Ruth Lippman and Stefan Friedman

00:03 Okay, I am ruthless men. I've 97 years old. I can't believe it. But I am today's date is April 14th 92 to 2017. I can't believe that either but it is the location is the North Shore Towers where I live and the relationship to the park to my partner. I am his class Stefan's grandmother Stefan Friedman. I am 41 today is April 14th 2017. We are in Queens New York and I am Ruth's grandson started telling a story about when you were born and I often talk to my kids about.

00:56 When you were born in 1920 what we have today, which wasn't there then radio-television Etc. But you were just telling me that.

01:07 Children were born in hospitals back then. So on March 23rd 1920, where were you born? I do not know the name of the hospital that I should have been born and I matching the hospital of choice in those he is was Brooklyn Jewish hospital, but I was born at home. We lived in East, New York.

01:34 I think that I believe the address is 455 Hinsdale Street East New York, which is a very middle middle class part of Brooklyn. And those who is I was bored at home part of the district family, which I'll tell you about later. We had a family doctor his name was David bergstein and he delivered all the babies of that generation in the wall of how homes that was your your brothers as well as yes, and so your brothers were Lenny Henry and Teddy and you like I are both the eldest of of the clams should tell me a little bit about about your brothers.

02:23 I have three brothers that were born.

02:27 Teddy was the youngest who was born on May 23rd. I'm bad with numbers. I can't give you the days. But he was the youngest Teddy was the youngest delicious Henry was the middle. He was a little fat chubby baby that my mother knows he is very contemporary issues with Rogers home today because Henry had a little head full of beautiful blonde curls and she refused to cut his hair until he was about three years old. So today, we'll see men having long hair. My mother would be a mother of choice. And then there was Leonard lending a who is the oldest of my brother's I must say. It's a probably brought the wrong thing to say at this.

03:27 But I would say that I was closest to my friend of letting he was he was very important in my life very important because you and because he lived the longest of my brothers and your brothers in the service at one point in the second world. News in the Navy let it was in the Infantry in the Army spend some time in the STP for Hope program at the University of New Hampshire and then was thrown into the Infantry when overseas and was in the Battle of the Bulge.

04:09 Teddy was in the Korean War and my husband my life has been my this my soul maze also in World War. I will get the grandpa, but I wanted to just go back really quickly your we were talking earlier your parents Sam and Sadie were first-generation Americans that they came over.

04:34 They came over from Europe when they were already born father songs at my father.

04:50 What's about 12 years old and took tell me what they were I don't think people this generation even have.

04:59 Just water and Snapple.

05:03 Yes, those are so I don't think that if you look at my kids if they were to take a look at Sam and Sadie and even what they look like, they would think they came from another planet tell me what they tell me tell me a little bit about them, but also told me what they were like where they were they short of stoic people where they funny people who were they I don't agree with you.

05:31 My father particularly was very sophisticated looking if he were alive today, he would look like any other man of his General Phelps. He is a very handsome. My mother was a beautiful woman heavy but had a tremendous fashion sense of fashion if I have a sense of fashion, and I think I do I just don't question in my mind. I got it for my mother.

06:09 So I don't think if your children Methuen today, I don't think they would be surprised that they look at all like I guess and witch's tit out obviously they would update for the time well, but my memory of the way they dressed when I was 4 years later and the only memory is way that dress that's any different from the way we dress now.

06:41 Maybe the heavens were a little shorter then maybe these dresses will not as fit in. I mean today we wear lingerie and addresses. I thought would be the difference but they were both very good-looking people very fast and very fashion-conscious always my father. I remember my father wearing spats. I don't know if you're even knows what size are men's shoe covers and usually they were wise because of those he is a men's shoes with black don't let nobody had anything but black shoes and they will covers to give the shoe a fashion. Look my father also about

07:30 Which was kind of forward-looking and nauseated the fashion sense than what you told me about and you grew up with your brothers and your parents on Louisa Street yellow house on Louisa Street.

07:58 I don't know how we will fit into the house the way we did but we did and it was full of people always full of love and Louisa Street is in which now called Flatbush. Is that is that no? No Louisa Street. Is it an area very fancy name for a very plain area school Kensington and it's really quite a middle and always was a middle middle class area with two family homes sold two family homes. The entire space is 2 feet long is really short two-block to Boston and the path that suits you want to hear this may or may not be a fact it may or may not be true, but it came down through the years.

08:54 The story is that a father a Dutch farmer bought this tract of land.

09:01 In this area and do I deduct up in two streets names old streets for his children. So I lived on Louisa Street. She's one page at that time. I lived on Louisa Street that was Clara Street Chester Avenue Tehama Street Day Hill Road at 12th Avenue admitted Ministries. That was the last of it. Now that that was the legends that I came down through the years that I know. I'm going to go a step further many many years later when I was widowed. I dated a man and the usual conversation with my where did you grow up? Where did you live? Where did I live? And he asked me where I came from and I told him the story as I told it to you now.

09:55 And he left and he said well, he says that stuff's for must have moved to Arizona because this is an area in Arizona that has to say so as I say, I don't know what is true, but I thought it was a very cute story and you'll get into your career that you are a model and and but that you don't have a phone in your house cuz I correct my father lost his business and he became Italy had a very serious heart attack and so we did not have to tell if we had a telephone but this isn't work.

10:46 So you see you see a calls from dates, right? And so who would they call it? And how would they connect with you the areas that we lived in Louisa Street itself as they're all residential Southern was not the corner the corner of candy store where a lot of my friends who also was very poor at the time. They got their phone calls the candy store. We had a lovely little neighbor named Mrs. Brisket who lived next-door second floor. That was the telephone number that I gave my day so mrs. Brisket and was like my matchmaker because all the Kohl's will come to her apartment. She would open the window call down through the alleyway Ruthie's the doctor is on the phone with the lawyer results.

11:46 Ruth see the account is on the phone and she was really I guess my idea Rafi of the day. She knew all my boyfriend's she liked some of them she didn't like some of them but that's that went on for several years until we became a little more afterwards then I guess that that leads into it send if you were a child of the depression, you know, the Roaring Twenties, that's where the past and you were sure of a child with depression is that I guess you mentioned that that a lot of your brother served and obviously my grandfather your your husband served as well. So so Bert, how did you meet? How did you go? How did you meet for your your husband May 1st?

12:36 How did I make bird I was in Manhattan Beach with a group of friends in Brooklyn Brooklyn Burke was a member of a roller skating group that used to go roller skating that you danced on roller skates. It was a very social till I get paid for it or was it was it a job or was it like a hobby and he was working with a few friends walking down the boardwalk and he was coming in the opposite direction. We met we met we talked I guess is my telephone number.

13:26 Years later, he told me that the day he met me he knew he would marry me but that's the whole of the story and then I didn't hear from him for a while. And one day I got a call from one of the one of the other young men that I was dating. I miss is frisky and cold and tells me that he was saying I was on the phone. I came upstairs and he called to tell me what time he pick me up until on a cell phone.

14:04 In those years when we went out on Des contrary to what happens now we dressed we will We dressed up we will have we will a little life glove and we really went out on a day beautifully dressed. I'm so

14:25 My last question to Sam was where are we going?

14:30 Meaning to me to indicate to me what I should wear at his answer was violent. He said you are a gold digger and I will never go out with you again. In other words. He dumped me and he slammed the phone down and I sat there dumbfounded not even realizing what happened to put the phone back on the Cradle is riding Again by The Whispers.

15:12 And it was this Saturday. It was the first time he called me and they asked if I could do it if he could see me. Nice I was mortified because we didn't I wouldn't go out if you had a full two weeks in advance because it's you know, it's a girl how to make sure but he had a night with no days. I'm so I said yes to the man who became my husband you were married in 1942. Yes, and he had come home from service at that point. I know we were married in May of 1942 and he was injured ducted into the army. That's September. So you had a beautiful honeymoon. We went to the forest house in Lake Mahopac.

16:12 And then we set up very modest housekeeping because we knew that he would get the full sooner or later. And so believe it or not the first address first a little apartment burn I had was an efficiency. I don't know if you know, it's not an efficiency apartment was one room with a kitchen area that did or didn't have a louvered screen.

16:44 Behind the screen that cover a little stove and then little refrigerator. Everything was floor lamp Ethan was minimum size on a Murphy bed in the world because it was that that's why I thought it was cool deficiency. It was on a street called Love Lane in Brooklyn in Brooklyn.

17:18 R&L private at least $25 a month for the night cuz that's where the Saint George Hotel. You said. I was married at the menorah temple in Brooklyn at a beautiful beautiful Catered Affair to say it and

17:45 Yes up my wedding night. We spent at the hotel Central or just go burn your ass. That's how I'm it was a very elegant hotel with a swimming pool on the roof and they had a dining room with music Mitchell Mitch heirs with the orchestra leader. You have the faintest idea who that is, but

18:09 It was a beautiful beautiful hotel beautiful dance. We dance we had a lovely night and get a band and a lot of people my wedding. Yes. Yes. Yes, Machu Grandparents were alive. They walk down the aisle. It was a long ceremony. Very tiring as a boy. I think his name was right by Blue them and my hair at that's how I was stalking was sort of old version and I remember that he winked at me and he said it's almost over red, but the rest of the rabbi are birds so fast forward a few years. He he goes off to service and how do I and so what did you do while he was away at War?

19:09 I thought he was stationed in the first place was Camp Upton. So I moved to Patchogue, Long Island.

19:19 Just just to add a little drama to my father when he was in service in the first world war was stationed at Camp often also, which was uncalled Yaphank now is Camp Upton never to say I didn't the typical on the way. My husband was an artist a very fine gentleman.

19:45 And the Army put him in the engineer Corps.

19:52 So he knew nothing about being an engineer and digging ditches and because he had this wonderful Talent. He started a newspaper in the Army and it was cooled engine eres. He gathered all the information for it. Now. Look at this your his and he had everything. I don't know how they printed as what they did but it was a lovely magazine. I think my daughter has some copies of it now later in life free newspaper in your 90s the newsletter and he delivered if he had a bicycle at the at the base and I got a job working for the adjutant general.

20:42 I was very cute. And I was very small are there so few of us a regular army officer Who's Who was

20:59 Colonel O'Leary

21:03 I had a lot of difficulty saying Colonel O'Leary. So I would answer the telephone pick up the phone when it rang and see Corporal O'Leary's office when he became the laughingstock of he would call me and red face angry, you know Ruth's if you weren't so cute. I would fire you on the spot. You'll make The Laffy for some reason I couldn't get my mouth around the word kernels took a long time, but I finally did and so when it was shipped from there to another Alamitos shoveling with him, I traveled with him and worked on every on me posting that he's the station that until I became pregnant with Jaden.

22:03 The 1945 which is 5 and 1st is the birth of my mother or your daughter chain. So tell me a little bit about.

22:21 Being pregnant and having her I love my life was about to be discharged to session to capture things and was able to come home frequently. I I moved back to the to the little room in Louisa straight and with my child to my parents when I became pregnant.

22:51 I had a good pregnancy. I had a good delivery. However, Jane and 9th and that when she was born. She was the first girl baby born in 36 hours. They were about 20 boys born in those and that. Of time was you born in the hospital when in Israel Hospital, which is now maimonides it was that cold is real sign the nurses. She was a beautiful gorgeous face the first words. I remember when I came out of the other CZ which they gave you out of that they did.

23:49 The doctor the first words. I remember hearing him say oh she looks just like the Campbell Soup, baby. I don't know whether you or any of you remember the Campbell Soup, but she had this beautiful little pink round face and golden blonde hair that was beautiful and for the two weeks that I was in the hospital that allows you to stay in the hospital for two weeks the nurses every day as a nurse is caring her around to show all the other mothers the little girl Bayview that was the first girl baby born in 36 hours. The other thing that happened in 45 is that you were named the Miss Subways in January, which is correct. I imagine you would have just been pregnant when you appeared nobody knew, but I was pregnant. I wasn't to miss

24:49 Very little to do with being the supplement that the maiden name this up with a friend of mine jeanfreau office power see very famous Model 8 modeling agency models that program, which was wonderful. Is it was that a yes. I don't know that it was commercial, but it was sort of a morality thing. It made people feel good. So every month a different person was chosen who allegedly wrote the Subway, what do they did with it didn't matter and that was supposed to be the best looking person of the month.

25:33 I'm a friend of mine who lived on Louisa Street. We had a whole food for friends. We were the girls from Louisa Street and she had a pictures made a snapshot as she sent it in to the to the agency's John Powers agency.

25:51 I guess he thought ice.

25:53 Had something that something was good enough to appear until I was I think it was February and that was a very interesting experience. I remember being in the subway coming to work one day and didn't realize that I was seated right under the poster the subway these all the posts were posted in the Subways and we'll all the stuff with that have these long Subway posters and I sat right under my picture and while we were riding with other people will pokebeach other separate you have a very self-conscious when I got up at my station to leave. I'm going to pick up my belongings. I noticed the poster with my picture.

26:53 Nothing important

26:56 It then became important because one of the women one of the young women girl named Ellen Stern who had a

27:07 Diner in lower Manhattan decided to publicize this I'm so she had a a reunions of the Miss Subways of from laptop from the time started up to the time that she was Miss subways.

27:25 And she hadn't publicize this week since I had three or four reunions. There was a Broadway show called on the town. They did a lot with that or we miss Subways was so lucky enough to be alone. And I am one of them were there and there is a beautiful beautiful book ending in the subway missing 12 in Subway's with a little biographies of All of Us full page. You do pictures of the memories and it was still on show me the forties you have Jane. What would you do? How long did you continue living with your parents Before You & I we got an apartment on East 14th Street 1317 East 14th Street in Brooklyn.

28:25 That would have been flagged for stroke and you should feel free to tell me if you if you do want to mention this but I think it's important to talk about that. You have two kids, but you also had a son in between I had a little boy a beautiful little boy named Mark who I have created a fantasy in my head who is loen to me for two years. He was six quizzes. He never spoke beautiful blonde hair blue eyes. He was born on Thanksgiving Day and he died two years later on Thanksgiving Day. So it's like he was loaned to me for two years and I'd rather not going to any more about that. So then I was born and that's why I do. My husband said it's now or never

29:25 31 more valve in with my son was born when Amy was 39 the baby is as a Robbie was a little doll. She was Jayden's little doll for many many years and models doll. She was a beautiful.

29:48 Quiet very quiet very introverted. But she's a little shy didn't want to go to school only wanted to stay home with me and fell for her first year of kindergarten. I went to school with her almost every day. And then one day the principal of the school who was sort of sort of became my friend because I was always said to me mother you have to sudden I was ready to take her home. I said she doesn't have to go to kindergarten she gets off both in first grade and the principal said she will cry and first grade just the way she's crying now. He said she's got to go to school until 4 the entire day. I feel safe being School alone. I sat on the stairs outside of her room with the principal with my front of mirror.

30:46 And he said you would Brooklyn street from where we lived Robin was born and the principal and myself at outside the door on the steps and we watched the whole days lost her cry and we watch the teacher take care of her and we watched her stop crying and at the end of the day she ran out with a paper in one hand and a little girl in the other hand. This is his mommy. This is my best friend.

31:26 End of N N I was fine after midnight and I do want to say ancient history with the long ago history. And I I realize that I don't know a lot about you in the 50s and 60s were given the time where you were raising a family and we're living in Hewlett and in what I'm sure you would tell me is a very conventional Suburban know about the way up my children grew up without my brother Legend bloody and his wife live down the block from us. I'm so annoyed at that point. I wanted to business I have to finish my modeling so cold modeling career and I started as a little women sportswear Pistons.

32:25 Just made it necessary for me to be a New York One Day by one day going to the city and my children for both in school. That's the time and so they became naughty children, but they would come home from school to go to my sister-in-law's house and stay there until I came home from work. I went and pick them up and I thought I told you I was about 12 years old. I think patented that was the only difference the other mommies were all playing Mahjong on Canasta and Bridge and Machel Montano oldest daughter. Jane used to say to me mom can't you be normal like all the others mothers and play Canasta or play marshmello, and I never really thought of it but you know, we we all do and I surely know about the success that that Mom has had and has a working woman in the fifties and sixties when it was very different. Do you think that had some info?

33:25 Overdid, I think it did because well, I think it did but mostly just seems to be a work ethic in my family that's really different because I would enjoy most growing up in the 50s and the 60s while all her friends. After after the camp. Was over most of her friends who lived in the Hulen area. I came from a flu and Holmes. We will not a fluid for we was comfortable most of the children of the young women the flats at that time. We spend their Summers shopping Jill drawer shoe store with a very famous place. Most of the kids were

34:14 They came from a flute home that it was not necessary for them to work. It was neither. Was it necessary for both of my children to work? We were comfortable enough but James for always headed toward Manhattan, and she at the age of 15 stars to work with her father Summers, and then she listened to do. Believe by

34:41 A financial firm. What was the name of the chain?

34:46 Volume one

34:48 Value loan value line where she became very very a very desirable commodity. And so I mean without going into anything else she sure is now a publishing icon, which I'm sure she will have her own interview, but both of my children Robbie at the age of 14. I just decided she wanted to work.

35:13 Love with her dentist who shoots she worth more than what is a cold and a doctor named Valerie Cooper called me and asked me if I could if he could employ her. So there is a very strong work ethic and our family and in My Heart by entire Families my nieces my nephew.

35:47 They're pretty pretty what what's the word? I'm looking for hard working or Studio.

35:55 They're very account with the districts are very Compass family. But there's a very strong work ethic that runs through the entire family wasn't my influence with my daughter's. I don't know. I like to think in light of thin but I really so so, let me Jump Ahead a little bit. The kids are out of the house, you know, Jamie Gets Married early. Robbie gets married in early twenties get married. What is your life become with Burt? What is the what are the two of you? Do where'd you go? We traveled all over Europe who traveled love Puerto Rico in the Caribbean and so bear with me and without me.

36:45 Went to Puerto Rico 12 times. We traveled a great deal and then unfortunately.

36:54 On our 39th wedding anniversary. My husband died very suddenly. He went to work one morning and 4 hours later. He was gone. He had a massive coronary had never had any heart problems in his life, but I guess was in a stressful world. You cannot live in the United States of America from my guest from the 40s on without stress, and maybe that was what it was but he passed away. Did you ever did you ever expect?

37:29 You know, we're here 36 years later since grandpa passed. I mean, did you have any idea that that you would go on for this long that you would sort of?

37:40 I mean outlive him is not exactly River the things you've seen in that time. Absolutely not I mean and so tell me I mean, I don't want to rush through the end but you now have three grandchildren you have four of evil. You had a second husband George one of these mornings on a little tell us a little bit about you all have a very deep depression and for the last 25 years of my life with him, he made life very exciting travels all over the world again. I did things that I've never dreamed I would do like a fly in the two-seater plane. So many things he was a very creative man and very exciting man. And he also. After 25 years of being with me, he had a massive he was at a CPA

38:40 Very bright man, and he had a massive cerebral hemorrhage and he left me after 25 years. I have no regrets of anything that I did if I had my life to live a little over again Stephen, I would do it exactly the same way. Nothing nothing different about a single thing as single request eyes and there was a Lowe's but you know, what life is very interesting Journey. You can't have the highest if you don't have the Lowe's so you now have four great-grandchildren. Well between my charger so I would say Lucy had a question which was you know, what is your favorite memory of your life?

39:33 And so many favors have to answer does my daughter like she has answered what you lived through and she wanted to know what what was your favorite day because she's a Loosely and because she sounds delicious. I will tell her the story of my sweet 16. It may not have been my favorites but I think it would be one of her favorite stories that she'd like to hear we were very poor and so all my ends came to my mother's house my mother and father's house. I was 16 years old. My mother bought me a very inexpensive little dress and took it to a dressmaker friend of hers who completely redid it snowing on the other wanted it redone. It was beautiful out of the organdy insert in the bodice or going or guide organdy with

40:33 Los ebanos and big Puffs white organdy sleeves that it was beautiful and my aunt's came the night before I cooked.

40:46 Delicious delicacy, you know, it's delicious little things for everybody to eat. They bought boxes of domino. Sugar cubes was probably again, you probably know nothing about old movie you too and one of my ask for a great big bowls of pink satin ribbon and they sat there all night long and tired little bows around the the the sugar so that all the sugars have little pink satin both and they made of Garland which state they took the skull and then hung it all around the house and that was my sweet 16 a little Tempest that will make it even the story even nice. It was many years later when I sold some baby furniture a long long way from when I was sweet 16, I found a big plastic bag and one of the drawers

41:46 That had all the garlands all the pink satin ribbon the sugars have melted away. But the ribbons were exactly the way my aunt had made those around while the river the bigger. It was a big party is party. A lot of guys a lot of boys. My girlfriend has taught me how to kiss. How'd you do that? Exactly what to do with Maudlin she came with two boyfriends for the food later become her husband, but it was a big party party. So I have a couple of questions to add and what one is what do you think? The biggest difference is between the time you grew up and today?

42:31 There was an innocence in the world when I grew up in my world even during the Depression even on such hard times. There was a song from the world today.

42:46 That no matter how far past the pendulum will have to swing by Monday that innocence will never come back again. And I think it was the nicer I do I do.

43:01 I do but as my second husband George said to me got to roll with the punches. I do too. I think I do and so we were at a Passover seder the other night and somebody pointed out that they was Mom pointed out that there was a 96 year age difference between the eldest person there in the youngest person. So you're 10 great-grandchildren your three grandchildren the future Generations. What do you I would say you you have lived and continue to live a good life you've had sadness but you just said you would regret a moment of it. What's your advice to those people to 22 n n really, you know, I think a lot of people say well enjoy every day or everyday

43:52 They have to live their lives the way they want to it's it's a difficult world. It is a difficult world and and they will be hard times but they will grow up their children today all recipients. They will grow that I have absolute confidence that my children will grow grow up to be like they like like my grandchildren.

44:21 My great-grandchildren will grow up to be a wonderful human things like my children did and like my grandchildren did that my boyfriend says not I have absolute confidence in that. They are good children. They're good people.

44:39 My family, I'm very proud of all of my whole family. I'm proud of my daughters. I'm proud of my son. I'm proud of my grandchildren. I will tell them to be true to themselves live Villas live life live life and don't buy.

45:02 Somebody says this to me and I'll repeat it. Do not fight. Do not buy green bananas and don't drink cheap wine dance, like nobody is watching you and just live you alive. I love his I love all of them. I am very proud. I couldn't be prouder. I guess if I had one more one extra bonus question, it would be just sort of asked what your earliest memory of me.

45:35 What you do and what you know, I guess I was the first grandchild and sort of what that earliest memory of you Jane was working for Random House at the time and they published the newspaper CMS has a headline of the newspaper with Wonderboy is born.

45:55 I got my first memory of going into the hospital. My daughter was surrounded by flowers and there was this little bundle right next to her. You were little leaving very little pain.

46:07 Absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. If you just had a Florida vacation and your father, of course was there was a very happy time the entire family was in the lobby of the Mount Sinai Hospital klingston Pavilion.

46:35 And we will dance Henry and and Lee and Robin was dancing and just so happy that you were born.

46:54 So go ahead the real life love your children. Give them all the love they deserve and you'll have a wonderful life.