Woodstock: The iconic American rock festival of the twentieth century
A Untold, ‘ Semi-Fictional’ Rendition
by Mark M. Lichterman
Copyright © Mark M. Lichterman March 1, 2023
Authors Notation: Other than those that were actually a participating member or members of the Woodstock Festival, all others are fictitious characters and situations created for dramatic effect, and especially at this author’s whim.
Further Notation: I have no intention of repeating my nineteen part Woodstock series as first submitted on Tuesday, July 26, 2022, but digging further into the earlier lives of Sharon and Clyde and her Polish immigrant parents: 'Murray and Sarah Kandinsky and his Irish immigrant parents, Malcolm and Ellen Murphy.
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Chapter Nineteen
The Pink Family
Loveland, Ohio
Thursday, November 20, 1941
6:38 PM
As a Currier and Ives picture.
Snowing since late afternoon the day before, whereby at a picture window the vision of falling snow brought to sight within the sphere of a streetlight from within the house at 575 Placid Street; casting a yellowish glow upon show covered lawns and winter surviving shrubbery bedecked in crystallised white as limbs of trees hold a snow fall of two inches.
The street, ploughed by a horse drawn snowplough in late afternoon, now again show tire tracks from those few automobiles that had travelled Placid street from that earlier time.
6:42 PM
No contesting! Whole heatedly regarded as the matriarch of this wholly adopted family: consisting now of ten adults and two children.
Still a modest lady, in a way it does rub Sarah when she’s referred to, or called ‘boss’. In a way it also tickles her because at age thirty-four— with her knowledge and tenacity… and spunk and grit, Sarah Kaminsky is, in all ways, the ‘boss’.
In truth, from the time of reading the ‘For Sale’ advertisement in the Sunday ‘Chicago Tribune’ classified section in May of 1939, and her urgent request to drive to the nearest telephone to make that call to Cincinnati 'Immediately’!
Then taking the train the very next morning to Cincinnati to meet Agnes Pink, and the deal she and Agnes had concocted for the business and this house.
Then taking the train back to Chicago that very same evening and her insistence that both, hers and the Murphy family pack their meagre belongings onto a small trailer purchased at daybreak and drive to Loveland the very next morning— which, at that time it was the very next morning.
And now here.
No contesting! Belonging at the head of this long table, on this day of Thanksgiving.
Two and a half years.
In but two and a half years, due to Sarah’s wit and tenacity… and spunk and grit.
At the far end of the table, because as the other woman in this voyage of success sits beautiful Ellen Murphy; her ‘Hat Boutique’ expanded to make room for a full time assistant and the women coming to her for advice, or, as women do, to just talk.
To Ellen’s left is her husband, Malcolm, who’s automobile repair business became so popular that he’d hired two part time, teen aged assistants wanting to learn the automobile repair business.
To Ellen’s Right is their five and a half year old son, Clyde.
Clyde who has the devil in him… Albeit a sweet devil that will have to be quick on his feet to escape the girls, and the women that will be after him as years go on.
To Sarah’s right is her husband, Murray, that early on had argued, ‘What do we know of the hardware store business’? That now, two and a half years later knows where every nail, screw and bolt belongs— and not only the names of each hammer and screwdriver, but also what they are used for— Murray has become so adapt that often he is able to ‘winningly’ argue the price of most material coming into ‘Pink's Hardware & Associates, Inc.’... With the exception of automotive and millinery, which is left to Ellen and Malcolm.
To Sarah’s left is her precocious three year old daughter, Sharon.
Usually seated between her mother and father, on this occasion Sharon insisted on being seated between her mother and— if given the choice, Sharon would much rather be seated between her ‘cousin’ Clyde and her new Auntie ‘Mildly’.
Attached to Clyde as a rose petal to a rose, although lately— as behoved his ‘big boy’ status— to Clyde his ‘cousin’s’ close company felt more as a leech onto his side that he’d been unable to shake off.
A miniature of her mother, Sharon Kaminsky has dark brown hair coming to a widow’s peak. She has an olive completion, dark brown eyes and is truly a beautiful child… A child seemingly with her mother’s charm, wit, and of course, stubbornness.
Twenty year old, ‘Auntie ‘Mildy’ (Mildred) and her husband, twenty-three old Barry, are the son and daughter-in law of Lester and Oliva Harris.
The young couple had been married a bit more than two years when the offer to handle the sales, and convert their barn into the ‘feed’ division of ‘Pink's Hardware & Associates, Inc.’ came about, and has been doing so well that Barry and Mildy had rethought their planed timing for the birth of their first child, and were planning on making the announcement — according to Doctor Douglas Berger— that Mildy was into her third month, on this nationally historic Thanksgiving evening.
Seated alongside her son, at this time having not the slightest idea that the words she and her husband, Lester, had hoped to hear, fifty-five Oliva and her sixty year old husband both feeling as they had been given a second lease on life— by once again having worthwhile, productive work— after the workless years caused by the ‘great depression’. Also…
‘Also’ by being fully accepted as adopted members of both the Murphy and Kaminsky families. And especially as, ‘Auntie Oliva’ and ‘Uncle Lester’ by their adopted nephew and niece: Clyde and Sharon.
To the left of Ellen Murphy sits her husband, thirty-eight year old Malcolm.
Having the need to escape Ireland after his murder of the British soldier. Coming to this new land with a wife and then one year old child. Never remotely expecting America’s streets to be ‘lined with gold’, or anything other than the hard streets of Dublin; finding work wherever work could be found, it was truly somewhat a pleasure watching the world go by during those weekend days on the City of Chicago’s Maxwell Street while waving the effort of his given profession, that of a ‘tanner,’ over his head to attract a buyer... which actually, Malcolm did.
Then the fortuitous meeting and mutual friendship of Murray and Sarah Kaminsky.
America’s streets lined with gold? Of course not! Yet, here he and his wife and son are, in ‘Loveland’… No! For Malcolm Murphy, in ‘Dreamland’, Ohio, USA.
Still, within the mind of Malcolm Murphy, this new life he found for his family more a dream than reality all owed to the lady that sits at the head of this table, that Malcolm Murphy has not the slightest qualm to refer to, and call, ‘Boss’.
To Malcolm’s left is Elsa Forrester, Ellen Murphy’s full time salaried millinery assistant.
A white haired, sixty-four year old widow, Elsa Forrester, though a bit on the chubby side, still showed what, in years past, appeared to be a pleasant, fairly attractive appearance.
More so than needing the money— which, left a large sum due to her husband’s insurance, she did not— Elsa had the need to do something to take her mind from thoughts of growing old, and especially of being alone as she grew old.
So, once more, ‘Loretta’, the town crier on the switchboard in Loveland’s local ‘Central Ohio Bell Telephone Company’ became the facilitator of bring the meeting of Ellen Murphy— whom had the need of an assistant woman’s hat maker— and Elsa Forrester, whom, though having minimal millinery experience, Elsa had been an experienced seamstress for a good part of her life… And became a fast learner.
Being Ellen’s assistant for the past year, the children unwilling to continue calling this nice lady, ‘Mrs Forrester’, as soon as Clyde and Sharon began calling Elsa, ‘Auntie Elsa’, bringing tears to the old ladies eyes, Elsa Forrester became the newest member of the Pink family.
Sitting closely alongside … ‘Very’ closely alongside ‘widow’, Elsa Forrester, is ‘Pink's Hardware & Associates, Inc’, shoe repair division— sixty- six year old —‘Widower’, Thomas Bellingham.
Thomas Bellingham, an out of work tool and die maker, had all but jumped at Murray’s offer to bring him into ‘Pink’s’ and teach him the basics of the shoe repair business— which was badly needed as Loveland, up until then, did not have anyone to repair shoes— and soon the two shelves behind the six by six work area afforded ‘Pink’s Shoe Repair Service’, were packed to overflowing with repaired shoes waiting to be paid for and picked up, and shoes waiting to be repaired, keeping Tom busy often from daybreak to nightfall.
As a full time employee, and a sweet-tempered man with a full upper dental plate that he’d sometimes wiggle in front of Sharon and Clyde causing historical laughter, within weeks of his original start, Thomas Bellingham became ‘Uncle Tom’, also bringing him into the ‘Pink’s family’.
Sarah’s business structure and payment schedule simple.
Other than Pink’s Grain business, which was ‘off store’ and often was paid by check.
Checks, and whatever cash received by Barry and Mildy the day before, were brought to Pink’s ’by Lester and Oliva s the morning after.
All purchases, including Ellen’s Hats, Malcolm’s Automotive Repair and Toms Shoe Repair are paid for at the front counter and through the National Cash Register.
Each evening, before closing, all cash and whatever checks received from Barry and Mildy were placed into the green, canvas drawstring bag and brought across the street to Loveland National Bank.
Lester and Oliva were paid a combined forty dollars a week. Tom and Elsa, twenty percent of what their weekly net was.
Still sharing general household expenses, the Murphy and Kaminsky families, twenty-five dollars a week each.
The one hundred dollars a month to Agnes, the one hundred, fifteen dollar building rental and all incoming bills easily paid.
All bookkeeping and financial disbursement handled by Sarah.
So now, at this time, with enough money in the bank, with credit established as a corporation, the two families have begun the negation process for the purchase of the ‘Pink’ building.
Thursday, November 20, 1941
7:10 PM
Will you two stop with the horsing around and, ‘please…” Murray said “... sit!”
Standing. Coming off the floor, Sharon and Clyde came to the table.
“No, not there!” attempting to pull Sharon to the other side of the table.
“But I want to!”
“Okay!” Rolling her eyes. “So sit already.”
All food having been prepared and brought to the table by the combined efforts of Oliva, Mildy, Ellen and Elsa.
Impatiently asked.“When can we eat?”
Patiently stated. “Soon as your father’s done carving, Clyde!”
Sharon, unusually quiet, watches as the large knife cuts slices of white meat from the huge turkey.
Standing. “While we’re waiting…” Murray said “… I just want to say, maybe we should all give thanks to God for bringing…” his eyes touching all eleven seated about the over-laden table “...all of this family together. When Sarah and me came to America— And may God bless this wonderful country— but when Sarah and me came to America, we had almost nothing. No friends. No relatives…”
“And no money.”
“Yes.” Looking at his wife. “We had nothing! And now…” glancing about once again “...we have family…” gesturing “...and this wonderful life God has given us.”
“And Agnes, too!”
Looking at his wife. “Yes, and certainly, thank God for Agnes Pink also.”
From the far end of the table. Standing. Her words heart-felt. “Let’s also thank our Lord, Jesus Christ, for all the good he has given us.” Her eyes shifting upward, Ellen crossed herself.
Loveland, Ohio
December Seven, nineteen Forty-one
7:09 AM
“You’ve got to wear a tie!”
“Don’t want to wear no tie!”
“In church…” Ellen said “… you have to wear a tie!”
The worst times in Clyde’s life were the hour and a half he had to sit in church… wearing a tie.
“How come Sharon don’t got to go to no church?"
“Sharon’s family are Jewish, and don’t have to go to church.”
“Why can’t I be Jewish, then?”
Knowing they’d be late, however rushing to attend the eight o’clock mass at the church in Montgomery, ten miles away.
“We go through this every week, Clyde!” Tucking her son’s shirt tails into his slacks. “Because we’re not Jewish.” Becoming inpatient, Ellen, once again straightened her sons askew tie.
7:59 Am
Malcolm’s high school boy’s ‘apprentice learning project’: a complete overhaul of the old Hudson, now a few minutes from the city of Montgomery, Ohio and his wife’s eight o’clock mass.
Singing along with the music coming from the radio station in Cincinnati, making it all the more fun as Ellen and Malcolm sang along purposely exaggerating their Irish brogue.
“Mare’s eat oats, and does eat oats, and little lambs eat ivy. A kiddley-divie-too, wouldn’t you!” Again: “Mare’s eat...” The radio going silent... Then:
“Broadcast from ‘NBC’ headquarters in New York City:
On December 7, 1941, at 7:55 a.m. Hawaii time, a Japanese dive bomber bearing the red symbol of the Rising Sun of Japan on its wings appears out of the clouds above the island of Oahu. A swarm of 360 Japanese warplanes followed, descending on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in a ferocious assault.
Reporter: “Hello, NBC. Hello, NBC. This is KTU in Honolulu, Hawaii. I am speaking from the roof of the Advertiser Publishing Company Building. We have witnessed this morning the distant view a brief full battle of Pearl Harbor and the severe bombing of Pearl Harbor by enemy planes, undoubtedly Japanese. The city of Honolulu has also been attacked and considerable damage done. One of the bombs dropped within fifty feet of KTU tower. It is no joke. It is a real war. The public of Honolulu has been advised to keep in their homes and away from the Army and Navy. There has been serious fighting going on in the air and in the sea. The heavy shooting seems to be…” a little interruption “... We cannot estimate just how much damage has been done, but it has been a very severe attack.”
December 8, 1941
Loveland, Ohio
And All of America...
Huddled before their radios, listening to their president, as...“Yesterday, December 7th, 1941, a date which will live in infamy…” ‘President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt’, said “... the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”
After the attack, ‘Navy Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto’ was said to have stated,”I fear we have awakened a sleeping giant…
They did!
Before the attack, “You cannot invade mainland United States. There would be a man with a rifle behind every blade of grass.” Admiral Yamamoto of the Imperial Japanese Navy was said to have stated.
Figuratively speaking…
There was!
The camaraderie that came about as a reaction to Pearl Harbor was evident the moment the first bomb dropped. Like Americans tend to do when the chips are down…
We came together!
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Chcpter Tw3nty
