Weekend of July 4, 1963
The only holiday during summer term was July 4th. Because it came on a Thursday that year, the University gave the students Friday off as well. Independence Day was the Dodd family’s favorite and most festive holiday until the year before. In 1962, they celebrated the day with the usual picnic of potato salad, hotdogs, baked beans, cole slow, pimento and cheese sandwiches, French fried potatoes, and T-bone steaks. Edmund was in charge of the grill and family members from Alabama were there, as usual. Edmund’s younger sister, Natalia from New Orleans always came too. In 1962, their celebration was held in the back yard. Some of the family were playing horseshoes while others were sitting at the picnic table under the large umbrella, deep in the card gamed called Rook. Edmund needed more charcoal and whispered to Frances, who was playing Rook, that he would be right back. He was going to the grocery store to get more charcoal. He kissed her on the forehead. She looked up at him lovingly and reciprocated with a peck on the cheek, and that was the last time Frances saw Edmund alive. On the way home from the grocery store, a pick-up truck full of drunk college students ran a red light and plowed directly into Edmund’s car on the driver’s side. None of the students were hurt but Edmund was killed instantly.
Frances blamed herself. Edmund had asked her to buy charcoal when she bought groceries for the celebration, but she had forgotten. Instead of Edmund’s absence getting easier over time, the guilt and sadness continued unabated. This year there would be no celebration. However, Frances had invited Natalia to come for two weeks, beginning the weekend of Independence Day. Trisha had become irritable and impatient from getting up at 7:00 am every weekday to accompany her mom and sister to Tuscaloosa. She wanted to stay home and sleep. Since Natalia always visited Birmingham in early July, she was happy to come for several reasons. She wanted to remain close to Edmund’s immediate family, especially her nieces. She was also delighted to leave the oppressive heat and humidity of New Orleans for a couple of weeks. Birmingham was hot in July, but nothing like New Orleans.
Natalia’s mother used to say, “God broke the mold when He made her!” Natalia was Edmund’s younger sister and only sibling. Edmund had been born in 1898 and Natalia in 1900. No child was ever more independent than Natalia. After high school she went all the way to Berkeley for college, eventually marrying Raymond Merot, a classmate from Los Angeles. They had lived in San Francisco where her husband was a banker. Natalia had attended law school and became one of the first women graduates of Person School of Law in Marin County.
During World War II, Raymond was needed in the Philippines because he spoke Japanese. While he was there, Natalia took their two children, Phil and Audrey back to New Orleans. Natalia wanted to live where she grew up while Raymond was gone. While in New Orleans, Natalia saw an advertisement for women welders. She immediately signed up for welding school and two months later she was working with 24 other women at the Delta Shipbuilding Company, welding Liberty ships. Some of the women she met at the docks became lifelong friends. Her roommate from college, Thelma Burnette, who had moved eventually to St. Louis, came to New Orleans as well and worked as a welder with Natalia during the war years.
Raymond died in the Battle of Mindanoa. Natalia stayed in New Orleans. Phil and Audrey were grown now and lived on opposite sides of the country—Phil in New York City and Audrey in San Diego. Natalia worked for the Boudreaux and Boudreaux Law Firm on Canal Street until 1960, when she decided to retire and travel. And travel she did. For the next two weeks she would be in Birmingham.
That summer, Winifred had been dating Matt Funderbirk, a high school classmate, but there was nothing going on between them. In fact, Winifred found Matt to be dull and monotonous, but she didn’t want to spend her entire summer just going back and forth to the University and studying. For Independence Day, she’d gone with Matt to Fairhope for a couple of days to visit his grandparents’ home on Mobile Bay. During the day, Winifred and Matt would go to Pensacola Beach. At night they stayed at home with his grandparents. Winifred and Matt were back in Homewood by Saturday so Winifred would have Sunday to relax before going back to school.
Natalia exuded independence and fearlessness, the qualities that Winifred desired but lacked. Natalia had become Winifred’s role model. Over the next few years, Natalia would have a strong influence on Winifred. That Sunday night, Frances, Winifred and Trisha were in the living room reading and watching television. Natalia emerged from the guest room and suggested they all play cards, either hearts or spades. Natalia didn’t particularly enjoy playing cards. She saw it as a vehicle for communication. For some reason, people seemed to let their guard down and open up when they played cards.
Trisha suggested they play crazy eights. So Frances set up the card table in the middle of the living room and Winifred placed the folding chairs around it. Frances went to the kitchen and brought a pitcher of iced tea, a bag of potato chips, and pimento and cheese sandwiches to consume during their card game.
At the beginning of the game, the conversation dwelled on the superficial. Winifred talked about how hot it was at the beach and how boring Matt was. Trisha talked about her friend Sara and how she hoped she could go with her to Lake Martin near Tallassee this summer. Finally, the dialogue moved toward more intimate matters.
Winifred said, “You know, Aunt Natalia, I spent a lot of my summers in Manchester with my grandparents, Nana and Daddy Mims. I know everything about them, but daddy’s and your parents died before I was born, so I never knew them. I wish I knew more about them, but I guess there are so many things I will never know.”
“That’s true,” replied Natalia. “But there are some things you need to know,” and she began to tell Winifred, Frances, and Trisha all about her parents.
From Suez, Egypt to New Orleans, Louisiana
1880-1936
Ilsa Nickolovitch was born in Podgorica, Montenegro in 1880. Her family, originally from Greece, were devout members of the Greek Orthodox Church. When Ilsa was five, her family moved to Suez, Egypt. Her father was an engineer; his job was to maintain the structures that supported the Canal. Ilsa was very close to her sister and best friend, Maria who was just a year younger. They spent endless hours sharing secrets, making plans for the future, and dreaming of living next door to each other for the rest of their lives.
Ilsa and Maria lived in the same community as Jakob Dodik whose family came from Ivanjica, Serbia. Jakob’s father, who spoke seven languages, was an interpreter for those who worked at the Canal. The Nickolovitch and Dodik families were very close and Ilsa was promised to Jakob through an arranged marriage. Neither Ilsa nor Jakob had any say in the matter. They were married in 1897.
In the early 1900s, Jakob, the youngest of three brothers, was the only one left in Egypt. Both his brothers had immigrated, one to Canada, and the other to Cuba. By 1903, Jakob decided it was time to leave Egypt and start a new life with his wife and two small children. Igor (Edmund) was now five and Natalia was three. He had heard the United States was the land of opportunity, so he booked passage on an Italian Cargo Ship that had very few compartments for passengers. The boat was destined for New Orleans. Ilsa did not want to leave Maria and go to America, but she had no choice.
When Ilsa, Jakob and their children left Suez, they took the train to Alexandria to meet their ship that would take them to their new life. Ilsa and Maria were heartbroken. Maria told Ilsa they would probably never see each other again. And so, as the train left Suez Station, Ilsa and Maria held hands through the window. The train picked up speed and Maria ran as fast and as far as she could until Ilsa’s hand was torn away as Ilsa looked back and saw the only person she really loved disappear in the distance.
While the Dodiks were on their way to America, Ilsa became seasick and threw up continually. She was six months pregnant. Jakob was terrified the baby would come early. If the baby survived the birth, it would automatically become an Italian
