I finished Joseph Lambert, Jr.’s biography of David Tod this week (review). It’s really a fine piece of writing about one of Youngstown’s most illustrious citizens. If you like Youngstown history, you will want to pick up a copy! In the conclusion, he quotes Tod as saying, “I would not have been born anywhere else than in Youngstown if I could.” I find myself in thorough agreement with David Tod. And since it is the Saturday before Thanksgiving, I thought I’d share some of the reasons I’m thankful to have been born and grow up in Youngstown.

1. Maybe it goes without saying, but it was where my family was. My father John and mother Dorothea (who had what I think is one of the most beautiful of names) loved me and raised me right. I have fond memories of time spent with both sets of grandparents. My brother, sister, and I were greatly blessed in this regard.
2. I’m thankful for Dr. James Birch, without whom I might not have been alive. I remember him making housecalls with his black physicians bag and the toys in the waiting room of his office.
3. Mill Creek Park has got to be high on the list. I loved hikes there with my dad as a kid. Naturalists like Lindley Vickers and Bill Whitehouse helped us understand the delights of this place. From our wedding pictures to my parents sixtieth wedding anniversary, Fellows Riverside Gardens is a place that carried so many special memories.
4. I’m thankful for good memories of downtown Youngstown from McCrory’s soda fouintain to milk shakes at Strouss’. I think of the endless fascination of the stamp counter on Strouss’ mezzanine, and being able to watch shoppers on the main floor. In later years, I had the chance to work at another of those grand department stores, McKelvey’s. I remember all the decorations and crowds at the holidays.
5. I learned the value of work and responsibility not only from my dad but from the customers I cut grass and shoveled snow for, and delivered papers to. Everybody worked hard in my neighborhood and from when I was ten or so, I learned the satisfaction of earning my own money.
6. Of course, you have to be thankful for so much good food! At this season, I think of my mom’s turkey dressing and her cranberry salad with a dash of 7-Up. There is so much good food that I have written about.
7. I will forever be grateful for the dedicated teachers in every school I attended from Mrs Smith who taught me to read to Mr. Erickson who taught me to love math. They, along with Youngstown’s libraries, fostered in me a love of learning that has endured throughout my life.
8. Youngstown State made it possible for me to get a college education. Between scholarships and my own earnings and the low tuition, I finished without any debt. That and a number of great professors and the chance to make a number of new friends was a gift.
9. I’m thankful that I met my wife in Youngstown, over 50 years ago (and married for 45). We’ve had such a rich and good life together and our shared upbringing in Youngstown is a part of the bond between us.
10. Finally, I am thankful for you, all my Youngstown readers. You have taught me so much about the hometown I try to write about, over nearly ten years. You confirm my own sense of what a great good place Youngstown was for us all.

I could go on and on. But I want to leave room for you. What are you thankful for because you grew up in Youngstown?

To read other posts in the Growing Up in Working Class Youngstown series, just click “On Youngstown.” Enjoy!