Al Rickli, Stephen Rickli, Richard Rickli, and Elizabeth Rickli

00:05 My name is Richard Rick Lee 55 years old. Today is July 22nd 2008. We're in Buffalo New York, and I'm going to be speaking primarily to my father.

00:20 And I'm Liz rickley. I'm 50 years old. Today is July 22nd 2008. We're in Buffalo New York. I am Rich's wife. And Alice. My fat is my father-in-law.

00:38 Hello, my name is Steven. Rickley. I'm 17 years old. Today's date is July 22nd 2008 where in Buffalo New York today? And I'm the grandson of Elric Lee and the son of rich and Liz.

00:52 I'm out Wrigley. I'm 87 years old days days is July 22nd, and I'm in Buffalo, New York.

01:03 So grandpa, I wanted to talk to you about your childhood and where you were born and when and maybe you could give us some of your earliest memories. All right with blonde at Manhattan.

01:17 February 26th 1921

01:22 And one of the things that you told me that I remember is that you remember seeing Charles Lindbergh after the ticker tape parade Central Park. My mother had taken me up that because they gave him a big parades and while we're sitting on a park bench you walk right past the silly and that was after the parade at end. Yeah, and that's where it ended in Central Park, right? And where did you grow up? What part of the City Midtown right way to you? When is now what street 46th between 1st and 2nd Avenue? Can you describe the house was a tenement house?

02:01 What do you want us now is all slaughterhouses.

02:06 So

02:08 Used to go down and buy some oxtails every once in a while. And so that during your childhood growing up there were slaughtered. There were there were crowds with with cattle. Oh, yeah, we should have Diamond write them and who would describe your family who that is. I was annexed and then came pouring and then click and where were your parents from while one was from Switched at my father was from Switzerland and my mother was from Czechoslovakia. And as I found out Grandpa came to this country your father Stevens great-grandfather came to the country on the 4th of July weekend in in 1910. So I must a hundred years ago died. And what did he do? You was a florist. Where did he work at Dodd's pictures of beautiful flower?

03:08 Pawn shop on Madison Avenue in 44th Street, and how did he meet Grandma at a restaurant?

03:15 Where she was a waitress and he was like waking that also is a maitre d and where was she from she was from Czechoslovakia Slovakia, but do you know what part and what was it like growing up you were growing up primarily during the Depression and maybe you could talk a little bit about what life was like, it was pretty hot.

03:42 Are the nights we had Farina for supper

03:45 And then I went to school right around the corner from where I lived.

03:50 St. Boniface Parochial School

03:54 And what if you got a job but a pretty early age didn't 9 years old. What did you work? It's Time Rush promises and what did you do there but mostly delivering medicine and this was an old-time Pharmacy where he was very of no cigarettes. No candy strictly an apothecary. They close at those days. And what did he do? He was a pharmacist. But what was the only had to go to two years to school at that time, then they want before a board to be certified and he opened up his drugstore.

04:32 And I'd like you to tell which is one of my favorites from your childhood and it actually has to do with with your father and and the story of finding the necklace and a bracelet a bracelet while it was

04:51 December 12th

04:55 1937 he had just finished decorating of a very fancy hotel for a wedding reception and we finish this job that you can walk him out as you stepped up the car. It was starting to snow and we saw something glittering picked it up. It was this beautiful beautiful bracelet when he come home he was pale but it showed the bracelet and it lit up the whole kitchen was diamonds and rubies and about an inch wide. Well anyway the next day he looked in the paper in the times and there was a reward of $1,000 from the insurance company. They went down to John Street.

05:43 Gave him the bracelet. They ask no questions. They viewed the clasp on his head broken gave him $1,000 check and he's on his way. And I must have helped out quite a bit of this afternoon the whole depression and how much was he making that time about $18 a week? And it was only working every fourth week so that everybody could work.

06:06 $7,000 one pretty hair.

06:10 It was so going on a little bit. When did you leave Manhattan? What what happened after you graduated high school? I work for a while.

06:24 In a drafting price and then that time they have the defense started coming up. So I decided that the looking for a bunch of which of course there's a lot of jobs, but then this guy that owned a candy store told us to go to a trade school which we did they were four of us went to the streets going up in Yonkers name of it was Saunders aeronautical. So we line. Terrific fabricate metal or things like that, but when we came out the week we came out when I'm supposed to wait for Brewster aircraft in Long Island City by Bruce that had a problem with that plane. So they had to take it off and revamp the whole thing that we went out to Republic Island.

07:17 But they since it was as depression. They weren't only iron people that lived in the area and we want the outer core and Edgewater same story. I don't know jobs. So what did you decide to do? Well that we heard about a job out in, California.

07:36 Sacramento at that pool

07:39 Write in Sacramento, California solo. So you were going to leave to go to California. So four of us decided that's what we'll do and you would never really been away from home. No, no, no, no not even off the island of Manhattan very often and I told my mother and I were thinking of going to California cuz I only give you one advice look out for the bed women. So she was enough we got accepted.

08:14 And then they told us to report on December 5th. What year was that? Sell 41 1941 December 5th 1949. So anyway Thanksgiving night. Will he's supposed to go with Joe to but Joe's Car wasn't working. So we had to leave that behind. I will lie and I got on a Greyhound bus Saturday night 34th Street. We were on a Barstool Wednesday noon.

08:45 We should have to Sacramento.

08:48 And then we got our has stayed a little hotel in one night. And there were other fellows that we know from New York that I've gone out. So we met a few of them and they took her to the sporting house where they lived so dismissive best on the house and we had the room and board at $14 a week. So you reported for work two days before Pearl Harbor. We went for an interview on the 5th. We started work on the 7th. I was walking through Capitol Park features right there and this woman was running around yelling. We're at War World War. I when I got back to the house, they were all around the radio and sure enough. That was the attack on Pearl Harbor. So what happened then what happened in the first thing I got a telegram from my older sister come right home.

09:46 Can I go right at home? Anyway, we stayed there so I stayed there for almost a year. What kind of 3/38 before he's 39 P39 to talk a little bit about working on the Doolittle plants. That was the B-25.

10:10 Yeah that we had to get ready fast because too little was going to this is Jimmy Doolittle didn't do was in charge of the ray that Andre tontogany Japan part, of course, we didn't know that at that time. But anyway, we got all the plane's ready. Then they put them on barges. They went down the American River.

10:32 What is on carius and left and that was Doolittle Ship Attack understandable?

10:40 So, where did you go after that?

10:42 Well, if that I'd stayed out in California for just before Christmas so 42 then I came home and I went in the service. I went into service and since I had worked on the planes in California, they let me pick out where I wanted to go. So I picked out the homestead Field in Middletown, Pennsylvania overseas while I went there first and that's where Joe was so I was there just about a month.

11:23 And they sent me to wear school up in Boston another Aviation school, which is right around the corner of Fenway Park. It was good because anytime you want to go to a ballgame. You just walked in as long as you need it done with uniform and Boston was a beautiful place. In fact, the one night this Rizzo and I decided we're going to go to schrafft's for a nice meal because she get priority cooking in the school. So we went to schrafft's we had a delicious dinner when it came to that waitress. She says it's all taken care of a couple of it is paid for you because you were in uniform. That's crazy. You went over there think they're

12:12 That was it. And then what happened. Happened then I went back to Middletown, Pennsylvania for about a month.

12:21 And then I went overseas and how did you get the nice trip? The German submarines were knocking off the American ship. So you're in a convoy. Yeah big Convoy. What was the name of your ship a good question? It was I think that's why I don't like cats without trying to be at the one castle and then where did you wind up while I will be landed in Scotland? And we took the train down to England to a place called at Wantage.

13:01 And that's why we stay and what was your job there same thing?

13:06 Feeling around with airplanes and we stayed in the castle the castle that was pretty well shot, but every night the buzz bomb should come over.

13:19 Which long as you heard them? You were alright the minute they stop that's when you had a look out right then it would common and then after D-Day you went over to France. Oh, yeah. Can you talk about that?

13:35 We went over to France and then we landed at Omaha Beach and that's where I met the mayor of St. Mary please which is the first little city in France. What did he say to you?

13:52 And I know this wasn't right on D-Day. This was a week or two to three days later. And then in France, you eventually made your way out of the army progress two major way into Belgium. Yeah. Well, we want first Alamance then through Paris, which was not alright, so you were there for the liberation of a little bit about that. Everybody was happy to see his bottle of the wine all over the place every corner you things you got another bottle of wine a bunch of wine from there. We went into Belgium

14:34 Charleroi

14:37 Ocean rain

14:39 There we stayed that what happened in December of 1994 other stories while we went to pick up a P38. This is during the Battle of the Bulge right before it started and I got them itty bitty. You want to pick up a P38 P38 have been shot down. Do you want to see if it could be repaired right parts could be taken from it. And so where were you you were what part of that you're out in the country somewhere while we were in rashford and we were staying at a school with the first Nami just for rations and quarters because we had no clothes or anything. So we stayed there and I'm going to try to start coming back.

15:21 Who started the Battle of the Bulge? So what happened to you? What happened to me while I was in this house is from house and I was just showing the people don't worry. Everything will be alright, but the meantime the shots were getting closer and closer. So it's about 2 in the morning my friend Lafayette to pick me up so he came and got you. Otherwise, I don't know. But anyway, you pick me up and we drove back but then when will coming back into Belgium this big front British tanks. They didn't believe we were Americans.

16:01 So we had to prove we were Americans. How did you prove that my forget now? But anyway, they finally let us go.

16:09 Well, we were all blond and it look like Jameson is diamonds what got dressing guys up as Americans and dropping them behind the lines. So it's hot. You know convention.

16:23 But you made it back across the ass.

16:26 Made it back across

16:29 Devil from there. We went at the Germany and we had a couple of concentrate to talk a little bit about that. Where did you go? Why would we want to Cologne first cologne was completely destroyed and that we went into between Weiner and there was buchenwald concentration camps. And when we got the was couldn't you couldn't believe people will all skin and bones private bodies. So where you want of the first ones today? We were there about two days after we slept so and were you able to I know you spoke both German and French, so you're able to talk to any of the one time they wanted me to talk to the Shimon captain.

17:20 I started talking to Jamie Spears write my face. Now that was the end of that. But if the concentration camps, were you able to talk to anybody or what? What how long were you there? What would you do if we were only about three or four days then we kept moving on but what did you have a job to do there?

17:42 A while I was there we heard about this not to you.

17:47 Wig Factory on Lafayette and myself and another guy. We got a six-by-six and we went to the flag Factory which is right did Czechoslovakia and we got loaded with these big flags big German flags with the Nazi sign.

18:05 So I sent one home to my friend Willy's mother.

18:10 So she didn't know she hungry hungry. I want my bags got lost. So I don't know.

18:28 So that was what happened after that. You were actually going to go to the Pacific today what they called Lucky Strike camps.

18:46 They had was different camps right name that the cigarettes Lucky Strike can't they call the staging areas. So you're going to be redeployed from their head from there to the Pacific because the war in the Pacific going on so we started out we were out about two days which would have been a long trip from Marseille from Marseille. Yeah, and we were supposed to go to the Philippines the same way. But anyways in the war ended when they dropped the atomic bomb right and then we came home.

19:20 And then what you do you look back at home, right you lived on 4646 came back then.

19:29 Then I went to work in the post office that the job was only supposed to be.

19:36 Oh about the

19:39 302 Christmas rated well, it was a long Christmas. How long did you work there?

19:50 Oh, well, I met mom before she had so right which I did that went. When was this? This was after the war last?

20:08 And I started going with Mom.

20:12 And then I guess was a New Jersey. Yeah. Yeah in Fort Lee.

20:16 Yeah, I took the orange and black bus right from the Port Authority house in New Jersey the bus that you would take many times. It's right then I'd come home Saturday night was about 2:30 in the morning.

20:32 But that time there was Holy Cross church right on 42nd. So they had to print this mess the guys that work for the New York Times big printing District. Yeah newspapers were there and that's right now, so I went that at 2:30 mass. Then I'd walk Crush down, but at that time you didn't have to worry about it actually reminds me to tell us about the sleeping in Central Park.

20:55 Peoples are in hot weather lot of people slept in Central Park.

21:05 So on a hot day, there's no air conditioning summer night in New York in the 1930s if people were able to adjust Irish escapes, but you'd walk over to Central Park and just put out of blanket and overnight. It was safe.

21:22 Is anyone else wanted to know how to talk and ask him questions Stephen thinking about a couple things going back to when you were a kid when you were my age 17 living in New York. What what did you do for fun to go bowling or a game? Where was The Alley Lexington Avenue 46th 46th Street.

21:53 And who would you usually go there with Willie Freddy?

21:58 The whole group when is Rockets from your school or high school? Hold depression. What did he do? He was the salad Chef for the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Nice.

22:16 Freddy's father had the motorcycle right? Don't talk about the motorcycle was a beautiful motorcycle and Indian motorcycle with a big side, because Freddy's mother pretty stout fellow. They would always take me because Freddy was more of you before if you want to go on a motorcycle. I want to stop you can see through God. I'm not

22:44 I sat next to Freddy's mother, but I got one of them would you go Long Island Jones Beach? Is there no. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, so I hung out with them.

23:03 Do you know what happened to Freddy? Yeah, they move to California.

23:09 I don't know what happened to him.

23:12 Yep, and then I know you you went swimming in the East River that when you lived in New York that self that's it. That was the only place to swim at. The only thing is the slaughterhouse was right next to it wasn't too good and they were dumped all that voiced An Occurrence was strong at 46th Street. And where would you end up getting out 49th? It will just take you right up up. The river Willy brother. Vinny had a mannequin after swimming in the at this mannequin in the water and Sutton Place was right on 49th. So people called the police that there's a nude woman swimming in the East River so sure enough they came but it was about it and it just kept pushing it up and down.

24:10 Yep.

24:12 But it was dangerous. I think it's in someone die. If an election used to dive off this Lehigh Valley's it was quite a drop and one kid got his head caught in the milk and honey to say

24:30 That was finished. Now where you living there when the UN was when the slaughterhouse was was demolished in the UN was construct. No, I was overseas that wasn't built until both know but they had arranged if the areas to make room for it. I think they're going to slow down a lot of the move to the West Side downtown.

24:55 Robert Greenwich Street, New Orleans, Louisiana

25:07 Yeah, Grandpa. It's it's funny when I joined the family when I became part of the family. I loved hearing these stories and I'm glad that we're recounting them. Now. It was interesting to me that we followed your footsteps. When when Rich and I first got married we lived on 45th Street right around the corner from where you grew up and write in the shadow of the United Nations that you so finally remembered slaughterhouses and some my thoughts is I'm hearing you talk. You are one of five children and you had four sisters. What was that like growing up in a small tenement apartment with four sisters?

25:48 How many bathrooms did you have in the kitchen?

26:02 We had a small kitchenette and that's where the bed that was. Are you close the door just took your bed. Everybody cleaned up in the kitchen in addition to eating in the kitchen. Okay. I must have you probably didn't get too much time individual time to do that. Did you that's why I guess

26:27 Yep, and then fast forwarding to 2 today or the last couple of years. We've lived here in Buffalo 15 years now and moved up here when when riches job transferred him here and you moved here about four years ago after Ever After Emma passed away. What are your thoughts about Buffalo now?

26:54 About living here. I like Minecraft. As far as Buffalo goes. I don't come down to that often, but I just mean living in what in the Western New York area friendly. Yeah. Yeah. I like it was a big adjustment wasn't it? Glad you made the decision to move up here because it's given us a chance to spend a lot more time with you and the kids to spend a lot more time with you too. So we're glad you decided to make the trip.

27:26 Yeah grandpa. Just going back to when you did when you still lived in New Jersey before you moved here. What was your address in New Jersey 371 Pleasant Avenue, and I went to that house a lot when I was a little kid. That's right and

27:44 I'm just thinking about some of the things that we would do when you were there like climb on the Rocks. There is a big rock patio that's running the entire house and I'm thinking about

27:59 The orange tractor that you had in your basement and the treasure box of things that you would bring back from your diabetes conventions.

28:08 They always had a good time with him. And so what are your what are the some of the greatest memories that you have at that house? Cuz I know I have a lot a lot of good times in that house. Not a good parties birthday parties and fat grandma gave me a surprise 50th birthday and that house and I was really surprised because I had work that day and I came home and she wanted to go shopping so she's okay and we went up to Bergen mall, but she kept stalling. She's looking at this look at that. And then I said, well, let's go home. I just want to look at a few more things.

28:57 By the time we got home, I shorter Street usually Pleasant Avenue that end. They were no cars soon as we turn the corner see a lot of cars in Pleasant Avenue. I figure I wonder what the heck this is and I walked into the kitchen and the big surprise party at the house yesterday because of the anniversary of men landing on the moon and yeah when we went down the basement, why you watching

29:30 Yeah.

29:32 That was a good basement cooler in the summer down there. Then the rest of the house and was closed to Palisades amusement park after supper. We take a walk over and they always gave us a pass for the season. I could go wherever you want a big pool pool. There was our town hall salt water pool.

29:58 I need to clean it out every night.

30:00 Empty it out and fill it up again.

30:03 Salt watermelon ever saltwater. Yeah.

30:10 The french fries were good.

30:17 So Dad you you have two sons rich and and Billy. Can you tell us about some of the things that they used to do when they were young?

30:30 Let's see. I know the Little League field was right up the street from your house.

30:38 Hello, Grandma wake that ass fat does the refreshment stand right? So quite involved with the little league. How many games did they play week?

30:49 Father buried but every night they were games so you can hear the games.

31:01 What kind of vacations did you take with Rich and Billy?

31:10 Oh, yeah, tell us about the Jersey Shore we used to rent the house now is lava wet.

31:19 I think it was $85 a week that time.

31:23 I never heard a lot of people in my family was a very big extended Italian family. I was in Joe a lot of cousins and a little chatty.

31:36 And we go down there for the whole the whole week and police. I don't know how many times I gave him for popsicles is that delicatessen on the corner and Grandma used to cook and she would make for a couple of days. We live right off the hook up the muscles and the pasta and deals.

32:03 She makes good good meals and it must have been at least 10 to 15 people probably closer to 15 people and there's days where we had first class Ralph it was he

32:17 Member First Choice rent on Monday tell us who he is rented rooms from Emma's mother cuz I miss my dad that big house but he was everything was first class so he came down when you came in for supper to be in the hot George they came to an already made a fishing pole and he would be fishing.

32:53 Stop grab and going back to my memories when I would come up to the house come down to the house. What would you have to do? I mean, I know that you would usually have some stuff waiting for Kyle and I will move get there in the whole family. What would usually do before we would get there? I mean in terms of what you was going by for meals and while I had to buy rolls notice which were very good this hot froze then I have to buy some a class.

33:23 And I had to go to another store for that.

33:26 And I had to guess a 7 layer cake.

33:30 Cuz you like that.

33:34 What would usually get Kayana or would you guys get me?

33:42 What do I get?

33:44 It was supposed copter Donuts.

33:54 Hannah Miller still there

33:56 But the rest of the place and This and Heaven is all the time now in the one place that you spent a lot of time when I was growing up was in the Delicatessen Grandpa works two jobs, and sometimes three jobs to support the family and the post office and then you got the part time job at the American Diabetes Association for 4 years. You worked at Delicatessen up on the Avenue and I used to come up when you were working on Sunday sometimes right and hang out in the back room and give me just a few nuts and other things were available at the store and then you got to know a lot of people in town working there.

34:36 I done that, no. She got me to work and diabetes right supposed to be for 3 months cuz we had to change oil a zip codes on the at that time. They had pretty address out to them, but their mailing it so anyways.

34:55 I worked at the diabeetus quite a while.

34:59 But you would work all your hours. So I'm just talking about you leave in the morning on the bus into New York. And what time would you catch the bus 6:30, right and you would work there until what time can I come back about quarter to nine? No, but I will have to have how long would you work the post office during the day went well from 7:30 until 4 and then where would you go then I go to diabetes. And how long would you work there from 4 to 9 and then you would come commute back home? Yeah. I was a pretty long day one shot deal that you could retire from the post office as long as you had 30 years.

35:41 I had to 30 years because the army time counted to Charles and I decided to leave and I got a nice job with the American Diabetes and you work there for how long another 22.

35:59 Well, let's not remember kindly sure you would find work there for summer. And I know you was if you could vote work for this guy you can work for anybody the return at the Staples how to be a quarter inch down in the quarter inch anymore black suit everyday the new black suit shirt and tie J Richard Connelly.

36:22 So he was a tough man, but you pick a white fit in then they offered me the job full time when I told him I could get out of the post office on a one shot deal. So what is the average this will like if I got to make up my mind by December 31st of 72. So anyway, I had to make up my mind, but they made me a good offer, but they never told me what they would pay me you didn't ask that question will finally be on salary this way your Advance much faster, which I did the office manager, but then I went up to their own evil, which was good, too.

37:13 It went out to San Francisco that have been a meeting. I'd stay an extra day or two and go down to the Los Angeles that she my sister. She lived at that time, but she's cussing Dolores.

37:28 I know it was good.

37:31 Then we took some nice trips like would talk to her the first out so we took was out west and we flew to San Francisco and drove down the coast then we stayed in San Diego for a while. We should check us in the walrus. And then from there we flew to Las Vegas Knights, which was good.

37:56 I don't have a nice vacation.

37:59 Thanks for doing this. This was a lot of fun.

38:06 Thanks, Grandpa.