Stories were a big part of my father-in-law’s life; I wish that I had recorded them. The first story that John General told me was that he and Mick Jagger had been born on the very same day, July 26,1943, in the U.K., Mick in England and John in Scotland. John was born to an American G.I. and a Scottish nurse, who met at the Audley Pub in London while WWll raged on around them. After his birth, John and his mother moved to Detroit, Michigan to wait out the remainder of WWll in safety. The move was tough for John’s Mom, Peggy, living with strangers in a foreign country. John’s grandfather was a wealthy politician of Polish descent – Mayor of Detroit who was less than happy about an immigrant living in his home.
John’s childhood stories were tough. After the war the family settled in New Jersey and welcomed two more boys to the family. Dad’s (Leonard) job in hospital maintenance barely covered the family’s expenses. The budget had room for one pair of shoes per year for John and his two brothers, by year’s end, the shoes were covered in holes and painful to growing feet. The boys ate a lot of hot dogs while choice strips of meat were saved for Leonard. Leonard ruled the “roost”; children were to be seen and not heard.
Peggy was diagnosed with a serious heart condition and fell so ill that she required open heart surgery. John became the cook and housekeeper during the months of his mother’s convalescence. He was adept at creating entire meals with a box of BisQuick. As the boys headed off for school in the morning, Peggy, from her hospital bed, would caution the boys that “she might be dead when they got home from school.” A heavy burden for a child to carry all day. Peggy didn’t die but her heart surgery was a big part of her story. She was treated like a princess by her sons, who continued to do all of the cooking and cleaning.
John excelled at school in academics and sports and was awarded a full academic scholarship to Columbia University. He had many wonderful stories of visiting a relative at The Hotel Chelsea while in New York City, with its eccentric residents and the pet ocelot.
Despite his high grades at Columbia, John knew that he needed to made a more sustainable change. He accepted a commission to The United States Naval Academy. Swimming was a requirement skimmed over on his application, he hadn’t had a proper swimming lesson in his life. A natural, accomplished athlete, John had a “blind faith” that he was up to any task put before him and he could master swimming. He did go on to pass the swimming portion of the curriculum but never enjoyed recreational swimming, it was just a survival exercise.
John fell in love during his junior year. They married in December of his Senior year, despite the rule that Midshipmen must live in the dorms and not have dependents. The stated reason is that attendance at The Naval Academy is a full-time occupation, Midshipmen have full time military duties in addition to their class work. John and his wife, Susan rented an apartment within walking distance of the Academy. They formally married in the spring, with all of the splendid traditions and pomp at the Chapel.
After graduating with the Class of 1965, John was sent to Aviation School in Pensacola, Florida where Susan and John’s first son was born. Due to his height (6’5”) John chose to fly P3’s not jets. He attended Survival School (SERE) in San Diego for a grueling nineteen days developing a love of Abolone, his main food source. He joined a squadron in Texas for his final training. John served our country during the Vietnam War. After his lengthy tour of duty in Vietnam was complete, John was sent to the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, California. John and Susan’s second son, Matt was born at The Station Hospital in Fort Ord, California. After receiving his master’s degree, John received orders to Barber’s Point, Hawaii. The family thrived in Hawaii, it was a happy time.
John resigned his active duty commission but remained a member of the Naval Reserves. The family relocated to Palo Alto, California when John accepted a job with Stanford Research Institute. He eventually started his own company, Delfin Systems where he developed a non-lethal warfare program. His company expanded to the Washington D.C. area in the early 1990’s.
John bought the deconsecrated Episcopal Church, All Saints, with a full graveyard on Longwoods Road in Easton. It was the perfect place for entertaining, with its Belfry and massive great room. The four foot long black snake in the basement was a respected guest, the church mouse population was nil. John loved being a resident in Maryland, he had fond memories of his time in Annapolis.
John had a keen business sense and knew that the Avalon Theater could be the cultural focal point of Easton. Despite many naysayers, John and his wife, Ellen signed a lease with the Town of Easton and formed the Avalon Foundation. The Avalon quickly grew as a center for the performing arts and community events. John and Ellen took great pride in entertaining the artists who performed at the theater. It was exciting to meet Mickey Rooney, Arlo Guthrie, and Richie Havens. John’s weekly television talk show from the studio of the Avalon basement was one of his favorite hobbies. John and his cohost would discuss current events and have local personalities on as guests.
John, always in search of a new project, reconnected with his old high school chum, Artie Kornfield, who was a music industry producer and was one of the organizers of Woodstock. John was instrumental in the publishing of Artie’s memoir. Artie was a bit of a “head-case” and required alot of patience and attention, but John was satisfied with the end result. A beautiful book with an enclosed CD.
John’s business acuity served him well in his choice of new investments. His favorite part of the day was “happy hour” and his son, Matt was his favorite bartender. It was synchronicity when a small restaurant on Goldsborough Street became available for purchase. General Tanuki’s was John’s pet project for twelve years. He was a born host and was very proud of this accomplishment. Gone were the days of BisQuick, John indulged in his favorite sushi, curry, calamari, fish taco, poke bowl, and burger in rotation. Matt’s hand picked wine list and Mai Tai’s were perfect compliment to the meal at the end of a long workday. John and Matt were perfect business partners, love and respect were key in their easy going relationship. John was the silent partner, Matt had the experience and knowledge of running a restaurant.
John’s health began to decline and in 2018 he suffered a stroke after a surgical procedure. He died peacefully at our home in June of 2019. Matt and I felt robbed as John had promised that he would live to be eighty six years old and we believed him, he was seventy five. John was so knowledgeable and usually right about current affairs that I wonder what he would say about the world today.
Happy Birthday, John.
Kate Emery General is a retired chef and restaurant owner who was born and raised in Casper, Wyoming. She loves her grandchildren, knitting, and watercolor painting. Kate and her husband, Matt, are longtime residents of Cambridge’s West End, where they enjoy swimming and bicycling.
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