The Greek Restaurant that Fed a Strike
The 1936 labor dispute rocked South Bend and mobilized a community
BY KYLA CAPARELL // POSTED JANUARY 16, 2025
It was a chilly week in 1936, with temperatures hitting a low of 15 degrees. It was the type of weather that would make you want to go home and throw on a bundle of blankets. The tree leaves had already begun dying on their stems, crunching below passersby. As dawn approached, the chill would too. Everyone began to head inside their homes, lest they catch a fever. But there was one group of people who chose to endure the chilly days and nights on a cold factory floor. The fever they were concerned about was the fever they had for freedom. In the early hours of November 17, many Bendix Product Corporation plant employees decided to take a stand...
...by sitting back down.
The brave UAW members, men and women, began the first-ever automobile industry sit-down strike. Instead of going home to their families, more than a thousand people fought for their right to unionize. Despite being told by their bosses they must go home immediately, more than a thousand of them persisted. Eventually, they found themselves with an issue. These members were subjected to sit and sleep in a factory that lacked a source of heat. They were also without a source of food.
The South Bend community was their saving grace in this time of need. The community showed great solidarity with the workers' cause. Family and friends of the Bendix strike workers began passing food, blankets, and any supplies they needed through the windows.
But little did I know that my own ancestors' restaurant would have a part in this momentous strike. As a child, I constantly heard stories from my grandfather of a time long ago when my family owned a restaurant. It was affectionately named "Caparells” after our last name. My grandfather, Gus Caparell, is the grandson of Sam (Capareliotis) Caparell, who founded the restaurant.
Sam Caparell was a Greek immigrant, born in Sparta, who arrived in America in 1913. He moved to South Bend, Indiana, after living in New York for a short time. When he arrived in Indiana, he made an honest living as a coffee salesman.
After working for many years, he was finally able to purchase a restaurant. His restaurant was located on Michigan Street, close to downtown South Bend, where Precision Transmission now stands.
Although he spoke little English, he was very involved in the community, especially through the Greek Orthodox church.
Gus Caparell recalls, “Although I didn't visit him as much as I did my other grandparents, I still remember he was always saying one thing. Whenever I would go to Papu, I remember he was always telling us to eat. Even when wewere full."
So it's not surprising at all that when he discovered the strike workers needed food, he was eager to pitch in. He generously fed the strike workers through the windows, giving as much food as he could. A hard-working man himself, Sam understood how they felt. He provided ample amounts of freshly cooked meals for the workers in need. One can only imagine how delicious the steaming and savory Greek dishes must have tasted to the cold, hungry strikers.
