YAYA LILLIAN, OAKLAWN, JOHN JR. COTSONES EASTER ALEXANDERS GYRO 1976 DAW (15) KOSTA, GEORGIA, ANGELO ALEXANDER
While reflecting back on my photos in 2026, here are photos from 1976 that I have been thinking about over the last 50 years until I scanned them this week after Greek Easter. We begin with Yaya waiting in her hallway for a ride to church and ready to go in her black widowed ensemble. I couldn't resist photographing her straight on with sunglasses that protected her cataract surgeried eyes. She's a tough old bird and you can certainly tell by her expression which was rarely cooperative when I photographed her. Yaya Lillian was a woman of little patience and I wonder where I get it from. She lived at 103rd and Komensky in Oak Lawn, IL and I would visit her by traveling down on the Metra on Friday night and spend the weekend helping her clean her apartment and visit relatives who lived in that area that included my cousins, Lillian and Maria. Next, we are stuck in traffic on 95th Street with freight trains passing by very slowly which you can tell from the bus sign. There's a myriad of vintage cars from that 1970s and '60s time period. Muscular and uncaring about the price of gas as we are today with the straits of Hormuz that have been closed but are now reopened on April 17th. 2026. Next are photos of my cousin John Jr as we referred to him with a super cool Chevy from the '50s. Hump shaped fenders, turquoise coloring, chrome to the nines on all four sides and heavier than a tank, it dominates the photo as John smiles. John is wearing the typical clothing of that time period which looks very preppy while sporting the curly hair that all the Cotsones family has that includes me and the newer generation of grandkids and great-grandchildren of our family. Followed up by photos of my mother with a cute MG Midget car that was produced in the UK with a soft top on Devon Avenue. Dressing well runs in the family and mom is sporting a lovely spring coat robin's egg blue and her peep toe heels. I remember the mustard-colored purse which she has casually laid on the hood of this car and holding beautiful butterscotch leather gloves in her hand. She's striking a lovely pose and giving me her typical smile. I used to set her hair in rollers every week, and it looks like it's been freshly combed out for a day in the sunshine. Next are my parents, Georgia and Angelo with Theo Costa Alexander in Oak Lawn where he, Steve and Jimmy open Alexanders Gyro Restaurant which had the most delicious shish kabobs you could ever taste. They sold the Alexander dressing there also and we would come home with a jar when we visited. I make it today and know the recipe and no, you can't have it. Lastly is my lovely god-daughter Mia Lum who is in the bedroom of our apartment on Devon and Troy where my father set up the lights as he invariably did for indoor portraits. The shadows are bouncing around but she still looks cute with her little gap tooth and darling turquoise bracelet. My cousin Jeanne always had the greatest taste in everything, and her daughter looks charming and happy on Easter 1976. Christos Anesti everyone!
