Free Cheese Welfare to Wealth

Hey Friends,

Been working on this wonderful story idea for a while and the upcoming book is a celebration of achieving success despite the odds, of using the power of  Love to overcome any obstacle. Here's a snipet of the story

Free Cheese Welfare to Wealth - A beautiful love story with some interesting detours along the Way

Chapter One - A Fairmount Love Affair

My mother Helen Anne Keel Kaufmann raised her four boys on a welfare check and food stamps. She worked when she could but needed to be home for her four young boys. Helen was married young at the age of 19 like most back in the 1940's to her local neighborhood sweetheart Thomas Kaufmann. They both met in Fairmount, near the Art Museum in Philadelphia and fell in love. Mom went to Hallahan and Pop went to Bishop Neumann having been forced to bus to South Philadelphia because of the crowding at Roman Catholic in Center City.  Having to leave the neighborhood and the beloved Roman was tough on the 14 year old, he had to catch a few buses to get to South Philly and certainly took some ribbing on his hour long trips back and forth to school. Mom was a Hallahan girl, a local all girls high school that still exists today in Fairmount.

The local Fairmount kids fell in love and got married after high school. Dad was headed to the Army and Mom would stay home and raise the kids. The plan was to settle in Fairmount, buy a nice row home, surrounded by family and friends, raise a family, and live happily ever after.

Mom is a beautiful black haired blue eyed beauty. Her gaze would freeze you, she knew she was special, and wasn't afraid to let others know it too. She was the fourth child in a family of 5. Her sister Kitty the oldest, brother Frank, brother Joe, Mom, and youngest sister Judy. Kitty was separated by many years from the younger children. Mom was the apple of her father's eye, the joy of her mother, and the love of her older brothers, they called her "Sis" as a term of endearment. Mom was the straw that stirred the drink in the family, the center of attention, used to getting her own way. To look at old pictures she had a grace, a beauty, a regal air about her. I'm certain she is descendant from royalty.

Mom is a Hallahan girl, the local all girls school that still is going strong today in Fairmount.  She lived right across the street from the school. Mom was a member of the St. Peter's Basillica parish located on Logan circle and growing up attended school and church at St. Peter's. St. Peter's cathedral is where the Cardinal has his office and is the most beautiful church in Philadelphia. St. Peter's elementary school has since closed. Dad's local parish and elementary school is St. Francis, still going strong today.

Dad was a from a family of four, three boys and a girl.  Raised by a German father Francis Kaufmann and an Irish mother, Kitty Gallagher. There was sister, Francis, the oldest, then Dad, younger brothers Joe and Johnny.  Dad was a stud athlete. He fit in perfectly with the Keel boys since Frank was a football star at Roman and Joe a basketball player on Roman's dominant teams. He played baseball and basketball with the Keel's and the neighborhood guys at the local gym on Boathouse Row along Kelly drive and the Schyukyll River. Kelly Drive is a lovely, meandering road that connects center city with Philly's outlying towns of Roxborough, Manyunk, Andorra, Chesnut Hill and the close suburban townships and boroughs of Conshohocken, Whitemarsh, Plymouth , and Blue Bell Whitpain.

Dad's two sports loves of basketball and baseball had him dreaming of starring in championships for the local high school powerhouse Roman Catholic. The overcrowding at Roman took those dreams to Neumann Roman's South Philly rival. How ironic that a local Roman guy would have to take his talents and play for the other team. Well, his athletic prowess I'm sure eased the transition of welcoming a Roman outsider into the Neumann fold. He played on Neumann's first 1958 boys Catholic League boys basketball championship team, the Catholic league has been playing competitive basketball since 1921. Neumann is second all time with 17 championships to Roman's 28. Dad also starred for Neumann's baseball teams as a slugging first baseman.

Two young, beautiful lovers, happy ready to launch on their wonderful journey together.

Chapter Two - Getting Busy

After high school Dad was to join the Army during the early 60's. Vietnam was bubbling,  the Bay of Pigs was in the headlines, and the threat of war was in the air. Sometime soon after joining the army, Dad was given an honorable discharge.  The discharge was related to a medical condition and may have involved mental health issues.

After getting discharged, Mom and Dad decided to get married, and were married at St. Francis church in Fairmount, a stone's throw from the Philadelphia Art Museum, the Parkway, and scenic Kelly drive.

The newlyweds settled in Fairmount surrounded by friends and family.  Life was good. Dad owned his own delivery route with a local company H&M, think UPS. Mom was a secretary with a local company. They young couple looked quite elegant and glamourous bouncing around town, John Kennedy was elected president and hope was in the air

 The world was their oyster. All their attention and affections were showered on each other. Dad was 21 and Mom was 20 foot loose and fancy free. And then.

The children! Four of us born in a span of 6 years. Tom, Frank, Brian, and Chris. Mom and Dad had four boys before the age of 28, and Dad's head must have been spinning four boys to feed. I was born Thomas Joseph Jr., Tommy in July 1964, the year John Kennedy was elected and the Beatles toured Philly and the USA.  Francis John, Frank was born in November, 1965, then Brian Patrick, Bri was born in December 1967, and finally Christopher Peter, Chris was born on August 2, 1970.

Yes, the four bounding Kaufmann boys arrived on the scene and we were ready for action. Four boys ages 6, 5, 3, and newborn Chris. That's a lot of testosterone in one place.

Mom and Dad started their lives together living in their first home, a house located in the Logan section of Philly. Logan was a nice solid middle class neighborhood. Dad was having trouble holding a job and they wound up having to sell the house and rent a house in Chesnut Hill. Chesnut Hill is a lovely small town colonial city on the outskirts of the city that borders the terrific Philly suburb of Whitemarsh.

Chesnut Hill is a wonderful mixture of the artistic, affluent, educated, and eclectic.  The town has a bounding energy where people walk along the cobblestone streets to visit the local shops, galleries, and restaurants.   The homes are a mix of rows, townhouses, single homes, and lovely mansions that peacefully exude the lovely bohemian Chesnut Hill vibe.  Today, our family lives about 3 miles from Chesnut Hill and all three of our children were born at the great Chesnut Hill hospital.

From Chesnut Hill the family moved to Roxborough, another nice working class town located 10 miles outside the center of Philadelphia, or Center City. Roxborough like Chesnut Hill is a town that while technically located in Philadelphia has more of a suburban feel.  And while being 10 miles from Center City, the town were only a mile or two from the bucolic Lafayette Hill and Plymouth Meeting located in Whitemarsh township.  We lived in a nice two bedroom apartment on Osborne street, close to Daisy Field the local park that had a baseball diamond, and the Wissahickon creek and trail located in Fairmount Park.

Plenty of kids were in the neighborhood and we had fun flipping baseball cards, playing ball, and just having a great time.  The youngest Chris was just born and I remember his crib being in the living room and the brothers and I sharing bunk beds in the apartment.  The only downside to the apartment was that at night when you turned on the lights for the bathroom, the roaches scurried. Yuck!

With the arrival of Chris, there was now six of us living in a two bedroom apartment. I remember attending kindergarten at Cook elementary, and one morning in particular while Mom was dealing with the newborn, Frank, and Brian. I was sent off on one of my first big adventures walking to school on my own which was about 3 blocks away.  I knew the way but since I never walked it alone before it was quite an accomplishment for me.  After my brothers were settled, Mom peeked in the classroom window to make sure I arrived safely.  My first taste of independence!

From kindergarten at Cook elementary, I headed to St. John the Baptist to attend first grade in the neighboring town of Manayunk.  Philly is filled with all these wonderful Indian names. Manayunk is home of of the great bike race that features the "Wall", a steep climb that the cyclist has to make during each loop of the 300 mile race.  The town is filled with steep hills and borders the Schukyll river.  St. John's sat at the bottom of a steep hill and was surrounded by the parish cemetery that sat on a hill. I remember looking up from recess and school and always seeing that foreboding place.

Conshohocken

When I finished the first grade at St. John's in June 1970 we made our move to the steel mill town of Conshohocken. A working class town dominated by the steel plant, Alan Wood Steel, and other factories such as Lee Tires, and Hale Pumps. The town was filled with schools, churches, parks, ball fields, bars,  funeral homes, and the Fellowship House. Conshohocken's indian name translates to Pleasant Valley, and despite the rough and tumble reputation, it was a perfect place to raise a family.

Mom was determined to keep Dad away from the temptations of Fairmount and while we bounced around from Logan, to Roxborough, to Conshohocken, in an effort to distance ourselves and protect Dad.  The lure of family and friends a short drive of 10 miles away was always there.

In the summer of 1970 we settled in a nice small 3br/1bth twin with a small yard located at 220 E 5th Avenue. The house cost $10,000 which of course was a fortune at the time and was built in 1950's.  Dad owned his own trucking route with H&M delivery, a local package delivery service. A precursor to the modern day UPS and Fedex. Times were good. We actually got a mortgage, maybe a VA loan, and we were proud homeowners.  The house was conveniently located a half block from the local Marywood park, which included a playground, grassy picnic areas, 6 outdoor basketball hoops, and the town's local community center called the Fellowship House.

Things were looking up for the growing Kaufmann family.  Mom and Dad were still so young in their late 20's. I was 6, Frank 5, Brian 4, Chris an infant and optimism was in the air.  The house was about 1000 sq ft with 3 bedrooms and one bath, it was huge compared to the apartment.  Chris was in his crib in Mom and Dad's room, Brian and Frank shared the middle bedroom, and I had the small back bedroom next to the bathroom. The bathroom had a nice cast iron tub but the shower was yet to come. Baths were the modus operandi.

Conshohocken or Conshy to the locals is a borough of about 10,000 people located within one square mile. The town borders Norristown, Barren Hill, Plymouth Meeting, Lafayette Hill, and Plymouth township and runs along the Schukyll river which was so vital to the steel plant in the early days. The town is made up of mostly well kept twins, singles, and row homes, and prides itself on a sense of community. The town's main strip is Fayette street dividing the town in half between the East and West sides. The blocks simply count up beginning at 1st avenue up to 15th ave. With the higher avenues typically having slightly larger homes, yards, and property values. Going back to the founding of the town, the founders and mill owners lived up on the hill or higher avenues while the workers lived closer to the mill and river.

The town has four catholic parishes and schools to choose from at the time. The schools and parishes were identified by geography and ethnicity.  Irish St. Matthew's on East 3rd ave. Italian St. Cosmas and Damien located on W. 6th ave.  Polish St. Mary's on West 1st ave. And across the river and bridge there was St. Gertrudes that belonged to our friends in West Conshohocken. The larger elementary schools and parishes were St. Matt's and St. Cosmas with over 200 students, St. Mary's only had 100 students from K-8, and St. Gert's was even smaller.

St. Matt's

The decision was made that I repeat first grade at St. Matt's for if I remember correctly I did complete the first grade during my time at St. John's  I remember my first day at St. Matt's with Sr. Louis all the other kids knew how to write in cursive and I at the time had not learned that and was printing my words. From that early time, I was identified as being behind the other students, but I made friends quickly and easily assimilated into being a Saint at St. Matt's.

Frank, Brian, and Chris would follow me at St. Matt's.  We were all athletes and gravitated to basketball where we excelled. The Sisters of St. Joseph were our teachers and we had our fair share of run in's with the  good sisters. My brother Brian especially, Brian was a free spirit and he was tagged early as a rabble rouser.  I often think that children will live up to the labels we associate with them as so it was with Brian as he got into some minor issues,

A classic Kaufmann story is when during the Christmas season with the festive spirit in the air and the town lit up with all the Christmas lights.  We would go out and about and borrow the big bulbs from our neighbors and then pop them on the sidewalk like firecrackers.  But 'ol BK had to one up everyone that was not good enough.  BK and his friend Gary, the son of a local police officer, went to the police station and removed the light from the tree in front of Borough Hall and the station! 

Of course, they later got caught, got grounded.  Rinse and repeat for the Kaufmann boys and especially our firebrand Brian Patrick.  So just to recap and let it sink in.  BK and the son of the police officer thought it would be a good idea to go to the police station and remove the Christmas lights in front of the police station with the son of a police officer! We would later became neighbors with the same family we would buy a house several years later in Conshohocken.  Good people. 

Fellowship House

For once we had room to spreadout, could romp at the local park, play hoops and hangout at the Fellowship House, the town's community center, and expend all that joyful energy that the Kaufmann boys possessed.

The Fellowship House was simply know as The Fel.  How cool is that. 

The Fel was the lifeblood of the community.  Everything went down at the Fel. 

All the kids afterschool activities from basketball, kickball, board games, and ping pong happened at the Fel.  The building was a big cinderblock gym that had a big stage front, and ancillary rooms used for playing board games, hanging out, and just being with your friends,  There were locker rooms, and offices for the staff, and even an upstairs lounge where some of the older fellas could gather to spend some quality time together. 

To Be Continued


We all dream of fairy tales and living happily ever after, some couples seem to figure it out while others are challenged by having to share a vision, a purpose, and a future with someone else. The perception that life changes once we are married, when we are responsible for more than just ourselves, when others depend on us, life goes from being about me, to about us, to about them or so it goes.