Memoirs of my Father
April 6, 2014
by Ray Zukowski
My father was the eldest son of Vincent D Zukowski and his wife Janina. Dad also had two younger brothers, Boleslaw (Bill) and John. Dad's mom and dad emigrated from Poland as teenagers.
My father was born in 1915 and grew big (6 ft 2 in) and strong. The Zukowski brothers ruled their Bronx, NY neighborhood. No one messed with them.
Dad graduated High School and went on to study Drafting. The early 1930's were not the best of times to find work as a Draftsman or most any job. Dad was fortunate to find an opening as an apprentice under a journeyman in the steel tool industry at R. Hoe & Company in New York. His size and strength plus years of training qualified him as a specialist in the tempering and balancing of those giant 6 ft tall circular saw blades. The cutting blades used by the timber industry to turn trees into usable building boards, beams and planks.
During the second world war 1940 - 1945 my dad was exempt from the military service because of his special skills needed for the war effort at his company.
By the end of the war my brother Lawrence was born and our family needed a larger home. We moved in and shared a large house at 1242 Pinshot Place near the Bronx Parkway with my mother's family the Majecki's. Grandpa and Grandma Majecki had also emigrated from Poland when they were teenagers also. My mother was their eldest child and she had a brother Edward and sister Blanche. We all lived in that large 3 story house purchased for $6,000 in 1943 while dad and mom saved for our future home. Click to view house.
Mom's brother and sister were suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis and the dampness of the East coast was adding to their suffering. Grandma Majecki and Blanche made a train trip way out west to theTucson desert to checkout the climate they heard so much about.
After Grandma and Blanche returned, the whole family was excited to move West, except my dad. He was very concerned about finding a job in Tucson that would equal the income he was making in NY. My mother, Stella could not imagine ever having her family over 2,300 miles away. Dad finally gave in after a few weeks with a very unhappy wife and we all starting packing for our long drive west to Arizona in early1948.
Visit the Zukowski Family Tree
My father was born in 1915 and grew big (6 ft 2 in) and strong. The Zukowski brothers ruled their Bronx, NY neighborhood. No one messed with them.
Dad graduated High School and went on to study Drafting. The early 1930's were not the best of times to find work as a Draftsman or most any job. Dad was fortunate to find an opening as an apprentice under a journeyman in the steel tool industry at R. Hoe & Company in New York. His size and strength plus years of training qualified him as a specialist in the tempering and balancing of those giant 6 ft tall circular saw blades. The cutting blades used by the timber industry to turn trees into usable building boards, beams and planks.
During the second world war 1940 - 1945 my dad was exempt from the military service because of his special skills needed for the war effort at his company.
By the end of the war my brother Lawrence was born and our family needed a larger home. We moved in and shared a large house at 1242 Pinshot Place near the Bronx Parkway with my mother's family the Majecki's. Grandpa and Grandma Majecki had also emigrated from Poland when they were teenagers also. My mother was their eldest child and she had a brother Edward and sister Blanche. We all lived in that large 3 story house purchased for $6,000 in 1943 while dad and mom saved for our future home. Click to view house.
Mom's brother and sister were suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis and the dampness of the East coast was adding to their suffering. Grandma Majecki and Blanche made a train trip way out west to theTucson desert to checkout the climate they heard so much about.
After Grandma and Blanche returned, the whole family was excited to move West, except my dad. He was very concerned about finding a job in Tucson that would equal the income he was making in NY. My mother, Stella could not imagine ever having her family over 2,300 miles away. Dad finally gave in after a few weeks with a very unhappy wife and we all starting packing for our long drive west to Arizona in early1948.
Visit the Zukowski Family Tree