Tamara Wien Frankel

Tamara Wien was born in Constanza, Rumania to Frieda Auerbach Wien and Herman Wien. She loved living with her extended family, including Grandmother Rebecca Auerbach, and playing on the beach along the Black Sea where she collected the tinest and most delicate shells of pale pink, pale yellow, and pale orange. At least one time, she played on the beach with the young Prince Michael. Her father was involved in the family oil business in Rumania, but had lived in the United States from the time he was thirteen in 1905. He became an American citizen and fought with honor in the US Army in World War I and was always very proud of his service and his country. He met Frieda in the United States when she came with her mother, Rebecca, and her three sisters (including Henrietta and Jetta). They returned to Constanza to marry and lived there until 1930 when they went back to America with young Tammy entering through the Port of Philadelphia. While Frieda and Herman worked to establish themselves in Brooklyn, Tammy lived in Albany with Oncle Adoph and Tante Sarah Auerbach and their children Ben, Morris, Phillip, Maxie and Ruth. Tammy and Ruth remained "sisters" throughout their lives, while Maxie and Phil acted as protective "Big Brothers." Tammy excelled in school, determined to learn English as quickly as possible. She became a superb writer and won prizes for her creative writing throughout her education. Tammy was on the staff of the Literary Magazine and wrote numerous stories published within its pages. She graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, NY and went to Brooklyn College studying Social Anthropology, Psychology, and Sociology as she was interested in becoming a social worker. She had been and remained a member of the Art Students League where she met Simon Frankel whom she married on 12/23/43. Tammy painted and sculpted while Si honed his talents at Pratt Institute ultimately focusing on Graphic Art. He established a freelance business in Commercial Art, illustrating myriad books, magazine covers and articles, and so on; he also was Director of Art for a creative children's magazine for a number of years while it remained in existence. Like so many others during WW II, Tammy served homeside in the Secretarial Pool for the Department of Defense while continuing to attend Brooklyn College in the evenings. When Si on principle declared he was a conscientious objector and was imprisoned in Philadelphia, Tammy moved to Green St. in Philadelphia to be near him and she worked for several years at the Philadelphia Child Guidance Center. The couple returned to Brooklyn and lived with her parents, during which time their first daughter Judith was born. They designed and built a house in Elmont, N.Y. with the help of family members ( including brother Abraham Frankel and Marvin Frankel and cousin Gerald Juris and good friend Shep). The house was innovative and environmentally friendly incorporating, among other things, radiant floor heating, an open floor plan, and lots of natural light. They moved into their new house in 1948 along with a small dog and Nugget the orange cat. Stephen and Lory were born in 1949 and 1951 during very happy times. The children tumbled in enormous piles of autumn leaves and played with loads of kittens out on the brick patio beside the French doors. They picked fresh vegetables from Tammy's enormous garden and closely examined golden spiders in huge webs hanging amongst the corn stalks. Frieda and Herman spent every weekend with the family. Much delicious food was cooked and eaten, many stories were told and read, and warm fires were stoked and watched. Sadly, Frieda died on 12/23/51, and Tammy missed her mother all her life. Lisa was born in 1955 in a new house in East Meadow, N.Y. to which the family had moved on 4/30/54. Tammy designed and nourished beautiful new gardens all over the landscape, planting mounds of brilliant pink azaleas, gorgeo