Fashion is continually adapting in American culture and the 1950’s are particularly known for some experimental designs in clothing. For the most part male fashion did not make huge strides in adaptation but it was becoming more popular to have single breasted suits compared to double breasted. Woman’s fashion would change throughout the entire year in order to maintain a consistent level of consumerism. The introduction of the bikini bathing suit came in the 1950’s and Joe recalls the name coming from an island where some nuclear testing took place. Integrating recent events into a consumer’s world helps to develop American advertising we see today.
Other stereotypical 1950’s culture was being shared by the Basiles including a finned station wagon as the family car. This station wagon had no seat belts or air bags and neither did most of the cars on the road. As the automobile industry began to boom, it was clear that driving safety became a bigger priority. With the crash test ratings and multiple airbags of today it is easy to compare and trace the evolution of the automobile industry.
The new idea of barbeques was also introduced in the 1950’s. Joe, being a man of the culinary arts himself, took right to it. Having a grill in the backyard allows for families to come together in a unique way. The barbeque boom also opened new doors such as above and in-ground pools. Joe was anxious to get one himself and it has been in use since the day it was installed. Things like the barbeque and pool coincide to bring a family or neighborhood together and can get endless use.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Sunday, October 5, 2008
06 The Basiles and 1950's Politics
1950’s politics were a very influential time in the development of American policies today. Joe was directly affected by the Korean War. After returning from the Pacific he was still considered on reserve in the Navy and was requested to fight in Korea. He was so determined he would fight that after completing his first physical he actually had a going away party. To his displeasure, he ended up failing his second physical with a cyst on his spine. In retrospect, if Joe hadn’t have failed that second physical, he may have not dated Jan resulting in the Basile family being nonexistent.
Political events such as the Little Rock Nine were an eye opener to the Basile household and the country abroad. Such segregation as different colored bathrooms, water fountains, and other public facilities was considered ridiculous and certainly not practiced in the North. Joe and Jan can recall hearing such things on the news and sitting in disbelief and awe that something like this could be happening in their country. The civil rights movement quickly grew by the 1960’s, but before the segregation was exposed, the remainder of the country was blind to it.
The rise of the Cold War shook a bit of fear into the hearts of the American people, including the Basiles, during the 1950’s. Yet again the media is responsible for revealing horrors such as the nuclear testing in New Mexico and Arizona. Joe and Jan and even their older children Michael and Peggy recall blackouts and dug and cover drills. Although these drills are precautionary, it brought the nuclear war home which stirred a fear shared by all Americans.
Political events such as the Little Rock Nine were an eye opener to the Basile household and the country abroad. Such segregation as different colored bathrooms, water fountains, and other public facilities was considered ridiculous and certainly not practiced in the North. Joe and Jan can recall hearing such things on the news and sitting in disbelief and awe that something like this could be happening in their country. The civil rights movement quickly grew by the 1960’s, but before the segregation was exposed, the remainder of the country was blind to it.
The rise of the Cold War shook a bit of fear into the hearts of the American people, including the Basiles, during the 1950’s. Yet again the media is responsible for revealing horrors such as the nuclear testing in New Mexico and Arizona. Joe and Jan and even their older children Michael and Peggy recall blackouts and dug and cover drills. Although these drills are precautionary, it brought the nuclear war home which stirred a fear shared by all Americans.
05 The Working World
Joseph Basile has been influenced by his parent’s food businesses since he was a child. This would explain his career path in the culinary arts. After Joe was in trailer sales, he decided to work in his parent’s bakery on Central Ave., Albany. There he learned a lot about the business and how to properly run and food service. Using his experience at the bakery, he landed a job as the Assistant Food Director as the State University of New York at Albany. It was after this career shift that the Basiles could finally get some breathing room financially.
Janet Basile’s working experience was relatively rare for a mother of five in the 1950’s. Once her children began going to school she started a job working at Sears’s department store. While working in the catalogue department, Jan crucially added to the family’s income at a time when it was common for a family to have one source of income. After some time at Sear’s, Jan became a receptionist for a local doctor. Her ability to raise the children and immediately begin working was essential in the financial enhancement of the Basile family.
Janet Basile’s working experience was relatively rare for a mother of five in the 1950’s. Once her children began going to school she started a job working at Sears’s department store. While working in the catalogue department, Jan crucially added to the family’s income at a time when it was common for a family to have one source of income. After some time at Sear’s, Jan became a receptionist for a local doctor. Her ability to raise the children and immediately begin working was essential in the financial enhancement of the Basile family.
04 The Basile Children
Joseph and Janet Basile had four children from 1950 to 1960. They had Michael in 1954, Peggy in 1957, Stephen in 1959 and Donna, my mother, in 1960. After 1960, they had two miscarriages and then Antoinette was born in 1965. Raising as many as five children in that generation, although not unheard of, was becoming less and less popular as the years went on. Joe and Jan, on the other hand, deeply loved their children and were ready if another one were to come along.
The challenge of raising children properly seems to have become more difficult as the generations progress. Joe feels that raising his children would have been much more difficult if it had been in today’s generation. He feels that it was a much simpler process without the distractions and harmful influences that today’s youth have to become exposed to. He said that he never had a problem with his children watching too much television, or other technologies, and that drug and alcohol use was never a trouble for his children. Joe and Jan’s goal was to raise their children in a safe and healthy environment while providing them was a great education.
The challenge of raising children properly seems to have become more difficult as the generations progress. Joe feels that raising his children would have been much more difficult if it had been in today’s generation. He feels that it was a much simpler process without the distractions and harmful influences that today’s youth have to become exposed to. He said that he never had a problem with his children watching too much television, or other technologies, and that drug and alcohol use was never a trouble for his children. Joe and Jan’s goal was to raise their children in a safe and healthy environment while providing them was a great education.
03 The Basile Homestead
After Joseph and Janet Basile returned from their honeymoon in 1953, they lived with Joe’s parents for a few months at the corner of North Main Ave. and Kent St. Once they financially got on their feet, they moved into 55 North Manning Blvd, Albany, and officially became home owners. In 1959, Joe and Jan moved to a trailer park owned by Joe’s parents. There, Joe worked in trailer sales under his parents.
The most recent and permanent move that Joe and Jan made was from the trailer park to 67 Mordella Rd, Albany. While using the trailer park as a temporary residence they bought a lot on Mordella and began building a home. Within a year of building, the Basile family was ready to move into their new home. On the day of the move-in, August 16, 1960, Jan unexpectedly went into labor for her fourth child Donna.
Mordella was an attractive neighborhood for the Basiles because it provided much needed space to a growing family of six. It was also a suburban area which Joe and Jan felt was the necessary environment in which to raise children. Many of the Basile’s friends were making a similar move to nicer neighborhoods at this time. This improved lifestyle did cost them enough to tighten their financial boundaries. With the house costing $24,500, appliances included, and a mortgage of $150 a month Joe and Jan had to struggle to maintain a financial balance.
The most recent and permanent move that Joe and Jan made was from the trailer park to 67 Mordella Rd, Albany. While using the trailer park as a temporary residence they bought a lot on Mordella and began building a home. Within a year of building, the Basile family was ready to move into their new home. On the day of the move-in, August 16, 1960, Jan unexpectedly went into labor for her fourth child Donna.
Mordella was an attractive neighborhood for the Basiles because it provided much needed space to a growing family of six. It was also a suburban area which Joe and Jan felt was the necessary environment in which to raise children. Many of the Basile’s friends were making a similar move to nicer neighborhoods at this time. This improved lifestyle did cost them enough to tighten their financial boundaries. With the house costing $24,500, appliances included, and a mortgage of $150 a month Joe and Jan had to struggle to maintain a financial balance.
02 The Basile Wedding
Joseph Basile proposed to Janet Smith on June 23rd, 1952. On this day, Jan had graduated from Vincentian Institute and had celebrated her Eighteenth birthday. Jan’s remarkable maturity is a good example of how it was more popular to marry at a young age. Having such a commitment at an time of immaturity may and have caused marriages to fall apart. In today’s society it is more common to marry around the age of twenty eight. This allows people to steadily mature and develop before choosing a mate. Whereas Jan becomes an adult, fiancé and high school graduate in one day.
The couple took each other’s hand in marriage at Blessed Sacrament Church, of Albany, in 1953. The Basile’s still attend Blessed Sacrament Church and Joe was in the church choir until recently. Joe’s best man was Ed Rogers; a schoolmate of his and a dear friend at that time in his life. Jan’s maid of honor was Edna Smith; her sister in law and still close friend till this day. The newlyweds took their honeymoon in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The couple took each other’s hand in marriage at Blessed Sacrament Church, of Albany, in 1953. The Basile’s still attend Blessed Sacrament Church and Joe was in the church choir until recently. Joe’s best man was Ed Rogers; a schoolmate of his and a dear friend at that time in his life. Jan’s maid of honor was Edna Smith; her sister in law and still close friend till this day. The newlyweds took their honeymoon in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
01 Joe and Jan Before the Wedding
Joseph Nigro Basile and Janet Mary Smith had a long history together before that fateful day when Jan walked down the aisle. Jan’s mother Norah had been working as a maid for the Basile’s before either of the two was born. So naturally, Joe and Jan formed a relationship at a very young age through their parents. Their relationship began to grow as Jan would help her mother at the Basile’s home at North Main St. and Kent St. in Albany, New York.
Not coming from as much money and with her husband’s early passing, Norah needed to be the bread winner for the Smith family. Keeping house for the Basile's was a good way for her to make a living and provide for her children. Jan would help her mother work at the Basile's at a young age to make it easier on her mother. Her presence at the Basile's home naturally strengthened her relationship with each family member, Joe included. Despite his obvious lack of intimate feeling for Jan during his adolescents, they would have their first date when he returned from the Pacific.
Not coming from as much money and with her husband’s early passing, Norah needed to be the bread winner for the Smith family. Keeping house for the Basile's was a good way for her to make a living and provide for her children. Jan would help her mother work at the Basile's at a young age to make it easier on her mother. Her presence at the Basile's home naturally strengthened her relationship with each family member, Joe included. Despite his obvious lack of intimate feeling for Jan during his adolescents, they would have their first date when he returned from the Pacific.
Joe and Jan’s first date was at a dinner theater on Central Ave., in Albany. Dinner theaters were a popular social location where a couple could have dinner and then be entertained by a play, comedian or other stage shows. At the time, Jan was seventeen and attending Vincentian Institute and Joe was twenty-five and had recently returned home from World War II. Joe had previously left Christian Brothers Academy, in Albany, to join the armed forces at the age of seventeen. Joe was a sailor in the Navy and had served for three years in the Pacific.
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