A Closer Look (Part 50)

Brooklyn, New York, August 1952. My Mom and my Dad's cousin take a lunch break.

During this time, Mom was an intern at Wyckoff Heights Hospital. In the early 1950s, there were no EMTs. Instead, interns rode the ambulance runs. Mom made many emergency trips throughout New York City. A number of those emergencies were deliveries. It was policy to discourage delivery in the ambulance. Physicians were to determine whether the expectant mother could be transported safely to the hospital. Mom, who still spoke little English, remembers many trips during which she spent most of the ride yelling, "Mama! No Push!!" Mom once decided labor was too far along for the mother to make it to the hospital, so she delivered the baby in an apartment bathroom. A story about that event made it into the newspaper.

Here's the original post.

Reconnected

Brooklyn, New York, June 1974. My Parents visit with my Dad's cousins and their husbands.

Scenic Overlook

New York, 1951. My Dad's maternal Aunt, Victoria, and Victoria's older daughter stop during one of the family drives along the Hudson River Valley.

A Break from the Drive

Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Summer 1962. My Dad's twin sister Jonė, Dad's paternal Aunt Victoria, and my paternal Grandmother Tatjana visit Dad and Jonė's cousins at their summer place.

Thanks to my Toronto Cousin for making this photo available to us.

A Happy Visit

Great Neck, New York, 1985. I visit family while I'm at a professional convention. The woman on the left is one of my Dad's older cousins, and the woman on the right is her mother Victoria—the sister of my paternal Grandfather, Vytautas.

A Small Gathering

Brooklyn, New York, 1954. My Dad's cousin and one of my Mom's hospital colleagues visit my maternal Grandfather, Jake.

Halloween Decorations

Suburban Chicago, October 1968. My Dad's cousin and her husband visited our home one autumn. I've looked at this snapshot many times; the image reminds me of how much I hated that velvet hat—and how much I loved my Mom's knitted coat. When I scanned the photo, I saw that there were Halloween decorations on the bay window and door. 

Dad took this photo as we were departing for Oakbrook Center.

Reunited

Brooklyn, New York, March 28, 1948. My Dad's twin sister, Jonė, visits her cousins—the two daughters of Victoria—during the Easter holiday.

Not now, please.

Kačerginė, Lithuania, Summer 1940. My Dad's twin, Jonė, discourages the photographer.

Thanks to Jonė's daughter—my Toronto Cousin—for making this photo available to us.

Touched

Kaunas, Lithuania, August 1942. This couple is one of my Dad's older cousins and her husband.

Thanks to my Kaunas Cousin for making this photo available to us.

Summer Table

Kačerginė, Lithuania, Summer 1940. My Dad's twin sister, Jonė—laughing, on the left—joins her cousins for a bowl of soup.

Thanks to my Toronto Cousin for making this photo available to us.

Outfitted

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1936. This is one of my Dad's older cousins; she was the daughter of Dad's paternal Aunt Victoria.

Elegant Shoppers

Oakbrook, Illinois, Autumn 1968. My Dad's cousin and my Mom visit Oakbrook Center. Mom is wearing that fabulous knitted coat.

I was born to wear these clothes, but I was born a generation too late.

Coastal

Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 1952. My Dad's cousins visit the shoreline.

A Gathering in the Garden

Kaunas, Lithuania, 1936. This snapshot of my Dad's extended family was taken on the same day as this "cousins" photo. My Dad, flashing a satisfied smile, is the only subject wearing eye glasses. To Dad's left stands his twin sister, Jonė. Behind my Dad is his mother, my paternal Grandmother Tatjana, who looks serene. Her husband, my paternal Grandfather, Vytautas, is behind her.

The woman standing next to Tatjana is her beloved sister-in-law, Victoria, a sibling of Tatjana's husband, Vytautas. You've seen images of Victoria earlier here and here. The gentleman on Tatjana's left is Victoria's husband, and the three young people standing behind and in front of Victoria are her children. I earlier posted a photo of many of these family members together here.

Check out the coats and the karakul neck wraps.

Thanks to my Toronto Cousin for making this photo available to us. It's pretty exciting when I see a photo like this one for the first time.

Swimwear

The warm weather leads me to think about trips to the beach.  Remember "svimvear" fashions?

Palanga, Lithuania, about 1933. My Dad's side of the family stretches out on the dunes. At the top, on the far left, is my paternal Grandfather, Vytautas, cradling his head in his palm. His wife, my paternal Grandmother Tatjana, is below him, leaning on her elbow. My Dad is at the very bottom of the tier, on the far right, wearing the swim trunks with the stay-up-halter strap. Behind him, wearing the worn swimsuit, is Vytautas's sister, Victoria. In the front, my Dad's twin sister, Jonė, craddles a cousin, Victoria's youngest daughter.

The young woman and teen boy reclining between Tatjana and Victoria are Victoria's other two, older children.

An Outing with the Cousins

My Dad was a small child, and he remained slight throughout his life. He and I were similar in size; many of the sweaters that my Mom had knitted for him fit me perfectly. 

Kaunas, Lithuania, 1936. Here's Dad and his twin sister Jonė, on the right, and two cousins.

Life in America is good.

Here's another group that looks like it's primed for a Hampton-style, sportswear photo shoot.

These immigrants preserved their heritage while seamlessly assimilating into the updated culture of their new homeland.

All American? These folks are visiting Coney Island?!! This is my Dad's paternal aunt, Victoria, with her two adult daughters.

Victoria had an especially close relationship with her sister-in-law, my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana. I'll have more to say about that later.

Coney Island Beach, New York, 1952. Victoria—the sister of my paternal Grandfather, Vytautas—and her daughters enjoy a crisp visit to the beach.

Family Dinner

A happy family eats dinner together, and a good family meal always starts out with soup.

Kaunas, Lithuania, 1932. My Dad's family shares a meal. On the left, my bespeckled Dad sits next to my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana. Dad is wearing his scouting scarf. Moving to the right of Tatjana is Dad's older cousin, his paternal aunt, Victoria, my Dad's twin sister, Jonė, a younger cousin, and my paternal Grandfather, Vytautas.

There is a cut-crystal wine glass at each place setting.

Role Model

When my Mom started practicing medicine, there were few "women doctors." During her 72-hour intern shifts, there was no place in the hospital for her to take a nap: the doctors' "bunk areas" were reserved for "men only."

Mom had to walk across the street and sleep in the nurses' dormitories.

Brooklyn, New York, August, 1952. My Mom, an intern at Wyckoff Heights Hospital, stands with my Dad's cousin. Check out the shoes.