The Resilient Jimmy Kalish

I am one of ten kids of Bill and Lorraine Durbin. My dad’s father died before I was born, but my mom’s dad, James Kalish, was a regular presence in my life as a kid. In the 1960s, he and his wife Bernice lived in East St. Louis, Illinois, and we lived in nearby Fairview … Continue reading The Resilient Jimmy Kalish →

My Family History

For the past few months I’ve been looking into my family history, posting here as I went. Now it’s all in a new section of this website. I’ve been curious about this story for more than fifty years. In 1973, when I was ten, I asked my parents if we had a family tree. “No,” … Continue reading My Family History →