January 12

It’s Super Bowl Sunday and Jack is watching the game from 447 N. Lakewood Avenue.  The AFC Champion Pittsburgh Steelers are matched up against the NFC Champion Minnesota Vikings. Jack pulls for Pittsburgh. They are in the same conference as the Colts and Jack usually pulls for the AFC team. Also, his son-in-law Jim O’Neill is from Pittsburgh and is a big Steelers fan. Jim will be happy today as the Steelers win 16-6. Jack and his wife Betty are anxious grandparents to be. Jim and Nancy called from Denver on Christmas Day to let them know they were expecting. Jack and Betty are on pins and needles and as excited as they could be to become Granny and Grandad. Jack hops up from his recliner after the game is over and walks into the front room. He sits at the piano and plays a few tunes. Music relaxes him and he plays every day. Even while playing, his mind is always at the Shop on some level. It is winter and they are not particularly busy which is typical. They have a little work to start the year and tomorrow’s schedule rolls through his mind. The Shop has some 1 1/2” pipes to bend for Custom Steel Fabricators and three angles to roll for J.C. Pardo. Jack remembers he has to have both of those jobs knocked out early so they can be picked up in the afternoon as promised.  His crew will take care of it first thing and it will be fine. He’s pulled out of his thoughts and his playing when he hears Betty calling everyone for dinner. He closes the cover on the keys, clicks off the light that sits on the piano and heads into the dining room.

February 18

Two 4” pipes are completed for Baltimore Tube Bending today. This company bends small pipes and tubes very much like the Shop does but they are unable to handle larger pieces. When Mr. Rogers at Baltimore Tube Bending has bigger pipes or tubes to bend, he calls Jack and sends them over. This job is welcomed by the crew as it will require filling the pipes with rosin. That means using torches to melt the rosin before filling and then again to get the rosin back out. Any torch work in February is a good thing and warms the old Shop up a bit. The pieces are finished and then delivered by Charlie Owens this afternoon.

March 13

The Shop has made it through another winter and they have stayed steady if not busy. Jack will take that. He knows the stories of winters at the Joseph Kavanagh Company. Even as far back as Old Uncle Joe, the winter was always the most challenging part of the year to find work. A repair job for the Housing Authority is finished today. A heat exchanger was leaking and it was sent in for testing and repairs. The tubes are cut from the unit and they are checked. One tube is found to have a small pinhole. Another is bent to replace it and the unit is re-assembled, now in full working order.

April 11

The Orioles opening day is a Friday and the Kavanagh’s are there. Jack left his brother in charge & rushed out after lunch to get them all to the game. The Orioles are hosting their Eastern Division rival Boston Red Sox. The Birds have changed a bit in the off season. Gone are long time pitcher Dave McNally and long time first baseman, Boog Powell. Newcomers are starter Mike Torrez, first baseman Lee May and a young corner outfielder, Ken Singleton. This game is a close one that takes extra innings to decide. Finally, in the 12^th inning, Carl Yastrzemski crushes a home run to right off Doyle Alexander and the Red Sox win. The Kavanagh’s head home after the loss still confident in their Birds team.

May 6

The spring has brought in a little more work but not as much as Jack had hoped. Most of the crew are busy but for John Benser, the machinist. During his idle hours, Benser makes dies and rollers for stock. Today he takes the final cuts on a set of 1 1/2” O.D. rollers for the R-3. They are turned down, faced off and grooved in a lathe. Finally, the old belt-driven shaper is used to cut the keyways. John Benser is Jack’s longest tenured employee. He spends much of his time in the upstairs machine shop making parts for jobs and on days like today, making assorted tools.

June 1

JoAnn Kavanagh graduates from Catholic High School on this Sunday. She is the last of six daughters to attend CHS. Her Mother and Father are very proud of her as is her maternal grandmother, Nanny who is at the house for a small party to celebrate.

June 2

JoAnn boards a bus and moves to Ocean City, Maryland. She has told her parents she wants to live at the beach and promises to find a job and work hard. She does just that and her first job is on the boardwalk at Steve’s Carry Out. The place is located directly opposite Trimper’s Amusements, a place the Kavanagh kids have loved for years.

June 4

The Kavanagh’s are at Memorial Stadium to watch the Orioles play the Texas Rangers on a Wednesday night.  The Birds have struggled out of the gate so far and they lose another tough one tonight. Just as it was on opening day, this takes 12 innings to finish with Grant Jackson getting the loss in relief. Jim Palmer pitched a good game. His only mistakes being solo home runs to Texas outfielders, Jeff Burroughs and Mark Hargrove. Both Orioles’ runs were driven in by Lee May including a solo homer of his own. Jack is concerned about his team but he knows it’s early. He knows they have good pitching and still have good hitting. He is sure they will get it straightened out.

June 10

A rush of work has hit Central Avenue and Jack is relieved. He offers his men half-day Saturday hours and they gladly accept. Jack will keep that up as long as the work warrants it. His workers are split over a handful of jobs including a brass railing, a municipal fountain and several pipe rolling jobs. Another 4” Pipe is completed for Baltimore Tube Bending. This one does not require any filling as the pipe is heavy enough to handle the rolling process without collapsing. The pipe is rolled into a ring and needs to be trimmed and welded shut. Jack usually stays away from any extra fabricating or welding after the bending. Bending and rolling is their forte and Jack prefers to stick with what they are best at but for Mr. Rogers at Baltimore Tube, he is fine with it. The crew trims the ring then sends it up the street to Foster’s Welding. Jack Foster is another of Jack Kavanagh’s work “friends.” Foster’s is two blocks away so it’s simple and quick to run material up there and back. Foster’s handles the welding very well and the job is completed. Jack Kavanagh knows Foster’s does good work. In his mind, if he can’t trust another Jack, who can he trust?

June 21

On a sunny Saturday afternoon, Ann & Jack Jr. take the bus to the Strand Theater. They are going to see a movie that was just released called “Jaws.” Their little brother is too young to go according to his mother, Betty. His sister and brother head off to the movies and he sits alone in the basement. Betty calls him upstairs to go to the store for her. She says we need a can of string beans for dinner and ushers him out the door but not before letting Joe know, he can buy himself a comic book and a candy bar. The little boy suddenly has a smile on his face and he races back across the street from Coby’s, the corner store. His father is in the front room playing the piano so Joe plops down in his Dad’s recliner. He tears open an end of the Hershey Bar and immerses himself in the adventures of the Flash, his favorite super hero. Jealous thoughts of his older brother and sister are gone as the Flash takes on Captain Cold in a battle for the fate of Central City. In a few hours, Ann and Jack return from “Jaws.” They were both shocked to see a line to get into the theater. Apparently, this happened all over the country. This movie that starts with some very ominous music becomes a smash hit and the summer blockbuster is invented.

July 2

On a hot summer Wednesday, the crew at 201 S. Central are anxious for the holiday. Jack has promised if they can finish up early tomorrow, he’ll get them all out of there by 2 pm tomorrow. That will give them a couple of hours then a long weekend which they all are looking forward to. The Shop is full of the high-pitched creaking of steel as it is rolled in the Roundo machines mixed with the slamming of the Pines Bender. After each bend, when the bend arm of the Pines returns it smacks hard against the machine. The sound of work and labor has filled this building for over sixty years and today is no different. The job in the Pines is for Washington Aluminum Co. Forty 2 1/2” aluminum pipes are bent and so forty times the machine’s ram must crash back and thud rhythmically. Jack is happy with the volume of work. It’s his job to worry about the place and worry he does. When there is a backlog of scheduled work for two weeks or more as there is now, he worries a lot less.

August 2

Jack, Betty and the three youngest children, Ann, Jack Jr. and Joe are driving across the Bay Bridge in the very early dawn hours. Now that they have a home in OC, they can take short weekend trips whenever possible. They have taken several so far this summer but today starts their real vacation. A week with the Shop closed and the Kavanagh’s at the beach, fishing, crabbing and hitting the boards. They also get to see their daughter JoAnn who has been living and working in Ocean City since her graduation. It’s an annual trip and the family loves it. This year they are a bit distracted with the impending birth of Nancy and Jim’s baby. The baby is due this month so they are getting close.

August 11

The Kavanagh’s returned from their vacation yesterday but are met with very sad news. Betty’s mother has passed away very suddenly. She was having some routine exploratory surgery for pain she has been having and she never makes it out of recovery. Betty is devastated. She has always been very close to her mother and she is heartbroken. It seems doubly so as she wanted more than anything for her mother to know her first great-grandchild. The family gathers and mourns her. Bernadine Crew is the only grandmother the youngest of the kids ever knew. Nanny was loving and caring and essentially the prototypical grandmother; the family’s sadness is heavy. Nanny’s funeral is held at St. Elizabeth’s Church and she is buried at New Cathedral Cemetery where much of the family are interred.

August 17

Sometimes in a period of great sadness, suddenly there is great joy. Maura Kavanagh O’Neill is born to Jim and Nancy in Denver Colorado. Jack and Betty and the assorted Kavanagh’s are thrilled and very excited. This baby is the start of a new generation. Jack and Betty are grandparents and it is a role they have looked forward to for some time. After Maura’s birth, six sisters become aunts and two brothers become uncles including the youngest who becomes Uncle Joe at the tender age of ten. Betty flies out to Denver for a week or so and is joined by Jack for the second weekend. They are as happy as they can be to meet their first grandchild.

September 2

The Kavanagh kids who still remain at home all head back to school today. Ann starts her second year at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel High School in Essex while the boys both return to St. Elizabeth’s Elementary for another year.

September 19

Another heat exchanger repair is handled today for the Housing Authority of Baltimore City. This unit is larger containing 41 tubes. They are removed and tested with four having leaks. Replacements are bent and a new spacer plate is drilled then the exchanger is put back together. Housing Authority is a good reliable customer. Jack can count on some work from them every month. This will be the last week for working Saturday half-days and this is how it usually goes at the Joseph Kavanagh Company. They are slower in the winter, busier in the summer, enough to work extra hours,  then the rest of the year is steady. At least during any good year.

September 28

Jack is taking his son Jack Jr. to his first football game. He’s wanted to do this for a few years but was waiting for his boy to get a little older. The Colts first game at Memorial Stadium this season is against the Oakland Raiders. The Orioles had a good year winning 90 games but have to settle for second to the Red Sox and they miss the playoffs. The two Jacks are disappointed but they have high hopes for the Colts. The Raiders beat Baltimore today 31-20 but the Colts finish the year strong winning nine in a row to take the AFC East Division and secure a playoff berth.

October 7

The Washington Capitals or simply “Caps,” as their fans begin to call them, lose their home opener to the Pittsburgh Penguins in DC 4-2. It will be another hard year for the fledgling franchise but they will gain one very enthusiastic fan.

October 11

On this Saturday, a new late night comedy show premiers. It is called Saturday Night Live. The live show consists of short comedic skits, a monologue or two from a host and musical guest performances as well. Tonight the host is comedian George Carlin and music is provided by Bill Preston and Janis Ian. Ann and Jack Jr. stay up to watch and they love the show. Jack particularly enjoys a sketch about a Samurai laundromat attendant. Little Joe doesn’t see the appeal and he would rather stay in bed in his room watching late night horror movies presented by “Ghost Host” or “Creature Feature.” That was the boys’ usual Saturday night viewing but Jack Jr. may be getting too old for that.

October 17

Jack and his brother Ed sit in the small corner office at Pratt and Central. Ed eats a shrimp salad sandwich from one of the delis at Corned Beef Row while Jack has his usual ham sandwich from home. It’s the end of another week at the Shop and the brothers casually discuss the jobs Jack has lined up for next week and what has to be completed today. The last job that needs finishing today is for the Poole and Kent Company. Four pieces of 2 1/2” heavy steel pipe must be rolled to a 28 ft. Radius. It’s a straight forward job in the R-5. Jack tells Ed to let him know as soon as they are working on the last piece so he can call the customer and get them on their way to pick up.

October 24

It’s a Friday night and the Kavanagh household is happy to have reached the weekend. The World Series is over and football is played on Sunday but on this day, another sport squeezes into Kavanagh fandom. Little Jack received a fancy radio for his birthday last month and since has been searching the dial for fun things. He finds the radio broadcast for the Washington Capitals hockey game. Jack listens closely as an announcer, Ron Webber, describes the action. He is hooked. Fall and winter nights will soon be spent with ear close to radio and Jack’s interest in hockey grows very quickly. The Caps are young and struggling but Jack does not care. He finds he loves hockey as much as baseball and football and perhaps over time, even more.

October 21

It’s a Tuesday night and Jack and his sons are watching game 6 of the World Series. The Boston Red Sox are down 3 games to 2 to the Cincinnati Reds and this game in Fenway is a must win for Boston and its fans. The Reds jump out to a lead but Boston rallies back and the game is tied 6–6 and goes into extra innings. Jack and the boys talk about the game as they watch. It’s an exciting one and all three are on the edge of their seats. As the clock passes eleven o’clock, a voice from the top of the stairs is heard.

“Jack? Jack? It’s past 11 o’clock. The boys have school tomorrow. You know.” Betty calls down  to her husband.

The room grows eerily quiet in an instant. Jack Jr. and Joe try to sink into their chairs a bit as if that might hide them from view. Jack takes a sip of his beer and keeps his eyes focused on the television.  “I said it’s past 11. You boys better get to sleep. You have to get up for school tomorrow.” Betty repeats herself.

“Sure hon, The game’s almost over. They’ll be right up.” Jack answers without looking away from the game.

Betty tries again. “Jack? You have to get up too.” An audible sigh moves down the stairs.  “Fine. Fine. Nobody listens to me in this house. Heading toward midnight and children awake.” She shakes her head hard enough that the boys could almost sense it from the first floor. She returns to her bed muttering, “Patience is a virtue.”

The room stays quiet for a few more minutes and the boys realize they are being allowed to stay up. Jack never confirms this but his silence and ignoring of their mother tells them so. The young Kavanagh lads are quite happy they are allowed to watch the end when Boston Catcher Carlton Fisk steps to the plate in the bottom of the 12^th. They see something pretty special. Fisk drives a pitch deep into left field but right down the foul line. As Jack and his boys lean forward, Fisk is seen jumping up and down waving his arms toward fair territory. As if by the strength of his will, the ball stays fair and bounces off the foul pole for a home run. The Red Sox win and this moment is forever remembered in the annuls of baseball lore. Fisk’s waved fair shot. Jack immediately ushers his sons up the steps and into bed. He’s glad he let them stay up. It’s another baseball moment they won’t soon forget. Baseball though is humbling and this is no clearer than on the next night when the Reds come back from a three run deficit to win 4-3 thus taking the championship. The Kavanagh’s will watch that game too but it’s game 6 they will never forget.

November 29

The Kavanagh family visits Aunt Anna at the Visitation Convent on this Saturday after Thanksgiving. In the order, she is named Sister Mary Agnes but is always Aunt Anna to her family. She is Jack’s father’s sister and the last of her generation. Jack, Betty and the kids visit as often as they can and always close to the holidays. They catch up with her on her teaching and she on the family. She is nearly as excited as Jack and Betty at the arrival of Nancy’s baby. After a nice long chat, the family heads home to enjoy the rest of the holiday weekend.

December 15

The end of another year is approaching and the Shop is finishing strong. They have a solid two week backlog and Jack believes that will extend to the beginning of 1976. This year, they have received a few calls for small parts for local brewers and distillers but those jobs are more and more infrequent. The bulk of the Kavanagh’s work is rolling and bending metal for construction, fabrication and an assortment of other applications. A set of pipe rings are rolled in the R-3 for Codd Fabricators while some 1 1/4” pipes are bent for a sculpture for Stan Edmister. The Shop has helped Mr. Edmister with a couple of projects and Jack is hoping the word spreads to more artists. Work is work and Jack will take any and all he can get.

December 25

It’s Christmas Day on Lakewood Avenue and the family celebrates as they always do. They gather and enjoy the day as one. Presents are exchanged, a feast is shared and music and song will fill the house. For Jack and Betty, this Christmas will always be special. Jim, Nancy and baby Maura are back home for the holiday and the baby is held, passed around and held again by any and all. Jack and Betty have lived in this house for about thirty years now. They have raised nine children and now there is a grandchild. Betty misses her mother dearly and will take some time to heal but if there is anything that helps her, it is this miracle of a baby. Betty takes any chance to snatch her up and hold Maura in her arms while Jack is content to make faces and say “boozey gitsie” and other nonsensical things to amuse the little one. The baby seems non-plussed but the rest of the Kavanagh’s chuckle for this is how Jack was to all of them. The end of the festivities finds the family gathered around the piano. Jack plays and everyone joins in singing if they know the words. Christmas carols are played and those favorites from long ago that he and Betty love. He slips into “As Time Goes By” and sends a lingering glance to Betty. When he sings certain songs, he is singing to her. This is one perfect example. She returns his look and this is their present to each other. What they have shared and done together. This suddenly growing again family and each of these moments. They are precious to them both and to be savored, enjoyed and recounted as time goes by.

December 27

Maura Kavanagh O’Neill is baptized at St. Elizabeth’s Church where the Kavanagh’s are parishioners and have been for generations. Jack and Betty are proud grandparents as are Jim and Nancy proud Dad and Mom. Most members of both families are there and Jim plays the song “Greensleeves” on the flute as part of the celebration of the sacrament. It’s a beautiful service but the family then rushes down Lakewood Avenue to get home. The Colts are in the playoffs and face the Steelers today in Pittsburgh.  The Kavanagh’s and O’Neill’s of Pittsburgh sit down to watch the game and it goes the Steelers way. They beat the Colts 28-10. A tough day for Colts fans but the Kavanagh’s will take it. They welcomed a new family member into the Church today and the assumption is, Maura pulled a favor to help her Dad’s team.

 

 

Gerald Ford is the President of the United States. Due to the energy crisis, Daylight Savings Time starts two months early. Saigon falls thus ending the Vietnam War. Elizabeth Seton becomes the first American Roman Catholic Saint. The ship the Edmund Fitzgerald sinks. Bill Gates founds Microsoft. Busch Gardens opens in Williamsburg, VA. “Wheel of Fortune” premiers on TV. “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” debuts on Broadway. The films, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, “Towering Inferno”, “Young Frankenstein” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run” album are released. Angelina Jolie, Tiger Woods, Drew Barrymore, Alex Rodriguez and Ray Lewis are born. Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Ozzie Nelson, Casey Stengel and Rod Serling die. Teamsters Union Leader Jimmy Hoffa disappears.

There are 50 states in the Union.

To read prior years, click on the Table of Contents link below:

Table of Contents

January 13

It’s Super Bowl Sunday and Jack watches the game drinking a National Premium beer. The Miami Dolphins are facing the Minnesota Vikings and Jack enjoys the game. The Colts weren’t in it but he roots for the AFC Champion, Dolphins. He looks curiously at the beer bottle as he drinks. National was a good customer for many years. It wasn’t so long ago the Shop’s primary work was servicing the brewery and distillery industry. That work has diminished greatly. They still make a few occasional customer parts and fittings but it is more and more infrequently. Brewers and distillers are moving west or closing completely in Baltimore. Fortunately, the bending and rolling has become the Shop’s main function and Jack’s customer list grows every year. There are many applications for curved metal and this seems to help keep the work steady. If one industry is slow then it is likely some other company will need something bent. It’s a somewhat small niche but with a wide array of customers. It was Jack’s idea to buy the machines they use every day now and his father opposed it. Jack was right on that score and his father wrong. He takes another swallow of beer as the Dolphins celebrate on the field after winning 24-7.

January 15

A few different sizes of angles are rolled for McNamara Fabricators. Inflation and recession has hit the country and Jack has noticed a drop in work. It’s the winter and that is to be expected but it’s a bit more pronounced this year. The Shop has work but only about a week’s backlog. That’s okay but two weeks or more gives Jack a little more security. He’s happy with what he has and is most grateful that he has a good hard-working crew. His brother Ed and eight other gentlemen work hard for Jack. He relies on them and he treats them well in return.

February 12

Jack and Betty purchase a summer home in Ocean City. Royal Palm Court at 1231 St. Louis Avenue. Jack has squirreled away a little money since his father’s death and they put the funds into this house in OC. They will rent it out when not on the Eastern Shore to help cover the mortgage but now they have their own  place to stay when they take their vacation and weekend trips.

February 26

With a recession hitting the nation, the Shop has been buoyed a bit by the Housing Authority of Baltimore City. After several years of repairing and replacing heat exchangers, the Shop is starting to be a regular supplier for them. Jack receives several calls every month from Mike Winchester, who handles their maintenance, and the Housing Authority sends in at least one exchanger each time. It’s annealing and bending copper tube which is the Kavanagh’s forte. After bending, the tubes are inserted into a thick plate used as a header. The exchangers are slid into a boiler and mounted, then are used to generate heat or hot water depending on the boiler.

March 29

Three 4” Pipes are rolled for a drilling apparatus for Ocean Drilling & Exploration Company. Jack is not sure what the application is,  apart from knowing it’s part of their equipment. The Shop often receives one-off oddball jobs if they require bending too. Sometimes these are repairs or replacement parts as the Shop did in the past for brewers and distillers. The parts are either so old or so custom that replacements aren’t available so they must be made. If there is custom bending involved, people call Jack Kavanagh.

April 5

This chilly breezy Friday finds the Kavanagh’s at Memorial Stadium for opening day. The Orioles are hosting the Detroit Tigers and win 3-2. Jack, Betty and the youngest of their children see a good game with Baltimore ace Jim Palmer outdueling Mickey Lolich for the win. Palmer runs into some trouble in the last inning and reliever Grant Jackson steps in and gets the save. The kids chatter on the way home about the game and their hopes for another playoff season. Jack drives the car in silence but is thinking the exact same thing.

April 8

Jack sits in his recliner in the living room watching Monday Night Baseball with his sons, Jack Jr. and Joe. He sips a beer and talks to the boys about the game. This one could be special he tells them. The Los Angeles Dodgers are facing the Atlanta Braves in Atlanta’s Fulton County Stadium. Braves’s slugger Hank Aaron just tied the great Babe Ruth for most career home runs at 714 four days ago. Jack’s father was the biggest Ruth fan you could imagine. Ruth was from Baltimore and Eddie Kavanagh held him in high reverence and that admiration passed to Jack when he was a boy. The Babe was Jack’s favorite when he was growing up. He even had the chance to see Ruth play once in an exhibition game in Baltimore. There was no local MLB team so any chance to see a big leaguer was a thrill but this was Ruth. That was something Jack would never forget. He regales his boys on the feats of Ruth and those days,  then talks of how amazing it is that another man has finally passed the 700 plateau and tied the Babe. Jack and the boys watch as LA jumps out in front early and the three hope they get to see Aaron surpass the Babe’s record in person. Jack wishes it more than his boys as he truly recognizes the historical significance and how big this event could be. Jack Jr. and Joe pepper their father with questions about the game and Babe Ruth as they watch,  but all of them grow silent as Aaron steps to the plate in the bottom of the fourth inning. Pitcher Al Downing’s second pitch is a fast ball and Hank Aaron does not miss it. Hammerin’ Hank certainly hammers this one and it sails high into the air heading toward left-center field. Three sets of eyes on Lakewood Avenue grow large and they watch in awe as the ball lands on the other side of the fence. Henry Aaron has done it. He is the new All-time Home Run Champion. The boys whoop and holler while for a brief moment Jack takes this in. Ruth’s record has fallen and a black man receives one of the loudest standing ovations ever before a crowd in the Deep South and is named king. The significance eludes the boys but Jack is keenly aware of it. The moment ends in a flash and Jack hops up from his recliner and rushes up the stairs. His boys assume he has to go to the bathroom or something as few things made their Dad run at home. He returns with a bag and pulls something from it. Two somethings. He hands each of his sons a souvenir baseball commemorating Aaron’s 715^th homer. The boys are amazed and then hold each ball up high as if it were the actual ball hit by Aaron. They hug and jump up and down while Jack’s thoughts are a whirlwind. He wants to remember it all and does. He memorizes these seconds of glee shared with his boys and so do they. His thoughts travel to his father and all those years of being a Ruth fan. Jack thinks of his youth and how Ruth was the man that all boys looked up to and wanted to be. Now there is a new home run king and Jack is happy for Aaron and for the game of baseball. How he managed to have those two balls and work it out so the three of them could watch this incredible accomplishment together, I’ll never know. The man had a way about him. He had impeccable timing. It will be a memory etched in the three Kavanaghs’ minds forever.

April 10

The winter is over and the usual step up in work has arrived with the spring. The Shop finishes a set of pipe rings for the Fieldsboro Welding Company. Welders are becoming a larger percentage of the Kavanagh Company’s customers. A welder invariably will need pipes, tubes or angles bent at some point. Some he can do himself by hand but it will require lots of grinding and clean up. A good pipe bend or angle ring saves time and welders are coming to the Shop for them. Fieldsboro had ordered a set of these rings last week and came back with a bigger order to follow. That’s a good thing for Jack.

May 7

Despite the arrival of better weather, the Shop is still not particularly busy. Jack wonders if he’ll be able to work Saturdays this year. His workers have come to count on it as extra money in the summer and he has come to expect the same. Jack will have to wait and see. They have a fountain they are working on, some angles for Codd Fabricators and a long railing. There is work but Jack would very much prefer to have more on the books.

May 24

The Kavanaghs drive to the Eastern Shore of Md and spend the Memorial Day weekend at their new vacation home, Royal Palm Court. Royal Palm is a long line of small rowhouses connected together. There are two small bedrooms and one bath but to Jack and Betty it is a dream come true. They have wanted a home of their own here for a long time. They truly love Ocean City and having their own place will make visiting easier. The family gets in its usual mix of crabbing, fishing, beaching and boardwalking then rush home around noon to reach Baltimore before dinner time.  It’s a fun weekend and Jack and Betty will do all they can to visit as often as they can.

June 6

The work has stayed steady but not busy enough to warrant Saturday hours. Jack prefers to work half day Saturdays but this year the volume of jobs isn’t there and he wants to be sure to keep everyone busy during the normal forty hours. The boys are putting together a heat exchange for the Baltimore City Housing Authority. Jack watches as the bent tubes are slid into the holes in a tube sheet. The sheet is 1” thick and is the header for the unit. The exchanger itself fits into a boiler but it is the copper tubes that furnish the heat. After the tubes are inserted. They are expanded to a very snug fit. A handheld machine that is similar to a drill is used. Instead of a drill bit an expander is pushed into the tube. When used the expander does exactly as the name infers, expanding or stretching the tubes diameter to seal the holes. When tube is expanded to the proper fit, a slight whistle is heard from the machine as the engine stalls for a second. Jack stands thinking and listening to the off and on whir and spin of the engine broken up by this soft high-pitched whistle over and over.

June 11

Jack sits in his office at 201 S. Central Avenue. He’s finishing his morning coffee and talking to his secretary Helen Glodek. Helen comes in at nine and leaves at two, sometimes making a bank deposit on the way home. She keeps the work hours straight for the employees and does the payroll. Just as important as the time and the pay are taking messages for Jack and keeping customer up to date on their orders. As they finish their coffee, Gichner Ironworks calls and asks about an order for a 2 1/2” Aluminum Pipe bend. It’s a custom piece being made to match a template furnished by Gichner. Jack lets them know it is in the machine and will be ready in less than an hour.

July 1

In addition to gaining more welder customers, Jack has had good luck with the local metal fabrication shops both small and large. Most can do some bending maybe even some rolling but with the Roundo machines and the pipe benders Jack has, he can do these things easier, quicker and make a better product. The Fab shops also have limited tools whereas the Shop has been making tools for their machines for decades. These many tools widen the range of curves and bends they can do. F. H. Klaunberg is one such fabricator customer of the Kavangh’s. A dozen 1 1/2” steel angles are rolled into small diameter half-rings for them today. It’s probably something they could do but not as well or as cheaply as Jack and his rollers can.

August 8

The Kavanagh’s are having a big family summer vacation in Ocean City. The Shop is closed and the family is at the beach. Enough Kavanagh’s are on hand that Jack and Betty need to rent another place for the week. Jack and Betty’s daughters, Nancy and Mary and their husbands, stay at Royal Palm while Jack and Betty rent a dockhouse right on the Bay. It’s five minutes from Royal Palm with a back porch for fishing. Jack has always loved the idea of waking up and tossing a line out from the back of his house. There is even more family down for the week as Betty’s brother Bumpsey and his family are in OC as well. It’s a busy week with a lot of fishing but today the family takes a break from their vacation to watch the news coverage as President Nixon resigns. The walls were closing in on the Nixon presidency. The nation is shocked to watch it unfold but perhaps not too shocked. The Watergate scandal has dominated the media and the country’s attention for over a year and in the end, it led all the way to the top. Vice-President Gerald Ford assumes the presidency and before the end of the year, he will give Nixon a complete pardon.

August 26

Jack walks from the back of the Shop where 3” angles are being rolled for Codd Fabricators. He had a quick chat with Jerry Purnell who was rolling them with a new helper, Mike Glenn. Mike’s brother Forest has been at the Shop for several years and brought him in to replace a young fellow who has moved on. Jack’s brother Ed hired both Glenns and he has taken quite a liking to them. Jack feels he can trust them but then again that is true of all his employees. If he didn’t trust you, you couldn’t work for Jack. He heads toward the office and passes the Leonard Air Bender where some 1” OD steel tubes are being bent for the Chesapeake Canvas Co. by Eddie Buckingham. After the tube is clamped tight in the machine, a lever is flicked and a hiss of air is released as the pressure pulls the arm around. These are u-bends and very standard fare for the tube bending Kavanagh Shop.

September 2

Jack and Betty are on another return trip to Baltimore. They spent the last weekend of summer at Royal Palm with JoAnn, Ann, Jack and Joe, the last four of their children and the only ones still living at home. The kids return to school tomorrow. JoAnn for her last year at Catholic High, Ann in her first year at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel High School and Jack & Joe continuing at St. Elizabeth’s.

“I sure love this place, Betty.” Jack glances over at her in the passenger seat. The boys are chattering to each other while the girls are in the far back of the station wagon listening to music. Luckily, it’s low enough that Jack can’t hear that “racket” as he often calls it.

Betty smiles over. “Me too. This is our dream. It’s peaceful. There’s beach, sun and the sea.” her smile widens to the corners of her eyes. “The kids love it.”

“This kid too.” Jack chuckles “Best money we ever spent. I know it’s going to stretch us for a few years but it will be worth it.”

“Jack, you know we’ll make it work. We’ll do this and that. We’ll rent the place out weekends we’re not there and it will all be fine. Then it will be all ours, soon enough.” Betty replies as her eyes roll left to see what the boys are up to.

Jack’s eyes stay focused on the road. “Yes we will. We will.” His voice trailing off with those last words to be replace by Jack singing softly to himself. “Fly me to the moon. Let me play among the stars.” He turns again to Betty. “We’re on Ritchie Highway, hon. We’ll be home to see the end of the telethon.”

“Good. I have to see the end. I always hope Jerry does at least a little better each year.” She stares out the window watching the road go by and thinks of dinner and lunches for tomorrow to be made when they get home.

September 22

The Baltimore Colts first home game is against the Green Bay Packer and Jack Kavanagh is there with his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Bumpsey and Shirley Crew. The Packer win 20-13 and the rest of the season is just as bad. The Colts finish in last place with a dismal record of 2-12.

October 9

The Orioles lose the American League Championship Series to the Oakland A’s for a second year in a row. The final game, game four, is in Baltimore and the Kavanagh’s are there. The Birds are trailing 2-0 in the final inning and rally to score one but Rollie Fingers strikes out Don Baylor and the game is done. It’s a disappointment but it’s baseball. The Orioles have been on a strong run for ten years. Jack and his kids are not happy about it but they enjoyed the season and hope the team can keep it up. The Kavanagh’s love their teams and will be fans no matter what. As the Orioles’ season ends, the first steps of another of those teams is taken. For this very same evening, an expansion hockey team the Washington Capitals play their first game losing 6-3 to the New York Rangers in NY.  A rough start to a very rough first year for the franchise. It’s met with little fanfare in neighboring Baltimore but soon Jack Kavanagh Jr. will become a fan. Evenings will be spent listening to games on the radio in his bedroom and daylight hours are often spent on street hockey then eventually, Little Jack gets a pair of skates to play on ice. His allegiance to the team and the sport grows quickly then spreads to his brother, his sister, his father then soon most of the Kavanaghs become strong Caps fans. It will take a few years for the team to find any success but Jack Jr. is as faithful and supportive a fan as any team could ask for.

October 17

The A’s win their third straight World Series defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers. The A’s establish themselves as one of the great modern dynasties with three championships in a row. It’s a rueful dynasty in the sense that twice they downed the Orioles in the ALCS. The Kavanaghs watch the series despite the Birds absence from it. Jack and the kids pull for the A’s due to their loyalty to the American League. It also lessens the sting of losing to them when they beat everybody else and go on to win it all.

November 27

The crew on Central Avenue have a little more pep in their step on this Wednesday, Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and Jack and his men are anxious for the holiday and the four day weekend. A few things are finished up before they can get out of there including some galvanized pipes rolled for Jensen Manufacturing. AT 2:15 pm, Jensen picks the pipes up and Jack sends everyone home. Happy Thanksgiving’s are hurriedly wished to one and all as the building empties in minutes.

December 10

The Joseph Kavanagh Company is barreling toward the end of another year. They haven’t been swamped and there was no working on Saturdays for the crew but it could have been worse. The number of jobs didn’t require much overtime this year but they had work consistently. Not a good year but not a bad one either. Some 6” structural channels are completed in the R-5 today. The customer, MLM Company, needs some channels curved and a few straightened then re-rolled. These are used as concrete forms and often are re-used thus they need the straightening first. The straightening takes longer than the rolling. It’s a challenge and must be done carefully and slowly. Also, they must be taken out of the machine after each pass to check the progress. It’s labor intensive and a good job for the rush to the end of 1974.

December 25

The Kavanagh’s celebrate Christmas at Lakewood Avenue on this Wednesday. It’s a day full of happiness, togetherness and caring. Gifts are piled in mounds in the front room though they are not as numerous as in years past. Most of Jack and Betty’s children are grown but the youngest still clamor and wait for this morning with great anticipation. The kids feel fortunate. They get two Christmases these days. One on the Sunday before the big day with Betty’s Mom, Nanny and her family then this one. Little Joe feels particularly lucky as he received four Star Trek action figures from his godfather, Bill Hoffman. Mr. Hoffman was a long time border at Nanny’s old house and he is now a very close family friend. Joe also suspected this would mean the Bridge of the Enterprise play set would be under his tree and it was. It’s a Christmas he won’t forget as he can be Kirk, Spock, Bones or Scotty or take turns being all four. Jack grins wide in silence as he watches his little boy playing out pretend adventures full of that unbridled happiness a child feels from getting that most wanted gift. A large turkey feast is prepared by Betty. Two turkeys are baked. One thirty pounder for the noontime meal and the second smaller is necessary or there would be no turkey sandwiches. That would we unacceptable in the Kavanagh household. Their children gather with some other friends and the usual mob of about twenty people eat together and welcome the holiday. Jack plays the piano and everyone sings along as they do on every holiday. Betty speaks to daughter Nancy who lives in Denver with her husband Jim O’Neill. They talk of the holiday and a special Christmas present. As things wind down at the end of the day, Jack thanks Betty for another wonderful perfect Christmas Day. After the last of the children have gone to bed, the couple discuss Christmases past and even those to come. They have shared many good times and some bad times together. They made it through deaths in the family, several miscarriages and Betty’s bout with polio. Their bond of love has been unwavering and despite the world around them has always been the least of their concerns. This year they faced a recession like all of the country yet managed to achieve one of their dreams. They have a place at the beach in Ocean City now. A place they can call their own they can stay at whenever the mood strikes them to get away. It’s a small place but they are accustomed to that. They made the rowhouse at the corner of Lakewood and Jefferson work for nine kids and this will work for them too. Jack and Betty are happy. They have managed to live their dream life so far and have received an abundance of happiness to more than balance out those bad times. On top of all this, Jack and Betty are on-the-moon with excitement. Nancy gave Betty some news. Next year, they will receive an unexpected but long wished for gift, their first grandchild.

 

 

Gerald Ford is the President of the United States after Richard Nixon’s resignation. The 55 MPH Speed Limit is implemented. President Ford gives Vietnam War draft evaders amnesty. The MRI is invented. Construction on the Alaskan Pipeline begins. The films “the Godfather 2,” “Blazing Saddles” and “Serpico” are released. Stephen King’s first book, “Carrie” is published. Patty Hearst is kidnapped. The world’s population reaches 4 billion. Leonardo Dicaprio, Jimmy Fallon, Derek Jeter, Duff Goldman,  and Hilary Swank are born. Earl Warren, Duke Ellington, Charles Lindbergh, Jack Benny and Ed Sullivan die.

There are 50 states in the Union.

To read prior years, click on the Table of Contents link below:

Table of Contents

 

 

 

 

January 14

Jack watches the Super Bowl from his home at 447 N. Lakewood Avenue. The Colts had a rough year and were not in the playoffs but nearby Washington DC is represented. The Redskins are NFC champions but lose the Super Bowl to the Miami Dolphins. Miami takes the championship and finishes undefeated on the season. The first and only team to ever do so.

January 15

All American offensive maneuvers in Vietnam are suspended by President Nixon indicating that progress is being made in the peace talks.

January 22

Jack and most of Baltimore are a little sad today. He sits in his small corner office reading the paper and  learns that Johnny Unitas has been traded to the San Diego Chargers for future considerations. Unitas’ career is winding down and the end seems near at hand after last season. This closes a door on a part of the Baltimore Colts history. Jack will miss Johnny U who was a great passer and a great leader on the field but most of all, Jack would say he was a winner. Unitas knew how to win. Jack folds the paper up and walks out into the Shop. They have some but not a lot of work to start the year and all of Jack’s crew of eight are busily working on jobs.

January 27

All American involvement in the war between North and South Vietnam ends. The country rejoices and now waits for the last of its soldiers to come home.

February 6

A mix of flat bars and angles are rolled for Lambert Fabricators today. Bill Schmidt, Jerry Purnell and Eddie Buckingham work on this job. Templates are cut to the desired radius,  then the flat bars are rolled in the R-3 while the angles are rolled in the R-5. The Roundos are working out very well for Jack. They are used nearly every day at the Shop. The rolling and bending work has grown nearly as fast as the brewery and distillery work has diminished. The alcohol industry in the Baltimore area is waning as more companies cut back operations, move west or go out of business. Fortunately, word has spread in the metals industry of the Kavanagh’s capabilities for bending and rolling.

March 14

The Shop completes an order for the J.C. Pardo Company. Pardo makes equipment for the food service industry and nearly all of their work is in stainless steel. This job has some 1” Pipes that are bent in the Pines Bender by Eddie Buckingham and some flat bars rolled in the R-5 by Jerry Purnell and a young helper named Forest Glenn.

March 18

On a chilly Sunday evening, Jack and Betty are seated in the living room with their sons Jack Jr. and Joe sprawled across the floor preparing to watch MASH, a new comedy that takes place during the Korean War. Before it starts Jack speaks to his boys.

“So this year, the American League has changed the rules. The pitcher doesn’t have to bat, right? That’s the idea of this Designated Hitter?” Jack prods his sons.

Little Jack answers immediately. “Yeah, Dad. Another hitter will take his at-bats. The pitcher can focus on being a pitcher. It makes sense to me.”

Jack rolls his eyes. “Not to me. He’s still a ballplayer isn’t he?”

“But Dad, won’t it be more fun to see a real hitter up there than an automatic out? They might hit a home run or something.” Joe chimes in looking from his brother to his father.

Jack leans forward as the end credits run for the New Dick Van Dyke Show. “It doesn’t make it more fun. It’s just easier on the pitchers. This seems crazy to me. Your grandfather would hate it. I can tell you that. Part of their job is to be a player. They field don’t they? Shouldn’t they bat?”

Betty hushes Jack and the boys as “Suicide is Painless,” the theme to MASH begins playing and Jack Jr. lowers his reply. “It’s one batter, Dad. Most bottom of the lineup innings are scoreless with the pitcher in the middle of it. It should liven up the game.”

“The game don’t need livening up.” Jack’s head spins to his left as Betty shushes them again then continues in a softer tone. “Pitchers are ball players. Part of the job is hitting.”

“Nobody comes to see Jim Palmer hit, Dad.” Joe speaks up and is silenced by a look from his mother.

“Will you three be quiet? I thought we were watching this. Of course the TV is on so everybody has to talk.” She shakes her head at the three of them. “Oh my. Patience is a virtue.” The room falls very silent but for the opening quips of Hawkeye Pierce and Trapper John MacEntyre.

Quickly and quietly and only in the direction of his sons Jack whispers, “Babe Ruth was a pitcher. They came to see him hit.”

April 6

Jack, Betty, JoAnn, Ann, Jack and Joe are sitting in the first row on the third base side of Memorial Stadium. It’s opening day in Baltimore and the season starts off with a bang. Brooks hits two home runs and Don Baylor goes four for four and the Birds crush the Milwaukee Brewers 10-0 on a chilly Friday afternoon. Baylor misses hitting for the cycle by a single. He finishes the day with two doubles, a triple and a hone run. Dave McNally is masterful allowing only three hits and Terry Crowley is the Orioles’ first Designated Hitter and contributes two hits of his own. All in all, Jack is very happy he snuck out of the Shop a little early today.

April 18

A set of 1” O.D. tubes are bent for Products Support Inc. PSI makes a variety of machines and they require a tight tolerance on most of their work. Jack rolls these himself with Bill Schimdt on the R-3. The customer furnishes a drawing and a wood layout is made from it by Jack then the tubes are rolled to a 17 7/8” Rad. The fixture is marked with Products Supports’ Part Number and saved for future orders.

May 14

National Wire Products has ordered a group of pipes to be bent. This job is recurring and the Shop seems to get an order for these pipes three or four times a year. It’s a good job and with the development part completed, it’s just a matter of duplicating what they did before. The pipes are bent in the Pines Bender and a few different fellows get time on it.

May 17

Senate hearings on the Watergate investigation begin to be televised. Jack works through the day so he doesn’t get much chance to watch but he does follow closely. This scandal seems to be getting bigger and bigger. Jack can’t help but wonder how far up it will go. Will it lead to the White House?

June 11

The summer has been hot and busy to start and the crew are working Saturdays. Today two 6” Extra Heavy Pipes (Sch. 80) are finished. The pipes were filled and rolled and finally are melted out today for sizing. Jack would love to be able to bend these larger pipes without filling them but even the R-5 can not roll them down fast enough to avoid crushing the pipe. He loves both of these Roundo Rollers and he thinks to himself some day he may buy an even bigger version. For now, they will make do but the fill and rolling is tough to make money on. It’s necessary for the job sometimes but he would love to find ways to avoid it.

June 14

It’s Flag Day across the Baltimore area and all of America. In Glen Burnie in Baltimore County, a young couple has more than the holiday to celebrate. Anthony and Linda Dalfonzo welcome their second child, a girl, to their family. They have a son, Paul and this new baby is named Kimberly Lynn. They live on Glenn Road in a small one story house and are very happy to bring this new member of the family home. The baby by coincidence is baptized by the same priest who christened Joe Kavanagh, and by more than coincidence, in a little over twenty years, she will become Joe’s wife.

July 4

The Kavanagh’s celebrate Independence Day on this Wednesday. They hold their traditional crab feast on the corner of Lakewood and Jefferson. The crabs along with steamed shrimp this year are consumed at the long dining room table around noon. The older girls spend the day with their friends in the neighborhood while Jack Jr. and Joe sit listening to the Orioles game on the radio. They each keep score as they listen with their father still at the table: the last Kavanagh left eating crabs. The Birds are down 5-0 to the Brewers in the bottom of the 6^th inning. Designated Hitter Tommy Davis steps to the plate. So far he is 0 for 2 on the day.

“Boys! Boys! Change Davis from DH to DB in the score book. He’s a Designated Batter not Hitter. I can’t remember the last time he got a hit. He ain’t no Designated HITTER.” Jack teases his sons and breaks into loud laughter.

Chuck Thompson’s voice on the radio interrupts him. “Davis sends a frozen rope to right field for a single.” Both Little Jack and Joe grin widely as they write single in their score cards.

“All right. All right. I see you both. You think that’s funny huh? I’m glad he got a hit but it don’t make me wrong.” Jack’s grin matches the boys. “Probably a little too late for us today anyway.” Jack is wrong. The Orioles put up three runs this inning and seven more in the next two frames. They comeback big for a 10-7 win. Designated Batter indeed.

July 19

The Shop is full of work in the buildup to their summer shut down. Jack has made it an annual tradition of having a weeklong vacation for the crew in early August. He keeps his customers aware of the impending break so the weeks before are usually busy ones. Today some custom fittings are made for Schaefer Brewery, a set of tubes are bent for Universal Metals and a 4” Pipe is rolled for the Chevron Asphalt company. The pipe is bent to 90 deg on a wide enough radius to allow asphalt to blow out at a high rate. These large sweep elbows as they are called are becoming part of the Shop’s regular work.

August 12

The Kavanagh’s spend a fun week at the beach in Ocean City, Maryland. They fish, crab, swim and spend each night on the boardwalk visiting the arcades and playing games. A great week is had by all with the only disappointment being Joe’s. The latest James Bond movie is playing at the Surf and Sand theater and JoAnn, Ann and Jack go to see it. Betty deems Joe too young at eight years of age. To his chagrin, he isn’t allowed to go. Jack and Betty make a special trip to Bailey’s Drug Store to buy him several comics to salve the wound of being excluded. Joe loves his comic books. It does the trick but he never forgets that first time he was too little to go with his older siblings. Apart from that, the week flies by for everyone and before they know it, they are driving that slow long drive on Route 50 back to Baltimore.

August 17

The crew have been toiling hard since their return from vacation. The work has piled up awaiting their return but it is always worth it for that week’s break in the summer heat. Two orders are completed for Leary Manufacturing. Both are sets of steel “C” Channels that are rolled in the R-5. Jack has had John Benser, his machinist, continue to make new tools for the angle rollers. Even different flat rollers can be used for a variety of setups. The more they have. The more they can do. That’s what Jack wants.

September 7

Jack gets a call from Bill DeFazio at L & S Welding. The Shop is rolling two tubes for them and Mr. DeFazio is looking for an update. Jack tells him they can pick up today at 2 PM. DeFazio retorts they need them before lunch and Jack chuckles and says they should have ordered them a day earlier. Both laugh, Jack knows his customer and DeFazio is one who, if he seems to be pushing,  just needs to be pushed back. He respects it and they often kid each other in this way but they become good work friends. Jack is “work friends” with quite a few of his customers. His nature is one that makes people trust him and he them.

September 12

Jack is excited to be finishing a rush job today. The head of maintenance at Memorial Stadium has called and they needed a section of curved fence replaced as quickly as possible. Jack is happy for the work but the idea of doing some work for the Orioles and Colts is a thrill for him. He has the pipe rolled the minute it comes through the door and it is picked up in a few hours. After speaking to Jack, the maintenance chief realizes he’s a big Orioles fan and surprises Jack with a gift. A few days after the fence is repaired, he has the team sign a bullpen stool and sends it over to Jack. Lifelong Orioles fan that he is, Jack cannot believe this thing. Brooks, Palmer, Cuellar, McNally, Weaver and the rest of the players are all on there. Jack loves it and he can’t wait to take it home and show it to Betty and the kids.

September 23

Jack spends a Sunday at Memorial Stadium watching the Colts open up their season against the New York Jets. It’s strange to see the Colts play without Johnny Unitas on the field. Unitas’ departure is indicative of the changes the Colts are going through. They lose today, 34-10 and will suffer though a long tough 4-10 season.

October 3

Jack’s crew are working busily on their usual mix of bent pipes, rolled steel and parts for the remaining brewery customers. They have cut out Saturday hours as the work is not at the summer level but it’s still quite good and steady. Today a cabinet company has ordered some rings from 3/4” O.D. steel tube. The customer is the JK Cabinet Company and the rings are knocked out very quickly. Jack observes his men as he passes from Shop to office and back. He knows he has a good group of workers and that can make all the difference. It did for his father. He remembers those fellows well though only Charlie Owens is left of that old coppersmith crew.

October 10

Vice-President and former Maryland Governor Spiro Agnew resigns due to charge of tax evasion. He pleads no contest is fined and put on probation. Michigan Representative Gerald Ford will be nominated to take Agnew’s place as Vice President.

October 11

The Orioles face the Oakland A’s in the ALCS. The Kavanagh’s are at Memorial Stadium for games 1 and 2. They cheer and root as hard as they can then watch from home for the rest of the series. The games from Oakland begin at 3:30 pm Eastern Standard Time and the kids rush home to watch. Jack tries to do the same but invariably misses the first inning or two. He shoots from back door to living room at a much faster pace than usual,  plopping down in his chair his eyes taking in the game on the TV as if he was studying it to memorize the situation. For the first time, the Birds lose the American League Championship Series. Pitching wins the day in this series as both teams only manage fifteen runs in five games. In the final game, Oakland ace pitcher Jim “Catfish” Hunter shuts out the Orioles and they lose 3-0. So the Orioles are sent home packing and it’s an abrupt end to the year but it was a good one for baseball in Baltimore. Jack again tells the kids, the Birds did well and there is always next year.

October 21

The Oakland A’s repeat as World Series Champions defeating the New York Met 4 games to 3. The A’s are the first team to win two championships in a row since the 1961-62 New York Yankees. This World Series is the first with all weekday games played at night. This made it easier to increase the coveted television audience. Jack tunes in each night and pulls for the A’s. Jack’s an American League guy and even though the A’s beat the Birds, he wants the AL to win it all. This is also the last World Series where each team produced their own souvenir programs. Henceforth, MLB will design and sell the programs to be used in both parks. They will have the same content inside and the same cover.

November 17

Jack like most Americans is following the Watergate Investigation closely. In a nationwide televised press conference from Disney World in Florida, President Nixon declares his innocence boasting, “I am not a crook.”

November 24

It’s the Saturday after Thanksgiving and the Kavanagh’s visit Aunt Anna at the Visitation Convent. Her name in the order is Sister Mary Agnes and she is Jack’s father’s sister. The family visits her throughout the year but always makes a point of it during the holidays. She teaches at the Visitation school and is a talented piano player like so many Kavanagh’s. She tells them about her students and asks about the kids and the Shop. It’s a pleasant visit as always and the family promises to see Aunt Anna again before Christmas.

November 28

An order for some steel rings for Codd Fabricators is completed today from angles and flat bars. Codd is one of their oldest customers; the Shop having done work for them since the early 1900s. Their building is on Aliceanna Street about five minutes from the Joseph Kavanagh Company. Pete Kolb runs the place and sends any material up to the Kavanagh’s so any work is labor only. Jack likes that as he never has to put money out for material but mostly he likes working for Codd because of Pete Kolb. He is another of Jack’s close “work friends” and the two companies work well together.  Codd seems to have at least one or two jobs for Jack every month, sometimes every week.

December 25

It’s Christmas Day at the corner of Lakewood and Jefferson. The family attended midnight Mass last night and had Christmas with Betty’s mother and her family the day before yesterday on Sunday. Today is spent enjoying family, food & opening presents. The kids begin playing with their toys immediately and the house is full of the revving of small motorcycle toys. Both Jack and Joe received the Evel Knievel action figure which comes with a motorcycle that when you can rev the engine it takes off across the floor. The boys are thrilled and the house at 447 N. Lakewood Avenue is full of sound and merriment throughout the day. Later as he does each year, Jack sits at the piano and plays. His children gather around and sing to celebrate the holiday and another good year. Betty sits quietly sipping tea on the couch observing the party around her. Betty would join in the songs occasionally but she preferred to watch and listen: to see the family that she and Jack have and to take in every bit of their shared love and happiness. For Jack’s part, he loves this part of the day. He loves the feel of the ivory keys on his hands and the sounds of his children’s voices. He’s content because the Shop continues to do well despite the decrease in brewery and distillery work and despite inflation which is hitting the US hard. The Shop is busy and that’s what matters. Jack is curious how things will shake out for Nixon. Gerald Ford has been confirmed as Vice-President but that is secondary to the concerns for Nixon’s involvement in the Watergate break-in and cover up. More accusations are being made nearly weekly and the targets of these accusations are getting closer and closer to the White House. Jack has never seen anything like this and he wonders where it will end. Nixon is a beleaguered president now with many in the press and many Americans believing he is involved. The question seems to be:  how involved?

 

 

Richard Nixon is the President of the United States. The Roe vs. Wade ruling on legalizing abortion is handed down.  George Steinbrenner buys the New York Yankees from CBS. Elvis Presley’s concert in Hawaii becomes the first worldwide broadcast of a musical show. The cellphone and Hip Hop music are invented.  The Sears Tower and the World Trade Center are both finished. FedEx opens for business. Skylab is launched. The DEA is founded. Secretariat wins the Triple Crown. Billie Jean King defeats Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes in tennis. The films “The Exorcist,” “The Sting,” “American Graffitti” and “Jesus Christ Superstar” are released. Neil Patrick Harris, Dave Chappele, Seth McFarland, David Blaine and Monica Seles are born. Lyndon Baines Johnson, Bruce Lee, Jim Croce and Bobby Darin die.

There are 50 states in the Union.

To read prior years, click on the Table of Contents link below:

Table of Contents

January 5

The Shop starts the year with some jobs on hand including a tinned copper sheet ordered by the NASA Langley Research Center. Jack’s brother Ed cuts a piece of sheet and tins both sides. Jack doesn’t know what the application is but he finds it interesting to do something for NASA. The Shop also has a few other jobs set to come in this week and a new secretary. Helen Glodek takes over her sister’s job as Jack’s secretary. Helen has some experience in the clerical field but she must learn the Shop’s system of handling orders, billing and payroll. She also must learn Jack’s system: how he records quotes, active jobs and purchases. Jack is a patient boss and Helen is a quick study. The most important part of her job is taking messages and information from customers when Jack is in the Shop proper. Jack is in and out of the Shop many times throughout the day and he needs Helen to keep him in touch with his customers. Her sister Julie was someone Jack grew to rely on a great deal and the same will happen with Helen.

January 16

Jack tunes in to watch the Super Bowl. The Baltimore Colts were eliminated from the playoffs two weeks ago when they were shut out by the Miami Dolphins 21-0. Jack was disappointed but it’s sports and he is still interested in who wins the championship. This year it is the Dallas Cowboys who beat the Dolphins 24-3.

February 1

It’s a bitter cold day on Pratt and Central but the crew are accustomed to the chilly old Shop. The boys are working on parts for a boiler repair and a tinning job for Montebello Liquors. Montebello needs thirty-five feet of tinned copper tube along with several adapters and fittings. A torch has to be used for the tinning and that does warm it up a little. Since the tube is in stock and tinning is something they have done for years, the job is finished in a few hours.

March 15

A very tall young man stops into the Shop today to speak to Jack. His name is Stan Edmister and he is a sculptor. He’s been commissioned by the City to make a sculpture that doubles as a school playground. He needs some pipes rolled into circles and a few other pipe bends. Jack has never been involved in anything sculptural but he tells Mr. Edmister that if he can provide the details, the Shop can bend and roll whatever he needs. Jack thinks Stan is a bit of an oddball but he likes him from the start. Stan is respectful and he can weld so Jack gives him a price on the rolling of the pipes. Stan places the order which is mostly rings and 90 degree elbows;  there are several irregular curves,  but certainly within the Shop’s capabilities. This is the first of many sculptures the Joseph Kavanagh Company will help Stan Edmister with and soon the word will spread to other local artists.

April 16

Jack is very excited this year for the Orioles’ Opening Day because it is on a Sunday. He doesn’t have to worry about leaving work or having his brother run things at the Shop.  He can get to the ballpark early and enjoy the whole day. He has nothing to worry about until he wakes up and sees the rain. The forecast is for off and on rain all day with the possibility of some heavy storms. Jack and Betty head out with the four youngest kids, JoAnn, Ann, Jack and Joe, to Thirty-Third Street to see the Birds face the New York Yankees. The Orioles lost a tough World Series last year but they were American League Champions. Jack is hoping for another good year,  but he grew concerned when Frank Robinson was traded away. Robinson was the Orioles leader in many ways but Jack is still confident. The Birds have such good pitching. Last year they had four starters who won twenty games. Baltimore welcomes its Birds back to town and the Orioles win this game 3-1. The rain comes and it’s a sloppy,  messy field for most of the contest. The game is called after seven innings as the rain is pouring down by that point. It’s a wet win but a win is a win. The family heads home to dry out at home on Lakewood Avenue.

April 19

The Shop finishes a heat exchanger today for the Baltimore City Housing Authority.  For a few years, they have ordered exchangers to repair or replace. Mike Winchester is the fellow in charge of maintenance for the Housing Authority. The Shop has kept a good stock of copper tube for years due to their coppersmith work. Having the tube on hand, makes it much easier to knock these heaters out fast which the Housing Authority usually needs.  A down heat exchanger means someone is without heat or hot water and that makes these a rush. Jack must estimate the number of feet of copper to be used and try to maximize what he gets out of each length. He adds in the labor and bids the job. The order is usually placed within an hour by phone. The tubes are pulled from rack and cut into the lengths required. The old unit is cut apart and a new tube sheet is made to match the old one. The tube sheet is circular and will be cut from steel or brass plate. Spacer plates called baffles are made from brass and they must match the same hole pattern as the tube sheet. The holes are drilled and then the sheet is cleaned up. The tubes are annealed and bent to a few different diameters. One by one the tubes are slid into the baffle plates then the tube sheet. Sometimes it’s a snug fit but they must be tight in the end so snug is fine. Once all the tubes are inserted, they are expanded at the tube sheet to seal them as tightly as possible. They must be water tight. The next step is sanding the head smooth, deburring any tubes that need it and making gaskets from neoprene. The Shop keeps sheets of the neoprene on hand and they are cut out with snips. Finally, the date and job number are stamped on the side of the tube sheet for recording and documenting purposes. It’s not exactly old school coppersmith work but it’s good work and it involves copper. That’s something the Kavanagh’s know a lot about.

May 4

Jack sits in the small office at 201 S. Central Avenue going over some drawings for a smoke stack. The frame of the stack will be made from rolled angle rings and Jack is confident he’ll get the job. Three of his regular fabricator customers are bidding it and that’s a good sign it will make it to the Shop. The phone rings and Helen answers it. Jack glances over at her and she tells him it is a call from Marenka Stainless Steel Company. They are checking on the status of a job. Helen is working out well. She seems as skilled at the clerical part of her job as Julie was and she is reliable. She shows up every day and has adapted well to Jack’s system. Jack picks up the phone and lets Marenka know the job is being worked on today and will be ready for pick up first thing in the morning.

May 5

Little Joe is finishing first grade this spring at St. Elizabeth’s and on this day he receives his First Holy Communion. In the Catholic faith, when one is old enough to receive communion at Mass, it is a first step toward being an active member of the Church. Jack and Betty can hardly believe their ninth child is nearly seven. The years seem to go faster one after the other.

May 21

Jack and Betty celebrate their 25^th Wedding Anniversary today though the wedding day is actually May 17. So much has happened since young Jack, newly out of the Navy met recent Seton High School graduate Betty. They met at a Knights of Columbus dance and by all accounts, sparks were flying that night. Those sparks ignited a love that flourished on the corner of Lakewood and Jefferson. They have had nine children and many years of joy and happiness together. A folk mass is held at St. Vincent de Paul’s Church on Front Street. The Kavanagh’s are parishioners at St. Elizabeth’s but occasionally attend St. Vincent’s. Both Jack and Betty like the idea of visiting other churches and experiencing different way to celebrate Mass. They enjoy the folk mass at St. Vincent’s so they celebrate their wedding with song and thankfulness. Their children have promised not to throw them a party but of course, they do anyway. There must be a party in the kids’ eyes. A surprise party is planned at their daughter Mary’s house. She and her husband, Handy, purchased a home on Bucknell Road late last year. Mary invites her parents over under the guise of showing them the new house. Jack and Betty agree to visit a couple of hours after Mass but beforehand, Jack wants a nap. He is tired and could use a brief sleep. He walks the stairs to their bedroom and slams the door shut as he enters. He lays across the bed and is asleep in moments. Unfortunately, when he slammed the door shut, the latch turned and the door is locked. An hour later when Betty comes up to wake him, she turns the handle but can not open it. She shakes her head at her husband as he has somehow managed to lock himself in.

“Jack.” Betty wraps on the door firmly but lightly. “Jack? We have to leave. We are going to Mary’s. Remember?” She listens and clearly can hear the sound of snoring.

“Oh dear.” Betty taps a little harder. “Jack! Jack! You better wake up. We have to go.” She listens again and only hears more snoring. She thinks for a moment and her eyes narrow. “There isn’t a ballgame or something today is there?” There is no response and she is convinced now the sounds of sawing wood are definitely genuine and Jack’s.

“Jack! Wake up!” She raises her voice but without shouting and knocks on the door once again. After another quiet pause, Betty shakes her head and assumes Jack must really be tired. It’s best he rests and she’ll get a ride to Mary’s with daughter Nancy and her husband Jim.

A half hour later, she is walking through the door to 5477 Buckenll Road and is welcomed with a loud shout of “Surprise!” from family and friends. She must quickly explain to the blank faces of everyone that Jack is asleep. There’s no waking him up when he’s really asleep especially through a locked door. A few laughs are had then a wonderful party is held. There is food including a cake and many well wishes for Betty and her sleeping absent husband. Betty’s mother, Bernardine(called Nannie by her grandchildren) is there,  escorted by long time close family friend, Bill Hoffman. Bill is Betty’s son Joe’s godfather. Both of Betty’s brothers and their families are at the party as well including her oldest brother Buddy’s newly born grandson, the first of the next generation. Of course, Jack and Betty’s children are there and the Burke’s, Mike and Inez with their daughter Laura Ann. The Burkey’s live a few blocks from the Kavanagh’s and the families have known each other for some time. They are good friends and Mike Burke sometimes helps Jack with projects around the house. The party is fun albeit odd without one of the guests of honor but Betty has a great time. She heads home to find Jack finally awake reading the newspaper in his chair.

Jack hops out of his chair and steps over to kiss her on the cheek. “Where have you been Hon?”

Betty grins and hands him a piece of cake. “Happy Anniversary.”

June 12

Jack stands in the front of the Shop staring out the open garage door. He’s going over his schedule in his mind. Jack learned from his father to always be thinking and planning. His thoughts are interrupted by the slam of the Pines Bender. A large set of tubes are being bent in the Pines today. It’s a job for National Wire Products. The order is for 289 pieces and is nearly finished. After each bend, the piece is removed and when the bending arm returns, it slams hard against the machine. Jack has given three fellows time on this one. He likes the idea of each man getting some practice on the machine. It’s good experience for them and it helps Jack know their skill set. This order will be completed today and National Wire has already promised another set next month.

June 22

Hurricane Agnes has moved inland and is pummeling the Mid-Atlantic with rain and high winds. The impact is felt along the East Coast but Maryland gets hit very hard. The constant rain causes widespread flooding and that includes the corner of Lakewood and Jefferson. As the storm intensifies, the sewer system is overloaded. As the young Kavanagh kids watch from their front window, the sewer plate in the middle of the intersection is suddenly tossed into the air along with some of the black top surrounding it. A geyser of water has exploded out from it and water is everywhere. Betty takes the children to the basement and she sees water pouring through small holes in the foundation. At odds with what to do, she gives each child a piece of gum to chew. After chewing, she instructs them to use the gum to plug up as many of the holes as possible. Strangely enough, it does slow the rate of the flooding but to little avail. It’s the same throughout Baltimore including the Shop where water rushes under the garage door and machines are raised and put on blocks to try to avoid water damage to them. It will be days and days of rain and flooding with a great deal of damage to the City and State. Agnes is one of the worst June hurricanes in history.

July 10

It’s a busy Monday at the Shop with the crew spread over an order of rolled angles for Codd Fabricators, some replacement fittings for Schaefer Brewery and a small heat exchanger repair for the Housing Authority.  “Big Mike” Winchester called Jack and told him he had six leaky tubes in this unit and he needs a quick repair. This exchanger is for hot water and so even in the summer, it’s a rush. They drop off the unit and Jerry Purnell takes care of bending and replacing the six bad tubes. It’s been a good start to the summer so far and the crew are back to working half-days on Saturdays.

July 14

The Kavanagh boys, Jack Jr. and Joe have a long Friday of baseball. In the afternoon, their neighborhood team the Robin-Blair Sons beat the Pep boys in four on four wiffle ball and the night is spent at Memorial Stadium. The Kavanagh’s are attending a twi-night doubleheader with the Orioles hosting the Chicago White Sox. The Orioles are playing well but not at the level of last year. They are in a close race so far in second place behind the Detroit Tigers. Tonight, the second game isn’t finished until just after 11 pm but the family stays. It’s the summer so Betty is fine with them being out a little late on a Friday plus the Orioles are winning. They take game 1 by a score of 7-4 and shut out the Sox 3-0 in the nightcap. First baseman Boog Powell homers in the first game and a young infielder named Bobby Grich hits one out in the second. Joe, the youngest of the kids at 7, is sleepy as the car pulls into a parking spot on the Jefferson Street side of the house. He doesn’t mind. His Mom let him stay up, he had a night at the ballpark and the Birds took two.

July 19

The crew of the Joseph Kavanagh Company are getting a little antsy. They are two weeks away from a week’s vacation and that is on all of their minds. They still hit the jobs hard and do their best. Jack expects nothing less and he usually gets it. He’s fair and reasonable to his men and they respect him. Markley’s Marina has ordered a boat rail for one of their customers. The railing is custom to the boat so they must send Jack the old rail and the Shop will match it. It’s a straightforward job and its difficulty depends entirely on the shape of the boat. This one is a fairly standard curve and it’s rolled in less than two hours.

August 5

The family makes its now annual visit to the quiet beach town of Ocean City on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. It’s a small city and very sleepy for most of the year but when summer arrives and schools close for the break, Ocean City is where Baltimoreans and Marylanders go for their fun in the sun. The Kavanagh’s are no different and they look forward to it every year. Just like 1971, Jack gives his crew off a week with pay and it is much appreciated. Jack, Betty and the kids have a great week of sun, surf, crabbing, fishing and walking the boards. The boardwalk of O.C. is a wonderland of amusements, arcades, rides and sweet treats for the younger kids. It’s a wonderful week of fun for the family.

 

September 5

The Kavanagh’s and much of the world watch as the Summer Olympics are held in Munich, Germany. What is designed to be a peaceful tournament of sport for the world turns violent as terrorists attack and hold nine members of the Israeli team hostage demanding the release of prisoners. Two athletes who resisted were killed at the start. German authorities try to stop the terrorists but in the end, all the Israeli prisoners are murdered and all but three of the terrorists killed. The world is stunned and the Olympics will never be the same.

September 17

Jack and his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Bumpsy and Shirley Crew attend the Baltimore Colts home opener at Memorial Stadium. The Colts lose this game 10-3 to the St. Louis Cardinals. The team had a change in ownership in July. Robert Irsay, the owner of the LA Rams, has traded franchises with Carroll Rosenbloom and is now the owner of Baltimore’s team. The club and its fans suffer through a tough year. The players are aging and it shows. They finish with a 5-9 record and miss the playoffs.

September 26

The work has slowed a little as winter approaches and Jack has cut out the Saturday hours. This happens nearly every year with the cold weather coming. Today a small pipe job is finished for J. E. Hurley Company. A piece of 4” Pipe is filled and rolled to make a short radius 90 degree elbow. This one has to be shipped to Hurley’s customer and Charlie Owens runs it over to the shipping company in the Shop’s truck.

October 12

The Orioles fell short of the playoffs this year finishing second to the Detroit Tigers in the Eastern Division. It’s disappointing but the Birds have been in the World Series three years in a row and all good things come to an end. Jack still thinks it was a mistake trading Frank Robinson but even he is skeptical of Frank making the difference this year. The Tigers lose the ALCS today. They are defeated by the Oakland Athletics who will play the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series.

October 22

On this Sunday, Jack is watching game 7 of the World Series. It’s been a good match up so far with every game but one decided by a single run. Today’s game is no different and Oakland defeats the Reds 3-2 to take the championship. Jack enjoys the series despite the Orioles not being involved. It’s still baseball as he often says. He loves the game no matter who’s playing or where. When thinking of the Birds, he goes with the old axiom there’s always next year.

November 7

President Richard Nixon wins re-election defeating Democrat George McGovern in a landslide. In the build up to the election, the news is filled with stories of the Watergate break in. The Democratic National Committee was burglarized in the Watergate Hotel in DC and the word is out that one of the burglars was a member of the Committee to Re-Elect the President. Despite the accusations flying, Nixon wins easily over McGovern. The president has denied any knowledge of or involvement in the Watergate break in.

December 8

Jack rolls some angles in the R-5 for Major Mechanical Contractors. He enjoys the occasional respite of working in the Shop as opposed to his office work. This time it is simply to get the job done. With the holidays on their way, Jack doesn’t want any jobs hanging over past Christmas.

December 25

Christmas arrives at 447 N. Lakewood Avenue with the usual mix of family, food and presents for the kids. The tree is lit in the front room and there is garland and bits of cut-up tree over the piano. This was Betty’s idea. She had Jack buy a second tree and he cut it up. Betty then hung branches where she could. The Kavanagh’s have had a busy holiday so far. They visited Betty’s mother, Bernardine last night then attended midnight Mass. Jack and Betty have started the tradition of spending the Sunday before Christmas with Nannie and the rest of Betty’s family. To the kids, it’s like having two Christmases and for a child, that’s a dream come true. After the chaos and revelry that is opening presents for such a big family, Jack plays holiday music and some of his favorites on the piano. His children are gathered around him singing. The family singing around the piano is just as it was for his father’s family and his grandfather’s. Jack catches Betty’s eye and they share a secret smile. They both know how far they have come and how blessed they are to have this family. Jack goes back to playing and takes a fleeting look at his boys next to him, Jack Jr. and Joe. He doesn’t want them to grow up too fast but in his heart of hearts, he can’t wait for them to come to the Shop. It will happen. That’s how it is with the Kavanagh’s. As he did, so shall they. The circle will complete again with father and sons working together.

 

 

Richard Nixon is the President of the United States. Nixon visits China and the US begins selling grain to the Soviet Union. President Nixon and Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev sign the SALT treaty to limit strategic nuclear arms. The last American ground troops leave Vietnam. Protests against the war in Vietnam reach crowds of 100,000. Digital watches are first sold. HBO broadcasts for the first time. Atari produces and sells the first Pong game. The films “Deliverance,” “The Godfather” and “Pink Flamingos” are released. Shaquille O’Neal, Dwayne Johnson, Eminem, Chipper Jones and Mia Hamm are born. Mahalia Jackson, Walter Winchell,  J. Edgar Hoover, Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente die.

There are 50 states in the Union.

To read earlier years, click on the Table of Contents Link below:

Table of Contents

 

January 4

Jack Kavanagh Sr. returns to the Shop on Central Avenue along with his crew. The New Year’s holiday lead to a long weekend but now it is back to business. Jack’s father, Eddie, passed away last year and he is more on his own than he has ever been. He was running the Shop for all intents and purposes for the last fifteen years but Eddie was always there to consult. Jack must use his judgment now and his alone on the running of the Joseph Kavanagh Company. Mary Donnelly, his cousin, does own 50% of the business. She inherited it from her father as Jack did from his. She receives money each month for rent of the building. Mary and Jack get along well but she has nothing to do with the day-to-day of the business. Jack’s older brother, Ed, works for him but does not own any stake in the Shop. He was never interested in owning. Jack does have a good secretary, Julie, who mans the phones when Jack is out of the office, does the books and manages payroll. He also has a fine crew of eight men who are a mix of skilled old school coppersmiths and younger metalsmishts and helpers. The year starts with a few holdover jobs from 1970 and a handful of orders on the books. Overall, not a bad bit of work to come back to after the holidays.

January 12

On this chilly Tuesday night, Jack and Betty are taking in a new television program called “All in the Family.” It stars Carroll O’Connor and Jean Stapleton. It quickly becomes one of their favorites.

January 17

Americans tune in to watch Super Bowl #5. Jack and all of Baltimore are cheering on the Baltimore Colts who are facing the Dallas Cowboys. The Kavanagh’s and the rest of the City celebrate as the Colts win 16-13. Jack is exuberant and he leads the younger kids in cheers and a brief parade around the block banging pots, pans and anything they can find. Baltimore parties like the champions they are for both their baseball team and their football team have won it all.

January 29

Jack’s crew finishes a set of custom stainless steel adapters for Schaefer Brewery. They are made from 3” Pipe and required several bronze fittings and house couplings be made by John Benser, the Shop’s machinist. Jack drives to Schaefer himself to take some measurements and get a better idea of what they need. Four trips back and forth to the brewery are needed before the adapters are completed. The brewery parts and repair work has dropped slowly over the last several years but it remains one of their regular sources of work. Because the R-5 machine is working out so well for him, Jack has ordered another Roundo roller, an R-3, from the Comeq Co. This one is not as large as the R-5 but it will help with small diameter rings.

February 25

The R-5 is used today to curve some aluminum flat bars for Gar-Ron Plastics. The bars will be used in one of Gar-ron’s machines and it is another job that could not be done without the Roundo. Jack is waiting patiently to receive the new machine next month. He knows both these rollers will be money makers for the company.

March 1

The Shop’s crew spend most of the morning unloading and setting the new Roundo R-3 up for operation. It’s placed closer to the front of the Shop about twenty-five feet from the R-5. The machines both need at least that much clearance to load twenty foot lengths of material. Most steel is sold in twenty or forty foot sections. The Shop on Central Avenue is not wide enough to accommodate forty foot pieces and generally work with twenty foot sections. Jack guides his fellows as they stand and prep the roller but mostly he stays silent watching them closely but with a thoughtful gleam in his eye of how best to use this machine now that he has it.

March 29

Jack hangs up the phone in his small corner office. He called Warren Pardo of the J.C. Pardo & Sons Compnay to let him know a set of flat bars were ready for pick up. The bars were rolled in the R-5 by Mr. Wacker and a helper, Jerry Purnell. Jack’s been pleased with the year so far. They have stayed steady and both Roundo machines are being used on most days. These machines are much faster and easier to use than their old equipment. He continues to have Benser make tools whenever possible for both machines. Jack has something else on his mind today. With the winter over, Jack has to deal with his father’s house. After Eddie’s death, Jack and his brother Ed Jr. received the house and Jack has agreed to buy his brother’s half. Jack and Betty have discussed what to do about it, how to put it up for sale and if they know anyone who might be interested. They tabled the discussion until the spring and it’s here now so they must figure out what to do with the house at 434 N. Lakewood. Betty insists that before they do anything to sell it, it must be thoroughly cleaned from top to bottom.

April 7

The Orioles Opening Day is on this Wednesday and the Kavanagh’s are there. Jack leaves work at lunch after a pick up by General Ship Repair. They needed an emergency set of tubes to fix a heat exchanger. The exchanger is on a ship that is only docked for three days. Jack had to get this job finished and the crew did not let him down. He leaves his brother in charge and he drives Betty and the youngest four of the kids to the game. The 1970 World Series Championship Banner is raised and the crowd is hyped up for another good year. The team is basically the same and there are great hopes for another World Series run. The Birds win today beating the Washington Senators 3-2. Pitcher Dave McNally throws a good one and he gets the complete game victory.

May 29

With the school year ending, the Kavanagh girls spend a couple hours each day cleaning their grandfather’s old house. Daughter JoAnn recruits her friend Gina French to help out. The French’s live on the same block as Jack and Betty but at the other end. They are about ten doors from the Orleans street corner. The families have gotten to be friendly with the kids playing together. Tom and Angie French have six children, Joe, Gina, Tommy, Angie and Theresa who are twins and Ray. Ray is Joe Kavanagh’s age, just a month older, and they play together nearly every day.

June 20

A baseball/wiffle ball team called the RobinBlairSons is formed by Jack Jr. and Joe Kavanagh and Tommy and Ray French. They take the name from three Orioles players. Frank Robinson who is Tommy’s favorite player, Paul Blair who is Jack Jr. and Ray’s favorite player and Brooks Robinson who is Joe’s favorite. They play wiffle ball in the backyard, in the street and on the Jefferson Street side of the Kavanagh’s house. When they head to Ellwood or Patterson Parks, they play baseball. The Robin-Blair Sons take on all opponents they can find. Sometimes they are pick up games and other times it’s games against groups of boys from different blocks such as the Pep Boys and the Stricker Stars. Often, the foursome of the French and Kavanagh brothers will grab another several boys to play a bigger team but usually, it’s just the four. Joe and Ray are only six but they love the game of baseball. Their older brothers, Jack and Tommy, look out for them and help school them in hitting and fielding. By the end of the summer, the Robin-Blair Sons have jelled into a fine squad. They spend endless hours playing together, enjoying baseball and breaking a few windows in the neighborhood.

June 28

The summer has been a good one so far and the crew are working half-days on Saturday. They appreciate the extra hours and Jack likes being busy. Jack has passed the word to his customers about the new machine and the new tools they have and he is getting more and more rolling and bending jobs. The brewery and distillery customers are still calling and the combination of old customers and new keeps the volume of work strong. Twenty fittings are tinned today for Seagrams. Tinning is old school coppersmithing if anything is. Copper must be coated in tin to avoid poisoning when used for food or drink. It’s lunch pail work for a coppersmith and they’ve been tinning at the Shop for a century.

July 4

Independence Day is a warm Sunday this year and the Kavanagh’s celebrate as they usually do. A bushel of Maryland blue crabs are purchased and steamed and served with a variety of sides including corn on the cob and Betty’s potato salad. The entire family is on hand in this corner rowhouse that was nicely crowded when the kids were all young. Now with four of the girls being adults and adding two son-in-laws, the house feels a little packed and even louder than before. It’s fine with Jack and Betty. They wouldn’t have it any other way. They talk and listen to an afternoon ballgame on the radio as they crack claws and pull open the shells to get to the meat inside. The Birds have started well and are in first place in their division. They are in Detroit today playing the Tigers and they win another close one 3-2. First baseman Boog Powell and catcher Elrod Hendricks homer to support starter Mike Cuellar who goes the distance for the win. Crabs and baseball on a 4^th of July is very much a Kavanagh tradition. As afternoon turns to evening, they walk to Patterson Park and set down on a blanket to watch some fireworks. The park offers a good view of the exploding bright lights and many neighbors are scattered through the grass on blankets of their own.

July 8

Jack stands in the Shop with Jerry Purnell and another young worker, Bill Schmidt in the early afternoon. Purnell has been working for the Joseph Kavanagh Company for a couple of years and he’s learned a lot. Jack is giving him some training on the R-3, specifically how to roll angles. The Pittcon Company has ordered 7- 1 1/4” angles to be curved to an 8 ft. Dia. This size angle is too small for the R-5 and are a good test for the new machine. Jerry does very well and after the first three are rolled, Jack heads back into his office to call Pittcon and tell them the job will be ready tomorrow.

July 24

Tommy and Angie French have talked to Jack and Betty about 434 N. Lakewood. The house is a little bigger than their home now and they would love to move to Eddie’s old house. The Kavanagh’s are happy it is going to someone they know and like. Arrangements are made as the last of the cleaning is finished and the French’s will move in next month. They will rent at first but with intent to buy when they can.

July 31

Jack gives his crew a full week of paid vacation. It’s something his father would have never agreed with but in Jack’s mind, this is the best way for him to get a vacation in his favorite place, Ocean City. The crew are all pleased to get a week off during the hottest month of the year. Jack and Betty pack the car and drive across the Bay Bridge and to OC. They arrive very early on Saturday morning and leave the following Sunday. It is a very fun week for the kids. It is full of fishing, crabbing, amusements, arcades and the beach. Jack and Betty love this town and they relish every moment there together and with the children. They begin to think they would love to find a way to buy a place of their own in Ocean City instead of renting every year. A place they can visit during the summer and a home for their retirement some day.

August 9

After a nice vacation, its back to the corner of Pratt and Central for Jack and his crew. Jack, his brother and the rest of the boys catch up on what everyone did during the week off. Jack has already decided to make this a yearly tradition and he does it for himself but also for his men. He enjoys the break and the time with Betty and the kids. He knows it is the same for them. They want and deserve some time with their families.

August 12

The Shop’s phone has been ringing off the hook this week. Jack let his customers know they were going to be closed and now jobs that were needed last week are very hot this week including an order for some sprayer tubes for the Fountain Craft Company. Fountain Craft makes fountains for businesses, residences and public buildings. This sort of work is old fare for the Kavanagh’s who have been making parts and tubes for fountains for generations. The tubes are knocked out in five hours and will be picked up first thing in the morning.

September 6

September is back to school time for Jack and Betty’s children. Jackie and JoAnn are still in Catholic High, Jackie a Senior and JoAnn a Freshman. The youngest three, Ann, Jack and Joe are at St. Elizabeth’s where their sisters and father attended. Ann is in sixth grade, Jack in the fourth while little Joe starts first grade.

September 17

Jack’s secretary Julie informs him that she must stop working at the end of the year. She has an older family member she needs to care for. Jack understands and wishes her the best. He relies on Julie when he is out in the Shop and particularly on those few occasions when he is not at work at all. She has a sister who she recommends and Jack is thrilled. He had no idea how he would replace Julie. Her sister, Helen Glodek will start in the new year. A relieved Jack walks into the Shop to check on a job for Koppers Fabricators, a small order of bent copper tubes.

September 19

Jack attends the Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Colts home opener along with his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Bumpsey and Shirley Crew. It’s a raucous celebration to welcome the champs home and the crowd cheers to see another banner raised at Memorial Stadium. The Colts get a little revenge for their loss in the Super Bowl two years ago by beating the New York Jets 21-0. Baltimore fans are excited for another good year. With the Orioles having clinched their division and the Colts starting well, the City is in a sports-crazed frenzy. Expectations are high for both clubs.

October 5

For a third year in a row, the Orioles sweep the American League Championship Series winning three in a row. This year they face the Oakland Athletics. Baltimore will be going on to face the NL champion Pittsburgh Pirates. Confidence is high in Baltimore as the Orioles are led by one of the best starting pitching staffs in baseball. They boast four 20 game winners, Jim Palmer, Mike Cuellar, Dave McNally and Pat Dobson. No pitching staff since the 1920 Chicago White Sox has had such a foursome.

October 17

The Baltimore Orioles lose the World Series to the Pittsburgh Pirates in seven games. It’s a very even series with the first six games won by the home team. The Birds lose game 7 in Baltimore and the Pirates are champs. The Kavanagh’s go to all four games at Memorial Stadium, the first two and the last two and it’s a bitter finale to watch for them. Jack assures his children that you win some, you lose some. He tells them we should still be proud of the team making it to the World Series for three years in a row. There’s always next year and he hopes they can get there again.

October 22

A mix of brewery parts for National, several sets for angle rings and a large order of bent pipes for F. H. Klaunberg are the focus of the Shop’s crew today. The pipes for Klaunberg are bent in the Pines Bender while both Roundo machines are used on the angle jobs. Jack’s men work hard for him and he knows it. He’s fair and doesn’t ask anything of them he wouldn’t do himself. He’s a much easier man to work for than his father and at least the older workers know that themselves. Jack has put together a very strong and efficient crew.

November 27

It’s the Saturday after Thanksgiving and the Kavanagh’s visit Aunt Anna, Sister Mary Agnes, at the Visitation Convent on Roland Park Avenue. Aunt Anna is Jack’s father’s sister and the family makes a point of seeing her once or twice every month and always close to the holidays. Betty purchases some small things for her. Toiletries and such but mostly they talk about the family, the kids, the Shop and how Aunt Anna’s teaching is going. She loves being an educator and works at the Visitation’s school. She’s the last Kavanagh of her generation now and the oldest Kavanagh.

December 2

Jack is stunned to hear on the news that Frank Robinson has been traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He shakes his head at this one as Frank is the player who made the difference in taking the Birds to a higher level of play. He’s one of the best but Jack knows it’s baseball. Trades happen and you have to live with it. His boys, Jack and Joe, are disappointed and they discuss it with their friends, the French boys. They decide to keep the name, Robin-Blair Sons. They still have Brooks and Paul Blair plus they all decide to remain fans of Frank Robinson. He did so much for the team. They can’t stop rooting for him.

December 24

Jack creeps down the hall in the bright plastic red suit intent on granting his youngest son’s Christmas wish. He leans over Joe’s bed and the boy’s eyes flutter open. They recognize Santa and nearly bug out of his head and he sits bolt up.

“Santa!” Mr. Claus places a finger over Joe’s mouth and hushes him.

“Don’t wake anyone up. You have to be quiet.” Jack looks over at his older son Jack Jr. who is sawing wood pretty good in the bed closer to the window.

Joe whispers to Santa quickly. “I knew you would come see me. I told my Mom that most of all I wanted to see you tonight. The real Santa not just at a store.”

“Ho Ho Ho!” Jack chuckles softly. “Well, I wanted to say hi to you but now you have to go to sleep. I can’t leave anything if you are awake now. Can I?”

Joe smiles brightly up at Santa Claus.”Okay. I know you are busy. Thanks for coming to see me.”

“You’re welcome and merry Christmas, Joe.” Jack grins under the white beards and once he is sure Joe is back to sleep, he tiptoes back to his room. Moments later, he and Betty are carrying gifts down the stairs and assembling what will be the Kavanagh Christmas morning.

December 25

It’s Christmas Day at the Kavanagh’s house and there will be presents, food and family. Jack and Betty took the kids to midnight mass at St. Elizabeth’s last night. They like the idea of being home for the holiday and the late night mass is quite beautiful and very much in the Christmas tradition. Since they do not have to head to mass, Jack sits and watches a holiday film or two with the children while Betty stays busy cooking and fretting over the house. While watching “March of the Wooden Soldiers,” Jack’s mind is on the Colts who have made the playoffs and will face the Cleveland Browns tomorrow His hopes for a victory will be rewarded and the Colts will move on to the AFC Championship game in January. He looks about the room with Betty bustling about, kids setting the table and someone constantly going up and down the stairs. Jack thinks back to all the Christmases they have celebrated here. It’s been over twenty years since they moved to 447 N. Lakewood. His oldest girls are growing up. Betty Ann is in graduate school in DC, Nancy has graduated from college and moved to Denver, Colorado with her husband Jim, Mary is married to Handy and they have an apartment while they look for a house and Jane is working at C & P Telephone and she is looking for an apartment of her own. Jack can’t believe how they have grown. Nancy and Jim won’t be here today and it will be the first time one of the kids isn’t home for Christmas but Jack and Betty knew it would happen. The older girls are adults now and have lives of their own. Jack is content but he hopes the other five stay kids as long as they can. In the late morning, Betty Ann, Mary and Handy arrive and dinner is served at noon A turkey is roasted with all the trimmings, parsnips included and sauerkraut, a Baltimore tradition. The dining room table is made longer with a fold up table they keep in the basement and a card table at the end for the kids. The meal never goes fast enough for the youngest of the Kavanagh’s but when it is done, they retire to the front room with its piles of gifts, brightly lit tree and garland and holly. Jack and Betty love this time as the kids’ eyes widen with each open present. They seem to always get what they wanted the most and no one ever feels slighted somehow. With a family of nine children, you might think that would happen but not on the corner of Lakewood and Jefferson. The room is filled with torn and balled up wrapping paper soon and Betty calls for a mass clean up. The kids spread around the house taking a closer look at the goodies they have received. They will all gather again for supper and then around the piano for music. Christmas carols, Irish tunes and old classics are played by Jack while the rest of them sing along. Jack is at his happiest with his hands on the keys of a piano and his family about him. He can relax and enjoy it all. The house on Lakewood Avenue is filled with song and merriment just like the Kavanagh homes of old. Even as far back as Albemarle Street where they lived long ago.

 

 

Richard Nixon is the President of the United States. The New York Times publishes the Pentagon Papers. Protests against the War in Vietnam continue to grow across the nation. A Harris Polls states that 60% of the country are against the War. A revolt breaks out at Attica Prison resulting in 42 deaths. The 26^th Amendment goes into effect lowering the voting age to 18. The Uniform Monday Holiday Act is passed making certain federal holidays always occur on a Monday. The Libertarian Party is established. Email and the floppy disk are invented. Satchel Paige becomes the first Negro League player voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Walt Disney World and the first Starbucks open. The films “Shaft,” “Dirty Harry,” and “the French Connection” are released. Tupac Shakir, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Lance Armstrong, Pete Sampras and Kristi Yamaguchi are born. Thomas Dewey, Igor Stravinsky, Louis Armstrong and Jim Morrison die.

There are 50 states in the Union.

To read prior years, click on the Table of Contents link below:

Table of Contents

January 4

The Shop’s start to the year is good with work on the books and more quoted. They are not busy but definitely steady. Jack Kavanagh Sr. splits time between his small corner office and the Shop proper. His secretary, Julie helps him a great deal handling the billing, payroll and taking messages for him through the day. Today, the old roller and the Leonard Air Bender are both used on a project for the Ken Hammond Co. Several tubes need to be bent and rolled but are fairly simple and despite using both machines, the job is finished in quick order. The rest of Jack’s crew are busy prepping for a repair at National Brewery. A copper line must be repaired and the workers are making some necessary fittings, couplings and three sections of copper sheet to be used as patches. The sheet is annealed and rolled so it can be soldered on site to stop any leaks they find. Jack has a crew of eight including his brother, Ed Jr., working for him and he also has a new machine on the way. It is in town but is on display at an industrial show at the Civic Center. The Shop purchased it from Comeq and part of the deal is to allow them to use it for promotion at the show. Jack agreed after Comequ offered to knock $400.00 off the price. It was well worth it to Jack and they will only have to pay a small shipping fee from the Civic Center to 201 S. Central Avenue. At his home, Jack and wife Betty are nearly as busy with nine kids, most in school and two of his daughters getting married this year.

January 12

Several men are working on a set of copper u-bends for Harvey Stambaugh & Sons and the rest are assisting in unloading and placing the R-5 Roundo Angle Rolling Machine. It’s green and very new in this old Shop on Central Avenue. Jack is excited. He is certain he can take on bigger rolling jobs and it will make rolling angles for flanges and stiffeners much easier. Jack makes plans to have John Benser make pipe and tube dies for this new machine. Jack orders some extra steel angles because they will need to practice. The machine comes with a supporting attachment called a guide roller. It is used to keep the angle’s leg straight while rolling and it is something they will have to figure out how to use.

January 13

The crew of the Joseph Kavanagh Company are busy with a set of tubes for a Universal Machine job. It’s a set of thin wall 3 5/8” Dia. tubes that need to be filled and rolled. While the men work, the talk of the day is about the Super Bowl. The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Minnesota Vikings for the championship of the NFL. Just like last year, the outcome is very much a surprise. The Vikings were expected to win easily. The discussion of current events and often sports does help the time pass and it’s common at the Shop. The men focus on the job but can still chat and go over the game. The tubes from Universal are filled with rosin in order to maintain the tube’s shape. During the bending process if a tube is thin it has a tendency to buckle or collapse, the rosin supports the tube from the inside and keeps it round. It’s a labor intensive process but it works. The only other solution is a heavier wall tube and most often weight constraints eliminate that possibility. It’s a long job but a welcome one in the winter with several days in a row of heat being thrown from torches in the cold old Shop.

February 10

John Benser has been busy making rollers for the new Roundo machine. This rolling machine has a great deal of power and can bend things faster than their old one. The more tools they have, the more they can do in the R-5. Jack is already convinced this is a good investment.  Meanwhile Jack’s father has finally agreed to allow nurses into his home. He had a bout of flu and it was difficult getting him to the doctor. He will have a daily nurse check in and Betty will still cook for him and take care of his house; she is Eddie’s primary caregiver. He has emphysema and it seems to be getting worse.

February 16

Jack reads the newspaper at his desk and sees that Don Shula has resigned as Head Coach of the Baltimore Colts. He takes a job coaching the Miami Dolphins. The Colts promote Offensive Back Field Coach Don McCafferty to Head Coach. The league has re-aligned as well and the Colts are now in the newly formed AFC East Division. Jack is hopeful they don’t miss Shula too much and the team can still compete.

February 22

It’s late on a Sunday evening and Jack has finished watching the news and heads up to bed. Betty is under the covers already but with a yellow pad on her lap. She’s going over the arrangements for Mary’s wedding and the plans to fly the family to Pittsburgh for Nancy’s wedding. Handy and Mary are getting married on August 1 and Jim and Nancy will be married on May 30. Presently, Betty is busy running her crowded household of nine kids and her husband,  but now she is also involved in planning a wedding and traveling to another. Handy Brandenburg has been staying with Jack and Betty in their basement. He doesn’t have the money for a place of his own yet and Mary’s parents were happy to have him stay with them. As long as things are on the up and up of course. Jack quickly changes his clothes and gets into bed with his wife.

“So, hon, we are flying to Pittsburgh for a wedding in May and having a wedding here with several hundred people in August. Is that the plan?” Jack inquires of his wife.

Betty removes her glasses for a moment, “Yes, dear. That’s the plan. I am sure it will all go smoothly.” She smiles and leans over to kiss his cheek.

“In this family? Smoothly? Who do you think you’re talking to?” Jack raises an eyebrow.

Betty chuckles softly. “Well, close to smoothly anyway. We have to buy these airline tickets and get rooms at the Hilton in Pittsburgh.” She sighs. “Now, Mary’s is a lot more planning. Handy’s family are coming into town at the end of July so we’ll have to make sure they have their hotel room. YOU have to decide what customers and Shop guys we are inviting, by the way.” She nudges Jack gently.

“I will. I will. It doesn’t have to be too many but I do want it to be a nice party. I’ll figure all that out and get you a list.” Jack pulls the covers up close to fight off the February chill. “I do have one question, Betty.”

She places the yellow pad on the nightstand along with her glasses. “Go ahead. What’s the question?”

“When these two girls are married. Is somebody gonna move out of this house?” Jack turns his eyes to her.

Betty laughs again. “Yes, Jack. I am sure they will move out.” She pauses. “Eventually.”

It’s Jack’s turn to chuckle a bit. “Okay. Fine. I believe you. I always believe you.”

“As you should.” Betty smiles over at him.

“Of course.” Jack’s eyes meet hers. “You’re my girl, Betty, and everybody knows it.”

Jack switches the light off and they get a night’s sleep before the start of a winter’s week.

March 11

Two 5” Pipes are rolled for Monumental Supply Company. Monumental sells pipe and other construction supplies and some customers need bent pipes. These two are rolled to 90 degrees on a 5 ft. Radius and are to be used as elbows on a blower pipe for a grain silo. Jack and his crew have bent a few of these large silo blow pipes over the last few years. Slowly but surely, the Kavanagh’s are getting a reputation for their bending capabilities.

March 17

While Betty is doing some dishes at her father-in-law’s house, Eddie is in the backyard on a sunny warm spring Tuesday with his grandson Joe. Eddie puffs on his cigar while occasionally tossing a ball to Joe.

“My Dad sure works a lot. I think he likes it. He has fun at the Shop. I wish I could go to work with him.” Joe chases after the bouncing ball.

Eddie chuckles and takes a draw on his stogie. “Your father? Yes, maybe he does like it, but most people don’t have fun at work. I didn’t.” He pulls the cigar from his mouth and gazes up the alley toward Jefferson Street.

“But I will work with my Dad right?” Joe holds the ball in his hand and follows Eddie’s eyes to see what he is looking at.

“Of course. As he worked for me and I for my father and he his uncle before him. That’s how we do it.” He took another puff then blew it out. “Not for a while yet though, Joe, don’t worry.” He grinned a toothy smile for a flash of a moment.

Joe ponders his words for a second. “So you worked for your father gran- I mean Eddie?”

The old man’s eyes narrow for a second then he chooses to ignore the near grandpa slip. “Yes I did.”

“Did you have fun? Did you like it?” The young Joe asked.

Eddie pauses, cigar in hand. He sat still on the backyard steps and remained so for several moments until Joe thought he might have fallen asleep. “No, I didn’t have fun but I liked it.” Joe looks up at his grandfather who seems lost in some faraway thought or memory. Before Joe can reply, his mother calls him into the house. It’s time to head home across the street. Joe bids his grandfather goodbye and Eddie returns to thoughts of his father from many years ago.

April 10

It’s a beautiful Spring Friday and it’s opening day in Baltimore. Jack is sneaking out a little early from the Shop, leaving Ed in charge for a couple hours. He’s taking Betty, JoAnn, Ann and the boys to the game. The Birds have started hot, winning their first three on the road in Cleveland. Today they host the Detroit Tigers and keep winning. It takes a little longer but in the bottom of the tenth, Brooks Robinson singles home Frank Robinson to give the Orioles a 3-2 win. Spirits are high in the City and the fans are hoping for a good season and a chance at redemption after last year’s World Series loss.

April 14

The new R-5 machine is working out well for the Kavanagh’s. Jack and Mr. Wacker have spent as many hours as possible learning all they can. The Shop has received several orders for angle flanges to roll and each time they use it, Jack and his crew get a little better.

April 22

Betty takes her youngest, Joe, to lunch today. She has her Uncle John pick them up in his cab and they drive to Light Street downtown. They are eating at the Playboy Club. Jack is a Key Card member and he and Betty go there occasionally for a nice dinner and to see a good singer or a comedian. They take the kids along once or twice too but Betty particularly enjoys lunching with Joe there. She’s taken him a few times and the bunnies love him. When they come in the door, a few of the girls come right over and say hi. They hug and hold the small boy and ask Betty how everyone is doing. It’s a swanky place at night but a little more low key during the day. It’s still fancy and proper attire is required. The food is good and Betty and her Joe have a nice lunch.

May 23

On this Saturday afternoon, The Kavanagh’s are back at Memorial Stadium. Jack fills the car with a cooler and a basket of Betty’s fried chicken. They take the four youngest kids out to the Orioles game.  The Birds are playing the Boston Red Sox and win 3-0 behind the outstanding pitching of Jim Palmer. The Orioles are making an early run at the Pennant,  jumping into first place in the Eastern Division with a lead of over six games already.

May 30

Jack and Betty’s daughter Nancy’s wedding is in Pittsburgh. Jack and the family fly to Pennsylvania to celebrate with Nancy and Jim and the O’Neill’s. Jim comes from a large Irish family just like Nancy and the families get along well. Jim has four sisters and a brother. Betty was a little concerned they were getting married too fast but after meeting Jim’s family, Jack is convinced it’s a good thing and Betty’s worries are assuaged. The ceremony is held at the Chapel at Duquesne University where the couple are studying. Afterward, the reception is at the Hilton Hotel. JoAnn, Ann, Jack and Joe find a great deal of entertainment riding up and down the elevators through the day to the chagrin of staff. The party is fun and Jack and Betty are very proud to see Nancy marry Jim. He’s a good fellow and they like him. He’s welcomed into the Kavanagh clan with open arms.

June 11

Jack loves this new Roundo roller and it does indeed keep the angles’ legs straight and very flat as well. Today it is used to roll 6- 3” X 3” X 3/8” thick steel angles into 4 ft. Dia. flanges for Codd Fabricators. Jack will try to spread the word about this new machine’s capabilities to as many of his customers as he can.

July 20

The Shop’s crew labor through a hot summer day on the corner of Pratt and Central. Several custom bronze flanges are fabricated for Schaefer Brewery along with a fountain sprayer tube and a set of rings for Universal Machine. The front garage doors are open all day in search of any breeze that might come through. Breaks are taken at the door and lunch is eaten there. That elusive bit of wind can change the day in an instant. The old Shop can be stifling in the heat. It’s so closed in but a bit of air makes the difference.

August 1

Mary Kavanagh weds Handy Brandenburg at St. Elizabeth’s of Hungary Church. The Brandenburg’s came into town several days earlier and everyone gets along well and they are all ready to celebrate this union of the two families. Mary’s sisters are bridesmaids while young Joe is the ring bearer. The reception is at the Overlea Hall on Belair Road. It’s a very nice party with several hundred guests including some Shop employees and some of their customers as well. Jack and Betty are so proud as they watch a second daughter marry this year. They like Handy and they are very pleased to have him join the family officially.

August 6

The now annual vacation to Ocean City starts today. It will be a long four day weekend at the beach with fishing, crabbing and swimming. The nights will be spent at the penny arcades and eating Thrasher’s Fries and soft ice cream on the boardwalk. One day is spent at Jolly Roger’s Amusement Park. The Kavanagh’s and Betty’s family, the Crew’s squeeze a summer’s worth of fun into this brief trip.

August 28

Eddie is in the hospital for a few days. His breathing is getting worse and he has been admitted to Bon Secours Hospital. His breathing is labored and he is feeling very weak. Jack takes his boys up to see Eddie at the hospital in the hopes of lifting his spirits. It works, but only for as long as they are present. The doctors have some bad news. Eddie is diagnosed with stomach cancer. It’s not terminal but combined with the emphysema, things will be tough for him. He returns home as soon as he gets some strength back but he is still very tired. Jack discusses his father with Betty. He is very worried as is she but there is not much that can be done at least until Eddie gets a little stronger.

September 8

Jack drives JoAnn, Ann, Little Jack and Joe to school. The youngest Joe is to start in kindergarten at St. Elizabeth’s. He’s so small Jack thinks as he watches him walk toward school hand in hand with his sister Ann. JoAnn is in 8^th grade and soon will join sister Jackie in Catholic High. Ann is in 5^th grade and Jack Jr. is in second. Jack Sr. can’t believe his littlest is already here in school where all his older siblings have gone, where Jack himself attended forty years ago.

September 19

The Kavanagh’s attend a Saturday ballgame at Memorial Stadium. The Orioles have clinched the division title and are prepping for the playoffs. They lose tonight 4-2 to the Indians but the fans don’t care. Manager Weaver rested a few starters and everyone has their eye on the playoffs ahead. The team and its fans have been clamoring for a return to the World Series. That bad taste of last year’s loss still lingers. Baltimore wants redemption and so do the Birds.

September 28

It’s the Colts home opener but Jack is not at the game. It’s being held on a Monday night this year as the NFL has reached a deal with ABC Television to present something called Monday Night Football. One game a week will be featured, played and broadcast live to the nation. ABC announcers chosen for these games are Keith Jackson, Don Meredith and Howard Cosell. The Colts host the Super Bowl champion Chiefs and get beat badly, 44-24.

October 3

A busy October day is spent on some fittings for Carling’s Brewery, some parts for Seagrams Distillery, a set of angle flanges and on a sailboat mast. The Shop has always received walk-in jobs from individuals, not just companies. This is the case with the mast. A gentleman named D. J. Osias walks in the door and brings his aluminum mast in to Central Avenue. It was bent in a storm and he needs it straightened. Jack explains he can never get it perfectly straight but he can get close. The customer thinks that will be good enough and it is. The mast is straightened and Mr. Osias sails away after paying the bill.

October 5

The 2^nd American league Championship Series is a repeat of the first with the Orioles sweeping three games from the Minnesota Twins to win the Pennant. It is on to the Series where they will face the Cincinnati Reds, National League Champions.

October 15

The Baltimore Orioles win the World Series defeating the Cincinnati Reds in five games and they are led by Brooks Robinson. Brooks bats a lofty .462 in the Series and makes great defensive play after defensive play. Brooks is a long time fan favorite in Baltimore. After this Series, he becomes Mr. Oriole. He has been with the franchise for 15 years. His level of play and his demeanor enamored fans to him long ago. Now he has etched his name in Baltimore baseball lore forever. Nearly every baseball loving youth of the 60s and 70s in Baltimore, makes Brooks their favorite player including young Joe Kavanagh. Jack watches the first two games with Eddie at 434 N. Lakewood. They have made a point of watching any Series games they can and these are both weekend games. They love watching together and going over the details of each play. Despite Eddie’s health concerns, they enjoy the father and son time. Jack takes Betty and the kids to the next three at home. Each day, he leaves his brother in charge of the Shop and heads home just after lunch to get to the ballpark. The last game is a 9-3 drubbing of the Reds. The fans are celebrating early and all the way up until the final out. Then Memorial Stadium turns to pandemonium as the Baltimore Orioles are World Series Champions again.

October 19

Eddie Kavanagh Sr. falls in his home on Lakewood Avenue and breaks his hip. He is taken to Bon Secours Hospital and admitted. Jack is very worried for his father. He has been getting weaker and weaker and a broken hip is a bad thing for a senior citizen.

October 26

Edward M. Kavanagh dies at Bon Secours Hospital. He had surgery yesterday to repair his hip and passed while in recovery. Jack is upset but knows his father lived a good long life passing at the age of seventy-six. He and Betty set to calling relatives and Eddie’s union and business friends. Eddie worked at the Shop for over 50 years, the longest tenure of any employee. He was also trained by Frank Kavanagh, the last man trained by the original Joseph M. Kavanagh. Eddie brought the Union into the Shop and shepherded them through the Depression and Prohibition. He was a tough man. A man who had trouble expressing his feelings. Those around him were held to a high standard much like he was held to by his father. He loved his family, his wife and his boys. Eddie was very lost after Annie died and became silent and withdrawn. He was proud of the Shop and the work of his family for generations and was a very skilled coppersmith. He is buried on Friday October 30 at New Cathedral Cemetery along with so many Kavanagh’s who have come before him. The funeral is held at his parish church, St. Elizabeth’s of Hungary. Family, friends, business associates and union brothers are on hand. Eddie was a long time member of the Knights of Columbus and there is a color guard representing them. Jack Jr. carries his Knights of Columbus sword up the aisle following Eddie’s coffin. A somber day but a memory of a long full life.

November 11

A stainless steel scraper is made at the Shop today for Schaefer Brewery. Ed Jr. does the work on this job. He hammers and shapes a sheet of stainless steel to match a provided sample. After the scraper is finished, Charlie Owens delivers it to the brewery but he forgets to get the delivery ticket signed. He has to return to Schaefer for that and this is noted on the time card. He takes a good bit of ribbing from the crew especially Ed. They don’t like any waste of hours bur Charlie is a veteran worker and it was a mistake. That won’t stop them from kidding him about it for the next month or so.

December 18

Several stainless steel boxes are made for National Brewery by Jack’s crew. They are boxes used for catching residue and anything that might find its way into the beer. The boxes have mesh screens inside to facilitate this. The crew are a little distracted with the approaching holidays. It is typical for this time of year. The work gets done but thoughts are on family, presents, parties and time off.

December 25

It is Christmas morning at 447 N. Lakewood Avenue. The kids parade down the steps not daring to look left into the front room where the tree and gifts are. Stockings are pulled down and emptied with excitement as the big day is finally here. After breakfast, the Kavanagh’s head out the back door, again not passing through the front room, and drive to St. Elizabeth’s. After Christmas Mass, they return for a turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Dinner is about noon and afterward the group heads into the front parlor with the tree and presents are distributed. It’s been a bittersweet year for the family, the Birds have won it all and the Colts have made the playoffs. They are AFC East champions and will face the Cincinnati Bengals tomorrow in the playoffs. The Colts will win this game 17-0 and advance to the AFC Championship game in January. Jack and Betty gained two son-in-laws this year but Jack lost his father. They were close in the sense that besides being father and son they worked together day in and day out for nearly thirty years. A son working for father then son working with father then son running business and father advising. Eddie could be a tough man with high expectations and he rarely hesitated to speak his mind but he loved his family. He loved his boys.  Eddie was a hard-working man who instilled that mentality in his sons. He was difficult as a person at times, resolute in his ideas and strong-willed. Still, he was a great leader and a skilled smith. Eddie was one of the best at distillery work and had a keen knowledge of the workings of these alcohol systems. He had experience with them obviously but he also had understanding and that made him very talented. He could work a torch and a hammer with the best of them. Eddie was responsible for the Shop going Union. He resigned and moved to Philadelphia to force his father Joe’s hand on this. Eddie was a very strong Union man who believed in the working man. He believed despite owning a business, he was still a working man, a tradesman even, and he felt a brotherhood with those workers. He was a devout Catholic and active in the Church. He was a 4^th degree in the Knights of Columbus and always supportive of his parish. To the Kavanagh’s he was a son, a brother, a father and grandfather. He loved a good cigar, the sound of a piano, a ball game and the occasional glass of rye. Eddie was also the final connection to the original Joseph M. Kavanagh. He was in fact, the last Kavanagh to have known Old Uncle Joe.

 

 

Richard Nixon is the President of the United States. The US invades Cambodia in an effort to end the War in Vietnam. Four students are killed and nine wounded at Kent State when Ohio National Guardsmen fire on demonstrators. The first Earth Day is held. Cigarette ads are banned on television. The first two American women become generals, Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth Hoisington. The voting age is lowered to eighteen. America’s Top Forty premiers on radio hosted by Casey Kasem. The comic strip, Doonesbury begins publication. OSHA becomes law. The EPA is founded. The Beatles break up. The films “MASH,” “Patton” and “Woodstock” are released.  Queen Latifah, Tina Fey, Andre Agassi, Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Matt Damon are born. Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Rube Goldberg die.

There are 50 states in the Union.

To read prior years, click on the Table of Contents link below:

Table of Contents

 

 

 

 

 

January 2

The Shop starts the year with some work on the books but not much of a backlog. Jack and his crew of eight men work on their usual mix of brewery and distillery parts and bent pipes and tubes to boilers and fabrications jobs. Jack is forty-four and he has been running the Joseph Kavanagh Company for a few years now after his father finally took a full retirement.

January 12

The Colts lose the Super Bowl to the upstart New York Jets. Jack and most of Baltimore are watching and they can’t believe it. The Colts were heavily favored even with star quarterback Johnny Unitas out for most of the year after a preseason injury. Back up Earl Morrall did a great job all year but can’t get much going offensively in the Super Bowl. At halftime, Coach Don Shula replaces Morrall with Unitas in hopes of jump starting the team. It doesn’t work and Baltimore loses to New York 16-7.

January 20

The Shop completes a set of steel tubes for the Maryland Cup Company. The tubes are thin wall and need to be annealed, filled and rolled to maintain their roundness. It’s lots of welcome torch work for a few cold days in January. After the tubes are annealed, rosin must be melted and poured into them and then they sit for a day. The rosin hardens and supports the tube’s shape. After bending, they are melted back out and it’s more fire being used on Central Avenue. The crew are working hard but today they love the heat.

February 17

Jack is surprised when he reads in the Baltimore Sun that four hundred baseball players are boycotting Spring Training. They are demanding an increase of owners’ contribution to players’ pension funds.  That makes sense to Jack but he still can’t imagine having an issue when your job is playing baseball. He’d give almost anything for that. He quickly realized that he is looking at it from a romanticized view. These men still have families and children. They do have to retire eventually and having something to live on is only natural. He also realizes the owners are certainly making plenty of money. For a moment, he wonder what his father thinks. Eddie has always been a mad baseball fan but also a strong union/labor rights man. When he thinks of his father, he becomes distracted. Jack has been trying to convince Eddie to have a nurse stop in daily to help him and check his health. Eddie has the money to afford it but he thinks with Betty stopping over a couple of times a day, there is no need. She takes good care of him and she cleans and cooks his meals. Jack knows a nurse would be better as his father’s health is not great. He has emphysema but still smokes cigars. Also, Jack wants Betty to have a break. Even with most of the kids at school, her hands are full and three or four trips across the street only make it worse. Eddie will not relent and a nurse is a no go so far. Jack will keep trying to convince him. He looks back at the newspaper and his thoughts return to baseball. He skims the article again. No matter what happens, he hopes it doesn’t impact the season and happily it doesn’t. Nine days later, the changes and improvements are made to the players retirement fund and baseball will go on as usual.

February 19

Today some stainless steel tubes are bent for E. A. Kaestner Company. The crew have some trouble bending these and it takes more time than anticipated. Jack makes a note on the job record that he was busy on several other jobs and was unable to give enough supervision on this one. He was also on the phone a lot today as they have received some repair work for Schaefer Brewery and the details were being worked out. The tubes are finished and a rod needs to be machined by John Benser on one of the lathes in the second floor machine shop. They use this rod to plug drive the tubes and return them to the required shape. Afterward, the tubes are cleaned and they are finally picked up and out of the Shop.

March 3

Sirhan Sirhan admits to shooting and killing Bobby Kennedy in a Los Angeles, California courtroom.

March 10

James Earl Ray pleads guilty to murdering Martin Luther King in Memphis, Tennessee. In the space of a week, the two men charged with the assassinations of last year admit to their involvement and guilt. There remain questions on both counts as to why and how they were able to do it. There will be no Warren Commission to sort out what happened in these two cases so those questions, concerns and theories linger on despite both assassins admitting their guilt.

March 19

Jack is home sick in bed for a day. He has the flu and takes a very rare day off. He calls the Shop and gives some instructions to Julie, his secretary. She passes them on to his brother Ed who gives the crew their assignments. Jack is always at the Shop so it’s a strange day in the place and stranger still for Jack. After dinner while he is still in bed, Mary and her boyfriend Handy Brandenburg knock on the bedroom door and want to talk to him. Handy informs Jack that he has asked Mary to marry him.

Jack pauses then looks from Handy to Mary. “What did she say?”

“I said yes.” his daughter answers.

“Well, let me explain the Kavanagh marriages to you.” Jack turns to Handy. “You need a new car, $5000 in the bank and a steady job.” The room goes silent and Handy’s mind goes to his old Chrysler which is a point in his favor because Jack is a Chrysler man He just graduated from Ohio State and does have a job but no money. Jack smiles to break the quiet. “Of course if you love each other you can forget those other things.” They laugh and cry and Jack and Betty will gain a son-in-law next year.

.March 28

Jack watches the evening news and hears that former President Eisenhower has died after a long illness. Jack and the family pray for Eisenhower and his family. Despite being a lifelong Democrat, Jack liked Ike. He was a great leader in World War 2 commanding all Allied Forces and in the White House he presided over a simpler time in America.

April 8

On this Tuesday, Jack takes his kids to Memorial Stadium for the Orioles Opening Day. It’s a different baseball season this year. Each league has been divided into two divisions. The Orioles are in the American League Eastern Division now along with the Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers, Indians and Senators. The winners of each division will play each other in a League Championship Series at the end of the season. The champions from the American and National Leagues will then face off in the World Series. Today’s game is a twelve extra inning affair that doesn’t go the Birds’ way and they lose 5-4 to the Boston Red Sox. The Kavanagh’s are undaunted. Jack, his kids and most of Baltimore are expecting big things from their team this year. They had a rough start to last season but new manager Earl Weaver lit a fire under them and they finished strong. A full season under Weaver’s leadership should lead to success.

April 30

The breweries are keeping 201 S. Central Avenue busy. They have had orders from Carling, Schaefer and now National Breweries. An aluminum dipstick is fabricated and engraved today. The dipstick is a measuring stick that must be engraved with gallon marks. The brewery furnishes dimensions for placement of each gallon mark and Charlie Owens and Benser do the job.

May 9

Today is a special day in the Lakewood Avenue/Patterson Park neighborhood where the Kavanagh’s live. They attend St. Elizabeth’s Church and School at the corner of Lakewood and Baltimore with Patterson Park directly across from the Church. The annual May Procession to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary is held on this day. There is a parade from the church to the park and back. There is much singing and a crown of flowers is placed on the head of the statue of Mary. This year, first grader Jack Kavanagh is a page in the festivities. His parents are so proud. They were very excited when their daughter Betty Ann was chosen as May Queen several years ago and now are equally happy to see Jack Jr. chosen as a page. The pages escort the May Queen and hold her train during the procession. Little Jack looks so cute in his page outfit. Neighbors and parishioners line the street of the parade route. They join in the songs and snap pictures as the kids go by. Betty makes a point of taking some pictures herself this year. It’s a wonderful tradition in the parish and is a way of welcoming Spring.

May 15

Several 1 1/2” Steel pipes are curved for Jensen Manufacturing Co. The Shop has received several orders from Jensen this year for bent pipes and tubes. Jensen fabricates machines of various types and the equipment occasionally requires some bent parts. In addition, a very large railing that covers several sections of a large garden are rolled from brass tubes and Ed Kavanagh and a helper have started some small repairs at Calvert Distillery.

June 7

Jack and the family head to a ball game on this Saturday with the Orioles hosting the Seattle Pilots. The games is a romp as the Birds win 10-0 behind the stellar pitching of right-hander Jim Palmer who throws a complete game shut out. The offense is led by Brooks Robinson who manages three hits including a triple. The Orioles’ cause was aided by two errors by the Pilots. Baltimore puts up four runs in the second inning and never looks back winning easily. This is a fun Saturday night for the Kavanagh’s and the other 13,000 so odd fans in attendance. The Birds are off to a very hot start at 39 wins and only 15 losses. They have established themselves in first place in the AL East and are playing very well.

June 23

Jack has begun bringing the workers in for half-day Saturdays as the summer work has picked up. Some repairs at Majestic Distillery, a railing and a repair to a coil at Schaefer Brewery has the boys working hard on a sunny and breezy Monday. Both of the Kavanagh brothers work on the Schaefer job with Jack supervising the fabrication and Ed leading the installation.

July 20

On this Sunday night, the Kavanagh’s television along with millions around the country are tuned to watch the first astronauts land on the moon. The night gets later and later but just before 11 pm, two Americans, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin step out of the lunar module and take those first steps on the moon. The family watches in amazement and the kids are happy it’s the summer and they are allowed to stay up late and watch. The youngest two, Jack and Joe are in bed but Jack and Betty’s daughters sit with them and view this “Giant Leap for mankind.” Suddenly, the world seems both bigger and smaller at the same time. The world of man now includes visiting our one natural satellite and men walking on its surface. The scope of mankind’s knowledge and his reach grows so much but at the same time, the great expanse that is space shows us how very small this planet is.

August 7

Jack has closed the Shop and given the workers three days off and he and Betty head to Ocean City for a well-earned vacation with their kids. Bumpsy and Shirley, Betty’s brother and sister-in-law along with their young son, Manuel are there too. The family split a house near the inlet together and stay from Thursday until Monday. They fish, they crab, they enjoy sun and fun at the beach and on the boardwalk. Each night, they take a walk along the boards and visit the arcades playing pinball, skeeball and the claw machines. It’s a great break for Jack and a memorable vacation for all.

August 15

A massive music festival is held in upstate New York called Woodstock. Many of the biggest stars of today’s music world are present including Jimi Hendrix, the Who and Creedence Clearwater Revival. It changes Rock and Roll.

August 21

A very humid Thursday is made hotter at the Joseph Kavanagh Company as torches must be used for most of the day. The Koppers Co., a local fabrication ship, has ordered some copper loops made from 1” Tube. The torches are used to anneal or soften the copper in order to make it malleable. It’s a very straightforward job but one you would prefer to do in February.

September 2

The Kavanagh children are heading back to school except for the youngest Joe and Jane. Jane graduated from Catholic High in the spring and has taken a job in the engineering department at C & P Telephone. The three oldest girls are in college, Jackie is in Catholic High and JoAnn, Ann and Little Jack are attending St. Elizabeth’s Elementary School. Betty still checks on her father-in-law Eddie several times a day taking along Joe. Eddie is still refusing to consider hiring any sort of nurse care so she brings him breakfast and lunch, does the cleaning and the laundry and anything else he needs. Even with caring for Eddie, she does find her home much quieter and more peaceful. She takes advantage of it by spending more time with her baby boy, Joe. He is her youngest and for the first time, there is no baby to share time with, it’s her and Joe.

September 11

A coil is repaired for A. Smith Bowman Distillery in Sunset Hills, Virginia. it’s a small coil but is very precise and must be held to a close tolerance. It is bent in the Leonard Bender while a set of steel bars for Codd Fabrication are rolled in the rolling machine. They will be used for stiffeners in a boiler. The machine can pull it but struggles a little and Jack takes note of this but they do get both orders finished without too much trouble.

September 14

The Kavanagh’s drive out to Thirty-Third Street to watch a ballgame. The Orioles are facing the Cleveland Indians on a Sunday afternoon. The Birds have already clinched the newly formed AL Eastern Division with two weeks to play. The fans are very excited as they know a return to the postseason is guaranteed. Today, the Orioles win 7-3 despite starting a decidedly “B” team. Neither Brooks nor Frank Robinson starts and outfielder Don Buford plays third. Manager Earl Weaver is giving his regulars some rest in anticipation of the playoffs. Left-hander Mike Cuellar throws a complete game and wins his twenty-second game of the year. Hopes are high in Baltimore for another World Series title.

September 21

Jack and Bumpsy and Shirley attend the first Baltimore Colts game of the season at Memorial Stadium. When the club lost the Super Bowl in January, it was very deflating. They had played so well all year and it was a shock when the Jets defeated them. Hopes are high again for another good season but it starts off on a sour note as the Colts lose to the LA Rams 27-20. The Colts will have another good season and win 8 games but finish behind these Rams and Baltimore does not make the playoffs.

October 6

The Orioles are going back to the World Series after sweeping the Minnesota Twins with three wins in a row in the very first American League Championship Series. The Birds win the first two at home with the Kavanagh’s in attendance. Game two is a nail biter but Baltimore prevails 1-0. When the series moves to Minneapolis for game three, the Orioles crush the Twins 11-2. Birds’ fans and certainly Jack and his family are very excited and confident they can take the World Series.

October 15

The October Moratorium against the War in Vietnam is held as protests and demonstrations occur in cities across the nation. The largest is in Boston with more than 100,000 people attending. Despite Nixon’s plan to turn the war over to the South Vietnamese, many do not believe it or do not believe it will work. They march, rally and demand US troops be withdrawn from Southeast Asia immediately.

October 16

The Orioles are considered a shoo in to win the World Series Championship this year as they face the New York Mets. The Birds are everyone’s pick to win but as happened in the Super Bowl this year, Baltimore loses to New York. The Mets win four out of five and take the series. It’s a shocking disappointing few days. If the Colts were expected to win in football, the Orioles were expected to cruise to baseball’s championship. It doesn’t happen that way because you have to play the games on the field. 1969 becomes a painful sports memory for Baltimore fans. Jack, Betty and five of their children attend games 1 and 2. They alternate which of the kids go so everyone gets a chance to see at least one game. The Birds win the first then lose four in a row. Jack is at work for the deciding game 5 but his son, Joe, fills in for him and sits with Eddie and watches from 434 N. Lakewood Avenue. Eddie feeds Joe sticks of Doublemint gum while he smokes a cigar. Eddie is mostly silent but he does give a few small pointers to his grandson about the game. It’s a tough series and it seems like nothing goes the Orioles way and perhaps it was fated to be as it was with the Jets and the Colts. There is no championship in Baltimore this year.

November 3

In response to the October Moratorium on the war, President Nixon speaks on national television appealing to the “Silent Majority” to support his plan in Vietnam. He believes if we can continue to fight, the US can find a way to get out of the war and also preserve South Vietnam. Before 1969, 34,000 Americans had died in Vietnam and another 10,000 since the implementation of the Nixon plan.

November 5

The jobs keep coming in and Jack’s crew are still working six days and that’s unusual for this late in the year. The crew are split between work for Seagrams Distillery and National Brewery. Ed Kavanagh is working on something on his own, a copper candy pan. It’s for the Southern Candy Company and reminds both he and his brother of the old days at the Shop. For years, generations really, their coppersmith work included confectionery kettles and cooking equipment. As far back as the original Joseph M. Kavanagh, the Kavanagh’s have worked for candy and ice cream companies. This is a small pan that needs to be shaped, brazed and tinned. It’s nothing fancy but it’s almost nostalgic for the Kavanagh brothers.

November 10

A few years ago, Jack wanted the Shop to buy its first metal rolling machine and it has more than paid for itself. He decides to buy a new machine, an angle roller. This machine can roll angle iron as well as bars, pipes and tubes depending on what tools you have. Curving angles into circles has always been a challenge with the old roller specifically keeping the angle straight or flat. This new machine has an attachment that serves the purpose of supporting the leg of the angle and keeping it as close as possible to 90 degrees. It’s a very new style of machine and is very new to the US. The machine is a Roundo from Sweden and Jack purchases it from the Continental Machinery and Equipment Co. or Comeq for short. Comeq is Roundo’s American distributor and the company is run by a gentleman named Irv Lazinsky. Jack and he are contemporaries and they hit it off from the start. The machine is called an R-5 as it is is able to roll angle up to 5” x 5” and it will be delivered in two months.

November 15

500,000 protesters march on Washington DC against the War in Vietnam in what is called the November Moratorium. This is the culmination of last month’s nationwide protests. Betty Ann Kavanagh and many of her friends from Catholic University take part along with people from a variety of walks of life. They assemble and demonstrate in the nation’s capital demanding an end to the war and the peaceful return of American soldiers.

November 27

It is Thanksgiving on the corner of Lakewood and Jefferson and the house is full. The older girls are home from college and Eddie is there as well as Handy, Mary’s fiance. Handy seems to fit in well with the Kavanagh’s and Mary with his family. She flew to Columbus, Ohio and met them earlier in the year. Both families are happy for the couple and plans are being made for their wedding. Little Joe who is Mary’s godson will be ring bearer. He and Mary have a special bond and his involvement is important to Mary. Betty is excited to be planning a wedding but today is Thanksgiving which means her usual thirty pound turkey with all the trimmings including parsnips. There is ample food for everyone even a surprise guest. Betty and Jack’s second daughter met a young man from Pittsburgh at college. Jim O’Neill is his name and after hitching a ride with a friend, he shows up unannounced at 447 N. Lakewood.  He comes from a large family as well so the cacophony that is the Kavanagh household doesn’t faze him one bit. The first of the clan he encounters is Joe who is playing with some of his cars. Joe or GI as his older brother calls him looks up at this tall man as Nancy introduces him.

Joe’s eyes rise to meet the man who seems like a giant to him. Joe thinks he might hit his head on the ceiling. “Do you play cars?” The four year old boy asks.

Nancy grins and Mr. O’Neill says, “Yes, I do.”

“Will you play with me?” Joe’s brow furrows.

“Yes, I will.” He says and immediately sits down to play with the littlest Kavanagh on the floor in the front room. Joe is thrilled. His brother is playing a game with their sisters and he is too young for it. To play cars alone is fine but to have someone to share the excitement is much better.

After a round of Matchbox cars with Joe, Nancy introduces her beau to her parents. Jack and Betty are surprised he would come all the way to Baltimore to see Nancy for Thanksgiving but he is a polite young man and they take a liking to him. He has a good sense of humor and enjoys Betty’s turkey feast as does Mary’s young man, Handy. This further endears both of them with Jack and Betty. Not to mention, they are both Irish Catholics which helps. One or two more at the table never mattered to Betty. She had to make an outrageous amount of food anyway. A couple more hungry folks was of no concern to her. She had a way of making this holiday look easy even when feeding twenty or more people.

December 18

The busy year at the Joseph Kavanagh Company is ending on a strong note. A set of fountain sprayer tubes, a copper liner for a boiler and six copper pressure heads are finished today. The pressure heads are standard parts they make for Bethlehem Steel. The Shop has received a few different orders from the mill but these heads are recurring. The Kavanagh’s make these two or three times a year. A set of 4” Pipes are rolled for Codd Fabricators as well. Codd is one of their oldest customers. They are located about five minutes away on Aliceanna Street.

December 25

It’s Christmas Day and the Kavanagh’s are celebrating in full force. The front room is filled with a tree and many mounds of gifts for all the children. The kids open their stockings then eat a quick breakfast. A few moments later, they are all off to St. Elizabeth’s Church for mass. When they return home, the waiting game begins for the kiddos. The family must all assemble including Jack’s father, Eddie, then they will all eat a leisurely dinner around noon. When it’s done, the group heads into the front room and presents are distributed. It’s what the young ones have waited for all day. It’s a wonderful holiday for the family and they sing carols to add to the celebration. At the end of the day, when the kids are all asleep, Jack and Betty hold each other close and think they made it through another holiday and it was great. They have nine kids to share the love that has grown between them. They can hardly believe that four of their girls are in college already and growing up. What they don’t realize is that by this time next year not one but two of those daughters will be married. Their family and their lives seem destined to continually get bigger and bigger. They love each other on this Christmas night as they did that first time they saw each other over twenty years ago. The couple have so much happiness which has grown from the love that started as a young girl meeting this fresh-out-of-the-Navy fellow. Jack and Betty can hardly believe it some days. Things are going well for the Kavanagh family and the Shop too. Jack’s foray into rolling and bending has been successful and the business is busy and doing well. The only regret for this year was the failure of both local teams to win a championship despite being the odds on favorites to do so. It has been a very good year overall but a rueful one for sports but there’s always next year.

 

 

Richard Nixon is the President of the United States. Protests grow against the War in Vietnam. Nixon’s plan called Vietnamization gradually begins transferring American troops back to the US and replacing them with South Vietnamese. By the end of the year, the US is in secret peace negotiations with North Vietnam. The Chicago Eight trial begins. Meetings are held between the US and the Soviet Union to work on the SALT treaty to limit strategic nuclear arms. The Stonewall Riots in NY occur and are the first modern protests in support of gay rights. The Manson Family commits seven murders over two days in California. The first Gap and the first Wendy’s open. The films “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “True Grit,” and “Easy Rider” are released. The first Trans Am is sold. The Brady Bunch, H.R. Pufnstuf and Sesame Street premier on television. Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Jennifer Aniston, Peter Dinklage and Ken Griffey Jr. are born. Magic Sam, Jack Kerouac, Judy Garland, Joseph Kennedy Sr. and Rocky Marciano die.

 

There are 50 states in the Union.

To read past years, click on the Table of Contents link below:

Table of Contents

 

 

 

 

 

 

January 2

A new year begins at the Joseph Kavanagh Company with the Shop fairly busy. Jack and his crew of eight men bend and roll metal and make replacement parts and do repairs for breweries and distilleries in Maryland and the surrounding area. Jack lives with his wife Betty on Lakewood Avenue with their nine children. Two are home from college for the holidays, Betty Ann who is studying in DC at Catholic University and Nancy who is attending Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. The other five girls are in school, Mary and Jane at Catholic High and Jackie, JoAnn and Ann at St. Elizabeth’s Elementary School. Their mother Betty is at home with the two youngest, sons Jack Jr. and Joe and she also takes care of her father-in-law Eddie who lives across the street. Eddie is 74 years old and has emphysema and needs a lot of help. Betty cleans and cooks for him and one of the girls spends a couple of hours with him every night keeping him company. It’s a busy life and a busy house at the corner of Lakewood and Jefferson.

February 24

The Shop’s crew are spread over three jobs on this chilly winter day. A set of steel tubes are being curved into rings, some boiler parts are made and an order is completed for Bethlehem Steel. The steel mill needed eight copper pressure heads which were made from copper sheet that was purchased from the Brass & Copper Company, one of the Kavanagh’s primary vendors. The pressure heads are similar to those used on distilling equipment and are parts the Kavanagh’s have been making for years. Bethlehem will use the heads to control water tank pressure at the mill.

February 27

Tonight on the evening news, Walter Cronkite delivers a report on the war in Vietnam and his personal assessment of it. He believes it is a stalemate. Jack Kavanagh is watching at home and is beginning to agree. He is a veteran and a patriotic man. He has watched the news and supported the Vietnam War effort led by President Johnson. There has been much talk of the war going well and body count numbers favoring the US 10 or 12-1 but there seems to be no real progress and no end in sight. When respected newsman Cronkite infers this conflict may be unwinnable, he persuades a few people who are weary of the war and its ongoing casualties. Jack has had discussions with his older daughters whose friends are being drafted about the validity and necessity of this war and their arguments are sound.  Jack sees less and less reason to continue this fight and loss of life.

March 16

Bobby Kennedy enters the Democratic Presidential Race. Kennedy is a strong advocate for civil rights and wishes to continue the legacy of his brother John F. Kennedy. Jack and his family are supporters. He respects Kennedy and hopes he can secure the nomination as the incumbent Johnson may be tough to beat.

March 29

The work has slowed a little as Spring has arrived. This happens sometimes. A busier winter can lead to a quieter spring. Jack has the men working on some stock parts. He has John Benser, his machinist, making a few steel flanges. They use these as sealing headers for a variety of tanks for distilling, brewing and boilers. Jack isn’t worried about the work. It will pick up certainly. This is the time to take advantage of the chance to make stock parts and clean and organize the Shop.

March 31

President Johnson announces on national television that he will not seek re-election. Jack hopes this bodes well for Bobby Kennedy’s campaign. He sees the protests and believes this country needs a way to come together and heal. Getting out of the war in Southeast Asia would be a good start and Kennedy plans to do that.

April 4

Dr. Martin Luther King is in Memphis, Tennessee on this Thursday in support of striking black sanitation workers. In the evening, he is standing on a second floor balcony at the Lorraine Motel where he is staying and a rifle shot rings out. Dr. King is struck in the face and goes down. The bullet breaks his cheek and turns down, severing the jugular vein. The renowned clergyman and civil rights leader is rushed to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Memphis where he dies an hour later. A known criminal and white supremacist James Earl Ray is spotted at the scene and his fingerprints are found on the murder weapon. A nationwide search for Ray begins. The news of Dr. King’s assassination quickly spreads over radio and television. Another young leader shot down in the prime of his life. Another young man who brought hope to so many,  and that hope is silenced in a flash. Shock gives way to grief then anger and soon rage.

April 5

Riots break out in major cities including Baltimore and DC. The collective rage and frustration in urban communities erupts in violence. Jack listens to the radio at the Shop and begins to worry about his crew getting home safely. He closes the place for the day in the late morning and sends his men on their way. It’s a Friday anyway and the end of the week. He drives away from the Shop very aware of the rioting and looting going on in parts of the City and he keeps the radio on during the short ride to Lakewood Avenue. In DC, the city is burning as the rioting spreads. Betty Ann Kavanagh shares an off campus apartment with several other students from Catholic University. She tries to no avail to make a phone call to her parents to tell them she is okay. There is only one telephone for all the students and she can not get a long distance line. She has a friend who is a student in the seminary, Handy Brandenburg, call Jack and Betty to assure them she is fine. Betty Ann’s parents do not know Handy Brandenburg but daughters Mary and Jane met him at a St. Patrick’s Day party thrown by their older sister. Mary particularly remembers Handy fondly and Jack and Betty do appreciate him calling them. Betty and her fellow students’ apartment is close enough to see the fires burning. A fraternity is sent to the apartment building to guard the predominantly female student residents.  DC is in chaos with the looting, fires and destruction only getting worse. A molotov cocktail is thrown against their building but it causes no damage. It is a night of not-sleeping and coffee drinking for Betty and her friends.

April 6

As the unrest continues at colleges and in cities across the nation, campuses cancel classes. They will close a few days early for the scheduled Spring break. Nancy and Betty Ann must both come home. Nancy is flying home from Duquesne and Jack is picking up Betty Ann at Catholic University. Betty has a few friends who can’t get home including her roommate Michaeleen O’Neill. The airport is closed and they are more or less stranded. Mom says bring them with you. So Jack in the Plymouth station wagon drives Betty Ann and seven friends from DC to Baltimore. A very large amount of spaghetti is made and Betty gives thought to the sleeping arrangements.  Jack Jr. and Joe will sleep on the first floor with the college boys and all the girls will be upstairs spread over two bedrooms. The bathroom will be complicated but no more than any family party. Jack has thought for sometime he should put in a basement bathroom. He thinks that again.

April 7

When the sun begins to sneak through the blinds of the windows on the Jefferson Street side of the Kavanagh house, Jack Jr. and Joe begin to wake. Betty is up already seeming to have not slept at all,  but that was often the case. She is filling bowls with Cheerios and passing them out to Little Jack, Joe and the young college men. They each get their cereal and milk while Joe prefers his cereal dry and has a cup of orange juice. Joe is allowed to eat and drink sitting on the floor which he normally cannot do. The girls begin working their way down as the television is turned on and Joe puts the channel on Bugs Bunny, one of his personal favorites. The room quickly fills with people, yawning, stretching, eating cereal or toast and watching cartoons. The not quite three year old Joe thinks these grown-ups are all right. They like Cheerios and cartoons just like he does. Later in the morning, one of the young men, Bill Cox, picks up Nancy at the airport and Jack and Betty are relieved. All their kids are home safe and sound along with these few guests. There are eighteen people living at 447 N. Lakewood Avenue now. To get a brief respite from the crowd, Jack walks with his boys, Jack Jr. and Joe to Ellwood Park to show them the National Guard camp. The boys marvel at the soldiers and the tanks looking at it from a boy’s view. It was real life army men camped so close to home,  the seriousness of what was happening escaping the youths. The City is under Marshall Law with a curfew. The Kavanagh’s and their seven guests must stay indoors in the evenings. Much of the night is spent watching cities aflame across the US on TV. After days of protests, riots and violence, there are many calls for peace and calm. The fires begin to die down and the reality has set in for the nation.

April 8

Jack re-opens the Shop at Pratt and Central and they get back to work but not quite work as usual. On Lakewood Avenue, Betty needs to get all these young people out of the house so she takes them onto the sidewalk and teaches them Hopscotch. She has a mob of college kids and her daughters all along the Jefferson Street side of their house flipping heels and playing along. They jump rope out there as well after a disastrous attempt at it inside which prompted Betty to think the floor was going to fall in. It was as if the house needed a break. The place was always full with nine kids but with extended stay guests it is packed. In the evenings between watching the news, they play board games and jacks with the younger kids. The second dining room table and the card/kids table is placed next to the dining room table for each meal. These are reserved for holidays though when all nine kids are home, they do use the kids table. With Eddie eating with them, it is nineteen for dinner and the largest ham that Betty could find barely feeds them all. Eddie is more than dubious of these college kids his son and daughter-in-law have taken in but as he was silent and somber most of the time, it had little noticeable effect on his demeanor. Betty, a mother of nine, knows a lot about stretching a dollar and food but this group is testing her skills. She goes through bags of potatoes every other day and is stocking up green beans frantically. Two boxes of Cheerios and Frosted Flakes are consumed each day along with two gallons of milk. Betty and several of the older daughters make daily trips to the market and emergency trips across the street to Coby’s corner store are common.

April 10

It’s Opening Day for the Orioles on this Wednesday. Baltimore is still reeling from the rioting and chaos of the last few days and baseball seems less important. Still the start of the baseball season brings a small sense of normalcy to the city and the country. Jack takes his girls, Mary, Jane Jackie, JoAnn and Ann to the ballgame. Betty and the boys stay home this year with Betty’s friends who are finally making plans to return to their homes now that the airport is open. Jack and his daughters see a close game. The Birds prevail 3-1 and the crowd loves it. Winning the home opener is always special for fans.  For at least one day, you are in first pace. Baltimore’s favorite player Brooks Robinson hits one out and the lone Oakland run is also scored on a homer. This one is hit by a young outfielder named Reggie Jackson.

April 11

The last of Betty’s friends catch their planes and head to their homes. Things suddenly go back to normal at Lakewood Avenue or some semblance of normal. The house seems strangely empty with just the Kavanagh family of eleven living there. Betty Ann’s friend Handy visits Lakewood Avenue a few times over the rest of the year as he and Betty Ann’s younger sister Mary begin dating.

May 17

A group of Roman Catholic protesters who will eventually be called the Catonsville Nine,  enter the Catonsville MD Selective Service office and steal draft cards to protest the Vietnam War. One clerk is restrained while 378 draft cards are removed. They are burned in the parking lot using home made napalm. The Nine recite the Lord’s Prayer while the cards burn and they are arrested immediately when police arrive. Both local and national news cover the story extensively and it is the talk of Maryland. The group included several former and current clergy members and their actions inspire other similar protests across the nation.

June 5

Bobby Kennedy is shot at the Ambassador Hotel after winning the California Primary. He is shot three times, twice in the back and once in the head. Several others are wounded as well and a Jordanian national named Serhan Serhan is arrested on site. Kennedy is rushed to Good Samaritan Hospital and as the news spreads, the country prays for him and that certainly includes the Kavanagh’s.

June 6

Bobby Kennedy dies from his wounds and America is filled with grief again as another leader is struck down. After Dr. King’s death and now Kennedy’s, the nation begins to wonder where will it all end. The Kavanagh family is stunned as they were fast becoming strong supporters of Kennedy. Jack had been a great admirer of his older brother and Bobby was looked on in a similar light. Once again, the Kavanagh’s and most Americans gather around their television and watch as they mourn. Two murders of prominent young men who advocated for civil rights and for peace shock this country and a mix of deep sadness, anger and fear spread across the US. The days that follow bring doubt and uncertainty about the country’s future to Americans from coast to coast. As happened several months ago and in 1963, America buries a young leader and prays this never happens again and that the country can come together and heal.

June 8

James Earl Ray is arrested in London at Heathrow Airport. He will be returned to the US to stand trial.

June 24

The summer has been busy at the Shop and they are working six days a week including half-days on Saturday. Jack’s crew has a mix of tubes to bend and a few repairs and parts to make for Schaefer Brewery. Today a custom brass bracket is made for a syrup line on the kettle floor of the brewery. This is only one part in a mix of items they have been contracted to make over the next two months for Schaefer. The brewers are good customers and Jack makes sure to keep ahead of the repairs they need and keep them happy.

July 11

The Orioles have decided to make a change at manager. With the team scuffling a bit and hovering around a .500 record, Hank Bauer is fired and replaced by his first base coach, Earl Weaver. Weaver is a career minor league ballplayer but has had some success as a manager in the farm system. He wins his first game as Orioles manager. 2-0. Dave McNally pitches a complete game shutout and makes it easy for Weaver who with this victory begins an extended period of success as leader of the Baltimore Orioles.

July 23

A long job is finished today for the Jewett Corporation. They need some thin wall 2 1/4” dia. Aluminum Tubes bent to 90 degrees on a 36” Rad. They also require some short couplings for these tubes. Jewett furnishes all the material so it is a labor only job. The tubes must be annealed then filled with rosin before rolling. Afterward, they must be hung up with chains and the rosin is slowly melted out with torches.  It’s a long dirty job and a hot one especially in July but they make money on it and it’s the sort of tube bending work they specialize in.

July 26

The Shop completes a coil for Allied Chemical Co. Allied produces industrial chemicals but some distilling is required. The coil is made from 1 1/2” Schedule 10 Stainless Steel Pipes. As far as pipe sizes go, Schedule 40 is standard and lower schedules are thinner so extra care must be taken when bending it. The pipes don’t require filling but still must be rolled very slowly to maintain the roundness. Jack makes a layout for the coil for the crew to match. The coil is of the serpentine variety with several 180 degree bends in each piece. The pipes are bent on the Pines Bender and they turn out great. Joe Flaxcomb does the bending and they fit perfectly on Jack’s layout.

August 5

Jack has decided to close for two days and give the crew off with pay for a summer vacation. His father thinks it is crazy but Jack reminds him that Eddie himself was the first one to take a paid vacation at the Shop. Jack wants the same for himself and can’t close the Shop and leave his men hanging. He would rather pay them and let them have a long summer weekend. Jack and Betty have made plans to spend these days at the beach in Ocean City. The decision to close even for a few days makes Jack and his workers very busy before this break. Today two coils are finished for Tower Mechanical company. Jack does the bulk of the work on this one. He is doing all he can to get as much finished as possible so he doesn’t worry too much while he’s at the beach.

August 8

On this Thursday, Jack and Betty pack the station wagon with luggage, coolers, food and the youngest seven of their nine kids;  daughters Betty Ann and Nancy are preparing to return to college. They leave at 5 AM and head East driving across the Bay Bridge to the Eastern Shore of Maryland. A couple of hours later they are unpacking and moving in to the Beachcomber. It’s a small house they have rented with two floors, a kitchen and bath. It’s very basic but perfect for the Kavanagh’s and the kids love it. They are close to the beach and spend part of each day in the sand and water. There will be fishing and crabbing and the boardwalk with amusements and arcades to visit. They will stay for four days and it is the longest vacation they have ever had. Jack has visited OC since he was a boy and his love of the town has spread to his wife and now his children. They leave Monday morning and Jack will stop at the Shop when they get to Baltimore. The crew will be back at work after a long weekend and Jack will check over what’s going on before taking his wife and kids home. The family has so much fun that he and Betty decide to do this every year. They will find a way to do it. The sounds of the surf, the smell of the sea and the feel of sand becomes a major part of what summer is all about to the family.

August 22

The Democratic National Convention is held in Chicago and it becomes a mess quickly. Anti-War demonstrators protest outside and clash with police. Mayhem breaks out with arrests and injuries. Jack is a Democrat and is keenly interested in the choice they make but is also shocked at the events  going on outside the convention. The party nominates Hubert Humphrey as their presidential candidate.

September 15

Jack and his in-laws Bumpsy and Shirley Crew attend the Baltimore Colts opening game. The Colts face the San Francisco 49ers and win 27-10. It’s a great start to what will be another great season for the club though they will have to do it without star quarterback Johnny Unitas who was injured in preseason. Backup quarterback Earl Morrall will lead the team to an amazing 13-1 record for the regular season.

September 16

A perforated copper basket is made by Jack today at the Shop on Central Avenue. He handles this job himself as the rest of the crew are busy with more brewery parts for Schaefer and a large railing is being fabricated from brass tube. This basket is definitely old school coppersmith work. It reminds Jack of his days of working for his father when the vast bulk of their work was items like this made from copper. Usually they were for the many distilleries they had as customers in those days. They still do that work but some of the customers are out of business or have moved west. They still have Majestic, Calvert, Bowman and a couple other distilleries as customers. On this job, the Charles T. King Company is making a few structural repairs to Calvert’s building and they need this basket to finish the project.

September 24

Jack and Betty watch a new magazine type news program on Sunday night. It’s called 60 Minutes and is aired on CBS. A group of stories of contemporary relevant events are presented along with interviews with the associated persons. They enjoy the show and become regular viewers as do much of America.

October 1

Majestic Distillery has an order at 201 S. Central for two stainless steel filters. The filters are cut from 3” Dia. Tube and fabricated for the bottling house at the distillery. They are cut nine inches long and mesh sheet and bar is welded inside to complete the filters. The Shop still has work but the cool weather has brought a down tick in the volume so Jack has returned them to a five day schedule.

October 9

The Catonsville Nine are convicted of destroying government property. The trial is in Baltimore and there are large crowds protesting outside the courthouse on Calvert Street. It is a big story on the local news and the judge and prosecutor do their best to focus on the specific charges and avoid the underlying position of protesting the Vietnam War. They are sentenced to a combined total of about 18 years in prison.

October 10

The Detroit Tigers beat the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games to win the World Series. The Tigers are runaway winners in the American League though the Orioles did play better under Manager Weaver, the Birds were a distant second. The Tigers are led by ace pitcher Denny McLain who wins 31 games becoming the first man to eclipse 30 victories in a season since 1934. He will also be the last to do so. The Cardinals’ top player is also a pitcher, Bob Gibson who sets a modern E. R. A. record of 1.12 this season. Both of these hurlers will go on to win both the MVP and the Cy Young Award for their respective leagues. St. Louis stakes themselves to a 3-1 lead in the series but Detroit storms back and wins the next three to secure the championship. Jack and his father Eddie watch games 3 and 4 together on Saturday and Sunday. It has always been their tradition to watch a couple of World Series games at Eddie’s house. They enjoy this match up and it’s an exciting one from start to finish. While they are watching the games, Jack brings up the decision of Major League Baseball to split each league into divisions starting next year.

“Pop? What do you think about the leagues splitting into two divisions next year. There will be a round of playoff before the Series from now on.” Jack inquires of his father.

“I don’t like it, Jack. It waters down the season to me. They play 162 games now. That should be more than enough to decide who’s best.” Eddie answers as his gaze remains fixed on the television.

Jack nods his head. “I can see that but with the leagues expanding again and getting bigger, it gets tougher and tougher to get that top spot. There will be twelve teams in each league next year. I’m not sure this playoff thing is a good idea but it will add more baseball to be watched.”

Eddie sits back and puffs on his cigar. “True. That will be fun to watch but what if the fourth or fifth best team wins one division and then the Word Series. You want a team that bad to win the championship? It seems a little crazy to me.”

“Yeah, but that probably won’t happen too often. We’ve seen years where due to injuries and even bad luck the best teams don’t make it to the Series. I bet most years it will be the best that make it to the playoffs. They still have to win their division.”

Eddie shrugs and flicks his ash into the ashtray on the table next to him. “You might be right. I still think it’s a bad idea but it will add more games to watch.” He looks over at his son. “We’ll have to watch some of these playoff games on TV each year.”

“We will, Pop. For sure. It’ll be fun.” He smiles briefly then adds, “I wish you would stop smoking Pop. It’s not good for you and it only makes it tougher for you to breathe.”

“It’s a cigar. It’s way better than a cigarette. I’ll be alright besides I enjoy a cigar still, Jack. I can’t help what I like.” Eddie answers, his attention back on the game.

“Okay okay.” Jack answers quietly. “Think about cutting down anyway. It’s what the doctor wants.”

“I know. I know.” Eddie points his stogie at Jack as he speaks. “I’ll try.” The room goes silent and they return to watching the television,  hanging on every pitch and hit.

November 5

Republican and former Vice-President Richard Nixon defeats Democrat Hubert Humphrey and Independent Party candidate George C. Wallace to win the presidency. The Kavanagh’s voted for Humphrey because they were life long Democrats and Jack is still an active member of the party. He served in the House of Delegates in the 50s and was supported and aided by his party. Still, he hopes that President Nixon can find a way to unite the country.

December 16

Another order is completed for Schaefer Brewery today as a dozen bronze sleeves are made for them. Much of this job is done by John Benser. He takes some smooth cuts on the lathe and converts the 2” bearing bronze into the sleeves they need. The bronze must be machined precisely to ensure a very tight sealing fit for these pieces. The rest of the crew are focused on a large fountain sprayer tube. The copper tube is annealed and rolled into a circle. This time the customer will drill the holes so it is merely a rolling job but still precision is important and maintaining the roundness of the tube is also critical.

December 22

The Colts host the Western Conference Championship game at Memorial Stadium. They play against the Minnesota Vikings and win 24-14. The crowd and Baltimore in general is mad crazy for the team. Even led by back up Earl Morrall, they continue to win and will take the NFL Championship next Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, routing them 34-0. The Baltimore Colts will represent the NFL in the Super Bowl in January when they face the New York Jets, champions of the AFL who are led by a young quarterback named Joe Namath.

December 25

The kids wake bright and early on Christmas Day at Lakewood Avenue. Wiping sleep from their eyes, they head down the stairs and are not allowed to look to the left over the banister and into the front room. That is where the Christmas Tree is and the gifts are. They sneak a quick peak then look right and see stockings are stuffed and there are eleven spread over and down the staircase. He made it. Santa Claus came. The kids are allowed to pull their stockings down and quickly examine the contents. There are small toys, super balls and candy. It’s a small teaser of the presents to come but a very exciting time for the little ones. Once everyone is dressed and ready, the family heads out the back door and Jack drives them all to St. Elizabeth’s Church for Christmas mass. The Church is always decorated for the holiday with several large trees and wreaths and garland adorning the walls. After the service, they return home and eat a quick breakfast then the three youngest, Ann, Jack and Joe sit with their father and watch “The March of the Wooden Soldiers,” a holiday classic starring Laurel and Hardy. Once the last of the guests arrive, Betty’s Aunt Elsie and Uncle Frank and Eddie of course, the dinner is served. A thirty pound turkey is made and eaten along with gravy, potatoes, stuffing and vegetables including the Kavanagh staple, parsnips. Finally, the kids are on the verge of bursting and all head into the front room and it is time for presents. The room is dominated by a large Christmas Tree but it is surrounded by piles and mounds of wrapped presents of every size and shape. There are gifts everywhere. Under the tree, behind the tree and on every flat surface available including much of the floor. As they are handed out, wrappers are torn and shredded, ribbons are tossed about and the mad glee of a child’s Christmas fills the room. It is a chaos of a much different variety than the chaos that has hit Baltimore and the country this year. It’s a joyful elation not the anger and frustration fueled chaos that dominated 1968. Two great men have been murdered, two young men in whom many had placed their faith and hope for the future. Their ideas were of peace and justice. Their deaths represented the end of those ideas to many. Americans grieved and cried then screamed and fought, desperate to find some justice for them and for their ideas. The nation is torn in pieces with the job of bringing it all together falling to the new president. It is a tall order. For this day though, Jack and Betty watch their kids celebrate the holiday and watch their eyes widen when they find some treasure they wanted. From their two college girls all the way down to little Joe, each child has a good Christmas. They seem to get exactly what they wanted even if that’s not exactly what happened. Jack and Betty sit together and watch for a few minutes taking it all in. Then, Betty hops up. She has another turkey in the oven. A smaller one that they use for turkey sandwiches. Everyone needs leftovers during the holidays but there are so many Kavanagh’s, they need to make extra food or there will be no leftovers. For the Kavanagh’s and America, a tough year ends next week and a new one will begin full of concern for the nation and uncertainty.
 

 

Lyndon Johnson is the President of the United Sates but will gave way to Richard Nixon who wins the General Election. The Vietnam Way gets worse and worse with more and more protests against it and no end in sight. The Civil Rights Act of 1968 is passed. 911 service begins. Madison Square Garden opens. The Intel Corporation is founded. Hair premiers on Broadway. The films “2001: A Space Odyssey”, “Planet of the Apes” and “Oliver!” are released and singer Marvin Gaye’s “Heard it through the Grape Vine” becomes a smash hit. Will Smith, Tony Hawk, Gary Coleman, Ricki Lake and Mary Lou Retton are born. Helen Keller, Upton Sinclair and John Steinbeck die.

There are 50 states in the Union.

To read previous posts, click on the Table of Contents link below:

Table of Contents

 

January 3

Jack Kavanagh is driving home from work and going over his day in his mind. The Shop is busy to start the year which isn’t always the case. The winter is often a slow time for a metalsmith shop. Jack runs the Joseph Kavanagh Company; he’s the fourth generation to work there. He is married to Betty and they have nine children, ranging from eighteen years to eighteen months. Jack has a crew of eight men including his brother Ed Jr. who works for him. Ed has no ownership stake. The business never interested him and he had trouble getting along with his father Eddie Sr. Jack and Ed’s father lives across the street from both on Lakewood Avenue, the house they both grew up in. The two brothers each have houses on the corners of the 400 block of Lakewood, Jack at Lakewood and Jefferson and Ed at Lakewood and Orleans St. Eddie is retired and his wife has passed almost seven years ago. His health is not good. He suffers with emphysema but manages well enough. Betty takes care of him, making several trips across the street every day and Eddie has dinner with her, Jack and the children every night. As Jack turns onto Baltimore Street and drives along the edge of Patterson Park, he hears the news on the radio that Jack Ruby has died. Ruby had been diagnosed with cancer several weeks ago and his prognosis was not good. He passed away at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, the same hospital where both President Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald died. Jack shakes his head as he listens. He has this gnawing feeling that we may never know exactly what happened on that November Day. The Warren Commission’s conclusion that both Oswald and Ruby acted alone never really held water for Jack. He had doubts like a great many Americans. Jack admired Kennedy and felt this connection to him. What a sad tragic death his was and to never know the truth is an injustice. Jack parks on the Jefferson Street side of his home and climbs the marble steps into the house. He’ll talk to Betty about it after the kids are asleep.

January 9

Along with a mix of brewery fittings being made today, a job for Bethlehem Steel is completed at the Shop. The mill needs four copper funnels to be fabricated. These will be used in a smaller facility of Beth Steel’s on Key Highway. Making copper funnels is standard stuff for the Kavanagh’s. Jack is very happy with the start to this year. Everyone is being kept busy and they have jobs and money coming in regularly.

January 15

Super Bowl One is played between the NFL Champion Green Bay Packers and the AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs with the Packers winning easily 35-10. Jack watches and roots for the Packers. Before Baltimore had a team and the Colts joined the NFL, Jack was always a Packers fan. This game isn’t close and Green Bay takes Super Bowl I easily.

February 10

An emergency rush job is brought to the Joseph Kavanagh Company by E. J. Codd Fabricators & Boiler Works. A municipal building has a bad boiler and it must be fixed ASAP. Codd is located close to Pratt & Central, on Aliceanna Street. They deliver some steel bars and angles to be used as stiffeners for the tank. In addition, a copper liner is needed for the boiler and that will be made from thin sheet. Jack gets the crew on this right away. Several boys are led by his brother Ed in annealing and curving the sheet. Jack takes the rest of the fellows and gets to cutting the steel and rolling the stiffeners. It’s two days worth of work and they get it finished in six hours. The heat of the torches warms up 201 S. Central and the hard work and heightened pace doesn’t hurt either. Codd is a good customer who the Shop has worked with for decades. They are good pay and great to deal with and Jack always does his best to get their work done as quickly and accurately as possible. He wants them coming back anytime they need something.

As Codd’s truck pulls away, Jack and Ed stand at the garage door and lower it. “That was a son of a gun to finish in less than a day.” Jack says to his brother.

“Yeah it was. Hard to believe we got that one out of here the same day it came in. It was a good day to have a torch in hand.” Ed chuckles and Jack grins back at him, “but getting those sheets right for the liner that quick was a toughie. We needed Old Uncle Joe on this one.” Both have heard tales told by their father since they were boys of the skills of the original Joseph Michael Kavanagh.

Jack’s smile broadens, “Oh yeah, he probably could have had it done in FOUR hours.” Jack laughs, “According to Eddie anyway.”

Ed nods, “Yeah Pop always said Uncle Joe was the best. They all learned from him but no one, including Eddie,” Ed winks at his brother, “was nearly as good as him.”

“That’s what we were told.” Jack replies shaking his head. “But Pop was good for sure. I guess our old uncle was just about the best.” Ed listens and nods in agreement. “Well, put those leftover pieces of sheet back on the rack Ed, before we get out of here today. It’s almost time but we might as well clean up the mess of this job.”

“You got it Jack. Me and Wortman will put them back up.” Ed answers and finds his helper to get back to work.

March 20

Spring is nearly here and the Kavanagh’s and crew are looking forward to the baseball season. The Orioles are the defending World Series Champions and everyone can’t wait to see that banner raised at Memorial Stadium. The work has stayed strong and in addition to a railing and some distillery parts being made today, a set of stainless steel flat bars are rolled for E. A. Kaestner on Orleans Street. Kaestner makes sanitary equipment for the food service industry. The bars need to be rolled to a 72” Radius the Hardway. The Hardway refers to which surface of the bars you are rolling across. If it’s the bigger face of the bar, that is the Hardway. Rolling across the smaller face of the bar is the Easyway. After Charlie Owens makes a template, Jack and a helper curve these bars right up.

April 10

Jack is having a very busy day on the corner of Pratt and Central. A fountain and more distillery work dominates the Shop but they also have a small tinning job for Bossalina Machine Co. Jack is mostly busy today because he is leaving early tomorrow to attend opening day with his girls. Anytime Jack has to be out of the Shop for an extended period of time, a great deal of planning and preparation goes into it. His secretary Julie is very helpful and will handle any phone calls and take messages. The Shop is trickier as they do not have a foreman. Jack is essentially the foreman and boss combined. His brother, Ed is there but he’s never been one to like telling people what to do or being in charge. He’s a topnotch coppersmith and prefers to focus on that. Jack will have to plan out the few hours he will be gone tomorrow. He’ll prepare several extra job cards in case the crew gets more finished than anticipated. It’s a frantic day for Jack but he is determined to get to that game tomorrow.

April 11

Orioles Opening Day is on a Tuesday and the Kavanagh’s are there. Jack leaves work early and picks up the girls and they head to Memorial Stadium. The pennant from last year’s World Series championship is raised before nearly 40,000 strong. The Birds start off hot In the bottom of the first. They score four runs before the first out. Curt Blefary is hit by a pitch. He’s doubled home by Luis Aparicio who is singled in by Frank Robinson. Brooks caps it off by knocking one out and the Orioles are up 4-0. They win 6-3 and it’s a great way to celebrate last year’s success and start off this one well.

May 4

Last year, the Joseph Kavanagh Company saw a significant uptick in their brewery work and it has continued thus far. A steady stream of fittings, couplings and other parts have been made this year for National, Gunther’s and Schaefer Breweries. It’s Carling Brewing’s turn today. They have ordered several bronze elbows all with associated fittings to go along with them. Brass work is something the Kavanagh’s have done for many years. Even Old Uncle Joe did brass work despite copper being his focus and primary product. This job is finished and the parts are delivered to Carling as quickly as possible.

May 26

Jack and Betty are proud parents of the graduate, Nancy Kavanagh who finishes her years at Catholic High. She plans to go to college and decides to attend Duquesne University in Pennsylvania. This is tough for her Mom and Dad for her to not only move onto campus but to another state but they trust her and she has worked hard to get this opportunity. In August, she will head to Duquesne.

May 29

An emergency repair at Schaefer Brewery is handled today by  Jack’s crew. A line is leaking and they need this fixed immediately. A call is made to Jack and he quickly gets together a plan of what needs to be done and sends off Charlie Owens and his helper, Wortman to solder the holes closed and fix the leak. Charlie is their most reliable employee and a skilled coppersmith. Jack trusts him a great deal and he occasionally helps around Jack’s house besides working for him at the Shop.

June 19

The Kavanagh’s spend a Monday evening at Memorial Stadium watching a doubleheader between the Orioles and the Minnesota Twins. Jack takes his youngest five girls to this one leaving his young boys home as it’s two games and may go late. The two older girls, Betty Ann and Nancy are still fans but both are college girls now and have other things they are interested in besides baseball. The Twins win the first game, 4-0, and the Birds take the second winning 9-5. The Orioles stake themselves to a 6-0 lead by the fourth inning and never look back. Jack and his daughters have a great night cheering on those Birds but he decides to leave in the eighth inning. Ann is still only six and he wants to get her home plus he has work tomorrow so it’s best to sneak out a little early. The Orioles have struggled a little this season after their fabulous championship year of 1966. They are still just under a .500 record due to injuries and some bad playing. Jack hopes they can pick it up the rest of the way.

June 30

The summer has brought an increase in work and that’s enough to get Jack to bring the boys in on Saturdays for a half-day. The crew welcomes it because it means a little more money each week. Today, another rush repair is needed at Schaefer Brewery. This time several holes need to be cut in a wall to allow the brewery to move a beer line. This is not something the Shop would normally tackle but they have been working at Schaefer’s a lot over the last month or so and when the request is made, Jack takes the job. He has Charlie Owens and a helper ride over there and cut two holes in the cellar of the brewery. Jack knows if you keep doing work fast for a customer and you are willing to try to fix any problems they have, they will grow to rely on you and count on you. This is always a good thing in business.

July 7

Several serpentine coils are bent today for Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. They are made from 1 1/4” Copper tubes. The tubes are annealed and bent to 180 degrees. There are several bends in each piece and they turn back and forth to create the coil that is needed. These are for heating the BG&E building so in July, no rush is necessary. These are a standard maintenance item that the gas company wants dealt with before the cold comes back in a few months.

July 11

The Shop at 201 S. Central is a hot and busy place on this Tuesday. A set of pipes is rolled for  for J. E. Hurley and several 3/4” Pipes are bent for Western Electric. The pipe and tube bending work does seem to keep augmenting their traditional coppersmith jobs. Jack knew all along that there were many applications for bending but even he is surprised with some of the calls they get. Hurley has been a customer for a few years but Western Electric is a new one. They are a big company and Jack is particularly happy to do some work for them. It might be a one time thing but you never know. They might turn into a regular customer with returning work throughout the year.

August 4

A hot summer day is a busy one for the Kavanagh’s and crew. Jack and his brother are working on a set of copper spray tubes for a fountain while the rest of the crew bend some rings for the Slaysman Company and make some bronze fittings again for Schaefer Brewery. Heat is thrown around to anneal the copper sprayer tubes and that just adds to the discomfort of an August day on Central Avenue. They are accustomed to it but it is still hot no matter how used to it you are.

September 11

It’s a warm autumn Monday and after a hard day’s work, Jack sits in his chair watching TV with the kids and Betty. They watch “the Andy Griffith Show” then “Family Affair” from 9-10. Jack is a big Andy Griffith fan while the girls especially the younger three, Jackie, JoAnn and Ann are fans of “Family Affair.” They love Buffy’s doll Mrs. Beasley. When Betty gets the girls to sleep, she and Jack decide to watch a new program at 10 pm. “The Carol Burnett Show” is a comedy/variety program and this is its premier episode. Jim Nabors is the guest for this week and there are show tunes sung and a few comical skits. Jack laughs throughout loving Burnett and Harvey Korman’s humor on display. Both he and Betty love the music too and this show becomes one of their favorites very quickly.

September 17

The first Colts game of the season is played today at Memorial Stadium and Jack and his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Bumpsy and Shirley Crew are there. The crowd is wild and loud as they always are. They see a close one but Baltimore pulls it out, beating the Atlanta Falcons 38-31. Later in the evening, the Kavanagh’s are watching the Ed Sullivan Show and a new rock and roll band called the Doors are performing. Jack pays little attention to it but his teenage daughters are watching the band. The lead singer named Jim Morrison says the word “higher” in their song, “Light My Fire”, and the show’s producers had explicitly asked him  to change that word. He said he would but live he sings it out loud and proud. The Doors are banned from appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show henceforth.

October 12

The St. Louis Cardinals defeat the Boston Red Sox to win the World Series in seven games. Red Sox outfielder, Carl Yaztrzemski is Boston’s top player after winning the Triple Crown. Just as Frank Robinson did last year, Yaz led the American League in batting average, home runs and runs batted in. Orlando Cepeda who will win the National League MVP is the leader of the Cardinals this year. Jack watches games three and four with his father at 434 N. Lakewood Avenue as they have for years. Jack takes advantage of the weekend World Series games to watch with Eddie. It’s a back and forth series but St. Louis prevails after very strong pitching from Bob Gibson who wins the MVP of the Series. It was a tough year for the Orioles who dropped deep into the standings after winning only 76 games. They had some injuries, no doubt, but mostly they took a step down and did not play very well. Jack was disappointed but after winning it all last year, he can’t complain. There’s always next year.

November 15

The Shop’s work has slacked off a bit and they are back to just five days a week. It’s traditional to do more Saturday work in the summer when the jobs are more plentiful. On this     Wednesday, the crew are busy with a railing, some copper U-bends for Harvey A. Stambaugh & Sons and a set of 3/4” steel pipe coils for Stieff Silverware Company. Jack and three others handle the Stieff job with Jack doing the rolling and the bending of some sharp bends on the end of each coil. The bends at the end will be for the inlet and the outlet of each coil.

November 29

Robert McNamara resigns as LBJ’s Secretary of Defense. He had recommended freezing troop levels in Vietnam but was rebuffed by President Johnson.

December 1

A job for Culp Welding is completed today. It’s a set of 30” Dia. Rings made from Aluminum Pipes. Aluminum is unpredictable and it can be a challenge to get each ring to match but Jack rolls these himself and he knows they will be fine. He has the most experience on the rolling machine and Jack’s tolerance is always tighter than the customer needs. The rings turn out well. They are crated and delivered to Culp.

December 14

Jack and most of Baltimore are watching the Colts take on the Los Angeles Rams on the road in the final game of the season. Baltimore leads the division and are undefeated with 11 wins and two ties. They are one victory up on the Rams and if LA is victorious today, they slip into a tie with the Colts. The Rams have the tie breaker and they do win 34-10. Despite tying for the lead in the standings, Baltimore’s football team does not make the postseason. Jack can’t believe it. They don’t make the playoffs and only lost one game but it was the most important game of the season.

December 23

The Shop’s Christmas Party is held on a Saturday the day before Christmas Eve. The crew will have a long weekend having both Monday and Tuesday off. Jack will close the Shop Tuesday to give everyone an extra day of holiday. The workers are thrilled and appreciative. His men do like and respect Jack. He’s fair and treats his employees well. For the last several years, Charlie Owens or Mr. Chollie as the girls called him takes up a collection from the crew and brings a few dollars to Betty to purchase a Christmas present for Jack. He is always surprised and thanks them. It is given to him during the party but he would prefer if they spent their money on their families. Jack belongs to the Sheet Metal Workers Union. When he was in the House of Delegates, he was a strong supporter of the working man and his management style is similar. He believes in his crew and treats them as well as he can. The party is brief but festive and as the boys leave with bonuses and turkeys in tow, everyone is wished “Merry Christmas.” Jack drives a couple of his employees home. Both have had a little too much beer or rye whiskey but they are not downright sloshed. He drops the first off downtown where his sister lives and the other is driven to a bus stop. He lives over near Wilkens Avenue and this saves him one bus ride on his route home. Jack waves goodbye as the fellow sits on the bench with his arm wrapped around the turkey. Jack finally can drive home and spend the evening with his kids and he’ll still have all day Christmas Eve with them too.

December 24

At 8 am the phone rings on Lakewood Avenue and Jack answers it. It’s a call from an employee’s wife asking about the Christmas turkey. This is the employee who was dropped off at the bus stop last night. Her husband didn’t bring it home with him and his wife is frantic for a turkey on Christmas Eve. Jack is befuddled. He had it on the bus stop. She says he never brought a turkey in the house. She checked the freezer, the fridge and all over the house. It’s not there. Jack assures her the Shop did not cut out turkeys this year and her husband got one. Jack can’t help that it didn’t make it home. She isn’t exactly satisfied but she wishes him a merry Christmas and hangs up. Jack shakes his head and he decides then and there to cease these Christmas parties. The men probably want to be with their families anyway. Jack certainly does. He can’t get the thought of this out of his mind and keeps visualizing a bus pulling up to a stop with a turkey sitting on a bench in the middle of the night. He can’t help but wonder. Did the bus stop?

 

 

Lyndon Johnson is the President of the United States. American troops in Vietnam rise to nearly 500,000 and protests against the War spread from one college campus to another then to major cities in the US. The 25^th Amendment is ratified. The Six-Day War is fought in the Middle East. Thurgood Marshall becomes the first African-American Justice of the Supreme Court. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is formed. Jimi Hendrix’s album, “Are You Experienced?” is released. The Big Mac is invented. The movie “Jungle Book” is released in theaters. The Outsiders and the first issue of Rolling Stone Magazine are published. Elvis gets married. Curt Kobain, Julia Roberts, Toni Braxton, Michael Johnson and Harry Connick Jr. are born. Robert Oppenheimer, John Coltrane, Carl Sandberg, Woody Guthrie and Otis Redding die.

 

There are 50 states in the Union.

To read previous years, click on the Table of Contents link below:

Table of Contents

 

 

January 11

The Shop has started busy this year. The winter is usually a slow time at the corner of Pratt and Central. The level of “slow” is often a barometer for how the year will go. This January a significant bit of repairs are needed by F & M Schaefer Brewing Co. Three beer vats or kettles need a few fixes, some replacement fittings and a general cleaning. It’s a job that keeps the whole crew busy for several days which is a welcome event in the winter. Jack is quoting and taking calls with the assistance of his secretary Julie. He still spends part of most days on jobs in the Shop, moving back and forth from Shop to office all day, expediting and checking on orders. His wife Betty is even busier as she nurtures a household of nine children ages seventeen years to seven months. She also takes care of Jack’s father Eddie who is retired and is now seventy-one. Eddie lives across the street and Betty brings her three youngest along when she cleans and makes lunch for him. Every night he crosses Lakewood Avenue and comes to dinner, then later in the evening, Jack or one of the older girls spends a couple of hours keeping him company in his home. It’s a busy life but with such a large family and a business it is inevitable. Jack and Betty make it work and everyone seems content and everyone chips in. The older girls help not only with Eddie but also with the younger children too.

February 20

According to an article in the News American, history is being made this year at Catholic High School. For the first time in its history, a girl is in each grade at the school from the same family. Betty Ann, Nancy, Mary and Jane Kavanagh are Senior, Junior, Sophomore and Freshman respectively. The family is listed and mentioned in the article and though the girls are non-plussed at it, their mother Betty is thrilled. She clips it from the paper and saves it. Jack notices the misspelled Kavanagh in the headline. He likes the article but can’t help but focus on the added “u,” a very common error that he sees every day from customers.

February 23

More beer work keeps the Joseph Kavanagh Company busy. Today a job is finished at National Brewery. Several stainless steel beer lines had to be moved and the Shop got the call. Though the Kavanagh’s started as coppersmiths, they have been working other metals for years, brass, steel, stainless steel and others. Their familiarity with the brewing system at National gets them the job and it is handled quickly by the crew.

March 14

Another order is completed for F & M Schaefer. They required a custom 6” connector and it was made in the Shop. Ed Kavanagh and Joe Flaxcomb did the bulk of the fabrication with John Benser handling the final machining. Jack is busy with several phone calls to Majestic Distillery. He is quoting some repairs to the mash cooler and to an old beer line. The brewers have given the Kavanagh’s a good start to 1966 so far.

April 9

Today is the 100^th anniversary of the Shop. What started as a partnership between Joseph Michael Kavanagh and George Smith has changed, grown and contracted over the years and it has been an all Kavanagh operation since 1877 when Old Uncle Joe bought out his partner. The Shop has made it to 100 years old but this date is lost to history and the family do not know it. They know 1866 and they know there was a bookkeeper/partner and his name was George Smith. The dates of the Beginning and when Old Uncle Joe bought him out are long forgotten. The passage of time buries certain facts and information. Only through digging and researching will these things be re-discovered and only after another fifty years of work.

April 15

It’s tax day in America and Opening Day in Baltimore. The Birds won the first two on the road against Boston but are bested at home in this one by the Yankees, 3-2. New Oriole Frank Robinson homers in a losing effort. Jack listens on the radio at work and knows it’s just one game but hates losing to New York. He is still confident in this team. He is sticking to what he said when the Orioles traded for Frank Robinson. The Birds will win the pennant. Jack is sure of it. After this loss, the Orioles get hot and win the next two against the Yanks and eight more after that.

April 18

The McArdle and Walsh Co. have ordered some fittings from the Shop. The fittings are taken from our stock and adjusted a bit and some custom work is done to finish them up. McArdle and Walsh are working on a repair at Gunther’s Brewery and though they have the work, they need the Kavanagh’s for the fittings. This is a standard practice. Occasionally, outside contractors will be working inside a brewery or distillery on structural parts of the building when the changes require some work on the brewing system. Fittings, connectors and parts are then purchased from Kavanagh and then the contractor gets back to work.

May 25

Betty graduates from Catholic High School and Jack and Betty are as proud as they can be. Betty Ann plans to attend Catholic University and live on campus. Her parents are a little cautious but have confidence in her and they agree. Jack and Betty watch their firstborn receive her diploma and they can’t believe where the time has gone. They also know they will be doing this eight more times.

June 13

The Orioles make a trade today,  parting ways with Jerry Adair who is the Kavanagh girls’ favorite player. He is dealt to the Chicago White Sox for relief pitcher Eddie Fisher. The members of the Jerry Adair Fan Club are upset and disappointed. He was always very kind to the girls and seemed genuinely surprised by their admiration. The girls will get over it and as they drive to the game tonight, their father tells them it might be best for the team. Fisher is a good bullpen guy and in a pennant race you want all the help you can get.

June 17

It’s a Friday night and it is Joe’s or GI’s, as Little Jack likes to call him, first birthday and a small party is thrown for the baby. He toddles around after his brother Jack and sister Ann most of the day. Whatever they are playing he tries to get into it too. He loves the party and enjoys the cake particularly. It is chocolate and Joe begins a lifelong love affair with chocolate cake. Jack Sr. has the ballgame on the radio. The Birds are on the road in Boston and Jack spends a few minutes instructing his youngest child on the particulars of the game. He promises to teach him how to bunt as he has done for all his offspring. There are few things more important in Jack’s eyes than the ability to drop down a good bunt when necessary. The Orioles win and in typical Fenway fashion, all runs are scored on home runs.  Both are hit by the Robinson’s, a two-run shot by Frank in the third and a three-run shot by Brooks in the fifth.

July 2

It’s a sweltering summer Saturday with the temperature reaching 99 degrees and the Kavanagh’s are at the ballpark for a doubleheader. A rain out and a quirk in the schedule have forced back to back doubleheaders against the Minnesota Twins. The Birds took both games Friday night and do the same today. The team is in first place and playing great. The girls cheer for their hometown Orioles and between the two games they are recognized from their Jerry Adair Fan Club days by Boog Powell. Powell broke a bat during batting practice between the two games and retrieves the broken one and hands it to Betty Ann Kavanagh. She is thrilled and Jack quickly takes a look. He’s just as happy when he sees it’s a real Louisville Slugger Boog Powell model bat with a very obvious crack in it.

July 7

The Summer is hot and busy on Central Avenue. Some parts are being made for Seagrams Distilling and Carling’s Brewery and a small job is finished for a cleaning service, Classic Cleaning. They need a brass basket to lift the clothes in and out of the hot washer. It must be made from perforated sheet so holes are drilled first then the brass is annealed and bent into a basket shape. It is brass work but also the sort of thing they have done for generations.

August 1

The talk of the Shop is baseball as the Orioles roll along in first place and have extended their lead in the standings to a robust thirteen games. The crew led by Jack discuss yesterday’s game which the Birds won 4-0 in Minnesota during today’s afternoon break. The team seems like it can do no wrong. It’s been a hot August day and the men are glad it’s nearly over. A railing was rolled today while some rings are being made for Universal Metal Products and a stainless strainer was finished today for Majestic Distillery.

August 26

Betty Ann begins college at Catholic University in DC. She moves on campus with the help of her father and there is one less person living at 447 N. Lakewood Avenue. Nancy, Mary and Jane will continue at Catholic High and Jackie and JoAnn will be joined by Ann at St. Elizabeth’s Elementary School. This will leave Betty alone with just her two boys during the day. The three of them make several trips over to Eddie’s house through the day to take care of him and his house.

September 8

The Kavanagh girls are gathered around the television in anticipation of a new show premiering tonight. A science fiction program called Star Trek. The living room is silent as the words, “Space. The final frontier” are spoken and the show starts. It is about a group of people on a ship traveling through space and having weekly adventures. The kids love it, one and all, from Nancy to Baby Joe.  Jack is not as interested but he watches too and it reminds him a little of the serial programs he watched on Saturday mornings at the movies when he was a boy, cowboy movies.

September 12

The brewers continue to bring work into 201 S. Central Avenue. Today it is National Brewery who needs a beer line repaired. It is made from 3” Copper tube so some patching and soldering will be required. It’s a little tricky so Jack and Charlie Owens attend to this one. They drive over to National and take care of it in a half of a day.

September 22

The Orioles game is on the radio in the Shop’s small corner office. As Jack works on a quote for Seagrams he is listening intently. If the Birds win, they clinch the American League Pennant. The Orioles are in Kansas City playing the A’s in an afternoon game. The Orioles are leading 2-1 in the fifth inning when three straight doubles by Russ Snyder, Frank and Brooks Robinson stretch that advantage to 4-1. Jack is on pins and needles as he closes the Shop and rushes to his car to flip on the radio. By the time he is home and listening on the kitchen radio, the Orioles are up 6-1 and the rest is about the young right-handed pitcher, Jim Palmer who goes the distance for the win. The Baltimore Orioles have won the league championship and are going to the World Series for the first time. The Kavanagh’s are ecstatic and Baltimore goes crazy. The biggest difference for the club this year was Frank Robinson. Expectations were high when he joined an already competitive team but Robinson was better than advertised. He will win the Triple Crown in the American League, leading all hitters in batting average, home runs and runs batted in and is awarded the MVP of the AL after the season.

September 25

This Sunday is the Colts’ first home game having split two on the road to start the season. They face the San Francisco Forty-Niners and win 36-14. Jack is there with his brother-in-law & his wife, Bumpsy & Shirley Crew. It has become their tradition to go to the first game of the year and maybe one more together. Baltimore sports fans are very loyal and very vocal in their support of their teams. Both the Colts and Orioles play at Memorial Stadium on Thirty-third Street and the only difference is the volume of noise at the games which goes up exponentially for football.

October 5

The World Series begins today in Los Angeles as the heavily favored Dodgers host the Orioles. The Shop closes at 4 pm which is game time today. Jack usually leaves around 4:30 after he catches up on some paperwork and makes a phone call or two. Today he lets the boys go a few minutes early and is trying to get out of there to watch the game on television. He finally is shutting the door at 4 pm and he heads down Pratt Street,  putting the game on the radio. It’s the top of the first inning. There’s one out and Russ Snyder draws a walk as Jack reaches Patterson Park Avenue. Frank Robinson steps to the plate and drives one out of the park as Jack turns left. He’s driving and whooping and pumping his fist as he reaches the light at the corner of Patterson Park Avenue and Baltimore Street. Before the light can change from red to green, Brooks Robinson has followed up Frank and hit one out as well. Jack is screaming in his car and sees a gentleman opposite him doing the same in his vehicle. They nod and grin as Jack turns right and this fellow moves forward. A few minutes later, Jack is seated in front of the TV watching with his girls and the Birds take game 1 in LA, 5-2. It is a loud living room as the final out is recorded.

October 6

Jack is home watching game two. Today he didn’t miss much on the ride home as the game starts off as a serious pitchers’ duel. Dodgers’ ace Sandy Koufax is facing young Jim Palmer of the Orioles and into the fifth inning they are matching each other pitch for pitch. In the fifth, defense becomes a problem for Los Angeles, Inexplicably, Center Fielder Willie Davis commits three errors in the inning which is a World Series record and the Birds put up three runs. Palmer slips into cruise control and dominates the rest of the game. Baltimore wins 6-0 and Palmer becomes the youngest player at nine days shy of 21 years old to ever throw a complete game shut out in the World Series. Suddenly, the Orioles are in the driver’s seat and heading home. The baseball world is set on its ear because very few gave Baltimore much of a chance against the Dodgers. Now up two games to none and with the next three games at home, the Orioles have more than a chance.

October 8

It’s a Saturday and the Kavanagh’s are at the ballpark along with 50,000 other Baltimoreans welcoming the Birds home. The family are squeezed into the first row of Memorial Stadium along the third base line as the game begins. Today’s pitchers are Wally Bunker for the Orioles and Claude Osteen for the Dodgers. This one is another nail biter as both hurlers put up zeroes in the first half of the game. In the bottom of the fifth inning, young Center Fielder Paul Blair gets hold of one and belts it out of the park. The fans go insane because the Birds have the lead. Bunker who had not thrown a shut out all year in the regular season does just that today and Baltimore wins it, 1-0. Jack drives the kids home and they are a raucous crowd. He is as excited as they are and there is much cheering and chanting in the car in hopes of one more win.

October 9

On this Sunday, Baltimore packs the Memorial Stadium in quest of their first ever World Series title. It is another battle of good pitching with Dave McNally and Don Drysdale facing off. A scoreless game goes into the bottom of the fourth when Frank Robinson, triple crown and MVP winner, steps to the plate. He blasts a mighty shot into the left field bleachers and the crowd goes wild. The Orioles are leading 1-0. The game progresses with no one else scoring. The game remains 1-0 going into the top of the ninth. Jack and his family sit anxiously in a stadium that is quiet as a church. The Dodgers get two men on with one out and are threatening but McNally retires the next two hitters on fly balls. When the final out is caught by Paul Blair in center field, the Orioles have won the World Series. Pandemonium breaks out in the ball park. The crowd goes insane and pours onto the field. Jack gathers his kids and they cheer, hug and cry together in celebration. Jack smiles to see his girls and even Little Jack and Joe hollering for the Birds. Suddenly, he thinks of his father and his father’s father. This would have meant everything to Joe who was a mad fan of baseball and Baltimore. He was a fan of the old NL Orioles but they played before the Series existed. The mass of fans continue to chant and cry for the Birds when Jack begins ushering the kids out of their seats and they head to the parking lot. The kids are singing, cheering and whooping it up on the way home but Jack is strangely quiet. He’s running through all the years of talking baseball he did with his grandfather and the many semi-pro and Negro League games he attended with is father. When they reach Lakewood Avenue, he gets the kids inside and the celebration continues for the family but Jack slips back outside and crosses the street. He opens his father’s door and sees him seated in front of the television.

He approaches him, “They did it, Pop! We won the World Series!”

“I saw it all, Jack. Wow! They sure did. What pitching! I can hardly believe it.” He holds a cigar in one hand and in the other a photograph.  He shows it to Jack. It is a picture of Eddie’s father, Joe.

Jack takes it from him, “I was thinking of him, Pop. He would have been crazy thrilled about this. He’d be dancing!”

Eddie’s pale face forms a small grin, “Yeah, he might be, Jack. He would think it’s reason enough for a dance.” Eddie chuckled then puffed on his cigar as Jack examined the photo.

“He would be happy. I know it. A World Series for Baltimore and the Orioles. He would be really happy, Pop.” Jack replied, his gaze fixed on the image of his grandfather.

“Happy huh? I guess he would have been. I always wondered what that would have been like.” Eddie finishes as Jack hands him the picture. Eddie slides it into a drawer of the table next to him.

“I know the feeling.” Jack says,  then encourages Eddie to get ready so they can walk over to dinner together.

October 10

Baltimore awakens from a World Series victory hangover. A wild party in the streets was held last night with fans toasting the team and drinking cocktails in the street while chanting and singing, “Birds! Birds! Birds!” Despite the wild party the night before, it’s a blissful morning because the Baltimore Orioles are champions. Jack himself stayed up a little late and had a few beers and a couple of glasses of rye with his father Eddie. Still, Jack wakes up on time and drives to work with a very big grin on his face. He knows no matter what,  today will be a good day.

October 21

While the City and the Kavanagh’s are still in celebration of the Orioles World Series victory, there is a big announcement in the world of football today. The rival leagues, the AFL and NFL will merge and they will hold a championship bowl game between the two winners of each league. The game will be played in January and will be called the Super Bowl. Jack is not too surprised. The AFL has made great strides in matching with the older NFL and now he looks forward to this Super Bowl. The two best of the two leagues? It should be a good game and he’s hopeful the Colts might represent the NFL but they fall a little short this year. They will finish with a 9-5 record, three games behind the Green Bay Packers in the NFL Western Conference. The Packers will go on to win the NFL Championship and go to that first Super Bowl in January.

November 23

A replacement coil is made and installed at Joseph Seagrams Distilling by the Joseph Kavanagh Company today. It is a complicated fix with many trips to and from the distillery. Jack makes a point of recording the trips and details as closely as possible, in case there is a problem and also to document this job as well as possible. He knows they have been receiving regular repairs for Seagrams and this information could simplify another repair order or even solve a future problem for another customer. He has Julie record his notes in great detail this time including some hours on Thanksgiving for Jack’s brother Ed.

November 30

An old copper jacketed kettle is brought into the Shop for repairs. This could have been something they made 25-30 years ago but it looks even older. The customer, Chemical Service of Baltimore uses it to distill alcohol but only for industrial chemical purposes The kettle has worked fine and in lieu of buying a new one, they ask the Shop to fix it up. Funke handles this one in less than two days with the majority of the work being re-soldering of seams.

December 24

The annual Joseph Kavanagh Company Christmas Eve Party is held today. Jack and Betty have decided to not bring the children to the Shop today. It has become more of a party for the crew and Jack is fine with that. It simplifies things for him,  and Betty and the kids stay home preparing for Santa. He gets a platter from Weiss Deli on corn beef row and two cases of National beer and one bottle of rye. The gents eat and toast the year and the Orioles of course. Jack is quick to make the first toast to the Birds. The Kavanagh’s have rooted for the Orioles for four generations, all the way back to Jack’s grandfather Joe who was a big fan of the original National League Orioles and up to Jack’s kids who are a fans of the present team. The old NL Orioles went to the league’s championship series, called the Temple Cup, each of the four years it was held, winning two. This was in the mid 1890s and pre-dated the World Series. Even after the MLB Orioles were folded, the City and the family were fans of the International League Orioles, a minor league team. When the St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore in 1954, the family were very excited and became fans on day one. All those years of loyalty and support of the black and orange are well worth it. Jack can’t help thinking of his grandfather and his grandfather’s brothers and how they would feel about this team and this season. Jack’s very glad he could share it with his father and more importantly with his kids. The Christmas party breaks up after about two hours of revelry. Each man is given his pay and a turkey to take home. Jack drives two fellows over to West Baltimore. One he takes home, the other he drops on a bus stop as his ride is a little longer. He makes the ride back along Pratt Street through downtown and toward Patterson Park. His mind is on the holiday and his kids. He and Betty get just as excited as the children at the prospect of Christmas Day. When ht gets home they must get ready for mass at St. Elizabeth’s then the kids will be off to bed and Jack will do his impression of jolly old St. Nick.

 

 

Lyndon Johnson is the President of the United States. The number of American soldiers in Vietnam increases to 385,000 by the end of the year.  6,000 Americans die in the conflict this year with an additional 30,000 wounded. Protests against the Vietnam War spread through out the country particularly on college campuses. The National Organization for Women is founded. Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas opens. Ken Kesey holds the first “Acid Test” at the Fillmore in San Francisco.  Jacqueline Susann’s “Valley of the Dolls” is published. The films “Thunderball” and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” are released. Batman premiers on ABC-TV and the Grinch Steals Christmas. Janet Jackson, Mike Tyson, Halle Berry, Greg Maddux and John Cusack are born. Buster Keaton, Lenny Bruce and Walt Disney die.

 

 

There are 50 states in the Union.

To read earlier years, click on the Table of Contents link below:

Table of Contents