Dad nailed a typing test early in his Navy career (always good with his hands) and directly became a storekeeper. This led to "The Life of Reilly," for Dad in the Navy and later in the Merchant Marines (Storekeepers control lots of goodies). After the service, Dad sold space on ships for a few of the big shipping lines along lower Broadway and Battery Place. At the time(1950s & 1960s), there was more product coming in and out of New York then there was space on all the ships. For a long time "The Life of Reilly," continued for Dad in civilian life and he made art in his free time (it surrounds me).
When corruption chased most shipping lines out of New York along with the jobs, Dad bought a town car and got into the livery business like his Dad and his grandfather. His father was a hack driver, and his grandpa was a hostler, caring for horses.
When Dad found the internet his typing skills shook off their cobwebs. I'd get a couple of requests a week to print something up for him. Dad loved quirky stories. Here is one from 2000, two years before he died.
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