Great American Neighborhood Road Show

The following program is made possible through grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Maryland Committee for the Humanities additional funding provided by the Maryland order the Sons of Italy the heir and Lily Strauss foundation the commercial credit company foundation the Schluter Berg Foundation and the Maryland Center corporate membership. Significant history of this country. Much of my time doing what's called oral history. To life. The words and voices. People from the neighborhood.

Join them as their memories. Yes.

I am. You. My mother came from Holland and my father had a barber shop in Camden station down near

the harbor. So what happened was my mother was taken ill and they were scared of her life. The doctor advised my father to move out of the country so they moved out here which was real country at that time. Consequently my father was the first one to open a barber shop in this neighborhood. My mother came over from Greece on an Italian ship. It took her 30 days. I wasn't even a year old so they didn't charge for me. I came to the United States for free. My mother came months dirige this meant she was in the lowest part of the ship with the engine and the crew. She was seasick the whole time. I had to live on Lemon. Well I was a breast baby she didn't have any milk to feed me so I cried. Finally she got so disgusted with me she was going to throw me overboard. She was she was driving me through the far wall when the engineman saw me so he

ran over he grabbed me and that's what happened. Thank God it was freezing so disgusted with me she'd just shove me through my mother she arrived here in 1960 on a steamship from Poland. It was called all Lindbergh and docked over there Locust Point and then she got the ferry. See there used to be this ferry and it would run from the longest point in she come and then it took her well over a day to find out where my dad lived now my family my father my grandfather. Well we've been living down here in the 900 block of ALA street highland town for so long that the white people in the neighborhood just seem to adjust and go. We don't have no trouble. They look at you you know but if there's any noise or any of us we do nothing. Now when I want to

have a news when I leave my phone I listen to this. My name is read. That's our now at one time there were four colors living on my block. There was the red family there next door to us was the white family. And across the street was the Brown family and the Green family. Now the red family and the white family was black and the Brown family and the Green family was way across the street. You know. There are no more patriotic country people. Well now a highland town is an ethnic community. But it's all Greeks out here this is a great neighborhood. I joined an American democratic club the Americans. But what the hell was that. Thought about cleaning their neighborhoods getting things done for the neighborhood the fundamental part of the neighborhood and the functions of the neighborhood and highland town didn't want

to hear about Blockbuster activities of law. We were not ready to lose the money we had worked so hard for and invested in these properties and we were willing to fight for our financial rights. Let's get back to your all financially wise let's I don't want you in that you people are just less neighborly neer a lot think it's because the difference in the nationalities. But you know there used to be more Americans on my block. Now I've got my sister and the other German lady down the street. Americans left on this block. Dad left Italy arrived in New York September 19 0 5. But you know the next day he

was down you're involved with some friends they were going around and looking for work. Everyone worked worked talian immigrant workers boarding house and women and children now the neighborhood was crowded sights and sounds and children playing down by the morning in their school. I didn't like school. I'm going to go in there but I don't want to go down to work down there and down there and then I just see because you're only four cents to go to the movies over on Broadway. So I used to go to Clifton. And then I got sent to the school for naughty boys. St. Mary's industrial reforms. Straightened us out them brothers wack af I wanna tell they got their in

and it was all Italians in there anyway. On all these bad boys from all these neighborhoods bad boys from the Lexington Market bad boys from the Blair market bad boys from the grocery market. Oh come on don't you. Oh yeah and I made friends with everybody. Now the central news. Church now it seems like the neighborhood was built around the church and in a way it's telling about the fire at the bottom or fire more for you know that was back in 1991 and it just destroyed the whole downtown part of the city. One hundred forty one years I think it was. That's what everyone from Little Italy they all came down the saint Leo's church and they prayed all night they prayed that that fire would stop and they brought the statue of Satan and me down by the harbor to the falls.

Just stop right there and that's when they got so excited they came back with the wine and did say love their wine. Reisen right Mr. Dreamy word memory but he was crying they were so happy now that fires it stopped right on marketplace that's across the street from Little Italy and you didn't hear a little bit. We used to have good people. We helped one another. We used to have some good festivals out here. Oh we still do. They're just not as big as they used to be. On the side of the church is a bronze plaque naming all of the neighborhood men who have fought the wars of this country. The second world war was kind of rough. My three brothers they all went to war. They were in all the heavy battles Patton's Army but they came back

Frankie he came back with five major battle stars. Jolly with three and Johnny with two major battle styles. It was rough. Very very rough. But the thing that I remember the most the thing that made the most vivid impression on me was when those telegram boys would come down the street on their bikes. We'd always hope oh dear God don't let them stop here. But they did stop they stopped at quite a few. My mother bought a can of tomatoes. I remember her first canned tomato. There was a woman in the neighborhood who was putting up preserves you know those tomatoes in the glass jars. Well it burst in her hands. My father had to take her to the hospital both her hands were cut

up and her face was cut up from it. So when he came home from the hospital he says to my mother that's it you're not put in these jars. And I don't know what's happening but they are bursting in women's hands. So we got rid of all the bottles all the jars. What about. And my mother said Well what are we going to do. Well now they're putting tomatoes in cans and they're good people eat them. It was very hard to getting used to the American food. The first time I went out I was working at a tailor shop downtown and one of the girls said let's go out and we're going to move our brothers. Well this was the first restaurant American restaurant.

That I was in. And one of the girls said well what are you going to order of the potato salad is good and they have a shrimp salad. Now I wasn't used to mayonnaise. Forget it. We never had mayonnaise in the house. So when they brought out the potatoes with. Like a white cream it seemed to me. I'm sorry I can't taste that. And then they brought up the shrimp salad and it was the same way. I'm sorry I can't eat that. I mean I wouldn't use the I was so used to the Italian way of cooking. Nothing was white everything was red. But. Oh you know I was in one of these restaurants down here the other day and this kid comes in and he says can you put my spaghetti on a paper plate.

Now come on. I dive when I see that upsets me. You know their show me was on you know a frying pan I just like the whole thing can blow up right in their face. I shouldn't say that. I shouldn't say whatever she wants. I don't see that I was but I don't believe in doing this kind of thing to food. It's just to promote a sale. It's a ritual to make a particular kind of food. And she is not just talking about Italian. It's for China. Bush walk. I grew up with pizza. OK. It's always taken a long time to get a pizza made. And now those American boys and girls literally everybody is in a hurry but they're not you know so they keep on making pizzas down here and thinner and thinner. Do you like now all of a sudden.

Yeah in the past two years. Pizza. Oh heck I guess I. Was. I don't believe in miracles happening unless you look

for them then they happen every day. You know when we had our first child a very important thing happened to me. It was on a Friday night. My husband had to work. I was alone. My son was only six months old. He really didn't know what was going on but as I was lighting the candles for the Sabbath I noticed that his eyes were becoming very very large. And I said to myself he knows he knows he's Jewish. From that moment on things that related to Judaism became very important in our house. And when my son was grown one day we went to synagogue and in memory of my father he was asked to conduct the service.

So I saw my son walking through the Shool reading the Torah conducting the service. Well to me he symbolized the survival of the Jew. Maybe the feeling was there when he was a child. Maybe the spirit was there. It doesn't always mean the child will want it. But that child did want it and that child proved to me there will always be one at least one Jew and that one will keep it going. In Russia this was a terrible terrible tragedy it was very difficult it was impossible from the standpoint of Jews. They only breathing room would be in the United States. This is what we believe. So when I was a boy in Russia after my mother died and I was very lonely. But

being a boy of that age 14 years old at the time I couldn't leave Russia legally. So I had to cross the river into Austria. This was September of 1913. I crossed the river into Austria the water was up to my neck very cold and I had a guide in back of me on the other side of the border then the dog started barking. Border guards picked me up and I guide ran back there I was wet and cold and scared to death so they took me to a farmhouse. They made me change into some dry clothes and then gave me some hot milk and a warm bed to sleep in. And in the morning they came and they took me into the city court for trial. Now as I had studied German in school I could converse with the judge so he let me go. And then I just travelled for days and days to reach Bremen

Germany and I came over on steerage took a long time 18 days in 1990 and the boat that was more like a cattle boat that wasn't even fit for people to be on for that many days. That's something to remember. But I was a young healthy boy and during the night they would let me come up on deck so high be able to breathe. We had to leave it. We have always been grateful to be living in this country but now even into the 1950s here the housing restrictions and the job restrictions against these were very easily enforced. For instance there was a lady who applied for a job over the telephone. Now when she gave her name Mrs. Levy Well then there is a lot

of hemming and hawing on the other end of the lied and finally he tells her we can't employ a Jewish person that's. Just depressed about him to go up to the 18th floor all you do is present to you what difference does it make. Now she has him in a box. So finally she tells him it just so happens I'm not Jewish My husband is Jewish. I have two children he's had a heart attack I need work I need a job. And there was even more hemming and hawing and finally he told her we can't employ anyone with a Jewish name. Mrs. Levy was a Protestant. There were places where we could not go broke something or run. There used to be a sign there who there used to be two signs there one at each end from far up for gentiles only. I've never been able to find out the measurement of an approved

Gentile. We used to have some beautiful buildings up here with fine marble steps. They had these beautiful paintings but now it seems to me all we have are the high rises the condominiums and nobody knows who is who. No one knows who lives in which apartment. And when we break out of this ghetto what happens. Well in the late 60s the Jews ran and whites ran and blacks moved in. I know Jews of white people I know that they ran like all the whites ran. But with this difference to my knowledge there was never any brick throwing or window smashing or physical assaults. When the so-called Jewish neighborhood was broken into. Oh and I hate that expression broken into when black people became our neighbors. You

see I had very little contact with non-Jewish people and I had absolutely no contact with black people. So when the first black family moved in across the street from us I didn't leave my front porch the whole day. I just stood there. I was trying to see I was trying to figure out I can't explain to you what my feelings were because they were very stupid feelings. I was saying things like. They have tried to see how their children are playing. Look at that she's sweeping off the front porch. Oh do you see what I mean. Such silly things. See I couldn't believe that black people did the same things as white people. I was determined but my children were not going to have such a limited kind of an experience. We were going to stay in that neighborhood. We were going to stay there because we made friends with the new families in the neighborhood.

We've had all kinds of experiences and they were good experiences. It was our home. You can call it Sandtown Winchester or Sugar Hill but those of the neighborhoods in

West Baltimore. I live here and always have. Our neighborhood was a typical Baltimore neighborhood with the white marble steps and the houses on the even side of our street were three story homes. And a lot of these homes were owner occupied. Oh yes there were several lawyers living in these homes and schoolteachers and a lot of people with better than a high school education. I live further down town I came aboard Mon 19 and 25 somebody offered me a ride because the neighborhood was so bad at the birds. We loved our homes. We cared for our homes and we did little neighborhood things to see that our homes were kept in fairly good condition. We had pride in what we had. Now it may have been small but you can bet those white marble steps were scrubbed religiously. Now some people live as servants they live in alleys and in carriage houses. Not my family. And then they want to work for wealthy families over there.

Utah place was a perfectly beautiful area beautifully kept. Everybody scrub those marble steps and when the sun went down you're dressed for the afternoon. We'd sit out front in the afternoon. There was some people living next door to horse stables in places there were junk dealers in the same area where people were living and schoolchildren had to pass by a bar after bar on their way to school. There was poverty. Read his biggest carrots and some of these areas. Black people were closed during the time I was growing up. One didn't move around a great deal and we knew each other. We knew family situations we attended the same schools and churches. Well. Everybody knew about where the neighborhoods were close together close thousands of people living in a few square blocks which they were permitted to own or rent. Of course there was marked segregation in those days but they seemed to have no

effect you know in fact both my mother and my aunt were able to complete not only high school but teacher training classes. They felt and I know that a lot of people in the community had the same feeling. Education is the way up. Now. Parents were willing to make a great many sacrifices to keep their children in school and Douglas High School had a truly distinguished faculty. If you were black and you wanted to go to high school Frederick Douglass High School was the only one you could attend. The same as if you were a teacher. Now we had Ph Ds teacher in high school. Well I got a good education and I'm a teacher now. Well I went to work 19 and 29. For well-to-do white folks at a country club now worked six and a half days a week get paid $50 a month. Well you a little while later try to reduce me to $45 a month so I quit. Now one of my neighbors told me i asked me if I want to work a day out its park. It was the spring and they want me to beat some rugs winter rugs spring clean and they called it

all naturally our greens as they were going to pay the magnificent sum of three dollars and fifty cents plus transportation. I went along that day and I saw this little girl as she was only 16 years old and the woman I was working for was teaching her to be a maid that lunchtime the woman called to me. Anything you don't see just ask for anything you want want that little girl. I can't hear you or oh that's ok I'll get it. I'm America crazy little girl she's so skinny she look like six o'clock. There Well I went along that day and I saw that girl again and I said By the way what is your birthday. She said November 9 0 said well this is just June. But then I have a job and save some money. We don't get a murder on your birthday and I told you two points would do fine for the celebration. She said two pints. I said yes a pint of ice cream for you and a pint of whiskey for me.

Yes well. I got a job downtown. I was shining shoes made $6 a week. Now I work five days a week from 8:00 in the morning to eight an evening Saturdays from 8 to 10. Yes we made it. I drew some money out of the bank and got a marriage license $2. That was back in 1930 I had 36 dollars in the Marine bank and I had no sense. Anyway we got married on a birthday and we raise nine children. Now I'm proud of that. I'm proud that I was able to work and to see them all reach maturity. I was proud that I was able to see them all go to school they got good jobs and now they started families on their own. I don't ask me how I did it cause I don't know. If I had to do it all over again I wouldn't know where to start. But I was able to give them a little something. So maybe it wasn't the best but it was the best I could. Thank you.

Remember the Royal Theatre on Pennsylvania Avenue. Now you know the alley was our good time place then people would come to Baltimore and look for Pennsylvania Avenue because there was a bit of everything there that were good terms we're on Pennsylvania Avenue there were dense segregation played a very important part. There were very few places in Baltimore that black people could freely go. Now we had the ball room and we both want to say it was the first bowling alley in the city for blacks. I took in movies. Downtown movies with Jim Crow. I'd go back there to follow those old bands that thought I was pretty. People might think that's all we do. I know that's what they think. Then Pennsylvania Avenue was just loaded every corner you turn there was a nightclub floor shows dance bands you could get up to an intermission and then the music was one of like go back to dance and I was the music was wonderful when

I remember Cab Calloway Now Baltimore is his home and a Billie Holiday. Now Baltimore was her home and I saw Stan Canton. You're telling some kind of good. All right go ahead and show them some steps. Well at one time we have a little number that we called the Saints. Now you see this as work mostly from the knees down and so you take a little thing and you sprinkle it on the floor and so you move your feet. All the science work like this if you please. Do try to do. Did you just do it. Yes that was. In the 20s we had a number that we call the Charleston S.C. The girls want a flat with dresses and they called it the rolling 20 those days and the Charleston went like this.

That's what I know that. But that wasn't Charles. Was. Why. Do you get it.

We don't want to get carried away. It was built by blacks and for blacks it was on a national touring sort of for black entertainers and it was a side of many financials for many years. Finally the world changed from black hands to whiten. Well they ran it for so many years. And then they told the Rowe theater for a housing complex. That they were going to build in there. There was a large department store and their policy after a merger became not to wait on us. I went in there one day with my grandmother. She wanted to buy me a coat because she was so proud I was in college. I'll never forget it was a green coat with

a black box collar. The woman said I couldn't put it on. Now I had a grandmother and she said I think you know what you're talking about. Now put that coat. Well the sales lady was saying don't put it on my grandma's and put it on and I'm going to put the coat on and honey Grandma raised a funeral in that store. She got the manager and she performed. She said I used to buy chicken feed and grain and implements my place out in the country. On that count in this since before this child was born what do you mean to tell me she can't put this coat on. Now we've had big accounts and pay them well. We've been good customers now put things in a box for me. And you know they never billed her for those things up until the day she died. I have here something to show you. So Bourne made the 21st

900. I've lived up here in Hamden all of my life now. Way back I remember my grandma because she's a lot of fun. And my mama my mama she was real lucky to have her too because Mama couldn't go work down there in the mill with us three children unless grandma was a taken care of us at home so somebody had to work in the mills to live in the company houses you know when there wasn't any work up there and then those neighbors closed up you didn't have to pay the rent and you didn't have to worry about getting shipped out companies or how one stuck through their farm. Regardless of the things said about the companies. Well we used to go to church up in him the member one night there's a woman or she's a young lady. She come up to my grandma said to her Ma'am don't you think it's time you give up your sins away give your heart to the Lord. Lord that woman herself she couldn't have been much worse to have had a child you didn't even have NO legal husband or grandma she was a great big woman.

She drew herself back and she said I am no sinner you are. You better give up your sinful way. She could sound barriers. My mama I Remember Mama she said to her she said Maule she called her ma she said Ma you just shouldn't of said that tour and grandma she said well why not. I thought it so I just might as well say it. Well that was a long time ago. I remember I got myself a job in 9 6 6 years old carrying lunches to my grandfather he run the garden machine down below at Mt. Vernon mill for years and old days nice dirty dusty roads down there do. He had needed a bath for you could even think about going to bed at night. That's right. It was discovered that my father and my sister not all had the flu. It was my mother's job to keep us in condition so she put them on you pull on our feet all along they'd burn your feet. Oh they were hot but we all came through it all right cept all my hair fell and I had to go down to get us what's made them days your mother. She was the

guardian angel now my mama. She was her good cook she made the very best lemon meringue pie in the whole world and she had a very good contralto voice. In 1918. That is the time of World War One. We's all working in the mill them days. Yeah there's lots o orders. But tell them about your boxes o them. Why they were the best bosses obviously that ever lived. I do believe so. You know when I had my baby that was in 1926 I had her. She was only five months old when I went back to work five months old and I would have to go home and nurse. Well then bosses gave me my full week's pay. I didn't lose it. You know I can't work up. I worked hard I called it up what I was supposed to supposed to do is go home and nurse that baby and go back to work.

But then. About three o'clock you know I'm working overtime I could get off work three o'clock I'd go home. But the boss he would come around he would say three o'clock. You go home or you can come back to a couple hours over and get off work and we used to get off work we'd go appear on 36 streets because they had a big holy roller come in there and we'd get off or go up and stand around the holy rollers 10:00 at night. Yeah this big holy roller preacher out there his name was preacher preacher preacher now old preacher and that collection plate need tell the folks he put all your green money in there and they put all their greenbacks in there. Then it handed out again. Yes it got greenbacks he wants all their silver to oldest woman up there one night she fell down in her dress but she didn't have no nothing.

And somebody said My God don't you do that you let the devil come out. One of her brothers now I don't know which one of them was somehow or another he got ahold of some PC and he went and poured it in the water fountain and somehow or another the preacher got a preacher he got a taste of it and somehow or another and then somebody would go up to him and they would ask him for a glass of water. And the preacher would say you know there's just about enough in here to me. And he wouldn't give them a drink. Yes he had a job. Yeah brother John is what we used to call him and you know I rather drawn with the collection plate because he only got one arm and he can't take none of that. The only used Holy Roller tent though didn't.

You know I stopped work when I got pregnant with them toys. He took that hard. He wanted them baby so bad. Now I should have gone to the hospital but I didn't go I was scared. Everybody did go to the hospital but my doctor delivered it home. Oh I like Ted died. The only thing I can say is that good Lord musta wanted him better than I did. Well I didn't want to be better than I did I would have loved. Well things change. We had some strikes in the mill. We never used to have no strife. You know they were the best bosses that ever lived. Well we did have one strike one time fifty bobbin boys they struck for higher pay but their daddies they worked in the mill to say they spank them and they send them back to work and

live in 1923 there was one strike. Yes it lasted eight weeks. Yeah well depression time and money was very scarce. A lot of times they get to cut your hours back in the mail. You know an awful lot of families that didn't have enough to eat at all. Then after World War Two and Hamdan really started to change the movies closed up. Certain businesses that had been around your whole lives they just closed up the. Mills closed up and then you got a lot of help and they're kind of been in here from the south people that you didn't know. And the people that you didn't know they there dies or. Gets married and moves out of Hamden and then some of these boys a new era well. I didn't come back from the war. And of course I missed them.

These are our boys we watch them play football they didn't come back from the war. That was a big hurt and there wasn't nothing you could do about it. Just be glad you wasn't one of them. That was part of life. Was going on all over this country. People was losing people it was losing their loved ones in the war. A. Lot of people. Hated to see their movies close up I guess Hamdan just never had much clout and not even enough clout to control destiny. I don't believe in black and white bitch and no I don't believe in. God it meant that to happen it seems to me he'd of done that at the beginning of time and that's just as plain as the nose on anybody's face. He made a mold different great.

And we see a mix just like that too right here on the newlywed game. Just as black as the spade. And she's white as you are. Well after 80 years ask myself why do you stay in Hamden. A tell ya I like that. That's why I didn't leave. And we've been all over this city. You know so the House is they was beautiful. We just like the neighborhood or the location you know the way they set out. We just didn't like other places. I got a lot of relation plays all born and raised right here. So I don't think that I could live anyplace else. Now it's just like the

place where you was born I had been where you was raised that now you'd like that the best don't jive I know you do. That's the way I feel. I live here in Federal Hill on the south side of the harbor. I live down here at

Locust Point. This is shot Leadenhall. Well we've been sharing this peninsula of South Baltimore since before there ever was a city and for long as there's been a port. We've been sharing it for a lot longer than there's been any song or song that you know time and make us out just beat on the mantelshelf and that right and help us out. We don't care if you have friends that left you a great shuffle are just not made us out of that that you see this song when it was written here in South Baltimore about the people living down here in song but they heard this song and it will bring Crosby makes this big head out of the herd. Care if you have friends I have that right. Just not right.

Yeah and I'll tell you something else. Crosby didn't live down here in South America in 1932 tinware was the thing. I worked in a tin factory making time graters used to call them knuckle Busters In a plant that was five stories high. Right here in the neighborhood I worked there too. I made some wonderful friends but the boss was tough. You never know any different. The owners the maintenance people the supervisors everybody all right here in the neighborhood now one of the neighborhood that used to come inside there and they were the ones that it was almost like a family thing. They was just like these big families loved it. Oh I liked all the people around me. I know everybody everybody was laughing all the time telling jokes stuff like that. Oh you'd worked like the devil.

Then you'd saying at the top of your voice. While you were singing. I was scrubbing and doing laundry. I remember I had to walk five miles to pick up this lady's laundry and then sort it and wash it and fold it and iron it and take it all the way back again. All for the 50 cents a box phone. There's people walking around South Waldemar with fingers cut off hands cut off comes off stuff like that you know the sight was bad nobody felt sorry for you. Yeah Denner 15 stitches in your hand that day. You just go up stairs get fixed up gone back down and go to work. Anybody can be overcome with sweat. And in the summertime with no air conditioning in your sweat tires yet more than your work does. And then you come home. It's rush rush rush for the border for the

husband. In other words. And it was that was it. Had to start all over again. Yes you know it was hard really rough. I was tough she was. Boss knew we could depend on me. Hell yeah I had to stand on your own to get knocked around them days. Politics was just a big that party all the time with a whole lot of. Promise and you have this promise and you know that you remember that time McNulty ran for sheriff. Oh yeah and after the precinct tally was taken it showed later on the people went to court and they swore they voted for have all of that time all those Democrats voted. Twenty five more voters in their. Politics. How do you fight the system. You don't. Not when you're up for a person.

Oh hey I'm going to tell my story about going to church with you tonight as well. Well now this must have happened about 1929 see because as well 14 years old and I was up for the church this after Mass I'm up there but up in Camden I'm up on the altar of the church and there's a statue right there side of the altar. And I'm just putting out these candles. Just put the scandal when it got startled because ordinarily that statues eyes were closed and this time they're lookin right at me. Well I'm just going to go about my business and later on I went down into the basement of the church. I'm down there just to put things on it and put them away. Just put me away when this nun comes through the ceiling. There's a trap door. She warned me to secrecy

but it was then that I discovered where she come from. From that statue Oh yeah look. That's why they got all the little nuns they put them up in them statues and then they don't watch in a church well it's OK. It'll. Now there's one part of South Baltimore that we haven't talked about yet that's fraudulent. Now a long time ago they they built some factories on the island and they moved everyone off. But I was talking to a woman who used to live there when she was a little girl and she remembers what that island used to be like. And she told me this. This storm had been in progress before that. But it was clear something was coming. Like about now we were walking through the fields which we

always did down there. But gods did I tread on the own dogs. You know I think the sun had draw them up. They used to say that the sun would draw them up out of the pope. Then they would have chopped there in the clouds. And then they would fall down from the sky and here we were tread over him in the grass. And you just felt terror. I live there now. Well you know. It is.

Thank. You.

I am. I am. I am. This program was made possible through grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Maryland Committee for the Humanities. Additional funding was provided by the Maryland order the Sons of Italy the air and a lily Strauss foundation. The commercial credit company foundation the Schluter Berg Foundation and the American Center corporate membership. Of.