Federal Writers' Project – Life Histories/2021/Fall/Section009/James Kivelos

Overview

James Kivelos was born and raised in Greece, and his father owned a leather business, so his childhood life was fairly good. He left Greece and his family and came to the United States for liberty and hope when he was in his teens. When he first came to the United States, he didn’t know the language and worked in two different lines: first at the cleaning establishments and then at a hat cleaning parlor. He decided to open his restaurant business after being inspired by one of his customers. Getting married to an American girl, who was smart and helped with his business, Kivelos became successful and saved money. To serve America, Kivelos enlisted in the Navy when the World War broke out. He left the service when the Armistice was signed. During the Great Depression, he almost lost his house because he could not pay back the mortgage. Fortunately, he saved his house with the help of The Home Owner Loan Corporation.

Early Life

James Kivelos was born in Greece in 1981, and his father owned a leather business, so his early childhood life was fine. He came to the United States to pursue liberty and bright hopes when he was 15 years old. At first, he could not speak the language, so he worked first in cleaning establishments and then in a hat cleaning parlor to raise himself. He mentioned that "although I made my expenses I was not fascinated by my work" (Kivelos 1939, 1317).

Professional Life

Inspired by his customer, James Kivelos started a Greek restaurant. His restaurant became popular and successful because he treated everyone nicely and held a high standard on the food quality. He believes “the secret is treating everyone nice, call them by name—they like that—and never talk to them unless they seem to want conversation”(Kivelos 1939, 1318). After falling in love with an American girl, James Kivelos married her. His wife knows the customs of the people and business, and they built a happy family.

Navy Life

World War 1 broke out in 1914, and James Kivelos joined the Navy to better serve the United States. He mentioned his Navy experience during the interview. Kivelos criticized Y.M.C.A because Y.M.C.A. sold the cigarettes, which were donated by different clubs, to soldiers for $2. He left the service because he stated that “I felt that I had paid some the country that had done well by me”(Kivelos 1939, 1320).

Cultural Issue

The cultural barrier and cultural conflict of Greek Immigrates

The mass Greek immigration to the United States started in the 1900s. “In the decade 1901-1910 some 167,000 Greeks came to these shores, and from 1911 through 1920, despite the interruption of World War 1, over 180,000Greeks migrated to America '' (Moskos 2018, 11). A large group of Greek immigrates entered the United States for a better life, but what they faced were the cultural barrier and language difficulty. “Linguistic and cultural isolation also played a part in not obtaining a working-class identity” (Moskos 2018, 20). The huge difference between American culture and Greek culture made it hard for Greek immigrates to fit the American life and obtain a professional job. In addition, another cultural conflict raised is on Orthodox Church. “The new culture emerged with the ascendance of the American-born, who is proud of its Greek ethnicity”, but in contrast, “the old culture, fortified by recent immigrants, rejects these premises and favors a fortress church amidst the battering of Americanism” (Moskos 2018, 43). The struggle between American culture and Greek culture catalyzed the issue of the religious belief of Greek immigrates.

File:10.2307 community.12311972-1 (2).jpg

Poster showing soldiers entering a Y.M.C.A. canteen, and a portrait of President Wilson. (YMCA of the USA)

Social Issue

Y.M.C.A. in World War 1

Y.M.C.A. stands for The American Young Men’s Christian Association, which aimed to provide life welfare to American soldiers during World War 1. According to the poster back in 1918, Y.M.C.A. was supported by the U.S. government and generated donations from society. One thing mentioned in the scholarly research is about soldiers’ demand for cigarettes. “In practice, therefore, every soldier was authorized anywhere from 12 to 28 free cigarettes per day” (Maker et al. 2018, 27). The offer of cigarettes hugely alleviated soldiers’ homesick, and by adding life welfare, soldiers could relax from the cruel and intensive war. However, the price of cigarettes from the YMCA is not cheap. “YMCA pricing had to cover the supply, shipping, and overhead costs associated with each pack, and when cigarettes ran short, the prices began to rise even more” (Maker et al. 2018, 23). Although YMCA received cigarettes donation sometimes, other associated costs increased the price of the cigarette, which contributes to soldiers’ growing distaste for YMCA. Therefore, although YMCA improved soldiers’ welfare to a great extent, soldiers did not have a positive impression of YMCA.

Political Issue

The impact of the Home Owner Loan Corporation in Florida.

During the Great Depression, “meanwhile, ten years of extraordinary unemployment had contributed to a decline in the homeownership rate from 47.8% in 1930 to 43.6% in 1940” (Fishback et al. 2011, 1785), so people did not have income and could not pay back the mortgage. “According to Florida history, as unemployment rates rose and tourism declined from 3 million to 1 million visitors per year, Florida’s leaders began searching for solutions”(Brieskorn 2020). The severe consequence of not paying back the mortgage is that the borrowers may become homeless. Fortunately, the Home Own Loan Corporation has helped a lot of American families to save their houses. “Between 1933 and 1936 (mostly in 1933 and 1934) the HOLC used bonds to purchase 1,017,827 troubled mortgage loans with an average value of $3,039 ($48,865 in 2008 dollars) from lenders and then refinanced the loans on better terms for borrowers (Fishback et al. 2011, 1787)”.

Bibliography

Brieskorn, Katlyn. “9 Things to Know about Florida during the Great Depression.” WFTV. WFTV, May 10, 2020. https://www.wftv.com/news/local/9-things-know-about-florida-during-great-depression/DLRTTPTFDBCSPDLX5UKM3KULVY/.

Fishback, Price V., Alfonso Flores-Lagunes, William C. Horrace, Shawn Kantor, and Jaret Treber. 2011. “The Influence of the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation on Housing Markets During the 1930s”. The Review of Financial Studies 24, no. 6: 1782–1813. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20869290.
Kivelos, James. 1939. Interview by Stedman and Werner. May 20. Folder 129, transcript, in the Federal Writers' Project papers #3709, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Maker, John J.., Moremon, John., Mulready-Stone, Kristin., Bius, Joel R.., Grant, Larry A.., Miller, Matthew Lee., Dalla Torre, Ugo Pavan. 2018. The YMCA at War: Collaboration and Conflict During the World Wars. United States: Lexington Books.

Moskos, Charles C.. 2018. Greek Americans: Struggle and Success. United States: Taylor & Francis.

YMCA of the USA. 1917. Wilson Taft, Roosevelt and Other National Leaders Indorse Y.M.C.A. Work : $35,000,000 Needed at Least to Conduct This Work to July 1st 1918. : You Can Help : National Campaign November 11-19. Images, n.d. https://jstor.org/stable/community.12311972.