Rowena's Cook Book

    Family Album

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This picture of Rowena was taken in 1932 when Rowena was 27 years old. She was living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the time and teaching nursing education at the University of Pittsburgh. Rowena had received her Master’s degree in Nursing Education from Western Reserve University.

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Julius Torok and Rowena Torok with their three children at their home located in Corning, New York.

From left to right are: Julius J. Torok, E. James Torok (age 10), and Jay N. Torok (age 7), David M. Torok (age 6) and Rowena Torok. Julius Torok looks like he is in shock. No wonder… with three hungry boys to feed and clothes to buy!
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  Ruth Aristine Calkins Spitzer (Rowen’s grandmother) was from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and was the granddaughter of the founder and first President of Kalamazoo College. Aristine graduated from Wellesley College. In those days it was considered a long way from Grand Rapids, Michigan. As a young girl Rowena would spend her summers at Gun Lake, in southwest Michigan.

Aristine married Amherst Thompson Spitzer on October 15, 1873. Amherst T. Spitzer, Rowena’s grandfather, graduated from Oberlin College, located in central Ohio. Amherst founded the Savings Deposit Bank of Medina, Ohio. Rowena’s Aunt Bessie Spitzer also attended Oberlin College in Ohio. Oberlin College was a pioneer in allowing women to attend college.
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Amherst was the grandson of James Thompson. James Thompson was a descendant of the early Colonist, James Thompson, who landed on the shores of Charlestown, Massachusetts, in 1630. James Thomson with his four sons signed a covenant adopted on July 1, 1774, to join in defense of the colonies against the aggressions of England. Two of James’ sons served in the French and Indian wars, and four sons and eight of his grandsons were in the Revolutionary War.

James’ wife, Mary Hancock Thompson, was a cousin of John Hancock who was the Governor of Massachusetts. Some of the recipes in this book are passed down from the above families.
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Adelbert L. Spitzer is one of three sons and five daughters of Garrett Spitzer who had moved from Schenectady, New York, to Medina, Ohio. Adelbert was Rowena’s great uncle and brother of Rowena’s grandfather, Amherst T. Spitzer.

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He came to Toledo, Ohio, and was both a builder of commercial buildings and a banker. He and his cousin formed the Spitzer Rorick Bank (which subsequently became the Ohio Citizens Bank). He was the financier of commercial buildings, including a marvelous Toledo commercial building, the Spitzer Building.

Adelbert Spitzer was born in Amherst, Ohio, and graduated from Phillips-Andover Academy in 1898. He graduated from Yale University in 1902 and died at the age of 93 in Toledo, Ohio in 1973. His wife, Blanche, who was a graduate of Vassar College, died in 1956.

Mr. Spitzer was a lover of poetry and often had Robert Frost at his home in Toledo for lunches and discussion. As an item of interest, Rowena’s son, Jay Torok, had Mr. Frost as a seminar teacher at Dartmouth College in 1961.

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