1 50 2 https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/0f0a5ea3190bdac33246f49396336506.pdf 415d2c7c98839de94e107ca2de86fdf5 PDF Text Text Charles Finkelstein at Wilmington, NC Neal Finkelstein at Jacksonville, FL II. The Dawn of the Twentieth Century in Asheville And my father, Harry Finkelstein, at Asheville, NC. n 1900, my father became ill and the doctor in Jacksonville told him the only place ro go ro get cured would be the mountains. He carne up to Asheville, and Doctor Smith told him he would dir of anything except what they sent him to Asheville for, so that he might as well go back to Jacksonville. He liked Asheville so much he decided to stay here. In 1903, he opened a pawn shop at 23 South Main Street (now Biltmore Avenue). He married Fannye Sherman fro m Newport News, Virginia, and they made their home in an apartment on Ashland Avenue. Harry and Fannyr Finkrlsuin. Wrdding photo, cirra 1904 �In 1905, my father became a citizen of me United Stares. "7 Q Among me organizations he joined were me Asheville Board ofTrade (n The Asheville Chamber of Commerce), me Fraternal Order of Eagles, Suez Temple o e Oramaric Order ofKhorosson, Lodge # 1401 BPO, Elks, Mt. Herman Masonic Lodge, Scottish Rite Masonic Lodge, Oasis Temple of Shriners, Congregation Bikur C holim (now Bern !scad), and Congregation Becl!-Ha-Tephila. So, in Asheville, North Carolina, me twenriecl! century began wid!: ~The pawnbroker named Finkelstein. ~S. H. Friedman, who operated a furniture store. He came to Asheville from Maryland, where he peddled tinware. His son, Nat Friedman, larer operared me Susquehanna Antique Co. ~A Jewish lawyer by the name of Goldstein. ~ A Jewish plumber by me name of A.}. Huvard. He married E. C. Goldberg's sisrer. E.C. Goldberg ran a news stand nexr ro me Imperial Theater on Patton Avenue for years. ~A Jewish dentist by the name of I. Mitchell Mann. ~Harry Blomberg's father who came to Asheville in 1887. He operated me Racket Store on Biltmore Avenue for many years. ~The Palais Royal Department Store operated by Morris Meyers for 40 years. He was a charter member of Congregation Beth-Ha-Tephila and he came ro Asheville in 1887. ~The Bon Marche Department Srorc operated by Solomon Lipinsky. ~A Jewish postman who delivered mail by rhe name of Barney Seigle. I was particularly interested in Barney because he had a sister by the name of Esther, ·who was in my class in high school - a beautiful and affi:ctionate student. ~An industrialist named Siegfried Sternberg. ~Dan Michalove, who worked at the first movie houses in rown and finally advanced to vice president of Paramount Pictures and was pur in charge of all their rhearers in Australia. ~Lou Pollock, who operated a shoe store at the corner of South Main and Eagle Streets. He onoe ran a shoe sale for 98 centS a pair. ~Leo Cadison, who came here for his healcl!, operated a ladies ci ore on Pack Square, finally moved ro Washington, D .C., and became an arrorn byA:r of ongress. He was a speech writer for me Arrorney General of me Unired Sra ;:::::::. <. ews were arriving ro become pioneers in me Asheville community. Some came ro make a better livelihood and for opporrunity. The moderate climate and moumain air aruacred others ro Asheville, a growing medical haven for me sufferers of chronic respiratory diseases. Congregation Beth-Ha-Tephila I served as President 1948 ro 1950. On August 23, 1891, twenty-seven men met in Lyceum Hall and adopted a constitution for Congregation Berh-Ha-Tephila. Among me charter members were me Blomberg, Lipinsky, and Zagier families. It is noted that me dues were $10 a year, payable in advance. Lyceum Hall was me first home of me Congregation. Ir was rented from a fraternal order for $75 a year. Congregation Bikur Cholim I served as Vice President before World War II. Rabbi Londow became me rabbi for Congregation Bikur Cholim whose articles of incorporation were filed in the Court Clerk's office in February 1899. The incorporators were }.B. Schwaraberg, A. Blomberg, Sam Feinstein, S.H. Michalove, A. Shenbaum, M. Zuglier, and RB. Zagier. Since the community could nor pay Rabbi Londow a decent wage, he operated a Jewish grocery sto re on rhe side. He was a kindly old gencleman wid! a big beard, wore his hat around rhe grocery store ar all rimes except when a lady called him on the telephone. He would remove the hat during the conversation and pur ir back o n his head after the phone call. I remember a big barrel of herring in the center of me store. Plain herring were five centS each and milk herring ren cents. A newly married lady in the Congregation once called Rabbi Londow and complained that a duck she bought from him was old and roo rough ro eat. Rabbi Londow asked her �fo ~ In 1911, erection of a house of worship was started on South Liberty Street Congregation Bikur Cholim. Although it wasn't completed until 1916, the Hebr w'Scl!_ool moved there in 191 2. When I was I I years old, I attended Hebrew school conduct the rabbi on Saturday morning in the edifice of the synagogue. The sancruary contained nothing but pews and a coal stove for hear. The basement was used for storage and resr rooms. In the winter time the rabbi fiXed the stove for a fire Friday so thar it could be lir Saturday morning ro produce hear for the Hebrew class. what did she expect him to do - look down the duck's mouth and count its teeth! The first religious services of Bikur Cholim I remember attending were on the second floor of a bwlding at the corner of Patton Avenue and Church Street. lr was early in the life of Bikur Cholim thar the congregation split up due ro a big argument. Half of the members formed another congregation and called ir Anshei Hashuron. They rented a second floor of an apanment house at the corner of Central Avenue and Woodfin Street. However, through the efforts of the impartial moderates, a compromise was reached and a permanent division averted. Since the rabbi shouldn't light a fire or spend money on the Sabbath, he arranged for a boy in the neighborhood ro light the fire Saturday morning. He placed a dime under a prayer book Friday and rold the boy where to ger the dime after lighting the fire on Saturday. Nevertheless, the apanmenr was kepr for a religious school. Ir was here thar I received my first Hebrew lesson. Rabbi Fox was reaching us the four questions ro ask at our Passover meal. At this time my father attended all the board meetings of Bikur C holim.rle ou d come home upset and nervous. Or. Smith suggested he nor attend any mor~agog meetings due to hjs high blood pressure. .f!c- / e..... Rabbi Fox was active on the 9th and I Oth degrees of Scottish Rite ry. After his death I assumed his parts in these degrees and I was on the degree teams until retiring in 1995. Even in those days educational institutions had trouble with rebelling students. One real cold morning the boy didn't show up ro lighr the fire. We were arrending Hebrew class in swearers, coats and overcoats and ir was awful cold. I asked to be excused and coming up from the basement I reported ro Rabbi Redunsky that the plumbing must have frozen as rhere was water lc:alcing in several places The Rabbi went to see about it. I advised the Orthodox Rules and Hebrew School Sevenry-five to 100 years ago there were two synagogues in Asheville. My fam ily belonged ro the orthodox. The orthodox had srricr rules for obeying the Sabbath which began Friday at sundown and ended Saturday night. The members of Bikur Cholim who owned an automobile would put them in the garage on Friday evening ro observe the Sabbath and wouldn't rake them out untjl Sarurday after sundown. Most of the members lived within waJkjng distance of the synagogue. To obey rhe Sabbath correcrly you were nor allowed ro operare a business, spend money, smoke, strike a march, work, or cook. Many other activities were also forbidden. Remember this was abour 100 years ago. You weren't supposed to rear paper. Now if you had a bathroom wirh paper on a roll, you ron: the paper off for Friday in case ir may be needed for the Sabbath. The same rule applies ro outhouses with old Sears Roebuck catalogues. As far as I know none of these rules are observed today. ii > Fannyr on thr porrh ofthr �class that there were no broken pipes and suggested that we leave the building- which we did - not to return until warm weather. For your information, there was no water leaking. While my sisters, Rosa and Hilda, and I were still children and our parents were out of town for health reasons, Doctor Schancl1er's futher, Dave Schancl1er, would invite us over co his house for meals, especially on Passover and other religious holy days. About this time when our house at 213 Broadway was being built, I was sliding down a sloping board and got a big splinter in my rear end. My father couldn't gee it out so he cook me to Dr. Mann, the denrist, and he got it out gue was Harry and Fanny< Finlulsttin with childrm uo, ; o :::uilding of . 0 completed Rouz, and Hilda the eve of Ro honah a fire complecely destroyed the building. Mrs. Rosenfeld had a . / .:::.1ewish".!5i)ardiiig ousc nc:xt door and she cried and complained that she had just cleaned ~ / her house for Yon tiff and smoke had dirtied the place up. The Masonic Temple was offered to us to usc for the High Holy Day Services and we accepted. in(ian~:tfore '? After the fire that destroyed Bikur Cholim Synagogue on South Liberty Street, the second floor of Soncl1ey Building on Broadway was rented for the usc of the congregation. A member of the congregation, a young man, forgot he had made a date with a waitress in the Langrcn Hotel, and attended the meeting of the congregation. The lady waited in front of the Masonic Temple with a gun and took a shor at h~er e meeting when he was leaving the building. She missed. After going to Heb - oo in the building we would ihe building. stop and examine the hole the bullet made in the front me 7 The Cemetery In those days Asheville was a place that offered a cure for ruberculosis. Many sanatoriums were located in the hills around town. A Jewish man died in one of the sanatoriums and had no money or family. No cemetery in town would bury him unless someone paid $100 for the gravt::a. then that nine Jewish men formed ~heville Hebrew Cemetery Associa onjnc. My futher was the first president. e bylaws rated. that anyone ofJewish fai e buried there. T he price of a grave was 0 and if there was no one to pay it there would be no charge. ,S,~m te changed its name some years later to Mt. Sinai Cerneteqt-an after' toA'fle Ld Pollock Memorial Park. After Father died, Lou Pollock became presiden ih, I was the vice-president and assumed the duties of the president. I conferred with David Acl1cr and set up a meeting berween the directors of the cemetery and members of Beth Israel. The ownership of the cemetery was transferred to Beth Israel. < The following names of the nine founders can be seen on a plaque at the entrance to the cemetery bearing the date 1916: Sam Feinstein, Isaac Michalove, Lou Pollock, S.W. Silverman, Sender Argenrar, Rabbi Elias Fox, Dave Schancller, Barney Pearlman, Harry Finkelstein. Benevolent Societies Around this time my futher felt that some homemade chicken soup would help the Jewish patients in the sanatoriums. A number of Jewish women set up a kitchen and, once a week, hot chicken soup was made available to the Jewish patients and to others who requested it. Rabbi Fox acquired business interests in Asheville and served as part-time Rabbi. He was associated with a local butcher who made kosher meat available. He would go by the homes of members and kill the chickens. In 1917, some of us young Jewish boys decided that we ought to have a Young Men's Hebrew Association or a community center in Asheville. Rabbi Fox met with us and suggested that we form a YMHA. He said a community center was for the community only, but a bigger and better organization would be a YMHA because it extended from coast to coast. He told us a story about when he first came to this country and wanted to see the Brooklyn Bridge. He found a man who could talk Yiddish and after looking at the bridge he asked why they built the bridge with a lot of little cables instead of one big cable. The < �man explained to him that if one or rwo cables broke it would not harm the bridge, but if there was one big cable and it broke the bridge would fall in. Rabbi Fox said that therefo re we boys should be little cables and hold up the YMHA we were going to form. Flanders 20 About 75 years ago the Studebaker Corporation made rwo automobiles - the Flanders 20, 20 horsepower and the Emf. 30, 30 horsepower. My family owned a Flanders 20. To start the engine you used a hand crank in front of the auto. You lowered the spark control lever because if you didn't, you might get a kickback on the crank and get your arm broken. Mr. Sternberg and Mr. Leavitt Seventy-five years ago there was no United Way in Asheville. There were many local charitable organizations sponsored by churches, synagogues, houses of worship, also the YMCA, the Salvation Army, the Elks Lodge and the Jewish Ladies')Aid Society. Joe Sternberg's father was active in civic, religious, and fraternal organizations in Asheville. At that rime he was collecring donations for the Ladics...,Aid Society of Asheville. He went to Mr. Leavitt who operated a ladie.?read)loto,.wear store on South Main Street near Pack Square. He wouldn't donate more than $5 and this didn't please Mr. Sternberg. 7 > If you had a Aat tire, you had to raise the wheel with a hand jack, take the rire off and ftx the inner rube with patches t.hat you always carried with you. Y had a hand pump to ou inAate the tire again. 7 see Some owners of the Flanders 20 bragged that sometimes they could drive up the hill on South Main Street (now Biltmore Avenue) from Depot Street to Pack Square in high gear and they didn't have to shift to a second gear. Mr. Sternberg was the owner of the building in which Mr. Leavitt operated his store. He found Mr. Leavitt violated the terms of his lease because he sublet a portion of the store for a shoe deparunent. Mr. Sternberg told Mr. Leavitt that he would have to give the Ladi~Aid Society a suitable donation or vacate the building because he had violated the rercns of the lease. They sdecred three men to determine what amount Mr. Leavitt should ) give the Ladies'Aid Society. It was agreed that the amount they decided would be satisfactory to Mr. Sternberg and Mr. Leavitt. There was a dirt road to Hendersonville. Some of it was red clay that would become slick when it rained. One small section of the road became very slick due to its location. There was a man there with a mule. For a small fee he would hitch the mule to the front of the auto and pull you out of the bad place with the help of the engine of the car. f Mr. Sternberg selected a man to represent himself. Also, Mr. Leavitt picked o ut the second man. They needed a man to represent both of them and finally sclfcted my father. 7The committee decided that Mr. Leavitt should donate $500 to the Ladies Aid Society. 7 In 1936, the movement to found a Jewish Community Center and to organize Federated Jewish Charities in Ash.eville was started by Julius Levitch through .~:~f· In 1947 a testimonial dinner was held for his outstanding service to the Jewi~nity. < Jl{y Father and the Sheriff's Department In the early days of the century, my father would give each member of the Buncombe County Sheriff's Deparunenr cu1f links for a Christmas present. In appreciation, the Sheriff always sent my father a gallon of corn whiskey. We always than.la:d the Sheriff for his gift even though none of my family drank cotn whiskey. uo andfrimds with Flantkn 20 13 �We were invited to a wedding in Hendersonville by Mr. Lewis whose sister, Rose, was gening married to a young anorney named Joe Patla. He practiced law in Asheville fo r many years. We took our Flanders 20 to the wedding with a couple of our friends. We had no trouble as it didn't rain. Coming back to AsheviUc, we got a flat tire ncar Skyland and stopped to fix it. We noticed a lot of berries growing near the road and we all began to ear them. A F.umer saw us and accused us of stealing his berries. He took our a warrant for my father. The trial was to be heard by a Justice of the Peace in Skyland. My father employed a young lawyer by the name of Bob Reynolds. Bob Reynolds in later years became a U.S. Senator. The Justice of the Peace office was too small to hold the crowd that came to the trial so it was held under a large oak tree outdoors. I heard that Bob gave a great speech to the crowd and the Justice of the Peace o rdered my father just to pay the farmer a small amount for the berries. The moral of this event is: Don't ear wild berries beside an old road. You arc liable to have more troubles than a stomachache. -;. Beginning to work I .o;;::. When I was eight years old, I starred selling newspapers. I wasn't doing very good so my father gave me a job in the pawnshop at 50 cents per week. I had to save 25 centS of it. I was co work when there was no school activity or important events pertaining to my education. I was given Saturday afternoon off co go fishing and Saturday morning to sec a serial movie at the Galaxy movie house on Pack Square. Many people left their musical instruments as collateral for loans. I tried out my musical ability on a guitar, a ukulele, a violin and a saxophone. I took violin lessons from Mr. Popala.rdo and piano lessons &om Mrs. Oliphant. My mother insisted that I practice on the piano one hour a day. School In 1911, I st.trted school at Montford Avenue Grammar School. In 1922, I went to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for rwo days, and had co come home co run the pawnshop. Finlu!Jttini Pawnshop. Harry Finlu!Jttin on tht right rhe~922 In graduating class in Asheville High School, there were five boys< and 14 girls. Therefore, each boy was expected to rake three girls co the Senior Class Dance of February 1922. Things were bener when we had a dance for the entire school. There were three Jewish girls in the total 1922 class - Madeline Blo mberg, Eva Sternberg, and Esther Seigle. I was the only student to rake an automobile to school in 1922. It was a Paige make with a "bathtub back" model. I t incss man er of Tht: Hillbilly, the school monthly magazine. I was given any study hall perio o .ro1fecc for ads that appeared in the magazine, so I would take my auto and a girl to he p me from the study hall. Alter colleering for one ad we would ride over to the Charlotte Street Drug Score and participate in ice cream sodas for the balance of the study hall period. <.... �Asheville Dixie jazz Band In 1921, I, along with a violin player from Lewis Funeral Home, Frank McCormak, formed the fir.a musical outfit Asheville High School ever had. Below is a poem from an issue of the 1921 school paper, Th~ Hillbilly. The Dixie jazz Band BDJ1 and girls, hav~ you h~ard th~ nnuJ, A nnv way to g~t livtly without any boou, jUJt com~ around and giv~ UJ your hand ~i-t th~ m=b= ofth~ "Dixi~ jazz Band. • ~plAy and plAy and n~vrr gtt ~aryl ~'Ujazz you up and make you chury. ~'U makt you danu and n~vrr ut JtiU You'U haw to 1himmy. against your will Tht drumm~r is a drumm~r by trade, Th~ fiddler is a mUJician, ulfmatie, Th~ flute is th~ bat you ~''" htard, Th~ mandalin Joundi likt a mocking bird. w -uoFink~lsuin Pisgah 1922 Joe Sternberg and I were seniors in the 1922 class of Asheville High School. Now, Joe's mother, Mrs. Sternberg, phoned me and advised me that she was entertaining Joe and three other members of the 1922 class with a trip to the top of Mr. Pisgah. Eva Sternberg, Joe's sister, graduated in 1921 bur wanted to go with them. Her mother asked if! would like to go and look alter Eva if she went, and I told her that I would be delighted. They all picked m~ up the na~ morning and Mrs. Ster~be~ove us the ho me of 'to Mr. and Mrs. Rufus 0 Kelly who lived at the base of Mr. Prs~ Oen~n passenger Mormon automobileJWe had lunch of possum and sweet potatoes. There was one dirt road (one way) to the top of Mt. Pisgah, five miles long. An auto had to go up in the morning at daylight and was allowed to come down after I p.m. until dark. We hiked to a cleared section. Mr. O'Kelly chaperoned the trip and built us a large bonfire and was fiXing something to eat. Eva was unpacking some things and I noticed a large bottle of Bromo-Selczer. I asked if she expected someone to have a headache. She said, "No, I opened a pint bottle of father's bottled whiskey, took half of it and filled the Bromo-Selt:zer bottle. Now you and I can have a drink before we eat. "' "That's a good idea." I said, "but what is your father going to say when he finds out?" She said, "No problem. I filled the empty half of the whiskey bottle with water. " At nighttime she and I sat around the fire drinking a few drinks of BrumoSelczer. On Sundays in 1925, the Jewish crowd of teenagers and somewhat older boys and girls would gather at the home of the Srernbergs on Victoria Road. The FrimdJ at plAy (1-r Milton Schwamlmg, Harry Stern bergs had four children: Eva, Joe, Roth, William RoJmftld. Sam Roth) Johanna, and Rose. One of the older girls in the crowd was named Jennie Selt:z. One day I asked her how she man~e..so popular among the boys, and her answer was, "Well, I'm not so pretty, but Vm catehie." I dated Eva and one night I called at the house to take her out and 11~-.....,~.p--~­ us from the second floor of the house, "Don't you go to no road houses!" Eva replied, "What's the matter, Papa - you aftaid we are going to find you there?" William Jennings Bryan On July 7, 1896, William Jennings Bryan delivered the "Cross of Gold" speech and �won the Democratic parry nomination for Vice President of the United States. In 1900 he was nominated again for Vice President. In 1908 he was nominated for President of the United Stares. Later in life he moved to Asheville and his home was at the corner of Evelyn Place and Kimberly Avenue - just a few houses away from where Jack Cole now lives. Mr. Bryan asked my father to order him a special made double barrel Parker shot gun with 28" barrels modified and choke bores, and a 2 3/4 inch drop. After receiving the ~ n he wrote my father a letter of thanks. I had this letter in my historical files and it disappeared. Now I don't know whether to blame it on the Democrats or Republicans. The Emporium Fire of 1923 ......., On July 25, 1923, the Emporium ,es>arunen;Jtore owned by Jack Blomberg at the / corner of Pack Square and South Main'"Street was<femoyed by a major fire. It was feared that the entire block to South Main Street (Biltmore Avenue) would be destroyed. Many of the merchants who operated clothing stores in the block brought their insurance policies and books to Finkelstein's Pawnshop across the street and requested that we put them in our safes which were two of the largest moveable safes in town. T he two safes are now located at 2 1 Broadway. &wing Machine Mystery A sewing machine was brought in for a loan. The next day some ladies from a church walked in from a church society, identified the machine and claimed it had been stolen from the church. The pawn ticket was hunted. "What's the name on the record?" one of the women inquired. It was read off. "What!" shrieked the group in unison. "That's the name of our pastor!" And, the mystery was cleared up: someone else had pawned the machine giving the reverend's name. �Hl AsheviHe the 1930s . Ill (ions Club "iremember when I became a member of the The club had 16 members and I was the 17th. Our meetings were held at the S & W Cafeteria on Panon Avenue, in a meeting room on the second floor. A good meal could be had at a cost ofless than one dollar. As{~Ue Lions Club in 1930. I remember when the club's membership reached I 00, we held a stag parry at the Sky Club on top of Beaucatcher Mountain. Out of 100 members we had 97 anend. Three were absent on account of being out of town. The club was operated by Boyd and Albertine Maxwell and their daughter was the hostess. Albertine was a professional dancer and she did a "snake dance" to entertain the parry. Lion Dan Furr fiXed us a special drink consisting of an assortment of fluids that we called "Scrape the Bonom." We had a big spagheni dinner. The cost of the evening was $1.50 per member. The young lady who was hostess, in appreciation of me bringing the Lions Club there for a parry, taught me to dance the "Charleston," a new dance that had just started. I remember when I drove my new automobile to the Stag P~ty with Lion John Thayer. The automo- <:::_ bile was a Terraplane Sedan that Lion Johnnie Groome sold me. It had an electric gear shift controlled by bunons on the steering wheel. It also had a stick shift in from of the center of the from seat that could be used when the electric shift failed to work. �Going down Bcaucatcher Mountain in the Terraplane, Lion John Thayer, who had drank a substantial amount of "Scrape the Bottom," acted funny, yanked the gear shift stick loose and threw it out of the car into the woods of Bcaucatcher Mountain. The next day Lion John and I searched the woods, found the stick shift and replaced it. I remember when the dub held a "womanless wedding" at a Ladies Night Banquet on March 14, 1939 and Lion Dan Furr was the flower girl. I remember when in 1939 the club presented a pair of lions to the city wo and a few weeks later a baby lion was born. It was named "Leo." I remember when an alarm clock was placed at the speaker's table at the club meetings set to alarm at 2 o'clock with a sign: OUR MEETING CLOSES AT 2 O'CLOCK AND WE DO NOT APPRECIATE DIRTY JOKES. I remember when Jack Cole was president of the Asheville Lions Club. We held a ) ladicJnight banquet at the Battery Park Hotel. Lion Jack invited a U.S. Congressman, Lion Roy Taylor, to make a talk for the gathering. It took Lion Jack twenty minutes to introduce Congressman Taylor. Roy Taylor in response said that there must be a mistake. "It looks like Lion Jack Cole was to give the address and I should have introduced him. " I remember when City Manager Burdette announced to the C ity Council that the police department's new traffic bureau would begin operating and that ordinances would be strictly enforced. Mr. Burdette left no doubt in the minds of a Lions Club committee who called to complain about the parking problem. and if he wanted a tunic race, to present it to the board of directors at their regular meeting. There was no runic race. := ::: <__ I remember when I was dating a nice young lady in Asheville by the name of Pearl. Pearl was hostess in a restaurant I used to eat at. The Lions Club was giving a Ladies) Night ~inner and Governor Hoey was to be our speaker. I was told that I couldn't bring Pearl. C Governor Hoey's daughter was coming to the dinner and I'd have to sit with her at the speaker's table. It was an uneventful monotonous dinner and when it was over I told the governor's daughter good night and went to see Pearl. I remember when a member missed over two meetings Lion Charles Bertyman, who operated a funeral home, would send his ambulance to bring the member to the meeting. I remember when a member missed over three meetings without an excuse. Lion Judge Sam Cathey would send a police car to present the member with the following summons: C1TJ' or Anirnt.LE No. 131313 POLICE SUMMONS Dot••..•..ir/ d-J.J·····-···-······· Add"'"-······-·--·--···· .... X:uut'. . L..~~r"..... Li··,~ru.• :\n,_J.Y...t ..:..":!_.. ,. \ 'Ol' .uu: ouurn::n TO nr:roltT TO rr..n nsKJ:L~oo""TnX. a·•nf~l· DJ:'XT, AT UOSA C"LUO !lolf:J:TL XO 0~ Wr "'CS"D,\T, t r , Jt.. AT .D. Gt:OROt: \ 'A.SOEJlDII.Ir IIU'I'T.L 1'0 A.Xfil\\"tm nu;; FOU.Oa"J:~Ct f I remember when Lion Joe Dave announced that the club delivered five pigs to the Candler Pig Club in connection with the Chamber of Commerce's plan for improvement of western)'(North Carolina's livestock through cooperation of civic clubs. I remember when in 1938 at a Lions Club golf tournament, I promised to give a prize for the winner of the first flight. I wrote a check for $1,000 and since I won the first flight, I presented the check to myself. I remember when Lion Roy Phillips, advertising director of the Al}uvi/1~ Citiun- Tim~s talked to me as President of the Lions Club and wanted the club to sponsor a tunic race ~d buy a page ad in the newspaper. I told him to present it to the board ofiirectors, that I would not t2ke the responsibility of investing in a turtle race. He gld me T couldn't be a good president of the club and let grass grow under my feet. I told him that he wasn't talking to one of his advertising salesman, that he was talking to me as president of the club vt~~:k:-:.=;~;7., , I N'-INr J.IMUftO I AbNnt Q-n La411M N'llbt • I'Co-.411tl• ) ::: : : : ~: 7 1 "'..,.."' •• lllt&e ;;:'A~•t•Wt.-dH > r•n,· e..,.; ,g (),)),,, Q"'..: ··········- ·····--···- · ···-··············-············· orn-r. I remember when I had a phone call from my golf caddie named "Cris" on a Saturday, and he advised me that Lion Judge Cathey had given him 30 days in jail for fighting. He, ,_./ wouldn't be able to caddie for me Sunday. That was a disaster for without Cris I just coui_Y-. ~ play a good game of golf. I called Lion Judge Cathey and advised him of the siruation "'and he told me he would reduce Cris's sentence from 30 days to one day and for me to go down to the jail and get him. < �More than 300 persons representing every civic organization in the ciry attended the banquet at the Battery Park Hotel. I got~. Sholn of Florida to make the principru< address. ~V.£"/RAIO/C.._ I remember when Lion Judge Cathey was namea the National Handicapped Man of the Year and several of us Lions went to Washington with him to receive the award from President Eisenhower. 7 I remember when l was invited to Lioness Hudson's house for Thanksgiving dinner. She called me the day before and said that Lion Judge Cathey had put her cook in jail and she had no one to cook the dinner. I called Lion Judge Cathey again and told him about it. He arranged for Lion Hudson's cook ~ksgiving dinner. Prohibition's I remember when mimic political campaign speeches by members of the Lions Club were featured at the S & W Cafeteria during their meeting. In the comic program, four members representing four political parties made "pleas" for support of their candidates for president. Lion Schorr urged the club to vote for Herbert Hoover, Lion Roy Phillips upheld Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lion Nat Friedman asked that William D. Upshaw be given the club's support and l talked at length on Norman Thomas, the socialist candidate. I remember when Lion Dan SteWart, Lion Charlie Miller and I went to Havana, Cuba for an International Convention. We drove to Miami and took the boat to Havana. After the convention, trying to get back to Miami, we found it was going to be three days before we could get passage on the boat. I didn't want to wait three days in Havana so I phoned my girl friend Reggie who was secretary to the Mayor of Miami Beach. She told me she would take care of the situation and for me to go down to the boat office and they would give me passage on the next boat to Miami. She told the boat office they needed me as a wimess in a court case, so I spent the night in a big chair in the lounge of the boa~ ?~ing to Miam~ Reggie and I met Lion Stewart and Lion Miller in a couple of days an~k them fishing. I remember when on July I 0, 1940 the Lions Club held a meeting which was described by Lion C.E. Hudson as "in truth the most gratifying gathering of all times in Asheville, of its kind.• It was described by the Ashwilk Citizm as the largest and most represenrative civic organization gathering in Asheville in recent years. It was an inter-club banquet and fim annual award of the Asheville Lions Club to the most useful civic club member in the ciry of Asheville, 1939-1940. Tbc idea of this banquet was presented to the Civic Club Union by Lion Jim Divelbiss IDIIIIIJICI£ They assisted the Lions Oub and picked Robert Lee Ellis of the Coca-Cola BOaJias Campaay 11 Asheville's most useful civic club member in the 1939-40 year. He ftCiiWd • tiluale plaque from the Lions Club which he said he would cherish as long as he lnecL ~ning Days It was in 1933, afrer Franklin Roosevelt was elected President of the United States, that the Volstead Act was repealed and it became legal to sell beer with an alcoholic content on October I st. I was exalted ruler of the Elks Club and it became my dury to get beer to serve to the members. This was a difficult job as none was available from distributors around Asheville. Nineteen thirty-three was the year of the Great Depression and Rabbi Goodkowin bought a second hand truck from Harry Blomberg and did some hauling on the side to supplement his income from Bikur Cholim. Rabbi Goodkowin said he would go to Baltimore and get us a load of beer as he personally knew the owner of the Valley Forge Beer Company there. I gave him six hundred dollars of the club's money and he left on a Monday to be back on Thursday. He didn't show up, but came in the following Monday. The delay was due to the truck breaking down on the trip. Of course I was somewhat concerned, but the club had a truck load of Valley Forge~eer available. ~ <( Leo Cadison saw me and advised that he had talked to United Scates Senator Robert R. Reynolds, and the members were starting a campaign to sell the beer before October !st. Captain Fred Jones of the Asheville Police Department and a member of the house committee said he would not recommend selling it before the legal date. At the club that week, I noted about 150 members were present instead of the usual 40. Under "good and welfare" Senator Reynolds, a great orator, spoke in favor of selling the beer and said that we were all brothers in a non-profit and charitable organization, and it would be legal to sell it. Others who spoke in favor of selling the beer were Judge Philip Cocke, State Senator; A. Hall Johnson, Superior Court Judge; Dan Hill, Postmaster; Marcus Erwin, U.S. Attorney; Zeb Nettles, Superior Court Judge; Charles McRae, local attorney; and Leo Cadison. Leo Cadison made a motion that we advise the house manager to put the beer on ice so that we could drink it afrer the meeting. I advised Mr. Cadison that I could not accept a motion of an illegal nature but under Robert's Rules of Parliamentary Procedure he could appeal my decision. He appealed and I advised that the question to be voted on would be "Shall the decision of the Chair srand," and there would be no discussion. The vote was unanimous against my decision (which suited me), and I instructed the secretary to take everything out of the minutes pertaining to beer, also to E �advise the house manager to put the beer on ice so we could have it aficr the meeting. He said that it was too late to advise him because the beer had been on icc for the past rwo hours. How to Finance a Pawnshop in a Depression '7 7 7 193~ It was the Depression of the Our loans averaged $1 0 and we made them as low as 50 cents. The demand was great on loans on diam~d jewelry. The top loan on a 1/2 karat diamond was $50 and $200 on a good grad~ I was running out of money. I saw Perry at the Morris Plan Bank and we agreed to rent a lock box at the Wachovia Bank. Both of us would have a key to it. I would hypothecate the large size diamond and jewelry loans. The way that worked is I would make the loan, get the cash &om Perry on a 90 day note, and put the jewelry in the lock box as security. If the customer came to redeem his jewelry I advised him ¥~lry was at the vault at the Wachovia for safekeeping and I would get it for h.im. ~ This was working very well as the bank was making the legal rate of 6% on 90 day notes which were paid in 30 to 40 days with no refUnd for unearned interest. I was doing OK also. I charged interest at legal rates plus other expenses incident to the negotiations of the transactions. But a miracle happened. A girlfriend of mine in the 1922 cl School married a man from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who later com came back to Asheville to live. She saw me and wanted to know if I could help her out. She said she was left a sizeable amount of life insurance and did I know of a safe place where she could invest some of it and get a decent return. I helped her out. Streetwalking A young lady friend of my family would pawn a diamond pin for $50. She was always months past due on the redemption of it. I felt sorry for her and I didn't let her pay any interest or charges on any loan afier her first loan. After pawning it several times, she came in for a loan on the pin. She asked for one hundred dollars. I told her that a hundred dollars was more than we could loan on it, that I would loan her $50 again. She said that she needed a hundred dollars and that I was trying to make a "street walker" out of her! The Preacher and the Bible I helped a preacher financially conduct his Sunday's services. Back in e...!l!:prcssion days of the 1930s there was a preacher who pawned his Bible every Mond mor er Sunday's services and redeemed it on the following Friday or Saturday for the next service on Sunday. I made the original loan of $10 and advised the preacher that he could get it out at a charge of $1 anytime in 30 days or if needed, he could wait three months at no additional charge. Then a banker comes to town. He took over the Morris Plan Bank and organized the Bank of Asheville. Perry, the new cashier at the Bank of Asheville, came to sec me and said, •Mr. Wolcott advised that the bank wun't a pawnshop and to tell F"mkdstcin to pay off those 90 day aoca. • It looked like I was going ro haft co atOp making large jewdry .,._ and try to meet the 90 day note. In checking the records I found that he had pawned the Bible weekly on many occasions. On the next Friday morning when he came afier his Bible I told him he didn't owe anything on it, that he had paid more carrying charges than the original loan. I told him to put that $10 bill he had next to the Ten Commandments in the Bible and the next rime he needed $10 to take it our and put it back in the Bible afier Sunday's service. Just don't bring the Bible back here for a loan. He didn't. LM Finlttlsuin in his paunuhop �Overcoats 7 During q{e ~~on of 1933 the pawnshop had 800 overcoats left at the beginning of the summer. ~e-loans were from $3 to $7 each, and 80% of the loans were past due. There was a problem of moths. We pur mothballs in the pockets of all overcoats and sprayed them with DDT. I asked him if it was life insurance. He said, "No." lc was liability insurance and if I did anything wrong as a deputy sheriff that they would fUrnish me legal assistance in court. I was sworn in November I 5, 1934. After rhe overcoats became more than three months pasr due we: had them dry cleaned. We: made: a contract with the cleaners to pick up and return lots of twenty at SO cents each. The owner of the cleaning company came in the shop and said that he wamed to buy an overcoat for his chauffeur. He tried on one and liked it so much that he said he would keep it for himself and give his ro his chauffeur. Murders in Pawnshops and Helping SheriffL. Brown You have probably read in the Citiun-Timls about Mark Lane who was killed in a shooting during an armed robbery. His futher, Ronald Lane, and he were co-owners of che Leicester Pawn Shop. Earlier, I wrote of Reggie, secretary ro the Mayor of Miami Beach, who helped our delegation get fusrer transportation back co Florida from rhe lmernacional Lions Convention in Havana, Cuba. Lion C.A. Miller was on char trip. Lacer Reggie's brother was killed in a holdup in his pawnshop on Flager Screer in Miami. A lor of people classify a pawnbroker as a shylock. Those pawnbrokers I have known are kind people and are an asset to any community they operate in. In November 1934 Sheriff Lawrence Brown of Buncombe County came to see me and said thar he needed help. Beacon M ring-Eompany4t Swannanoa was having labor -;, rrouble and a group from South Car linal_was coming up c~tcvem che employees from going ro work. He wanted ro rene 12 u tglfns to be used by special deputies ro guard the entrance ro rhe plane. 7 Harringro~chardson I rented him twenty 12 gauge shotguns for $1 each. He was successful in guarding the plane and they never fired a shoe. The sheriff phoned me and said char be wanted ro bestow upon me rhe honor of being a deputy sheriff and co come over and bring a photo for an identification card. I cold him I didn't know anything about enforcing rhe law. He said char was okay, ro come over and he would swear me in and cake out insurance on me. uo Finktlsuin, Dq>uty Shmff X~ I goc a phone call che next morning from Mr. Seely, Manager of the Grove Park Inn. ~ He said that he needed a gun for his watchman, a .38 Smith and Wesson SpeciaJ/1 with a 4~ barrel. Sheriff Brown cold him I co~d what he wan red. I cold him I had ic in stock su ply and he asked me to bringrgz· c o c to nn. goc in my dilapidated Ford touring car, drove to the from entrance of th ,k_ an to go in, when the bell captain stopped me. < ( <.. He asked, "What arc y oing here?" I replied, "I have a gun for your watchman and Mr. Seely asked me to bring ic our co him." "Well," he said, "you rake that gun to the back door. They have a barrel of money back ~~· there and they will pay you for ic." ~ression the~ced This was during che of Mr. Seely top price, and was going co do almost anything co complete the sale, so I went to the back door. ~ Now I am happy co announce that at the present time I am allowed co go in the fronL_ entrance to the Inn. ~ ( \ ' '<. �Guns and a Grandfather Clock A friend of mine had a valuable an rique clock abour six fcer tall. He said that he was leaving home for a month and there was a lot of larceny going on. He wanted to leave it with me for safekeeping. I told him to put it in the storage area on the second floor of the shop. A couple of days later a customer comes in and wants to buy a shotgun. It was summer rime and since hunting season didn't open until fall I wondered why he wanted a shotgun. My salesman said all the shotguns and shells were stored on the second floor and he wo uld take the customer up there. A little later I heard a big loud bang from the second floor. The salesman came running down and said that the customer had commirted suicide with a shotgun. I called the Police Deparrment and Dr. Baer, the coroner. Will Hampton, solicitor of police court and the chief carne over. I went to the second floor with them and we found the customer passed out on the floor. I didn't see any blood and upon examination we found part of his clothing blown away under one arm and he wasn't injured. It's almost impossible to reach the trigger of a 32" barrel shotgun when you have the muzzle at your chest. Evidently the customer must have tried to reach the trigger and the muzzle slipped under his arm when the gun fired. I remembered the grandfather clock and found that the discharge from the gun blew some of the plaster out of the wall about a foot from the dock. T he dock was okay. Dr. Baer asked for a pin. He said that he wanted to find out if the man really passed out. He jabbed him several rimes with a pin and the man didn't move. He really passed out. The chief said that the man had violated a law and he would take charge of him. The lesson from this event is: Don't try to commit suicide- if you do, you are liablr to get arrested. .A Secwtarys Thoughts My name was Ma~t Owen in 1936, when I was Leo Finkelstein's secretary. It was the first job I ever had and he really taught me how to be office help. It was an exciting time to work on Pack Square, which was the hub of Asheville's business world at that time. I remember that Mt. Finkdstein would lend me out to do typing for some of the Jewish organizations he was participating with at that time. I worked for Lou Pollock when he was head of the Jewish Cemetery, and Mr. Gustav Lichtenfels and Siegfried Sternberg when they were working on getting Jewish people out of Germany. I wrote some of the letters which were instrumental in bringing some of the early German Jews to Asheville, who then went on to become very valuable citizens of Asheville. I know of Herbert Schifran and his fam ily, and Alfred and lrmgard Lichtenfels. There were probably others that Mr. Finkelstein was responsible for that he remembers, but I have forgotten. I was in the store when the internees of Germany and Japan who were billeted at Grove Park Inn came in, and Tom Wolfe carne in to visit his friend, Bob Bunn. I was standing out front one day when General George Marshall walked by on his way to the City Hall which was the Air Force Headquarters at that time during World War II. We all were out front one day when President Franklin D. Roosevelt visited Asheville to dedicate the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Mr. Finkelstein was more than a friend to many of the ethnic community of char rime. I believe char he was the contact for visiting rabbis, Jewish transient people who needed help and communicated with them in Hebrew. All the employees learned to understand and communicate (somewhat) by talking to each other in Yiddish. Mr. Finkelstein played ar least ten or rwelve instruments, demonstrating in order to make a sale o r loan. The Silver Shirts In the 193{)!;>William Dudley Pelly operated the "Silver Shirts," a Nazi-like organiz.a- <!_ rion in a building across the street from the Jewish Community Center on Charlotte Street. He published the Libaation ~tkry,'tanti-Semitic literature with a circulation of eight thou- ~ sand. 0->n.--ln a parade, I was playing the saxophone with th~ Shrine Club Marching · le Band, and William Rosenfelt was carrying the Ameri n""i=Jag. Pelly in his Libaation Wftkry published a story that we were disgraced by a Jew with , · nose carrying the American flag. Pelly was arrested by the Buncombe County Sheriff's Department in 194 1 for selling unregistered stock. He was found guilty through the efforts ofJulius Levitch, a young Jewish lawyer by the name of Alvin Kurrus, and a local attorney named R.R. Williams. < �The Stolen ~tch William Rothenberg was a parient at the V.A. Hospital in Oteen. He moved to Asheville to live, married Freda Gross. I gave him a job as salesman in the pawnshop. He would go back to Oteen for treatments but was asked to stop. He got to drinking and was separated from his wife. A railroad watch from our display board was missing. A taxi driver told me that William Rotheuberg sent the watch to the other pawnshop in town by him, and he pawned it there for $20. I checked the serial numbers on the watch and they were the same as the ones on our watch. I asked Rothenberg about it and he said that he won it in a poker game the night before at the Langren Hotel. I checked with Fred Bradley, the night manager of the hotel and he advised me that there was no poker game in the hotel that night. Rothenberg got to drinking and Judge Cathey put him in jail with a sentence of 30 days. Judge Cathey released him from jail after I promised to send him to Miami, Florida where his ex-wife was living. I bought him a bus ticket and told him nor to return to Asheville. He clid not return. rv. I Am A Dime was born in the early pan of the twentieth century at the United States Mint in Philadelphia, put in a roll with forry-nine other climes and srupped to the Southern State Bank, of which Mr. S. Sternberg was president, on Depot Sueer in Asheville, North Carolina. M r. Sternberg had a son, Joseph, who later became president of the Asheville Lions Club. Mr. Sternberg rook me and the forry-nine other climes to his beautiful estate on Victoria Road in order to panicipare in a ten cent limit poker game with some of his friends. Someone tipped off the police that a game was goiug on. The home was raided and Mr. Sternberg gave the names of the players as Mr. Aleph, Mr. Baze, M r. Gimmel, Mr. Dolad, Mr. Hay, Mr. Vove, Mr. Zion and Mr. Hess. The Ashroilk Citiun carried a story after the trial that an attorney appeared in Police Court for Mr. Aleph, Mr. Baze, Mr. Gimmel, Mr. Dolad, Mr. Hay, Mr. Vove, Mr. Zion and Mr. Hess and paid their fines. Very few people knew that Aleph, Baze, Gimmel, Dolad, Hay, Vove, · , ess are the first eight letters of < the Hebr ~abet. I got sep te from the other dimes that came to Asheville with me. I found myself in the pocket of Chief Bernard of the AsheviUc Police Depanmenr. It was in Novemb61i'9P6, that the Chief phoned Uncle~ Harry, the pa~er, and said that he needed firearms and ammunition ro equip a posse of fifty men in order to hunt Will Harris, a desperado. Will Harris had shot and killed five men, two of whom were ciry policemen. Uncle Harry furnished the �posse with guns and ammunition, taking only the names of those receiving firearms. It was reported that Will Harris spent the night in a barn in Buena Vista. The posse surrounded him in a field near Fletcher and~him. His body was brought to an undertaking estab? ishmem at 21 South Main Srr e~ hung our of the second story window in the building in order to show the people t he had been killed and quieten them down. The next day, the Chief called Uncle Harry and asked if all the firearms had been returned. Uncle Harry said they had and commented that the people of Asheville were honest and good citizens. {Bob Ton//, wriur for rh~ Citizen-limes, ta/lud about this romt at on~ ofour mutings of Club.) th~ Lions (In 1968 th~ Bur~au ofAlcohol Tobacco and Fir~arms in Washington ~quir~d a ~cord of nl"J pistol rifo, rroolv~r that w~ ~aiv~d and dispos~d of, as ~11 as th~ mod~/. calib~r, urial numbu and manufoctur~r. I ~antly ch~ck~d th~ shop that I r~tir~d.from 25 y~an ago and thry hav~ mortis of33,000 transactions sina 1968 on hand.) The Chief took me to Mr. Pa~e on South Main Street, bought his lunch which consisted of a ten cenr bowl of soup, a good supply of free crackers and catsup. OLM>Pff$'? 1P 1 Pa~rother Mr. operated the "Candy Kitchen" on Haywood Street. They were making a l<~t.gfs;ick candy in the shape of wa.lking sticks, colored red and white. The cafe owner bought a half dozen walking sticks from his brother, using me as part payment. He said that he was going to put the candy on his C hristmas tree. p.~fu,ed The next day Mr. on North Main Street, was coming to town in a rain storm. North Mai~;.:: ~t all side streets were not. They had stepping stones in order to get across. Mr. P~p?~ on a stepping stone, getting his shoes all muddy. He stopped at the Pack Square Shoe Shine Parlor, got a shoe shine for five cents and gave the shine boy a five cent rip. The nc:xt thing I knew I was placed in a deposit for the Wachovia Bank and I stayed in their vault until the year 1913. Uncle Harry picked me up rouse in his petty cash. His son asla:d for his weekly allowance and I was given to him with four other dimes. The son boarded a South Main Street streetcar on Pack Square with a fishing pole and a can of womu. He got off at the Swannanoa River and waiked a hundred yards toward the French Broad. In a couple of hours, he caught a nice suing of hog suckers, homey heads and perch out of the beautiful clear waters of the Swannanoa River. On his way home, he gave me to the conductor, received five cents change and a transfer to the North Main streetcar inor~e~ome. Z e-CondJ cror carried me around a few days and then gave me to a lady on the Rive · pen air" streetcar that ran to Riverside Park. Riverside Park was owned and operated by th~eville Power and Light Company, the same people who owned the street car company at was mally gobbled up by Lion Smith's Carolina Powe~d Light Company. This ady gave me to her husband who went down to the EIWClub and lost ~ me in a rummy game to a distinguished looking attorney they called "Judge Cocke." After the card game, the judge sat around talking to brother Elks and drinking beer. He was <.... ~ F.unous for his knowledge of North Carolina, people and places. He even talked about ._.; 44 the house of ill repute in Asheville at the rum of the cenrury known as the "Eagle Terrace" run by a lady called "Queen Elizabeth." r The next morning, Attorney Cocke defended a man in Police Court who was charged with stealing a pair of shoes and pawning them because he couldn't wear them on account of being too small. The court ordered the man to leave town that day. The man said he was hungry and didn't have any money. So Attorney Cocke gave me with other change to him. The man went down to the Asheville and East Tennessee Railway Company station ar the comer of North Main and College Streets. They operated an electric vehicle between Asheville and Weaverville. The man smelled hot dogs cooking at D. Gross's Hot Dog Srand next door, so he spent me for a hot dog and a coca-cola. Mr. Gross raised and educated a F.unily of thirteen children from the money he earned at his hot d og stand. Mr. Gross carried me around unci.l Saturday night when he went to Liggett's Drug Store for some headache powders. He stopped in from of the drug store to listen to the Salvation Army band while they were having a preaching and musical session. He put me in a pot they were using to get donations for their annual Christmas party. The Salvation Army bought a second-hand truck from Lion Fred Brown to be used in delivering food and clothing to the poor people in town. I was used in this transaction. Lion Brown rook me to a Lions Club meeting, where he used me to pay the dime he was fined by the Tail Twister for falling asleep during the program. The Tail Twister's wife took possession of me and bought some ribbon a Royal, a large department store on South Main Street, operated by Mr. Mo cis Myers.!? )1/t'Jt:R. I circulated around Asheville until 1918, and again found myself in poss · of Mr. Sternberg. He had a large junk yard and warehouse on Depot Street that bought and sold < �FR OM R.S.U . MEDIR SERV I CES 0:5.0 6.1998 11:04 hundrui' '''' .....,J,idt,. On -.ll ,,f hh adV\:tti&(menu, he ca.rried the slogan, "We buy any· rl11 111!, :uul M II eve •ytluul'\: A • ircw came to town and didn't have enough monty to leave. T hey :•pplit d :•· M1. Stc robc r~ who wu president of the Southern States Bank 011 Depot !'It I<< t lm 11 I••:•" .,f $200. Mr. Sternberg made- the loan and took the elephant as collateral. H e ntnl'lale,.·rl lu• ...,~~ lo•in ~ It Ioney on account of the elephant uting JO rnuoh. Otto llu,rr k wh¢ 11\\ll c d Mtddlcneull t Gudens at th:u time raited hb own flowers at a hot house it . c :.111dln. 11, 1 1 rlrt~ol M1. ~~~· rnherg out wirh the elephllllt- he bought tht elrphant'' 1 P. 2 Lion 4 home to 2 into the P recruited ' muskrar h fj,,. bdl ~tllll• d '" ri 1t~ At tht' fitc house. The Armistice of World War J had bean signed. Then to the Gal Bill's hrotl President the thc:ate l'r11pk g;~thnu . 1111 I•H Squa1c and buih a hugC" bonfire. A firC' truck came out of the flr: ck hl•uH to ~lut•< "' J)'lldight 011 rhe American flag fly1 at the top of the Pack Square flag ng 1 pol, 1CC>I'k ~ ~ " 1>1 iu~m~ th1it ~u tu from home to the Square i\nd 1hootin(t livr ammuni· girls at clc boy& in or 111 .111\1 11' , 'J l1c t u::Xt """j.: I tc·call Wfl' Jout o'clock on the morninsofNovemhcr II , 1918. ti1oo1 IIIlO th t : j, ·lhe Il l l'l'i~(,tfl tll'll The fdlt •w who <lwned mr hrought 11 double~barrel shotgu11 10 town and bought some l.!u1~ I'OW\I•·J ~loc·ll~ I rom Oti~ Green HMdware Store. (Mr Green yean lurr bee~~ me mayor l,r 1\~lorvill~l .,.lu: ('!,ic-C of Pulice &oon asked alluorea 1elllng Rmmunition to qult selling it ~' hc w~~ 11lt.,·,, \IIIIH'11f1C: Wl'uld acddentally get ahot. M1. <;,,.1to tuok rnt to tlu· Southem Railway pacsengu atation and bought a ticket to Nrw Yurk f 11•ll l !'at Mulvanry, ticker agent. Frank Mulvaney, a brother to p_.t, was a chief drrlc lor the n•llmd lit" latrt I'ICcame councilman for the City of A1heville. 1';11 wok '"' ''' 1hr Uniuu News CompAny's news 1tand in the station and bought two bousht a Billboard magarJnc, And I wa. ~tvt 11 w ltil ot II • < h :111~(· for '' dc\llar. He took me to the Glen Rock Hotel RCroll the meet, and I w•~ u,,.,J 111 payilll( hb h1l l. The clerk at the hotel bought some icc cream 111 Finley's P111~ Ston· t•l">1 door liv<· <"<"Ill •:it·.:1r' 1 :1 tt' an t'nwuc:er from the ra~lroad .. ......._. Mr. Jr,r,lcl' ._:.1vc· ""' to ht~ M>n, Bob. who took e ~o ntford Avenue School. Bob in / lat< r yt·tH lo< l:tiP,. the· Suprrntl' Court Justice for e'~atc Washington. Sob, on kavi n~ Momlot<l ~''''"ll' St 1.11ol opt liRy. took me to Mr. ' roccry Store on Cherry Street ~nd lwtJfoh~ \ (>lltl · rookie• Thr peOflle acrou the street from Mr. Book's Groc:Qry Store had ~ lut nf t:h~n )' trcr . .<Ill their land aJ1 they would pay boyt from the tchool ten cenu a , d qu:trt 1 p~ ~. d~<·rnc·~. Lion Curl Rhinehart picked e quart of cherrie& and ~c~lved me in 0 JI~ )' IIH I ll Majestic 1 It was bought b) Street. Sc there for 1 used me 1 The c Thq more. 1 c me. Dr. J aale. Dr. haven't lt4 �Lion Cui Rhinehart lost me in a marble game :1r s~:hool cu Ja.c:lt R x·•• '• wl•tl tovk .,,,. ol' home: to 21 ~ Norch Main Sttctr. A creek ran plllJkl ru Nm ch Main Sirccc .111 :empti(d J into the Pren_ch Broad. Jack foW'Id mutkra.ts were running up a11d dowfl du: •:• ct~• av ht r~cruirc:d Scl~c: of the: nc:ishborhood boys who acquired n~cl UiipS anJ ~a u~h 1 .ojd told rlw mulkrar hidcts ro St. Penick and Company, at the corner of Ncmh Mairl :u•cll .••..iu~Jtvn. uy any~ to leave. Depot collateral. Otto hoc houJc: phant's 18. The llgned. ,f rhc: fire~ are flaa ammunl- .ghc some: line: mayor t sellinslc T he ncsc thing I recall I waa in the pants pockc:c ot Lion Uill Mifh ~l·rv·· · whp rook "'' to the G:Vuy ·rncater on Pack Square in order to sec 11. . eri:J 'n•>vie ralltd n,,. 11/a:·• lltwd. 1 Bill's brother, Dan, was manaFr of the Asheville: The:ttcr.s, a11.J he fin;~ly I·~·· ·"" ' Viu· Presldc:nc of Paramounr Picturet, with hc:adquRiters in Aumah<4. Sinc:c '''' IIU• ic1 .1c che theateu in town, he: would, on oc:cuion, take his teenage· 1-ouy fticnls l•:u k~ ra~e .1r ch ~ Majestic Thc:atc:t, Joe~ red :u d~ corner of Colle~e and M.ukn Strew. 1 ~" w •l1c ch• . girls at dose range. 1omm)' E.lkina, the stage mlltlngcr, wou ld keep a rh~c.: w.. t. on thC' ., boys in order to see that they behaved themselves. It wa, in 1922 when I waa wed 1.1 pare p:Ayment for a sc.:oud h;111d Jcll··cy ;'IIUlllluh•k bought by Harry Blomberg. Harty took Ius Jeflcry autl) to A1hcvillc lli~• , ,.,.. ~,f on< .,~k Srreer. Someone dropped me on Market Street :wJ I rolled dnwn :.t sc.•"' "'""~'· I ~1ayc.J there for ;a lqng time and one day a man from the c:ity's water dt·p;~w HO•H f., .. ,,.j me .111d used me in a donation co me Dem«ratic Patey of Buru:omhc Cl)unty. The: c.:h a.itm<~n of rhc: P11rty put me in a 10 cent slot mad •rnc :i<:ket co u a chief ughttwo • and I wu he meet. t Finley's t&t J tv< i.d . l ui ~ The pl~ycr who won me at the 1lot machine wl)u(J tlw.ly5 put 111c h.h ~ . l~toping 111 wrn more. t circulated in and out of the .lot m~hine wwl 19~0, when l .io11 l l , I:,;lthn;ru w''" me:. Dr. f'ddmm had a rcputacion of never buyin~ any thin~ unlm hr ~~~ ·lid ~~~·J it whtJ!e sale. Dr. f'Cldman put me: in the z.ipp~r change !ecuon of hi~ 1 10Cketh• •'k· .111.1 1\tlW I haven't seen the light of day for twenty years. >1. &b In on Ieavins ry Srrcc:c Store had :nrs a :dmc in s: 'd S 3Ji n ~3 S ~103W ·n·s·~ W O~ ~ �make any difference, as long as he is a Jew that is all that is necessary. That is what you might think, but I don't! There is not one Jewish transient in five hundred worthy of any help at all. They travel from place to place using the fact that they are Jc:ws to prey upon other Jews. Many of them are ex-ronvicts, some just ordinary bums, and all of them liars. In this army of rogues, you will not find one who has a friend or relative who they could obtain help from. I have offered to wire to any person for hundreds of them, but they will teU you that all their friends or relatives are broke, or that they wouldn't think of asking any of them for money. Common sense will tell you that, if a transient is wonhy, there must be someone in this world who will help him to some extent. I am sure if any of you gentlemen were to find yourself broke in some fur off place, that you would have at least one friend or relative to whom you could wire for help. These swindlers don't want to get help from friends or relatives. They are just traveling around, enjoying life in a peculiar way, and living on the Je · pu ·c, their so-called brothers. QL - y So, when these Je "sh Bro / them? The only sensible possible. rs of ours come to town, what are we supposed to do with ng we can do is to get rid of them as quickly and as cheaply as The most common type of transient is the ordinary bum who claims that he has a job in a nearby city. All he wants from you is a couple of meals in a good restaurant, a room with a bath in a dean hotel, transponation to the place he is going, and maybe a pair of shoes, a couple of shirts and an overcoat. In order to get rid of this man quickly you must start talking befOre he does. So when I spot one, I start talking first. I ask him if he wants some help, and as soon as he says "Yet I hand him a half-dollar, a meal ticket to a nearby rataurant, and teU him to get the heU our of town as rut as he can. Most of them will take this and leave because they know, through their grapevine system, that this is all they can get- This system even infunns them where to go to when you get to a town, and that is why nobody sees the majority of these people except mysel£ Some of them insist that they have a special story ro teU you about their hard luck, and that they are different from the rest. These stories would make some of you break down and weep, but to me these stories are just a bunch of fabricated lies. Then, we have the group of transients who are physically disabled. Some are partially blind and crippled. They will claim to have tuberculosis, nervous indigestion, high blood prasure or what-not. Some will claim to have a combination or complication of diseases, or an assortment of ailments. If I am convinced that the transient is really ill, then I buy 40 him transponation to the nearest point, and get him out of town as last as I can. These people are never given cash for their transponation. A check is written to the bus station for their ticket, and the bus station has instructions to issue a ticket stamped "No Refund." This method was adopted after I found out some cashed their tickets back in to get cash, and bummed rides out on the highway to get to where they were going. A decent looking, elderly lady once appealed to me for help. She stated that she was almost blind, and was traveling with her son who was so crippled he couldn't walk. She told me that she and her son had come in on a bus late the night before, and were at a small hotel near the bus station. She advised me that her son was ill in bed, that she was out of funds, could not ay her hotel bill, had nothing to eat, and no way to get to a nearby city where her ~?In to enter a hospital. "A worthy case, at last!" I thought. I took her name, apd asi~Jier t come back in an hour, and I would see what I could do for her. I inquired ahhe.ho e , and found that nobody by the name she gave me was there. I asked her about this when she returned, and she said that she did not use her real name since it was Jewish, and she didn't want people to think she was Jewish. I called the hotel sor, <..___ ~~~red~~~=~~~~~~~~~~~ the two of them were registered there, but that her son seemed healthy, and was in and out of the hotel all day long. Asking her about this, she explained that her son went out only when he had to go to the drug store for medicine. It was cold and raining outside, so I called the hotel, and told them I would pay their bill, gave her enough for food, bought her two bus tickets, and gave her instructions to get out of town by night without fail. It wasn't long before I received a phone call from a Jewish person in town stating that this old lady had called on him, and he proceeded to cuss me out for not giving her any help. To make a long story short- she called on three more persons in the city with the same story- that I would not help her. A couple of hours later I went by the hotel where she was staying and found that she had checked out and left in her room many pieces of clothing that had been given to her by these people she had called on in the city. Then we have the rabbis. They are a wonderful type of transient to deal with. They usually get to town on Friday, so you have to keep them over "shabbos." That means an expense of two nights' lodging and meals for a whole day. In fact, all the transients who arrive on Friday are "very religious" and won't travel on Friday night or Samrday. I've had many rabbis promise to send me back the money I gave them, and never yet has one of them sent back a penny. In filet, of the hundreds of promises that I've had from all kinds of transients to return money given them, never has one kept his promise. �The president of the onhodox congregation on~ phoned me, and told me that a rabbi was at his howe and that this rabbi was a very fine person, a scholar, and a gentleman, a man in need, and suggested that I give him $5. I was jwt ready to leave my howe, and I informed the president that I did not have time to interview the rabbi myself. bur that if he thought the man was wonhy, to give him $5, and I would return that amount to him larer. I happened to pass by the president's howe jwt as the rabbi was leaving there, and I rook a good look at him. The nt:Xt morning, the same rabbi was at my place ofbwiness, wanting co know if I cook care of the Jewish transients. He wasn't a rabbi anymore, and he had changed his name. I told him to come along with me, and I would rake him to the man who could help him. He got into the front seat of my automobile, and wanted to know where we were going, and when I told him we were going co see the president of the onhodox congregation, he jumped out and ran. I ran after him, and caught him on Patton Avenue. He starred yelling like I was going to murder him, and a crowd started to gather, so I let him go, and he ran away again. I haven't seen him since. Another rabbi on~ appealed co me for help. and he claimed to be a brother-in-law of the rabbi in Greenville, SC. Knowing the rabbi in Greenville personally, I didn't believe he would send a brother-in-law of his our of the state to chisel the public, so I phoned long d.isrance to inquire about the man. The rabbi in Greenville informed me that this transient had worried the community there a couple of days before, that he was no relation of his, bur claimed to be a brother-in-law of the rabbi in Columbia. This man's system was to claim relationship to a rabbi in a nearby cicy. in order co get help. I gave him fifty ~nrs and a meal ticket, and told him to get out of town before dark He didn't leave, instead he called on other Jews in the cicy with the same story, and collected around $5 by noon the next day. I finally contacted him and cold him again to get our of town, which he refused to do. So, I had the poli~ department pick him up and put him in jail. In about an hour, I went over, and talked to him in jail, and he changed his tunc quite a bit. He was ready co leave town, so we let him out and this time I gave him fifteen minutes to disappear- and he did! Another rabbi onc.e called on me and stated that he was a representative of a Jewish institution somewhere in Europe, and wanted a donation for it. I explained to him that we had a federated Jewish charities here to help him, and he would have to make his request through them. He kept insisting that I give him a donation personally, and I kept refusing him. He finally gave up, proceeded to ews me out in Yiddish, in a extremely loud voice and this wasn't all- he spit on the floor, slammed the door as hard as he could as he wenr out. I fdt like killing him, and I think it would have been jwcifiable homicide. I could cell you many tales of my experiences with these human vultures, but one I remember in panicular was the rime when a local judge phoned me and told me that he would have to try a young boy by the name of Goldberg for vagrancy. He asked me to recommend to him what to do with the boy. I wem over to see the defendant, and he happened co be one of the transients I had helped a few days before. He had ordered a sandwich at a small restaurant on the outskins of town, refused to pay for it, so the restaurant man had him arrested. I told the judge of my experiences with the Jewish t.ransients and asked him co make an example out of this boy, so he gave him thiny days on the road. In sentencing the boy, the judge told him that from now on every Jewish transient that was brought before him would get a road semen~. Then I really got criticized by the Jewish community for putting Jewish boys on the chain-gang. I was shown a copy of his criminal record from che FBI a few days Iacer. He had been convicted of all kinds of offenses from stealing a bicycle co highway robbery. After the boy got out, he came to see me again, and feeling sorry for him, I bought him a ticket to Charlotte, and informed him that I would sec that every transient from now on coming into Asheville would get a road semen~. Before that time, we had from ten to thiny transients per month appealing for help. It was interesting to note that we didn't have another transient come into Asheville for six weeks after the boy left, and for a long time after that appeals for help were half of what they had been before that. It is my sincere recommendation that every Jewish transient, coming into Asheville, be put in jail for a certain length of time. This is the only way co cure this evil. Of course, the Jewish community wouldn't stand for anything like that, they would rather give these damned hoodlums a few hundred dollars every year. Then, we have the transients coming through in family groups. These groups consist of a mother and father with one or more children. They wually arrive in a dilapidated old automobile. Most of the time, the automobile needs some repairs before they can leave town in it; it never has any gasoline and wually needs a couple of quatts of oil. These patties are expensive and hard to handle, becawe you can hardly send small children on their way without a night's sleep and proper food. Of course, I have some deserving cases, bur I don't class these with the transients. For instance, a man once came in to see me with the story that he had tuberculosis, and he had come down here from Detroit as his doctor had recommended this climate to him. He expected co gee a job as an elevator boy, or something of the sort, and he was under the impression that the climate here would cure him while he worked. Well, the man was broke and was waiting for some financial help from his brother whom he had written a few �days before. I gave the man $4 and he promised ro pay me back as soon as he heard from his brother. He came back the ncxr day. He had heard from his brother. He showed me the lcrrer and his brother enclosed $ 10 which was all that he could send. He told me that he was unable to find work, and was going to scan back for Detroit. He offered me the $4 I had given him. I asked him how he expected to get back to Detroit on $6, and he cold me that he would have co hitchhike. I told him to keep the $4, and wished him the best of luck. While I am nor a doctor, I was under the opinion from his looks that his health would never permit him to hitc€Juk'f_ ~~cf.~m ynd get there alive. ~~ch~ So for twenty years, I have bunch of beggars, coming from north, south, east, and west. They have become a part of my life, and if I could get out of this job right now, I am sure I would miss this horde of gangster.; that hop around from place co place like a bunch of grasshopper.; in a clover patch. Vli. War Years fiiot on 023 / "fin admission co the Air Force in 1943 I was ~ imetkwed as to what activity I had in a business or profession, also what experience I had in religious, fraternal or civic affair.;. I told them I was just a clerk in a pawnshop. I didn't tell them that I once: -was president of a cemetery. - was an owner of a company that built floats and decorated the town for the fim Rhododendron Festival in Asheville. -supplied the Asheville Police Department and the Sheriff's Department with guns and ammunition. I didn't tell them anything about my civic, fraternal, religious or social activities. I was sent to Tishomingo, Oklahoma for training in the Oklahoma State College for Agriculture to be an Air Force clerk in engineering. After graduating from the clerk's school in TIShomingo, I felt I would have an easy life in the Air Force being an engineering clerk. But my duties from Tishomingo to the islands in the South Pacific were: kitchen police mess hall fireman mess hall garbage director cleaning chickens �\ policing grounds digging ditches hauling poles ~ hauling fire:)vood hauling coal ,_ fighting forest fires ~ ) sorring merchandise a~house sorting salvage merchandise smashing tin cans hauling water finance clerk derail clerk runner for headquarrers sracking lumber cleaning rifles and machine guns building roads repairing bridges laying concrete operating gasoline pump telephone operator making inventories of supplies accing C. Q. pulling weeds and grass watering trees loading and unloading trucks loading and unloading freight cars loading barracks bags on boars and trucks cleaning harche.< on boars latrine orderly painting machinery communications clerk and finally, engineering clerk for the 394th Squadron, 5th bomb group of the 13th Air Force. ' Gerring a good grade on my education at lishomin South Pacific I thoughr I was ready to do my job. '---My first difficulry was when A pilot comes in to see me afrer a combat mission on a B-24 Bomber number 023 and said that he failed to put on his reponing form #I that the rachometer indicator occilates excessively, would I please write it in the form for him. I rold him I would. You know, I didn't know what the h--- he was talking about and I couldn't even spell it. Tokyo Rose Tokyo Rose was an American girl broadcasting from a radio station in Japan during World War II. Her broadcast was received by the 13th Air Force in the Admiralty Islands located in the South Pacific area. / She played recorded American music in her broadcast. She advised us that our wives and sweethearts were daring the 4 F's - the men who srayed our of military service - and they would go to drive-ins for hamburgers and ~oca-colas. She also said that the Japanese would be waiting for our B-24 bombers scheduled for a mission in the morning with anri-aircrafr guns and fighter planes. Radios were scarce on rhe island. wanted to listen to Tokyo Rose so I wrote home and requested a small radio to be shipped ro me. They advised that the smallest radio weighed roo much to be shipped overseas by parcel post but they would rake it apace and ship it in two packages which was acceptable at the post office. uo in World Wor II �The radio deparunenr of the 5th Bomb Group said they would be glad to put the radio together for me. When I received the shipment in two packages I gave it to them. They repaired. it the best they could. I found that when I turned it on, it would work for abour a minute and then quit receiving. They could not find the trouble. One day I took a screw driver, tightened all the screws and thought I found rhe trouble. I put the radio on the table in the tent, started it receiving and in one minute it stopped. I was disgusted. I hit rhe radio, knocked it off rhe table; it hit rhc floor, bounced about two feet and started playing. It was okay from then on. In about a week Captain Gardner in the engineering department sent word that he wanted to sec me as soon as possible. I thought I had fouled up on keeping his engineering records but he had this to say: "Corporal Finkdstein we are having trouble repairing cqe radio on airplane No. 022 and we understand that you are the only one in the 394th Squadron that can solve our problem. Wtll you help us?" I forgot what I said, but I couldn't figure out how to knock an airplane off the table. Topless WOmen Now if you read the morning paper, you noticed headlines on the from page: "Topless Night Club Opens in Asheville." Well, you didn't need a night club to see topless women on those Sourh Pacific Islands during World War II. The trouble was they would move all the women to another island close by the island we occupied. We built a motor boar made of two airplane belly tanks and a small power unit so that we could go over and sec the women at another island. I didn't go over to see the women. I wasn't afraid of them, bur I was afraid the boat might sink. Before the war Smokey Joe owned a road house on the highway going south from Asheville and after talking to him I found that I had patronized his instirution on numerous occasions during my younger years. Since we were practically neighbors in civilian life, we felt rhat we should continue over there as good neighbors and so we were. There is no better friend in the army than a cook because when you get hungry, he is rhe only man who can help you out. In passing I might mention that Smokey Joe, Starvin Marvin and I have on numerous instances enjoyed eating surplus stocks of food from the Mess Hall. Smokey Joe told me that Sheriff Brown, in Asheville, took his automobile away from hiJ? once because rhe sheriff had found some whiskey in it that he was rransponing to his road house. In 1944, Sergeant Joe received a shipment of canned corn. Instead of using it for chow, he built a still in a fox hole and made corn whiskey out of it. In a neighborly spirit he _. invited me to drink what I wanted of the corn whiskey and he helped me trade watch bands for coca-cola syrup and ice cream from a Navy,C.B. outfit located near by. ~ While overseas, besides having corn whiskey made by Joe and medical alcohol diluted 50% by water and flavored with burnt sugar, we were able to buy bonded whiskey from the flying personnel who didn't drink their rauon~~were looking for souvenirs so I wrote<( Lion Nat Friedman to send me a Jap~e har~tkari k.ti e from his antique store. He sent<:___ me a similar one. It was a-cir~ ~a~ · e with Turkish letters on it. My cost was $4. It looked Iii<{; hare:kari lq\ife. I gave it to Sergeant Joe and asked him to see if h< 'hl:.oond~hiskey. He reported later that he couldn't get a fifth of could trade for a fifth whiskey for it but he did get two fifths for it. Now Smokey is fighting to get his freedom - his freedom to go home and dodge Sheriff Brown some more. Srarvin Marvin wants ro go home and see his wife and two year old boy, a child that he has never seen, and so it is with me - I want ro go home - I just want to go home. World 'War II Diary Sergeant joe Sergeant Smokey Joe's home is just a little bit south of Asheville, NC. He was mess good guy, and a GI who could sympathize with all the ~er had to eat the food he prepared. sergean~e 394th squadron, a Vo 48 I had nothing to do while recovering from a recent surgery so I found my World War II diary and read the following: Before the war, I thought know Sherman was right. bein[~e army would be a thrilling advenrure - bur now I 7l (_ �Before the war, I thought the Air Force was a mechani~d force- but now I wonder what the hell I'm marching for. cwfff.J VJI[. Mter the War lkfore the war, I thought the .AJhroi/k Citizm was a 9181ten newspaper - but now I enjoy reading one four days old. Sgt. Smokey joe Before the war, I would drink a cocktail before dinner - but now I drink milk with my dinner. Before the war, I would sometimes go to bed at 4 a.m. - but now I get up at 4 a.m. Before the war, I was particular about what girl I took out- but now I'm not so particular. Before the war I struggled over a golf course- but now I struggle over an obstacle course. Before the war, I used to shine at a dance - but now I shine my shoes. Before the war, I cussed at a golf ball - but now a sergeant cusses at me for not being on the ball. lkfore the war, I didn't have much religion - but now I pray for a furlough. Soon after a prayer for a furlough, the Red Cross advised me that a business associate of mine had committed suicide and I had been granted a rwo weeks emergency furlough for a trip home. A ~ 'Jtrer the war Smokey Joe opened his road house agam near Greenville, SC. He carne to see me and advised that they had arrested his partner for hauling whiskey in Buncombe Counry and wanted to know if I could help him out. I told him I knew the Chief of Police and Sheriff Brown and I would be glad to see what the situation was. He mid me they couldn't help as it was the federal authorities that arrested his partner. Thinking of how to get him a light sentence, I asked Joe if his partner was in the armed forces and he said that rhey had turned him down because he had a heart murmur. I told Joe to send his partner to Lion Dr. Feldman who was federal physician and I would get a report from him as to his heart murmur. Lion Dr. Feldman told me he had a heart murmur and as a federal physician he would advise Judge Warlick about it in federal court. At the trial, Joe's partner got a suspended sentence. Later he carne to see me with a roll of hundred dollar bills and wanted to pay me for getting him off. I refused the money and told him that Joe had helped me out during the war and what I did was a favor to Joe. Later he brought me six fifths of scotch for a present which I kept. Corn Whiskey at Road House Before the war, road houses would hide the corn �whiskey they served their guests in a container under a bed. When the sheriff's deparunent would raid the joint, they usually wouldn't look for it there. One night they found it and an article appeared in the AJhroilk Citizm that the sheriff's department confiscated a gallon of whiskey hid in a container at a road house. jim Dive/hiss and Beaver Lake Returning home from World War II, I was interested in building a house to live in. Jim Divelbiss, president of the Asheville Lions Club 1941-1942, said that he had a lot across the street from his home on Westwood Road in Lakeview Park and if I would build a om• story house so he could see Beaver Lake over the roof of my house, he would give me a good deal. I acquired the lot and built the house. He told me that as a resident of Lakeview Park I should take on some activity for the benefit of the park. He took me to the annual meeting of the property owners and I was elected as one of the three commissioners - no salary. When I met with the other two commissioners they told me I had charge of the lake and fishing and they would back me up in anything I wanted to do. I got phone calls. ~ I got a phone call from a resident ~~who said "stop the fishing, the fish arc diseased." contaCted the game warden from thtr:r<i"''ild.life Resources Commission and we found that a service st2tion alongside the creek that fed the lake had put old oil from automobiles in the creek. and it had k.illed a few fish. -v I got a phone call from a lady that an awful looking man wearing overalls was fishing. I asked her if she expected him to wear a ruxedo. I got a call advising that two women indecently dressed were near the dam of the lake. '"">I found..!.- •o be the wives of the two commissioners 811.11 ilafftillg.. t" - j\''Y<;u ~n 1 U1 • I found two men swimming in the lake, which was against the rules. They wid me they would swim and that I couldn't stop them. I told them to swim if they wanted to and that a sewer line had broken and was emptying in the lake, and they would probably get typhoid fever. They stopped swimming. I found a group of women in bathing suits with a photographer at the lake near Glenn Falls Road. I found them to be local beauticians getting their picture with the lake in the background. They were using the picrure on a cover of a program for a state convention of beauticians in Asheville. Fishing in the lake was allowed for licensed property owners only. I saw a man standing at the edge of the lake for 30 minutes just looking. On investigation I found he had a line tied to his belt that ran down the inside of his pants leg over his shoe into the lake. On the line he had a float and a haired hook. When the fish would bite and pull the float under he would kick his leg, hang the fish, pull it in, and nobody would know he was fishing. I appreciated what Lion Divelbiss had done by getting me elected to be fish commissioner of Beaver Lake. But I got a call that I was going to be elected president of Congregation Beth-Ha-Tephila and that construction would be started soon on a temple at Liberty and Broad Streets. I thought I could use some religion so I didn't run again for commissioner of Lakeview Park and I took up my duties as president of Beth-Ha-Tephila. I completed the financing of the building of the new temple in two years. I was tired out and hoped that maybe I could get some rest by being fish commissioner again at Bc:av~r Lake. Sternberg Hunting Rats _) Lio~ub <('_ ~ Joe Sternberg was president of the in 1960-6 I. His father, Siegfried Sternberg, came over to the U.S. at the tum of the century, procured a horse and wagon, and drove around western North Carolina buying cowhides and junk. He finally opened a junk yard on Depot Street and became one of the largest cowhide dealers in the United States. Lion Joe was my classmate in the Asheville High School class of 1922. He rented a freight car on the local freight train to Murphy and bought cowhides at the stations where the train stopped. I was watch inspector for the Southern Railway and would travel on the same train, giving the employees a certificate that in my opinion the watch they had wouldn't vary over 30 seconds a week. Going west you could go as far as Waynesville by auto and then by train to Murphy. Lion Joe Dave, president of the club in 1932, was conmuction engineer for the Sternberg Company who supplied steel for the construction of buildings. Later he organized the Dave Steel Company. Old man Sternberg did well financially and became president of the Southern State Bank on Depot Street. �He became active in civic, religious and fraternal affairs in Asheville. He built a big home on Victoria Drive. He didn't like the hdp he was gerring in Asheville so he imported a beautiful young maid from Germany. The maid went down to get an item from the garage and found Mr. Sternberg there. Mr. Sternberg got fresh with the maid, the maid -;..1 - -:,?ricked up a.22 caliber rifle that I sold him and shot him. The wound wasn't serious. The next morning a news item appeared in the Ash~ilk Citiun: "Sternberg Wounded While Hunting Rats in the Garage." Irving S. Cobb and Grove Park Inn P About sixty years ago my friend Fred B~ night clerk at the Grove Park Inn. ~e would tell me about the operation of~ A guest would find his home town news/ paper at his breakfast table. If he paid for anyuung, what change, if needed, would be given to him in uncirculated money. ~ounds The only entrance to was a large gate off of Macon Avenue. The gate ..._ was dosed at 10 p.m. as the noise from any automobile going in and o~d disrurb the guests. Irving S. Cobb, a famous humorist, spent a co~k,_of days at ~ I A little afrer <(_ ten o'clock one night, he tried to get his auto into ~;grounds. e ound the gate <. locked. He had to p~ car on Macon Avenue. He walked to ~ and complained loudly about it. He was advised that th@ n didn't wdcome any unusual noises afrer 10 p.m. In a little while he carne down to the lobby from his room carrying his shoes, nothing on his feet but his socks, walked very quietly to Fred Bradley and whispered to him, "I want to check out." In a couple of days a news item appeared in the Ash~vilk Citiun wrirrcn by Irving Cobb: "The Bunk of Buncombe." Read news article from Asheville Citizen-Times on suicide ;::::..-;::::. ~ I was reminded of an historical event years ago when I was sdling guns. A customer said he wanted an inexpensive pistol to keep in his home and he just obtained a permit to buy it. I sold him a.22 caliber lver Johnson pistol. This type gun was later known as a (_ "Saturday Night Special." sai?J "Don't call me mister, When I completed the sale I sai:)."Thank you, mister." He I'm a doctor. You call me doctor." I said, "Thank you, doctor." He took the gun home and committed suicide with it. Now I got to thinking. If he bought the gun today, he would have to make application to get a permit and wait rwo or three days for the permit to be issued. Maybe if he ~ had to wait that long for a permit, he might have changed his mind about the suicide. c. \ "'-... Then, I wondered why, as a doctor, he didn't write a prescription for some high powered sleeping pills, take several of them and just go to sleep and not wake up. I think I got an explanation. If any of you had to buy prescription drugs today, you know how expensive they are. And if they were that expensive back then when this happened, I guess the doctor felt he could save money by committing suicide with a "Saturday Night Special." Ashntilk BotJhruJbile with Finlulsuin's in th~ bac!tground on th~ squart, with passmga Mluf•rtt Ytzndk mul K4thmn~ eu~. drivtr. Phofo by Jaunia \V'dma, IllS I. PhcKo cowtay of Nonh CaroliJU Collection, Pack Memorial l.ibruy, Asheville, NC. < �~ 'VIj....SINS OF THE 5A.NcroMioussUMMIT, OR Shall I live and !aug?_, or cry and die with a prayer, or laugh and live or cry and die ylvia and I decided to go into the Summit, a retirement home, for our golden years of life. We soon found out that the golden years of life arc: just gold plated - the gold wears off and you find yourself in a situation of assorted problems. I was in the World War II battle in the South Pacific but I found that it was a cinch compared to the "old age" battle in the Summit. Some of the residents here arc: physically disabled and some arc: menrally disabled. I am 92 years old and I find that all the residents over 90 years of age are both mentally and physically disabled. In moving to apartment # 108, I asked if! could bring my piano. I was advised that my apartment had sound proof walls and it would be OK. A female resident in an apartment near me said that she enjoyed listening to me practicing but please don't play before eight o'clock in the morning- "it's liable to disturb my sleeping." The Summit was described to me as a "country club" retirement home with beautiful grounds, good entertainment and delicious food. In the so-called "country club retirement home," I am still looking for the golf course and a swimming pool. The department serving food is the best outfit here. The meals are delicious but I've never been �~ffered a cocktail befor~ dinner. The strongest drink I've ever had here has been i4ea. The Sanctimonious Band / Some day maybe we will have an enuee of a Maine lobster o r a wild duck on toast. I couldn't figure out my monthly bill. I was told that the adding machine I had was an antique and what I needed was a calculator and computer to get the correct amount. I was advised that the easiest thing for me to do was to write a check for the amount listed as BAlANCE on my statement. That would be satisfactory with the Summit. I never worry about paying my bills to the Summit - I let them worry. If I go broke, I'll just go next door to the Veteran's Hospital where I can get in any time since I have a disability discharge from World War 1!. The 1997 elections are over and I'm glad I'm a Democrat because I don't like what the Republicans will do with my benefits I get from Medicare and other government agencies to help pay the Summit. The Democrats are not so hot either. They lowered interest rates so much on my government bonds so now I have to cash them in order to have enough money to buy drugs. b. I played the piano with the Sanctimonious Band and we performed old songs and new, for Lions Club Ladies Day meetings and other gatherings. Sometimes I wrote songs similar to those that were sung by soldiers after World War II. Fritz Abertson wrote melody notes and completed the music for songs about Lions Club members who were veterans of World War II. j - Snapoo - Snapoo j Oh Madame - oh Madre, your daughter i I'd like to take her out a date Snapoo -snap-= . g scannie, Go-sn= Snapoo - Snapo i_n Oh sir - oh sir, she · roo young Snapoo - Sna o Oh sir - oh sir, s is too young She's never been ·sscd by any man's son Snapoo - snap , go-scannie, Go-sneeze Snapoo - napoo LN IINi Sylvia Oh Mother oh Mother, I'm not too young Snapoo - Snapoo Oh Mothe - oh Mother, I'm not too young I've been cd by the Rabbi's son Snapoo - ap-cczc, go-scannie, Go-sneeze Snapoo - Snapoo - �Oh Mother - oh Mother, Shelby's awful nice S apoo - Snapoo / 0 other - oh Mother, Shelbtwful nice 's An ow he's already kissed me icc Sn - snap-cc::zc, go-scannie, Go-sn= Snapoo - Snapoo Oh ~other - oh Mother, we' e leaving to eat S~apoo- Snapoo Oh M~er- oh Mother, e're leaving to eat We'~e t ·ng a ride in his my jeep Sna~a~:a:s:e~o-s Oh nie, Go-sneeze Mbth~ - oh Mo er, the moon is bright Snapo~Sna Oh Mod-i r oh M ther, the moon is bright d I' stay out all night Now Shel , go-scannie, Go-sneeze Snapoo - sn ~ Snapoopoo #2 I forgot to turn the srove off and the coffee pot was melted. #3 I forgot to turn the lights off. #4 I forgot to take my hearing aid with me. #5 I forgot to take my walking cane with me. #6 I forgot to take my reading glasses with me. #7 I forgot to rake my teeth. #8 I forgot to go to the bathroom - for my pills. I put a sign by the door where I leave the apartment listing the eight things I am supposed to do before leaving. Most times, I forget to look at the sign. ~SurgeryJ:yment < My doctor advised me that I needed major surgery and chat he would like to talk to me in his office. He wanted to know how I was going to pay my bill. I told him chat a former doctor in his establishment would accept Medicare, also ocher insurance benefits and send me a bill for what he didn't collect. I would chen send him a check. He advised that there were deductions on my insurance during me first part of the year and wanted to k.now if I had considered them. I rold him I didn't know, but I would write him a check now if he wanted it. Memory My memory is getting worse. In leaving my apartment, I find the following has hap- pened: #1 I fOrgot to tum the water off in the kitchen and the floor was flooded with water. Tht Sam:timonious &vm, 1-r. Fath" /Wph Ntagk, l.J. Charks Long, Bm SkiUman (statttl), F. jatlt Cok, David Albmson, Lto Finktlsuin at tht piano, Fritz Alhmsoon, D. 8/ac/nwU �"Oh no,~ he said. "I'll rili the check after the surgery." I answered, "I think you are making a mistake. If you take my insurance payments you will get paid in thirty days. If you wait to take my check and I die, it will take you a year to collect from my estate.) )l He said, "You are wrong. I'm not going to let you <lie." So now, I'm looking forward to the future with many years of fears and tears, suffering from: memory loss, over-reacting. trouble with eating, sleeping and weeping, coor<lination, irritation, and constipation. I had something to say about hc:r in a lenc:r back home which is rc:cordc:d in my <liary as follows: 20 Oaob" 1943 ~ I can't tell you where I'm at because the censor wouldn't like it. I can't tdl you what kind of clothes I've been issued because you would know was going. I can't tell you about the camp because it's against the rules. \ I can't tdl you about my equipment; it would jeopardize my security. Prayer, or Humor, or What? I wondered what is the most beneficial to me- PRAYER, or HUMOR, or WHAT? Is it time for me to laugh, cry or <lie? "";;, I sent copies of my World War II Diary [see page~ to two preachers chat responded ' { as follows: I can tell you this though - I had a date with a girl I knew in AsheviUe by the namf of Sylvia who used to live in C hicago, who is now living in Los Angdes and who is visiting sdlne friends in a town near here and she is JUST AS SWEET AS EVER. After my rerum home after three: years overseas in World War II, I found her JUST AS SWEET AS EVER. And we got married. From preacher #1: Dearw: Thanlu for the grrat pieu. I enjoyed it! My best to you and Sylvia. I don't have hc:r now but in my estimation, her SWEETNESS WILL LAST FOREVER with me. Unless we are Indians From preacher #2: Thank yttU so much for that grrat •tmn home from World Wor ll • It's very fonny! AawdJy it rtJZlJy 1NIIie my d4y afor shoveling snqw. I too could uu a forlough. All my best to yttU muJ Sylvia. Later both preachers asked for permission to use my thoughts in sermons. Maybe I should have been a preacher instead of a pawnbroker. 7 My.:J" I had the honor of serving as president of Beth-Ha-Tephila in 1948 and 1949 during the: building and financing of the new temple at Libcny and Broad Suc:ets. I was Master of Ceremonies for the 50th Anniversary Banquet program of Beth-HaTephila in 1941. I also presided at the 75th Anniversary Banquet in 1966. I wasJI!norary Master of Ceremonies at the tOOth in 1991. .... ., at SylvUis Mnnorial Service Sylvia and I 'M:ft! married 52 years ago. Fifiy-five ycus 310• I was in Camp Stoneman, California waiting to be shipped overseas in World War II. ( Unless we are Indians, our ancestors came from foreign lands. I am thankful they did what they <lid so that I could have the privilege: of growing up in a ciry like Asheville, enjoy this great country of ours - a land of rdigious freedom and opponuniry. �Index Adarru, Lee . ••...•. .. ... . .... . ........ ..... . (lntro) Adler, David . . . . . . • . . . . • . . . • . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . I 0 Albcnson, David ............ . .... ... ... . . .... ... 59 Albcnson, Fritz ..... . ... . .... . ..... .. .. ...... 57, 59 Argcntat, Sender........... . . . ........ . •. . ...... =I I Bacr, Dr...........•...•... . .. . .. . ............. 27 Bcin, Patti ................. . ............ . .. . (lntro) Bernard, Chief. .. . .................... . .... . . 3 I , 32 Bcrrynun, Charles ................... • ........... 2 I Blackwdl, D ............. . ................. .. ... 59 Blo mberg. A. ............................... .. . .. 7 Blomberg. Harry .................... . ...... 6, 23, 35 Blomberg. Jack............... . .. ...... ..... .. ... I7 Blomberg. Maddine........ ...... ..•.. . ... • . .. . .. I 5 Bradley, Fred . .............. . .. . .........•.... . . 52 Brown, Fred ......... . ....................... .. . 33 Brown, Lawrence .............. ... • .............. 26 Brown, Sheriff ............................... 46, 49 Bryan, WiU~Jennin&' . ... . .... . .............. . I6, 7 Bunn, Bob ... .. . .. . .................. . . ... ..... 28 Burdette, Ciry Manager ........... . .......•....... 20 Buscck, Otto ......•.. .. .......... . ............. 33 Cadi.son, Leo........ ........... .... •... . ...... 6,23 C...C, Katherine . .. .•.......... .. . •. . . ........ ... 52 Cathey, Sam ..... .. .. ..................... 2 1, 22,29 Cobb, Irving S.....•................ . ... . . . .. . . . 52 Cocke. Philip . . .. .. • ...... . .. ........ . ....... . .. 23 Cole, Jack ......... .. . ... .. .............. I7, 20, 59 Dave, Joe . . .. •......... . ..... . ..... . . . . . . ... 20, 5 I Divelbiss, Jim . .......... . . . ......... ...... 22, 50, 5 I El>cnhowcr, President •......... . ..•. . ... . ...... . . . 22 Elkins, Tommy.....•............•...... . • .... . .. 3 5 Erwin, Marcus .....•.................... • ....... 23 Feinstein, Sam .....•................. .. .... . .. 7, 10 Feldman, Or.... . ..•. . .. ..... . .... . •. .. ...... 35, 49 Finldcrtrin. Ourlcs .... . ....... •. ...... ... ... .. . . . 3 F'tnldatdn, Fannyc • .••......•.. •.•.••........ 5. 9, 10 Finklestcin, Harry. . . (lnuo), I, 2, 3, 5, 6, 11,12, 13, 14, 17, 31, 32 Finklestein, Hilcb.... ... .. . ... .. .. .. ..... . . . (lntro), 9 Finklcstein, Leo .. . . (Imro), 2, 9. 13, 15, 24, 28, 45, 46, 56. 59,60 Finklestein, Leo Jr. .... .. ...... . .... . . .. ... . .. . (lntro) Finklestcin, Louis ....... . • •. .. . ... •...•........... 3 Finklestein, Moe ... . ........... ........ ..•..... . . 3 Finklestein, Neal ... ... ...... ..• . ........ . . ... ... . 3 Finklestein, Phyllis . .... .......•..... . • ........ (lntro) Finklestcin, Rosa .... . ... . . . . .. . .... . .... . . . (lntro), 9 Finklcstcin, Stephen ...... ...... ........... .... (lntro) Finklestein, Sylv~ . . ... . . . . •.. ..... (lmro}, 55, 56, 60, 6 I Finley, Bob ..... . . .. ...• . . .. .... ....... ... ... .. 34 Finley, Mr.... .... . . ....•.......... . • ..... ...... 34 Fox, Rabbi Eliu . . . ...... . ....... . . . . .. ....... . 8, I I Friedman, Nat . ... .. • . .. . ... .•• ..• . .•......... 6, 22 Friedman, S.H .............. • ..... • . ........... . . 6 Furr, Dan . .. . ........... • . .. . .... . . .• ... • ... I9, 20 Gardner, Captain . .... .. • ..... .......... . . . .... . . 46 Goldberg. E. C ... ..... . . . .• . .. . ........ ....... . .. 6 Goldstein............ • . . .. . ....•........ . •. . . ... 6 Goodkowitt, Rabbi .. . ........... .. .. .... . .. ..... 23 Green, Otis ... . ... . ............................ 34 Groome, Johnnie . . .... • . ..... ...•...... ...•.... . I9 Gross, Mr. . . . . . . ....... . . . • ....••...... . •.... .. 33 Hampton, Will . . . . ... • . . . . .. .... .....•....... . . 27 Harris, Will ...... . . . .•.......... • ............ .. 32 Hill, Dan ........ . .. •. ... • .................. .. . 23 Hoc:y, Governor .... ... • . . . •. .. . • ... . • ... .. .. . . . . 21 Honon, Shdby Jr.... . ........ .. • . .. . . . ... . ...... 57 Hudson, C.E. . . ..... ... . . .....•... . ....... ..... 22 Hudson, Lioness ......... ... . .... ........ . ... 2 I, 22 Huvard, A.J ........... . . ....... ........ . ....... . 6 Johnson, A. Hall .... . ....... ..... ... . ...... .. ... 23 Jones, Fred.... . ..... • .... ..... . .... ....... ..... 23 "Judge Cocke . . ... ..•... • . ......... .. .. . ....... 33 Kunw, Alvin .. ..........•........ . ............. 29 Lane, Mark ... ..... • ....•. .. .... ..... .... .. . ... 25 Lane, Ronald ........ • ...•.... • . .•.••. .. .. .. .... 25 Leavitt, Mr. . . . . . . . .... ...................... I I, I2 Lcovitah, Juliw . . .... ........ ... ............. I2, 28 Lewis, Mr. .. .. ... ... . .. . . ... .•. . .. ... .. . ... .... I3 Liggett, Mr.. ............ .... . . . ... . ... . . ....... 33 �Lipinslcy, Solomon .............• . . ................ 6 Lichrmfi:ls, Gu.sav.............................. . 28 Lichrmfi:ls. Alfred ............................... 28 Lichralfds. lrmgani . . . ..................•........ 28 l.ondow, Rabbi ......................... . ..... .. . 7 Long. Lt. Charles ...... . ... . ........•............ 59 Mann, I. Mitchdl .............................. 6, 9-\0 M=lull, George ................................ 28 (p McCormak, Frank .....................•......... I MclW:, Charles . . ....... . ....................... 23 1~ Maxwdl. Albertine ....................... .. ...... Roscnfdd, Willi2m ...........•. .•. ..........•. 17, 28 Rnth, Harry ........... .... ....• ....... ......... 17 Rnth, Sam .............•.•....• . ............... 17 Rnthc:nberg. Freda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............... 29 Rnthenberg. WillWn ........... . ...... . . . .......0 29 Sehandler, Dave .......... . .......•........... -~ II 10 Schmdler, Dr...................... . ............. '9' Schifun, Herbert ........... .. .................. . 28 ,. . Schornstdn, Rhonda . . ........................ '(iftuQ) ' " Ji'f' "14.1 ~~~~-::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -~~'\; Neagle, Father Ralph .......... . ..............•... 59 Michalove, Bill . .............................. 34, 35 Michalove, Dan ........ . ............•........ . ... 6 Michalove, Isaac................................. II Michalove, S.H...... . ............................ 7 . Miller, Charlie A. .......................•..... 22, 25 MuiY2Dcy, Frank .......... . ..................... 34 MuiV2Dcy, Par •••.••••••••. • •••..••.••.••••••••• 34 Neagle, Father Ralph .•......................... . . 59 Nettles, Zeb.. . . . ...•..................... . ..... 23 O'Kdly, Mrs. . . ................................. 16 O' Kdly, Rufus ...... . .......................... . 16) Oliphmt, Mrs.....•.•... . . . ............. . ....... 14 Owen, Margaret..•. . •. . ....•.................. . . 28 Pappa., Mr. ...•...... . .... . ...... ..... . ... .... .. 32 Parsons, Joe .. . .....•...... . .... .. .........•.... 57 Pada, Joe • • . • • . . . . . • • . • . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . Ia::: 1'1 Pada, Rosa .. .•.•. . .................. . ....... . .. -Ja: \ 4 l'1:ulman. Barney. . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . • . . . . . . II Pdly, WillWn D. . ......... . . .. .. . • .............. 28 Phillips. Roy .•..............•........... . .. . .2(( 22 , ~ <1 Polioclc, Lou•.••• . .••. . ... . ....•... . . . .... . 6, II , 28 1 7 Popalardo, M~ . . • . ........ . . .. . ..... . .... ..... .. 14 Pope Leo IX. ...... .. . . ..... . .......... .. ...... . . 3 Rafumky, Rabbi ................................. 9 Rquolds. Bob •.......... . .•...... . ...... . . ('{ Ill, 23 Rhiodwt, Carl . . • . .. .. ...• . . .. . ..... . ... .... ... 34 ~Mn. .. . ....... . . . ..... .... ..... .... .. IO '1"\r-.c r»CI.S , N il ( ma l'l . Schorr, Lion ....... . . ......•. ............. ..... ~ ~ Schw.uttberg. J.B .. . ..... . .. . ..................... 7 Schwanzbc:rg. Milton .................. . .. . ....... 17 Seely, M~ ................. ................ . . 26,27 Seigle, Barney . ..........•.......... . ...........• 6 Seigle, Esther ........ . .•.....•.... . ........... 6, 15 Seltz, Jennie ................... . .......... . .....)€ I 7 Shenbaum, A. . .......................... . ... . ... 7 Sholrz, Governor ........ ... .... ........ .. ...... . 22 Silverman, S.W. ..............••................. II Skillman, Ben ...........................•... . .. 59 Smith, Dr. .....................•......... . .... 5, 8 Smith, Lion .............•...... • ..... ..... . .... 33 Smokey Joe .............................. 46, 47, 49 Starvin Marvin .......... . .......• . ........... 46, 47 Stc:rnberg. Ev.o. •• • . • ••••.•..••••••••••••.•••• • ~. 16 > 17 1 Stc:rnberg, Joe ......... . .. ..... . .... . ... 12, 16, ~ I, 51 Sternberg. Johmna ..... • . ........• .. ....... ... .. :16 I 7 Sternberg. Mrs............. .. ........ ... .. ...... 16 Sternberg. Rose ........... . .....• :~Y-o ........... . 16 > I ) Sternberg. Siegfried ........ 6, II, 1 2,~. 28, 31, 33, 51,52 Stewart, Dan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .•... • ........ 22 Taylor, Rny .. . ................ ...... •..........2Q:' a a Thayer, John .•. • ••••.•.•• ••. . •.• •••.••••••..~. lQ" 01\ )a~ --:;;-- arlick, Judge ........... . .................. . ... 49 w . Williams, RR . . .... ... • ........................ 29 Wolfe, Tom ................. . .•.. .• ....•..... . . 28 Yandle, Margaret ..... . ....... . .......•... . .. . ... 52 Zagier, RB......... ... . . . .. . ... .. .........••.... 7 Zuglier, M...... . ........ . .....•...... . ......... 7 �.· ~ \ Index .Ad.a.Jns, 1...cc ••••••••••• • •••••••••••••••••••••~tro} \ I I Adler, David ........... • ....................... I0 vi Alberuon, David ......... . ...................... 59 Albertson. Fritz .............................. 57, 59 Argencar, Senda....•.......................... ~ II Bacr, Dr.. .. .............. . .................... 27 Bcin, Patti ............ . · . · · · · . · • • • · • · · · · · · · · {lntro)- ; j1. Bernard. Chief.........•........ . ......... . . . 31, 32 Berryman. Charles ... . . ......................... ~ 1r"'> Blaclcwdl, D........ . ........................... 59 Blomberg. A. ....... . ........ .. . ... . ............. 7 Blomberg. Harry .... . ......• • •............. 6, 23, 35 Blomberg. Jack. .. ...... .......... .. ............. % 16 Blomberg. Maddine ...... .. ...................... 15 Bradley, Fred ••••...•.......... • . ............... 52 Brown, Fred .•..•.•••.............. . .... . .. .. ... 33 Brown, uwrcna: .. .. ............................ 26 Brown, Sheriff .......................... . .... 46, 49 Bryan, WilliamJenninss ......................... "t1;,j7 ) 1 £b Bunn, Bob ........ .• .............. . ...... . ..... 28 Burdtttc. City Manager .. . ................. . ..... .'20if Bused<. Ono .....•.•... . ................ . ... . . . 33 ~- Cadison, Leo............. . .................... 6;23 Case, Katherine . ......................... ·~if .... 52 Cathey, Sam .•...... . ..... . .. . .. . .. . .. . <P.>r~ 29 . Cobb, Irving S. . ........... . . . . . ........... . ... . 52 C.0CU. Philip .......•.. . . ............... - ~ .. ~- 23 Cole, Jad< .. •.••...•...................'J: . ~,0. 59 Dave, Joe ..•.•..•... ........ .. . ... ....... 'Pil-. -2<r. 51 Divelbiss, Jim . ... .................... . .... 22. 50, 51 Eisenhower, President .•.... . .... .. .. . ...... . ...... 22 Elkins. Tommy.•.•............. . ... . ............ 35 Erwin. Marcus ......••.......•................ . . 23 Feinstein, Sam •... . .•... . .........•........... 7, 'ffi' II Feldman, Or. . ....•.•............. . .......... 35, 49 t...\ Ftnklcsrcin. Olarles .. .. ....... . ...............•... -,( Fmldcsttin, Fannyc•. ~J!,(f!. f) tl N.. ·, ~ ....... 5. 9. I0 --' \1j . ,, . .\') 1\ ) I ll ..,., ·. I .. i ,\s·'i ~ FinkJcstcin, Harty... - · I, 2,p, 5, 6, 11,12, 1~ • 14, 17, 31, 32 . Finklesrcin, Hilda. ... ,, ·~ ...... . •• •..... ! '· •.. (lnuo),~ 70 1 Finklcstcin, leo .... ' " 2 , 9. 13. ~ ~4. 28, 45. <16, 56. 59. 60 • Finklcstcin, leo Jr................... . ...... . .. (fntro}- 110 Finklestein, I..Duis . •..•.•. ••.••.•• . •.••••••.•..•••• 3 Finklcstcin, Moe .................. ......... · · · · · . ~ Finklestdn, Nc:al ...•••.• . ....•.•.... . .•..•••. ......~'1tfl Finklcstcin, PhyUis .. .1?.-t .f. . ,J.., ••••••••• •• •••••. , (l~lm) Finklcstdn, Ro.s:l .•••••.•••• :':-. .••. .••• ••••. {t:.-l,~ Finklcstdn, Stephen ................ ~ • ....•.... ilntro}. " ~ Finklcstcin, Sylvia ......... . • .... • . (i;.uo), 55. 56, 60,61 Finley, Bob ... . ......... . ...... ... ...... ... . ... 34 Finley, Mr....... . . . ............. ... ............ 34 Fox, Rabbi flw .................. . ............ 8, II :7-t.\ /!? Friedman, Nat ...........................•.... 6, "1;.1 Friedman, S.H... ............ . ....... . .........•. 6 (J.'J. Furr, Dan.. . ......... . .... ... ............... ~"20.?\\ ) Gardner, Captain . ...................•. .... ...... 46 Goldberg. E.C .... . ............... . ..... . •.. . .... 6 Goldstein............................... • .... ... 6 Goodkowitz. Rabbi ........ . . ........ .......... .. 23 Green, Otis ..... . ............ . .. · · · · • · · · · · · · · · · 34 Groome, Johnnie ....•..................... . . · · · · "19. Gross, Mr...................................... 33 Hampton, Will ......... . .... . ... .. ....... . ....• 27 Harris, W~l .. . ..... .. .... .. ................. .. . 32 0- I ~~~~.;,~;: :: :::::: : ::::::::: ::::: :::: : ::: :~P ~b,Jr.................. . ~7- ~~=~: ~~:~·:::::::::: : ::::::: ::: ::::::: :~~~ Huvud, A.j. . .. ......... . ...... .. . ..•. ... . ...... 6 Johnson, A. Hall ............... . . . . . ...... .. . . .. 23 Jones, Fral. ......................... . .......... 23 "Judge Cock.c" .......... . ........ .. . .... . .•..... 33 Kunus, Alvin ...... • ........ ...... . . .•.•........ 29 Lane, Mark ...... . ........................... .. 25 Lane, Ronald ....... , ............... . ......... . . 25 Leavitt, M r................ .... . .....•.•. . •.. 'tt; 12 ~~!.~~~-::::::: : : : ::::::: ~:::: : ::::::: -~~:! Jcf Li~tt, Mr.............•.......•...• .• ... . ..... 33 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Leo Finkelstein Papers Description An account of the resource This collection contains materials relating to Leo Finkelstein, resident of Asheville, North Carolina, the Asheville Lions Club, and the Beth Ha-Tephila Cemetery in Asheville. It contains computer discs, notes, scrapbooks, book drafts, correspondence, photographs, programs, fliers, and other materials related Leo Finkelstein, his wife Sylvia, and the Lions Club, Elks Club, and Jewish Community in Asheville, North Carolina. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Finkelstein, Leo, 1905-1998 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Poor Man's Bank Drafts, edited Language A language of the resource English Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 107_03_04_PoorMansBank_M Description An account of the resource Leo Finkelstein's account of Asheville, North Carolina in the early twentieth century, how the Jewish community functioned, and pawnbroking during the Depression. Item contains photographs. Subject The topic of the resource Finkelstein, Leo, 1905-1998 Asheville (N.C.)--History Lions Club (Asheville, N.C.) Jews--North Carolina--Asheville--History Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title=" In Copyright - Rights-holder(s) Unlocatable or Unidentifiable" href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-RUU/1.0//" target="_blank"> In Copyright - Rights-holder(s) Unlocatable or Unidentifiable </a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a title="AC.107 Leo Finkelstein Papers" href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/192" target="_blank"> AC.107 Leo Finkelstein Papers </a> Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. <a title=" Leo Finkelstein Papers" href="https://omeka.library.appstate.edu/collections/show/27" target="_blank"> Leo Finkelstein Papers </a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Extent The size or duration of the resource. 33 pages Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Asheville (N.C.) Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. https://www.geonames.org/4453066/asheville.html Asheville cenutury dawn Depression dime Flanders Greenville Hebrew Lions Club orthodox overcoat rabbi Silver Shirts Tokyo Rose https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/644cc01bf2e5132f9ecb19515e4f9ea9.pdf 35e99a0bb00c238c171e293e17930710 PDF Text Text ������������������������������������� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Leo Finkelstein Papers Description An account of the resource This collection contains materials relating to Leo Finkelstein, resident of Asheville, North Carolina, the Asheville Lions Club, and the Beth Ha-Tephila Cemetery in Asheville. It contains computer discs, notes, scrapbooks, book drafts, correspondence, photographs, programs, fliers, and other materials related Leo Finkelstein, his wife Sylvia, and the Lions Club, Elks Club, and Jewish Community in Asheville, North Carolina. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Finkelstein, Leo, 1905-1998 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Leo Finkelstein Correspondence, Jews in Asheville Notes, and Autobiography Language A language of the resource English Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 107_01_22_24_Correspondence_JewsInAsheville_Autobiography_M Description An account of the resource Description of Jewish life in Asheville at the start of the 20th century. Leo begins with his family history in Lithuania and explains how his father came to America after a series of unfortunate events. Subject The topic of the resource Jews--North Carolina--Asheville--History Finkelstein, Leo, 1905-1998--Biography Finkelstein, Leo, 1905-1998--Family Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title=" In Copyright - Rights-holder(s) Unlocatable or Unidentifiable" href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-RUU/1.0//" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> In Copyright - Rights-holder(s) Unlocatable or Unidentifiable </a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a title="AC.107 Leo Finkelstein Papers" href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/192" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> AC.107 Leo Finkelstein Papers </a> Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. <a title=" Leo Finkelstein Papers" href="https://omeka.library.appstate.edu/collections/show/27" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Leo Finkelstein Papers </a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Extent The size or duration of the resource. 37 pages dime Harry Finkelstein Jew kruetchma orthodox rabbi Sabbath South Africa