Painted Pathways

About the Book

During the checkered reign of a weak and infamous Czar Nicholas II of Russia comes a tale of one man’s travail to successfully breach the impossible restraints imposed upon his persecuted people. Not only did he overcome them by his forthright honesty of purpose and humanitarianism, but he set an example for all who followed his pathways. He was not a statesman, warrior, or scientist. He was an orphan, adopted into a Jewish family at the age of two years, and lived his life as a proud Jew. He never made a speech, led a parade, or made the headlines. He was my father. His hardworking adaptive family, especially the mother, was the key stone supporting the bridge from the simplicity of the present to life’s greater potential on the other side of the world. His fertile brain blossomed with enthusiasm for the education she sought for and provided to both sons. Her influence was his guiding spirit, punctuated by the many painted pathways that often split from the manmade boundaries throughout the world at that time. Leon’s dangerous escape from an anti-Semitic Russia and adventurous life following his immigration to a welcoming America as a proud and thankful citizen constitute the first and major portion of this book. The several unassociated short stories were insufficient in number to warrant separate publication and are offered hopefully and solely for an interlude of your enjoyment. They spring from personal experience, for the most part.

About the Author

Milton Pashcow was lucky not through previous qualifications as an accountant but by military necessity, a basic dogma. He attended Franklin Technical Institute in Boston, which took credit for his conversion to a draftsman. After a short basic training, he was shipped directly overseas to Casablanca. He was born in Brooklyn in November 1918. He attended Erasmus Hall high school, Brooklyn College, and St. Johns University with a degree in business accounting. A two-year deferment from military service in WWII was due to his employment in a critical war production factory. A hardworking father, fugitive from Czarist Russia in 1903, a successful home builder, and a strong moral teacher of his four sons. We basically followed in his footsteps.