George and Roy about 1934Hello friends:
When I was born back on 3 July of 1930 there were identical twins born instead of only one kid. The woman in the bed next to my mother in the hospital remarked "Don't cry lady, one of them usually dies." Ever since, my brother (Roy) and I would argue which of us is dead. When I was about 12 years old I found my mother's scrap book with photos of her as a flapper, dressed with her bowler hat, scarf, etc. She also had a clipping of a poem written in German accent pasted in her scrap book which I promptly copied and memorized. Let's see if I can still remember it now 66 years later.
I'm a Broken Hearted Deutcher
"I'm a broken hearted Deutcher
dot ist filled mit crief und shame.
I'll tell you vot the troubles ist.
I do not know my name.
You dink dis ist very funny, eh,
But when you de schtory hear
You vill den not vonder so very much
Vy it ist so strange und queer.
You see mine mutter had two little tvins
dey vas me und mine brudder.
Vi looked so very much alike
you couldn't tell vich from di utter.
Von of our pays vas Jacob
und Hans di utter's name
But it never made no difference
Vi both got called da same.
Vell, one of us got dead
Ja, meinjeer dot ist so
but Hans or Jacob mine mutter
she don't know.
So now I am in troubles
I can't get tru mein head
Vetter I am Hans vot ist living
or Jacob vot ist dead.
=======
So now I am in troubles, I can't get tru mein head, vetter I am George dot ist living or Roy vot ist dead.
May he rest in peace.
Roy Drake, S.J., 3 July 1930-21 August, 2008..
Photo: George and Roy about 1934.
gfd
1 comment:
Dear Mr. Drake,
Fr. Roy was my prefect at Dolan Hall at John Carroll University from 1980-1984. He was a polymath in my estimation. His knowledge of so many diffuse subjects overwhelmed me. That he played in an orchestra, studied oceanography, then also tackled computers was quite a feat. He was brought to JCU by Fr. O'Malley to help shake things up institutionally and he was quite able. About the time I left, I had heard Fr. Drake took ill and left the school, but was able to get better and had a new outlook on life. I hope the past appx. twenty-five years for him were fruitful for him.
BTW, I had the privilege of meeting your mother once when she came to JCU, and she was adorable.
Christopher Fortunato, JCU '84
Cleveland, Ohio
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