My uncle sent me this by e-mail and I also verified it on Snopes. Here's the link: http://www.snopes.com/glurge/powell.asp This is a wonderful story. It is true. I checked on Scopes. Be sure you read it all Snopes states that his fluency in Yiddish is exaggerated, but it's much more than I know.
Awesome story. It's funny, my relatives who also went to City College at that time all speak Yiddish as well.