|
a.
|
Note: lroad depot in New York. Konstantinos took the train to Chicago, which trip took one day and two nights. When he arrived there, a vendor distributed food to the immigrants, who began to eat. The vendor then demanded one dollar from each person. Konstantinos gave him a five-dollar bill and the vendor returned the right change.
The immigrants were taken by truck to a Greek restaurant at 12th and Halstead Streets in Chicago. There were too many persons to be boarded there, so Konstantinos and others were taken to another restaurant where they slept upstairs on the floor. They stayed there one week. "It was peach and honey, but I spent all my money," Konstantinos later said. After his money was gone, he was fed by a kindly Greek grocer for whom he did odd jobs. The grocer corresponded with acquaintances in Cleveland, Ohio, and found him a job working in a bootblack stand for $10 per month, plus room and board. So Konstantinos went to Cleveland.
The Greeks had begun to enter the shoe shining business in the 1890s. They established well-equipped, ornate shops, many of which employed sizable numbers of young men. These shoeshine parlors were, in turn, organized into chains. Padrones, or "bosses," controlled the Greek laborers working in these shoeshine parlors. The padrones recruited boys in Greece through agents, who arranged for payment of their passage to America. Then the boys would repay the padrones by working long hours in the shoeshine parlors. Thus, a form of indentured servitude was established among the young, male immigrants.
"The workday of these shoeshine boys began early in the morning and continued well into the evening, seven days a week. The shops opened between 6 and 6:30, which meant that the boys had to awake between 5 and 5:30. Those living some distance from their place of work rose as early as 4:30 A.M. They labored until 9 and 10 o'clock at night, and later on Saturdays and Sundays. In the smaller cities the workday was shorter. After the doors were closed, the boys generally mopped the floor, cleaned the marble stand and fixtures, and gathered up the shoe shining rags to take home, wash, dry, and have in readiness for the following day."
"The eating schedules of the boys were a curious composite of cooperative living, expediency, and bad judgment. When ten or more lived together, one usually served as the cook. Part of the meal was prepared in the morning and taken to the shop for the noon ration, with the rest left at the house for supper. Almost every shoeshine parlor had a rear room that, though hardly inviting to eye or nose, served the purpose of a dining room. Every boy took his turn in disappearing behind the partition to eat his apportioned share of the food. If a customer arrived, the boy had to postpone his meal. In many instances, especially during the early days when many thought in terms of saving all they could and returning to Greece at the earliest opportunity, the meal consisted of bread and olives or cheese."
The owner of the bootblack stand in Cleveland had 15 different boys working for him at three different stands in the city. Konstantinos stayed with the owner and the other workers in a large house. He worked the night shift, from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM. The only break was at midnight, when he was allowed to go to a lunch counter and eat a small piece of pie which cost 15 cents. However he did learn a little English while in Cleveland.
Konstantinos worked for eight months, then developed a cold. The doctor told the owner that Konstantinos was not used to the cold climate of the Lake Erie region, and should not spend the winter there. The owner then sent him to another bootblack who had a stand in another city; but this second bootblack had no work for him. After waiting for a month, Konstantinos' initial $80 savings began to run low. He had the address of a friend from Arapolaka at Pittsburgh, so he went there by train and found him. After staying with this friend for two weeks, he met another friend from Arapolaka. He and the second friend set out to find jobs. In February 1904, they left for West Virginia, where they were to be employed in the coal mines.
The two young men arrived at their destination, left their belongings at the depot, and walked up the tracks a few miles to the mining camp. There Konstantinos found a relative from Arapolaka, with whom he lived in a large barrack. There was snow on the ground, and the men were forced to gather around a large stove to keep warm in the cold mountain winter. After a week they were taken up to the mines by train; but after two hours of inactivity they were inexplicably taken back down and terminated. Konstantinos and his cousin walked back to the depot, where they took the train to Charlestown, West Virginia. After staying there for one night, they caught another train for Chicago.
The next morning Konstantinos and his cousin arrived at the depot on Dearborn Street in southeast Chicago. A wagon pulled by two horses took them, together with eight other workmen and their luggage, to the corner of Halstead Street and Blue Avenue. Their belongings were left in the basement of a Greek restaurant, where they also slept. The next morning, Konstantinos ate a meal of lamb broth, lamb meat, and a great quantity of bread; all for only 15 cents. He then helped a man carry a double load of coal upstairs, and earned 50 cents.
Konstantinos worked in the Greek restaurant for three days. He then went to work in another Greek restaurant cleaning vegetables, and remained there two months. The pay was $15 per month. At the end of that period, even though it was the middle of winter, he was laid off. He paid a man with an express wagon to take him and his luggage to an American restaurant on N.W. Milwaukee Avenue, where a Greek man lived in an otherwise empty upstairs area.
After leaving his belongings at this restaurant, Konstantinos walked several blocks and again found himself on Halstead Street. He came to the Greek area of Chicago. He found a clothing store, and in its window was exhibited a good, three-piece suit. The price of the suit was $5. The suit fit well, so he bought it. He then went to a Greek barbershop. It developed that the barber knew Konstantinos' family at Arapolaka. When the barber learned that Konstantinos was unemployed, he asked him to come and sweep the shop and light the stove early each morning. He did this the next morning.
The second morning, when Konstantinos came down to breakfast, the cook told him that a man was looking for a boy to open a fruit stand. Konstantinos contacted the man, and was paid $3.50 per week, plus board. He worked 12 hours each day, from 6:00 AM until 6:00 PM. He worked there for two weeks, then was laid off.
Konstantinos returned to the Greek barbershop, and the barber suggested that he establish him in a restaurant business in partnership with another young man. The barber obtained a contract, which they signed. The restaurant was at the corner of Milwaukee Avenue and Ohio Street.
Konstantinos and the other young man ran the restaurant for several months. The restaurant had three tables and three stools. Konstantinos worked one 12-hour shift while the other young man worked the other 12-hour shift. They lived above the restaurant. One evening, Konstantinos came down to take over at 6:00 PM, only to find the restaurant closed. A neighboring merchant told him that "Jimmy" (his partner) had closed it. "Jimmy apparently had some problems of his own," Konstantinos later said. The restaurant itself had been a problem for the young men to operate, as they had no cash register or books of account and had not been able to keep its finances in order.
The baker arrived with a bill for $2.50, and Konstantinos told him that he had no money. He asked him to leave the bill, and assured him that he would pay it. Konstantinos did not want to operate the restaurant alone. He contacted the barber, who meanwhile had moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. The barber sent his son to Chicago, and sold the restaurant for $130.
Konstantinos then went to work in a leather factory, working 10 hours per day and being paid $5.50 per week. He stayed with a German shoemaker's mother for $3.50 per week, plus room and board. About Christmas of 1904, Konstantinos became very ill. An ambulance took him to the hospital, where he stayed for one week. He then returned to stay with the shoemaker's mother. However, because of his illness, he quit the leather factory job.
He then went to work cooking and washing glasses and silverware seven days per week for 50 cents per day. He worked there for one week, without any opportunity to clean up or change clothes. At the end of the week, he returned home to change clothes. He took the Halstead streetcar to 45th Street. When the streetcar stopped, he jumped and fell to the street, breaking his left collarbone. Nevertheless, he went upstairs and slept. The next morning, he returned to the restaurant and told the cook of his accident. He was paid one week's wages, and he then returned to the shoemaker's mother's home.
The shoemaker's mother took Konstantinos to a Greek doctor on Halstead Street. The doctor asked if Konstantinos had any money; and when told that he did not, he gave him a pass to enter a free hospital on W. Milwaukee Avenue. There the doctor reset the broken bone and bound Konstantinos' whole left side and arm with white tape. He stayed at the hospital for 30 days. The shoemaker's family came to visit him one Sunday.
At the end of the 30-day period, Konstantinos' injury had nearly healed. The doctor called him to his office, and there he unraveled the tape. When his hand was restored suddenly to full circulation, he fainted. He stayed a few more days in the hospital before being released.
Konstantinos returned to the shoemaker's mother's house and rested there for a month until his arm and shoulder were completely healed. A lawyer visited him and asked him some questions with a view to filing an action for damages against the streetcar company. He predicted that at least $14,000 could be recovered. The lawyer left his card and asked Konstantinos to come to his office to discuss the matter further. However he forgot about it and never met with the lawyer again.
After a month of recuperation, Konstantinos returned to the restaurant where he had previously worked. He was rehired, and working in the hot water and steam helped his shoulder to heal. He was made the night cook, and worked from 6:00 PM until 1:00 AM. It was a large restaurant and did a great deal of business, with many customers coming from the nearby stockyards. After two months, Konstantinos was told he would be paid $20 per month, starting the next month. He demanded $20 that month, and when this amount was not forthcoming, he quit.
On the way home, Konstantinos saw a $12 suit, and bought it. He went home and bathed, then went out and got a shave and a haircut. He went down to Madison Street, and walked west. He inquired at a restaurant where he saw a help-wanted sign, and got a $20 per month job as a waiter working from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM.
He worked for two weeks at this new job. The restaurant was owned by two brothers, who did the cooking. One brother had to cook during the night shift. Konstantinos did not want to cook, so he quit again.
Konstantinos walked a block on Milwaukee Street, near where the shoemaker's mother had moved at W. Erie and Salmon Streets. He saw another restaurant posting a help-wanted sign. Upon application, he was asked where he had been working and at what rate of pay. He gave this information to the proprietor, and was then offered $1 per day. He worked at that restaurant for two or three months as a waiter and cook. In November 1905, he was told that he was going to be reduced to $20 per month, so he quit. He gave his $30 savings to the shoemaker's mother, and she took him to a store and bought him a new three-piece suit and overcoat. In turn, the store gave her two free turkeys.
From November 1905 until March 1906, Konstantinos had no work other than as a part-time waiter on Saturdays and Sundays. He looked for work every day. Then in March 1906, he met some Greeks from Vancouver, Washington, who persuaded him to go there to work for the SP&S Railroad. The fare from Chicago to Vancouver was $10, and the prospective workers were packed 25 persons to a car. The train left them at Kalama, Washington.
It was on this trip that Konstantinos first met Leonidas Mehelis, his future father-in-law. Leonidas Mehelis had come to the United States in 1905, and had worked for a year in a bakery at Chicago. Now he also was going west to work for the railroad.
The Greek workmen remained at Kalama overnight. In the morning, the local train carried the entire group to Vancouver. They stayed all night in a hotel. The next morning, their foreman-interpreter went to the railroad office. He was advised that the railroad wanted to separate the men into several gangs to work at different locations. When this proposal was reported to the group, the men refused to work for SP&S.
It was suggested that some of the men cross the Columbia River to Portland, Oregon, to find work for the group with another railroad. The men selected went to Portland, and soon met two Greeks who placed them in contact with an agent for the Southern Pacific Railroad. The agent hired all the men as an extra gang. It was April 1906.
The Greek workmen were paid $1.75 per day, and they ate in dining cars and slept in bunk cars. They were taken to Junction City, Oregon, which became their base of operations. They changed ties and rails. The Greeks had their own foreman in addition to an official railroad foreman. After two weeks, they were moved 135 miles south to Divide. After working there a short time, Konstantinos and another man quit. Soon the entire group of Greeks quit.
The workmen returned to Portland. Konstantinos dug ditches for sewers being installed at Second Avenue and Seventh Avenue, earning $2.50 per day. After a week, the Greeks encountered an agent for an Astoria sawmill, who hired many of them. They went to Astoria and worked at the Hammond Lumber Co. for $2.50 per day. After a month Konstantinos quit; and he then worked for a period at a restaurant in Astoria. There he earned $1 per day, plus room and board.
The other Greeks, all of whom were from the Methoni district of Messinia, came to Astoria to be with those who had taken the sawmill jobs. Leonidas Mehelis and another man built a building and opened a bakery, and Konstantinos went to work for them as a delivery boy. They were only able to market five or six loaves of bread per day, so they were forced to close the bakery.
The Greeks then sent Konstantinos to Knappton, Washington, to locate jobs for them. He found jobs for 10 men at a sawmill. They were paid $10 per day, and were provided with a house equipped with a stove and bunks. Konstantinos worked there for one year as a night watchman. He then went to Raymond, Washington, again to look for jobs for the group. Finding no jobs at Raymond, he crossed the Columbia River and went to Seaside, Oregon, to work in a sawmill. Soon all the Greek workmen, including Leonidas Mehelis, followed Konstantinos to Seaside.
Konstantinos made three trips to Chicago during the next few years, each trip being of relatively short duration. But he always returned to Seaside. In 1910, he opened the Olympia Oyster House on Broadway between Franklin and Downing Streets.
He is listed in the 1910 federal census for Seaside, enumerated April 29, 1910, as "Gust Marlantes," head of household, male, white, age 25, single, born in Greece, parents both born in Greece, arrived in the United States in 1903, an alien, could not speak English, a "restaurant keeper," not able to read or write [the census taker must have been referring to his ability to read and write the English language], renting his house. The other member of his household was Thomas (last name undecipherable), "a servant," age 26, also born in Greece, also arrived in the United States in 1903, a waiter.
Konstantinos operated the Olympia Oyster House for two years before the great Seaside fire of 1912. His only absence was during the winter of 1910 when he went to Portland for six months to operate a restaurant at the corner of N.E. Russell Street and N. Vancouver Avenue.
After the Seaside fire in May 1912, someone told Konstantinos' landlady that he would not be returning to his Olympia Oyster House location. Therefore she leased it to someone else. Konstantinos then moved his business to the corner of Broadway and Roosevelt, near the railroad depot. He leased the ground for $50 per year, erected a tent, and sold cigars, candy, coffee, and sandwiches - mostly cigars. He slept in another tent on the back portion of the property.
During the summer season of 1912, Konstantinos made a profit of $125. He then returned "home" to Chicago to stay with the shoemaker's family, with whom he had continued his relationship. He stayed in Chicago from October 1912 until April 1913. Then he returned to Seaside.
In the spring of 1913, Konstantinos paid $100 to lease again the site at Broadway and Roosevelt; and he reopened his stand. He was able to save $20 per week or more, which he deposited at the Post Office. At the end of September 1913, he had total savings of $1,000. He took a two-week vacation and returned in October. The Little Gem Restaurant at the corner of Broadway and Franklin was for lease. Konstantinos located a Mr. Jeffery who owned the building, discussed the matter with him, and subsequently leased the restaurant. Jeffery gave him the key; and when he inquired as to the amount of the lease payment, he was told, "Never mind, pay next year."
Konstantinos went to see Mike McIntire, who owned the lumber yard then located at Broadway east of Roosevelt. He purchased lumber, and McIntire helped him build a counter, three booths, and a back-bar with two gasoline-fueled stoves. They also built a cooler in the front of the restaurant. A plumber was hired to build a pan for the cooler, and Konstantinos put a cake of ice in the cooler to use for refrigerant.
He opened the Little Gem Restaurant on a Friday in October 1913. He worked alone, except for a woman who assisted him every Saturday and Sunday. Next door to the restaurant was the Pavilion Dance Hall, which operated on Saturday nights. He had a full house on Saturday nights after the dances. He later hired a boy to assist him on Saturday nights.
In January 1914, a carpenter arrived from Portland. He and Konstantinos built another building next door to the Little Gem. This building, later known as the "clam store," was leased by Konstantinos for ten years. On June 1, 1914, he opened the Marlantes Confectionery at that location. The confectionery had four tables, six stools, and a soda fountain. It also contained a large candy showcase, ten feet long by four and one-half feet wide. Konstantinos hired Leonidas Mehelis to manage the Little Gem Restaurant while he operated the confectionery.
Meanwhile, Konstantinos had become engaged to Sophia Mehelis, the daughter of Leonidas Mehelis. Sophia and her mother arrived at Seaside in December 1915, Sophia's sister and brother having immigrated the previous year. Konstantinos Elias Marlantes and Sophia Mehelis were married December 24, 1915 in the Greek Orthodox Church in Portland.
In June 1916, Konstantinos sold the Little Gem Restaurant to Leonidas Mehelis for $200. He retained the Marlantes Confectionery, and in February 1917 he converted it into a restaurant called the "Marlantes Oyster House." The <i>Seaside</i> (Oregon) <i>Signal</i>, February 1, 1917, wrote:
Gus Marlantes, who formerly operated the Little Gem Oyster House, has refitted his building, the Marlantes Confectionery stand, and has opened a first class oyster house which will be known as the Marlantes Oyster House.
The restaurant business was very good during the World War I years, 1917-1918.
"Konstantenos H. Marlantes" registered for the World War I draft on September 12, 1918. He was residing at 427 Broadway, Seaside, Oregon. His occupation was "Restaurant Keeper - Owner." He was of medium height and medium build, with dark eyes and dark hair. The war ended before he could be called up for enlistment.
Konstantinos sold the Marlantes Oyster House in June 1919 for $5,000. He then opened a grocery store in Astoria, at the corner of 15th Street and Commercial Avenue.
"Gus Marlantes" is listed as a head of household in the 1920 federal census for Astoria, Clatsop County, Oregon, enumerated January 2 of that year. He is renting his home. He is male, white, age 34, married, immigrated to the United States in 1903, a resident alien, can read and write, born in Greece, both his parents born in Greece, can speak English, a merchant grocer owning his own business. His wife, Sophia Marlantes, is female, white, age 21, married, year of immigration illegible, a resident alien, can read and write, born in Greece, both her parents born in Greece, can speak English, occupation "none." Their children are: Elias Marlantes, son, male, white, age 3-2/12 [three years and two months], single, born in Oregon; and Anna Marlantes, daughter, female, white, age 2-11/12 [two years and 11 months; she was actually one year and 11 months old], single, born in Oregon.
In October 1920 Konstantinos sold the grocery store and returned to Seaside. At that time he bought the Orpheum Building from Leonidas Mehelis. This building was located on Broadway directly across from the Little Gem Restaurant. The Rainbow Restaurant and the Orpheum Theater were located in the building. Konstantinos opened a grocery store and dairy in the building. He ran both businesses for four years. He was attempting to sell the grocery store during this period, as on September 16, 1922 <i>The Oregon Daily Journal</i> carried the following advertisement: "FOR SALE-Economy cash grocery, building fixtures and stock. Gus Marlantes, Seaside, Or." In late 1924 he closed the grocery and began operating the Rainbow Restaurant.
On September 25, 1925, the Orpheum Building burned to the ground. The fire began in a large dance hall at the rear of the building and spread rapidly throughout. Konstantinos and his family lost everything, even their clothing. He had only $4,000 insurance to cover the loss.
On June 25, 1926, he opened the Clam House Cafe on the site of the former Orpheum Building. Konstantinos cooked in the restaurant, and he also hired another cook. Sophia Marlantes waited on the customers, and she too cooked when needed.
When he had first arrived in Seaside, Konstantinos Marlantes had been offered as much land as he could walk around in a single day on the Tillamook Head promontory south of the city. Mr. Fleming, who had homesteaded the property, wanted neighbors, and he told Konstantinos that he would give him the land if he would build a house and reside there. But this area was some distance from the town center and at that time was considered to be remote. Konstantinos told him that he didn't want to "live in the forest with the bears," and turned down the offer.
During their early years of marriage, Konstantinos and Sophia and their children lived above the Marlantes Confectionary. They then lived above the Orpheum Building until it burned in 1925.
In 1926, the Marlantes family purchased a small house on Avenue C in Seaside, four blocks from the beach. The house had a living room, a kitchen, two bedrooms, and a small bathroom. They subsequently added enclosed front and back porches. These were very cramped quarters for a family of five; and at times other relatives also were living with them. Konstantinos and Sophia Marlantes resided in that house for the rest of their lives. They never owned an automobile, but as Seaside was a small town they were able to walk to any chosen destination.
There was no Greek Orthodox Church in Seaside, there being no other Greek families in the town. The Konstantinos and Sophia were members of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox parish in Portland. Several times a year, a Greek priest would come from Portland to Astoria to conduct a liturgical service for the relatively large Greek population there. The Marlantes family would travel to Astoria to attend those services. They had installed a wooden box shelf on the wall of the rear bedroom and placed several icons in that box, including one picturing Agios Georgios or "St. George" and another very old metal icon of Agios Demitrios or "St. James." These icons were lighted at night by an electric bulb in the shape of a candle.
Desiring that her children attend church services on a weekly basis, Sophia Marlantes sent them to the Seaside Community Church, which later became the Seaside Community Methodist Church.
Konstantinos and Sophia Marlantes spoke both Greek and English at home. Consequently their three children learned both languages. Konstantinos often played the mandolin and sang traditional Greek folk songs. Sophia sometimes would sing along with him, and would dance Greek folk dances.
"Gus Marlantes" is listed as a head of household in the 1930 federal census for Seaside, enumerated April 4 of that year. He is living at 447 Avenue C. He owns his own home, valued at $2,000. He does not own a radio set. He does not live on a farm. He is male, white, age 44, married, age 30 at date of marriage, did not attend school or college during the previous year, can read and write, born in Greece, both his parents born in Greece, spoke Greek in his home before coming to the United States, immigrated to the United States in 1903, a naturalized citizen, is able to speak English, a proprietor of a restaurant, an owner, was at work the previous day, and was not a veteran. His wife, Sophia Marlantes, is female, white, age 31, married, age 17 at date of marriage, did not attend school or college during the previous year, can read and write, born in Greece, both her parents born in Greece, spoke Greek in her home before coming to the United States, immigrated to the United States in 1915, a resident alien, occupation "none." Their children are: Leo Marlantes, son, male, white, age 13, single, attended school during the previous year, can read and write, born in Oregon, both his parents born in Greece, is able to speak English, occupation "none; and Anna Marlantes, daughter, female, white, age 12, single, attended school during the previous year, can read and write, born in Oregon, both her parents born in Greece, is able to speak English, occupation "none." Also a member of their household is: Jennie Elias, niece, female, white, age 14, single, attended school during the previous year, can read and write, born in Oregon, both her parents born in Greece, is able to speak English, occupation "none."
Konstantinos operated the Clam House Cafe for 12 years. On May 14, 1938 he sold it for $2,000. He then went to work for Leonidas Mehelis at the Little Gem Restaurant.
"Gus Marlantes" is listed as a head of household in the 1940 federal census for Seaside, enumerated April 11, 1940. He is living at 308 Avenue C. He is male, white, age 53, married, born in Greece, his normal residence "same house," occupation cook in the restaurant industry, owns his home valued at $1,800, highest grade completed was elementary school 3rd grade, worked 36 hours in week prior to the census, worked 30 weeks in 1939 and earned $500 as well as income from other sources. His wife, Sophia Marlantes, was female, white, age 41, married, born in Greece, highest grade completed was elementary school 5th grade, occupation waitress in the restaurant industry, worked 32 hours in the week prior to the census, worked 34 weeks in 1939 and earned $350. Also living in the household were: "Elias Leo Marlantes," son, nmale, white age 23 single, born in Oregon; Anna Marlantes, daughter, female, white, age 22, single, born in Oregon; and Gloria M. Marlantes, daughter, female, white age seven single, born in Oregon.
During World War II, Konstantinos worked briefly in the shipyards in Portland. He was struck in his right eye by a spring, and as a result of improper medical advice and treatment, the eye was removed. He later developed glaucoma and a cataract in his left eye, and his vision slowly dimmed. He lost his sight completely in 1952.
Leonidas Mehelis died December 13, 1944 and, due to Konstantinos' failing eyesight, it became difficult for the Marlantes-Mehelis family to operate the Little Gem Restaurant. Leonidas' widow, Anna Mehelis, sold the restaurant in 1946 and Konstantinos and Sophia Marlantes moved to San Pedro, California. There they operated the Seaside Cafe together with Sophia's brother, Demitrios Mehelis.
The Seaside Cafe was located on Beacon Street in San Pedro's waterfront district. This was a very rough area. The Seaside Cafe was patronized by longshoremen who were members of Harry Bridge's International Brotherhood of Longshoremen. In the postwar years this union was very sympathetic to the Soviet Union, and Sophia would argue with the longshoremen regarding the merits and failings of communism. Demitrios Mehelis increasingly found fault with the business and absented himself from it, and Konstantinos' impaired sight increasingly affected his ability to work. After eight months, they sold the Seaside Cafe and returned to Oregon.
The Greek people had been reduced to destitution by World War II and the succeeding struggle to suppress the Greek communist insurgency. In the middle and late 1940s Konstantinos sent money and clothing to assist his relatives in Greece. He also paid for a chandelier to be placed in the church in Arapolaka.
Commencing in 1946, Konstantinos and Sophia Marlantes were employed by the Seaside Union High School to operate the cafeteria. Konstantinos continued to work at the high school cafeteria until his retirement in 1953. Sophia managed the cafeteria until her retirement in 1964.,
Konstantinos Elias Marlantes continued to live in Seaside, rarely leaving his home but remaining alert and knowledgeable with regard to current events. He was an avid listener of radio news programs and of recorded books supplied to him regularly by the Library of Congress, National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.
Konstantinos had become a naturalized U.S. citizen in the 1920s. He was a registered Republican and voted in every election, even though he required assistance from the poll watchers in his later years due to his blindness. He had voted for Franklin Roosevelt for President during the Great Depression and World War II elections of 1932, 1936, 1940 and 1944, but usually voted a straight Republican ticket in subsequent elections.
Note: After passing the Ellis Island examination, the men were taken to a rai
|
