Sam G. as a young man.  On the reverse of this picture is a note to Sylvia, whom he was courting at the time.  

The transliteration (YIVO spelling) is:
Fun an intim nonten fraynd gib ikh aykh dos bild un drik oys mayn hartsikn gefil tsu aykh als eyne fun mayne beste fraynt.  Mitn avekgebn di letste bild farlang ikh fun aykh az ir zolt dos ophitn biz ayere letste teg  un ir zolt zikh erinern in ayer lebn fun a hartsik nonten fraynd.
Sem G.

Translation:
From your very close friend I give you this picture and express my heartfelt feeling to you as one of my best friends.  In giving you this last picture I request that you guard it until your last days and remember during your life of a dear close friend, Sam G.

And this is a picture of my mother at about the same time, no note on the back, followed by a picture of her in her 80's.  She died at age 92.




Other pictures of my parents: