Dirty Stinky City

Lara Becker’s mom, Marna Lillydale, told her the story of her uncle, Graden Lillydale, who moved to Akron from Virginia in the 1920’s with his sister, Garnet. They were both rubber workers, but Graden was diabetic, and the pain from working on his feet all day left him so weak that he had be carried up to his bed each night. Graden enjoyed physical labor, and died at the age of 58 after moving to Wisconsin to work on the family farm. Lara grew up “in the cornfields” of northwest Ohio, and used to come to Akron to visit her grandfather as a child. Lara moved to Akron in 1985 for her job, and has been here ever since. She recalls her family’s ties to the rubber industry, and her appreciation of everything they did and the city itself continues to grow.