Legacy of Love

DONALD’S EARLY YEARS

My name is Donald R. Belaschky.  I was born November 22, 1925, in Hammond, Indiana, in a little house on the back of a lot at 6633 Van Buren Street. While he built the house   in front, my father built the small house, as a place to live.  He was going to use the little house as garage and workshop.  In 1929, he completed the new house, which was a very nice bungalow in the1930 style with three bedrooms.  It had a coal furnace in the basement, a water heater, and H

I have pleasant memories of this home.  I used to play with my truck in my mother’s rock garden and along the side of the house.  Many kids lived in this area.  The Lauer’s lived south of us; the Griffen’s lived across the street and south.   The Smith’s lived next door to them.  The Oliver’s were across the street, while the Willard’s were two doors south on our side of the street. Mr. Liten lived next to them.  He worked at the school and had a retarded son who was ten or twelve years old and moved around in a wagon.

During the early 1930’s, at the start of the Great Depression, my parents had a hard time because money was tight.  Dad, who worked at the Southern Car Wheel Factory on Columbia Avenue, was only able to work one or two days a week. My parents would send me to Grandma and Grandpa Plummer’s all summer because they could not feed the three of us. At this time, my Dad had a 1927 green Chevrolet.  We used to drive to Granddad’s who lived on a dirt road.

I remember going to first grade at the Edison School on the corner of 169^th and Jackson Streets.  We had portable buildings, which looked like army barracks.  I walked the three-block south and one block east to go to school.  My teacher said she was a friend with the movie star,  Dick Powell and his wife. In 1933, we had a very huge snowstorm of about two feet deep.  My Dad walked to my school to get me.  He had to carry me home on his shoulders

When the banks failed in 1934, my parents lost what money they had saved.   By 1936, life got really difficult because there was hardly any work.  My Dad could work only one day a week.  Because my folks could not pay their house payments, we lost our home. We had to rent a small place at 6636 Harrison, one block west.  Cliff Whitson, a neighbor and friend, worked at Carbide, a chemical plant at 14 East Chicago.  Cliff was working six days a week as a pipe fitter for this plant.  He had my Dad help him build a new house on the front of the lot just like ours.

My dad, who liked to swim, was a very good swimmer and could put me on his back and swim all over.  We used to go to the beach often. In August of 1938, when I was twelve, we went swimming at Whiting Beach.  My Dad got a strep infection, which became spinal meningitis.  He was taken to the hospital where I saw him twice.  One time he was strapped down in bed and was tearing the blankets and sheets to shreds.  The last time, he told me to take care of my mother.  He died three days after he got sick.

At thirty-seven years old, my mother had lost her new home and husband.  She had no money, no insurance and no social security. Because we could not pay the rent, we could not stay in our rented home.  In September we moved in with Aunt Martha and Uncle Melt at 708 Lake Street in Hobart. At their home, we each had a bedroom upstairs.  The only furniture we had was a bed dresser, lamp and drop leaf table, which Susie has.