How My Great-Grandfather, Irving I. Turner, Taught Me A Valuable Lesson In U.S. History.
January 17, 2014 10 Comments
Every summer, it was a family tradition to visit Grandpa Turner before our Oregon departure. He lived in a modest apartment on Vantage Street in North Hollywood, California. When you entered, your nose was assaulted by cigar smoke, which seemed to permeate every piece of furniture in the living room. His saltine crackers were in their usual plastic container. Sculpted dogs of various breeds and sizes greeted you from a shelf. The TV was the essential component, for grandpa was almost always watching some program when we visited. He especially liked “the fights” and Perry Mason.
Grandpa lived to be 100, surviving a car accident and metastatic cancer of the stomach, which he was told was an ulcer. The cancer in the stomach was removed and never grew back again. That was about fifteen years before he died. He never had a heart attack and maintained excellent health for most of his life. He liked simple foods, an excellent Havana cigar and good conversation. He was a real estate broker for many years and was honored by the business community in an article that Grandpa was very proud of. When I visited him in a rest home, I told him he should be lucky to have a family that cares about him. He replied with scorn: “Family! That’s my family!”, pointing to a picture of himself on the wall. At that time, when he was 99, his mind began to fail him. He kept repeating that Grandma Lillian was a “rich widow, kicking up her heels, referring to Grandpa Johnny’s death the previous year. All in all, he was a character. However, I enjoyed speaking with him as the following dialogue shows:
“Grandpa. You’ve been around a long time and have seen many Presidents come and go. Who was your favorite? Who made the best impression?”
“They were all a bunch of bastards!”
I now draw a curtain of silence over the whole scene.
About Robert M. Weiss
Site of Discovery and Wonder 
What a wonderful memory! What a wonderful grandfather! I take so much pleasure in hearing a story about a man who lived to be 100 and appears to have lived life so well! He sounds like he must have been quite a character. 🙂
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He was always kind to me and Dad, but Mom has another view of him!
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This little conversation must have taken all hope and illusions, in regard to politics, out of you.
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Surprisingly, no. I belonged to the 60s generation of social activists. My cynicism came much later, when I had to deal with people in government!
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One of Peter’s grandfathers died in 1916 as a soldier in France during WW I. Peter’s father was at the time only 16. The other grandfather died in 1940, aged 70. Peter was five years at the time and can remember him and seeing his body. Just today Peter looked up a picture of his 70 year old grandfather which was taken two months before he died. He printed the picture out on some good paper and framed the picture. He is now wondering whether anyone in the family is going to notice this picture hanging on the wall. Will anyone be asking who this is?
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I have a feeling someone will. There are always those who treasure family history. WWI had such an impact on the way we see ourselves. One of my wishes is to speak with someone that lived before and after WWI. Alas, I am relegated to history books and literature.
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I just thought I might add a bit about my paternal grandfather who had been a senator in Poland during the 1920s. I remember as a child when we were visiting the grandparents, grandfather would always discuss a lot of politics with the family. This was the 1940s and grandfather had long given up being a politician. Still, politics was discussed all the time. He died in 1947, aged 77.
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Such a discussion would have been of great interest to me. Poland was an occupied country for about 150 years, and the Poles have had a deep distrust in the strength, and efficacy of government.
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your grandpa sounds like quite a character. he answered your question quite well. *smile* a lovely memory shared. simply wonderful, Robert.
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Thanks, Sun! Grandpa would have been pleased at all the attention he’s getting!
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