Left front: Albert Lanutti. Left rear: Bob Tenczar. Right front: Jeff Tenczar, Billy Labuda, Frank Marsala and Rich Podgorny.
A guest post by Andy Romanoff
In July 1962, Bob Tenczar and Ikey Saltzberg got married at Our Lady of Mercy church on Troy near Montrose. They hung out on Lawrence, both at Kedzie and Kimball, and I was friends with them. Then I moved away and didn’t see them for many years.
My brother Larry stayed in touch with them over the years. When I picked up the camera and started shooting again, Larry mentioned it to Ikey.
The next thing I knew I got a call from Ikey that started with “YOU ****, WHERE ARE MY PICTURES”!
She went on to tell me a story of events I’m still trying to remember. It turns out I had photographed their wedding.
Bob and Ikey’s wedding at Our Lady of Mercy, July 1962
Not only the wedding, but also pictures of Bob carrying Ikey over the threshold of their room at the Spa Motel. And, according to Ikey: “You and some other guys rented the room next door to ours and started banging on the walls and clowning around at 3:00 AM.”
Well, it sounded like me back then, even if I couldn’t remember it.
Over the threshhold at the Spa Motel
Ikey told me that I had given them proofs of the pictures before I left town. All they had were those 3 ½ x 5 images and they had seen 50 years of wear and tear, scotch tape, ink stains and rips. The negatives were gone, God knows where. With their 50th anniversary coming up, it would be nice to have some pictures.
Newlyweds Mr. and Mrs. Tenczar
I told Ikey if she sent me scans of the proofs I’d see what I could do to fix them. So she sent me a disc with the pictures and I went to work to salvage them. I hoped seeing the pictures would jog my memory, but so far no soap. What they did do was remind me of what we looked like in the sixties, hanging out on the corner with attitude most of the time, but pretty conservative in the important moments.
Anyway, enjoy these shots from Bob and Ikey’s wedding many years ago. They’re still together all these years and Albany Park through and through. I’m finally delivering their pictures.
Thanks to Andy Romanoff for contributing this story and thanks to Bob and Ikey for sharing these wonderful glimpses of the early 1960s with us.
Read more Albany Park Memories
If you’d like to check out Andy Romanoff”s more recent photographs, and you should, visit his website.
Nice pics still in contact with Ikey she is very good friends with my sister-in-law and my brother-in-law.
Andy: Nice job. Loved the story and photos. Like you, I remember very little about their wedding, but really enjoyed reading about it. What a wonderful 50th anniversary gift.