Evelyn Fisher

(upbeat music) Welcome everyone to this week's episode of Who the Folks Sincey? I'm Sam Fisher, I'm the editor of Sincey Jew Folk and this week I got to sit down with Evelyn Fisher. And you might notice that we share the same last name and that's because that is my 97 year old grandma. Calling her Evelyn feels a little strange. She is a first generation American. She was born in Kentucky, but then moved to Cincinnati right after. She tells us stories about growing up, her old haunts down at the University of Cincinnati, how she and her friends might have thrown a party to get a guy's attention. And she shares some wisdom and a few jokes with us on this week's episode of Who the Folk? This week's episode is sponsored by Downlight. Ever wish your pillow felt like a cloud? Meet the cloud top pillow enhancer from Downlight Bedding. It transforms any pillow into a plush cloud-like dream. Perfect for refreshing tired pillows without having to buy new ones. Filled with hypoallergenic down alternative, it delivers softness, support, and lasting comfort night after night. Visit DownlightBedding.com and sleep in comfort like never before. Use coupon code JF20 for 20% off. More comfort, more cozy at DownlightBedding.com. Evelyn Fisher, welcome to Who the Folk. Grandma, thanks so much for coming on Who the Folk today. And I like to start a lot of my interviews with the same question. And the first question is always, are we related? That's the first question, 'cause it's a Cincinnati podcast, but I think everybody knows the answer to that. And that's, yes, very much so. I'm Sam's grandma. That's right. And the next question, which is also an easy question, but maybe not an easy question for you. Where are you from? I'm from Cincinnati. From Cincinnati, Ohio. But where are you from originally? You moved here when you were young, but before then, where did you live? My parents lived in Augusta, Kentucky, and then they moved to Cincinnati after that, the day after I was born. And I was born at Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati. That's right, at the original location in Clifton. Yes. And when you were growing up, was there something that you aspired to be? Was there something that you wanted to be that sort of drew you when you were a kid? I can't remember anything when I was a kid. No? I always liked interior decorating, and I thought I could be one, but I don't have the artistic talents for it. So I just enjoy it when I see it. You enjoy it when you see it. And growing up, you grew up in Avondale, right? Or did you grow up? Yes. And what did your parents do for work? My father was an insurance man. For a while. And then he went into business down on Lynn Street in the West End, and he had a fish and poultry market. He was a butcher, sort of. Yeah, he, yeah, I never went down there to work for him. My two brothers did. Yeah. And I worked for him every Saturday. Every Saturday? On Chavez, that's very progressive. Well, needed to help. Or just needed to help. And what did your mom do? My mother, when she worked, she was a very good seamstress, and she had a job with a company that made mostly winter coats and heavy clothing. Yeah. I can't remember the name of the company, but it was downtown. It was downtown. And I remember her complaining in the summer that it was so hot to work on a winter coat in the summer. Yeah. 'Cause they didn't have air conditioning in their sewing room. And it was just probably a windowless room, I bet, downtown, just. I don't remember. You don't remember. Yeah, you never had to go. But they finally, had a union come in and got them air conditioning and some better working conditions. Was your mother involved with bringing in the union? Was she involved with organizing? Not to my knowledge. Not to your knowledge? Other people who were doing that. And growing up, what language did you speak at home? Did you speak English? Or did you speak something else? English. English? My parents spoke a lot of Yiddish when they didn't want us to understand what they were saying. But then we caught on. You caught on, you learned eventually. And my, Bobby, my mother's mother would always try to retest from the Jewish paper. Yeah, in Yiddish. So you'd understand. But she understood when we talked to her in English. Yeah, but she could only speak Yiddish, your grandma. She only spoke Yiddish. And you're a first generation American. When did your parents, do you remember when your parents came to the States? Was it before they were married, after they were married? After, wait a minute. No, before they were married. Before? They weren't married. I don't even, they knew each other when they first immigrated here. And through their memberships with a lot of the Jewish groups, Zionist groups, they met. They met, yeah. From Jewish youth groups. Not, no, they were adult groups. Adult groups, but yeah, they were young people. They were teenagers when they came. So they were like early 20s maybe. And growing up, were you involved with any of those sort of groups? Were you involved with? Yeah, my mother entered me. I joined this club called Habonim. Habonim. And we learned dances. And one year, or a couple of years, we were, they had a camp. And my mother got the, well, I don't know how she did it, but my brother and I had scholarships to the camp. Yeah, so you got to go? We got to go. And it was in Michigan. It was in Michigan. How long were you there? You know, wasn't, I don't even remember. It was a time, it was, I know a couple of weeks each time. Oh, you went multiple, for more than one summer? Yes. And do you remember anything about the camp? Like what you, what you all did. It was just like more learning those dances and summer activities and swimming and things like that. It was pretty normal at camp. Yeah. Everybody there was Jewish. Yeah. And I got to remember this was, when I was maybe 10 through 12. 10 through 12, yeah. So, I just remember a lot of the people there. And we had a good time, we had good food. And one summer, my brother, Herschel, the older of the two boys, came to camp and then he got sick, he had a cold. And then he, they kept made him stay in his tent. They quarantined him. They quarantined him. 'Cause he had a cold. I had to go visit him. Oh, no. Yeah. He got better. He got better, yeah, yeah. That's funny that they made him stay in his tent. Well, they didn't want him to give it to the other kids. No, it makes sense, it makes sense. It makes sense. Just imagine that would have happened now. That would have, yeah, way of days, right? You know, you went to summer camp as a kid and then where did you end up going to high school? I know you went to high school locally 'cause that leaves us kind of the next phase of your life, which is- I went to Hughes High School. Hughes High School. St. Clifton. And then in Hughes High School, didn't you join, did you join a sorority in high school or was that in college, your sorority? We actually, I joined a sorority in high school but it was not a known thing. It was just a few people- Just a few of you. A few of you got together and said, "Let's make a club." Yeah. Something like that. And when did you start getting involved? 'Cause you've always been involved in theater. You've always liked art. I know you've done things with stage crafters in the past, a lot of behind-the-scenes sort of work. When did you start to get involved in that? Well, it was after Uncle Stan passed away and I had a cousin named Giddy Boards who was actually in an acting school here in Cincinnati called Schuster Martin. And that's where, oh God, I can't remember his name, this very famous actor, his aunt and uncle owned it and he went to school there too. Yeah. So you didn't get- If I remember it, I'll get, I'll tell you what. So when you were in college and high school, you weren't, you didn't really get involved in that sort of thing. That wasn't your- No, I came to watch her play. You would go watch her do stuff? Yeah, I would, I sure, at that theater. Yeah, so that's involved. Yeah, you were involved. It was the Schuster Martin drama school. Yeah, and it's what, and kind of Giddy performing there and studying there is what got you into it. Yeah, 'cause I wasn't interested in me performing. No, you didn't want to get on stage. Which is funny 'cause so many, I mean, one of your children and then more than one of your grandchildren were very interested in performing. That's very true. Yeah. So you were at Hughes High School. Do you remember anything? What was going to Hughes High School like back in the- It was fine. That would have been the 40s, right? It was a typical, yeah. Typical high school, we had a good team, football team. And one of my best friends went there too. Yeah. And it was a funny thing, the first day of school, first day for us, for high school. Yeah. We came into this classroom we were assigned to, and they ran out of seats. They were one seat too short. They were one seat short, okay. So she made both of us sit in one desk, the teacher. You made you share a chair? We shared a desk, yeah, well, the desk and chair were connected. Yeah, they were one, so you had to share it. We shared that, but that was just for homeroom. Just for homeroom, okay, it wasn't like a full class. You had to sit there for an hour. It was funny, we were both thin. Yeah. So she said, "You two can sit." Was this your freshman year, or is this your- Freshman year. Freshman year, oh man, so they just were hazing the freshmen. It wasn't really hazing. A little bit. Poor teacher didn't have another chair. That's funny. And sort of when you were in high school, what sort of things did you, were you involved with, were you still involved with like Habunim or youth groups and things like that? Or was it just sort of you're just trying to get through it? We joined some of the activities that the school did and I don't know, the years past, we had a good time. Yeah, you had a good time. I remember you telling me that you used to go to Mecklenburg Gardens. We went, that was- Or is that more in college? 'Cause you could go drink beer at Mecklenburg Gardens. You wouldn't try that in high school, that's for sure. No, I would look down on that. No, okay, that's good. And during that time, you know, you're studying and was it always your goal to go to UC? Was it your goal to get into college or were you looking to do something else after high school? I wanted to go to college, my family wanted me to go. So I did. So you did. But I lived at home. I didn't live in a dorm 'cause we couldn't afford it then. What did you wanna study and what did you end up studying? Like what did you go in wanting to study and what did you end up studying? Good question. Yeah. Well, you've got a degree. I do have a degree. Yeah. I don't know. I was more with like some of the home programs. Yeah. And part of that was they had a nursery school at UC in our building and sometimes we used to go and work up there. They would have you work with kids? Yeah. With infants, I guess. These were children of usually the faculty. Okay. They were, you know, real students there. The little ones. The little, yeah. And it was fun and I don't know. We spent a lot of time with our friends from the, well, not so much the high school sorority but the college. The college sorority and how did you get involved with your college sorority? What made you want to join? There was a friend of mine and she was a year older than I was and my good friend Shirley. We were the same age and she was in this sorority and she wanted us to join. So we did. Yeah. It was very, it was very much fun with us. Yeah. And did they make you go through any like rituals to join where they're like? There's always a pledge thing but no, nothing. No, nothing crazy. Nothing crazy then. Nothing crazy. And what sort of things did you do in your sorority? I'm assuming you put in socials and things like that. Yeah. We had a meeting every week and we would plan like sometimes we did parties or dances or so forth. It's all social but some of it I remember was where we gave to people. We had a group that would go to schools and the children who needed things. We would go out and get them like a pair of shoes or clothing because my friend Betty was in the teacher's college and wherever she worked she told us what the needs were for the kids, yeah. For the school. So we did a lot of that. Yeah, so you'd go out and help them out? Yeah and get donated to them. Donated to them. Were there anything, was there anything that you did that kind of really sticks out? Were there any parties that you threw or any wild times that you had that you remember? No, I was very, I was too shy. You were too shy. I'm sorry. That's okay. Did you ever, did you like going to like football games or basketball games or you didn't really go to those yet? We went to some of them, yeah. Went to some, yeah. And kind of what was the impetus of going to, and I mean we both know you liked Mecklenburg Gardens 'cause you've mentioned it more than once. Because it was so close to campus. It was just so close, it was convenient. Kids used to go, I didn't drink and I tried to learn to drink beer and I didn't like it. Didn't like it? So that was the end of it. But their food was very good. How did they try to get you to learn, how did you try to learn to like drinking? How did you go about it? Or somebody trying to- No, I just tasted it. Just tasted it and just didn't like it. I just didn't like it. But the food was good. The food was good. They made hamburgers that were fabulous. Yeah. Yeah, in those days they had great food. Oh, maybe one day they'll have great food again 'cause it's been closed down for a couple of years now. Yes, well. Sadly. I didn't like that. Yeah, yeah. So it was while you're in college, is that how you met Stan? When did you meet Stan? Actually, it wasn't. It wasn't in college. No, it was right after college. We used to go to the Jewish Center a lot. Yeah. And one, it was one time, my cousin Getty Boards, the actress, said she was going to this meeting. And I said, "Well, could I have a ride?" Yeah. 'Cause she had a car. And so she picked me up and took me to this meeting. And it was- What was the, do you remember what the meeting was for? Yeah, they were trying to form a group for that age group. Yeah, they were trying to start like a young adult age group thing. After college. Yeah, yeah. It's something they're still trying to do. Everybody was in the same boat. Yeah. And so I went with her and it was nice. You know, there's a lot of people there that I met and some I knew. And it was very successful. The center thought so. And they kept on with different groups. There was a group that published a newspaper. There was groups that did theater. There was other, you know. Yeah, all sorts of groups. I remember groups that might interest people of that age. Yeah. And so the meeting was over and we got ready to leave. And this guy walks up to me and he says, "Can I help you on with your coat?" 'Cause I was holding my coat. And I said, "Oh, thank you." And I don't know what else he said. He said, "That's a pretty coat." I said, "Thank you." And he said, "Do you need a ride home?" And then Giddy was there with me. It's starting there. And I said, and I didn't know what to say. Yeah. Yeah, you're feeling a little shy. 'Cause I looked at Giddy and Giddy said, "Go ahead and go." Yeah, yeah, yeah. She's like, "I'm not here." Is that what she's kind of doing? Yeah. Yeah, so he took me home. She was being a good wing woman, as they say. Yeah. Is that what they say? Yeah, yeah. That's funny. Anyway, he took me home. He was very polite and all that. And that was it. I didn't see him anymore. Yeah. I can't remember how many weeks it was. Did you have a conversation on the drive home or? I guess we did. If you did, I can't really remember. But it must have made an impression. That's a long time ago. Yeah, but it made an impression, right? I suppose. You suppose, okay. And I didn't hear from him, I didn't hear from him. So I decided to give a party at my house. Yeah. And a number of my friends came. Some with boyfriends, some without. Yeah. It didn't matter. My mother cooked a dinner. Like, I think it was meatballs and spaghetti or something. Yeah. And we all played, you know, when you act out of a sense. Charades? Charade. Yeah, you act something out and somebody guesses it. We played that game that night. And it was just lots of fun. Yeah. So a few weeks after that, he called me. After the party? Yeah. Was he at the party? Yes, I invited him. He came. Okay, okay. He came very, I forgot to tell you, he came very late. He came late. He said he was sorry, he was late. He had a baby sit with his little brother. Yeah. That's Mendy. Mendy, yeah, Mendy Fisher. Mendy was 17 years younger than him. Yeah. And cause his mother, his father had been hurt in an auto accident. Yeah. And had a continuing problem. So his mother had to work in the paint, they owned a paint store. Yeah. So when? So his mother had to work that night. Yeah. So when? So he had to wait till she got home. Yeah, okay. But when you were kind of coming up with the idea of the party, was the idea to get him to come to the party? Yes. Okay. Did you have like a name for it? Did your friends call it something? Like, was it a specific kind of party? Well, we didn't then. It didn't then. But later my friend said something about get Stanley party. Is it get Stanley party? Is this going on in public? Yeah. Oh, God. Yes, yes. That wasn't my name, but. Okay, you didn't come up with that. No. I didn't get it or somebody like that. It came up with it anyway. Yeah. Maybe so. Maybe. Okay. So he came, he showed up late because he had to babysit. Yes. And then. And then happened pretty often because. He was just late all the time. Because he had to babysit. Because he had to babysit. Yeah. Not because of Jewish standard time. No. No, okay. You know, she had to work until. Yeah. Evening hours too sometimes. Yeah. Especially on weekends. Yeah. So you didn't hear from him for a number of weeks after the, we'll call it the get Stan party. After, after that you didn't. No, no. Okay, we will call it that. After that party where you played charades. Yeah. You didn't hear from him for a few weeks, right? Or was it several weeks? I don't remember. You don't remember? It wasn't too far away from then. I really don't remember. It's okay. It's okay. I didn't keep a diary in those days. No, not till, do you keep a diary now? No. No. Have you ever kept a diary? No. Okay. Okay. That's all right. That's why I don't know anything. So I guess it's a good thing. It's a good thing that you've never kept a diary then or now. That's good. I think so. And so it took a little bit. And then he finally called you. Yeah. And started just. We started dating. Started dating. Yeah. And how soon after that did you get married? Do you remember? Well, that was, it wasn't too far. Let's see. We met maybe in early fall. And we got married around Christmas. Around Christmas. It wasn't long. Yeah. 'Cause you got married on the equinox. I did? Yes. Oh. At least that's what I've been told. Okay. Yeah. It was the shortest night of the year. It was like December. Oh yeah. Yeah. Everybody was teasing him. Yeah. December. Yeah. The longest night of the year. The shortest day of the year. Right. Yeah. It was around Christmas time because my brothers and his brother were all in school. Yeah. We had to wait till they got off school for, you know. Yeah. The wait till everybody was on break. Yeah. And was it a, was it a big wedding, a small wedding, a medium wedding? They had a lot of relatives and we did too. So it was bigger than we wanted. Bigger than you wanted. You wanted a small affair? I think so. Yeah. We did. He did. I know. You did. His mother kept inviting more people. (laughs) But that was okay. Yeah. Nobody got mad at anybody. No, nobody got mad that there were too many people. So. So many people. Okay. Well, I mean, it sounds like a pretty Jewish affair that more and more relatives come out of the woodwork. Yeah. Yes. I had relatives came in who came in from out of town. Yeah. And so did he. Yeah. And it was, it was fun. It was fun. It was a good time. I'm sure. (laughs) And during that time, were you, what were you up to after, after college? You graduate, you got your degree. What are, what are you up to after that? Besides throwing, you know, parties to, to trap, to trap grandpa. What else are you doing? Well, I, I had a job at Shulato's. Shulato's. Department store. And I was in there. I don't know what, I can't remember now what they called it. Something training program. The train, train us to be, become buyers and assistant buyers. And they had another position there, had a stock, had a, had a stock. Had a stock. Yes. And, and I wanted to do that. Yeah. And I did. I went through the school. So there's Shulato's school. The Shulato's school. And have you been back down there at all? Have you seen kind of what it's, what it is now? Oh, you mean Shulato's? Shulato's, yeah. It's all, it's luxury apartments now. Oh, I know that. Yeah. I haven't seen them. Haven't seen it. I saw when Gary had a store down there in the lobby of the hotel around the corner. Yeah. I saw, I went up and saw some of their lobby, but I didn't see their rooms. And so you're doing that. You get married, working at Shulato's. Do you keep working at Shulato's after you get married or? No. You're done. Kind of a, that's kind of what it was at the time. No, I'm sorry. I did work when we were married. When you were married. I quit work when we were, I was pregnant. Yeah. Because they had a rule at Shulato's that if you, when you get to be five months pregnant, you have to quit or take a big vacation or something, take time off. Really? They wouldn't be responsible for us. Yeah. I don't think it could pass today. I mean, it's pretty similar. I mean, it's changed thankfully a lot, but not that much. Really? Yeah. I didn't know that. But, you know, I was raising him and, You were raising him and then you had other kids. Yeah, you have four boys. Yeah, so. What was it like raising four boys? Was it? It didn't seem too bad at the time. Yeah. It went pretty well, I thought. It went pretty well. Okay. Yeah, they're all, they're all functioning adults with families and careers and, yeah. And lives. Hopefully. Yeah. I think so. Yeah. They're, you know, doing their thing. Yeah. Which one's your favorite? All of them. Okay. You can't do that. That was a gotcha question. I know. I won't do any more like that, I promise. That's okay. That's all right. I should ask, the real question is, which one of your grandchildren is your favorite? But I won't ask you that one either. No, you can't. You sit right here. I already know the answer. You do. I think so. I've got an idea. Okay. But I won't say. Okay, good. And, you know. It was a very busy time for us. I'm sure, yeah. But, yeah, what was going on at the time of the wedding? My one brother, Perry. Yeah. Who ended up in med school, was stationed in Alaska. 'Cause he was in the service? Yes, he was having drafted. 'Cause this was right after, basically right after the war kind of ended, right? Yeah, and it was, I think they allowed you to finish college if you were close. Yeah. And then you could go. Then you could get drafted. That's what happened with him. Yeah. And he was stationed up there. And he got friendly with a couple, Stanley Lucas and his wife, Judy Lucas. He was stationed there. Yeah, he got friendly with another, with another Jewish couple up in Alaska. And he was a doctor. Yeah. And he sort of, and my brother told him that he was kind of interested in being in medicine. So he got people for him to talk to, and I think got him started in Alaska. Yeah, so he could go to medical school. He went to medical school in Cincinnati. Yeah. And then after that, he moved to Tampa, Florida, for residency and such, and he's still there. And he's still there. Yeah, he's like winter, winter no more for me. Right. I guess after Alaska, he wanted warm weather. I mean, I don't blame him. I don't need. I don't blame him. That's, Cincinnati winner and Alaska winner are sure are different. And kind of during this time, during your life, are you involved in Jewish life? Are there Jewish things? Are Jewish organizations that you're getting involved in during this time? Or is it you're just focused on raising the boys and-- Oh, then? Yeah. Yeah, then? Mostly probably what's the Sunday school or the, sure, whatever we had to do or wherever we saw an opportunity to do. Yeah. We did that. Yeah. What sort of things did you, were there if you remember? If not, it's okay. Just activities, I think, mostly from the school. Do you have, I mean, you have a lot of Jewish art around the house. Yes. Was that something you were always interested in and always sort of collecting or did that come? No. When did you start collecting those sorts of things? My mom started in this next room. There's a series of pictures. And each picture predicts one of the 10-- Commandments? Commandments. Okay. I'm missing one or two, but she couldn't find them either. But we had them hanging. You had them hanging in your house? Well, my parents did first. And then they moved to a smaller place. And so-- You got to take them. Did she sort of get you kind of hooked on Jewish art, collecting Jewish art, things like that? If I saw something, I would get it. You would get it. Like this picture on the wall is by a famous artist. And it portrays-- I'm forgetting. It's the Levy tribe, the 12 tribes of Israel. And this Levy, it's my father's tribe. Because that's his tribe. It was a Levine. Yeah. A Levy. A Levy, a Levy, which was Anglicized as the last name. Levine. Yeah. Yeah. Was there something for you that sort of grounded you in your Jewishness, like Jewish practice or teaching or something like that sort of made you sort of feel more at home? We just lived it at home. Just lived it at home. And with my friends mostly. Yeah. And that was our way of life, I was it. Yeah. That was just sort of what you did. It is. And when you were growing up, did you ever do any sort of traveling besides going to Michigan for summer camp? Did you ever-- This was later when I was still in sorority in college. A friend of mine used to come to Atlantic City to work in their kosher hotel. Work in the-- OK. A kosher hotel. A kosher hotel. And so she said, you know what? I bet you could get a job or I could get you a job there. Yeah. So she did. OK. And the guy was-- he was really a tough guy to work for. Yeah, your boss was. Yeah. In the Atlantic City. In Atlantic City. What did you do at the hotel? What was your job? You were waitresses at the hotel. Trained to be a waitress. We told him we were-- well, Ida May had been there. My friend had been there the year before. That's your friend, Ida May. And when I went back with her the her second year, they made me follow a waitress to learn the job. She went back for her second year. That was your first year. And you sort of shadowed-- It was her second year. You shadowed her. Yeah, she didn't need any training. Yeah, she kind of had it down. But that's what I had to do, like, and walk with a tray. Walk with a tray? At the end of the summer, were you waiting on your own? Yes. Yeah. Yeah. And what sort of things-- Didn't take long. Didn't take long. What sort of-- did you just get-- was it sort of like just like a lot of families coming to the Jersey Shore, a lot of Jewish families coming to the Jersey Shore? Or was it people going to go like play in the casinos that were in Atlantic City? They didn't have them when we went. They didn't have them then? OK. Just Jewish families coming to a kosher hotel. And we had-- they had one house for the ladies, for the girls, and another house for the boys to live in, to sleep in. Because mostly, most of the dining room were serviced by college students. Yeah, so there's all college students working in there as waiters. Maybe one or two professionals, that's it. Yeah. And at night, you could go after dinner, after we serve dinner, you go on the beach. And just everybody would get together and talk or walk the boardwalk. Yeah, you'd go have some beach parties and hang out with everybody? Yeah, not every night, but sometimes. Sometimes. Do you have any-- are there any things that happened that sort of stick out, too, that you remember? Any wild times or not wild times? Everybody was very nice. But it was not what you would think. It was no wild parties, and everybody was just friendly. It was just friendly. And it was very nice. Yeah, and it was a summer at the beach. Yeah. Yeah, was there like a lesson or anything that you sort of took from that experience or anything that still sticks with you? I don't know. Could be. I can't remember everything, Sam. I know, I know. But it was just a lot of fun. Yeah, it was fun to go hang out in a different city while you're getting put up with your room and board and getting paid. Went down to the end of the boardwalk to the steel pier where they used to have the Miss America Contests. That's where it was, yeah. In the beginning. And they used to have people diving off of a high board and a few things that were attracting audiences. But mostly it was just walking around looking at the people. And it was very interesting to me. It sounds interesting. It was. And did you do more traveling throughout your life that kind of stuck with you or anything similar to that again? One winter, Christmas vacation. We were off school for, I don't know, a week or so or more. And surely my friend Shirley, who lived near me, went to school together. And we had a sorority sister who lived in Cincinnati now and invited us to her home in Boston. So Shirley and I did go. Yeah, you went up to Boston. And it was really nice. Boston is a great city. And this friend's, I wish I could remember her name, this friend's father taught Shirley and I how to eat lobster. She taught you how to eat lobster? Yeah, he did, yeah. It was kind of fun. It was fun. Did you enjoy it? It was good. Was that sort of your first time having like-- Lobster. --uncosher food? Did you grow up in a kosher home or no? I did grow up in a kosher home. It wasn't my first time. It wasn't your first time, yeah. I didn't eat. You were having cheeseburgers at Mecklenburg Gardens? BLTs. BLTs, I won't tell anybody. OK, no, just the home. Just anybody that listens to this, I guess. Growing up or as an adult or now, did you have a favorite way you like to spend Shabbat? Is there an ideal way you like to spend the holiday? Like, this is like your perfect thing if you could like craft it for yourself. I don't remember that. You wanted to be busy on a weekend, of course, but I'm sure there were. Yeah, it could even be what about now, you know? Now, it's not too much because I'm not able to really, too. But I used to go to the dinners that they had at the Jewish Center for Seniors, but I haven't gone in a while. Yeah, yeah, just harder to do. So I did message our family and I said, you know, I'm interviewing you. If there's any questions you want to ask, send them to me now and I'll ask them. So this is from Emily. Really? Yeah, and Emily wants to know about your aunt Rose, who lived in Washington, D.C. And she said she liked, wanted to hear your fun stories about aunt Rose. She was adorable. Yeah. She was real tiny. Yeah. I had a couple aunts who were real little like that. She lived in D.C. because her husband was with the Agriculture Department there. And she was the mother of twin boys who are my age. Yeah, yeah. And whenever I went to Washington, she would grab me. She had more energy than you could ever, ever have. Yeah. She would take me. We went to the Senate, then we had to go downstairs and ride in that trolley car under there. And she just took me to all kinds of places. So she knew I hadn't seen. Yeah. And she was so much fun to be with. Yeah. And when she came to Cincinnati to visit. Yeah. What was she like then? She took me to the opera because she loved opera. Yeah. So I don't know. She was just adorable. She was just one of those people with just a lot of energy, just kind of exuded at a good time. Yes. And very smart. She knew so much about the government. I'm sure, yeah, because she was right there in it, I guess. Yeah. And she enjoyed it. She liked that sort of stuff. Yeah. She probably would have wanted to be in politics. I bet she's around now. Yeah. But it was always interesting to be with her. She always learned something. Yeah, she always had a new thing to share with you. Do you remember any of the things she shared with you? Besides, like, obviously sharing her love of opera or sharing her love of-- Just what she showed me in Washington. Yeah. And she was very family-minded. Yeah. I can't think of any one particular thing. But she was always there when you needed her. Yeah. She was very cute. Yeah, she was really great. Yeah. She sounds great. Yeah, she is. Was. Was. And another person wanted to know, they asked a very broad question, but I'll ask it. I'm not going to say who it was, because they should have been more specific. But what are-- what do you consider to be sort of the defining moments of your life? Do you have any in mind that you sort of pick out? Or these are-- generally, they can be triumphs. They can be whatever you want them to be. One was when I got married. And then another one, Stan was in the wholesale tobacco business. And he submitted a paper to the head of the wholesale tobacco business. And I have a copy of it here. I could let you read. But we were awarded-- he was, but I was there too. We were awarded a trip to Spain. Whoa. And that was-- Because of this paper? Yes, because-- and Stan had been very successful. Yeah. And we were hosted by Spanish families who were in that business. Yeah. Although we stayed in a hotel. And-- But they showed you around and hosted you for dinner? Yeah, to their homes, which they tell me is unusual. I don't know. I don't know either. And it was a great trip. And then we went-- the Canary Islands are right there below Madrid. Yeah. Very interesting. I'm sure it was. Yeah, we saw a lot and did a lot in Spain. Anything that sticks out beyond visiting the Canary Islands? What sticks up? It was just interesting that there's another continent over there. Yeah, just to be-- have it visible, yeah. Yeah. And then Stan visited tobacco factories in Spain. In Spain, OK. It was a good trip. Yeah, they spared no expense. It was really nice. It sounds really nice. Yeah, it sounds like you had like a four star trip to Spain. Yeah, that was his doing. What was more fun being a parent or a grandparent? Of course, being a parent is great. But to have these next generations come on, it's amazing. Yeah. And just to thank you, you have a great grandchild. And then there's Alex up in California, just had a little boy. Well, he's six months old now. Yeah. That's the newest one. Yeah. So it's very exciting. Very exciting to always have new people popping up. Yeah, and the family keeps growing. It sure does. What's your favorite Jewish holiday? Which is the one you like the most? I like Pesach. I like Hanukkah. Is there something about? I used to decorate for Hanukkah. Yeah. Your interior, yeah, you wanted to be interior designer. Yeah. Yeah, you liked doing decorations. I did the Hanukkah decorations. Yeah. There were a few friends who were our neighbors. And we used to get together sometime and make decorations for our own houses. Yeah. Some of those girls were really artistic. Yeah. But it was fun. A lot of things that you do like that. Are a good time, yeah. I think it is. Because it's a community, too. Somebody else might think it's hard work or too much, but it was really nice. We all had a good time. And then I have another submitted question that I'll ask you. What's one thing you've always wanted but still don't have? Oh, my God. Or is it too long of a list? Well, it's just a wish my husband would stay alive. And it's still alive. That's-- Yeah. So other than that, material things, I don't have any. There's no material things that you want that you don't have? No. Nothing I can't live without. I can't think of anyone. I mean, I think that's a thing a lot of people want as well. Because he's been gone for a long time. Yeah. Yeah. That's for sure. Yeah. What was it like having to still raise those boys who none of them were out of the house after he passed? Was that-- Always something going on. Yeah. I mean, Billy wanted to be an actor. And he went to Paris because he was intrigued with mime, handmime. And he wanted to study with Marcel Marceau's teacher, who was an old man already. And he went to-- he did, and studied with this man in Paris. Yeah. And Marcel Marceau met him, and he thought he was doing well. And he hired Billy to come and teach his classes when he came to the United States to perform. So one year, Marcel Marceau came to the United States. Yeah. And he came to an art gallery in Hyde Park because he also was an artist. He had some paintings. Yeah, he painted, too. Yes. My oldest son, Gary, said, let's go down and see him. Yeah. I said, how do you think you're going to get in to see him? You know, they all have guards and so forth. So we found out what hotel he was in. And they had a gallery at the hotel. Yeah. And we went there, and we knocked on the door. And somebody opened the door. And they said he was there, Marcel Marceau. It was Marcel Marceau, yeah. And he said to the man to tell Mr. Marceau that Billy Fisher-- Billy Fisher's mother is here to see him. Yeah. Well, that name-- Yeah, it works. Billy was in Paris teaching his classes. Yeah. So we got in. You got in. You got to see him. And I bought a picture on the wall. But you still have it. It's signed. Yeah. I'll give it to Billy, though. Yeah, he could-- OK. But I mean, we never expected ever to-- Yeah, you didn't expect to get to see him. No. Even with Billy teaching his classes, you still wouldn't see you. Yes, he did. Oh, you saw-- I mean-- That's how we got in. I know that's how you got in. But even so, even before that, you thought he wouldn't-- Well, I didn't know. Yeah. Of course, I didn't think so. And I liked that picture, so I bought it. As you should. Yeah. Yeah. It's nice to buy things that you want. But that was quite an experience. I'm sure. Didn't expect that to happen. Didn't expect to meet accomplished mime and painter Marcel Marceau. Yeah. What was he like in person? He was polite. He was polite. Was he smaller than you imagined him to be? No. No. No, he wasn't a tiny man, I should say. Did he talk or did he mime the whole time you were talking to him? Oh, no, he spoke. He spoke good English. Yeah. Billy wasn't that fond of him. He, in fact, Marcel Marceau was Jewish. Yeah. I don't know if anybody knew that. But Billy just didn't like his personality that much. But he didn't make anything of it. Yeah, yeah. I didn't know that. I didn't know that. That sounds fun. That sounds like a fun experience. It was. Yeah, it was. It was kind of exciting to get to see him. Yeah. He came here quite often. He came here often to the States. Yeah, he came to the States often, I'm sure. Yeah, and to do shows. After all your boys were out of the house and you had grandkids, you went to-- you kind of followed through on your Zionist camp days and you visited Israel for the first time. Yes. Yeah. That was very exciting. What was that experience like for you? It was very good and it was well-planned by the Federation. And there were a lot of nice people on the trip. Some I knew, some I didn't. But it was a great trip. I'm glad I did it because I hadn't had a chance to go back. But you don't know what you're going to see. Yeah. But it really was a wonderful experience. Was there anything during that experience that kind of really stood out to you? Was there a moment that sort of a wowed you? I don't know, it was any one experience. But we had all our meals together and we went up-- you've been to Israel? Yes. At steep hill you go up. They have like an elevator stairs you climb up to the top of a hill that's flat up there. Yeah, there's a fortress. What's the name of that? Masada. Yeah, and you look over the Dead Sea or out in the desert. Yeah. Was it Masada? Masada, yeah, yeah, Masada. We went there and they had a program up there. And that was very interesting. And a lot of things we saw I thought was very interesting. They had ground open and you could see how people lived thousands of years ago. Actually lived down under there. Yeah, they had all these archaeological sites. It is an archaeological site. Yeah, their dishes, some of the food is still there. It's amazing. Yeah, and it's all well-preserved because it was in the desert where it's nice and dry. Right. And going to the wall was an experience. And I put a note in there. Do you remember what it said or is that like a birthday wish where you're not supposed to say it out loud? Not a birthday, I don't know. I don't even remember. You don't remember what it said. I guess everybody should have good health and good business. Good, good, yeah. But it was interesting, the whole thing, to see it alive. To see it, yeah, no longer in a picture, but actually up close and in person. That whole area there was very interesting to me. Is there anything that I didn't ask you about that you want to talk about? I can't remember now. OK, it's OK. If it comes to something in my mind, I'll tell you. All right. What would you tell somebody who is looking for advice? Like, what's the big lesson that you take away from your life that you would sort of want to impart to people? Oh, you're not going to Israel, just-- No, I'm not going to Israel, just in general. Kind of moving on from the Israel thing. But advice? Yeah, advice, sir, just a lesson you've learned that you would want other people to know. I don't know, before I moved in here, we were talking about the house being too big for us. And then this is some years after Stan died. I was thinking, you know, a friend of mine who lived here. In the ambassador condos. Yeah, she lived in this building, in fact. Came and picked me up so she could show me her apartment and the whole thing. And at that time, almost every tenant here was Jewish in this building. I guess both buildings, I'm not sure. It just seemed very friendly and very easy. And she enjoyed it so much here. And so did her other friends here that I thought it might be a good move. Yeah, to move in here. And my kids thought it would be too. Yeah, about 20 years ago, a little more. But you know, I thought, for me, it was a good move. Yeah, so downsize when you need to? Yeah, I did. Yeah, or is that sort of like the lesson you would-- Well, you have to. You don't have as many rooms as you do in a house. Well, yeah, yeah. So you have to do that. Yeah. And then for-- you kind of came up in what I would call tumultuous times in America, right? You kind of came up in the later part of the Depression and then the Second World War. And we're kind of going through another tumultuous time now. Yeah, it was quite a change. But I think I did it pretty well. I mean, I don't think-- I think so too. But I don't think it bothered me as much as people would think it would. No, and I'm mostly bringing it up just to ask if a lot of young people, you know, they're going through their first real sense of hardship. Yes, it's very difficult. Yeah, and what would you-- what sort of thing advice would you give people who are kind of going through this and looking for ways to get through it? Well, I think today's young people should listen to their elders because times are so different now, especially financially for these kids, I'm sure. And they should keep an open mind and not do what they didn't think they could afford. Yeah. So people should sort of live within their means more? There's nothing you can do better. Yeah. Nothing. If you don't, you're in trouble. Yeah. But they need to listen to some good advice if it's given. You know, I think a lot of young people also, you know, they're looking for partners or a spouse, right? What advice do you have for those people, besides throwing a get-stand party for themselves? I don't know any other way. Yeah, that's the way to do it. I'm kidding you, but I don't know. You don't know. Just be yourself. I think that's the biggest thing is to be yourself. And somebody may like, "What do you want yourself?" Yeah. Don't try to make yourself over. Yeah, don't change yourself for someone else. Personality-wise, especially. That's what I'm-- For just young Jewish adults today, what is a piece of advice you'd want to pass on to them right now? What I just-- What you just said. Really, I think so, but it's very difficult now for that generation. I think it is. And you just have to be true to yourself and true to what you're looking for. It's OK. I think being yourself is one of the best pieces of advice people can hear, especially now, when people are-- there's so much noise, not just in media, but with social media. And there's so much noise about people telling you to be different or people want-- there's all this social pressure to be something else than what you are. We'll end on a more fun note. Skyline, yes or no? Oh, yes. Yes, of course, of course. Did you have a favorite restaurant in Cincinnati growing up, or as an adult, or as a skyline, or chilly time? We did get a chilly time a lot. And before there was a chilly time, there was a chilly restaurant downtown on Fifth Street across from where the bus company was then. Across from where the Metro or like a Greyhound? Greyhound. OK. And it was started by some Greek immigrants. Yeah, as they all sort of were, yeah. I think that may have been one of the first in town. Do you remember what it was called? So was it an empress chilly? Sorry, empress. I know that name. You know the name. And I don't think it was empress. But I really don't remember. Yeah, that's OK. And then-- If I knew you were coming along, I would have taken notes. OK, that's OK. I think you were great, personally. And now that we're kind of wrapping up, is there anything you want to say that-- anything I haven't asked about? You want to mention anything you want to have a little mic drop moment on? At the age I am now. I don't know. So many things have gone by. So much history has gone by. Yeah. Yeah, 97 years. It's a lot of years. It certainly is. And I can't believe I can remember some old things. Yeah. But the only thing I did was live my life the way it came by. Just live it. Just live it, yeah. Put up with it. Put up with it and move through it? You have to. Yeah. Otherwise you're-- It's the alternative. Yes. Not only that, but I don't think you would feel too badly about what stage you're in or what happened to you. Yeah. Because this is what happens. It's just life. Yeah, life happens. Yeah. It does to everybody one way or another. So you just got to hold on to that thought. I think. Yeah. And what's something you're looking forward to? Dinner, watching a movie. Right now, yeah. Yeah, right now. This. Well, that's perfect. I don't know. I don't know what to look forward to. Yeah. The next time Romy comes to town, probably, which is soon. I don't know. No, I always want to see the kids. All right. Well, Grandma, I want to say thank you for agreeing to be a guest on the Who the Folk podcast. I hope I don't disappoint you. I don't think it was disappointing at all personally. And that's because you're related to me. No, no, it's not. And with that, I think that's it. All right. Thank you for the honor to be interviewed. Anything else you want to say to the people of Cincinnati? Anything you want to say? Any, any, anything you need to get off your chest? Any anybody you need to get even with? No, no, not today. Well, perfect. Evelyn Fisher, Grandma, thank you so much for being on Who the Folk and sharing some of your thoughts and wisdom with us. The Who the Folk podcast is part of the Ju Folk podcast network and a product of Ju Folk Inc. Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you get your podcasts. If you know someone who you think would be a great guest on the show, send an email to [email protected] and join us next time. For our other shows, check out cincyjufolk.com/podcast.