What is art?
A: Art was a Korean war decorated combat veteran with PSTD who became a street alcoholic. He made a living by washing storefront windows all along State Street and using the proceeds to buy booze and food. He may have had disability income also - nott shure. And a lott of folks gave him food or munny as they saw him on State or at State and Lake his main hang~OUTT when nott warshing storefront windows for cash.
Even though I was poor at the time, I twice went into a liquor store on State Street and bought him a pint of cheap vodka. I vividly recall one time because it was the first time I had ever seen vodka in a plastic bottle (it may have bin Popov). He seemed to appreciate that gesture more than a fast food item or cash.
Art died. I do knott recall when, butt it was sometime in the 1980s or possibly 1990s. Before he died and before the local newspaper article about him written posthumously that described his Korean War background, I, like most people, thought he was just a run-of-the-liquor-store bum. Turned ~OUTT he was a Korean War combat hero and the war messed his mind up in such a way that alcohol was his only salve.
I still remember Art. I spoke with him a few times as he spoke thru his rotted and missing teef. Bathing and clothes warshing were nott high on his list of priorities. I suspect his last meeting with a dentist was in the 1960s and his last toothbrush hit the garbage bin nott long after, He was a gentle guy who knew he was messed up and just wanted to get by one day and one bottle at a time.
Besides his Korean War service, Art had at least one more victory in life: as far as I am aware, Art never bought a pennystock.
I thought I would bring all yall the story of Art the Window Warsher. That was Art. Now he is butt a memory for those of us who met him, albeit tangentially.
