in New Orleans, the baby had not come yet.
During the journey to their new home, Igor and Natalia ran around the ship constantly. Since Ilsa was sick most of the time, the children caused quite a commotion. They were befriended by a Catholic priest named Father Dominic, also traveling to New Orleans to be the head priest at one of the churches. Father Dominic spent time with Natalia and Igor and took care of them while their mother was sick. He was personally responsible for the family converting from the Greek Orthodox religion to the Roman Catholic Church. There were no Greek Orthodox churches in the vicinity of the Dodik’s new home in New Orleans, so they attended Father Dominic’s church.
Jakob quickly got a job with the Immigration Authority as a translator. His command of seven languages paved the way to help incoming immigrants acclimate to the American way of life. Jakob’s job was to help newcomers get a job, find housing, and learn to read. The first week that Jakob was employed by the Immigration authority, Ilsa was adjusting to their temporary apartment. She felt a sudden, sharp pain and rushed to the bathroom. Jakob called an ambulance and Ilsa was taken to Mercy Hospital. That was when she lost the baby.
By the end of their first year in America, it was time for Igor to go to school. Jakob’s brother, Philip had lived in Havana for several years. He had married into what was then the aristocracy of Cuba and was doing quite well in the cigar business. Philip and Roberta had no children. In fact, Roberta was barren. They begged Jakob to let Igor begin school in Cuba. Igor knew Spanish and, although Ilsa objected vehemently, Jakob consented and sent their son to Havana.
Igor Dodik, who would eventually have his full name legally changed to Edmund Dodd and marry Frances Mims and have two daughters of his own, began his schooling in Havana, Cuba. Roberta wanted to adopt Igor, but Ilsa would not have it. Igor returned to New Orleans and finished high school before going to Tulane University. When Igor finished his pre-med courses, he had a degree in chemistry. His father, Jakob, was adamant that Igor should be a doctor, but Igor refused to go to medical school. This caused a breach in the family and Igor did not speak with his parents for several years.
Shortly after graduating from Tulane, Igor went through the process of legally changing his name and then married Olivia Alvarez. Igor called his father to tell him about both developments. Jakob was appalled that Igor would Americanize his name. Jakob told Igor that he disowned him and as far as he was concerned his son was dead. Jakob’s last words to his son were, “My son’s name is Igor Dodik. I do not know anyone named Edmund Dodd.”
Edmund got a job as a chemist at a large company in Houston. He and Olivia moved there and tried to start a family. Several years passed and Olivia had not become pregnant even once. One of Edmund’s major hopes in life was to be a father. He and Olivia went to Dallas to adopt twins. But after Olivia saw the children, she told Edmund that she couldn’t do it. She would not raise someone else’s children. This caused a break in the marriage that never recovered. Eventually, Edmund and Olivia divorced. Olivia never remarried, but Edmund did.
Meanwhile, Natalia graduated from the University of California, eventually married Raymond Merot, birthed Phil and Audrey, established residence in San Francisco and became a lawyer. Natalia was a fearless, independent risk taker, but that did not mean she didn’t miss her parents in New Orleans. In 1936, she came to New Orleans for her mother’s 56th birthday. As a birthday present, Natalia planned to send her mother back to Suez, Egypt to reunite with Ilsa’s sister, Maria. The sisters had not seen each other in over 33 years.
Ilsa and Maria had remained devoted to one another all these years and continually exchanged letters. There was no doubt the two were soul mates. For many reasons, Ilsa had never fully trusted her husband, Jakob. In this arranged marriage, he remained the constant patriarch and Ilsa had little to say in the day to day affairs of the family. But one thing she did have control over was her letters to Maria. Though Jakob spoke seven languages, Greek was not one of them. Greek was Ilsa’s family’s original language and she and Maria wrote all their letters in that language.
When Natalia arrived in New Orleans to arrange the trip for her mother’s journey back to Egypt, she found her mother had a prolapsed uterus. Natalia insisted Ilsa get this fixed before she visited Maria. Surgery was arranged. Ilsa wrote Maria that she would visit her in Egypt at some time in the near future. She explained she was having surgery and as soon as she recovered she would make the trip to Suez. Ilsa was hospitalized and the surgery was successful. However, a few days later her heart went into arrhythmia and the doctors could never slow it down. As Ilsa began to die, she started asking for Igor, whom she had not seen in several years. Natalia called Igor who immediately got in his Model-T Ford and drove all night from Houston to New Orleans. During the night, Ilsa told Natalia that she needed to see Igor before it was too late.
“Don’t worry mother. He’s on the way,” explained Natalia.
During the night, Ilsa would wake up and ask for Igor. Finally, Natalia realized that Ilsa would die before Igor arrived. The next time Ilsa awakened, she again asked for Igor. Natalia told Ilsa he was there and that Ilsa had just talked to him. Ilsa smiled. Natalia asked if she should get Igor in the hall. Ilsa said no. Igor arrived, but it was too late. Ilsa was gone. He did not have a chance to say good-bye to his mother.
As fate would have it, a letter arrived from Maria that very afternoon. As usual, the letter was addressed only to Ilsa and written in Greek. Natalia opened the letter and realized no one in the family would be able to read it. Natalia took the letter to the funeral home and placed it in the casket with her mother.
Within a year, Jakob died of an aneurysm. In years to come, Natalia’s children would vaguely remember their grandparents, Ilsa and Jakob Dodik. Winifred and Trisha would know their father’s parents only through the stories Natalia Merot would tell them.
The University of Alabama
September 8, 1963
A young woman and slightly younger man sat in a discreet corner of the room at the Snack Bar in Martha Parham Hall. Both had been told they should meet the other before the fall semester began.
After they introduced themselves, the woman said, “I’m from New York and have been assigned a roommate from the Birmingham area for the fall semester. I really don’t know anything about her, but I hope she will not bother me or interfere with my work.”
“You don’t know anything else about her?” asked the young man.
“I’m sure she was just randomly assigned to me, but I wish I knew more about her. Our room is just two doors down from Vivian Malone’s and from what I can decipher, the two girls in the room closest to Vivian’s are rather obnoxious.”
“Interesting! I’ve been living in the same dorm where James Hood was. Sounds like we are going to have an interesting year,” replied the gentleman. “My roommate is a guaranteed trouble maker. His family has ties to the Klan. Even so, I really need to fit in if I am going to survive the University of Alabama. I hope I can come across as a ‘good ole boy’ and hold on as best as I can. So, if anybody asks, please tell them I’m just a regular southern guy from Toomsuba, Mississippi.”
“I’ll be interested to hear all about your adventures, once the semester starts,” smiled the woman.
“I hope your roommate turns out to be a good one for you. I know mine is going to be challenging, to say the least!” replied the man.
The University of Alabama
September 9, 1963
Winifred Dodd returned to Martha Parham dormitory in the fall. She was cautious about beginning
