St. Andrew's Catholic Church

Jack says that his grandfather put money into St. Andrew's Church in Pasadena.  I should also mention here that his Leddy grandparents had six children: Helene, May, Harold, Joe, Alma, and Jane.  Jane [Winter] says that she met the whole family once in Pasadena shortly before she got married.

Jack Sees Herbert Hoover as a Kid

Jack says his father took him to see Herbert Hoover in Pasadena.  Hoover arrived at the train station.  He probably spoke from the train.     

In 1928, Hoover ran for President with the slogan "A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage.".

One Room School in which James Winter Taught

Jane's father James taught in this one-room schoolhouse in Iowa.  His wife and my grandmother Edna Winter also taught there.

Jack Also Met Marconi!

Guglielmo Marconi 1874-1937



Jack says he won a prize for a science project in High School and part of the prize involved meeting Marconi. (It must have been shortly before Marconi died, when Jack was around 15).  Marconi was famous for developing the radio-telegraph system, and received a Nobel prize in 1909.  On a darker side, Marconi became a member of the Fascist party in 1923 and was made director of the Royal Academy of Italy by Mussolini in 1930.

Jack Met Lawrence Welk!

Jack loves to remember famous people he met.  He says he was introduced to Lawrence Welk on evening in Chicago by a Captain Eddy (no relation to us - later Rear Admiral USNR).  He was a 19 year old ensign.  They had a nice chat.  Jane (and the rest of the family) disliked Welk and His music although Jack says that she has recently come to tolerate it on old TV replays.

John T. Leddy

Harold Leddy's farther was John T. Leddy, my great grand-father.  This is a picture of a card that my cousin Claire Leddy took.  I previously had a picture up here that I thought was of him, but Jack says it is not. 

Radar and Sonar Combined and British Navy Chicago July 1943

Jack tells me that during WWII when he was working in Chicago for the U.S. Navy he was assigned to a British ship, and also at one time to a submarine.  (He says his mother complained that he had a British accent when he came home.)  The British had developed radar and had given the information to the U.S.  Jack was a specialist in radar.  He claims that he had a special idea to combine radar with sonar so that submarines could communicate with the war office from 200 feet under water.  The photo is one of Jack's along with writing on the back.