Grandpa Story-Lore?

  Probably every family has its own stories about-"this and/ or that". For example my  story about my unintentional damage to Bob Lawrence's eyebrow at the time of his wedding get-away. (Previously noted)  Mary Kay and I went to "The Valley" last week where we kept our long friendship  with the John Freeland family, went to Mexico to obtain some medicine, and checked with my long-time dentist.

 The trip through territory travelled many times by Ruth and myself plus being near to areas where my hunting buddies, - Nick and Bob-and I hunted doves and quail multiple times over the years brought back many memories.  -Some fleeting, others more ponderous.

Since no one in the family lives in the area any more, this (and others) could bring (perhaps) memories of our distant pasts(precious?). About 25 miles north of Edinburg on Rte 281, there is a slight curve with an "enclosed in the arc" rest area. This area is (was?) known as "Sarah's Curve) in Ruth's and my lingo.

 About 40 years ago Paul brought his young bride to the home territory of the "Kuhl Klan". I'm sure Sarah took the trip with some trepidation. -- After all,this was foreign territory" where the average complexion was a faded milk chocolate hue and the people talked"funny".   --Besides there were 10 of them (Kuhls), -- and she had only known them from thetime of a brief distraction called a wedding and a reception((back home in Wichita Falls).

      Fortunately she had had a brief inoculation in San Antonio, -but this was 200 miles south!

 From the house we took an orientation drive, and stopped at the gentle curve,  (mentioned above). So, sitting to the other side of the fence was the King Ranch. --Closed off by the usual post and wire fence.   The only wooden structure was at that time a stile at about the middle of the fence line.   Which Sara sought promptly and sat down to relax and observe the ranch country.

 She was no more than settled when I approached and said, " Sarah, did you read the sign?"   "Umm, no!"   She was sitting on the painted board so she bent over, craned her neck and suddenly burst forth with could best be described as a "Leaping Scream".

  The sign said "BEWARE OF POISONOUS SNAKES!. 

Don't ask her to do a "leaping scream" for you..      She won't! 
 

            My apologies, Sarah!  Too good to keep! 

                  Love , Grandpa

Christmas Despondency

As previously mentioned this period of my life -after Ruth's demise, has been a prolonged period of retro-and introspection.  One of my recurrent problems for many years in life has been the persistent recurrence of depression and despondency during the Christmas season.

               My off-hand interpretation of this problem has been that my Christmas desires as a child were such things as a baseball glove, a baseball bat, a football, and the like.  Of course, in the place of these frivolous items I received--a handkerchief, socks, and as I grew older, neckties. As a matter of fact, the most pleasure I would get at Christmas time, would be the recognition of the same old friends to put on the Christmas tree again.
               What has come back to me to complicate my analysis has been the remembrance of the beautiful wonderful gift I received at Christmas when I was 4 yrs old. --A pair of beautiful, new shiny rubber knee boots!
               I'm sure my eyes were like saucers and in my excitement I would not let the others finish their breakfasts before I went out to show off, test and display my new beauties! And so I did! I sallied forth to conquer the world in my new wonderful finery!   Tragically, within minutes I was in the grip of the world!  --i was stuck in the mud!  After some painful stressful minutes a neighbor heard my belloring and rescued me!-- In the humiliating presence of my family (finally)!   For as long as we stayed in that neighborhood, I was "Stick in the mud! " to that neighbor.  Relatively painful reminder of my shameful old predicament…
               My mother and stepfather married shortly after that and moved "to the other end of town".   So my dirty new nickname died a short time after the move…Undoubtedly, to my relief.
               Was this the prime reason for my despondency, buried so deep it took me months to recall?
               Fortunately I always enjoyed my wife's and children's Christmases, and the smiley, happy family!
             
I must confess that one of the things that has helped me the most these past few years has been  "Grandpas' Grab Bag" Thanks, Girls

Bob and Ivan

Bob and Ivan Episode 1

I've given a lot of time with no result in the past few weeks.  Decided that little biography wouldn't hurt. -  Bob Chaddock was my first cousin, and the only one who lived nearby-about 4 miles.  He was about 18 months younger than I, but that was close enough.  -As you may know when 2 children are in trouble, it is always the older one's fault.   -- So I began my early life being a problem fairly often.  --I did learn some protective measures, however.  -Whenever he cried, I would cry, also…Only worked some of the time.   Besides, he learned the same maneuver! Guess who was supposed to teach whom how to whistle!?  Somehow I never succeeded. Maybe that's why I never whistle now!
       Needless to say, he was a smart one--- was made to skip a grade in the rural school where he attended.  So we ended up in the same grade in high school.
       Our situation made me think of "The City Mouse and the Country Mouse" many times. Our lives were the same, only different in many ways. I'd be delivering my morning papers and hurrying to eat before I walked the mile+ to school while he was hurrying his breakfast to catch the bus to school!!  At school I was in the "College Entrance" block and he was in the "Manual Arts" block.  Guess who had the most studying to do!   Guess this is enough for now!  I'm wiping my tears and will continue more later! --Pretty sad start.      See you next time!

  
Bob and Ivan Episode 2

Summers Bob worked on the farm- Dairy farm- beans, hay, milking, etc.    I delivered my papers, biked to the farm where I worked.  More of a truck garden type farm.  More hand work intensive- tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, hay, etc.  Although on rainy days other work was done--for example candling eggs, holding pullets to dose them to prevent worms, cleaning hoes; shovels, forks , etc for the days when they would be in the front lines of the muscle dept.  One summer I followed up the farm work with working at an ice cream store dealing out ice cream cones, packing boxes of ice cream for the fastidious -after returning from the farm-a quick shower and there i was.
               School attendance was also different in those days. Because of the depression, hardly anyone could go directly from High School to college. The rural adaptation to that problem was to let the student delay a course required for graduation, and allowing  the student a fifth year without having to pay tuition which otherwise would have been required. The city students were not in the ruition area so they were allowed to attend another year without problems.  That's what we did.  He delayed Am history and I returned for a PG post graduate) year.
               After high school our lives took divergent courses.

                               Love and Kisses to Y" all! (Back later)—Grandpa

  
Bob and Ivan Episode 3

After High School our lives took grossly divergent courses- (1939)
               Bob went to work at the Doehler Die Casting Co.  He was enrolled in the apprentice program to become a master die maker. This he accomplished in the minimum amount of time. As a die maker, etc he had been on the payroll during this learning period.  The earnings were satisfactory enough that he bought his father a tractor after a little more than a year at ' the Doehler."For those times, at his age he was making "big money". Bob had always loved machinery and mechanical things, so this was a natural extension of his preferred life (see Heather).
               Meanwhile, I was struggling through college until the summer of 1942, when I started med school. Economically things became even more complex at that point…Borrowed money from relative and from a fund that was sort of like a scholarship, because the interest was only 2%.  After proving i was going to survive, more or less, in med school I obtained a job tending the rats, mice, dogs, etc in the Physiology Dept. Here, in addition to the wonderful relationship with the animals I met Alice Bunnell, who was the dept secretary and looked a lot like your grandmother. We started a steadfast relationship at that point and it has persisted to this day.  The fact that her husband's name was "Ivan' might have had something to do with it, but, not much. Ivan was a cardiologist and into cardiologic research.   "Good Man"  Aside it might be mentioned that later on we played Canasta, bridge, etc and we had the air filled with "My Ivan's". Thank goodness I had no hearing problems that point!
                Seems like a good point to stop at!  Love-- See you later!(for # 4)   Love Grandpa

Bob and Ivan Episode 4

The Army finished Bob's first session with "the Doehler".  After the usual break in time he was assigned to the Aberdeen Proving Ground where his talents were used to a degree.
As a fact used so well he became married there in August 1944.  His exact work was never a topic of discussion between us, but apparently he did things I would be incompetent at, with my background. When the time came for leaving the Army, he didn't hesitate and went back to "the Doehler". He stayed there with "the Doehler" as long s it existed- National Lead bought it in the '50's as I recall.  He and Kathy proceeded to buy a home in Oakfield and raised 3 children.  The oldest, a girl, Crista was smart and beautiful.  Was Valedictorian or Salutatorian of her class in Oakfield.  Unfortunately, my college room-mate, Bob Beswick, was her principal so I never did get the whole story.  I prefer peace to problems! Mere mention of Crista would make "cloudy faces, enough for me to back off. Crista went ahead and became an airline stewardess where she met her husband, an attractive, nice passenger-guy. Ross Wieringa, a name of Dutch origin, and he came from the Dutch area of Michigan.  Bob and Kathy's sons existed, but I never saw enough of them to realize who they were, even.
               The Army made my economic problems tolerable, so on 11 Sept 1943, we were married in the Rectory of St. Joseph's R.C. Church in Batavia, NY.  Immediately on closing the ceremony your grandmother gave one of the longest loudest sighs on record.  I never interrogated her about that, either.(Remember I am a man of peace). A litle item about completing education , might be mentioned here. Ruth told her parents she would complete her education before she became married.  She graduated from William Smith Sunday, the 5th of September and didn't get married until Saturday, the 11th of September! Talk about patience!


                              That's enough of that!  Love to Y'all See you later- #5

Bob and Ivan #5

To give justice to Bob's life after the Army, I must mention that his life was definitely a public servant type as well as a master die maker! His love of machines and their extension let him into many things of worth in a small rural community, such as Oakfield.  He was active in the Volunteer Fire dept.  In addition to being available for the fires, he actively made sure the Fire Engine was competent, as well as spic and span!  This community activity led to a spot on the school board, as well as being an officer in the Volunteer Fire Dept organization. He was well thought of in his community and served it well. Such activities as you never heard of, probably, were high on his list of worth- while activities.  In western and central NY every summer there are "Tractor Pulls" - which as you may have guessed featured Tugs (tractors) of War, exhibits of old restored tractors, Queens of the occasions, etc.  Life is(can be) full of things I (and you?) never thought of!  Undoubtedly there were more activities -perhaps higher on Bob's list that I have failed to mention.
                       To return to Ivan, it was a different pattern!  The Army kept him right into med school to complete his training!   We lived, first, in a 2nd floor apt over a restaurant. It was almost directly across the street from the rooming house where I had lived as a freshman student. As a soph,in the cold weather, I had had a job shoveling coal, ashes and snow for an elderly couple, in return for my room. I didn't transfer all my effects from the first place having in mind, hopefully, that we'd be able to move into a place for both of us. (Which we did, when the time came)  To get back to us at our first "home", it was a "D" shaped facility, with the arc by the study around to the area over the restaurant front, the kitchenette, and living room. . The bed was a "Murphy bed" which came out of the wall. One of the outstanding features was that on Saturday nights, the restaurant sprayed, to discourage living creatures from making permanent places of residence.  Sunday a.m. there was a great crackling as we came to life and walked into the kitchenette! Scurrying, too!  As Ruth would say, from time to time, she never saw a cockroach until she married me!  She never did seem to like insects!
                       The places we lived at could each make small vignettes, so I'll go on and just mention our places of dwelling in our peripatetic life until we landed at McAllen.  Two places on Staten Island, Kenna Drive in South Charleston, WV and Brinton Street in Buffalo, College Ave in Buffalo, Ross St in Batavia, Artillery Drive on the Post at Ft Sam Houston,?? on the bluff in Santa Barbara,Ca., ?in Santa Maria, Ca., Wherry housing in El Paso, 412 No. 12th St, McAllen. 1200 LaVista, McAllen.  When Ruth and the family lived in Batavia I was stationed at the118th Station Hosp,in Fukuoka, Kyushu, Japan; 121st Evac Hosp in So.  Korea.  The Evac Hosp was in 4 different sites while I was with it in Korea. Incidentally, should you watch MASH the 121st is mentioned periodically. They may mention Tokyo General or "Stateside Hospitals", also.   Of course, with every transfer in the Army there was an indefinite time at "The Officers' Quarters" until a more permanent living site was arranged.

 This seems to be enough to me.  I could give a brief bio of me (and us at McA), but that hardly seems necessary, Love to Y'all  Grandpa

               Kathy  Hunt Chaddock -Died 21 Nov 1991 age 70--Brain tumor
               Robert Hamilton Chaddock -Died 27 Jul 1996 age 74--  Lymphoma
               Ruth Amidon Kuhl--      Died 4 Nov 2009 age 86-Cardiomyopathy(Assoc, Cachexia