Hello Everyone. I was born in St. Michael's
Hospital on November 29, 1941 at 7:05pm. My parents were Helen (nee
Tighe) and Julius Herman Spohn. My Baptism names were Julius John
(John after both my mother and father's brothers) Spohn. My confirmation
name is Francis - therefore I am Julius John Francis Spohn. WOW!!!
Lived most of my early life on South Orange Avenue and 12th Street.
Went to St. Antoninus Grammar School (1948-1956). Went to St. James
High School (down neck) (1956-1960). Went into the Marine Corps
in 1960 till 1966. Was a body guard for President and Mrs. Kennedy
on their trip to Mexico in June of 1962. Then left to work at the
American Embassy in Seoul, Korea, as a Marine Security Guard. Came
back to the states in 1965 and then went on a Marine Expedition
to help save the Dominican Republic in 1965.
Got out of the Marine Corps in 1966 and began working for National
Newark and Essex bank at 744 Broad Street as a "securities
trader" in the Trust Dept from 1967 to 1970. In 1970 went to
work for Merrill Lynch on Wall Street as a securities trader. I
specialized in foreign stocks (American Depository Receipts - ADR's).
Was with Merrill till 1978 and then went to work for Prudential
Bache till 1981. In 1981 went to work for another Wall Street firm
trading Canadian stocks. We went into the Recession of 1982 and
from then till 1986 I worked, got laid off, worked, got laid off,
etc. till I once again went back to work for Merrill in 1986. Market
crashed in 1987 and same nonsense taking place all over Wall Street.
In 1990 Merrill laid off a bunch of people again and I decided it
was time to leave Wall Street for good.
Graduated from Rutgers/Newark in 1977 with a BA in Economics and
did my graduate work in Economics at The New School in Manhattan.
Decided to change careers in 1990 after all of the turmoil on
Wall Street and took a year off and went to nursing school at Bergen
Pines County Hospital in Paramus. Graduated and am now a nurse in
the Intensive Care Unit at the Veterans Administration Hospital
in Manhattan. Turn 62 in November and am trying to decide whether
I'll retire this year or wait for another three till I'm 65. Still
feel good and love my job so I will probably stay till 65.
Lived in Newark, Marine Corps travels (Mexico, Puerto Rico, Japan,
Korea, Dominican Republic), Newark, Manhattan, Jersey City, Richmond,
VA, and finally back to Newark. That's it. No more moving.
I love to travel. Just got back from Paris. Have been to Mexico,
Canada, Japan, Korea, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, London, Rome, Berlin,
Munich, Zurich, Basel, Salzburg, and a few smaller places. Looking
forward to going to China, Russia, and Ireland in the next few years.
My great grandparents Owen Carlin and Ann Comiskey, and Cornelius
Tighe and Bridget Heffernan all came from Ireland around 1850 during
the time of the Potato Famine when there was plenty of food and
livestock being produced in Ireland but it was all being shipped
back to England and where over one million Irish men and women died
from starvation and over two million Irish men and women left Ireland
forever and came to America. These were on my mother's side. On
my father's side Franz August Spohn and Annelise Vogt both came
from Neckarsulm, Germany, met and married here in Newark around
1865. All four great-grandparents settled and raised their children
here in Newark.
My great-grand-father Owen Carlin was one of the first six policemen
here in Newark - 1860's till the 1890's - and was the leading Democrat
in the old 10th Ward for twenty years before he died in 1893. His
daughter (my grandmother) Ann Carlin married John T. Tighe (son
of Cornelius). John T. Tighe was also a policeman here in Newark
from 1880 till he died in 1910. His son, my uncle John C. Tighe
was also on the old Salvage Corps in the early 1920's and then he
too became a policeman in the mid 1920's till he died while serving
as the Treasurer of the Newark PBA.
As you can see, my family's roots and contributions to this great
city of Newark go back a long time - over a century and a half.
Almost all of my family are buried up at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery,
which is where I too will be buried when the time comes - but not
ready to go just yet.
Well there you have it - my life in a nutshell. I am so very happy
to be living back here in Newark again. Who said you can't go home
again? I HAVE RETURNED!!!
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