If you ever get a chance to talk to depression-era generation, grab the chance. Especially, when they are telling stories. My parents grew up during the depression. So did Ted's parents. Yesterday, I spent a little over an hour with Ted's dad and he started a conversation. Most of my time in Grand Junction has been spent with his mother and talking and hearing her stories. Yesterday, I spent over an hour listening to this story. It was just the two of us. This whole conversation started because he is interested in the house that his grandmother designed and had built. I am going to change the conversation a bit, and make it chronological. This is going to be a long story, but, I found it fascinating.
Ted's dad turns 82 next week. Our visit was double-fold, we went to visit for his birthday and to see how they are faring, since they are aging and having a bit of difficulty taking care of themselves. The plan is to move them closer to Ted's sisters and brother, so they have people living closer to take care of them. So, on with the story.
Ted's great-grandmother came to America from Ireland when she was 19-years-old. She came alone. She was sponsored by the Catholic church so she could join a convent and become a nun. But, after taking her vows, they sent her to work to pay back some of the money it cost to get her here. So, pretty much an indentured servant. She worked as a waitress in a railroad town. While working there, she fell in love with a railroad man. She worked to be released from her vows and planned to be married. Her fiancé worked on the trains. Back then, you had to jump from car to car and manually pull the brakes. One day he fell from the train and both of his legs were severed from the knees down. Even though he was disabled, they married still. They had four children, two boys and two girls.
One of these boys was Ted's grandfather. They lived on a farm and all I really know about him is that he died when Ted's father was a freshman in college, he was an engineer and every July 4th woke the family up by lighting a stick of dynamite in the backyard - homemade fireworks.
When he passed away, Ted's dad (Bill), his younger brother and his mother moved into the house on Grand Street while Bill went to college and his mother worked as a teacher.
The story of the house on Grand Street: the great-grandmother designed this house and they had it built. She designed it with her husband's disability in mind. They built it so that they could have money come in from renter's in case they didn't have any other income. The railroad kept the great-grandfather working as a bookkeeper, but, that wasn't always guaranteed. The house had two levels, with the main level for the family and the upper quarters for renters. Bill lived upstairs in one of the renter's rooms and he paid for his keep by shoveling coal into the furnace. He went to college. His mother and younger brother lived downstairs, but, she was never comfortable in the house and during the final year of his college, she managed to buy another house nearby where she was able to rent out rooms and she worked as a teacher.
Bill had a lot of different careers in his life, radio announcer, English teacher, photographer, newspaper editor, newspaper owner. Right out of college, he worked as a radio announcer. While he was working there, one of his co-workers wanted to see the southwest and he needed a traveling companion because of a heart condition. He asked Bill to go along. This gentleman had just purchased a brand-new 1950 Studebaker. Bill readily agreed and they went and camped at Mesa Verde and the Grand Canyon. I think that is when Bill developed his love of that area.
Also, during this time, the Korean War broke out. Bill knew that he was very likely to be drafted. He wanted to be a teacher, but, nobody would hire him as one because they were afraid he was going to be drafted. He eventually enlisted in the Air Force.
Bill came home to Kansas for Christmas leave. President Truman had broadcast the concern that the war was not going well and Bill was sure that the war was going to develop into World War III. He decided to look up an old friend from college, Kathy (Ted's mom). He knew she had moved to Chicago and thought he would call and get her address so he could send her a letter. He was pleasantly surprised when she answered and they made arrangements to go out on a date. He arrived in his brand-new 1951 Studebaker - he must have liked his buddy's car! Because of his fear that the world was going to implode from atomic bombs and be over, he decided he wanted much more from life in the short time they probably had in this world. He asked Kathy to marry him after explaining his feelings about the pending doom of the world. She took a day to think on it and said yes. This happened late at night and when Bill went home to tell his mother he was getting married, her response was, "Go to bed Billy, you're drunk". He has not even had a drink, because the bars were closed due to the late hour!!
After getting married, Bill got notice that he was being deployed to Korea. Once there, the conditions were absolutely horrible. He and his buddy decided they were going to be "goofballs". His understanding was that if you asked for a transfer, you wouldn't get one. But, if they wanted to get rid of you, you would be transferred readily. So when it was needed for two radio guys to go to Japan, guess who got sent?? Yep, the two goofballs. He spent the rest of his deployment in much better conditions and still got to go home after a year (if you went to Japan, you were supposed to go for three years, but because he was originally sent as a combat airman to Korea, he got to go home after a year).
Bill had to come home via ship after his year. He sent a letter to his bride, Kathy, to let her know he was being sent home and would dock in San Francisco then make his way home. She sent him a letter that she wanted to meet him in San Francisco. This 20-something woman wanted to drive from Kansas to San Francisco, California, all alone to meet her groom when he got off the boat. She was driving the 1951 Studebaker cross country - that she was just taught to drive by her mother-in-law. Think about it!!! Also, think about what this meant. She didn't know for sure when he would arrive. He didn't know if she would really be there when he got off the
ship. This was not a day of cell phones - if they didn't meet up at the dock, they would have absolutely no clue where to look for each other. Luckily, she was there when he got off the ship - and he saw her immediately when he got off the boat. They spent a couple of days in San Francisco while he was being processed. They gave him some cash to get home - mostly in $100 bills. Nobody would take them - they had to find a bank to get them cashed into smaller bills.
It was time for a second honeymoon (not sure what the first one was, but, this would have been awesome). They drove down the Pacific Coast highway to Los Angeles. They ate at the Brown Derby. They went to Hollywood. They went to a live broadcast of a radio show. They drove through the southwest that he camped at with his buddy a few years before. Went to the Grand Canyon. Went to Mesa Verde. Kathy's aunt lived on a ranch outside of Durango, Colorado. They spent a couple of days there and went fishing. They had a marvelous time together.
When he got back, he learned he was be reassigned to Del Rio, Texas (on a side note, his grandson Matt, just went through basic training there - he was marveled at the full circle of it). He received word that if he was bringing dependents (Kathy)there was no housing for them. He refused to leave her again, so, they decided to buy a trailer house and haul it from Kansas to Del Rio, Texas. They fitted the Studebaker and they took their new home with them. It was quite the trip, including having to travel through a flood of mud, but, they made it. (if you have ever seen the Long, Long Trailer with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz - you would see why they relate to that movie and find it among their favorites) They found a woman who would rent them a spot, along with other servicemen. They had to build their own cesspool, but, she would give them the materials to build an awning over their entrance to give them some relief from the heat. One of their first nights there, they heard a gun battle going on that involved the border patrol shooting at Mexicans trying to enter the country illegally (even back then!). He went on about their time back then, they fished and waded in the stream. They went to bullfights. They ate Mexican food - alot of which Kathy learned to make and Ted loves to talk about her Chili Rellenos.
These two have been married now for almost 60 years. They have four sons and two daughters, born between 1954 to 1961. They moved all over the midwest and the southwest and finally settled in Palisade, Colorado for the last twenty years together. It's a pretty amazing story. These two who got together because they were sure the world was doomed have grown old together and have a very special bond.
Ted's dad turns 82 next week. Our visit was double-fold, we went to visit for his birthday and to see how they are faring, since they are aging and having a bit of difficulty taking care of themselves. The plan is to move them closer to Ted's sisters and brother, so they have people living closer to take care of them. So, on with the story.
Ted's great-grandmother came to America from Ireland when she was 19-years-old. She came alone. She was sponsored by the Catholic church so she could join a convent and become a nun. But, after taking her vows, they sent her to work to pay back some of the money it cost to get her here. So, pretty much an indentured servant. She worked as a waitress in a railroad town. While working there, she fell in love with a railroad man. She worked to be released from her vows and planned to be married. Her fiancé worked on the trains. Back then, you had to jump from car to car and manually pull the brakes. One day he fell from the train and both of his legs were severed from the knees down. Even though he was disabled, they married still. They had four children, two boys and two girls.
One of these boys was Ted's grandfather. They lived on a farm and all I really know about him is that he died when Ted's father was a freshman in college, he was an engineer and every July 4th woke the family up by lighting a stick of dynamite in the backyard - homemade fireworks.
The story of the house on Grand Street: the great-grandmother designed this house and they had it built. She designed it with her husband's disability in mind. They built it so that they could have money come in from renter's in case they didn't have any other income. The railroad kept the great-grandfather working as a bookkeeper, but, that wasn't always guaranteed. The house had two levels, with the main level for the family and the upper quarters for renters. Bill lived upstairs in one of the renter's rooms and he paid for his keep by shoveling coal into the furnace. He went to college. His mother and younger brother lived downstairs, but, she was never comfortable in the house and during the final year of his college, she managed to buy another house nearby where she was able to rent out rooms and she worked as a teacher.
Bill had a lot of different careers in his life, radio announcer, English teacher, photographer, newspaper editor, newspaper owner. Right out of college, he worked as a radio announcer. While he was working there, one of his co-workers wanted to see the southwest and he needed a traveling companion because of a heart condition. He asked Bill to go along. This gentleman had just purchased a brand-new 1950 Studebaker. Bill readily agreed and they went and camped at Mesa Verde and the Grand Canyon. I think that is when Bill developed his love of that area.
Also, during this time, the Korean War broke out. Bill knew that he was very likely to be drafted. He wanted to be a teacher, but, nobody would hire him as one because they were afraid he was going to be drafted. He eventually enlisted in the Air Force.
Bill came home to Kansas for Christmas leave. President Truman had broadcast the concern that the war was not going well and Bill was sure that the war was going to develop into World War III. He decided to look up an old friend from college, Kathy (Ted's mom). He knew she had moved to Chicago and thought he would call and get her address so he could send her a letter. He was pleasantly surprised when she answered and they made arrangements to go out on a date. He arrived in his brand-new 1951 Studebaker - he must have liked his buddy's car! Because of his fear that the world was going to implode from atomic bombs and be over, he decided he wanted much more from life in the short time they probably had in this world. He asked Kathy to marry him after explaining his feelings about the pending doom of the world. She took a day to think on it and said yes. This happened late at night and when Bill went home to tell his mother he was getting married, her response was, "Go to bed Billy, you're drunk". He has not even had a drink, because the bars were closed due to the late hour!!
After getting married, Bill got notice that he was being deployed to Korea. Once there, the conditions were absolutely horrible. He and his buddy decided they were going to be "goofballs". His understanding was that if you asked for a transfer, you wouldn't get one. But, if they wanted to get rid of you, you would be transferred readily. So when it was needed for two radio guys to go to Japan, guess who got sent?? Yep, the two goofballs. He spent the rest of his deployment in much better conditions and still got to go home after a year (if you went to Japan, you were supposed to go for three years, but because he was originally sent as a combat airman to Korea, he got to go home after a year).
Bill had to come home via ship after his year. He sent a letter to his bride, Kathy, to let her know he was being sent home and would dock in San Francisco then make his way home. She sent him a letter that she wanted to meet him in San Francisco. This 20-something woman wanted to drive from Kansas to San Francisco, California, all alone to meet her groom when he got off the boat. She was driving the 1951 Studebaker cross country - that she was just taught to drive by her mother-in-law. Think about it!!! Also, think about what this meant. She didn't know for sure when he would arrive. He didn't know if she would really be there when he got off the
ship. This was not a day of cell phones - if they didn't meet up at the dock, they would have absolutely no clue where to look for each other. Luckily, she was there when he got off the ship - and he saw her immediately when he got off the boat. They spent a couple of days in San Francisco while he was being processed. They gave him some cash to get home - mostly in $100 bills. Nobody would take them - they had to find a bank to get them cashed into smaller bills.
It was time for a second honeymoon (not sure what the first one was, but, this would have been awesome). They drove down the Pacific Coast highway to Los Angeles. They ate at the Brown Derby. They went to Hollywood. They went to a live broadcast of a radio show. They drove through the southwest that he camped at with his buddy a few years before. Went to the Grand Canyon. Went to Mesa Verde. Kathy's aunt lived on a ranch outside of Durango, Colorado. They spent a couple of days there and went fishing. They had a marvelous time together.
When he got back, he learned he was be reassigned to Del Rio, Texas (on a side note, his grandson Matt, just went through basic training there - he was marveled at the full circle of it). He received word that if he was bringing dependents (Kathy)there was no housing for them. He refused to leave her again, so, they decided to buy a trailer house and haul it from Kansas to Del Rio, Texas. They fitted the Studebaker and they took their new home with them. It was quite the trip, including having to travel through a flood of mud, but, they made it. (if you have ever seen the Long, Long Trailer with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz - you would see why they relate to that movie and find it among their favorites) They found a woman who would rent them a spot, along with other servicemen. They had to build their own cesspool, but, she would give them the materials to build an awning over their entrance to give them some relief from the heat. One of their first nights there, they heard a gun battle going on that involved the border patrol shooting at Mexicans trying to enter the country illegally (even back then!). He went on about their time back then, they fished and waded in the stream. They went to bullfights. They ate Mexican food - alot of which Kathy learned to make and Ted loves to talk about her Chili Rellenos.
These two have been married now for almost 60 years. They have four sons and two daughters, born between 1954 to 1961. They moved all over the midwest and the southwest and finally settled in Palisade, Colorado for the last twenty years together. It's a pretty amazing story. These two who got together because they were sure the world was doomed have grown old together and have a very special bond.
Oh my heavens. This is the sweetest story ever. Ted was giving us the short version today but this was wonderful to read!
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