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Chapter 1

THE DEPRESSION YEARS

March 1931 to January 1937

YORK, PA

It all began for me on March 25, 1931 at 270 W. Jackson Street.  I became the youngest son of Clarence David William and Ruth Elva Fidler Portzline (later Goss) and the brother to Elwood Edward, Catherine Mary, Lucille Elizabeth and Paul Vernon Portzline.  A brother, Robert Portzline, age 13 months, died of pneumonia in Dad’s arms in 1927 before Paul and I were born.

Mother always called me “her baby” for the rest of her life.  There was a time when I didn’t really care to be called by that name, but later it became a continuing joke which always produced smiles and laughter with the absurdity of Len being a baby, even in his 60s.

Jump Start

When I was born, the doctor had to pour ether on my back to get me breathing.  After that first howl, some people will argue that I haven’t closed my mouth since.  I weighed in at a hefty 10 pounds.  Following the old custom of the time, a neighbor lady carried me to the third floor so my first journey in life was up.  It was nice to know that neighborhood housewives helped expectant mothers at the crucial time.  The ladies welcomed the new addition almost like it was part of their family.

My Dad

Dad (known by many as “Portz”) worked as a serviceman for Burroughs Adding Machine Company repairing adding machines and bookkeeping machines.  He worked out of the Harrisburg Branch as the York service representative before being assigned to Harrisburg with a total of 33 years until his death at age 59 in 1952.

Burroughs used lots of carbon tetrachloride to clean parts.  The men put their hands in it as well as inhaling the fumes which was later found to be harmful to the liver. It did a good job of making parts look clean as new, but it certainly led to the early demise of Dad.

Burroughs During The Depression

Most Burroughs employees were men with a family at home to be housed, fed and clothed.  The company was very considerate of the situation in which the men found themselves with a limited number of customers able to afford repair service.  In order that nobody had to be laid off, the men were assigned to work four days a week.  That gave all staff members the chance to share the work load; even if it meant less money to take home at the end of the pay period.

I have no idea how long the men had to endure the short week, but it was at a time when people laterally lost their bank accounts, homes and certainly their manly pride in being the breadwinner.  Some financiers were reported to have stepped out windows of buildings to their death.

Quality Time With Dad

My dad took me along on a service call he had in Red Lion.  I had never been there before and imagined the sign at the edge of town would be a simple red line.  Little did I know that it was lion, like the animal.  Dad made life-long friends with some of the employees he met in the bank.  I liked going into the banks or business places because the ladies would get you something to drink or give you a piece of candy.

My Mother

Ruth Fidler was the middle daughter of Harvey and Catherine Wolfe Fidler in Gratz, PA.  Her older sister, Minnie, married Charles Hoffman and had seven children.  Younger sister, Dorothy, lived in Harrisburg and had no children.  Mother and her family worshiped in the Evangelical Congregational Church in Gratz.  They were very religious and followed the teachings from the Bible. Mother, in turn, passed those Christian values on to the Portzline children.  Relocating to West Fairview in the 1980s, she attended Wyndemere E. C. Church near Lewisberry south of New Cumberland until she was 96.

Mother rarely got upset and was a great influence on those with problems and the need to talk to someone who would listen.  She was steady in her faith.  No problem was insurmountable with time and prayers to work things out.

One of the great joys in visiting with her was the dish of ice cream or a Klondike Bar.  We often kidded about the Nana-size dish of ice cream which equaled almost a pint.  Instead of an ice cream serving dish, a soup bowl would have fit the bill on many occasions.

Living Through The Depression

The Portzline family never knew we didn't have many things that others had.  There was always food on the table.  We children always had fresh milk. The house was nice and warm in the wintertime, and we had wonderful neighbors in a clean and well-maintained neighborhood. People regularly swept their sidewalks on tree-lined Jackson Street.

Sure, we never had a brand new car.  It was always a used one, which was fine with us.  Mother watched the nickels and dimes at the time when a loaf of bread was ten cents.  Dad smoked cigars and always loved Phillies Cigars which were about five cents.  But many men did not have a nickel to buy a cigar.

At a time like that, family members learned firsthand the wonderful concept of a family working together for the benefit of all.  They knew there was a limit on what could be purchased, and what they already had was going to have to last.  Children learned to be satisfied with one piece of penny candy.

Some housewives took in washing to help the family through the tough times.  I’m sure many a weekly wash was done for 25 cents or less. I don’t recall the need for a baby sitter because it was seldom that our parents went out in the evening.  If they did venture out, an older brother or sister looked after me.  Clothing hand-me-downs was the norm for many families who always showed concern in taking care of things.

I am reminded of the large Schminky family in Gratz whose youngest daughter, Elsie was married to my brother, Elwood at the time of his death in 1980.  One of Elsie’s brothers worked to earn enough money to buy his first suit for Easter.  The only problem — he didn’t get up in time and one of the other brothers was already wearing it.

Dust Bowl In The West

On top of all the problems in the 1929 stock market and financial world, the summer of 1935 was one of parched land and drought.  It required more sacrifice on the part of farmers and ranchers.  Farmers couldn’t grow their crops to send to market and the ranchers probably had to send their stock to be slaughtered because of lack of feed and water.  With the hot sun bearing down on the dry land, the dust must have traveled for miles.  Wells and creeks dried up and people had to move out of there to survive.

The destination for some was California which offered work harvesting crops.  Families put everything in their old car and headed west.  Flat tires and boiling radiators were common on the way.  When they arrived in California and found work, the new boss may have put the whole family in one small cabin in the migrant camp.  They had to obey the boss or be tossed out of camp and out of work — in a strange new place without kinfolk nearby.

Slow Recovery

America gradually grew stronger as the years went by.  The hourly rate of pay or salary reflected the dire straits the country was in with too many people and too few jobs.  For many men it was a day-to-day obligation to stand on a street corner where prospective one-day jobs could be found, often through an agent for a company.  The representative announced the job openings for the day and the remuneration.

It would be reasonable to assume that many men took a day job knowing they were not really qualified.  Surely, some men learned a new trade on the job out of desperation.  The agent quickly learned who was going to work hard.  The expression, “Another day, another dollar” came from that era.

United States’ Pre-war Military

The United States Army-experience in those day was austere.  The pay was bad, equipment was makeshift with men using broom handles for “make believe” guns.  Army trucks had signs reading, “TANK” during battlefield training.  Promotions were nonexistent with a major I read about serving at that rank for ten years.  Our country would have been at a loss to defend our shores, and we certainly had no plans to invade another country.

But we had troops in the Philippines who were also under-equipped and turned out to be a pushover for the brutal Japanese troops who swarmed ashore to kill and capture our troops in 1942.

Likewise, our Asiatic Fleet was far beyond the boundary of any help while the Japanese Fleet arrived with aircraft and ships to decimate the stranded ships flying flags of the U.S., England, Dutch, and others.  What an experience that must have been knowing it was just a matter of time before their fighting skills would be tested, with no help forthcoming.

Moving The Piano

My mother liked to rearrange the furniture in the living room and decided to move the piano to a new location.  In her attempt to wrestle the piano across the room, she caused it to fall over backwards in the middle of the living room.  You can imagine the thud the piano made when it hit the floor!  Mother was not injured and she always said she was so glad I wasn't in the house at the time.  I was four or five when that happened.

I recall walking into the living room and seeing the piano on the floor and tried to play the keys, which didn't do anything.  My dad called for some of his Manor Lodge Hunt Club buddies and they arrived in the afternoon to rescue our upright piano which was lying flat on its back. Before raising it, they kidded mother about needing to eat onions to give them strength to lift the piano.

I don’t know what my dad said to her when he got home.

What Was I Thinking?

Sometime either in York or at 1428 Regina Street, I "played" the piano with a stick and broke the fronts of 16 ivory keys.  I don't recall what was done to me, but I remember my sister, Kitty complaining about playing the piano with keys that hurt her fingers.  I don't remember ever having the piano keys replaced.

Learning To Ride A Bicycle

I have a vivid memory of learning to ride a two-wheeler in the alley behind our home on Jackson Street.  I remember losing control and nobody was there to stop me before I ran into a garage door.  All you can do at a time like that is stand up, dust yourself off, put Mercurochrome and Band Aids on the brush-burned knees and elbows and work harder at not doing it again.  Oh yes, the bicycle’s handle bars and fenders may have needed to be pushed back into the proper position before it could be ridden again.

Pony Wagon Ice Cream

Every weekday evening during the summer, a man came east on Jackson Street with his little ice cream wagon pulled by a pony.  I was so impressed that the driver had a battery operated light mounted inside the enclosed wagon for after dark.  If I recall, he had safety lights on both sides of his wagon.

He pulled over to the curb and the neighborhood kids and adults would come out with their nickels and dimes to get a popsicle or a Dixie Cup with a picture of a movie star on the bottom of the lid.  Some of the popsicle sticks had the word “FREE” printed on it.  That entitled a person to a free popsicle the next time the pony wagon came by our house.

Collision

Two cars collided at the corner of Pershing and Jackson Streets.  One car was owned by a man who did wall papering.  Several times I saw his car go past our house with his ladders and scaffolding on his roof and right-side running board.

Both drivers got out of their cars and examined the damage from a sideswipe accident.  I wondered why they just didn’t keep going because the cars were still able to be driven.  Being about five at the time, I had a lot to learn about accident insurance and exchanging names and other information.

Bierman’s Ice Cream

A fond memory of the 1930s is York was a trip to Bierman’s Ice Cream Parlor on South George Street in the evening.  I can picture the chairs with the backs made of thin round metal which were popular at that time.  The lights were not very bright which created a homey atmosphere.  I have no recollection of prices at that time since Dad, naturally, picked up the tab.

Here Comes George!

Our family friend, George Gentzler worked at The American Chain Company which also manufactured tire chains for winter driving.   George was one of the testers of the chains and we could hear him coming up Jackson Street, even during the summer, with his tire chains.  We tried to get out in front of the house so we could wave as he went by.

George was the oldest of four sons of the Gentzler family. His brothers included Stewart (Stu), Robert (Bob) and Charles (Charlie).   Mr. Gentzler had a nice workshop where the boys learned various crafts.  George built a cabin cruiser he berthed at his cottage at Long Level on the Susquehanna River.  I believe Stu built a sailboat which he also stored at Long Level.  Bob was a watch repairman in York.

Mr. Gentzler was an inventor of sorts.  I recall a window-closing device he produced using a real window mockup to demonstrate how a loop of thin paper held the window open.  Drops of rain made the paper wet enough to part and let the window down by gravity.

Love That Car

A man across Jackson Street from our house bought a new car.  No matter how far or often he drove it, he always wiped the surface of the car with a cloth when he got in his garage.  I’m sure he had a mat on the floor in case of an oil leak.  I suppose the price of a car in those days was well under $800.

1935 Chrysler

A streamlined 1935 Chrysler with a rounded shape, completely opposite of the box-like Fords, came up Jackson Street fairly often.  The steering wheel always got my attention because it seemed almost vertical compared to other cars with the steering wheel close to 45 degrees.

I Dream of Jeannie ...

My brother, Elwood, had already graduated from York’s William Penn High School before the family relocated to Harrisburg.  He elected to stay in York and Kitty finished her senior year before moving to Harrisburg.

Kitty was quite a soprano soloist and we made a trip to York to hear her perform in the school’s musical.  If I recall, we sat in the balcony while Kitty sang, “I Dream of Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair.”  I assumed Kitty had written the song, which made me very proud.  I told my friends in Harrisburg that my sister wrote it.  Then someone straightened me out.  But it was fun while it lasted.

Ladies Clothing — York vs. Harrisburg

The family connection with York was carried on for many years.  Kitty and her friends would travel from Harrisburg to York by train to shop in the clothing stores.  Meanwhile, Elwood’s wife, Ruth, who died in 1958, rode with her friends from York to Harrisburg to shop for clothing in her younger days.

Wednesday Evening Church Service

During the summer, Mother and the kids walked about 10 blocks to her E.C. Church for Wednesday evening services.  Mother made our walk to church fun.  We’d walk, and then we’d skip.  When mother was in her early 90s, she taught Barb’s grade-school-age niece, Susan Forscht, how to skip.

One time they sang the old-time church song, “Sunrise Tomorrow” which is about awakening one day and being in Heaven.  I thought they were singing “Some Rice Tomorrow” and assumed we were having rice the next day.  Rice is not one of my favorite foods.

A lady at Mother’s church always called me “rosy cheeks” for an obvious reason.

Mother was 97 when she peacefully passed away in August 1995.

Following Our Parent’s Leading

At that age and time in our lives, we heard what our parents and their friends had to say about the nation’s position on matters of the impending war which started in Poland with the invasion by the Germans in 1939.  Like most children, we followed their take on things.

Later, if we held a mock election at school, you could be almost sure of the political party preference of the parents.  Many times the mock voting would be about 50/50.

Get The Pliers

A ritual most 6-year-olds go through is the loss of their baby teeth.  I suddenly became aware that something was happening with a few of my front teeth.  A touch and bit of a wiggle would verify that the tooth was getting ready to be replaced by a permanent tooth just waiting in the gum.  A few days later I would go to Dad for his evaluation of whether it was ready to be pulled.  He sometimes said, “In another day or two.”

Finally, the big day arrived.  Dad had his Burroughs tool kit in the car which included Bernard pliers that opened with both sides parallel to each other, not at an angle found in common pliers.  Dad gave the loose tooth the wiggle test and then announced, “Go get the pliers.”

I knew he liked to use the Bernard pliers which provided a better grip and lessened the possibility of slipping off the tooth when he pulled.  In no time it was out, and I discovered a new opening between the surrounding teeth which hadn’t been there before.

The tooth was rinsed clean and admired while I wondered what the “tooth fairy” would leave under my pillow in exchange for a used, and no longer needed, baby tooth.  The going rate at the time was a quarter.  I also got to show my status symbol to all my elders in case they hadn’t already noticed.