Thursday, August 31, 2017

No Relation Thursday -- Constance Vadunas born about 1917

Constance Vadunas 1917

Yet another unrelated Vidunas, this female is found in the 1930 census for Pittsburgh, Allegheny County PA.  She was about 13 years old, lived with her widowed mother Valeria Vadunas, and her siblings Edward age 16, Albert age 15, William age 11, Joseph age 8, Harry age 6 and Ellen age 5.  The lived on 1925 Sidney Street in Pittsburgh, and both parents were Lithuanian immigrants.  


1925 Sidney Street, Pittsburgh PA
Google Maps 2017

In looking at my Ancestry.com entries for her, I find some discrepancies.  I have entered that her father Paul Vidunas died sometime before 1940 (I have since amended this to read before 1930, to reflect Valeria's widowed status in that census).  Her brother Anthony "Gus" died in 1950 when she was about 33. Brother Jerome died 1958, Joseph died 1967, Albert died 1977 and mother died 1982.  Sister Helen/Ellen died 1992, brother William died 1995, Edward died 2003.


1925 Sidney Street Standard View
Google Map 2017
I don't have any record of her marriage, nor of her death.  Nothing about her life.  Oh, yes.  The name in the census is written as Vadunas, but I don't let that worry me too much.  Here's why.  If you say the name Vidunas, with an accent, it can come out as Vadnas quite easily.  Sometimes the owners of the  names themselves weren't too keen on proper spelling until about 1940s or so.  


1925 Sidney Street Pittsburgh PA Street View
Google Maps streetview October 2016
downloaded August 2017
Can you imagine living with 6 children in this kind of housing?  Is Constance your Vidunas?





Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Wordless Wednesday -- Cecil and Lois Howell Vidunas Willoughby Residence 1956

Goldsboro, North Carolina, City Directory 1956
US City Directories, 1822 - 1995 [database on-line]
Ancestry.com

This is a Wordless Wednesday post, except I can't be wordless.  I have to explain.  The address is 409 W. Mulberry, which I seem to recall Dad telling me about.  Cecil is her husband at the time, and his occupation is US Army.  Did he know Joseph Vidunas?  I wonder how they met?




Here is an overview of present-day Goldsboro.

Add caption


This is the block view of the address, again it is present day.
409 W. Mulberry Street, block view
Close up of the lot listed as 409 W. Mulberry street.  It looks like the house is no longer there, that there might be the partial foundation in the front?  The house on the right is 407, and it has a garage in the back.  The lable upper left says 406, but it is still 409.

409 W. Mulberry Street, street view







Google. (2012, June). 409 W. Mulberry Street, Goldsboro NC. Retrieved 2017, from Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/409+W+Mulberry+St,+Goldsboro,+NC+27530/@35.38
            59704,-78.0020948,3a,60y,7.21h,80.23t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s8r4IckCp5UQYv-
            hgJdGEDg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x89ac014155d4a1b1:0xb564bf57
            ed47bb84!2s409+W+Mulberry+St,+Go
Google. (2017). 409 W. Mulberry Street, block view. Retrieved from Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/409+W+Mulberry+St,+Goldsboro,+NC+27530/@35.38
           48494,-78.0033225,171a,35y,31.72h,49.08t/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x89ac
           014155d4a1b1:0xb564bf57ed47bb84!8m2!3d35.386246!4d-78.002078

Google. (2017). Goldsboro North Carolina. Retrieved from Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/409+W+Mulberry+St,+Goldsboro,+NC+27530/
          @35.3568792,-78.0100613,3550a,35y,4.56h,44.14t/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!
           1s0x89ac014155d4a1b1:0xb564bf57ed47bb84!8m2!3d35.386246!4d-78.002078



Friday, August 18, 2017

Family Friday -- Charles Otto Vidunas 1949-2006

Charles Otto Vidunas is the only child of William and Mary Neely Vidunas.  His accomplishments during his life are amazing, to say the least.  More so because he was blind.  When I re-started my ancestry search using the internet, I kept coming across this name.  He intrigued me from the start.

The preamble to a story run in the Indiana Gazette in 1979 is a good beginning to this story.
Perhaps we sighted people inadvertently form a mental picture of a "blind" person.  But to get the true impression, read Tom P. Mittelhouser's story on Chuck Vidunas, employee cafeteria manager at the Indiana Season-all plant.
Vidunas' outlook on life and his mastery of recreational and other goals supposedly reserved solely for the sighted is a fresh approach to our problems, big or small.  -- (Newspapers.com, 1979)

1979


Chuck Vidunas and co-worker at Season-all's Employee Cafeteria
(Newspapers.com, 1979, p. 27)
Chuck isn't just the worker-bee, here, he is the manager.  His attitude about it is "Hey, I'm just like you -- I just can't see, that's all!"  He is not only a successful business manager, but also one of the best blind chess players in America, an accomplished computer programmer, certified technician in CPR; a better-than-average bowler.  You know what?  That's not the same as me, at all!  I can't claim any of those things other than CPR.

Apparently, he's been blind since birth with some sort of retinal degeneration which was only going to get worse as he got older.  He was born 1949 in Pittsburgh.  Oops, that shows that I should actually read these articles before I spout off.  He was one of eleven children, not the only one as I originally thought.  His dad William worked as a meat-cutter during tough times.  His mother was devoutly faithful, and she took him to a healing service at about age 4 or 5.  At the moment the healer announced that there was a young boy with an eye problem, he turned around to his mother with astonishment, saying "Mommy, my eyes are burning!"  Turns out, the retinal degeneration stopped getting worse, and as of 1979 the doctors still are unable to explain the remission.  He had a small amount of vision left for which he was very grateful (Newspapers.com, 1979, p. 27)
.  

Juvenile Macular Degeneration

This condition is inherited, and is sometimes called macular dystrophy.  The macula is a light-sensitive part of the retina responsible for central vision, allowing for fine details.  It is caused by one of three disorders, all of which share similar characteristics, all are rare, and as of 2017 there is still no treatment to prevent vision loss. -- (Boyd, 2015)




He was at the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children from age 5 to 17 or 18.  During this time, he played in varsity wrestling, was President of the Key Club, and he became a champion chess player.  

Hey, you're only handicapped if you feel you are.  -- Chuck Vidunas, (Newspapers.com, 1979)

After graduation, he became a qualified computer programmer.  After this, he learned food management at a business program for blind persons.  He started by managing several employee cafeterias in several Pennsylvania areas, but each one closed soon after that.  "They used to call me the Undertaker."  Finally, he was at the Campus Sportswear cafeteria for over a year, then found his "forever" home at Season-all.

Chuck Vidunas 1979 manager Employee Cafeteria
(Newspapers.com, 1979, p. 27)
His biggest challenge was when a new plant employee would show up in the cafeteria for some coffee, and had a hard time when Chuck gave out change for a single buck when he paid with a 10$ bill.
Sure, I can't see very well, but I know and understand people.  maybe I can see other people better than they think I can.  -- Chuck Vidunas, (Newspapers.com, 1979, p. 27)

1989

Charles Vidunas installed as President of the White Township Lions Club
(Newspapers.com, 1989, p. 16)


 1990

Chuck Vidunas, outgoing Lion's Club President 1990
(Newspapers.com, 1990, p. 6)


1996

Charles Vidunas in weight loss campaign 1996
.  (Newspapers.com, 1996, p. 4)
Charles participated in this program, a fund-raiser targeted to sighted people so they can raise money for the Indiana County Blind Association.  For 63 days participants work to lose weight, with sponsors paying a certain amount for each pound lost.  All proceeds benefit the blind and visually impaired.  This has been an annual event since 1986.

2000

Charles Vidunas competes in National Blind Chess Players' Championship
(Newspapers.com, 2000, p. 16)

In this championship, Charles played for three days of matches.  Players compete in divisions according to experience, with Chuck the winner for Class E.  People from all over the US participated, 18 legally blind players.  These players used specially designed chess boards and pieces to help them identify their pieces and their locations on the board 

2007

(Newspapers.com, 2007)



Bibliography

Boyd, K. (2015, October 14). What is Juvenile Macular Degeneration? Retrieved from Juvenile Macular Degeneration: https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/juvenile-macular-degeneration
Newspapers.com. (1979, January 13). Indiana Gazette (Indiana, Pennsylvania). Retrieved from Newspapers.com.
Newspapers.com. (1989, June 13). Indiana Gazette (Indiana, Pennsylvania). Retrieved from Newspapers.com.
Newspapers.com. (1990, June). Indiana Gazette (Indiana, Pennsylvania). Retrieved from Newspapers.com: date indexed as 3 October 1989
Newspapers.com. (1996, April 11). Indiana Gazette (Indiana, Pennsylvania). Retrieved from Newspapers.com.
Newspapers.com. (2000, July 10). The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky). Retrieved from Newspapers.com.
Newspapers.com. (2007, January 24). Indiana Gazette (Indiana, Pennsylvania). Retrieved from Newspapers.com.


Sunday, August 6, 2017

Obit Sunday -- Charles Vidunas 1949 - 2006

Chuck Vidunas series, part 1
mini pedigree from Ancestry.com LifeStory

This is the first of a couple of posts on Charles Vidunas, done with permission of his wife, done as an homage to honour his life.  He was the only son of William and Mary Neely Vidunas.  I haven't found any connection to my own line, but I still suspect that all US Vidunas lines ARE connected.  There just aren't that many of us, after all.

We start with his headstone, and I'll let the newspaper notices say the rest.

Charles "Chuck" Vidunas gravestone 2006




Indiana Gazette (Indiana, Pennsylvania)
from Newspapers.com
Sat, Dec 24, 1988 ·  Page 14
The CORRECT date on the newspaper is 14 July 2006,
not as it is indexed




Indiana Gazette (Indiana, Pennsylvania)
from Newspapers.com
Indexed Sat, Dec 17, 1988 ·  Page 4
the CORRECT date is 8 July 2006 as noted on the newspaper,
not as it is indexed







Charles Vidunas Obituary
Indiana Gazette (Indiana, Pennsylvania) ·  Sat, Dec 17, 1988 ·  Page 4
(the CORRECT date is 8 July 2006)

Charles Vidunas, age 57, died Friday, 7 July 2006 after three months illness

He was born 24 January 1949, Pittsburgh's North Side, the son of William and Mary Neely Vidunas.

Mr Vidunas was a member of the First Church of God in Indiana, a former member of the White Township Lions Club, having served as president, a member of the United States Chess Federation, Untied States Blind Bowlers, Pennsylvania Blind Vendors Association, and a former coach for the Season-All softball team.

He was a graduate of the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children in Pittsburgh, and Computer Systems Institute with a computer science degree, also in Pittsburgh.

Mr. Vidunas was self-employed as owner and operator of Indiana Sportswear Cafeteria for two years, and Season-All Cafeteria for 17 years.  Most recently, he owned and operated CV Vending in General United States Mail facilities in the North Side of Pittsburgh.

He was a loving husband, father and grandfather, who embraced life with zeal and lots of ambition.