish market on Maxwell Street, the Jewish section during the roaring twenties. Although he never got a title shot, and weighed only 185, he fought all the leading heavyweights of his time, including the 265lb. giant, Primo Carnera. Managed by his sister Lena, he was known never to turn down a fight, including those against Max Baer.
copy reprinted from Jan. 23, 2010
photo shows Levinsky with sister/manager Lena in 1932

A Jewish Sport

Jewish fighters dominated boxing between the World Wars. In around 1930, a third of all fighters were Jewish, by far the largest ethnic group. Some fighters even purported to be Jewish when they were not, such as the Baer brothers. Jews ruled the light and welterweight divisions, with long time champions Benny Leonard and Barney Ross. Ten world championships were fought with both men in the ring being Jewish. Boxing has long been an economic ladder for immigrant and minority groups.
photo of Jewish heavyweights King Levinsky and Art Lasky, 1934

reprinted from February 2011

Did Pawlowski Add To Pension Problems?

Bloomberg News reports that Allentown mayor Pawlowski is helping to create some of the pension problems that he now is trying to manage by leasing our water and sewage systems. According to John Stribula, head of the Firefighters Union, Pawlowski's staff cuts to the fire department created the need for extensive overtime, which results in the high pensions. He blames Pawlowski for the pension problem. "We share in the irritation” of the public about firefighters receiving annual pensions that exceed their salaries, he said. “I’m a city taxpayer myself.”  Because of such overtime, one firefighter retired last year with a pension of $99,289, which is 29% higher than his last salary. The department now is down to 123 fire fighters, from a regiment of 140 in 2006. In fairness to Pawlowski, which I'm not known for, one would expect the union leader to advocate for more firefighters. However, it is also apparent that firefighters and police have taken good advantage of the overtime provision in the contracts. This highest paid pensioner just retired last year,  on Pawlowski's watch.  Pawlowski had pledged in his first term to work with both the police and fire chief, to avoid these overtime pension grabs. The fire chief recently stated that his staffing is adequate.  It's not adequate for the taxpayers if these high pensions could be avoided by hiring a few more firefighters.

UPDATE:  This post has been slightly reworded, to convey that Pawlowski might be a contributor to the pension problem,  as opposed to the primary cause.

Guns and Sneakers

Besides the hole, there are only two buildings standing on the square block; The long vacant old Dime Bank Building on 7th Street, and and the Farr Loft building on 8th Street. The Farr building has an urban retailer at street level. As reported in The Morning Call, for the past two days a long line of young shoppers braved the cold in order to purchase the new Air Jordan sneakers. Apparently, Nike creates a demand by only releasing them a couple times a decade. Unfortunately, the tragedy in Connecticut has created another unintended consequence. The local gun stores are also selling out, as buyers anticipate new gun control legislation.

photocredit:Harry Fisher/The Morning Call

The Weigh-In

                                            Madison Square Garden, March 27, 1942
When they met for the first time the previous March, Abe Simon battled Joe Louis for 13 rounds. The Detroit crowd went wild that the Jewish giant from New York could absorb Louis's punches. Louis had the power of Mike Tyson and the finesse of Muhammad Ali. When it was revealed that Simon had fought with a broken hand, the Madison Garden rematch became a big ticket. Louis knocked Simon out in the sixth round. It would be Simon's last fight.
click on photo to enlarge

reprinted from January 2011

Whose Quality of Life?

According to news reports, last night when the County Commissioners postponed distributing funds for Trail Network Plan, Allentown mayor Pawlowski said "Quality of life issues cannot be classified as unnecessary or frivolous." But whose quality of life was he really referring to? The MLK Pathway represents the very worst of plans for the Allentown park system. The former park director, Greg Weitzel, deferred essential maintenance and put his emphasis on new projects, to enhance his personal resume. The strategy worked for him, but not Allentown; This past summer he left for a new position. The new pathway would pass the Fountain Park Pool, closed now for three years, because the filter pump was never repaired. That pump replacement was estimated to cost $170,000, while phrase 1 of the Trail Network Plan will cost $674,700.00. While Weitzel spend untold $thousands of $dollars planning a destination water park at Cedar Park, the pool at Fountain Park stood empty of water. If Pawlowski and Weitzel had any institutional knowledge of this town, they would know that thousands of kids over the generations cooled off in that pool, after a game on a hot day. That's why the pool was next to the extended athletic fields. Whose quality of life was Pawlowski referring to? The intercity kids without a pool, or the suburban spandex cyclists?  Allentown parks are indeed in need of help, especially after Hurricane Sandy, but not a paved pathway, connecting  one broken and damaged park with another.

Postcard shows Fountain Park Pool, when it had water and kids, before the Pawlowski/Weitzel era.

Heavyweight Championship Of The World

On March 21, 1941, my mother's cousin Abe Simon, son a of Jewish egg and butter salesman, fought Joe Louis for the title in Detroit. Lasting 13 rounds, he earned another title shot against the Brown Bomber a year later in Madison Square Garden. After retiring he acted in several movies, including On The Waterfront and Requiem For A Heavyweight.


Administrator's note: I'm reprinting these photo's and captions in a much tighter time frame then originally posted, to give the viewers more of a feel of the Louis era.

reprinted from October 2009

Pre-Fight Hype

In the early 40's, during the War, boxing was a big sport. Pre-Television, fans would rather around the radio, and hear blow by blow commentary. Visuals were mostly restricted to newspaper photographs the following day. Not unlike the hype for the SuperBowl, the papers would also run photos prior to a big fight. Shown here are photos of contender Abe Simon, who was challenging Joe Louis for the Heavyweight Championship on March 27, 1942, at Madison Square Garden. These AP syndicated photos appeared in newspapers across the country on March 6th. Above, shows Abe and his wife in their kitchen. Below, he squares off with a neighborhood boy.

Simon's Record

reprinted from February 2010

Defend Your Rights, Protect Your Water

Turnout is Critical - New Legislation Being Introduced

Water Privatization. Tell Council You Want the Voters to Decide.   

Please come to City Council this Wednesday, 12/19, 7 PM.  It's important. 

We will be asking Council to quickly pass legislation requiring any water and sewer lease to go to the voters for approval. 

We want this legislation in effect soon, before the mayor presents Council with a lease agreement for Council's approval. 

Without this new legislation, the decision to lease the water and sewer operations will be for Council, alone, to make.  

Turnout is critical. Council has to see and hear that the voters don't want Council approving a lease contract. 

Over 4,500 Allentown voters (one-fifth of the total number of people who voted in the 2010 elections) signed petitions for a charter amendment requiring the city to get voter approval before it can sell or lease a city asset worth over $10 million. But the charter amendment requested won't be voted on until May 2013.  The mayor will likely be presenting a contract to Council well before then. 

Come out and tell Council you want them to pass legislation now that mirrors the proposed charter amendment-- legislation that says any lease agreement has to come to the voters. 

Thank you, 

Citizens for Allentown Water

Don Ringer, Glenn L. Hunsicker, Glenn S. Hunsicker, William Hoffman, Rich Fegley, Dan Poresky

Contact: Bill Hoffman wjhoffman10@gmail.com

School Administrators Are Slow Learners

As reported in Friday's Easton Express by reporter Colin McEvoy, the principal of Luis Ramos Elementary School has submitted a revised Improvement Plan, which recommended special cultural training for the teachers. Her premise is that the majority of the students are minorities, and the teachers are white, so such cultural insight might help the teachers succeed in improving the students standardized test scores. School Board member Scott Armstrong took exception to this concept: This training philosophy wrongly suggests teachers should view students not as equals, but instead use their skin color and ethnicity as the determining factor to an individualized approach. Armstrong, on the comment section of the Express story and for this post,  expanded on his objection to the principal's plan.
  It is an unfortunate reality that our intellectual betters tend to over analyze problems so thoroughly that they fail to see the obvious. Such is the case with the politically progressive theory that instilling cultural sensitivity in teachers is an imperative if we are to improve the scholastic performance of minority students. In other words teachers should not view students as equals but instead use skin color, ethnic, religious and/or linguistic backgrounds as the determining factor to an individualized pedagogical approach. Is it at all reasonable or appropriate to instruct our teachers to evaluate children from a baseline determined by cultural background? With this approach don’t we serve to re-enforce stereotypes, build in cultural separation, and re-segregate learning? Is this in the best long term interests of the students or society as a whole? I say no. What has become of the oft stated goal of a color blind society? Are we now being asked to put that aside and replace it with one based on color, creed and ethnicity? No one expressed more perfectly what we as Americans should be striving for than Dr. Martin Luther King: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Let us simply focus on each child’s natural desire to learn and excel. We should not overlook the obvious problems, such as dysfunctional home life, potential abuse, neglect, language proficiency, and poverty. No one culture has a monopoly on these situations; they plague mankind. Let us instill in our students the American message of liberty, personal responsibility, and the endless opportunity that results from hard work, focus, and dedication. This message must be the credo that unites the ASD and the entire community on a common theme of success for our children.

Disappointingly, Russ Mayo, Superintendent, chimed in that such culture training, called Cultural Competence, is indeed becoming fashionable in urban education, and he believes that it would benefit our entire system. I'm not a fan of school administrators. Like mayors, they're always looking to buy new ideas. A group of city officials from New England just visited Allentown to learn about our revitalization success: To what on earth are they referring? First we made the mistake of teaching for the tests, now we may be teaching for the cultures. Here's hoping we don't rehire former superintendent Zahorchak as an consultant.

More on Cultural Assimilation by LVCI

Jersey Joe

It took five attempts and 20 years for Jersey Joe Walcott to finally win the Heavyweight Championship, at age 37. After only one title defense, the rematch against former champion Ezzard Charles, Jersey Joe stepped into the ring with the hard punching Rocky Marciano, who was ten years younger. Marciano was knocked down in round one, for the first time in his career. Although Walcott would gamely defend his hard won crown, the end came in 13th round, shown in the classic photo above. In the following rematch, Walcott's career would end, after being knocked out in the first round.
enlarge photo by clicking

reprinted from September 2011