By: PETER KROWIAKHerald Writer Man turns memories of Morris into memoir Often times people are encouraged to get in touch with their inner child. Former Morris resident, Michael Skopes, has taken that a step further reaching into his childhood memories of his family and hometown to write a book about his experiences. “The inner child in me is very active,” Skopes said. “That child took over and I started writing it through him.” The book, titled “My Little Skinny Greek Life: On Liberty Street,” was originally intended to tell the story of Skopes father, Harry. Skopes got the inspiration to write about his father after having read the late Tim Russerts book, “Big Russ and Me,” in which Russert shares stories about his father. However, at the suggestion of a good old friend, Skopes expanded upon the idea and decided to detail his many memories of Morris past. It was a time when pretty much everyone in town knew one another and people kept their doors unlocked. “It was this safe, wonderful, idyllic childhood that we hear about from people talking about growing up in small towns,” Skopes, who was born at Morris Hospital in 1952, said. “It was safe, it was fun, it was adventurous.” Though the book does tell his childhood stories, it does still focus heavily on Skopes parents who immigrated to the United States from Greece. Skopes said his father was a reserved man always willing to lend a hand. “He was a very generous man,” Skopes said. One story to exemplify his fathers philosophy takes Skopes back to his fathers old 55 Buick, when his sister asked her father what it meant to be considerate. Skopes fathers answer? “He thought for a minute, and he said “Think about the other fella,” Skopes said. “That one little line he said has never escaped me. It has been with me my entire life.” Though the book does focus partially on his family, it also tells the tales of Skopes own adventures. His father owned a bar and restaurant, which was located at the northwest corner of Liberty and Jefferson streets. The family lived in an apartment above the establishment, and it was from a window there that Skopes watched the happenings of downtown Morris pass before him. He spent time with friends hanging out on the sidewalks in Morris. His familys primary language was Greek, and hanging out with his friends and going to double features at the Morris Theater on Jefferson Street helped Skopes to learn English. Speaking English leads to another story in the book. In Greek, the letter “r” is rolled, which led to Skopes rolling his rs. “In first grade, when I was rolling my rs and being corrected by my teacher, I realized I was different from anyone in my class and others in town,” Skopes said. “It occurred to me that I may be the only Greek boy in town.” Being from a Greek family, however, did not lead to Skopes being excluded. “I was accepted,” Skopes said. “I wasnt left out because I was different. I didnt feel that at all.” Though accepted, there was a kind of transition that occurred every day when Skopes went to and from his familys apartment. In the apartment, Greek tradition, language, and religion surrounded the family. Outside, however, a different language and culture existed. “It was like living in two different worlds at the same time,” Skopes said. Though different, the two worlds blended rather than collided. “I had no trouble walking from our Greek home to a non-Greek environment,” he said. “It was a smooth, comfortable feeling. I loved my friends, I enjoyed people in town.” It is the memory of these two intersecting worlds that Skopes relies on for his book. His recollections of those times come back to him in a photographic quality, allowing him to relive them as he writes the story out on paper. The effect was that of a psychological time machine. “I dont know how I could really explain what went on inside of me when I was writing because it really was like an interior trip back,” Skopes said. “(It was) very profound.” There were so many memories, in fact, that it made it that much harder to pick and choose which stories to put in the book. And though he wanted to make a book that was generally positive, the book does have a few sad moments. “I think the hardest parts for me were losing people I knew, people who moved away who were very close to me. I experienced deep sadness in ways when people left and got out of my life for whatever reasons; by death or moving away,” Skopes said. “Those, I think, were the hardest parts for me as a kid.” Coincidentally, Skopes himself eventually left to pursue an acting career in California in 1977. After packing his Chevy van and while driving cross country, Skopes realized how much the move was breaking his mothers heart, and how much pain it caused for himself. “But then I thought, ‘Mom and Dad, look what you did. You left your country and went halfway around the world,” Skopes said. “I had my life to pursue just as she had hers. And, as difficult as it was, I did it.” Now Skopes has a family of his own. As much as he intends for his book to connect with young people, he also sees the familial connection it has with his own son. However, he had to finish the book first, as his son refused to read it until it was done. Now finished, Skopes said his son takes to the humorous parts of the book, especially a certain incident involving one of Skopes classmates and Mr. Benzs eighth-grade history class, which, at the time, wasnt comical at all. In the end, such episodes can show his son what it was like for Skopes when he was a kid. “So people dont lose sight of what it was like to be in a different generation,” Skopes said. As much as the book may help his son learn about his past, it also has helped Skopes reconnect with it himself by adding extra color to his memories. As other friends and family read the book, their own memories come to the front, giving Michael’s past a new dimension. “One of the things I had hoped for by writing this was to have people read it and reconnect with their inner child,” Skopes said. “And judging from some of the e-mail Ive gotten from people reading the book, Ive succeeded in that.” His book, “My Little Skinny Greek Life: On Liberty Street” is available at most Internet book dealers and at iuniverse. Copyright © 2013 Morris Daily Herald. All rights reserved.
Posted on: Thu, 22 May 2014 04:45:31 +0000
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