Preservation of American Hellenic History
Preservation of American Hellenic History
by Jason C. Mavrovitis
In 1921, Jimmy met seventeen-year-old Lily Athenas at a dance and fell in love. His courtship failed when Lily chose to marry James Tsavalas. It is not clear why Tsavalas was chosen over her other suitors. He may simply have been the first to express his intentions and because of his declared financial success and Lily's eagerness to marry won her hand.
From 1921 through 1926, Jimmy learned the fur business and became an expert matcher and cutter. The first of these skills involves matching color, texture and hair height of fur pelts to assure that a finished garment has a uniform appearance. The second, cutting, is the process by which a skin is sliced into long pieces that are then sewn back together in a way that narrows and elongates the skin, and gives it proper shape for the garment's design. These skills and designing are the highest paid in the industry.
On 22 June 1926, Jimmy became a citizen of the United States. He took his citizenship seriously. He stayed current with the political and economic events of the country and never missed voting in an election. He was one of the few Greek immigrants who identified himself as a Republican.
Jimmy was confident enough of his ability and experience to enter into partnership in 1926 with Vasili (Basil, William, ergo Bill) Rusuli, who was five years older than Jimmy. They had met and become friends in the Market.
As a child of six, young Vasili had been sent as an apprentice to a Kastorian furrier in St. Petersburg. He lived in Russia until just before the outbreak of World War I. He found a way to board a ship at a Baltic port and made his way to New York City. Vasili was proud to have been in the United States Army in 1917-1918. Though he entered the military too late to be sent to war, he gained United States citizenship because of his service.
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