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Age: 64
Occupation: Retired grocer
Residence: The Crescent in Bluffton
One of my little employees used to answer the phone by saying, "Good evening. Valhalla Market. Center of the universe." The first time I heard her say it, I just laughed. But as far as the little place that it was, everybody came there and it had everything that you needed. Town markets go so far back into the history of the world. They were the backbones of areas and where the people came. I'm happy I got to be part of that.
I grew up in Yonkers, N.Y., on St. Mary's Street, and the kids migrated in and out of all the neighborhoods. Everything is definitely more governed now. A kid goes to school at this time, does this, gets out, goes there, does that and then disappears into the computer room. I mean, we played stick ball and rode our bikes and went for adventures outside. Sometimes we'd go fishing on the banks of the Hudson River. I don't see too many kids doing that today. We were a little more Tom Sawyer.
I started my first business when I was 10 years old. I used to deliver wood for an uncle to a couple of ladies' houses and then expanded that into newspapers and magazines. In school I knew I wasn't Mr. Academic, but I always liked business.
My wife and I started dating when we were about 19, but we've known each other since we were 10 and 12 years old. We hung out in different groups, but we'd see each other at school dances at St. Mary's Hall. When you came into the hall, all the kids from public school would be on the left side and all the kids from the Catholic schools would be on the right. I went to public school and she went to Catholic school, so I always used to walk across to dance with the girls from St. Mary's. The girls were prettier on their side.
Getting married to her was like finding a real gemstone in a whole pile of rocks. We've had our ups and downs and difficulties to overcome, but it's been a very good life. You have to really care for each other and make each other the priority. It isn't like it's 50/50 or 75/75. You have to give it all. You give your 100 percent, and they give their 100 percent. Today, marriages are too liberal. People have made it too easy to walk away. They just accept it. If you get married, you should get married for the long haul.
We have two sons and what I tried to do was expose them to more of everything, so that they'd have more than what we had. Not so much things, but experiences. We used to have a night where we'd have Saltine crackers and water for dinner to think of the people out there who didn't have a good meal or enough to eat. My hope was that they'd learn a little conservatism along the way, and I think they have.
I'm not overly religious, but I'm like the Ten Commandments religious. I think it's the source of a great deal of morality. Religion gives you time to sit back and think, "What's my base?" It gives you a weekly substance.
The best piece of advice I can give is to focus on the rewards you've got. It's food that you can take with you your entire life. Dispel the less than positive, take care of yourself and do the best you can for other people. We're all linked together and when you recognize that, it makes you a better person.
