0:00Ellen Bick:
Ellen Bick at her place of business, Bick Brothers and Company, 532 River City
Mall on May 4th, 1977. Mary Helen, just to get started, would you tell me where
and when you were born and where you lived as a child?
Mary Hellen:
I was born in Louisville. June 28th, 1907. Where I was born was the Weissinger
Gaulbert apartments. A building which is now torn down. The old one. I've lived
here all my life. My grandparents lived here all their lives. My mother lived
here all her life and my great grandparents came in 1847.
E.B.:
Do you know where they came from and how they picked Louisville?
M.H.:
I think that they came from Bavaria [inaudible 00:01:06] or something. I have
1:00that in a paper, which at this point is misplaced. My great grandfather I know
landed in a quarter of New Orleans. He didn't have very much money with him.
Something like $5 and he managed to get findings and such. He walked from there
up to Kentucky. There is a little town which isn't even on the map anymore. It
doesn't exist, but it was near Henderson. That's where he settled and that's
where he met my great grandmother. Then they decided to come to Louisville to
live. A first cousin of his, named Bamberger and he founded a dry goods
2:00business, wholesale dry goods business, which grew to be the largest wholesale
dry goods business in the south. It was called Bamberger and Bloom. My great
grandfather died in 1887. Then I guess his two sons, Levi Bloom and Max Bloom,
went down to work there. Eventually the business failed and was dissipated. It
was at Seventh and Main.
E.B.:
Is the building's still there?
M.H.:
No. Scott Nelson is there and whatever. I don't know.
E.B.:
Now you say the name was Bloom?
M.H.:
B-L-O-O-M.
E.B.:
All right. Your maiden name was Adler, right?
M.H.:
Adler. My father came to Chicago in 1904 and founded the Adler Manufacturing
3:00Company, which was at 29th and Chestnut. Manufactured for Sears Roebuck for
their catalog, organs and pianos. I have a picture of one of the first organs
that they made. It's on exhibit in Jackson, Mississippi, where the plant was
eventually moved. My father was born in 1865, my mother in 1880 but my father
met my mother after he came to Louisville. They married in 1906.
E.B.:
Did you have any brothers or sisters?
M.H.:
One brother named John C. Adler. John Cyrus Adler. My father's name was Cyrus
Lincoln Adler. My brother doesn't live here now. He lives in Berkeley,
4:00California. He's a writer. [inaudible 00:04:07]
E.B.:
What eventually happened with the company?
M.H.:
[crosstalk 00:04:13] My father sold his interest in 1918 to Sears Roebuck and
Company but stayed on until 1928 when he had planned to retire. But he died just
prior to that date.
E.B.:
Can we go back to your childhood? You said that you were born in the Weissinger Gaulbert.
M.H.:
That's right.
E.B.:
So your parents had an apartment there, right?
M.H.:
Right.
E.B.:
Did you spend most of your school years there?
M.H.:
No. My father always said we were squatters. We had many rented homes. We had
one up in the Highlands. We lived in Kensington Court and then we lived on Third
5:00Street. One house was between Hill and Vernon on Third. One at Third and
Magnolia. Then my father bought a house in Castlewood, which had the long
[inaudible 00:05:17] but he never had any pleasure because shortly after we
bought it and remodeled it, he died.
E.B.:
Where did you go to school?
M.H.:
I went to ... I was in an accelerated class, called the opportunity class, which
we did five years work in three and a half years. Then I spent my ...
E.B.:
Where was that?
M.H.:
It was up at the so called Normal School up on Broadway just above Barrett. They
taught the teachers. It was a teaching school.
E.B.:
Now you're talking about after high school, right? Oh, this was high school?
M.H.:
No, this was [crosstalk 00:05:59].
6:00
E.B.:
Or grammar school, elementary school.
M.H.:
Then I went to collegiate school. Normal Collegiate School for four years prior
to applying to Vassar where I got my AB.
E.B.:
In the various neighborhoods that you lived, would you say that most of the
people or the areas you lived were particularly Jewish or not particularly
Jewish? Were you the only Jewish family in several blocks or-?
M.H.:
No, they were scattered, Jewish families. There were some very beautiful homes
in the block that we lived in. Two blocks. One from Hill to Burnett and one from
Magnolia to Park. People like the Oscar families, McCoy family, K-A-Y-E. Many
very prominent families. We had a wonderful time. They had sidewalks and we
could skate, play and ...
7:00
E.B.:
Park. Now that's right around Central Park, is that right?
M.H.:
Yes. Well itt runs from Third to Sixth or Seventh.
E.B.:
Of your childhood friends, girlfriends. Are there still many of those here in Louisville?
M.H.:
All of us married.
E.B.:
All of you stayed in Louisville?
M.H.:
Yeah.
E.B.:
Were your friends, your social contacts, were they generally Jewish or mixed
with non-Jewish?
M.H.:
Mixed with non-Jewish. Actually at Collegiate School ...
E.B.:
Oh.
M.H.:
But, you don't care about the names, though, do you?
E.B.:
No, not except ones that we could relate to or maybe give us further information.
M.H.:
Well, one of my friends was Mildred Star, whose mother was my mother's friend,
8:00whose grandmother was a bridesmaid at my grandmother's wedding. Dr Star's
sisters, she was. Carolyn Sluss, whose mother was a friend of my mothers and
whose grandmother was a friend of my grandmothers. That family goes way back.
Donny Greenbaum who was a little older than I, but whose parents were all within
the group. I would say they all went to the same temple, but [inaudible 00:08:32].
E.B.:
That would be my next question.
M.H.:
Adath Israel. My grandfather was president of the congregation when they moved
into their building and the congregation gave him a very handsome silver
servicing tray. At the end of his presence then. It's engraved.
E.B.:
Excuse me just a minute. This is grandfather Bloom?
M.H.:
No, that's great grandfather. This is grandfather Goldsmith, who was the one
9:00person that didn't come from Louisville. He came from Cincinnati. He was born
there, but he moved to Louisville. They were people of stature, good citizens. I
always treasure the thought that my father and Mrs. Desha Breckenridge from
Lexington, D-E-S-H-A, used to ride around the state in a horse and buggy to set
up the first tuberculosis clinics. That was of course many years ago and he died
in 1928. Civic activity was a heritage for us.
E.B.:
Would you tell me some of the organizations or agencies that you or your mother
or father actively worked for, worked with? Their interests ... I know you've
10:00always been very active.
M.H.:
My mother was one of the first board members, on the first board of the League
of Women Voters when women got the vote. She was active in the Consumers'
League. She was extremely active in the Red Cross during World War One. Soup
kitchens and all the other activities. As a child, our little group of friends
... We used to make bandages and wash rags and things. God help the people that
used them, but we made them when we had our little club meetings. That was what,
10 years old when our country entered World War One.
E.B.:
Was your father actively involved in, in civic-?
11:00
M.H.:
He handled war bonds and ... Liberty bonds, they called them. He was active in
the Jewish agencies for relief. We were taught never leave anything on her plate
because we had to help the starving Armenians when they were so desperately in
time, I think by the Turks at that period of time. We always had our little jobs
to do for whatever civic endeavors were going. Of course in my lifetime I have
been active in politics, democratic politics. I attribute it all to my activity
in the League of Women Voters because through that group I learned so much, how
important it is to be not just critical of government, but try to understand it
12:00and help take part in a party, a movement for better.
E.B.:
You mentioned ... I see where the heritage comes from with being, excuse me,
actively involved. You mentioned before that you all belong to, that your
parents' contemporaries, their friends all belong to one synagogue, Adath
Israel. Were they active? Your grandfather, you said, was ...
M.H.:
Very act in the temple, and my great grandfather.
E.B.:
Were your parents also?
M.H.:
My father was to a certain extent.
E.B.:
Was there ...
M.H.:
You could say the same for my mother. [crosstalk 00:12:50] in general. Things
like the League of Women Voters [inaudible 00:12:55].
13:00
E.B.:
Was there any sort of religious school or education then as our children have it now?
M.H.:
No, we went to Sunday school. We hated it.
E.B.:
That hasn't changed, has it?
M.H.:
No. It's much more interesting now than it was.
E.B.:
You did have regular Sunday school.
M.H.:
Oh, yes. Regular. We went every Sunday morning. There was confirmation. My
husband was confirmed, but I was never confirmed because my mother thought I was
only doing it to get presents, so she didn't allow me to be [laughing 00:13:37]...
E.B.:
Was there much social life for social activity centered around the synagogue?
M.H.:
No. No. We used to have dances at the YMHA. I was never active there in any of
their programs, but there were clubs that the boys belonged to. I guess the
14:00girls, I don't know. I didn't.
E.B.:
You did not?
M.H.:
No.
E.B.:
Did you go to dances there?
M.H.:
Oh, yes.
E.B.:
That were given ...
M.H.:
Or at the club. Either one.
E.B.:
The club. You're talking about the standard club?
M.H.:
That's right.
E.B.:
Was that still downtown at that time there?
M.H.:
It was downtown for quite awhile, but I was very young then. I'd say between 12
and 16. Then we ... When the big club house burned up on the Hill, they made the
golf club into the general club. That's where our dances were held.
E.B.:
Was that when it was on River Road?
M.H.:
Yes, which is now the River Road Country Club.
E.B.:
Right, right. Then your social life as a teenager then revolved around that?
M.H.:
Yes.
E.B.:
Let me think. I would like to know were your friends, the people you grew up
15:00with, pretty much people in the same area?
M.H.:
Yes.
E.B.:
Living in the same area, I'm talking about.
M.H.:
Yes.
E.B.:
Girls and boys.
M.H.:
We moved to the Highlands in 1924. Up until that time we lived in the southern
part of the city on Third Street. That pretty much held for most of us.
E.B.:
Most of the people that you would-
M.H.:
I had some friends, that's right, were down there. Kensington Court, Reasor
Place and different houses in the area.
E.B.:
Until?
M.H.:
I went to Conference School until I went into this special class.
E.B.:
Then you were still downtown then and then you went to Collegiate?
16:00
M.H.:
I was downtown the whole time I was in grammar school and high school. When we
moved, I went to Vassar.
E.B.:
Oh, I see. That's when you went away to college. What did you do transportation
wise as far as getting to school?
M.H.:
Walked to the high school. To the Normal School, we had a driving group.
E.B.:
What about to Collegiate?
M.H.:
Walked. It was on Ormsby between ...
E.B.:
This was before Collegiate moved?
M.H.:
Fourth and Sixth. I graduated from that building.
E.B.:
Was there ...
M.H.:
It was wonderful because we were completely independent. When we wanted to go
downtown, we walked over to Fourth Street and for a nickel we went on the street
car. One Saturday morning I had to go down to do an errand, some errands from my
mother and I only made three trips before I was through because I forgot
17:00something each time. She gave me the first nickel and it cost me 10 cents or
more than that. The trip back too.
E.B.:
Back and forth. A streetcar went up, as I recall, Second Street.
M.H.:
Fourth Street too.
E.B.:
Went up Fourth too.
M.H.:
I grew up over in Central Park. I thought the hill was very high there.
E.B.:
[laughing 00:17:31] At the lions and the Colonnade?
M.H.:
Oh, yeah. I loved them. We used to walk over from Third Street down ... From
Hill down to ... Magnolia to the park and then we would skate there and play
there. We had a wonderful time.
E.B.:
I remember hearing at times, did you ever hear or about or go or see or spend
18:00any time at the old YMHA camp?
M.H.:
Never. I went to Main Camp.
E.B.:
Every summer? To a girls camp?
M.H.:
Yes.
E.B.:
Now did other girls from Louisville go with you there?
M.H.:
Yes, Laura Neuberger was at the camp I went to. One year Esther [inaudible
00:18:31] married and lives in New Rochelle, went. That was a great experience.
Those were the days.
E.B.:
Must have taken you a while to get there. Would you go by train?
M.H.:
Yes. We didn't know anything different so we were perfectly happy. We thought
the trains were larks. I still do.
E.B.:
If they would only stay. I think they're like the dinosaur. They're becoming extinct.
19:00
M.H.:
If they would only put some money in them, it would solve a lot of
transportation problems.
E.B.:
As a group of girls, say when you were in high school, did you go on Saturday
and go to lunch and go downtown?
M.H.:
Oh, yeah. To the movies. We went to the Majestic or we went to the Strand or the
Mary Anderson. We'd go to Miss Jenny Benedict's. We'd get a sandwich and a
chocolate soda. She had a wonderful chocolate sodas. I never went downtown to
shop with my mother, but I didn't get a chocolate soda at Miss Jenny Benedicts.
That was a real hub for all young people.
E.B.:
Where was that?
M.H.:
It was on Fourth Street between Guthrie and Chestnut on the West side of the
20:00street, just above where WK Stewart's has been. The Benedictine sandwich
originated there.
E.B.:
Oh, I didn't know that.
M.H.:
That's right. She was a lovely lady who did cater parties too. Oh, there was
another one of course where the Brown Hotel is, called [inaudible 00:20:23]
which was a very, very famous caterer. It had ice cream sodas and such and
candy. We loved that.
E.B.:
Can you tell me, is there anything that you can recall in your education, in
your background, any episodes or anything that you could categorize as being
particularly Jewish? Anything about your education or upbringing?
21:00
M.H.:
I don't brag about it, but there wasn't.
E.B.:
There was not?
M.H.:
No.
E.B.:
Were you ever made aware or made uncomfortable because you were, in school?
M.H.:
I had a few incidents in my school. Never as I remember it did I have any in
grammar school. One little incident at Collegiate School, which I'm pretty well
settled myself. Me and my very good friend. Several times when I was at Vassar,
there were remarks made. I always stopped and called attention to the people
that made their brilliant generalizations and explained to them that I didn't
feel they were capable of judging who was Jewish and who wasn't. Obviously they
wouldn't have made the remark they did had they thought they would hurt me. I
22:00wanted them to know ... I didn't care how embarrassed they were. I thought it
was just the right minute to say.
M.H.:
I have never had any problems as an adult, although I recognized as a young
person that there were barriers and accepted them, which is the only thing a
person can do I think. Such is membership in certain little clubs. I was never
anything but I proud of my Jewish religion. It has been very meaningful to me,
although I don't ... I'm not obviously Jewish in my practice. I don't attend
temple very often, but when I do, it's a meaningful service. I always have a
23:00prayer book at home and if I'm not at temple during services that I would like
to be, I read the service myself. I find comfort in it. I know a lot of people
who don't, but I always felt that the reformed Judaism made so few demands on
the congregation, that they were apt to be lax. The Catholics made tremendous
demands and they weren't lax. Since they've loosened up, they have the same
thing. People are apt not to go to church.
M.H.:
That's just my own- [crosstalk 00:23:43].
E.B.:
Interesting analogy. When you were growing up, when you were dating, did the
subject of ever ... Dating ...
M.H.:
I never dated non-Jewish boys except maybe at college or when I was out of town.
I didn't here at all.
24:00
E.B.:
Do you think this was because of the situation ... Do you think your parents
would have allowed you to?
M.H.:
Yes.
E.B.:
They would have?
M.H.:
Yes. There was never anything of that sort in my family. I don't know what
would've happened had I come to them and said I was going to marry a non-Jewish
boy. I doubt that they wouldn't have any approach except to be sure that I
recognized that there might be some problems, which we have to face. I was
reared in a very liberal thinking family. I never have seen color in my life.
Black, red, or green would mean nothing to me in the way of a person.
M.H.:
I had a very strong, wonderful influence in my life. A person of Mrs. Max Adler
25:00from Chicago. Her brother was Julius Rosenwall, who early on did marvelous
things for the black people. Not the way it would be today because today he
would never have built 40,000 schools in the south through the Rosenwall
Foundation. Then he built good schools and had good school teaching for people
that hadn't had any. Mrs. Adler ...
E.B.:
Excuse me just a minute. Was this Mrs Adler related to you?
M.H.:
Yes. Her husband was. My father's first cousin and closest friend. She was a
tremendous human being with a very great knowledge of art and music. Her
26:00thinking was so free as far as people were concerned. It influenced me
tremendously when I was quite young. We were very closest friends even though
there was 30 or more years difference in our ages. I had marvelous experiences
through my lifetime with her.
E.B.:
Are there any other reminiscences or episodes that you can recall that you would
like to preserve for posterity?
M.H.:
No.
E.B.:
When were you married?
M.H.:
I was married in 1931 on the 27th of June. Would be 46 years this June. I was
27:00married to a wonderful citizen, a wonderful man, Dan C. Bick, who I guess is as
good a public servant as we've ever had. There's never a day someone doesn't
mention him to me and wish that he were here, which is as much immortality as I know.
E.B.:
True.
M.H.:
We were married for a month less than 29 years. Very proud, happy years in my
life. He was responsible for so many good things happening in this community. He
was the first president of the Louisville Orchestra. Though he was not musical
himself, he realized how important the cultural development was for our
community. Became interested in music because of his exposure to it and really
was critical, able to be critical, which is a tremendous thing. He served on the
28:00Board of Alderman for six years. They were good years. Charlie Farms, who was
the mayor. He was president of the orchestra three times. He was honored by that
the indefinite numbers of organization, amongst others, the conference
[inaudible 00:28:24]. He was active in that organization. He chaired the drive
for the new Jewish Community Center. They had a very successful drive, as you
know. He was always active in what was then called the Community Chest and
indefinitely other things. It's hard for me to remember all of them. I could if
I stopped to think.
E.B.:
He was also president of Standard Club, was he not?
M.H.:
Yes.
29:00
E.B.:
He was acting mayor for a while.
M.H.:
Many times. When Mayor Taylor, he was acting there until they got Mr. [Inaudible
00:29:14] We had a mutual understanding about activity. I was the gardener. I
was terribly active in the League of Women Voters, though I was on the board for
12 years. Worked in the state organizing other leagues. During the war, World
War II and he wanted to go in the army and at 42 had no chance of being drafted,
I took over the store so that he could go. We made up our mind that would be our
war time contribution. Of course, nobody lost money during the war. He made
30:00profit. Then after that I was put on the board of the local orchestra. I was
president of that for five years. That orchestra is very much a part of my life
as it was of his.
E.B.:
It became a part of your children's life too.
M.H.:
Yes, we were terribly careful not to push music on them, but they all love it
and understand it, which is fine. I worked all my life. I'm lucky now. After my
husband died, I took over the presidency at the store at his request until our
son, Dan, and our son-in-law, Steve had three or four years experience. They had
just been here a year when my husband died. Then I went chairman of the board.
31:00I'm the privileged parent. They do all the work.
E.B.:
That's not what they say.
M.H.:
They're lovely about it. I love people and I feel very dedicated and I'm a very
nosy person. I want to see the good things happen in this community and I
realized they don't just happen. You have to go ahead and work toward it. As I
said, I've been an active Democrat. I've been on the Democratic National
Committee for eight years. I'm still interested very much in the caliber of our
candidates. To be able to influence that caliber, that quality, you have to be
contributing to campaigns. You have to be standing for the things that the
democratic party stood for.
E.B.:
... Life and you say that a great deal of that influence came from your mother
who started with the League of Women Voters. Was your father or your grandfather
32:00... Were they also active in politics?
M.H.:
No, not that I know of. I never heard that they were. My father died when I was
20, almost 21.
E.B.:
That interest came from the Distaff side of the family.
M.H.:
Yes. I don't know ... I still attribute it more rather than influence more the
fact that I was just out of college when I was asked to be the secretary of the
national convention of the League of Women Voters, which is held in Louisville.
I served as that with never having gone to business school, three weeks of
typing for six months and met all the most prominent women in this country who
were thinking in terms of good government. That played a very strong part in my
life and I identified with the league from then on. We learned ... In those days
33:00it was really a learning situation where you learn government and child welfare,
government and foreign policy and so forth. You had to study. It didn't come easily.
E.B.:
Did your mother belong to ... You said she belonged to the League of Women
Voters and the Red Cross. Did she belong to-
M.H.:
[crosstalk 00:33:22] Which fought very hard for the working women, working
people, worked for minimum wage in the very earliest days.
E.B.:
Did she belong to any organizations like National Council of Jewish Women or the
Jewish Ladies Benevolence Society?
M.H.:
No, but the National Council and I'm sure the Sisterhood. I'm sure she belong
both of those.
E.B.:
Can you think of any organizations that your father belonged to?
M.H.:
Just the fact that I don't know. I know I told you about his work with
Tuberculosis Association. I know that he raised money for whatever the United
34:00Jewish appeal was at that time. He and Mr. [inaudible 00:34:09] Tackau and Mr.
Ed Sachs used to work together on contributions for that. I remember that. I
don't know about the other things. I just don't. I wish I did. He died before I
could really talk those things with him.
E.B.:
I really appreciate your talking with me. If there's anything else you'd like me
to ...
M.H.:
I hope that you will have the opportunity of seeing these articles that I've
given you because they do go back and touch on personalities of the times. Early
times in Louisville, which my great grandfather was very active here.
E.B.:
Let me get the titles of those on tape. One is an article about Nathan Bloom in
35:00the Courier Journal of May ...
M.H.:
14th, 1916 though he died in 1887.
E.B.:
The other is a paper written by whom?
M.H.:
My great uncle, my great, great grandfather's son, Levi Bloom. L-E-V-I Bloom,
who gave this paper ... I'm not sure whether he gave it to the Pendennis Club at
a meeting. He was a charter member of the Pendennis Club or whether it was made,
given before the Filson Club. It was his reminiscences of the time he was a
little boy. He died in 1944 when he was 90.
E.B.:
Was he still a member of the Pendennis Club at that time?
M.H.:
Oh, yes. I should say.
36:00
E.B.:
I thank you very much. It's been a pleasure talking with you.
M.H.:
If I can answer any questions, let me know.
E.B.:
Okay.
M.H.:
My great-grandparents lived on Fourth Street in the area, which is over
[inaudible 00:36:20] was the Seelbach Hotel. They moved from there as I
remember, to Sixth and Broadway. That's where our temple was at that time, Sixth
and Broadway on the southeast corner. It later became a Methodist church and
then was taken down. Then they built a house, I think White Stone built it. Very
famous architect, out on Fourth Street where the Puritan Apartments are now
standing. They lived there until my great grandmother died, I think it was 1911.
37:00It was eventually torn down and Puritan was built there. Next door to them was
the Miller family. Young Miss Miller married Robert Worth of England. The
present Barry Bingham senior was their son.
M.H.:
Those two properties I think were the ones used to build the Puritan homes. My
great grandfather was terribly interested in baseball. I have a very cute story
about that. There was ... The name of the park is in the article I've given you.
He used to go when he could and he always did one thing. He made a circle tour
38:00around the park to find all of the little [inaudible 00:38:03] kids and he would
take them in to see the game. I love that little anecdote, and it's in the paper.
E.B.:
In the article that you've given me?
M.H.:
Yes. Now he died in 1887. So the place, the time that baseball park existed.
E.B.:
Very good.
