Interview with Arnold Lynch, October 16, 1990

Armand Essig:

Armand Essig sitting here with Mr. S. Arnold Lynch. It's Tuesday, October 16th, 1990. Arnold, we're here to discuss a little bit about your family background. Interesting things that you can recall about Louisville years ago. Just anything that sometime in the distant future people listening to this tape would find interesting. Arnold, why don't you start out by introducing yourself, your occupation, your parents names, your grandparents, and telling us a little bit about your origin.

Arnold Lynch:

As you said, the name is S. Arnold Lynch. My father was Jack Lynch. My mother's name was Lilian, and her maiden name was [Morguelan 00:0057]. I was born in the year 1915. I could recall stories told to me by my paternal grandfather. He was 1:00born in the little town of Sudylkov, which is in a province of the Ukraine in Southern Russia. David Lynch, fondly known as Lynchiz, there was an I-Z at the end of the name in the early years.

A.L.:

David Lynchiz fled from Russia at the age of 16 because he would've been drafted into the Tsar's army. He made his way to the United States and eventually went to St. Louis where he obtained a position in a butcher shop. He was given living quarters above the butcher shop. He stayed there for a couple of years and then 2:00went to Cincinnati. Eventually he saved enough money to send a boat ticket to his childhood sweetheart, Sarah Purlige. My grandmother, Sarah had came to this country and they were married. The year was about 1885. On the other side, my grandmother, Rebecca Morguelan, was born in Kiev, Russia, her husband, Samuel Morguelan, and she came to this country about the same time.

A.L.:

Unfortunately, Samuel Morguelan caught pneumonia in the year 1908 and died. 3:00Sarah Lynchiz and David Lynchiz had four children. My father and he had a sister and two brothers. My paternal grandparents had six children, of course, one of them was [interruption at 00:03:34]...

A.L.:

For just a short time and during that period his children were born. Then David, Sarah, and their four children moved to Louisville. My maternal grandparents also came to Louisville about the year 1890.

A.L.:

Samuel Morguelan was engaged in the used furniture business. There were no sources of supply of furniture in Louisville at that time. Periodically [interruption at 00:04:16]...

A.L.:

After his death, his widowed wife, opened a vegetable and fruit stand in the market on East Jefferson Street and raised her five children. On the other side of the family, my grandfather was engaged in a meat business in Cincinnati for awhile and then in the grocery business. When they moved to Louisville, he 5:00opened a grocery at 18th and Gallagher Streets.

A.E.:

Arnold, do you recall what year exactly was that, that they moved to Louisville?

A.L.:

No, I don't recall exactly, but I know my father was born in Cincinnati in the year 1893 and his younger sister and brother also were born there, so I assume it must have been around the year 1900. I recall my uncle Harry telling me that my paternal grandparents had a grocery store at 18th and Gallagher Streets and the family lived above the grocery on the second floor. Uncle Harry would tell me that there was a stable behind the grocery, which they kept a horse and 6:00buggy. And my father and he would get up early in the mornings and drive down to the market in order to pack fruit and vegetables and bring it back to the store.

A.L.:

[inaudible 00:06:25] My mother graduated from Louisville Girls High School. My father did not complete his high school education. He went to Louisville Male High School one year and then went to a business college and I believe it was Spencerian where he learned shorthand typing and bookkeeping. He then obtained a position at the age of about 17 - he went with a wholesaler on Main Street.

A.L.:

My parents were married in the year 1913 in the Old Galt House. That was a hotel on the northeast corner of 2nd and Main Streets. That building still stands. Curiously, when Mr. Al Schneider built the new hotel at 4th & River and wanted to call it the Galt House there was a lawsuit against him to restrain him from using that name. He prevailed in court and that is why we now have a new Galt House. But the old Galt House still stands. I was born two years later. I used to kid my father that since I was two years of age at the time the United States entered World War I, I saved him from being drafted and he should have been very 8:00thankful to me.

A.E.:

Arnold, let me ask you now, where were your parents living when you were born?

A.L.:

There was a four-plex on the east side of Brook Street. Between Grey and Chestnut. We had an apartment in that apartment building. Today, now stands the NKC Hospital and its garage on that site.

A.E.:

Now do you, I know you were very young, but you probably live there a number of years. Do you remember anything specifically about the neighborhood in those days?

A.L.:

No, I did not live there for a number of years because when I was four years of age, my mother tragically was shot and killed by a stranger. And then my father 9:00and I moved to my grandmother's residence at 1380 South 2nd Street. That is between Magnolia and Ormsby. Till this period, 1915 and for seven years thereafter, a major part of Louisville Jewish community resided in the area from 2nd Street East to Preston and from Market or Jefferson South to College or Breckenridge. I recall when we lived in that four-plex on Brook Street, that one family who were close friends to my parents where the Sam and Eva Levys. They had two daughters, one Cody Jane later married Louis Hopper and the other, 10:00Isabelle, later married Sam Hillman.

A.L.:

My grandparents are members of Anshei Sfard Synagogue. That was located on 1st Street, just south of Walnut. Walnut Street today, is known as Muhammad Ali Avenue. My parents joined the congregation of Adath Jeshurun, which to them was a new temple or synagogue constructed on the northeast corner at Brooklyn and College Streets. Today, that structure is occupied by, I believe it's called Unity Church or Temple. There was a synagogue on the corner of Preston and Fair 11:00Avenues in those days. And I'm not sure of its name. It later became Keneseth Israel and they built on the corner of Floyd and Jacobs Streets. After my brother died well, my father and I lived with my grandparents on 2nd Street. I was enrolled in first grade at the Gavin H. Cochran School located on the southeast corner of 2nd and Hill Streets.

A.L.:

At the age of six, my father - at my age of six, my father remarried and he bought an apartment building at 1504 South 1st Street, which was just south of 12:00Hill Street. I attended Cochran School for eight years. My father traveled considerably. He was a mill representative who called upon wholesalers in the south and he sold hosiery for hosiery mills located throughout the south. After I graduated from the eighth grade at Cochran, I attended Kentucky Military Institute for four years. I went away to a prep school principally because my father was absent from the city for five or six months out of the year.

A.L.:

Having graduated from KMI in 1933, I then attended Indiana University and graduated in three and one half years. I was a member of Sigma Alpha Mu 13:00fraternity and president of the chapter and my senior year. In 1937, I went to Harvard Law School and graduated in 1940.

A.E.:

And Arnold, I know you're too modest to mention it, but I happened to know you did go to Harvard Law School on a scholarship. Being a straight-A honor student.

A.L.:

That is true, and let me say that today because of the [inaudible 00:13:31] spiral, which has occurred over the years, tuition at Harvard is a about $13,000. My tuition in 1937 was $400 for an entire year and my father was tickled to death that I did not have to pay tuition because we were in the midst of a terrible depression and making a dollar was difficult. And those days there were long bread lines in Louisville and other communities and the unemployment 14:00exceeded 10 million people.

A.L.:

At that time. The population of the whole country was less than 150 million. Now going back for just a minute... If I may, I can recall a few things that occurred in those days. For example, at Passover, my paternal grandparents would have the entire family over for the [foreign language 00:14:36] dinner. This was in the 20s, before the United States went off the gold standard and it was easy to purchase gold coins. I would say the four questions, the fear cautious being the only grandson in the family. And when I completed this assignment, my grandfather would present me with a two and a half dollar gold piece. I 15:00accumulated a number of those gold pieces, but in year 1933 or 1934 the United States went off the gold standard and I a law was passed which compelled everyone to turn in his gold. I think I could've kept those gold pieces, but I thought it was my patriotic duty to turn them in. And so I no longer have a gold piece.

A.L.:

Our country survived the depression but went right into World War II. I had four years of military training at Kentucky Military Institute and thought that I would have no problem getting a commission after Pearl Harbor, which was December 7th, 1941. Unfortunately, I had an eye accident in 1934 which affected 16:00the vision in one eye and I was rejected from military service. I came back to Louisville in 1940 and began the practice of law. I was employed by Providence Law Firm for eight years. About the same time that I left that law firm also became [inaudible 00:16:33] and married Joan S. Greenstein. The daughter of Sarah and Joe Greenstein. Joe Greenstein had died in near 1935 at which time my future wife was only eight years of age. Her mother took over the business which shows Joe Greenstein had founded in the year 1917. It was known as the 17:00[inaudible 00:17:03].

A.L.:

A ladies, ready-to-wear and small ware shop on the northeast corner of 4th and Liberty in the [inaudible 00:17:15] Taylor building. I left the law firm in 1948 to form a partnership with the late Grover G. Sales. Grover Sales was an outstanding attorney in this community and considerably older than I. I considered it quite an honor that he invited me to become his partner. We remained partners and close friends until he died in the year 1967. Shortly thereafter, I began to form a new law firm. It was expanded from time to time and today we have a firm known as Lynch Cox, Gilman, & Mahan, consisting of 18 attorneys.

A.E.:

Arnold, at this time, I would like to say for any of those listening to this tape in the future that the firm that Arnold just mentioned - his firm - for years and years and right up to the present time is considered one of the most prestigious firms in the city. One of the most prominent without a doubt.

A.L.:

Now returning to my domestic life, Joan and I were blessed with the birth of two children. Larry was born in the year 1952 and Janet was born in the year 1955. Larry is now married to Vivian and Vivian has a son who is going to be 11 years 19:00of age next month.

A.E.:

That's wonderful. Arnold. Now I tell you what I'd like to hear from you. I know you've been so active in civic and religious organizations over the years. Think back as far as you can and give us a little synopsis of your activities.

A.L.:

There is a Junior Chamber of Commerce that is quite active in this community, but in my early law days it was known as the Junior Board of Trade. Since I was ineligible to serve in the armed forces, but as a member of the Junior Board of Trade, I was actively engaged and getting other members of the board to write letters to our friends who were overseas. This took quite a bit of time, but it 20:00was an attribute that was well appreciated because time and again after the war ended, I would see our old buddies and they would tell me how much they appreciated receiving those letters. In addition to active membership in the Junior Board of Trade, I became a member of the Board of Trustees up in [inaudible 00:20:27]. My father at that time was president of Little Lodge number 14. I also served on the Board of Directors of the Young Men Hebrew Association... That was located at the corner of 2nd and Jacob Streets. When the new building was built on Dutchmans Lane the name was changed to the Jewish 21:00Community Center.

A.L.:

I rejoined the Board of the Jewish Community Center in the 50s and became president of that board some seven or eight years later. I also became a member of Temple Adath Israel after returning from law school and during the war years, I taught Sunday School. About the year 1950, I was asked to serve on its Board of Trustees and from 1959 and 1961 I served as its president.

A.L.:

Going back to the days of World War II, I was asked to serve as chairman of an 22:00organization known as USO-JWB, that means United Service Organization, Jewish Welfare Board. There were a number of Jewish boys in service at Fort Knox. They craved diversion from the routine of military training. It was the job of USO-JWB to arrange for dances and bus Louisville girls out to the Fort so that we could have dances. Other entertainment such as comedies, little vaudeville, etc. also was provided for the Jewish boys. That service continued even after World War II. And then, in the early fifties how I became interested in civil rights. There were organizations at that time who were fighting for the recognition of Negroes to have equality in the ordinary days of activity. I 23:00recall a black friend by the name of Johnson who was principal of Central High School.

A.L.:

He formed a group who paraded, or I should say picketed in front of the Brown Hotel, because the Brown Hotel would not admit blacks in their restaurants, nor could they register as guests. Mr. Johnson would walk up and down 4th Street with a sign saying that Mr. Jay Graham Brown was unfair to Negroes, and he told me that his black friends would walk by and would sort snicker and say to him that he was wasting his time because the Brown Hotel would never admit blacks. 24:00Well, of course, eventually we had the civil rights act of 1964 which changed all that and then he would laughingly say to me, now I'll walk back in the Brown Hotel and I'll look in the restaurant and there are my black friends who used to laugh at me, but I can't afford to go in and have a meal there.

A.L.:

My activities for civil rights led me to become a member of the Kentucky Civil Liberties Union and I served as its chairman for two years in the 60s.

A.E.:

Arnold, I can't thank you enough for taking the time to give me this interview. It has just been so interesting and you've had a wonderful career. You're just a terrific guy. And of course that's why you were one chosen to be interviewed. 25:00This is Armand Essig, thanking you again and we'll be talking to you.

A.L.:

Good night and [inaudible 00:25:02].