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The Remarkable Man Who Founded FEDA Sam Anoff got his start in the industry as an office clerk in the billing department of Albert Pick & Co. Many years later, he was promoted to president. Editor's Note: The following is Sam Anoff's story, which he recalled in a News & Views article in 1988. It contains some of his most vivid memories of his extraordinary life as well as the early beginnings of the Food Service Equipment Industry Inc. (FSEI), the forerunner of FEDA. A Difficult Beginning Born in 1892, the eldest of three chil- dren, Sam's first years were marked by poverty and sickness. Both his mother and father, an itinerant laborer, were stricken with tuberculosis and Sam,himself,was diagnosed with an early form of the disease. When his mother became too ill to care for him,he was sent to live with his grandparents for short periods, where he learned the junk peddling trade from his grandfather and Uncle Leo. Sunday mornings were spent sorting the junk collected during the week, an enjoyable playtime for Sam, but backbreaking work for his family. During this time,Sam also became close to his mother's sister and family, the Pollacks of Cincinnati, whom he also visited when times were hard. By 1899, a seven-year-old Sam had lost both parents and was sent to Cleveland's Jewish Orphan Asylum. At the orphanage, rules were an important part of a child's daily routine and were strictly enforced. A system of bells and whistles would call residents to their meals or studies. Monitors, chosen from among the older children, were each A Need for Association Conditions in 1933 were terrible—competition was fierce and the economy as a whole was in serious trouble. Making money in this environment was difficult. I got 14 firms together, all of whom were in the same boat, and began to hold meetings in Chicago to discuss how we were all going to survive. 18 FEDA News & Views assigned to oversee the conduct of about 35 others. "The group was always well-behaved," Sam said. "We knew we were fortunate to be there, even though by some standards our lives were very spartan.To this day, I can remember the washrooms located on each floor of the dormitory, measuring about 30 feet long with faucets running down each wall, where only cold water was provided in the summer as well as the winter. Needless to say, we did not look forward to winter. Every morning, after washing, we had to pass inspection, and if our teeth did not look clean, we had to brush again. Today, at my age, all of my teeth are my own and I have the Home and the Lord to thank for that." Sam's last two years at the Home proved to be most memorable. He was given the responsibilities of wardrobe boy, monitor and electrician and he viewed these obligations as steps to building a strong character that would last a lifetime. He learned to be scrupulously neat and organized in his duties as wardrobe boy, and his position as monitor taught him that authority must never be used to take advantage of those in his charge, but as a way to guide younger children in the rules of proper conduct. The Struggle to Survive Sam's pleasant years at the Home came to an end at the age of 14, when he and his sister Goldye (four years continued on page 20