Son of a Nun

An East Side to West Side Story

By Donald Moriarty O’Leary

About two years ago, I reviewed a book in these pages dedicated to a "Bicentennial Abroad." It was written by native Syracusan Donald O'Leary, and focused on his adventures around 1976, when, a vagabond in the oldest sense of the word, he wandered from place to place around the many nations and places in the world. A true son of the Age of Aquarius, he was committed to the adventure of being young, free, and willing to explore.

This story, also a memoir, bookends that time period, and tells the tale of the scamp, scholar and son of an (almost) nun who grew up to be that wanderer and observer, then wraps around to the years following his Great Adventure as he pursues grown-up life, always with a need to roam. And, sprinkled throughout the pages, are memories and tributes to the author's mother, whom he credits for the good in the person he grew up to be.

If you are of a certain age, and/or grew up in Syracuse, I can promise you that you're going to enjoy the early chapters of this book - no reservations. I chuckled as I read about a young boy's adventures before the era of seat belts, bike helmets, play dates and "devices." He recollects a childhood spent on endless adventures, mapping the neighborhoods of his early years from a "child's-eye-view;" not just the streets and stores, but the vacant lots, woods, creeks and parks that are the highways and addresses of youth. The East Side was his haunt as a younger child, living in The Housing, as he dubs the housing project on East Fayette, still standing today, where his growing family moved in the mid-1950's. 

Growing up there, his landmarks included such (mostly bygone) places as Barry's Drugs, Mort's Deli, Isaac’s Barber Shop, Rao's Salon, Midstate market, Govendo's, Snowflake Bakery, the Acme Super Market and Birnbaum's Funeral Home. (I told you this would bring back memories of a Syracuse of yesteryear!)

We wander the neighborhood with young Donny as he and his friends gather bottles and wire hangers to return for cash, attend the opening days of Our Lady of Solace School up the hill on Salt Springs Road, play hopscotch, kickball, Red Rover, and tricks, turning a trash can lid into a shield or a discarded piece of wood and some wheels into a skateboard.

This reader's own memories of hanging around and investigating new construction were rekindled as O'Leary recounts an adventure running from one such construction site only to have his foot crushed in the escape, with a friend both carrying him to safety, and not "snitching" about the cause of the injury in the process. He punctuates that adventure with: "RESPECT, FRIENDSHIP, LOYALTY was a code and never forgotten."

In 1963, his family moves to the West Side, Tipperary Hill to be specific, and a whole new world of places to explore and adventures to be had opens up. Nibsy's Pub, Coleman's and Burnett Park now become signposts and playgrounds, along with the (more strict!) nuns of St. Patrick's. Golf takes its place in the sports lineup, and he and now best friend Danny spend hours enjoying the more bucolic creeks and ponds and woodlands around the park, Huck Finns on makeshift rafts and in dugout forts.

Little League, spelling bees, sports, and more sports and moving from pre-teen to young adulthood eventually give way to his return to Syracuse following his year of wandering in Europe (and beyond), including his trip to Ireland with his mother to see the land the ancestors once called home. Throughout, he has dotted the book with specific memories of his mother, and her influence on him, direct and indirect, as he learns more about her and her own life's adventures.

He lights in Syracuse for a while, but not for long - as adventure keeps tugging him on. California, Central and South America, more adventures, more learning, more memories. I'll leave it to you to follow along this wild ride - yet unfinished, my best guess - with a thoughtful and willing wanderer, off to see the world!