Depression-Era Values: A Father's Lessons in Resourcefulness
Abe and son, creative reusers
A personal essay traces how Depression-era frugality shaped an Armenian-American family's approach to reusing and repurposing materials. The author's father, who grew up in East Cambridge's Armenian enclave and later served as a Navy cook during World War II, became known as "The Tinkerer" for his ability to salvage and repair items. The author recalls childhood adventures with his father collecting abandoned railroad boards, salvaged bricks, and discarded machinery from the local dump. These materials were transformed into home improvements—extended garages, fences, and walkways—or repurposed into functioning tools. The essay reflects on how such scavenging, once common and legal, has become impractical in modern times due to landfill restrictions and trespassing laws, while celebrating the resourcefulness and creativity that defined his parents' generation.
