Harry Varon

Harry Varon was born in Seattle on July 19, 1918. During World War II, he served in the Navy as a butcher and cook, stationed at Sand Point Naval Air Station and later at Dutch Harbor, Alaska. He owned Varon's Kosher Meats from 1947 until he handed the business to his son-in-law, Roger Hirsch, in 1984. Varon discusses his family history, his Navy service during World War II, and the kosher meat business he operated in Seattle. He also describes the other butchers in the area, the effects of the Race Riots on business, and the closure of many butcher shops with the advent of chain supermarkets. Listen to Harry's oral history interview at the UW Special Collections.