The Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin ran many hundreds of advertisements for the Herman G. Levy store. But it seemed to cover everything that happened in town, no matter how inconsequential. And so we find more about Herman.
The item on the right, 1923.JUL.07, represents the purchase of the family house at 2 McDonald Avenue. That house had suffered a break-in three years before, 1920.MAR.02.
This ad appeared 1928.AUG.02. The three-year-old was Alan, and the contact address was the store on Clinton Street.
Herman was injured as a passenger in this collision, reported 1928.AUG.06.
And at times Herman dealt with other matters.
The court case mentioned at the left 1929.JAN.17, never materialized. Perhaps it was settled. Frank Boland operated a sand-and-gravel business. The next item shows that Herman paid a $2 for a parking ticket, 1929.AUG.02. It must be regarded as amazing that a newspaper would cover anything that trifling. The third item, 1932.AUG.27, is a permit for repairs at the family home at 2 McDonald Avenue. The rightmost item mentions the 20th reunion of Herman’s high school class, 1938.JUN.02.
This shocking event was reported 1934.NOV.12. Herman was not part of the more serious accident.
This badly-structured account covered two accidents. Herman was connected to the second accident, involving the Weber family. His car seemed to be part of the sideswiping. Herman was able to drive the victims to a hospital. The article mentions Harry Chapin, Keza Chaplin, and Dr. Claude Chapin; there may be a journalistic proofreading failure. Also, Herman’s middle initial was G, not J. Though Herman was not part of an accident, this must have been an upsetting article.
Herman was victimized by a drunk driver, 1943.FEB.26. He had to pay a fine for driving through a traffic signal, 1944.OCT.30. News of Alan’s death had come only days before.
Alas, Herman was involved in trafficking in gasoline ration tickets during the war. Herman’s store seems to have closed in 1939, and it is possible that he was looking for an easy way to make money. This appeared 1944.APR.20.
The followup, 1944.MAY.11, showed that Herman paid a $300 fine.
This report of 1951.NOV.28 told of his losing a leg. The family story had always been that this was a consequence of diabetes, rather than accident.
