Youth and Family Life

Sheila Michaels as a child circa 1945. She is smiling at the camera, wearing a striped smock dress with baby doll sleeves and a Peter Pan collar. Her hair is long in the back, and the front is pulled back and secured with a bow.

Sheila was born to Alma Michaels and Efraim London in 1939.  She was born from an extramarital relationship her mother had while separated from her husband, whom she later divorced.  Efram London was a prominent New York attorney with a reputation as a defender of free speech and civil liberties.  Ephraim rejected Sheila as his child and only introduced her as a friend of the family.  This had a huge impact on her identity and inspired her sympathies for those who were treated as less than.  Sheila was always struggling for a name. Sheila lived with her maternal grandparents in the Bronx, NY from age three to eight. Her mother remarried to Harry Kessler, a wealthy metallurgist and boxing referee.  “The Millionaire Referee” handled 15 world title bouts including those of Rocky Marciano and Muhammad Ali.  At age eight, when she moved to St. Louis, MO to live with her mother and stepfather, she took the last name Kessler.  Her parents were socialites and gave lavish parties in their mansion with the "Who’s Who" of St. Louis including Jolie Gabor and her daughters, Zsa Zsa and Eva.

Sheila attended school in St. Louis, graduating in 1957 from Horton Watkins High School.  After high school, she attended William and Mary College where she was later expelled for her newspaper articles on integration and segregation.  She then moved to New York City to pursue her writing and editing career.  As she became active in the civil rights movement, her mother and stepfather insisted she not use Kessler for her name, fearing social repercussions.  

In 1979, she married Shiki Hikaru and changed her name to Sheila Shiki y Michaels, a combination of both their names with the Spanish “y” because she liked the sound and the worldliness of it.  While she liked the sound of the addition it foreshadowed a search for an identity apart from her husband's.  Sheila and Shiki opened a sushi restaurant in New York City and were married for six years.  She then returned to the name of her childhood.  Although Sheila had other relationships after her divorce, she never married again. 

 

  • Sheila Michaels circa 1940 being held by an older gentleman. They are both smiling at the camera. She is wearing a winter baby pram suit and a bonnet. The gentleman is wearing an overcoat with a suit and tie and a fedora-styled hat. They are standing in front of an old brick building with wood sash windows.
  • Sheila Michaels circa 1945 sits at a booth table in a Chinese restaurant with her parents and another man. There is a partial view of a Chinese tapestry on the wall behind them that depicts an elderly Chinese man wearing an ornate kimono. There are china dishes with an Asian pattern and a teapot and condiments on their tables. The man closest to the wall is wearing a suit and smoking a cigarette. Sheila's mother sits across from him and is wearing a dress and a printed headscarf. She is smiling. Sheila sits next to her and is wearing a plaid jumper with a white blouse with baby doll sleeves and a Peter Pan collar. She looks timidly at the camera. Her father sitting across from her is wearing a suit and smiling at the camera.
  • Sheila Michaels (seated front left) and classmates as members of the Horton Watkins High School newspaper, The Claytonian Columnist, circa 1957.<br /> Six people are standing three women and two men. The women are wearing formal dresses and the men are wearing jackets. Two women are seated. Sheila Michaels sits to the left wearing a plaid blouse and dark sweater with a big smile on her face. Seated on the right is a smiling woman wearing a white blouse.
  • Four beautiful women wearing elegant formal gowns, jewelry, and makeup pose in a sitting room circa 1950s. Jolie Gabor is standing, her daughters Magda, Zsa Zsa, and Eva are seated to each side of her and one in front. There are elegant furnishings and drapery around them.
  • Alma Kessler and Buddy Hackett circa 1970s standing close together in front of an exit door. Alma Kessler is wearing orange pants, an orange jacket, and an orange striped shirt. She is wearing gold necklaces and has sunglasses resting on her head. Buddy Hacket is wearing yellow, white, and gray striped pants, a yellow pullover v-neck sweater with two white stripes around the v-neck over an orange collared shirt. He has a white fisherman-style hat with an indistinguishable emblem on it. His hands are in his pocket.
  • Shiki Hikaru, a Japanese man is smiling wearing a red shirt, holding a light brown puppy with a black nose with a blue leash attached to its collar. Shiki Hikaru is standing in a room that is painted green. He is surrounded by art supplies on shelves and art on the wall. There are colorful paper cutouts of various shapes, people, and animals hanging from the ceiling
  • Shiki Sushi business card. Hand-drawn card in black, white, and red. Shiki Sushi is spelled in red letters. Text in black lettering reads 1590 2nd Ave. (bet. 82nd and 83rd St.) (212) 650-1694. TAKE OUT. There is a sushi chef behind the sushi counter. Two sushi plates are to his left and a sake carafe and cup are to his right. There is a large red paper lantern with Japanese lettering on the right. The foreground is diners from different walks of life.
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Youth and Family Life