Rome, John_1975/10/7, Oral History, 1975 - 1975

This is Renee Dubin, Mrs. Nathan Dubin, interviewing, Mr. John J. Rome, of 51 Middlebrook Road, West Hartford, CT. Mr. Rome is the former owner of the Honis Oyster House of Hartford, CT, one of the most famous seafood restaurants in the country. Today is Tuesday, October 7, 1975. RD: Hello, John, how are you? I should say hello Jack. Everyone calls you Jack, not John. JR: I appreciate that RD: Well, it’s a gorgeous day out here and we would like to hear a little bit about you and the Rome family and where you came from and how you started and how you got to be so famous. JR: came here about 1888 during the blizzard, the famous blizzard that we had in Hartford, CT. From there on he was the father of seven sons and five daughters, of which I was the fourth son. I went to grammar school, graduated from the grammar school and went to high school. RD: What grammar school did you go to, Jack? JR: The Northeast – To the Brown School and the Northeast Grammar School. The reason for being at the Northeast School instead of the Brown School was we moved to Bellevue Street, which was the North End of the city at that time. RD: Where did you live before Bellevue Street? JR Before Bellevue Street we lived on Market Street. RD: Is that you first home here, your parents’ first home in this country? JR: It was Commerce Street and then Market Street, and then we moved. We bought a little home near the home we rented. But now between the time when they saved up a little extra money and they bought a home. A single home because we were twelve in the family. And then my brother Harry, who was the oldest at that time, became a dentist in Chicago. He moved away from home. My other brother understand, he was in the World War, the First World War, he contacted diabetes to an extent and he went to move to Philadelphia as they claim there was a hospital there that would take good care of him, bring him back to where he originally, his health originally was. RD: What did you say his name was, the older? JR: Harry C. Rome. RD: That was the dentist? JR: That was the dentist. The next one is Rizzizio Rome. He was the one that was in the service. He contacted diabetes and they thought it would be a good idea for him to go to Philadelphia and at that time we had a relation there. My other brother, Lew Rome, he became a conductor and he resigned that on the cause for over 50 years. They knew him from the very stops that he made and the courtesy he had shown the people on his route. RD: Is that the train that went to New York from Hartford? JR: No, that was the trolley cars. RD: Oh, the trolley cars. In downtown Hartford? JR: Downtown Hartford. Then I came along and I had seen the way things were so it was a large family, we needed the income, we wanted to keep our home intact, so I went, I sold papers. So did my other brothers. And then I picked up a Talmud at the Walton School of Commerce of Chicago. RF: Had you gone to Hartford High School before that, Jack? JR: Ya, went to high school four years. Then after a while my studies were going on I took the job with Billings and Spencer as a clerk. I stayed there approximately two years. They I went to work for Colt Manufacturing Company, in their Cost Department which I later became Assistant Cost Accountant at Colt Manufacturing Company. That was right after the War. While I was attending the cost accounting meetings I met a new concern which came into the city and in 1920s which was known as the Wiremold Company. I went from a clerk to assistant controller and I _________ the controller’s name was Iz Ronstein. E. Hayes Murphy was the president of the company and was a closed operation. While at works I had done accounting so I, it did help with my own future finances. RD: You did your accounting at night for yourself? JR: And I did my accounting at night for ________ and Peas, Certified Public Accountants. I done their work and auditing and finally they sent me over to Honis Oyster House. And that was back in 1925. And I worked there nights, different nights during the week. RD: Doing their accounting? JR: Doing their accounting. And looked over their organization very carefully. It was a closed operation, now it’s not. It’s made up of three men, Bert Atchison, Bill _____ and Palm O’Neil. Palm O’Neil was treasurer and then when I came with them after a while they insisted that I go to work for them because of the different things that I found for them to increase their business and their standards. RD: Tell us what you mean by a closed corporation? JR: A closed corporation is where the stock is not on the market because it’s just held by three people. It would be closed. So nobody else could come in. Mr. Murphy’s organization was also a closed corporation and held by the Murphy family. RD: You told me something interesting about Wiremold. You said something about opening and closing their books. JR: I was the first of my nationality RD: You were the first Jewish boy JR: that really opened and closed a manufacturing set of books. RD: In Hartford? JR: In Hartford at that time. There were others that held positions as accountants and so forth but they never had the opportunity of taking a green set of books from beginning to the closing. the record understands because we used to get our financial statement out every month. We knew exactly we stood at all times and we knew what was going on. If there was anything that didn’t look just right they could correct it immediately within that period of time. Then I took a leave of absence while I was doing the accounting work and bookkeeping for Honis’ because they wanted me to work for them and I felt that they weren’t in a position to pay me what I was worth. I was willing to work for them to prove to them what I really was worth eventually. I gambled with the position I had which was security at that time. And I overstayed my three months and then I was given the understanding if anything ever happened within a year if I kept showing what I accomplished with Honis that they would make me an officer. So I was a clerk for them and an officer. In 1927 until 1948 we improved our business considerably, we were known all over the country. And at that time the vultures would come up State Street and they used to deliver their cargo and some of the captains and some of the individuals who had something to do wit the various companies used to come up the river and _______ Honis’ and have their fish in season. Especially oysters during the winter season, their clams and various other seafoods that they like, lobsters, oysters, lobsters, crabmeat, shrimp and the various fish of the ethnic _____ at the time. From there we were starting to be known from various parts and they all came from various parts of the country. Our hospitality was beyond reproach. It was simply used rules that we had the families that were originally on my books for hundreds of years. For over 100 years to replace in time and they were the Putnam family, they were the Loomis’, they were the The owners of the Hartford Courant the officers of the Hartford Times and Mrs. Auerbach with her crew and the different buyers also Brown Honis at that time, Ned Allen which was Sage & Allen at that time and then his wife became Lt. Governor. RD: She was Secretary of State, he was Lt. Governor. JR: That’s right. Secretary of State. She was a very popular woman. RD: Mildred. JR: Mildred. I Wise. They all came to Honis. Various nights _________ Always came back. They thought the world of Honis. In fact Mrs. Auerbach when she celebrated I remember it was her anniversary, re commended Honis ____________ One of her windows, one of her show windows, would show us what she really thought of Honis and ________. And of course the quality. Our doors were always open to the various people who came through Hartford. RD: You even had sawdust on the floor then, didn’t you? JR: Yes. In those days we has sawdust. Not only did we have the sawdust on the floors, but we had harpoons used them in our day and there were then. RD: And you had all those famous pictures covering the walls. JR: Various pictures were given to us by Jewry from various types of people. We have never bought a picture. Everything was given to us gratis. And it became Honis’ famous collection of photos and prints. Our slogan stood as it always did, honest. Our help were beyond reproach because our waiters, some of them, had been wit us since then most of them past away, for at least anywhere from 10 to 30-35 or 40 years. RF: I remember Rosie waiting on us when he was in his 80s. JR: They lived to a ripe old age. RD: You never fired any of them. JR: It was an institution all in itself and when they had the Charter Oak Walk we were included in that as one of the that should be made when you are walking a tour of the City of Hartford at that time. We also had a card which told you now and then since 1845 at the various conditions of the different organization that went on. At the center we understand something to read and it had a lot of big thoughts. We finally reached to the age when we thought we ought to retire after 50 years. And so we went on, we left the pictures intact with the understanding that as long as the name of Honis continued they would be allowed to used those pictures. Should the name change in any way there was a place in the Connecticut Historical Society, a room marked with Honis’ collection of photos and prints. Today the company is still in existence. May I go back just a little bit? When we used to have our floods in the city before the dikes were made, the water would come up as far as State Street as far as Market Street but no further. We were never involved in any of the floods. We were well, it seemed as thought the good Lord was watching over us. We used to have a Hartford Courant in the center of the city the Hartford Times, the Hartford Post. We also had a very interesting man or chap, as you might say, he was a great friend of Honis’, and that was Bill Savit. As a merchandiser he outstood most anyone in the city. Some of our pictures indicated the value of old age. In the old days, and what I mean by old day, up to about 1940-45, when the parent got old the children, if they had any children, they always watched over them very carefully, regardless of their condition. They tried to help. The neighbors would try to help. It was something we were proud of. In one particular instance there was Mr. Plimpton who used to bring up frogs and teach them Stand in line and receive their duty of food of what he used to bring out for them and them when there would be probably around six or seven of those frogs they would come out of the pond which was located at Sigourney and Farmington Avenue. Along in there somewhere. He taught them to understand and through the curiosity of several of the old timers a picture was taken of him feeding the frogs, setting them up in line and then after they all had received their food they would jump right back in the pond. He came out at least once a day to watch over that. And what I meant by taking care of the old folks today where in a hubby num and man and wife have to go to work we’re neglecting a lot of things in life that we really shouldn’t have. But there is a lot of lessons to be learned from the old times. What I mean is people . And people are now in their eighties and seventies and eighties. Nobody was afraid of anybody in our city. We even had little latch locks on our door that didn’t amount to anything. It was safe to walk the streets and if anybody was in need there was always a collection made. Somehow or other they were taken care of. The police department was wonderful. The fire department was right up to date with them and the employees understand a little something to our city and if strangers came into town and they were really made to understand they came through or some circumstances they came in and wanted to go back out there was always somebody at the railroad station that would take care of them and bring them back to the destination where they originally were. RD: Jack, you’re known as Mr. Hartford to many people. You belong to many organizations. You’re very charitable, you’ve got a big heart, you look out for your family and for your friends and always with a smile and a nice word. I would like to go back a little bit and ask you a little more about your family and then work up to some of these activities. Where did your family, from where did they come? JR: Well my father, my father came from Russia. RD: That was Lipman Rome? JR: Lipman Rome. RD: And you told me that the name was Rome, it was never anything else? JR: The name was Rome. It was an original name that came from over there, it was originally R-O-M-E. Sometimes the old timers used to spell it R-U-M but the real name, the real spelling, was R-O-M-E. One of my brothers was a major at the State Police. He was really called Mr. Policeman. RD: Was he number 5 or number 6? JR: I didn’t think I’d get him in, but he was number 5. RD: And what was his name? JR: His name was Samuel Rome. RD: The very famous man. JR: And he was very famous. They wrote him up in one of the books. He was known all over. He had done an awful lot of cases that they thought couldn’t be broken. What I mean by that is he get to culprits who committed those crimes and he was really somebody that everybody feared if there was some danger of somebody getting into trouble and they called upon him. He would give you an honest break but you had to be honest with him. Then I have another brother RD: Number 6 JR: Number 6. RD: You gave us 4 and Sam is 5 and now we are up to 6 JR: I missed one. Sam is 4 myself was 5. Sam was 6 and Max is 76 RD: Who was number 4 them, I think we missed him? JR: Israel Rome. RD: Israel, you had Charles JR: Let me see. I had Harry, Israel, Louis and John that made it four. Then there was Sam. There was Albert Rome. Albert Rome. We missed him. Albert Rome was the father of the present Lew Rome who was the president, Republican State Senator, up until a year ago. He also had a brother who was a doctor, Leonard Rome, and he had a daughter, Albert Rome did, that was a nurse and married a doctor. And they were well __________ by the _______ family. And also I have a sister who was well known among the Jewish organizations. She was a go getter for them and she was recognized at the RD: What was her name? JR: Her name was Minnie Gold___. There was a sister Ida Goldberg that helped take care of the family to a certain degree. She was the oldest. We also have a sister who lives in New York by the name of Vivian Rome. Then we have This is the history of the Rome Family. RD: I think you told me that your parents came from Russia. What part of Russia was it? JR: Villn. RD: Was it called Villagaberni? JR: Villagaberni RF: When did they come to this country? JR: This is in 1888. RF: That they came here? JR: That they came here. RD: And when were you born? JR: I was born in Hartford on Congress Street I think it was in 1894. RD: Oh, I can’t believe it John, you look like a man 30 years younger. You take good care work hard. Hard work keeps you young. JR: Hard work does keep you young, it keeps you out of trouble. There’s an old, old saying you understand in the days gone by keep a man occupied and you will keep him out of trouble, keep him unoccupied and he suddenly looks for the bad ways. RD: Well you kept to be a busy man. You said your father helped to build a shul on Suffield Street, is that shul still around? JR: No. He built a shul on Market Street. Small shul. It was known at the Likushur shul he got built. At that time these people came from mostly Russia, a part of Russia where Vilnagaberna is. And then gradually understand as they went along there were only three synagogues in the city of Hartford. There was one on Market Street, there were two on Market Street and one on Charter Oak Avenue. The temple was on Charter Oak RD: They must have been very religious people. JR: They were to a certain degree they were. A holiday meant a holiday to them. And they kept it. And everybody around knew it meant that. RD: Well they must have instilled it in you because my children will never forget the Chanukah parties that you have given over the years. You and Myra have been just marvelous inviting children and rabbis and everyone to your lovely Chanukah parties and very generous. Tell us about them will you? JR: Well, it was an old tradition in the old days understand when my father’s _____ He used ____ a bunch of _____ and he used to give the kids to say the prayers. In those days _______________________ and if you were an exception ____________ ____________________. We kept that tradition up, up until 197_. We used to invite my nieces and nephews and of course my sisters and brothers and their children and their childrens’ children and their childrens children. It was three generations that came to the party. They all received the silver coins and a gift. _____________________ ________________________ the gifts were of little matter and they got some _____. RD: Well you gave them very famous half dollars and silver dollars and, oh, I remember Myra buying very special gifts for each particular child. She spent a great deal of time deciding on those gifts. JR: And when we enjoyed one more thing I don’t know. RD: I don’t want you to forget about the hotdogs at those Chanukah parties and about making each child light the Chanukah lift and say the prayer. JR: It was a tradition to instill in their minds the future that in no other __________ to get their gift was a little party you got the cookies and the hotdogs, soda and we have to keep it within a certain tradition so we use certain things _____________________ but while they were sitting at the little table the youngsters and all their parents would be there they would have to say a prayer that conformed with that particular time and that tradition which is known as Chanukah. It’s almost equivalent to ___________ Christmas spirit. We kept that tradition up for a good many years. We also had a tradition until the older sisters became sick that we used to have a Passover RD: Oh, your seders were famous. JR: 43 we used to serve. 43 people with the youngsters. We’d hire a hall for two days and each one had to say the four prayers that _____________ half the kids at a time RD: The four questions? JR: It was called the four questions and if they did they all received a gift. A special gift that mama Rome, that Mrs. John Rome, understand gave the family and we fed them, two days and we all looked forward to it every year. And it instilled something in the children for the future. Whether they believe or not it still imbedded something that they knew it meant something good for the future and also for their childrens’ children. RD: Well we talked about Myra but we haven’t said too much about her. You’ve been married a long time to your beautiful Myra. JR: Well, we’ve been married close to 44 years. RD: And you have how many children? JR: We have two children, a boy and a girl. They are both doing well in their RD: Dave and Bobby, right? JR: David and Bobby. RD: Alright. And you belong to a good many charitable organizations. You’re a very staunch Rotarian. That I know and you’ve been a had perfect attendance for some 16 years now. JR: 16 years. RD: Right. Didn’t miss a meeting. JR: That was all due to another person that’s involved in this picture and I’m awfully sorry I have to say it and that was Dr. Nat Dubin who is the interviewer’s partner. He certainly did an awful lot to instill in us ___________ and kept the kept the tradition. RD: The two of you were 100 percenters I know. You did a lot of work for Rotary. I see that you’re also an Elk and you’re a Mason, you’re a Shriner and tell me what this cerio grato is? JR: That was the former organization of the Blue Lodge but I also belonged to B’nai Brith and to the Zionists, to the old peoples’ home. RD: Tell us about the childrens home? Yes tell us about your mother with the pushka and the horse and buggy at the old peoples’ home which is now the Hebrew Home for the Aged. JR: Well it was a tradition in the old days that as Jewish people we were looked down on unfortunately. We were always made the collection for whatever they wanted to give and what their contribution would do in order for them to build an old peoples home and the ___ Well we mentioned the old peoples home and the children the orphaned childrens RD: That’s not the Childrens Services? JR: The Childrens’ services now. And they used to go around with this little tins and it reminded you in the old, old days when people _______ collections that these little tins you understand used to be filled and they used to put it in the _____, in a little container. And then deliver it I think it was on Pleasant Street, if I remember. And then they got contributions and then at the end of the year they would collect and tell you just what they had collected for the year. But each one was taught to do it and it was not in their line because our tradition was dietary laws and various other things that came up. But they overcome everything and you can’t overcome everything if you only put your mind to what you were doing. RD: You have something very unusual in your family amongst many things, one if that I that you have a private cemetery of your own called the Rome Cemetery? Where is that and why do you have a private cemetery? JR: Well might I say this. Years ago you belonged to different lodges and I still belong to the Capital City Lodge in Hartford of all the places, it’s not very active in its way but in those days understand a Jew had to be buried in certain consecrated grounds. These unfortunately Mrs. Rome and I unfortunately went to a burial where it was it happened to rain the day before a few days before and the ground was all wet and when they put the coffin down we thought it would sink in. We just had to do something. As my father and mother died within three months of ________ in 1926 and they said to us keep the children together. In other words what they meant was is to keep the spirit that each one would know each other, who we were and what we represent. And at that time we thought it over with the folks _____ and the only way you can keep the family together, it’s too bad it has to be done that way, that when they older they have to have a resting place so we figured out among our twelve in the family of what could develop so we tried to buy some ____. We finally got one with the Beth David which consists of 61 graves. Which means that the twelve brothers and sisters will always have a resting place. RD: May I interrupt you for a minute? I only got six brothers and four sisters so far. I am missing two somewhere. We’ve got the six boys and you got Ida and Minnie and Marion is it and the one in New York and who are the other two? JR: I gave you Ida ____________ RD: Right, and who are the other two? JR: Marion RD: Marion is in the convalescent home. JR: Goldie is in the institution RD: And then one more. JR: There were only five. RD: Five, oh seven brothers. Excuse me. JR: And so we decided we would buy a cemetery and it would be the final resting place providing certain restriction in order for you to be there. And those restrictions are within our own organization. Do I have to say it’s Jewish, you have to be Jewish? RD: You have to be Jewish to be buried there? JR: Absolutely. And you would have to be Jewish in order to be buried there. It’s in Wethersfield. It’s located where the Emanuel Synagogue is and the Beth David. We bought that outright ________________ It’s the Lipman Family Burial Ground. RD: And Lipman was your father’s first name? JR: Lipman was my father’s first name. So we took that to be RD: You told me some very interesting things about Hartford in your youth about the things you mentioned before about no having to lock doors, how honest people were. You talked about getting a bath every Friday, was it? JR: We had taken a bath twice a week. It was on Wednesday and Friday. We used to bath in tubs. We had the water __________ RD: You had to heat the water? JR: We had to heat the water first in boilers RD: With that number of children, did you take baths on different days? JR: No, because ma would put in the cold water with the hot water with three kids and three of us or four of us at a time. Of course we all had to be clean. It was the nature RD: And certainly Friday for shabbos. And you talked about all the hand-me-down clothes. JR: Well, when we were kids mother used to patch up our clothes. She was very fugal. She was very considerate. If it wasn’t right she wouldn’t ____________. She made everything she could. She was always busy. RD: Don’t you think that was very typical of the people who came to Hartford at that time, that generation? They were so glad to get everything? JR: There were so glad to get away from where they were that they just kept their nose to the grindstone and didn’t fund fault with anything whatsoever. Doctors in those days would come to visit you for dollar or two dollars a visit. The man was an ________, whatever you call it and he would take care of your bones and whatever sickness you had and he would try to take care of it all for a dollar or two dollars. RD: And what did your father do when he came here to support all those children? JR: He was a peddler and he used to go out to the farms and buy vegetables and he would buy up whatever they had, whether it was vegetables or whether it was any kind of a commodity of fruits or anything and they would go out and sell a new market. Sometimes they’d would go from house to house to sell. But they all worked hard. RD: Did you ever go with him on those trips? JR: Once in a while. All the children ________________NOT UNDERSTANDABLE__________ RD: It sounds like you all had a good time together when you were young. JR: We really enjoyed this. RD: You’re a very close family. JR: We are very close. But of course things change, times change. RD: Well, the Rome family is a very much respected one in Hartford, lots and lots of people. You talked when you were telling me about being a newlywed about the various places you used to go in Hartford, places that are no longer here or used that way anymore. JR: Well when we got married and then we took care of our family first and once we grew older and became a little but more prosperous we used to go out in a group. There was a group of us that used to go out to __________ on a Saturday night it was _________________________. There were six couples. We used to get together -----A LOT OF MUMBLING---- NOT UNDERSTANDABLE FOR SEVERAL LINES We never knew that our next door neighbor was going to be one of us. RD: You mean when you took your apartment in Florida, your condominium, one JR: Not the condominium our rental RD: Your rental, that the one next door to you was one of the six that you were so friendly here and you didn’t even know it. JR: in seven years, six years. RD: Small world. Well you talked about going to the barn dancing. JR: We used to go out every Saturday night RD: The Footguard? JR: We broke up our ___________ RD: The Sanger barn JR: We always went to one of the places on a Saturday night, it was either the Sanger Barn, it was the Footguard Hall, it was _________hill. The various spots that we used to go to visit and in those days I guess it didn’t cost you very much money. RD: Jack you’re been very active in the business community in Hartford always. You’ve held many positions. You’ve had a lot of responsibilities. You’re always been kind to your other businessmen, always looking out for the other businessmen in Hartford. JR: In other words we never had a competitor in our industry, although we were all in the restaurant business, we were friends. There was no hard feeling of any of our contacts of our meetings and the greetings that we had. I was a treasurer of the Associated Restaurants for 25 years for which I received a plaque for. I also became a life member of the, a life director of the Associated Restaurants. I was called in one year one of the outstanding citizens, one of the four outstanding citizens, which the governor Dempsey, I understand, gave the speech at the businessmen’s lunch. I was a member of the Chamber of Commerce both at the retail, businessmen and restaurants. I took most of the employers and we were known all over for the wonderful work that was done by the Restaurant Association for the future of the organization, their educational program which Lee Eisenberg and his brother Eddie Eisenberg were our secretaries and ______ ones. They watch out and did a wonderful job and they have accomplished an awful lot in our industry. RD: But you’re good, you’ve been good to everybody in the downtown area. You’re good to everybody that you meet. Really, you always have something nice to say about anyone. You help them with money. I know you don’t like to talk about it but you are always giving and doing. JR: Well it was __________ understand. _____________ First you brought MUMBLING------- Our ten commandments, we always tried to adhere to, to the best of our ability. If somebody came in with an open hand, understand wanted some _______. If he looked as though he deserved it we always gave him something. ___________ No matter what denomination of the organization belonged to we always did something for them. And if we could be of any help to any of the organizations regardless we were always there. RD: You’ve met some very famous people in Honis’ throughout the years. You were always there at the door to greet everyone and to see that everyone had a good time. You talked about Ed Begley one time. You would like to tell us about your feelings there? JR: Ed Begley was an exception. I was with the Wiremold Company when times were a little bit rough and I was shift lieutenant at the Wiremold. Ed Begley came in looking for a job one day, him and his wife. I hired them both. ________MUMBLING ______ where the players at the Travelers Insurance Company were He became famous as he went along on Christmas time he used to be one of the participants for the youngsters in the department stores. Then he became very famous in those days. He was known all over. Whenever he came into Hartford he always came in to say hello to me. We became fast friends. We were fast friends when he worked for me. Always understand that quite a number of times James ______ he wrote a book about the ________. ________________________- We were al very friendly in the place wherever we happened to be. I remember we used to have two days in sun ________ RD: A lot of those pictures on the walls at Honis’ are inscribed to you personally. JR: S0me of them are. But most of the time I had them inscribed to then my superior who was Bert Atchison. When any body came in that was of note we wanted his signature we always made it our business understand to have to Bert Atchison. RD: He was the first owner? JR: He was my __________. He was the one who hired me. RD: Well I don’t think I really asked you how you happened to acquire Honis’ when Mr. Atchison died? JR: Well then there was Bert Atchison and Bill Hastings were ______________ MUMBLING -------- We felt that they shouldn’t retire because they were ___ __________. But Mr. Atchison felt that he would like to make ________________ and then came the __________________ and we promised that if he came back in the city he would ________________. Bill Hastings who was then known as Commodore Hastings, we had him come back until he passed away for at least six or seven years after he retired. Or maybe longer than that. But had his friends come in and they used to go to the pictures naming his friends in entertainment. _______________ at Honis’ as long as he lived. Regardless of any condition whatsoever he was still my boss. And I kept it that way. And then our shift became a fellow by the name of ____ Fitzsimmons who was there for almost the same number of years that I have been there. He became the vice president. The other _________ became the secretary, that was the chef, he was with us for over 32 years, and he was worth his weight. He was conservative. He knew what merchandise was and I think he was one of the first _______________ in the city of Hartford. RD: Would you say that was one of the specialties at Honis? JR: That was one specialty at that particular tine of year. That was in season. RD: In the spring. JR: In the spring. RD: Well, I remember too that you never set yourself apart from the waiters. You dressed in the same jacket the waiters wore. It was hard to tell who was the boss around there. And you always called the waiters your boss. JR: This I did. I felt as though I was part of them and they were part of me. They helped me accumulate my _________. My little sum of money I put away for the future and I felt I owed them something. And kept the feeling up until the good lord took him away. RD: It seems to me that you were a forerunner if giving your waiters pensions and insurance and everything else you possibly could give them. JR: We always did that. We felt their a part of us and they were entitled to something. RD: I remember reading a letter from the daughter of one of your waiters saying how grateful she was that you had kept her father so long even though he was a very wealthy man himself he wanted to work and he worked for you right almost until the time he died. JR: Well it was a pleasure to be able to visit some of our old employees when they were sick. Especially when they were down and ----MUMBLING-------- SEVERAL LINES ----------- We talked it all over and we said now, ______ you’re going to give us a certain sum of money. Now what are we supposed. If you won’t hire us where do we go from here? Because if you put us out to pasture not only But as young blood comes in and we we only had a few more RD: A few of the older men? JR: A few of the old times. I got in touch with them and one is sick ____________ The other fellow I understand is So he went out by himself. RD: Jack, it’s been wonderful talking with you and I think people will realize for themselves, if they don’t already know from listening to this taped interview, what a wonderful man you really are, how kind, thoughtful, generous, really all nice things that I can say about you. Is there any way you’d like to sum up your life philosophy? JR: I always sum it up from experience. If at any time _____________ MUMBLING All your thoughts together it would awful nice to give the older people a smatter of encouragement __________________ and some way or another I feel in my own heart that you would accomplish something that will never forget and you cannot _____ RD: Beautiful, just beautiful. You have a beautiful soul. This is Renee Dubin I have been interviewing Jack Rome here in West Hartford, CT on this absolutely gorgeous sunny day and it’s been just wonderful Jack. Thanks so much.

RD: Jack, there is one more thing I want to ask you. I forgot to ask, how Honis’ got its name and who was the first owner of your Honis Oyster House? JR: The first person that was the owner of Honis’ I think was a fellow by the name of, I think it was Smith RD: Was it named after a Mr. Honis? JR: As a new owner occupied the place, that bought the place, would change the name constantly up until 1880. RD: Then it wasn’t called Honis’ to begin with? JR: It wasn’t called Honis. But they Mr. Honis bought it. He was a ____________ He loved the business but he had no children. _____________________ Of his employees of which there were only a few. And then when he died his stepson took it over and he became very sick and Mr. Atchison and Mr. Hastings, Tom O’Neil bought the company from Mr. Palhurst who was the stepson and they kept the name intact as Honis and then when he incorporated they kept still the name and the name was kept on for them as it was known so as they wouldn’t have a reputation of some other names that would come up. RD: It has always been in the same location? JR: And it’s always been in that same location of 130 years of the business. It was turned over to me and I bought it. I didn’t want to buy it but the owners ______ but I figured I was in it so long and _______ Some of the fellows that ran _____ gave me the _____ There was a fellow by the name of Charlie Ripley who was connected with the Hartford Steam Boiler that told me that I ought to take it over. RD: Were you working full time at Honis at that time? JR: Yes and I was working full time. RD: You had left Wiremold and come to work for them full time as an accountant? JR: As a bookkeeper as an accountant. RD: And then did you work on the floor too? JR: Yes. I learned how to open up places. I learned how to eat fish which I never could eat gefilte fish. RD: And today you eat it all? JR: No. I can’t eat a lot of it on account of the iodine. If I eat a whole lobster I’ll _______________________. If I eat a lot of shrimp. See there is an awful lot of iodine in there. I can have a little of it and enjoy it. And you will notice that I never use any condiments whatsoever with it. You see, our food had to be tested constantly for the oil. First when they sold fish we used to have the steam boats and in the steamboats we used group to keep the fires going and keep the steam up and so forth. And then it was cold. And in so doing it the ashes were always falling in the water and it would sink but when the oil came in the steamboats really came in then the oil ____ was oil and if anything went through it because almost every animal that lived in the waters would go through that skim of oil it would attack it because its body is built with scales or with no scales of staying on the body until nature washes it off. So we couldn’t buy a clam unless it came from certified waters where it had to flow where the tide would flow twice a day with no obstruction in the waters. If there was an obstruction in the waters were couldn’t use that because easily giving you certain diseases you understand. RD: So you had to make sure it was from clean water? JR: Absolutely. And everything was clean. The people who ate there had to be in good condition and receive the food that his body could take. RD: Well thanks Jack. I just wanted to ad this little postscript to make sure we all understood.