CHARACTER SKETCH

NAME ALOYSIUS EBENEZER NELSON

NICKNAME AL (TO HIS FRIENDS, MR. NELSON OR ‘SIR’ TO HIS BUSINESS PARTNERS AND OTHERS. TO ME, THOUGH, HE WAS ALWAYS ‘FATHER’. HE DIDN’T LIKE ‘DAD’ OR ‘DADDY’. BUT WHEN EDITH CAME ALONG HE WAS PUTTY IN HER HANDS AND ‘DADDY’ IT WAS FROM THEN ON. AT LEAST FROM HER.

APPEARANCE STRONG FAMILY RESEMBLANCE, ONLY HE HAD A HIGHER FORHEAD, SKINNIER LIPS, AND NO CLEFT CHIN. DEPENDING ON WHAT HE WORE ONE COULD BE FORGIVEN IF AT CHRISTMAS TIME HE WASN’T MISTAKEN FOR SANTA (IF HE WORE A FAKE BEARD AND WIG)

HAIR –STYLE-COLOR-TYPE-TEXTURE BROWN WITH A TOUCH OF GRAY

EYES –GLASSES-CONTACTS- GREEN, WORE SPECATCLES FOR READING.

WEIGHT UNKNOWN

COLORING FAIR LIKE MOST EVERYONE ELSE IN THE FAMILY.

HEIGHT ABOUT 6’

BUILD MEDIUM

FACIAL FEATURES –LIPS, EYEBROWS, LASHES, JAW LINE, NOSE

HIGH FORHEAD, OR PERHAPS JUST RECEDING HAIRLINE. THIN LIPS.

VOICE –ACCENT – WAY OF TALKING LISP, MASSACHUSETTS ACCENT.SOMETIMES STUTTERED. HE TRIED SO MANY WAYS TO OVERCOME THE HANDICAP, AS HE’D BEEN TAUNTED WITH IT IN HIS CHILDHOOD, AND EVEN HIS BUSINESS ASSOCITES AT FIRST, EQUATED IT WITH STUPIDITY. GOOD THINGS THOSE KIND OF THOUGHTS ARE GONE TODAY.

FAMILY ME, EDITH, MOTHER, GRANDPARENTS, SISTER, GREAT AUNTS, ETC. SEE MOMS’ SKETCH.

CONNECTION TO ME FATHER

BEST FRIENDS/ENEMIES NOVEL FOR THE TIME, HE BELIEVED, LIKE MOM, IN LETTING ME PLAY AROUND THEM AT THE TABLE. NO SEPARATE EATING PLACE FOR HIS CHILDREN. BUT HE WASN’T DEMONSTRATIVE IN HIS AFFECTIONS, AT LEAST NOT TOWARD ME. AS A BOY, HE WASN’T EXPECTED TO SHOWER ME WITH HUGS. BUT HE DID SIT DOWN WITH ME TO READ ME STORIES. AND AS I GREW, WITH WORLD EVENTS. HE ALWAYS SAID IT WAS BEST TO BE AWARE OF THE WORLD AROUND US. HE ALSO TAUGHT ME THE RUDIMENTS OF BUSINESS AND HOPED I WOULD FOLLOW IN HIS FOOTSTEPS, LIKE MOST FATHERS DID IN THOSE DAYS. HE WAS SO DISSPOINTED I DECIDED TO JOIN THE NAVY. UNTIL THE DAY HE AND THE REST OF THE FAMILY PERISHED IN THAT HORRIBLE TRAIN ACCIDENT, HE ALWAYS THOUGHT IT WAS A’PASSING PHASE’.

ETHNIC/CULTURAL BACKGROUND IRISH, ENGLISH, SCOT.

SCHOOLING HARVARD LAW SCHOOL. BOARD CERTIFIED, BUT DECIDED AGAINST GOING INTO THE FIELD WITH IT. FOUND THE OCCUPATION TOO CORRUPT FOR HIS LIKING. SINCE HE ALREADY HAD INVESTED MONEY FROM HIS TRUST FUND, HE FOUNDED THE NELSON INVESTMENT CORPORATION AND MADE MORE MONEY FOR THE FAMILY. 1929 DARE NOT TOUCH HIM. BUT IT DID. WHILE NOT REALLY ADVERSLY AFFECTED BY THE ECONOMIC CRASH, AS MOST OF THE NELSON’S FUNDS HADN’T GONE INTO THE STOCK MARKET, HE BUILT THE COMPANY BACK UP WHILE HELPING THOSE IN NEED. EVEN HELPED IN THE SOUP KITCHENS.

OCUPATIONS PRESENT-PREVIOUS LAWYER (ONLY BRIEFLY), INVESTMENTS.

HOBBIES CHECKERS AND PROCURING GOOD WINES FROM AROUND THE WORLD. SOME OF THE BOTTLES HE PURCHASED ARE STILL ‘AGING’ IN THE BASEMENT. WAS DISSAPOINTED THAT WHEN HE TRIED TO TEACH ME THE NUANCES OF WINE, I SAID I PREFERED BEER. SO MUCH FOR FOLLOWING IN HIS FOOTSTEPS EVEN IN THAT.

POLITICAL PREFERENCES UNKNOWN. NOT A MATTER FOR DISCUSSION WITH MOTHER OR ME, AS FAR AS HE WAS CONCERNED.

LIKES AMERICAN HISTORY AND SPENT TIME IN THE BOSTON LIBRARY AND MUSEUM.

DISLIKES DISCRIMINATION BASED ON ONE’S POSITION IN LIFE. HE WAS ONE OF THE BEST BELOVED EMPLOYERS OF DOMESTIC STAFF IN TOWN.

MOVIES/BOOKS/PLAYS ENJOYED MARK TWAIN. ESPECIALLY ‘THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER’. TOLD ME IT WAS A LESSON TO US ALL THAT APPEARANCES CAN BE DECEIVING. HE ALSO LIKED DICKENS. WHEN I WAS YOUNG, HE’D READ THE ENTIRE 'CHRISTMAS CAROL' TO ME,(GREATLY ABBREVIATED) WHILE THE FIREPLACE CRACKLED, AND I ANXIOUSLY AWAITED THE ARRIVAL OF SANTA CLAUS.

FOODS IRISH STEW, BOILED PIGS FEET (NOT AS BAD AS IT SOUNDS) BARMBRACK (A KIND OF BREAD WITH RAISINS), BOILED CABBAGE.

SPORTS BASEBALL. PLAYED ON A LOCAL (NON PROFESSIONAL-THIS WAS FOR FUN) TEAM IN HIS YOUNGER DAYS. I DON’T RECALL WHICH ONE.

FEARS/PHOBIAS GHOSTS. HAD AN EXPERIENCE WITH A ‘BANSHEE’ DURING A VISIT TO IRELAND. (NOBODY DIED, BUT THAT COULDN’T STOP HIM FROM BELIEVING IN THE IRISH FOLKLORE THAT IF SAW A BANSHEE THAT SOMEONE’S NUMBER WAS UP). HE ALSO SAID HE COULD HAVE SWORN THAT ONE OF THE NELSON PORTRAITS WAS HAUNTED. NEVER DID TELL ME WHICH ONE, IT WAS LOCKED UP SAFE SOMEPLACE IN THE ATTIC. (IN RETROSPECT I’M PRETTY SURE IT WAS THE PORTRAIT OF CAPT. SHAEMUS O’HARA NELSON-BUT THAT’S ANOTHER STORY.)

QUIRKS ALWAYS WANTED TO GROW A BEARD, BUT MY MOTHER WOULDN’T HEAR OF IT.

CHARACTER FLAWS I KNOW HE LOVED ME, BUT I WISH HE’D BEEN A LITTLE MORE DEMONSTRATIVE, AT LEAST IN MY YOUNGER YEARS.

FAVORITE EXPRESSIONS/ TYPICAL GESTURES

‘BE GOOD OR I’LL TAKE YOUR CHEMISTRY SET AWAY!’

CHILDHOOD/TEEN MEMORY HE SAID HE STOWED AWAY ON A TUGBOAT ONCE. WAS SO SEASICK THEY COULD HAVE DUMPED HIM OVERBOARD AND HE WOULDN’T HAVE MINDED. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ‘A BLESSED RELIEF’. HE ALMOST TURNED GREEN WHEN I TOLD HIM I WAS JOINING THE NAVY.

ROLE MODEL FOR DOMESTIC STAFF, A TRUE MODEL OF AN UNDERSTANDING EMPLOYER. HE PAID THEM WELL, PROVIDED MOST NEEDS, NEVER THOUGHT OF THEM AS AN UNDER CLASS AS A GREAT MANY OF THE HIGH SOCIETY FOLKS, EVEN HERE IN AMERICA, THOUGHT AT THE TIME.

TEN WORDS TO SUM UP WHAT I THINK OF THIS PERSON

I THINK I’D SAY, THANK YOU FOR BEING A GOOD FATHER. I DIDN’T REALLY APPRECIATE AS MUCH AS I SHOULD HAVE UNTIL I DIDN’T HAVE YOU ANYMORE.

TEN WORDS HOW THIS PERSON AFFECTED MY LIFE

TAUGHT ME MORE BY EXAMPLE THAN WORDS COULD EVER DO. WE’RE HERE TO SERVE OTHERS, NOT TO REST ON OUR FAT BEHINDS AND DO NOTHING.

WHAT I’D SAY TO THIS PERSON IF WE MET TODAY

I’M NOT SURE IF I EVER TOLD YOU I LOVE YOU.

WHAT I WISH I HADN’T SAID /DONE TO THIS PERSON

‘YOU CAN JUST TAKE YOUR DAMN BUSINESS AND SHOVE IT, I’M JOINING THE NAVY!’

(NOT THAT I REGRET JOINING THE NAVY, NO INDEED, BUT IT WAS THE WAY THAT I, IN EFFECT, IMPLIED THAT HIS BUSINES WAS SHIT. (IT WASN’T, BUT I WAS ANGRY THAT HE WAS TRYING TO TALK ME OUT OF MY DECISION)