This is the house I lived in in Cheswick, PA from the age of four to 11. When Kellen and I traveled through the area we stopped at Glenn’s for custard (yesterday) and then went to this house. I had looked up the owner on some municipal web site and it was H. Coelle. Now the story. Mrs Coelle is now 94 and still living in the house she and her husband bought from my mom and dad in 1960. She and her husband were both in Russian concentration camps after WWII and were released in the mid 1950’s as a part of an effort to prove the Russian were open to peace with the West. Actually she was released and he was mistakenly released. They both ended up in an American run facility to prepare them for reentry into society and that is where they met. Not sure how the got to the US. When they were at our house he told us that in the camp he was allowed to do two things, sing in a choir and play chess. Nothing else. I told him I played chess - what you don’t know at 11! He said lets play a game. Well he beat me in the classic four moves, then in about 9 moves - telling me after move two it would be checkmate in 7 more. Then he set up the board, me with the full complement of pieces and he with king, knight and 8 pawns. Needless to say I lasted a bit longer but still lost. He was a very nice man and went to to earn two degrees in the US and carved out a significant career. It was neat to see the yard now rather beautiful - it was mostly clay and rock when we lived there. Kellen and I had a nice visit with Mrs. Coelle.
