Here's the conclusion of the profile of Ed Duskey that appeared in the Lorain Journal in 1969 as part of the Bill Scrivo's People feature.
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Ed Duskey: A Long Run on Broadway (Part 2)
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| March 9, 1952 ad from Lorain Sunday Times |
Ed Duskey remembers the old days on Broadway and the friends he made. Many of them are gone.
"All of the people that were here when I started are dead or not in business any more," he says. George Llewellyn's son now runs the automobile agency. But Ed remembers going to old George for a couple of hundred dollars when the gas truck was due and there wasn't enough money in the till. And he remembers Sol and Isadore Jacoby and the Delis Brothers too.
"I GOT MYSELF in debt through bad credit and bad management. I went in there in August, 1929 when the bottom dropped out. But I paid back everybody I owed.
"There's nobody in the city can say I owe them a dime. That's the reason I stuck it out."
Along the way, Ed Duskey lost something very precious to him. He can talk about her now, where once he couldn't.
"I had a wonderful wife," he says. "She was such a fine person – and she would always go anywhere with me. She could be washing clothes and I would call up and say I was going to Cleveland and she would drop her washing and say 'I can do these tomorrow.'
"I'm a widower now going on 14 years.
"In my life there have been lots of sorrows, but I found out I had to leave those sorrows behind and I had to live with the people and make them believe everything was rosy.
"I told a lady today who had just lost her husband that the more you grieve the more you are going to be hurt."
AND ED DUSKEY has not spent his time in grieving. He loves life and the people who come into his gas station. He loves the people he grew up with in 40 years on Broadway. He remembers the good times – the baseball teams he sponsored; the teams that took a back seat to nobody in the Cleveland area. He remembers the trips to Notre Dame and Michigan and Cleveland and Northfield.
He remembers the Lorain he came to as a young man and the people he knew and loved. But he is not sad. For Ed Duskey is not thinking of what used to be or of retiring or things like that.
He's looking ahead to the fall, when the Central Business Men's Association will board a bus early in the morning and head for the Pittsburgh Notre Dame football game.
AND THE MAN with the youngest heart and the loudest voice on that bus will be Ed Duskey – going to Pittsburgh and coming back late that night. And he'll be leading his favorite song:
"Love me sweet, love me true, love me as you ought to do,
For I don't have a wooden heart..."
Dan - My father worked for Ed and Walt Duskey for over 50 years before retiring in 1995. Those guys were the best, I have fond memories of them coming over to the house on Christmas, New years, etc., They loved to sing, My Mother would play the organ and Ed would sing his butt off. They always had kind things to say and always seemed to offer us kids 50 cent pieces or silver dollars on those special days. Even today I can remember waitng on mom or Dad at the station and have either Walt or Ed offer us kids a bag chips or a pop, just good stuff. I also have good memories of Mr Llewellyn. The closeness those businesses on Broadway shared was just amazing, they always helped each other out in a pinch. Lanza's had the candy business cornered, whenever we were allowed, penny candy - Just crazy to think it ever was. I'm still friends to this day with Bear Llewellyn and with the exception of once I have bought every vehicle I've ever owned from Bear or one of the Llewellyn family. Loyality meant allot back then, not sure about today though.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate you sharing your story. It embellishes the Journal profile and helps keep the memories of the Duskeys, their employees like your father, and Lorain businessmen like Mr. Llewellyn alive.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dan for the post. Uncle Eddie was a great guy, always throwing the nieces and nephews a silver dollar at the holidays. My grandfather Walt was quieter, but kind and generous as well. Miss them both.
ReplyDeleteMark Duskey