Book Excerpts

From White Lightning



Almost every Armenian family in Cleveland had a Still, used to concoct batches of domestic Arach/Rachi, a bootleg variation of what most "odars" (outsiders) know as Uzzo. In our Clans, Simon's father Manuel, had made The Still from a copper tub, the kind that was used to wash clothes in. He added the cover, spigots and coils. Manuel was skilled as an artist in fashioning and fabricating Still parts.

My friend Si told a story about the infamous Still. With great reluctance, Father "loaned" it to a friend and took great pain in emphasizing caution in using it. Ignoring his advice, he placed The Still on his gas stove in his kitchen. The Still exploded, sending the lid and precious contents crashing into the ceiling! Panic and mayhem ensued as the sound reverberated through the neighborhood. A scramble was on to remove the vat before it was discovered by the police. That was the last time it left the Clan...

From Put 'Em Up Boy



November 25th had been a very busy day at the 66th Street Fruit and Vegetable Market. John and the boys had been working hard all day as their customers did their Thanksgiving Day holiday shopping. The day was nearing an end and the number of customers coming in had dropped off dramatically. Sarkis was in the front of the store, rearranging fruit and vegetables while John and Gregory were in the back room, sorting baskets of produce.

The store was empty when a masked man of medium height walked in, wearing a dark overcoat and a cap pulled over his eyes. Sarkis looked up to see the eyes above the mask glaring at him. He put both hands up as he slowly backed towards the wall near the cash register. The robber moved over to the cash register while covering Sarkis with a gun and began to empty the cash register.

As Uncle John and Gregory walked into the store from the rear room, the surprised robber saw them and fled from the store. Gregory picked up a knife and hammer from the counter and along with John and Sarkis gave chase down East 66th street towards Quimby...

From The Gamavors



One day in 1948, Simon and I received a call informing us that we were to meet General Dro, who was arriving by train from Boston. Dro was an Armenian hero and freedom fighter who served in the Baku region in 1904, World War I, and fought the Turks, becoming military commissar of the Ararat region in 1917.

As we waited and watched at the gate, a short, stocky, gray-haired man came walking up the steps. We were shaking hands with an Armenian General! General Dro complained of a bad cold and said that as a result he was given shots in each city he visited. We arrived home to 30 people waiting to greet the General. Sitting for a banquet, he looked at me and Simon and told us to sit next to him. "You are my Commissars," he said...

He left Cleveland still under the weather, although he did his best to treat it with rachi. The next city was waiting, perhaps with concerned hosts that would make sure he saw a doctor and got another penicillin shot...