The Printed Word
By
Gerry Niskern
His alarm went off at 4:30 A. M. every day. The bundles of newspaper were dropped off at the corner of 2lst Ave and Adams, beside Jim’s Chinese Market, at 5:00 A. M. and he was there, on his bike, waiting. As the station manager, he counted out each boy’s share as they slowly arrived. The young paper carriers sat and folder each paper into a compact form. If the newspaper wasn’t folded right it wouldn’t reach the front porch. And if you didn’t “porch it” every single time, there would be no tip on collection day!
That young station manager alone delivered 300 plus papers in the morning and 250 plus of the evening paper in the afternoon . The newspaper those boys delivered years ago had all kinds of news that you don’t get today, if you are only reading digital. Sure you can get the online paper of your choice, but do you really read it? Most people get the highlights in sound bites of local, state and national news on television or in another digital form. They only meet people running for national office after they have climbed the local political ladder. Only in the local newspaper do you learn about their personal history and character from the grassroots level.
The authenticity and credibility of local newspapers help maintain the morale and harmony of our society. If your local paper is conservative or liberal, it doesn’t matter. You will still find articles to help you become an informed citizen.
Here’s three good examples of local news in The Arizona Republic this past Wednesday. Two companies, Dish Network and Finance Buzz are offering people a chance to get paid to watch scary movies! Two Arizona cities, Phoenix and Mesa are committing to the American Rescue Plan to address homelessness. The state was allocated 4 billion to help build lasting and transforming change in peoples lives, in one of many parts, by providing housing. Another in-depth article covering the actions of our Arizona governor when the twelve licenses for online Sports betting were awarded.
In other words, there’s something new everyday on the local level. That’s where it all starts. Subscribe to your local paper. Really. You Should!

Up Close and Personal
By
Gerry Niskern
How interesting is your neighborhood? Let me tell you about the first one I lived in here in Phoenix when my parents moved us to Arizona in August of 1942.
Back before cell phones, television and the internet that keeps people inside their homes, things were different. If anything happened on your street, everyone saw it.
I remember on one of our first days in Phoenix hearing my mother gasp as she glanced out the front window. “Well, I never! I can’t believe my eyes. There’s a woman out on the front walk getting her newspaper, in her nightgown! And, oh my Lord, she’s smoking a cigarette!”
I’m sure there were plenty of female smokers back in the little Eastern town we came from, they just didn’t dare do it in public. Later that morning I got a good look at, Mrs. Beeson, our outrageous next door neighbor. Her thick ivory colored hair was pulled up into a bun. Olive skin, without a wrinkle, covered high cheekbones that framed deep cinnamon brown eyes. She was heavy, but strong and broad shouldered too. Her three hundred pound body was covered with a shapeless black polka dotted dress.
What fascinated me most was her cigarette that dangled by the barest tip from her lips. As she described the other families in the neighborhood and what branch of the service their sons were in, the Lucky Strikes never fell. The ashes grew longer and longer, probably about an inch I guessed. Just when I thought they would fall down on poor, tiny Mr. T, she would flick them off.
Mr. T. was her little Chihuahua dog who slept serenely on her high, firm, ample bosom. They didn’t have underwire bras in those days and believe me, she didn’t need one. She never bothered steadying him with her other hand.
As the days of the war dragged slowly by, Mrs. Beeson seemed to sense when the mailman had delivered another V-mail from one of mom’s younger brothers who were serving overseas. The doorbell would ring. Mom always quickly dried her eyes and opened the door to our rotund friend. “Where can I put my little but” were invariably the first words out of her mouth. Mom blushed, I giggled and sent me to the kitchen for an ashtray.
Soon they were matching story for story about mom’s brothers or Mrs. Beeson’s sons. The war was pushed into the distance for a little while and mom was soon smiling again. “Come home with me, honey. I want you to run to the drugstore to see if they got in any smokes.” As I waited on her porch for the money I remember looking at the small white banner hanging her front window. On it were two gold stars.

Don’t Forget to Ask

By

Gerry Niskern

We’ve all seen ads for Ancestery.com and a few other companies who will look up your family history.

I have a better idea. While you still can, ask your parents about your family history. Just take the time to have a conversation or two with a parent, grandparent, Aunt, Uncle or even some cousins. Maybe you have planned to have one of your elders on a video while you ask questions. Great idea, if you ever get around to it and if they are really comfortable with recording.

Just get a plain spiral note book and start writing everything down. Don’t worry about editing. Just keep writing before you forget their stories. When you start those long over due conversations, ask where the grandparents were born. Where did they go to school? Where did they meet? Marry? Ask what the grandfathers did for a living. What was your grandmother’s life like?

I’ve talked to tons of people who’s parents are gone that all say the same thing, “I wish I had taken the time to ask questions while I could.”

Several said they would ask, “What was your childhood like? Where did you and dad meet? What attracted you to him?”

Another wanted to know more about her grandmother’s stories about growing up in Germany. What were her feelings when she left? Who did she work for when she got here?

One friend whose  parent’s marriage was arranged in the Middle East would ask her mother what her true feelings were at her wedding.

A friend from an Asian country told me she grieved that there were no baby pictures taken of her and wants to know why.

Several wanted to know what kind of day it was when they were born.

I personally would ask my grandmother about the sadness of leaving her infant daughter in Europe in a grandmother’s care when they immigrated to America.

So forget about finding a famous Prussian General, an exiotic princess or an aristrocratic head of government in your ancestry. You can learn about your family tree by starting those conversations with those who are here right now. There are several publishing companies who will publish a small book of your information and photos of your family if you wish for posterity.

Do it now. Don’t wait!