Special Uncles on Father's Day

Dear Diary,

Today is Father's Day and like I did on Mother's Day last month, I want to focus on the men in my life growing up.  This is an old scanned slide, the late 1960's in Arizona, that my father took of his brother, my Uncle Tony who is standing, and his brother-in-law, my Uncle Frank who was married to my dearest Aunt Doris.  I just love this image.

I didn't know my Uncle Tony very well as he lived clear across the country in Arizona but he was a dear sweet man.  I live with Uncle Frank and Aunt Doris when I did my graduate work at Harvard in 1978-79.  He was an officer in the Boston Police Department.  He took me into the North End, the Italian section of Boston, and it was a thrilling experience for a little girl.  He also got me in to see the Beatles in 1964 when they came to Boston.  He took me down to where their dressing rooms were and Paul McCarthy touched my hand on his way out to the stage!  I didn't wash that hand for a week!

Uncle Frank did all the washing at the house but you didn't want him anywhere near your clothes.  He threw everything in together and used scalding hot water.  He got hold of a sweater of mine once and it shrunk so much my little sister could have worn it!  Still, for all his roughness, he adored little babies and loved caring for them.  His gentleness was amazing.  I miss him very much.