| Chapter 2: | Street Life |
never walked near the Presbyterian church Norman Thomas established on One Hundred and Sixth Street.
In the middle of September for three days and nights we celebrated the feast of our patron saint, Benedict. Vendors set up their stalls. Music from the jukebox in the poolroom sounded louder than ever. The vendors I liked the best roasted peppers and sausages and boiled corn on the cob. My grandparents never ate corn; they considered it pigs’ food. This was my only opportunity to eat it. I could smell the roasting peppers and sausages blocks away. The residents of One Hundred and Seventh Street enjoyed one big cookout once a year. To me saints, sausages and corn on the cob would be linked in my memory forever.
September 17, 1946 was a memorable St. Benedict feast day on our block. Tami Mauriello, the heavyweight boxing contender, came to see his sister and secure the blessings of St. Benedict in his fight for the title against Joe Louis the following evening at Madison Square Garden. Alfred and I believed that Tami could defeat Louis. Tami had won bouts against tough opponents including Gus Lesnevich, Lee Oma and Jimmy Bivins. Well-wishers crowded around Tami and his sister expressing their support. The fight lasted only one round. Tami dazzed Louis but the champion quickly recovered and finished Tami off. Years later, Tami played the role of Tullio in “On the Waterfront,” a film starring Marlon Brando.
The annual procession in July honoring Our Lady of Mount Carmel stopped on each street in East Harlem as supplicants including my grandmother pinned dollar bills on the robes of the