Dad (4)

Dad always moved from job to job. He was at heart a salesman, but a salesman for all the right reasons. He loved people. When I was a child, he sold men's suits for Jacob Reed's on Lansdowne Avenue in Clifton Heights. I remember visiting the store only once and seeing the rows and rows of suits. I have a vague memory of young salesmen in suits and ties. Some time in these early years he had a brief stint- it may have been only one day- at a chocolate factory. I remember his speaking about it. "You can't believe the size of these machines...You would have to take these giant heavy pots of melted chocolate and pour it into a giant vat."

On and off dad worked for text book publishers. Noble and Noble is the clearest in my mind. I know that his territory was all over the Northeast coast. He took long trips to New Hampshire and New York. Sometimes he was gone overnight. Sometimes he drove to the New York City suburbs and back in one day. I especially remember that he would gravitate toward selling text books to the Catholic schools. It fit his training. For about two years he attended the Catholic Seminary, St. Joseph's College in Princeton, New Jersey. I think that the years were 1940 to 1942. I remember asking him about joining up for World War II. He said that he had tried to join the army in 1939, but they rejected him because of his flat feet.

Nevertheless he was comfortable chatting with priests and nuns. Many of his life long friends were priests that he had met during his time in the seminary. Father Louis Trotta was one of his best friends. So he easily migrated from selling text books to selling Church goods. As far as I know he started at H.L. Kilmer in Center City on Arch Street. I remember visiting once. Vestments hung on hangers like the suits of Jacob Reeds. Chalices behind glass cases, numerous crucifixes, colorful icons, statues of the saints, incense holders of all types, montrances crowded the small shop. My dad was a sales rep most of the time as far as I can remember. And although he spent some time in the shop, he often drove all over the Philadelphia area meeting with the clerical clients.

I am not sure whether it was before or after the Kilmer's job, but dad worked for a brief time for Montgomery Wards. He was in the appliance department and I remember his complaining about how heavy the refrigerators were. It was also the time he had a heart attack. I remember his describing where he was and exactly what he was doing when he first felt the sever pain. You will have to ask him for that information. Nevertheless he drove himself to the hospital and survived the attack. I remember he said, "Now I know what I was doing wrong. I pretty sure that I know how to avoid one from now on." How prophetic.