MEMORIES OF DAD AND FAMILY ON FATHER'S DAY.

I WANTED TO POST SOME PICTURES OF
MY DAD AND OUR FAMILY AS A TRIBUTE
TO WHAT AN INFLUENCE HE WAS IN MY
LIFE.  A PICTURE OF GRAM SUSAN 
"DICKMAN" McCAROLL, WHO LOST 
HER LEFT LEG, AT AGE 19,TO A RUSTY
NAIL ON A SWING, BUT STILL GAVE 
BIRTH TO TWO SONS, ONLY 13 MONTHS 
APART.  MY DAD WAS BORN ON
JAN. 2, 1900 AND UNCLE FRANK 
CAME IN JAN. 1901. 

MY GRANDFATHER DIED WHEN 
MY DAD WAS ONLY 10 YEARS OLD.
ADAM DIECKMAN (SPELLING IN 
THE OBITUARY)  LOST HIS LIFE 
WHILE DRIVING A LUMBER WAGON.
THE HORSES WERE SPOOKED BY 
A TRAIN WHISTLE, BROKE AWAY 
AND HE WAS RUN OVER BY THE WAGON,
ON MARCH 26, 1910.

DAD SERVED IN THE MARINES IN 
1917.  GENTLEMAN WITH HIM IS 
UNKNOWN.
DAD WENT ON TO WORK AT THE
LC&N COLLIERY #6. HE WAS A
PATCHER ON A LOKIE AND AS 
HE PASSED THRU THE VILLAGE
OF ANDREWSVILLE HE MET A 
YOUNG LADY, VERONICA
(KACHNIARZ) KARNISH. 
SHE TOLD US THAT HE USED 
TO THROW LUMPS OF COAL OFF
THE TENDER FOR HER TO PICK.
HOW WAS THAT FOR A COURT-
SHIP?  BUT, HE GOT HER.

THIS TOOK PLACE IN SEPTEMBER 1926.
THEY WERE LATER BLESSED WITH  A
BABY GIRL WHO WENT TO HEAVEN AT 
THE AGE OF 6 MONTHS. THEY LOST HER
TO PNEUMONIA.   3 YEARS LATER I CAME 
ALONG, FOLLOWED BY A BROTHER, JOHN,
5 YEARS LATER AND MY SISTER JANE 4
YEARS LATER.

MOM VERNA, JANE, JOHN AND DAD RUSSELL.
MOM WAS A TERRIFIC COOK AND WE ALL
LOOKED FORWARD TO SHARING THE TABLE.

DAD AT THE ENGINEER'S THROTTLE ON
OLD No. 91. ONE OF THE TWO PLACES
HE WAS AT HOME.

RAILS UP TO THE No. 6 BREAKER IN THE
 BACKGROUND.

HOMES IN WHAT WAS KNOWN AS No. 5 ARE
VISIBLE IN THE BACKGROUND. MY GRAND-
PARENTS MOVED THERE FROM ANDREWSVILLE.
MEL BILLIG'S WIFE, WINNIE, WAS RAISED
NEXT DOOR TO MY GRANDPARENTS

DAD ON THE LEFT

BACK IN 1937, MY DAD TOOK ME WITH 
HIM WHILE HE PICKED 60 "CEMENT BAGS'
OF COAL AT THE COAL STRIPPINGS (IT'S 
WHERE THEY DUMPED WHAT WAS 
CONSIDERED WASTE) WITH WHICH HE 
BOUGHT A POOL TABLE FROM PLUMBER 
ED BOYLE. THIS LED TO DAD'S DREAM OF 
OPENING HIS OWN POOL ROOM. THAT 
HAPPENED IN 1939 AT 210 W. LUDLOW ST.,
IN SUMMIT HILL AND CONTINUED WHEN 
WE MOVED TO 43 W. LUDLOW ST., IN THE 
CENTER OF TOWN.

HOW I WISH YOU COULD HAVE WITNESSED HIM
SHOOT POOL.  THEY CAME FROM NEAR AND FAR,
BUT THEY LEFT WITH MUCH RESPECT.   HE WAS
FANTASTIC.  HE LOVED THE GAME AND THE GUYS 
AND GIRLS THAT FREQUENTED DICKMAN'S  POOL
PARLOR.  MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, MOM WAS
AT WORK BEHIND THE COUNTER. SHE HAD A
REPUTATION FOR HER HOT DOGS WITH PICKLED
CABBAGE AND INTRODUCED HOAGIES IN 1942.
OUR KITCHEN TABLE OFTEN FOUND SOMEONE
SHARING A MEAL WITH US.  MY FOLKS WERE
SUPERB.  

ONE OF DAD'S QUIRKS.
HOW MANY FOLKS DO YOU KNOW WHO
LIKED TO SIT ON A CHAIR IN THIS MANNER?
INCIDENTALLY, AS A YOUNG MAN, MY DAD LIKED
HIS BEER.  HE GAVE IT UP FOR LENT IN 1942 AND
NEVER HAD ANOTHER DROP OF ALCOHOL AGAIN,
DESPITE THE FACT THAT THERE WERE 5 SALOONS
WITHIN A BLOCK AND A HALF OF OUR HOME, WITH
ONE  NEXT DOOR AND TWO JUST ACROSS THE
STREET.  THAT WAS DAD

THE COURTSHIP

I ADDED THESE TWO PICTURES
BECAUSE DAD ADORED THE ONE
WHO CHOSE ME FOR HER PARTNER.
MY LADY ONCE SAID TO ME -
"ALL I WOULD LIKE OF YOU, IS FOR
YOU TO BE JUST LIKE YOUR DAD"
WHAT A GREAT COMPLIMENT TO
DAD!!!
I DON'T KNOW IF I ACCOMPLISHED
THAT WISH.

RUSSELL LOUIS DICKMAN

JAN. 2, 1900  -  DEC. 27, 1966.

EAST END A.A., LANSFORD, PA

RUSSELL DICKMAN MEMORIAL

POOL TOURNAMENT

I ADDED THESE LAST TWO TO SHOW YOU
A PICTURE OF ME AFTER HAVING MY DAD
AS MY MENTOR. HE DIDN'T TELL ME WHAT 
TO DO, HE JUST SHOWED ME AND LET ME
FOLLOW HIS EXAMPLE. I MADE A PLEDGE
TO MYSELF, THAT ONLY ONE TEAM WOULD
WIN THE TOURNAMENT.  ANDY AND I WERE
SUCCESSFUL.

GOD BLESS YOU DAD!!!

A FINAL FEW WORDS.  DAD CAME TO LOVE 
COPLAY VERY MUCH.  THOSE MANY DAYS
WE WOULD SEE HIM PARK HIS CAR IN FRONT
OF 19 SAYLOR DRIVE AND CARRY IN THE BAG
OF HOAGIES FROM TOMMY'S BAKERY IN
SUMMIT HILL.  HE AND MOM ALMOST
MOVED HERE.  THERE WAS A LITTLE WHITE
BUNGALOW AT 15 N. 6TH ST WHERE A BRICK
RANCH HOME IS NOW LOCATED.  WOW!  HOW
GREAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN TO HAVE THEM
HERE IN THE CLOSEST THING TO UTOPIA,
"COPLAY".


GOD BLESS ONE AND ALL,
FROM THE BOTH OF US,
FRANK AND ANN DICKMAN
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