Kathy Kubik and Michael Stalzer

00:03 I'm 76 years old, is April 29th 2021. I'm in Lombard, Illinois.

00:12 A partner's name is Kathy. She's my daughter.

00:20 Hello, my name is Kathy, kubik. I am 46 years old. Today is April 29th. 2021. I am in Westmont, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. I am interviewing my father. Mike, stalzer, and I'm looking forward to this conversation. Okay, Dad. So yes. Yes. We are. We are so I feel like there's a lot of I have a lot of different things. I want to touch on and some memories that we have that you've told us might not be true. So I'm here to get the full true tale of your life in 40 minutes.

01:07 So I was wondering it's growing up. What was your first memory?

01:16 Plan on the black riding tricycles with Stephen Ali.

01:24 So what was it like growing up on the south side of Chicago in the forties? I believe you lived in a six flat. Is that right?

01:36 My grandmother and grandfather lived on the first floor.

01:40 Neighbors of ours, the annex on the other apartment on the 1st floor, my aunt, and uncle uncle Herman, Murray lived on the

01:53 East side of the Eastern. Was this apartment was my aunt and uncle's in our apartment was the West.

02:03 Okay, was that was it fun to have all your family all in the same building?

02:09 Yeah, well, my mother would work.

02:13 What's my dad at the restaurant? And then we would eat at my grandmother's house?

02:20 Okay. That was for a little while. But there wasn't when I was real young, my mother and work.

02:26 Okay, so tell me about your dad's restaurant.

02:31 Are the restaurant, Madison and Wells?

02:35 Young Dolph.

02:37 What's up? What's up? A real Amazon fast?

02:42 Services restaurant, but it was a sit-down place used. The waitresses would put the orders in and then come out of the kitchen on the same. Y'all look like. You see I had

02:54 Just thought of, in regular restaurant.

03:00 And what was it called? Race Walters? Okay.

03:05 It. Is that where you got your love for cooking and also your, did that influence you with your chili making? I know he made. Good chili. Clean up stuff from that just like I just was about maybe 10 years old and I'd help him make chili.

03:26 Okay. Got my chili Scopes. Okay. Did you do did you work there as well? When you were older?

03:35 He sold that restaurant, near retired retired. He was horse player. So he played the horses all the time and then he got what she wanted us to work. So you can get a used car, lot. Lost a lot of money on that Sunday, had to get another restaurant and then

03:59 Lincoln Wells to Black Sun, north of the original in the corn products building in the summer. I would wash dishes in that restaurant. I started my glasses in the next. I got a little older and I was doing the dishes.

04:17 Okay, 113 before right? When I went to high school. Okay. Well, so is that called the same name? Ray salzer's Salters, open kitchen.

04:32 Great day was like a cafeteria line and the guys would cut the food and everything was on a steam table in it. They serve the food like that. Okay? And tell me a little bit about your dad singing.

04:49 While he was in the thirties and during the Depression.

04:54 He had a radio show was swing and sway with Ray all day and he never heard any of it. And I don't think there's any kind of things around with it. Yo, what's up? I used to hear about it all the time for my mom and dad and my uncles on my uncle's, I just really do the Irish side of the family. My my grandfather. The building we lived in with my father's.

05:23 Father.

05:25 And mother that was my grandparents there, but the rest of their family, we never really hung around with, we hung around with the mcnicholas family.

05:34 Am I Irish uncles were always angry at my father during the Depression because he was making more money than them, but they were digging ditches.

05:42 Oh, wow, that's interesting. I didn't know that.

05:53 So did he sing any songs around the house? Or do you remember any songs? He used to sing.

06:06 I forgot the other one, but he was he was famous for Ave Maria.

06:13 Okay Courtney this song my brother Danny years ago went to the choir director who was still alive at the time. This was like 20 years ago, but he got the record that we have. Got a cassette tape my dad.

06:34 Yeah, that the songs were on there was hymns on there, but there wasn't any of him singing. Ave Maria.

06:43 Okay, it was a big demand. He was always singing at weddings and stuff like that. Where did the song to LaRue come from? Is that an Irish song? Irish Lullaby?

06:57 You think you could send a little bit of it?

07:05 Call boy.

07:23 How do you prime a beautiful many years ago? My mother sang. The song to me. She sang. It's soft and low. It's just a simple little did. He was a grand old Irish name. I would give my life if I could hear her singing that song again. There you go. Thank you. That's beautiful.

07:52 Did, did your mom's thing that you or did your dad say it to you or both?

07:59 Might my father would say it once in a while. It's beautiful. See you mentioned. You know, that your Irish background. Is that your main ethnic background?

08:11 Yeah.

08:13 And what was it? Like, what were your parents like growing up? Like as far as, you know, parents seeing and discipline and that sort of thing. Like how did they shape you?

08:23 Well.

08:26 It's like if I came home late, I, I get knocked around a little bit.

08:33 We would during the Summers, we had to be in. We had to be on the street lights came on.

08:42 That was a big thing and then kiss you. If I came in later, I was in trouble, but if you want to come out and find me, then I was in real trouble, but we always have to do, we have not, we're playing football in the street.

09:00 We play.

09:03 An ball onto sidewalk squares with a, with a rubber ball and pennies.

09:12 We.

09:14 We're just getting a little Mischief now, and then

09:18 So tell me about your siblings and what was it like, growing up with them?

09:24 Well.

09:27 Ray Ray was 6 years older than me. Pat, was 3 years old. So I know no Ray Ray was at older friends and he was out of the house a lot. You will see this or not.

09:40 One peptide. He was in high school.

09:44 In.

09:47 And I would know we played in Marquette Bank in a parking lot. If 64th and Western and it was a ball field and it's where we used to go bro, cook potatoes in the summer and stuff like that. Start a fire. It was just Grandma we play softball there or not. Everyone said I was younger, but I would I would I was bigger so I can I play Roblox.

10:14 So growing up you had three brothers and no sisters, right?

10:20 Yeah, I was the youngest.

10:24 Uncle Danny and Chante Moore.

10:28 And what was like, what was life like after Patrick died and it was, it was it was an accident, right?

10:37 It was a hit and run at 64th and Western.

10:41 And he was 11 years old.

10:46 I need to just got another through delivering, the Southtown Economist. He was walking his bike across, Western. He got killed.

10:59 So, after that happened, I'm assuming the family Dynamics, changed, a lot, the grandma change. Did your mom changed?

11:09 Am I did, too?

11:14 Did they become more protective of you, boys?

11:19 Like you mentioned needing to come home before it was dark and

11:29 What Ray Ray was older?

11:31 I was a.

11:33 Jurassic prey was in 8th grade.

11:38 I'm going to the high school.

11:40 Yeah, I know, it was just on.

11:44 It was a bad time.

11:49 Will getting into later, you know, when you went to Saint Rita and playing football. Is that something grandma has supported playing football or was she worried, you know because it's dangerous.

12:05 They say you didn't really bother. You didn't go to any games. Okay, I didn't know that. Was he like, okay after that or 48?

12:30 Wow, that's Young.

12:32 Fatal heart attack when he was 58.

12:38 Well, it's still very young.

12:42 Yep, I'm sad, you know obviously never met him.

12:49 Well, when you played football, did you play a game at Soldier Field?

12:55 Yeah. Yeah. Well, you're my senior year, we were undefeated.

12:59 You know, we played fun with the Soldier Field in the playoff game. We lost it was like a

13:06 It was a mismatch. We weren't, we weren't even supposed to show up for that game to win.

13:14 We play fun with Saint Rita High School. Played Fenwick High School in 1961.

13:23 So, you were a pretty good at football.

13:27 Yeah, I got a scholarship to University, Wisconsin.

13:32 And what happened with that? I know that you hurt. I think your hand playing football in a cast.

13:44 Another one of two games left in the season and the coach chapter cast off and I played the last two games.

13:51 And it got infected and I wound up in the hospital.

13:59 What? I got out of the hospital? They, I had to have a cast on for 6 months, but it had a little opening 2.

14:09 Dress. The wounds. I like to do my foot now. Can I give you a your last rites and the hospital? That's true. Now you may not have any more time, son.

14:39 So, how long were you in the hospital for?

14:43 About a week ahead, like an incubator where I had to keep my hand headlight bulbs on it. Kept on training.

14:55 And did you also have a car accident or a bad car accident around?

15:04 Ave alien convertible.

15:07 Can I, what's up going? I was going too fast at 71st and the tracks over up by Clairmont at your rerun to the guy in the

15:17 Then I would, I want up with a bunch of stitches my head cuz I was I was at University, Wisconsin.

15:24 And if it was those bad, did you go through the windshield? That's what I heard from. One of the sisters. Oh my gosh.

15:35 Oh my head, my head went through the windshield. Okay. Wow. You're lucky to be here.

15:43 Oh, yeah. Okay. Well, we talked about, you know your family and in school and growing up. I wanted to talk a bit about your your time in the military in the Army. So I believe you and lifted but you were also drafted is that I want to go to doctor.

16:09 They had me.

16:12 Class Fight 1 y, n x physically unable to serve because of my hand and I went to the doctor. I had him side of things that I was okay, to eat to survive in the service. I didn't want to join the Army. I didn't want to put three years and I want her to two. So you got drafted. And then so I just want to draft board. Told him, I said they changed me to do what I end up like a tractor.

16:39 So, when you got drafted, did you know that you'd be going to be at Nam or what was the timeline?

16:46 Well, it was 1967. So I knew there was going to be probably wind up in Vietnam.

16:54 Okay.

16:56 And how did you, how did you feel about that?

17:00 I was fine with that.

17:06 How did you imagine? It was going to be versus how it might have your professional perceptions might have changed after.

17:13 Well, when I get out of basic training.

17:18 All of the all the draftees except for in the in the company were sent straight to the Infantry School.

17:27 And me and three other guys were sent the radio School.

17:30 So I became a radio operator.

17:34 And then I was going to get Morse code.

17:40 Real good authority in the radio school, so they sent me but it wasn't for Fort. Dix, New Jersey.

17:48 Don't have sent me the fort Fort Gordon. Georgia for radio teletype school. That's why I run this radio antenna on the end of a big deuce and a half truck and

18:00 It done.

18:03 Is pretty with high-tech of the time. I can't do anything till now, you know, I got out of that school and then I was sent the Fort Meade, Maryland cuz I was going to be in this Army Security Agency.

18:22 Company that they were forming a company that to be formed to send the Vietnam at 4:40 meeting. I had to get a top secret clearance to be in the Army Security Agency.

18:40 And then I was sent to Vietnam. I had one year left to go in the in the Army and I was sent to Vietnam. I want to play cool with. The 3:30 is Radio research company and was called radio research company because the Army Security Agency wasn't supposed to be in Vietnam, in intelligence.

19:04 That goes for some reason. They weren't supposed to be there. So they just change the name.

19:11 In what year was this?

19:13 1968-69 February of 68. I got something Vietnam and I was right in the middle of the Tet Offensive.

19:23 What was that? Vietnamese in VA and be a conqueror where they were attacking cities?

19:36 NFL offensive maneuver for the war. No, it didn't do anything, but it was like a big bro. Josh real political on at the end in the United States and was so many people against the war. They said that they blew it out of proportion.

20:02 Tell me about the bombing of pleiku. I've heard, okay?

20:13 But the one time you're talking about, is

20:17 We have the squad tents with concrete floors with tents canvas tents, but around the buildings, were once more called resentments, and it was just like a 18 in.

20:35 Box going up about five feet, high filled with sand.

20:42 So it look for more land outside. If you were inside the tent, you were on the ground. You were okay?

20:49 But I'm not particular time.

20:52 Yo, what's up in his head of corrugated steel roof?

20:58 So I was, I was your night. I was working from 12.

21:05 A.m. To 12 p.m. And 12 p.m. To 12 a.m. At night.

21:13 So, I was doing that stuff. Shipped every month to change the shift in the Communication Center.

21:18 When they start walking the mortars and you can hear them before they come to just like the Border. Can we set off for the 4th of July? We hear that song. And then just one more it was an airburst, what it was right over my cubicle. So it blew a hole in my roof and blue holes in that flag that I do is to operations for these two girls that you are and we had like 30 different to each cubicle.

21:57 And I know you had a locker there in a foot locker. So I have a flag hanging from the ceiling and that's, that's the one I should have brought home.

22:07 Siri app.

22:12 I regret not saving your mom's letters to

22:15 Well, doesn't she have letters from you? Right? She had. And you still have those.

22:25 Well, I imagine it would be difficult to bring letters back home cuz I'm everything, you know that you were going through.

22:34 Oh, yeah, I told me I was leaving this idea. How is that? How did you feel? When you know that you were leaving?

22:47 He was going to drive me to the airport, was like five miles away. There was a airport right in in the compound.

22:57 And it was on there. What you play coup had three hills engineer Hill infantry Hill, in artillery, you

23:03 And we were an engineer Hill, and that's where the airport was.

23:09 So it was just a short ride, but the other one when it was time for me to go. He was nowhere to be found.

23:16 Run by Young Thug. The guy that was in my cubicle told me, they're found out later that he couldn't see me go. We were good friends. If you guys still talk to him, he was in Missouri. So how did you reconnect after the war? Did you guys exchange addresses and everything? 48th & Winchester? He's not ET came out. He was in Chicago and he stopped by and saw me and your mouth.

23:48 So what describe your friendship with him? Like, did you guys? I don't know if you had any.

23:56 I know it's a terrible situation. But if there was anything, you know, fun things that you did while you were there together.

24:06 That we have football games with in it with an actual football or did you use something else?

24:12 No, it's Cruz flag football. I don't know what's up. We played the different of the motor pool played the the operator. Sweet Lou. I was an operator not to.

24:30 We had the concert at the, the guys that were we are translators in Vietnamese.

24:40 They think their job was to be able to your phone time, copying Morse code, and voice messages and find out translate where these different people were. We would know. What what force is, it was in VA?

24:57 Petunias are samples around or something like that. We would know they were in the area. That was the intelligence that we would send that to the. 4th. Infantry was right under the tree Hill.

25:13 Did you ever get caught breaking any rules?

25:17 Like,

25:19 How did you like the ship seemed really long with 12 hour, shifts from 12? How did you stay up? I mean, with the coffee enough. I mean, the team is really hard to do.

25:45 And I would help you.

25:47 Yeah, we can have some beers and go to sleep. Then wake up and go back and then you have to throw and guard Duty there, too.

26:01 So, how did you feel when you came home?

26:10 It wasn't hard to get adjust to civilian life. After being, you know.

26:22 What's up, what's good?

26:25 So, okay. I was going to get into your work. But so you started, before it. Was, it ComEd that you were at before? I didn't know that we're at, before Vietnam and then,, in September of 66.

26:41 I got trapped in February 67.

26:44 So I had you had to have 90 days in to join the union.

26:53 So when they can go, when I came back, they had to give me the same job that I hate.

27:03 Bowling games, bowling games and conduit Crews were five weeks and pulling game where you install cable.

27:12 And I just work five weeks in the in the condo accrue where you would take dishes and stuff like that. And is that what you'd like to do that,? You were there. How many years?

27:24 38, how did your job change throughout the years?

27:28 Well, I was in the underground for 10 years.

27:33 And then from 66 to 76, I was in the underground even though I was two years.

27:41 In Vietnam, I still got time as being at work for my 38 years.

27:49 Do first, when I

27:54 Changed Apartments.

27:56 Everybody, that was in the height of the highest paying jobs while Young.

28:03 And I was, I was like the third guy next coming up the line that would would make it a job, but it wouldn't be for five or six years that I had three camps.

28:18 Oh, that's so nice.

28:20 What's the operating?

28:23 And that Payday money, but then we lost over Tech. Okay, we made up over time over the years, cuz we didn't have a night shift. So, I never really used to beat with you, over time. You paid the bills. I remember, growing up, you'd always be home, pretty early in the afternoon, which was night. So, for someone that doesn't know, like, me being in the underground. What does that mean? What exactly did you do?

28:56 Well, when you pull cable, this.

29:01 It's very hard to explain this. Real big wheels and 3D printer LED knowledge and stuff and you got a ride from one, one whole to the other. These are manholes down her Street.

29:25 You would you would rather you would pull back some rope. Then the Rope would pull back of Steel line than the steel. Imma pull the cable back this way.

29:33 And then you would have to have enough cable where they have to make it. What's it called Joint, take two cables to put it together.

29:41 So you'd have to do that. So it doesn't usually on a on a day on a pulling game. If you had a wonderful in the morning, one fortnite in the afternoon. And then when you had a real good crew and real good Foreman, you would do, two poles in the morning and then just play cards and stuff like that till 4:34. Then we work the 8 to 4:30 and tell me about the softball team. Was that it was it called The Operators?

30:12 Yeah, it was just like in the Army and all the Departments the underground. The overhead operating meter.

30:21 We had a it was a Little League field across the street from Mom Chicago Central.

30:29 Brightright play Laramie.

30:40 What's up, one guy? That was in human relations, really, really like we've learned. He was the commissioner of the baseball league, so he got everything cleared out all this. This whole field made a nice. Lot of softball team. Are you guys?

31:03 Well, you mentioned that you met mom before Vietnam. And I know how you met. I know you were introduced by a believe can basil and I believe on your first date. She at the story I heard is that she got sick and she threw up on you. Is that tell me what would happen next Pizza 85th and Pulaski?

31:33 Yep, we should go there. So.

31:39 How was it, you know, you grew up with three brothers and you raise three, daughters, three girls. How was that parenting? And what was you leaving the girl out?

31:54 I'm talking about three other than me, but no, I was leaving myself out for total. I'm just so used to saying I have three sisters, so I want to know.

32:10 Would you changed anything or?

32:16 No, I wouldn't change anything about being a grandfather.

32:26 You have nine grandchildren?

32:29 Good. I like that. Tell me a little bit about retirement about the cottage. Finding the place in, Michigan.

32:39 Well, we always want her to

32:42 Beat me up by the shangri-las, you know, we like that area.

32:47 If she does not, it's not a long drive.

32:51 So,

32:53 We got that deserted retiring September. We got that, Angie stuff.

32:58 And Mom. And I went up there maybe about four times with just one realtor.

33:05 If you took us around and

33:08 It was a nice place. Was like a mud hole of a lake where you could only have a rowboat.

33:13 And it was a nice Lake.

33:16 It was nice out of our price range.

33:21 So then when I saw the one, I said all late and was just a little box, you remember that the price was, right. I have not. When I, when I retire that ass and I was 60.

33:39 Can I get 30 at your service? And I had a full retirement, I could have the union. I retired. I was always Union.

33:49 End.

33:53 Union. People could retire 57.

33:56 But I stayed till 6 because I was making so much money. That's where all the way to work at all. The overtime. I was working 16 hours a day 7 days a week sometimes.

34:05 So the money was rolling, it was good and I dilate, I always like my job. Anyway, it wasn't like going to work.

34:14 You know.

34:16 What does this offer? Came up with an offer? I couldn't refuse.

34:21 It's all right. I got the enough money to put down a deposit on Cottage and

34:30 I'm not paying her off ever since.

34:33 And I like the addition to the, you know, it's nice to have three bedrooms Now versus just the one in one room. So it's great.

34:43 Okay, well talking about Mom. And, you know, I just wanted to briefly touch on on her and I know it's been three years since you know, she passed away from ovarian cancer. What is what's your first memory or your most memorable? Memory is Mom.

35:07 I would think about that.

35:10 KenKen guy, I was with Ken basil in Fort Dix. He was in radio school. He was one of the guys from my or my basic training company that went with me to Fort Dix.

35:23 And it was from the neighborhood, but he was younger than me. So I didn't know. But we knew each other. When we were, he was from two blocks from my house.

35:32 So we we became friends. It was real nice guy.

35:38 And I, you said,

35:41 I got it. I got to go to Chicago, go kick some butt. Cuz like, my sister-in-law's husband a jerk and she was being getting divorced from the sky.

35:56 You're not. You said you want to go out with them?

35:59 I see what she look like you hit, you can stay on post for the weekend, but you could leave as long as you took a Port Authority bus to Newark Airport. And boom, you're on a jet to trailer uniform. It's nap time. The planes were, we're just about dessert. So we had to fly standby, but we never had to wait for another flight.

36:34 You know, you had a uniform on Stewart Street and treat us like kings, you'll run across your drinks and stuff like that.

36:41 And I was just nice traveling back and forth. I was there for eight weeks. I think I came home for five times.

36:48 But I'm, I'm not your mom. We went out, she puked on me. And what do you miss me?

37:01 Sorry, go ahead.

37:04 Well, we we always got along.

37:06 We were made for each other. It was good.

37:11 In-N-Out.

37:14 I wanted to also mention, you know, during the pandemic you learned. Well, you said masks for bunch of people and you don't. So so what how did that happen with what inspired you?

37:31 Well, Leslie's the song.

37:36 I have a girlfriend living with me, Leslie.

37:39 And she's a great sore. She makes many quilts. You have, you have some of them?

37:48 I just asked her how you do it and then I Brown Christmas All I Want For Christmas sewing machine.

37:55 And then, as long as it works, I guess I made miss that it broken.

38:00 I had a gift when I gave Lucy and I use that for a little bit, but then I may ask for a reason to fight with what I was doing. It was hard to get. So, who do you think you get? Like, I feel like I was, I always felt really lucky growing up to have you and Mom and, you know, you both just do so many things for people. And where do you think you got your heart for that from the likes just today, you brought me these headphones. I told you, not to because your foot. You should be resting but you did it. Anyway, like where do you get to? Who do you think you might take after when you get that from?

38:38 I don't know my father so I know we have to close up.

38:46 How would you like to be remembered?

38:50 Find Lee and ask you another one. I'm stealing this question from the Actors Studio. I love this question. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear? God say, when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

39:09 How did you get here?

39:14 All right. Well, it's been really wonderful learning more about your life. I didn't know a lot of what we talked about. So I'm glad we had this conversation.

39:25 Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I enjoyed it, too.