Person:Jeremiah O'Connell (4)

_PHOTO:

Pat Chatham recalls her grandfather telling her about his childhood in Ireland. The English would not allow the Irish to attend school, so "hedge schools" came into being. He remembers hiding behind the hedges lining the road as his father gave lessons to the road workers. Education was always important to the Irish and they were determined to become educated in spite of the British. Pat came to live with her grandmother and grandfather when she was only 2 1/2 years old. He was the only father she ever knew. Jeremiah worked for the Chicago Northwestern Railroad for about 40 years. He was forced to retire in 1935 when he developed cancer. His wife, Mary, was forced to maintain a household of four, her sister "Lena," her son Carroll, and an 11 year-old P at on a very limited budget during the Depression. Pat remembers her grandparents sitting on the sofa, holding hands, and singing " In the gloaming, oh my darling, when the lights are dim and low." When he was very ill, her grandmother would take him out for a ride daily in their 1928 Chevy. Before his illness, Pat remembers heading down the street with her dog, Pal, to meet her grandfather after work. They would hold hands and walk back the few blocks to their home.