9/14/01
Expanded Backstory: Edward Galich
Some babies are born early by surprise and mothers are rushed to the hospital to deliver a tiny package. Others are born late, as mothers huff and puss around wondering if they’ll ever come out and it’s a tight squeeze when they finally do. But Edward Galich was born pretty much on time with no complications save a bit of traffic on DC streets on the way to the hospital. Nor was there any difficulty in the labor. He came into this world as a first born joy on the seventeenth of April, 1938 as it rained outside the hospital like a baptism. From the moment of his birth he was surrounded by many loving faces who stayed as constant as the tides as he grew up. These were namely his mother and father of course, and his grandparents, all beaming with joy to welcome the first member of their family to be born in America.
Name: Edward Mishnick Galich
Nickname: Eddy
Born: April 21, 1941 in a DC hospital
Sign: Taurus
Parents: Michael and Sylva Galich who immigrated over in the 20’s
Grandparents: (mother’s side) Babunia and Dziadunio (Grandma and Grandpa) who only speak Polish
Father’s Job: Works as a janitor at the Smithsonian Museums
Mother’s & Grandmother’s Job: Sewing in a plant
Grandfather’s Job: Carpenter
Religion: born Catholic
Hair color: Blonde
Eye color: Soft Blue
First word: Mommy
First walked: in the park with grandparents when grandfather was running to fly a kite and Eddy ran after him
Favorite toy: stuffed dog mother sewed from clothing scraps
Home: an apartment in the ‘poor’ section of DC
Kitchen Bath Parent’s Bedroom Living Room
Grand- parents’ Bedroom
Sylva scooped him up in her arms from where he sat playing with his blocks on the floor. They were large, wooden building blocks, some the size of an adult’s palm, big enough for a child to easily grip. His grandfather had collected the wood from scrap piles, whittled, and sanded them into a variety of shapes. The various squares, rectangles, triangles, cylinders, arches and circles all fit perfectly into a little wooden wagon that was Edward’s first toy and doubled as a stroller.
Sylva brushed her straight black hair back over her shoulder as she held Edward on her hip, one arm wrapped around her son. He fit perfectly to her there, as well as the blocks fit together, naturally balanced on her side. Soon, she reflected to see her large belly, she would not be able to hold him so easily. It was early into her pregnancy, yet she was already larger than she had been at that time carrying Edward.
Edward fussed, nuzzling his face into her side, which tickled a bit. With a smile, she set him down on the sofa where he slept from the shortage of beds and rooms. Weeks ago, he had outgrown sleeping in between his parents each night, but had not outgrown afternoon naps. She sat down on the arm of the couch, surprised it held her weight so well, and pulled a blanket up over her son where he curled on the cushion, thumb in mouth. Tenderly, she touched him, stroking his cheek comfortingly, singing the soft lullaby her mother had sung to her as a baby only twenty-some odd years before.
Favorite color: Green
Twin Sisters: Janet and Natasha
Pets: None… ever
Preschool: Did not attend
Biggest 1st grade achievement: learning to read and print
Biggest 2nd grade achievement: learning to tie his shoes and tie a tie
Biggest 2nd time in 2nd grade achievement: passing 2nd grade, walking sisters to and from school and making sure they’re taken care of
Biggest 3rd grade achievement: drawing a large picture of the downtown DC area, spanning 8 pieces of paper
Second biggest 3rd grade achievement: buying lunch for the first time at school
First sleepover: at friend Roger’s house. Ate TV dinners and stayed up late.
“No!” he exclaimed with amazement, licking his spoon clean. “Dessert, too?” It wasn’t every day that he got to watch TV during dinner. In fact, they didn’t even own a television at home. ‘We can get everything we need from the paper’ his father always said when asked about a television set. ‘When I was your age we didn’t even have a radio.’ Eddy ate hungrily, finishing off every scrap on his plate, keeping his eyes glued on the set. But now a mention of dessert? This was unheard of.
“Sure, Dad brought home a big tub of ice cream and we can each have a big bowl- Martha, get away!” Roger pushed his younger sister away with a sticky palm. “Moooom!” he called into the kitchen. “Martha won’t leave us alone. Eddy’s my friend and I don’t want her here.”
The head of a beautiful woman peaked out from the kitchen. “Now, Martha, you promised to leave the boys alone tonight. Why don’t you come here and help me dry the dishes?”
Martha, looking close to tears, hopped down off the couch. She and Roger exchanged stuck out tongues and then she disappeared around the corner, followed by the sound of breaking glass. Martha had apparently not been as helpful as her mother might have wished her to be.
Ice cream was indeed brought forth after dinner, and the boys were then left alone for a good portion of the evening to play Cowboy and Indian and Giant Robot Space Invaders. The sugar from the dessert worked its way through their system after a few hours of wild and rough play, and by the time Roger’s mother called them to bed, they were both most ready for it. Besides, the sooner they went to bed, the earlier they could wake to watch morning kids shows on television. “Bedtime, boys. Get all washed up and I’ll tuck you into bed. Edward, you brought a toothbrush, right? I’ve made up the spare bed for you already.”
Naively, Eddy had assumed he would be sleeping on the sofa, as he did at home. But instead he was led into Roger’s room where an inviting twin bed sat waiting for him. It was neat and clean, with two plump white pillows and a blue and green knit blanket over blue sheets. And though it paled in comparison to Roger’s bed which had a bedspread of baseballs blended in with the baseball theme in his room, it was his first time sleeping in a bed alone. He slept on the sofa at home, but sometimes when ill he was allowed to sleep in the double bed between his parents. Excited, he quickly changed and washed up. Then climbed into the bed. The sheets were crisp and cool and he felt as if he were melting right into them from the moment of contact on.
Roger’s mother pulled the sheets and blankets up to his neck, tucking them tightly around his body. “You’ve brushed your teeth and used the bathroom, and you’re all tucked in,” She sat on the edge of Roger’s bed, reaching over and patting Eddy’s stomach through the sheets. “Do you boys need anything else before bed?”
Eddy couldn’t have asked for anything more had he thought of anything. “No Ms.Engel. Thank you for everything.”
She smiled. “You’re a good boy, we’re happy to have you spend the night, maybe you can have Roger over sometime.” She bent down and kissed her son on the forehead. “Good night both of you,” and switched off the lights on the way out, leaving the one in the bathroom on just in case.
In the morning, they woke early and sneaked down the stairs in pajamas and padded feet, joined moments after by Martha still in nightgown. They settling down on the floor in front of the television, which immediately posed the question, “Hey kids, what time is it?”
To which Roger and Martha shouted their reply with the rest of the peanut gallery, “It’s Howdy Doody Time!” Eddy found himself drawn in and captivated immediately by the puppet and his magical town. And his smile didn’t fade for weeks afterwards.
Biggest 4th grade achievement: Placing seventh in his class spelling bee.
Biggest 5th grade achievement: Father buys a television set finally and they all sit together and watch weekly shows. And while his favorite is still Howdy Doody, Eddy also grows fond of the Mickey Mouse Club.
Biggest 6th grade achievement: Touring the DC landmarks on his class’ field trip. Seeing all the big, important monuments and museums.
“We’ll visit the main building first, then off to the Lincoln memorial, the Jefferson memorial, and the Washington monument.” The teacher announced to the group who followed behind her in double lines obediently. She’d given them a rather detailed speech about getting lost in the town and while they all lived there and had seen the places before, they were all eager to learn more about home and history that they could impress their parents with.
Eddy was most excited to get to visit the White House because his father had just started a job there. He was a ticket taker at the door, in charge of security and tours. Edward was proud to show his father off, even if it wasn’t so high class a job as doctor or lawyer… it was still at the most important building in all of DC and his father was in charge of the happiness of thousands of people who visited it.
Middle school grades: Failed at playing the trumpet and clarinet… did not have the singing voice for choir… academic struggles became more visible… and gym became an absolute nightmare of being picked on and picked last
Favorite toy: Deck of cards, playing games and performing magic tricks
Favorite colors: Red and black
“Cut the deck, Janet, and I’ll show you my new trick.” Janet settled down next to Natasha on the couch, clenching fists in excitement. Edward’s new magic tricks were always fun to see. Janet split the deck in half and handed it back. “Thank you.” He turned over the first card with such grace and presentation skill that even the late Houdini might have been impressed. The card at the moment was the seven of hearts. He turned the card back over and slid it into the middle of the deck at an arbitrary point. Then he shuffled, as his sisters leaned in to inspect the trick; they were always keen on trying to figure out how it worked. He hovered a magic wand over the deck with the announcement “I will now need a magic word to bring this card back up to the top.”
His sister Natasha, bouncing excitedly shouted out, “Poof!”
They all laughed, but he used it just the same. “All right then….” They could all imagine the drum accompaniment building as he tapped the deck, “Poof!” then overturned the top card to find—
“The seven of hearts! Fabulous!” Janet exclaimed, taking the card and inspecting it.
“How did you do it?” Natasha begged, but Edward, and any other good magician, never reveals his secrets. Besides, even if they knew, they still wouldn’t be able to see how it was done, and that was what real magic was all about.
High school: Threatened to dispatch a truant officer for him, as he skipped a lot. Barely passed chemistry class with a D-. Managed A’s in Intro to Theater and Introduction to French. Discovered he had a knack for languages, but wasn’t really interested in classes of any sort. Junior year he beat up a tough guy for getting a little too fresh with his sister Janet one evening out in make-out field. Didn’t really date much, himself, however.
Interests: Cars, stars, more magic, languages
Favorite color: Blue
Worst tie: orange with purple polka dots, given by his sister Natasha for his seventeenth birthday in retaliation for the fuzzy bunny sweater he gave her the year before
Summer jobs: Janitor at office complex, bag boy at large supermarket for two years
Graduated high school: Just barely
Further education: No way
Trial/permanent job: Taking tickets at the white house
Training required for job: several weeks of security and person-to-person training, as well as a number of background checks
Met future wife: first week on the job
He ran his hand through his wavy blond hair nervously. Was she looking at him? She couldn’t possibly be noticing him. A sweet, smart, drop dead gorgeous girl like her would never notice someone like him… Eddy turned his eyes up to the entryway and saw her smiling back down at him. Her smile… her smile alone could melt all of winter. So she was looking at him… so what? It didn’t mean she liked him, did it?
“Hi… my name’s Lilly. You’re new here, aren’t you?” she extended her hand to shake.
He took it, shook it, and then lifted it to his lips for a kiss. “Enchanté, to be sure. I am Edward.”
She giggled, blushed, and they went from there.
Wife: Lilly Hammond, chestnut brown eyes and hair, warmest smile in the world
Wedding: 1961 small, inexpensive, terribly romantic
Honeymoon: Trip to Niagara Falls and New York City
Nickname Lilly has for him: Teddy (play on Eddy, of course)
Moves out of home: directly after marriage, to a tiny studio apartment five blocks from home, still in DC
Sister Natasha Married: 1965, to a Hockey player
Father dies: 1967, from a sudden heart attack
Grandparents die: between 1960-1975
Languages learned: French, Italian, Latin, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin Chinese, Korean, Japanese
Favorite color: Chestnut brown
View on the war: does not get drafted, does not enlist, wants nothing to do with it after growing up with stories of the Nazis in Poland. Does not protest or speak out, simply distances as much as possible.
Interests: Romantic lunch breaks with Lilly on the mall lawn, languages. Doesn’t need magic so much anymore now that Lilly is there to help him make his own
Religion: not so much Catholic, but still Christian to extents. The incoming body bags and the dealings doing on in Washington don’t help much
Favorite music: whatever is popular at the moment… but didn’t attend Woodstock
Firstborn child: Michael, named after his father. Born January 4,1969. Lilly took off work and did not return to giving tours. She did however continue to work at the museum from time to time creating displays and managing workers.
“Is it just me, or is he the most beautiful baby boy who was ever born?”
Beaming, Lilly pulled the blanket’s corner down just a little more so they could see his face clearly. It was wrinkled, squished and a little red still. But the child had the most peaceful expression upon his face when he slept. “It’s not just you. He really is.” She sighed, running fingers along the rim of the white whicker basket. “Our little Michael.” Dirty blonde tufts of hair barely visible, and ten tiny, unbelievably adorable little fingers and toes.
Edward put his arm around her, pulling her against his side with a tight squeeze. “Our first little love.”
His mother and sisters entered moments later, tip-toeing quietly so as not to wake this babe who, of course, woke instantly. But was comforted by the three strange, cooing women, and his loving parents.
First house: On the outskirts of DC. A ‘fixer-upper’ which Edward did indeed fix up nicely. Electricity, running water, dishwasher, even a washer and dryer, all theirs in a crumbling house on a solid foundation.
First car: a used Ford Cutlass, olive green paint chipping off
Second born: Alexander, born August 24, 1971. Lilly took a year off from the job at the museum but did indeed return to a warm welcome afterwards.
Languages learned: Vietnamese, Russian, German, Canadian (yes, that’s right)
Interests: playing in the park with boys, visiting the downtown monuments and museums
Favorite color: Still blue
Michael’s first straight-A final report card: 1st grade
Michael’s second straight-A final report card: 2nd grade
Michael’s third straight-A final report card: 3rd grade… and you might sense the pattern from then on
Alexander’s first report card: one B in spelling. Things only went up from there
Language children learn from birth: English… but are taught smatterings of Polish and French, and learn Spanish from Sesame Street
First color television set: 1981, large and new as a treat to them all
Holidays celebrated the best at home: Christmas, hanging stockings on the mantle and baking cookies for Santa; Halloween, dressing up in homemade costumes and going round the apartment complexes with Mother or Father; Thanksgiving, getting together with Sylva, Janet, Natasha, and Natasha’s family to have a huge turkey dinner with all the fixings
25th Anniversary present (from mother, sons, sisters, and some of Lilly’s family): trip to Europe to see everything there is to see. Eddy has no trouble communicating anywhere
Michael’s career: attends George Washington University (for inexpensive tuition of DC residents), goes to Johns Hopkins for graduate school to become a surgeon
Alexander’s career: attends GWU for the same basic reason, goes to Harvard for graduate school on scholarship to become a lawyer
Lilly’s career: Continues to do displays for various museums. Does art work for fun (paintings and sculptures mostly) and sells independently for a small profit
Eddy’s career: still takes tickets and does security at the white house