"Welcome to U.S.A.!"

*     *     *     *     *

Atlantic Ocean, July 2, 1949. This is the last newletter the General Howze issued prior to docking in New York City. My friend Kris's Uncle Al did the artwork and hand lettering for the piece.

Thanks to Kris for making this document available to us.

Spring Sunday

Suburban Chicago, April 1982. My friend Kris captures my Dad flirting with her Mom, Donna. Donna's brother, Uncle Al, and her Dad sit in the background. Dad holds his pipe.

Thanks to my friend Kris for making this photo available to us.

Happy Dance

Suburban Chicago, about 1982. That's my friend Kris dancing with Dad, and Mom takes a spin with Uncle Al. Kris reports the group danced to the piano playing of Sister Bernarda (back visible on the right), a family friend and a member of the Sisters of St. Casimir. Sister Bernarda was a music teacher at Maria High School—the high school from which Mr. Irene's Mom graduated.

Thanks to my friend Kris for making this photo available to us.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 42)

Chicago, Illinois, about 1950. This is Uncle Al, the younger brother of my Mom's best friend, Donna. Uncle Al sat for this photo shortly after he arrived in the United States.

Thanks to Uncle Al's niece—Donna's daughter, Kris—for making this photo available to us.

We spend holidays with our closest friends.

Suburban Chicago, Easter Sunday, 1965. The family of my Mom's best friend, Donna, join us for Easter dinner. From left to right: Donna's Dad; my Mom; Donna's husband, Vytenis; my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana; Donna's Mom; Donna's brother, Uncle Al, and Donna.

(We used to place a scrap piece of the wall-to-wall carpeting in front of the sofa to prevent extra wear. We didn't realize that the coarse backing of that scrap did more damage to the carpet than the soles of our feet.)

A Back-to-Back Piano Post

Uncle Al—the brother of my Mom's best friend, Donna—was cool. He was a bit younger than my Parents. In the 1960s and 1970s, he usually wore turtlenecks, not ties. He kept his hair a bit longer than men of his generation, and he sported modern sideburns. Uncle Al often addressed his niece, Kris, and me in English. Sometimes he appeared at parties in a Nehru jacket. One Christmas, he wore a navy-blue, velvet blazer that made him look like a member of the Moody Blues.

Uncle Al worked as a professional artist. One year—at a time when most people gave me toys as gifts—he brought me a full-size set of 200 pastels. I felt so grownup.

You get a sense of his good nature here, here, and here.

Uncle Al also was an accomplished pianist. He could play any tune he heard, and he rarely relied on sheet music.

Suburban Chicago, December 1972. Uncle Al entertains us after Christmas dinner at Donna's house. The gentleman looking on in the background is the father of Donna and Uncle Al. Donna stands behind her father, talking to guests. Uncle Al uses the sheet music—as a coaster for his Courvoisier.

Here's a photo by which to remember us.

Würzburg, Germany, perhaps 1949. My friend Kris's Uncle Al—he's the one on the left with the wavy hair—joins two friends on what may have been the day he and his family sailed to America.

Uncle Al, "The Wave"

Würzburg, Germany, perhaps 1949. My Mom's best friend, Donna, enjoys a moment with her brother, Uncle Al. This photo illustrates Al's wavy hair. Someone likely snapped the image on the same day he or she took this shot.

I love this photo. Thanks to my friend Kris for making it available to us.

Sock as Accessories

Würzburg, Germany, about 1946. I noted earlier that so many of the Displaced Persons were quite fashionable. My friend Kris's Uncle Al was no exception. 

Thanks to my friend Kris for making this photo available to us.

At the net.

Würzburg, Germany, 1946. The Displaced Persons engage in another volleyball game.

Thanks to my friend Kris for making this photo available to us.

A good time was had by all.

Würzburg, Germany, perhaps 1949. Uncle Al, the maternal Uncle of my friend Kris, takes a tumble while his sister, Kris's Mom Donna, watches on the far left. To your left, behind Uncle Al, stands Al's and Donna's Mother, laughing. Also laughing is their Father, who stands to your right, behind Al.

I can't pin when this photo was taken. The subjects all wear tags, and Uncle Al again sports that sweater he wore when he boarded the ship that transported the family to the United States. Perhaps this was a departure shot.

Thanks to my friend Kris for making this photo available to us.

First Place

Würzburg, Germany, 1946. This group of Lithuanians took first place at the Displaced Persons folk dance contest. Uncle Al, the maternal Uncle of my friend Kris, is the fellow in the center, facing the camera. He's easy to spot because of his hair wave. Uncle Al continued folk dancing after he emigrated to the United States.

Thanks to my friend Kris for making this photo available to us.

Musical Afternoon

Würzburg, Germany, about 1946. Uncle Al—the maternal Uncle of my friend Kris—entertains a fellow Displaced Person. Uncle Al was musically gifted. He often played the piano when he visited our home.

Thanks to my friend Kris for making this photo available to us.

"From now on, we have 'full' beer."

Würzburg, Germany, about 1946. Three Displaced Persons react to the announcement that Vollbier will be available at the DP camp. The fellow on the far right is my friend Kris's Uncle Al.

Thanks to my friend Kris for making this photo available to us.

Beginnings

Displaced Persons who fled Lithuania sought refuge in DP Camps established by UNRRA after World War II ended.

Mainfranken, or "Franconia," is a Bavarian, administrative district in Germany. The Mainfranken Displaced Persons Control Center was the place at which UNRRA processed those Displaced Persons who would be relocated to Würzburg or Schweinfurt. The DP camps in Würzburg and Schweinfurt were part of the U.S. Zone of the Allied, post-war, occupation of Germany.

This means my Dad, his twin sister Jonė, and their mother, Tatjana, all shuffled through the Mainfranken Control Center before settling—for the next five years—in Schweinfurt.

It's also the place at which my friend Kris's Mom, Donna, her Uncle Al, and Donna's Parents received permission to secure housing in Würzburg. Mr. Irene's paternal Uncle, Ignas, also would have passed through Mainfranken on his way to Würzburg.

Mainfranken, Germany, 1945. Displaced Persons await processing at the UNRRA Control Center. A priest and two altar boys also greet the refugees. Notice that the DPs have few belongings.

Thanks to my friend Kris for making this photo available to us.

Closing Ceremony

Würzburg, Germany, 1946. The Displaced Persons who formed the men's volleyball team march after their game. My friend Kris's Uncle Al is second from the right; he's the one with the longer, wavy hair brushed to the side.

Thanks to my friend Kris for making this photo available to us.

The Volleyball Team

Würzburg, Germany, 1946. A group of Displaced Persons prepares for another volleyball match. Uncle Al, the maternal Uncle of my friend Kris, stands second the right.

Thanks to Kris for making this photo available to us.

Basketball Victory

Würzburg, Germany, about 1946. My friend Kris's maternal Uncle Al, second from right, poses with his Displaced-Persons-camp team after a basketball game. Uncle Al wrote on the back of the photo, "After a successful match with our brothers, the Latvians."

Thanks to Kris for making this photo available to us.

Volleyball

Würzburg, Germany, 1946. Displaced Persons at the Würzburg camp engage in a volleyball game.

Thanks to my friend Kris for making this photo available to us.

Celebrate Folk Dancing

The Fourteenth Lithuanian Folk Dance Festival takes place today. Folk dance groups from around the world have flown to Boston to participate in the festivities. A lot of planning goes into this event, and close to 2,000 dancers will perform in an arena-like setting this afternoon. If you're reading this post on the day of the festival, then you can go to the first link of this entry and watch a live stream of the performance.

I attended the Lithuanian Folk Dance Festivals in Chicago in 1972 and 1976, and Mr. Irene and I performed at the one staged in 1992.

Folk dancing is wonderful. It creates many happy memories. 

*     *     *     *     *

  

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, early 1950s. Lithuanian folk dancers—all likely newly arrived Dispaced Persons—perform on a local television show. My friend Kris's Uncle Al is the fellow who is catching his breath in the second photo.

Thanks to my friend Kris for making these photos available to us.