’42 FLOOD: Geraldine Kennedy DeMarkey of Anaheim, Calif., who
received a gift subscription to The Era for her 90th birthday in
September, has been chomping at the bit to join some of our recent
discussions – and she has some dandies:
“I’ll start with the flood of 1942. Olean, N.Y., Port Allegany
and all down the Allegany River area were affected, washing out
Pennsylvania railroad tracks along the way.
“At that time, I was a government worker in Washington, D.C.,
planning my summer vacation back to Bradford by train. It meant
coming in to Olean where my family would meet me by car.
“At the railroad office in D.C., I received the news that I
would have to change trains at Harrisburg and take the western
route to Buffalo and down to Olean.
“Looking at their map, I discovered I could get off at Kane, and
my family could meet there. By the time the vacation was over, the
tracks were repaired, and the usual trip from Olean was restored. I
don’t remember that Bradford was as much affected by that flood as
by one later in the 1940s.”
Moving on … “Another item mentioned Miriam (Mina) Kreinson in
connection with the football team. I was living in Connecticut at
the time and remember hearing on radio or TV how this dance teacher
was teaching ballet to the football team in Bradford.”
“I remember her dance recitals in the Shea’s Theatre. The
memories of that dear old theatre where I was very young – my aunt
often took me. One time, Harry Lauder appeared there on one of his
‘Farewell Tours.’ I barely remember the crooked cane he carried and
his Scottish costume. …
“The E.E. Smathers mentioned in connection with the famed
cocktail in New York City was the same man who donated the money
for the bell tower of the First Methodist Church on Corydon and
Chambers Street. He was in business in New York City and gave the
tower in memory of his mother, a devoted member of the Methodist
Church.”
More of Geraldine’s stories soon.
TODAY’S QUOTE: “You write and then you erase. You call that a
profession?” said Abram Bellow, father of writer Saul Bellow, circa
1915.
