Bayonne Boy

This is a story about a young kid growing up in the blue-collar town of Bayonne, NJ. During the war years of the 1940s and his teenage years of the 1950s, Robert Vargovcik went off to make his mark on the world. Bayonne is located across the harbor from the southern tip of Manhattan. It was known for its oil refineries, but it also had a lot of heavy industries, chemical plants, foundries, and the like. Everybody had a good-paying job. The author grew up in close neighborhoods, and television and air-conditioning were on the distant horizon. It was the time of screen doors, front porches, and backyard swings. Evenings were spent with neighbors exchanging gossip and waiting for a cool breeze. Winters were spent playing board games. Thanks to gas rationing, the streets were the playgrounds, and seven-year-olds could roam far and wide and not worry their parents. They just had to make sure they were home for dinner.