What Chester Makes, Makes Chester Philadelphia Electric Company building in 1926 courtest of John Aston, PA.
My closest friend as a youngster was Billy Eschiner. I remember the first day he showed up at my Elementary School. We were both probably ten years old. Bill lived on 4th Street with his mother, stepfather, and grandparents. His grandfather had a dog pen in their back- yard where he kept hunting dogs. He would go out into the countryside with his Pointers and bring back small game and birds. Bill and I used to sit out back with BB guns shooting at sparrows that perched on the trees or play a simple game of counting trucks going in either direction. He had loads of toys, especially at Christmas. I rarely had any. I used to love to play with his electric trains. To this day, at 85, I still have not lost my fascina- tion with them. I have always wanted to own a set of electric trains. Bill and I lost track of each other after high school. I learned he died at the age of 76. In his heyday, he became an electrical engineer and a pioneer in microwave technology. His name is found in multiple engineering patents.
When I think of Billy, I also remember his neighbors, the Sugarman’s. Mrs. Sugarman was one of mother’s friends and was sometimes part of the poker games the ladies played. The Sugarman’s were known as one of the richest Jewish families in Chester. My brothers were very friendly with their children, all of whom were older than I. One stood out, a brilliant young boy named Sunny. He died in his teens on the cusp of what we all believed was to be a great future. It was one of the most heart- breaking events I remember from my youth. I think he died from appendicitis. Overall, I had a great childhood. There were times I used to lie in bed and imagine the future, wondering what it held for me. Sometimes it’s easier to look back than to look forward. I remember growing up in Chester. I remember that big sign... WHAT CHES- TER MAKES, MAKES CHESTER. A flood of memories fills my mind as I think back to those days, long, long ago.
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