This family history tells about three generations of Seiters on their farm in Arkansas. It comes from my mother, Mary Magdalen Mammoser née Seiter, who told me many of her memories from childhood.   Scranton years My grandparents William and Crescentia Seiter had eight children, three sons and five daughters. My mother Mary Magdalen was the second youngest. The eldest was Ann, followed by Elizabeth (Aunt Betty), Genevieve (Aunt Jenny), Andrew (Uncle Andy), Herman, Martin, my mother, and Mildred (Aunt Millie). My grandmother, Crescentia...

Bill Lavicka was one of those rare fearless people that every democracy needs. He was the indispensable ingredient, the spice that brightens up the dish. There was no dull moment with Bill around. The core of his passion was this: he loved old buildings. Bill was a builder, a man of his hands. He was medium height, stocky, with a sailor’s forearms and big broad hands, a tousle of reddish hair and a ruddy face. He spoke in a thick nasal Chicago-ese. He loved old buildings passionately and fought to save them. His greatest brawl may have been...

This article was published in New City, December 28, 2000. The article as edited and illustrated is here. The original submitted text follows below.

The Final Days of Maxwell Street

It’s hard to believe, but a little bit of Maxwell Street still stands in 2001.