Posted on Fri Jun 23, 2000 1:23 pm
To Fred Amendola:
Felix the shoemaker, indeed.
tell your father that in 30+ years, i have never
walked into a shoe repair shop that i did not think of Felix, and tell him no one else could compare.
who remembers the shop?
down by the library. i can still smell the polish
and the leather. and i can still see in my head those little upsidedown feet on his workbench.
tell him hey for me, fred.
loringelizabethjahnke ('69)
uppertumonguam
Posted on Sun Jun 25, 2000 9:58 pm
i had not thought of felix amendola for many years.
probably not since my last visit to station st.
but i can remember like it was yesterday, standing in front of his window, watching him put soles or heels on shoes that may
have belonged to your parents or mine. he always had a smile for me and one day invited me into his shop.
the first thing that hit me was the smells, not
unpleasant. fresh leather, glue, oils, etc. he spent time telling me what he was doing (actually, he was shaving the new sole
to fit the shoe).
he explained how he had to glue, fit, cut etc.
he gave me a little of his family history, which unfortunately i do not remember. he placed so much importance in knowledge
and thought no one would follow in his footsteps; that his craft was on it's way out.
i remember him laughing when he asked me if i would
be interested in learning how to be a cobbler. incredibly, i spent many hours in his shop - the company was good, the smells
were good and so was the man.
felix - i won't forget you and will always be grateful
for your putting up with the pest that i was.
Darlene Patterson Derrickson '65
