We are of the same generation, so give yourself a pat on the back.

That's too bad about your dad. My dad was likely of the same generation as yours. He had a lot of life and other skills. He was "from a corner" in S. Philly. His mother was a madam who ran numbers. His father, known as "The Hook," used to pull him out of school on occasion to take him to the track before he died in his late 40s. Despite a "colorful" youth, my dad put himself through college and professional school and, for a time, was one of the leading practioners in his field. And he knew how to wash dishes.