“Have you ever heard of “The American Dream?” Well, that was never for me, you can keep it. I’m 95 years old and I don’t look back one bit on never trying to achieve it. I know I could have done better so to speak but I’m happy with the life I’ve lived. I was a rebel as a kid and in many ways, I still am. I have always gone against the grain. My parents always told me to go to school and become somebody. What the hell did they mean by that? I am somebody regardless of what I decide for my life. My parents gave up on me early, at 15, I was on my own. I loved women and booze.
In 1949 I joined the Air Force and in 1951, I fought in the Korean War. I was in the 187th airborne combat team. I wanted to make it a career, but after 5 years in the military, they wanted more war. When and where? War, war, war, so I got the hell out! The government has an agenda that doesn’t mix well with the American people. We think we have input but we don’t. There is no democracy, only the illusion of it.
Do I like the Dodgers? I used to be a Dodger fan but not anymore. How the hell does one man make so much money? He’s making more money than twenty of his teammates combined. That’s a whole team! It’s capitalism. I only wear this hat because a young lady was selling them for $5 and I wanted to nurture her efforts. Many years ago, professional players were regular Joe’s and lived in the same neighborhoods as their fans. One day someone got a big payday and the chain reaction started. If you’re rich or middle class, you can go to a game. But how many poor fans follow sports and can’t afford to cheer their damn team live?
Anyhow, in 1955, after I served my time, I decided on Los Angeles. I’d heard great things about this town. When I arrived , the tallest building was City Hall. Within a few days I started working here in the nickel area of Skid Row (Los Angeles and Fifth). I worked at different hotels until 1962 when I finally made a career as a night clerk at The Bixby Hotel on Wall St. It was nothing like New York’s wall street. As a matter of fact it was and still is the complete opposite.
I gave them fifty-one years of my service. Pay was low, but I could care less. When you work in a hotel that resides in a shady area, it’s a guarantee that you will see more than you need to. I’ve about seen it all from prostitution to winos to junkies and death. Back in the 1950s and 60s drug use wasn’t as heavy as it is today. Seasonal farm workers stayed in many of these hotels after the apple and pear harvest season ended in Oregon and Washington State. They would come here and drink their life away till the picking season came around again. One thing is for sure, this area has always attracted the ruined. The drug problem is at its peak. It’s a sad state of affairs and there seems to be no laws. No politician has been able to change it for over a hundred years.
Everyone I grew up knowing is now dead. My parents, my brothers, my sisters and friends are all gone. It feels odd knowing that I am the last one alive. I still think of my mother and father. I wonder what they’d think of my life. I think we all need to find our element. We need to find that comfortable feeling and not be deterred by outside sources. I am a loner. But I am not lonely. I don’t have a particular diet. I think I’m still around because I shrug things off. I don’t carry stress with me. I’ve always been a spectator. You know stress kills. College needs to be free. This country is filthy rich. USC and UCLA are killing students with their loans. I think the world is becoming anti-social. People are on their phones all day and can’t relax. I never go to the ATM machine. I always walk inside because I want to talk to the teller. I’ve learned one thing in life, and that is not to help alcoholics and junkies. They don’t want to hear it. They don’t want to be told what to do. You’re wasting your time. Help someone that is open to being helped.”
*Richard Eder was born in Green Bay, WI on June 3rd, 1927. He still lives in DTLA. He resides at the Rosslyn Hotel. At 95 years of age, he still walks the local streets of downtown. He eats oatmeal and a slice of toast every morning at the nearby Monte Carlo Cafe. He comes from an Irish/German line. He said he still feels like he is in his 50s, except now, his feet hurt when he walks great distances. He retired from the Hotel Bixby in 2014 at the age of eighty seven. He is most likely the longest tenured resident in the area.
Henry Lara, author of the acclaimed Instagram series ANGELENO HEART, is a writer-at-large with LAMonthly.org. He is the author and photographer of this story. He can be reached at mrlara0704@gmail.com
