Sharing Family History Stories and Photos on Holidays

Sharing Family History Stories and Photos on Holidays

 

Sharing family history stories and photos during holiday gatherings has become a strong tradition in our family. This year was no exception, of course. Specifically this year, my youngest daughter began looking at some photos of mine from my younger years, many of which she didn’t recall having seen before.

The one I’ve shared here particularly caught her attention. The photo being taken of Dad, Mom, and me (as a baby) is very familiar-but this one of the photo being taken, by my uncle (Mom's brother), has many additional interesting features! Who also had a second camera, in 1939, and took this photo, in particular? Note the cars on the left... This photo provides a broader background than the other, narrower image, as well. The earlier photo showed only the three of us and the barn, not the rest of the yard and barnyard in the background. Very interesting to me, for sure!

Did your family share stories and photos at your gathering this year? I certainly hope so. Perhaps, there is still time to do so!


Families are Forever!! ;-)

Sharing Memories - Eaton Plant in Spencer, Iowa, closes

Sharing Memories - Eaton Plant in Spencer, Iowa, closes

Easton Plant in Spencer, Iowa

In 1974, I was working as one of five personal assistants to the Governor of Iowa at the time, Governor Robert D. Ray. One of my areas of responsibilities was employment.

When the above plant opened, I was privileged to accompany Governor Ray, in the state plane, on a visit to this plant opening (because of other assignments, I believe this was the only plant opening I attended). Because of that, I've always noted the name Eaton. Here is a news story of the recent plant closing announcement:

http://siouxcityjournal.com/business/local/eaton-to-shutter-spencer-iowa-plant-next-year/article_d0b68446-c355-52dc-abcc-11114c429965.html

We always hate to see plants close, of course, but this one seemed to have a very good, long run. Hard to believe how long it has been since we visited in 1974.

 

What I have in common with Steven Spielberg…

‘Sharing Memories’ series of stories...

What I have in common with Steven Spielberg…

[The B-52]

Back in 2012-13, I wrote a series of posts under the theme, Sharing Memories, that came to my attention again today. I was reading the 9 October 2015 (current) issues of the magazine, “Entertainment Weekly.” On pager 40, there is an interview with Steven Spielberg, related to his new movie, with Tom Hanks, ‘Bridge of Spies,’ about to be released (Oct 16).

It was the first few lines of the interview that caught my attention:
“Headline: Steven Spielberg Remembers Looking Up a Lot as a Kid
At night, in wonder. In daylight, at the warplanes lifting off from one of the Air Force bases around Phoenix. “The sky was a crisscross of contrails during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and I could assume these were B-52s going to their fail-safe points,” the filmmaker, 68, says. “It exacerbated my deepest fears that the world was about to come to an end.” his father, an engineer with General Electric, had visited the Soviet Union on a peace-program exchange and tried to reassure his son. “My dad always said, ‘Don’t worry about this, there’s never going to be a war,” he says. “But I never believed it.””

Also referring to the days of the Cuban Missile Crisis, this is what I wrote as my first, of several, memories:

“Probably the most common story I tell (have told) about this time period was that for several days (a week or more) there was never a moment, day or night, when there were not military aircraft in the air, moving east and west, flying over our mesa and house in Winslow, Arizona, in preparation for eventualities 'if' the Cuban missile crisis was not settled peacefully.” From: http://drbilltellsancestorstories.blogspot.com/2012/01/sharing-memories-cuban-missile-crisis.html

It is the first time I recall someone else telling this same story of their observations on those days. Neat!


Families are Forever!

Sharing Memories on Sunday - Late 1940s on the Smith Farm

Sharing Memories on Sunda

Late 1940s on the Smith Farm

This stream of thoughts and memories started yesterday, with "The Book of Me" post.

Today, searching for some other photos, I came across this series of images that help date the changes in the house... that I've wondered about, for some time. Remember how I often say how important it is to 'look at the backgrounds' - not just at the people at the center of the photo??

Well, here we go. In this photo, the bathroom remodel (where front porch had been) was still underway. On the far left, you can even see the cement mixer is still sitting there. The outer wall has not yet been painted - as it is in the aerial photo, for example. Old east porch is still in place. The M Farmall was new. That was why the photo was taken. But... Pete is holding Jimmie. Jim was born in April 1944. He can't be a year old yet, so this is winter 1944-45. That dates the remodeling! Neat!

This photo is of the front (west) porch before the bathroom remodel was done. Mom is the taller one in the middle. I haven't tried to identify the others... friends of hers, but maybe I'll figure that out another time.

This image is clearly marked 1947. Wilson Thomas, our dog Whitey, Bill behind the tent, Jimmie out front, on the right. BUT, again, look behind. The car. The pickup! The new porch was not built yet. You can see, from the left, the 'wash house' - 'cob house' - 'chicken house' - edge of the barn!! Also some fencing that disappeared in the following years. The infamous 'grove' can be seen behind the buildings...  ;-)

This photo is labeled '1950 Chevy' - Tom was born in May 1948 - he would be two. That would be mid-1950 sometime. Jim would be 6+ and I would be 11. NO NEW PORCH yet. Note fence with picket gate! Things I've always overlooked, before.

The Easter 1954 photo had the new PORCH - and the 1950 car was replaced with a 1953 car - same colors, but this one had a visor! Mom wrecked the 1951, as I recall!  ;-) Here, Barry was a little over a year old, Tom was nearly 6, Jim (taking the photo) would have been nearly10. I, Bill, was 14, going on 15 in a few months. Loved that striped tie! ;-)

Oh, the memories...

And, one more photo image - this is from a photo of the wall of Jim's Apartment in Florida - he had the original color photo of the farm - does he still have it, I assume??

 

Families are Forever...  ;-)

Sharing Memories - Dr. Bill 2012 articles at The In-Depth Genealogist digi-mag

Sharing Memories - Dr. Bill 2012 articles at 
The In-Depth Genealogist digi-mag


Do you read and subscribe to The In-Depth Genealogist digi-mag? If not, I hope you will click a link below, and sign up, now, for your free subscription via email. You will be glad you did.

Following are my 2012 "The Heritage Tourist" blog posts and articles (following the first in 2013, published today!):

Is South Dakota on Your Heritage Tourism Destination Planning List?

 Might Wisconsin be Your Next Heritage Tourism Destination?

Iowa Heritage Tourism - In the Heartland, a Land of Great Diversity

Michigan Heritage Tourism Offers an Awesome Array of Opportunities

Let's Talk About the National Heritage Areas Concept

Can you be a Heritage Tourist on a 'staycation?'

The State of Mississippi is great heritage tourism destination

The Heritage Tourist looks for Nature Conservation and Preservation

Be Sure to Keep a Travel Journal of Your Heritage Tourism - But, Paper or Digital?

From the largest to the smallest state: Let's consider Rhode Island

The Heritage Tourist in Wyoming

When a Family Vacation Becomes a Heritage Tourism Experience

Support your local cultural heritage organization(s)

The Heritage Tourist visits Colonial America homeland sites

Heritage Tourism Might Take You to Alaska

Support Your Local Cultural Heritage Organization(s)

Considering 'Culture' as the Heritage Tourist

The Heritage Tourist

Be Flexible in Planning Heritage Tourism Trips

Montpelier's 'Archeology Expedition' program is a Heritage Tourist's delight


The Journey Continues

The Heritage Tourist

IDG Welcomes Dr. Bill

What fun it was to review each of these posts at IDG in 2012!
Hope you enjoyed them as well.


Families are Forever!  ;-)

Sharing Memories on Sunday - Urbandale Early Days

Sharing Memories on Sunday - Urbandale Early Days

In the last entry in this series, on May 13, we had just arrived in Urbandale from West Branch, on Halloween, 1969. Annette was 9, Allison was 5 and a half, Arrion was barely five weeks old. Nancy and I had just turned 30. My new job was with the new Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. Management Consulting firm.

Here is my work description that I included on my resume in later years: "Consulting engagements for various clients included design of complete accounting system for large-scale commercial egg-laying operation, operational review for wholesaler, personnel study including salary survey and 100 job description write-ups for major hospital." Great experiences. The down-side was that between these great consulting assignments, they would send me out on audits - I did not sign up to be an auditor/accountant for the CPA firm. I signed up to be a management consultant, but their marketing was inadequate to keep us in consulting jobs. When it came time for my six months review, I was expecting to be patted on the back for 'jobs well done' and given a raise. Instead, I was told: "We don't think you like working here anymore…" and was released with notice. Shocker. [Note: Within a year or two, they shut down the Des Moines consulting business and reverted back to doing that work out of the Chicago office, like they had done, before.]

Within a week or so, I had a new position (again, according to a later resume), just down the street from my consulting position: Special Project Assistant to the Vice-President (Operations Manager) Cowles Communications, Inc., LOOK Magazine Subscription Division, Cowles Marketing and Data Center, Des Moines, Iowa (Starting in June 1970). Job description: Revised internal accounting system to provide departmental responsibility cost reporting; reviewed monthly statements with responsible operating managers; assisted in budgeting and forecasting; reviewed operational procedures. [My blunt assessment when I arrived in this operation, based on my experiences as a GE Auditor and with Peat Marwick - this operation was fat, dumb and happy - totally unsustainable personnel and accounting practices. Every manager had two secretaries; no cost control whatsoever. They had been making money hand-over-fist for so long, they didn't seem to notice. But, times were changing. The operations manager, my boss, knew this, and asked me for help. I did what I could, as noted above.]

During this first year in Des Moines, I also resumed work on my Master's Degree in Business Administration (MBA) at night school. I had taken 12 hours in Louisville, but only 6 were allowed to transfer to Drake University. In addition to the Master's level course requirements, I also took all of the undergraduate accounting course required to be eligible to sit for the Iowa CPA Exam. [I seemed to be the first to do this at Drake; now days, this is routinely done at many schools and called something like: MBA with an Accounting Concentration/Emphasis]. In addition, we became active in the Aldersgate United Methodist Church, where I served on the Committee on Finance for two years. I became active in the Urbandale Lions Club. The first summer I became involved with the organization of the Urbandale Girls Softball League (Annette was eligible to play as a nine year old) and I served as a member of the Board of Directors, Secretary of the Board and Manager of a team (the first of 13 consecutive years). [In prior years, one guy had tried to run the summer program himself - he did a fine job, but as the program had grown, he knew he was over his head, and recommended the reorganization, about the time I arrived. I was pleased to become one of a half-dozen or so Dads to become totally immersed in the operation for a few years - I had three daughters, after all!]

To be continued…

Sharing Memories Sunday - Mrs. Ella Preston

Sharing Memories Sunday - Mrs. Ella Preston

It is interesting what catches the eye reading the hometown newspaper:

From the 100 Years Ago column in the Coon Rapids Enterprise of June 21, 2012:

June 7 1912:
Mrs. Ella Preston fell Tuesday
morning while putting up screens
to the windows of her home and
fractured one of her legs below
the knee. Dr. Jewell was called
and reports the patients as doing
well.

This is my great-grandmother (Dad's mother's mother) - she lived alone in a house in Coon Rapids, Iowa. Dr. Jewell lived four houses away, according to the 1910 census. She was 62 years old.

She died on June 25, 1912. Perhaps she wasn't doing as well as the Dr. thought...  ?  ;-)

Families are Forever!  ;-)

Sharing Memories on Sunday - Stuelke Enterprises, West Branch

Sharing Memories on Sunday - Stuelke Enterprises, West Branch


We arrived in West Branch in October 1968. As I mentioned on Thursday, we immediately set about building a house with the idea that we would be in West Branch for a long time. Well, such optimism is great, but it doesn't always come true.

With the 'green-eye-shade' firmly in place, metaphorically, I did get the company books in good shape over the coming months. The results of these efforts plus changes in the regulatory environment led to very unexpected changes in the near future.

Many facets of the company finances looked very good. Management was good, based on what was known going into this entrepreneurial set of activities. However, as Medicare and Medicaid regulations came into focus, it became obvious certain of Dr. Stuelke's business plan assumptions had turned out to be incorrect, and were not sustainable. The best example, as I recall a couple of details, was Physical Therapy. With two nursing homes, he had hired an outstanding physical therapist who also added excellent management skills to his team… full-time, 40 hours a week of billable time. The new regulations, however, turned out to only allow 8 hours reimbursement per week per nursing home (again, as I recall it now). That meant he was paying for three days of high-level medical care costs weekly that would not have an applicable revenue stream. The were other, similar situations, as well.

The meaning of this, and other related revelations, was that he either would need to add more nursing homes - or, sell out to a bigger operation that was capable of spreading their costs over a wider base. He was not in a position to buy even one more nursing home.

In the meantime, of course, our second chance at a third daughter had arrived. Arrion was born in September 1969 in the hospital near Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. We have lots of photos of her arrival home, including visits by grandparents, aunts and uncles. This is the one, a few months later, that I was able to put my hands on, today.

 [Arrion, Annette, and Allison - aren't they sweet!]

Dr. Stuekle was able to find a buyer for his nursing homes. Of course, they had their own business manager and accounting department. Our time in West Branch came to an end in about a year.

Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co., the CPA firm from GE, and here in West Branch, was opening a new Management Consulting firm 'alongside' their accounting services in the Des Moines office. I accepted a position as one of their first four consultants there. It seemed a perfect match (heard that before?!). [Richard Nixon had seemed a 'perfect match' for the Presidency recently, as well.]

We moved to Des Moines, actually suburban Urbandale, on Halloween. The older girls were a bit upset, we missed Halloween in West Branch, and, we missed it in Urbandale. Off to great start. On the flip side… we did stay in Urbandale from October 1969 until July 1983!  ;-)


Families are Forever!  ;-)

Sharing Memories Sunday - On to West Branch, Iowa, from Schenectady, NY

Sharing Memories Sunday
On to West Branch, Iowa, from Schenectady, NY


On Those Places Thursday this past week, I began to talk about moving to West Branch, Iowa. To do this, of course, I left General Electric as we discussed a bit earlier (my goodness, that was back in March, how time flies!).

The details are relatively unimportant, at this point, but a Dr. Stuelke, a physician based in West Branch (he also had a medical practice office in Iowa City) owned two nursing homes and a hardware store and some real estate in addition to his medical practices. He was an entrepreneur - Stuelke Enterprises was my employer. His financial advisor with Peat, Marwick (out of Cedar Rapids - the same national CPA firm I was working with at GE) had recommended for some time that he hire a Business Manager. His accounting records were falling behind, and, Medicare rules and regulations were just coming into existence that would be having a major impact on his business plans, the advisor told him (as I recall).

Anyway, his needs appeared to fit my desires to return to the mid-west, and we had a baby on the way. We got moved to Iowa and into the little rental house, mentioned on Thursday, while Nancy was still able to travel (that is a story for another day, by her!). Upon arrival, I put on my 'green eye shade' and got to work setting up a decent set of accounting records, by department, that he would need in order to understand where he stood with his business interests (using my GE learned accounting procedures). Quite a different environment and scale of operations, but I was very pleased to have the opportunity and I was really enjoying what I was doing.

[I didn't really wear a 'green-eye-shade' but the concentration was the same - neat image!]

Being back in Iowa was nice, too, of course, being much closer (at least in the same state) with both of our families. We settled in, of course, with the girls in school.


Families are Forever!  ;-)

Sharing Memories on Sunday - Paul and Dorothy Kinnick residences

Sharing Memories on Sunday - Paul and Dorothy Kinnick residences

Today is literally "sharing memories" - of my own, from Mom's diary entries, from her two brothers (my uncles, Buzz and Leo; and Colleen, wife of Buzz!) and even brother Jim!

This particular line to thought started with Mom's diary entries but was really sparked by the 1940 US Census images of my grandparents, Paul and Dorothy (Sorensen) Kinnick, and son, Edward (Buzzy), in Coon Rapids, Iowa.

I realized I didn't really know how Paul and Dorothy met (even though I lived around them for many years) and I was much more vague about where they had lived over their years together than I realized. So, to add to my own research, I sent letters to their sons, Leo and Buzzy. I had a long telephone conversation with Buzzy, in response, as expected. Today, I got a nice set of responses, from Leo, via an email from his daughter, Kathleen. In the meantime, I had also talked at length with my brother, Jim, on the telephone, and he added some insights, as well.

Paul Kinnick graduated from Coon Rapids High School in 1909. Buzzy says he has a paper document (in his safe deposit box, he will get me a copy) that is a contract by Lon Kinnick (Paul's father) to buy some land near Greenfield, Adair County, Iowa (about 50 miles south and a little east of Coon Rapids), around this time. This would account for Paul traveling between Coon Rapids and Greenfield in this time period. Leo said: "I think mom did house work in Stuart and Greenfield." Stuart straddles the Guthrie and Adair county line, about 20 miles north and east of Greenfield (the Adair County Seat).  Somewhere along the way, Paul met Dorothy Sorensen (she and her parents had arrived in Stuart from Denmark in about 1904; her mother died within a year of their arrival; as the oldest child, she was soon working). Another Leo quote: Dad and Uncle Robert were picking corn and if either found an ear of Indian corn they got to make a wish.  Dad found one and said "I wish I could kiss that Dorothy Sorenson.  He got his wish!" They were married on 12 Aug 1914, in Greenfield. 

{Here is useful map. I'll also do a Mappy Monday, tomorrow, with this map, and talk more about the area covered. For now, Coon Rapids is near the center, Greenfield in near the bottom, right center.}

They made their first home, just "South of town in a 2 story stucco house.  Eileen and I lived there too." [Quote from Leo, referring to Coon Rapids; confirms what Mom had told me! (more on this later)] Leo was born there in Mar 1917, Eileen in Dec 1918. From Mom: The little white house sits just east of Shirbroun's big barn. By August of 1928, when Buzzy was born, they were all living on Main Street (in the house where Irene Fick was living in 1997).

They moved from the Main Street house in June 1936 to the farm northwest of town (where Lon and Nettie had lived). By the time of the 1940 census, they were living back in town, in the house on old 141, now Elm Street (assume it was called 2nd Street in 1940 - east-west street, two blocks north of Main Street). According to Buzzy, they moved from there out to the "Harvey Place" on the Glidden Road.,, the Bass family lived there in the 1960s and later… Buzzy said he went to High School ('42-'46) from there. Also, from fall of '46 to Jan '48, he was in Japan in the Army - I remember his return home to that house. He reminded me that Paul Nielsen (Dorothy's nephew) came and helped farm while he was gone, and, my Dad, Pete, came over and helped out as well. I remember that, with his reminder!

When Buzz and Colleen were married in Jun 1948, they made that their home, and Paul and Dorothy moved into the Trailer House I mentioned earlier, north of our house on our farm. Colleen says she has seen a photo of Tom, about 3, with them in the house in Bayard - that would have been 1951. That all comes out about right. THANKS to all!


Families are Forever!  ;-)

Sharing Memories - GE Traveling Auditor - Schenectady

Sharing Memories - GE Traveling Auditor - Schenectady

As I have said many times over the years, "I got a solid ten years of powerful business experience in that 'little over a year' on the GE Traveling Auditor staff." True or not, it certainly felt like it. Of course, my family and I were dealing with some serious family issues during this period, as well, as I discussed last Sunday.

Once I got through the 'orientation' process, in town, the 'normal' process was a three-month audit in a distant location with only a week-end at home each month end. We tended to work ten-twelve hour days, on the road at a GE facility. We not only did the financial audit, under the auspices of Peat, Marwick, Mitchell, & Co (as the CPA firm was known at that time), the official GE auditors, but we did a full operational audit of the operations under review, as well. So, not only did we learn the accounting procedures, we learned the entire operations of each unit. It was a fantastic, incomparable opportunity to learn 'best practice' business operations - or not, if it was not a great unit, of course [of course, there were NONE of those at GE! ;-) Silly me to even suggest...].

I want to briefly mention two people that, to me, represent both the quality and the depth of the experience. Reginald Jones, a future GE CEO, was on the corporate audit staff for eight years; as CEO, he was the one who selected Jack Welch to succeed him. Here is his Wikipedia link; the link on his name is to the GE write-up. He was the Financial V-P to whom the Traveling Auditors reported, during the time I was there. I never met him. Note on GE bio - he started in the same BTC program I did, but he started in the year I was born!  ;-)

OK, three guys… Gerald L. Phillippe was the CEO at the time I was with GE. It was his son-in-law who was in my program, a friend and colleague, in Louisville. Phillippe was born in Ute, Iowa… not even a stop-light in the town, perhaps.

The most directly influential on me, and I not only met him, I had a three month audit directly under his supervision as a junior member of his team: Lawrence A. ("Larry") Bossidy. He is generally credited with founding, and he did serve as Chief Operation Officer of, General Electric Credit Corporation; a major contributor to the success of Jack Welch as GE CEO. Bossidy later served as CEO of Allied Signal/Honeywell.

I have often described my impression of Larry, from my first hand experience: "He was the singularly most devoted person to his work assignment of any person I have ever known." Larry was one of our four 'top leaders' on the GE Traveling Auditor Staff, while I was there. Much like Jones was his last 4-5 years, I assume. Bossidy ran the audit in Phoenix, Arizona, at that time, the GE Computer Division - it was later sold off. This was Apr-May-Jun of 1968. 

A few days after returning from the end of May home visit, the team had gone to the 'new' movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), as I recall. When I came out, I got in a phone booth, and called Nancy saying I had decided it was going to be time to 'move on' when I could arrange for a new job. Besides the rigors of the traveling, it was becoming obvious, that even if I stayed on, and was successful, the job I would be earning the opportunity to be considered for in GE would be in a GE plant on the east coast. That was simply not what I saw as a future we wanted to have.

To be continued…

Families are Forever!  ;-)

Sharing Memories Sunday - Appril Eileen Smith

Sharing Memories Sunday - Appril Eileen Smith

The primary memory of our first six months in Schenectady, as I was struggling to learn this new, high level, Traveling Auditor game, was on the home front. Nancy was pregnant with our third child, due in 1968 (first one, 1960; second, 1964). Unfortunately, she was a Rh Factor baby. She decided to come early, on December 23, 1967. However, her little heart was not up to the strain her 'conflicted' body put on her. All the remedies easily available today had not yet been developed by medical science at that time.

Appril Eileen Smith died on Christmas morning, December 25, 1967.

We buried her in Schenectady, where she was born. However, a few years later, when it was apparent we would never live there, again, we brought her little casket back to Iowa, with the metal marker, to the Union Township cemetery near Coon Rapids, near where my Dad was buried. When Mom died, in 1999, we decided to buy our own gravestone, for future use, near theirs, and mounted the metal marker on the back of our stone (rather than have the grass grow over it).

Families are Forever!  ;-)

Sharing Memories on Sunday - GE and Louisville

Sharing Memories on Sunday - GE and Louisville

Picking up from the last Those Places Thursday, I will try to share some general memories of my experience in the new job at GE in Louisville. They generally all in three categories: 1) actual GE work experience, 2) continuing my education outside of work, and 3) home and family life.

As I mentioned to Allison and Annette (when she was here last weekend), this is the point in my life where 'real life' began, and with it, many things in my memory 'clump' together. It becomes very difficult to connect specific memories with particular times. For this reason, among others, I just pulled out a copy of a resume I wrote while in the Iowa Governor's Office a few years later, to write down some dates for reference: GE Louisville - Aug 64 to Aug 67; GE Traveling Auditor - Aug 67 to Sep 68; Business Manager, SE - Oct 68 to Oct 69; Management Consultant, PMM - Nov 69 to May 70.

As I mentioned at the end of last Sunday's post, work was a real challenge, but I loved it. Whereas my work in the Air Force was mostly becoming accustomed to the organizational issues, my work at GE was certainly that but also a lot more in terms of learning content as I carried out my assignments. I wrote in the resume referred to earlier: "Rotational work assignments in all areas of finance in Consolidated Accounting Operations of Appliance Park. Financial Analyst for Relations and Utilities Operations." I know I was also involved in the Financial Management Program (FMP - which had been BTC) program activities as well during this three years. The group of us in the program would have meetings, speakers from around the country, and some sort of ongoing evaluations - but I honestly do not remember these, at all. I do know we were being trained to be a pool of talent from which to choose those who were on a fast track to top management. That was, and is, the GE Way! One of the guys in this group (and I honestly don't think there was a single female - and it didn't seem strange, at the time) was the son-in-law of the Chairman of the Board of GE, at the time. A little weird, but, I seemed to do every bit as well as he did, so I didn't let it bother me.

I did seem 'compelled,' it seems, to continue my outside education. Looking back, it is a bit surprising, but I think it was that I had doubts in the back of my mind of where this whole GE job thing was going and whether it was really what I wanted to be doing, once I figured out what it was - and who I was, I suppose.

Therefore, I enrolled in the MBA (Master of Business Administration) program at the University of Louisville, which offered an evening set of courses. Over the three years I was there (in Louisville), I completed 12 credit hours of work, 3 at a time, of which I was able to transfer 6 when I later restarted in the MBA Program at Drake University, in Des Moines.

Since this series of memories relates mostly to my work-related stuff, I'll not try to cover the 'more important' home and family stuff here. We have hundreds and hundreds of photos, of course, that are shared, from time to time, and still need to be organized better. We had wonderful visits from family, Bolger's, Smith's, Al, Jim, many more, as well as visits back to Iowa. Allison's first three or so years, including the infamous 'pulling the hot hamburger skillet off the stove' that resulted in some burns on her face. Annette went to private Kindergarten (see graduation photo, below) and then to public school, including 2 shifts to 'make better use of the buildings.' We have photos of her getting on the bus. We were very active in the fine United Methodist Church down the road a ways, singing in choir and all kids activities - real nice minister and his family.

I happened on the following, which I will choose as a representative photo…

One more thing... The gentleman that coordinated the FMP, a Mr. McGinty, who 'shared our evaluation results' with us... only seemed to ever have one criticism of me, to me face: I wasn't very good at 'small talk.' Well, duh, I wanted to say, I had work to do. I was ambitious. I did all I was told to do. I don't have time for 'small talk.'

Finally, one day, the 'word' came down from 'on high' - from up the chain of command - I had been chosen to received the coveted offer of a spot on the Corporate Audit Staff - the Holy Grail of GE assignments. Only 120 slots among 300,000-some employees of the company at that time. I said 'Yes!' And, we were off to Schenectady, New York. It was August, 1967.

Families are Forever!  ;-)

Sharing Memories - St. George, UT (63-64)

Sharing Memories - St. George, UT (63-64)


For Those Places Thursday this week I posted a photo of our house in St. George, Utah, where we moved in the Fall of 1963 while in the U.S. Air Force. We were there a little less than a year, but it seems much more important then that short time period, because of the events of the period.

Until I began writing this, I had forgotten that the Kennedy assassination occurred at this time (Nov 1963). I remember hearing it on the radio in the orderly room, at my desk, but I had not recalled whether we were in Winslow or St. George. It had to have been St. George.

The following photo of Annette is one I had been remembering, because it not only showed her, but also our new car, the blue Chevelle, but the mesa in the background especially well. It also looks west down the street toward our good friends, the Bowler family. They had a daughter about Annette's age that she played with a lot. The dad was the local ward Morman church Bishop. He worked for the electric company, as I recall. The dad next door, between our house and Bowlers, made dentures, in a lab in his back yard. They had two young boys. Funny what you remember.

The singular big event of this period, however, was, of course, the arrival of Allison in Mar 1964, just about 48 years ago (in a couple of weeks). (Nancy did all the work, of course...) Here we are a couple of months after that.

That will do for today. Thanks for joining us on this journey. More to come, of course.


Families are Forever!  ;-)

Sharing Memories - RBS Express (62-63)

Sharing Memories - RBS Express (62-63)


On the last Those Places Thursday I shared so photos of my three temporary duty assignments (TDY) to the RBS Express in Nevada, Montana and Kansas. It started with the sun rising over the RBS Express parked in Hysham, Nevada.

This photo is especially meaningful because these experiences are the only time in my life, I think, that I ever worked a steady 'night shift' for any length of time. I was on from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., as I recall, for weeks at a time. It is a different work environment - and I am thankful for the experience. When I later studied Service Encounters as my specialty within Services Management in my doctoral program, being able to recall the 'feelings' of being a worker during those hours really helped me to be able to have a least some feel for a retail worker at a 24 hour business, such as a convenience store. Or, a heath care worker in a hospital, for another examples. It really is a 'different world,' I remember going into the dining car, just coming off my working shift, eating breakfast, then, in a hour or so, going to bed for my 'night of sleep' - getting up in the early to mid-afternoon. The rest of the day and into the evening was free time… back to work at 10 p.m.

Somehow, on some of those afternoons, I became acquainted with a local mail carrier and some local ranchers. I do not recall the exact circumstances, but, I enjoyed riding around the mountainous regions near the train. I'm sure this was on the Montana TDY. There are some vivid images in my memory, but no connecting details. Fascinating.

Even MANY years later, just thinking about that 'night shift' work brings back 'physical' responses in my body. The memories did when I was in my doctoral studies, they do now. Strange how that happens. As a reader, do you have memories of working in the middle of the night in any of your work? Similar, or different memories and responses?

I want to include one more story here, unrelated, except in my mind, they go together. Our oldest daughter, Annette, would have been three in Aug of 1963, just before we moved from Winslow to St. George, Utah. The memory (and this is my story, so I'll tell it my way, regardless of the "truth'' aspect of anything I may say) I have is of Annette, 3, up on a picnic bench at a Winslow-based airman party, doing "The Twist." Chubby Checker first hit #1 with "The Twist" with a single in 1960. As the related dance, "The Twist" took hold, his musical version hit number 1 again, in 1962.


The final memory of this 'set' will be that Nancy was pregnant with Allison as we pulled up stakes in Winslow and moved the family, and the 'Air Force Detachment base,' to St. George, Utah, in the fall of 1963… the story for next week.


Families are Forever!  ;-)

Sharing Memories - Lois Tiffany - ISU Professor

Sharing Memories -  Lois Tiffany - ISU Professor

What a pleasant surprise! Among my genealogy blogs I read regularly is a somewhat unusual one: Special Collections Department Blog, Iowa State University Library. The current post is:
"Iowa's Own Mushroom Expert: Lois Tiffany" She was my Botany Professor; Spring 1958, I believe - looked just like the first photo!  ;-)

As is so often the case, I do remember her because she made the subject, which I had not previously paid much attention to, really interesting - and, I learned a lot. So nice to see her, again!

Sharing Memories - Cuban Missile Crisis - October 1962

Sharing Memories - Cuban Missile Crisis - October 1962

Last Sunday, I shared a few memories of the "Bay of Pigs" event of 50 years ago during my first year on active duty in the U. S. Air Force. On Thursday, I shared a photo of my working environment and a little about the mission of our SAC Detachment on the mesa west of Winslow, Arizona.

Today, I want to move forward to October 1962 when we were on the brink of a real potential national and military turning point: "The Cuban Missile Crisis." You can read the story at the link, but today I want to share a few of the specific memories I still carry with me from those couple of weeks:

1) Probably the most common story I tell (have told) about this time period was that for several days (a week or more) there was never a moment, day or night, when there were not military aircraft in the air, moving east and west, flying over our mesa and house in Winslow, Arizona, in preparation for eventualities 'if' the Cuban missile crisis was not settled peacefully.

2) As the third ranking of the three officers in our Detachment, when we went on 24-hour alert, I got the 'graveyard' shift. I also was responsible to carry (wear) 'the sidearm.' Guns and I have never had a positive relationship. I did fine in handgun training in my summer camp experience, but I  was still scared I'd 'shoot my toe off,' wearing that sidearm each night. Fortunately, President Kennedy had learned a lot, by that time, and 'solved' the crisis with a cool head and calm diplomacy that limited the crisis period to a couple of weeks.

3) How did we 'really feel' out there on the mesa? Were Cubans really going to attack us from Mexico or otherwise? Probably not, but, we really didn't know. The uncertainty is actually the tough part, of course.

It wasn't until 1984 when the movie, "Red Dawn," came out that all those feeling REALLY came back. That was exactly our fear. It was very well portrayed. I still rewatch that movie with trepidation - although, knowing it is only fiction, I do like the movie.

Families are Forever!  ;-)

Sharing Memories - Bay of Pigs - April 1961

Sharing Memories - Bay of Pigs - April 1961


This is Part 1 of memories from Air Force service in Winslow, Arizona, where we arrived in January, 1961. I had hardly gotten settled into my new duties in the Radar Bomb Scoring Squadron unit on the mesa west of Winslow when a national crisis arose. Known as the Bay of Pigs, President Kennedy authorized an attempt by Cuban exiles to invade southern Cuba, with support and encouragement from the US government, in an attempt to overthrow the Cuban government of Fidel Castro. It only lasted three days, with the defeat of the invading forces. But we were on high alert, and wondering if the results would lead to Cuba invading the U.S. or some such activity.

Part of the Strategic Air Command (SAC), our mission was to "score" simulated bombing runs in the area by B-47 and B-52 aircraft SAC aircraft. Our unit consisted of semi-trailer vans, perhaps a dozen of them, connected together with radar units on top that tracked the SAC aircraft. We received a radio signal from the plane as they approached their targets (simulating 'enemy' locations) - the signal stopped when the bombs 'would have been released.' The job of our unit was to track the 'bomb' using speed and trajectory, to determine how close it would have come to the target… and transmit that information back to the crew of the SAC aircraft and their command structure. There were a dozen or so (we didn't know, for sure) other units like this, around the country.

We operated with three officers (I was the junior of the three) and a couple dozen enlisted men and airmen. We lived on the civilian economy; our nearest military installation was a small army supply facility west of Flagstaff. The next closest was an Air Force Base in the Phoenix valley.

Good relations with the local community were important. One of the activities I became involved with was the formation of a newly forming Toastmaster Club. I was a charter member. It was a good experience for a young officer as well as for the business folks in the organization.


Families are Forever!  ;-)

Sharing Memories - Ground Electronics School, Keesler AFB

Sharing Memories

Ground Electronics School, Keesler AFB

Biloxi, MS

I have recently written about our first few months of active duty in the Air Force in 1961, at Ground Electronics School at Keesler AFB, in Biloxi, MS.

This followed our six weeks in Southern California where I was working at Space Technology Labs as a computer Programmer. The set of 1961 photos I posted, toward the end, are in Biloxi and returning back through Iowa.


Observations and memories:

1) I mostly remember the challenge of learning to read electronic drawings. It was totally new to me, but, as a new college graduate I was certain I could learn anything they thru at me. And, I believe I did quite well.

2) We had some 'military' duties related to a barracks of enlisted men, on base, but they were minimal. Very few vivid memories, at all.

3) Gary Hoover was also attending Communications Officer training on base at the same time I was there. We were in high school together, roomed together at Iowa State our first year, and were in ROTC together. We didn't spend a lot of time together, but, it was nice to know a good friend was nearby, if needed. Another high school classmate was actually an enlisted man on the base, Larry Patrick. Small world, huh?

4) I mostly remember 'having my hands full' with wife, daughter, school, military stuff, and correspondence courses. I was anxious to get to my full-time duty station. This was a necessary part of getting to there.

Families are Forever!  ;-)

Sharing Memories Sunday - Work at Space Technology Laboratories

Sharing Memories Sunday

Work at Space Technology Laboratories

In my Those Places Thursday post this week, we had moved to Redondo Beach, California, in late May 1961; which lasted about six weeks before we went off to three years in the Air Force.

In case you missed it, I also posted some 1961 photo highlights on Saturday.

Here are my thoughts about that Southern California work experience:

Space Technology Laboratories, at One Space Park, in Manhattan Beach, eventually a part of TRW, Thompson Ramo Wooldridge, was my employer. I was one of about 200 'computer programmers' in this huge, new facility. My job was to work with parameters, on paper and on the big 'main frame' computer, for one of the Atlas Missiles they were building/developing (whether that was actually the project or not, I have no idea - reading, now, it may have been another project). I was one little cog in a very big operation - I had no idea what the were really doing, just did what they told me, and loved it.

As I recall it, it was an iterative process. I would choose (or was given) a 'payload' figure, for the top of the rocket. This was punched into 'punch cards' and verified - you remember punched card, right - 80 columns of data - one digit at a time. I would turn these in one day, the following day, I got back the green-lined paper report. Did the rocket, with that payload, go into orbit, or plunge back to earth. I would read the results from the prior day, and enter a new payload amount - and run it again. I don't remember what I did the rest of the day… that is what I remember doing.

Perhaps, I was thinking about going to Disneyland with Nancy and Annette on the weekend, or, to the beach, or down to San Diego to the zoo. But, most important, I was an ISU college graduate, working in southern California, that paid a nice paycheck.

I think it is probably also safe to say I wasn't too impressed with the prospect of being a 'computer programmer' for the rest of my career… just saying…  ;-)

Families are Forever!  ;-)