APOLOGIZE TO YOUR SCALES

For a number of years, Virginia and I have been trying to stay healthy. First by eating properly (she is a great cook), and then exercising daily. We gave up walking in the mall since the road traffic was so terrible, and have been religiously walking on our treadmill at home about 30 minutes each day.

I get on the bathroom scales every morning, and usually, I have gained one or two pounds. Then is when I blame the scales and call them every hostile name I can think of. However, there are some days, when believe it or not, I am down maybe a couple of pounds.

Then is when I ask the scales for their forgiveness, and wind up apologizing for the names I have called them.

So far, it has worked pretty well for me. I am able to keep within a range of 3 - 4 pounds of my weight goal each week. (185 - 189)

2007 ITINERARY

2007 - 60th Anniversary for Virginia and me - 40th Anniversary for Wren and his Virginia

SEP 19 - LV. BR (DELTA) _8:30 AM FLT#4844 (ATLANTA, JFK, ROME)
SEP 20 - AR ROME (Aberdeen Hotel) (Tel. 06 4823920 E-MAIL: hotel.aberdeen@travel.it)
SEP 21 - ROME SIGHTSEEING
SEP 22 - ROME SIGHTSEEING
SEP 23 - ROME SIGHTSEEING
SEP 24 - ROME SIGHTSEEING (Need transportation from hotel to Civitivechia)


SEP 25- 10 DAY HOLLAND AMERICA CRUISE FROM ROME: (Eastern Mediterranean- Athens, Sicily, etc)
OCT 5 - DISEMBARK AT ROME
MEET WREN AND VA. AT ADLER HOTEL

VILLA IN TUSCANY (W/WREN AND VA).
(Tel 39 0577 941780 E-MAIL: info@ilborghettotuscanholidays.com)
OCT 6 - Rail to Florence - RENT CAR and drive to VILLA IL BORGHETTO
BETTY/ANTONIO TO MEET US THERE! Oct 6-8 (Get Gianni’s phone number in Rome)
OCT 13- Check out of Villa - Drive back to Florence, turn in rental car, take train to Rome
SIGHTSEEING IN ROME
OCT 13 - ROME - SIGHTSEEING (Aberdeen Hotel)
:
Visit: Vatican, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Coliseum, ETC
(INVITE GIANNI AND MANUELA OUT FOR SUPPER ONE NIGHT)
OCT 14 - ROME SIGHTSEEING (Aberdeen Hotel)
OCT 15 - ROME SIGHTSEEING (Aberdeen Hotel)
OCT 16 - ROME SIGHTSEEING (Aberdeen Hotel)

OCT 17 - LV ROME ___11:45_____AM DELTA FLT # 161 (JFK, ATLANTA, BR)
Arrive home 7:00 pm Flight 4487 from Atlanta

1941 LOUISIANA MANEUVERS

I was thirteen years old and preparing to go into El Dorado High School in the Fall. The U.S. Government announced that thousands of soldiers from all over the country would be commencing maneuvers in Louisiana to train for entry into World War II, which was destined in the near future. My home town is only 15 miles north of the Louisiana state line on U. S. Highway 167.

I had been delivering daily newspapers for about a year at the time. One of the owners of the newspaper offerred a job to the carriers to sell daily newspapers to the troops. The cost of the newspapers was 3 cents, and the delivery boys could sell them at 5 cents each to the soldiers. The transportation to the maneuver area would be furnished. All we had to do was go to the office at 3:00 am and pick up several hundred papers, and then we would be taken into the fields where the soldiers were bivouacked and offer them for sale. This would provide a profit of 2 cents per paper sold. (Not bad, for a boy of 13, if he sold a lot of papers!).

For weeks and weeks the soldiers, trucks and equipment poured through our town. Day and night the mighty roar of trucks, all loaded with personnel and equipment could be heard. Also the constant stream of marching soldiers could be seen for miles and miles along the highway going south to Louisiana.

We would follow the soldiers and would sell at least 100 papers each day, sometimes more. Most of these men were from up North somewhere, and we found them to be very polite, even though the heat, chiggers and mosquitos were almost unbearable. We would go out into the woods along the highway to sell the papers. There were pup-tents as far as the eye could see, and sometimes, they would offer us coffee at the "mess-tents" when they were having breakfast.

Then came December 7, 1941. PEARL HARBOR! No one knows how many of those servicemen were involved in World War II. I personally knew several that served during this war. Some of them had sold newspapers to soldiers on maneuvers before the start of that war.

LIFE 101

My mother tried to teach me and my brother Wren all these lessons while trying to raise us:

1. Treat others as you would like them to treat you.
2. Set a goal in life. Do not lie, cheat, or steal to reach that goal.
3. Find a mentor or someone to inspire you - a teacher, leader, or neighbor
4. Learn to overcome adversity - (trauma, suspense, or loss).
5. Accept responsibility for all your actions or statements.
6. Do not criticize, condemn, or complain, unless you have a solution to offer that will improve the situation.
7. Be tolerant of other people and their religious or political beliefs.
8. Focus on the job at hand. If you make a mistake, admit it and do it right the next time.
9. Learn patience. Quitters never win! Winners never quit!
10. Have a sense of humor.
11. Stickability. Anything worth doing is worth doing well. Get as much education as possible and stick with any project you start.
12. Always be proud of yourself. Don't do anything you would be ashamed of.
13. Be thankful for what you have.
14. Help others who are less fortunate.
15. Get a job. Earn self-respect. "Earn a dollar, save a dime"
16. Register when you are eligible and vote in every election for the best qualified person, regardless of the party affiliation.
17. Be proud to be an American.
18. Respect authority and your teachers, they are here to help you.
19. Keep a positive mental attitude at all times.
20. Find a Church you are comfortable with - with a good youth program. Join it and support it.

U. S. Army

L. S. U. ROTC INSTRUCTORS

After graduation from high school, I received my draft notice to report to Camp Joe T. Robinson in Little Rock, Arkansas. This service was required of all males 18 years or older for the duration of the war plus 6 months.

After the initial induction procedures (physical and mental exams) I was sent for basic Infantry training at Camp Fannin, near Tyler, Texas. This lasted from July through November. The 5 mile hikes were the most demanding. Also close-order drill was a daily routine. My earlier experience with my high school marching band was very helpful during this training period.

We had an old grizzled Drill Instructor who always screamed at us. He just loved to make us hate him. In order to prepare us for our physical exams he would tell the following story: "You will all line up buck-naked where each of you will get the "double-whammy shot". This will cure any disease known to mankind. The medic will use his forked needle! Each point is bent like a fish hook. They go in very easy, but he will have to stand with his foot on your neck to pull it out with both hands".

Occasionally we would get a weekend pass. It was not too far to my hometown, so I would hitch-hike or go by bus to see Mama sometime. Once on my return by bus to camp from a pass, I happened to be asleep when the bus arrived back at Camp Fannin. The bus-driver failed to wake me up and when I woke up the bus was about 50 miles past the camp, and I was late returning to my outfit.

The First Sergeant confined me to quarters for punishment and also required me to water the grass during a driving rainstorm with only a 5 gallon bucket. I was never A. W. O. L. again after that.

After finishing basic training in Texas,I was sent by troop-train to Camp Pickett, Virginia for overseas assignment. After arrival there my company commander just happened to need someone with typing ability to be his company clerk. I had learned this typing skill in high school so I was selected to stay at this camp for 6 months and never had to go overseas.

One day the most amazing incident occurred out of the clear blue sky when I received orders to report to Louisiana State University to teach R. O. T. C. I immediately called my mother and was so excited at this opportunity that I could only cry into the long-distance telephone for several minutes before telling her the great news. My brother, Wren was playing football at L. S. U. so I could not wait to go to Baton Rouge.

Our Italian Friends

OUR ITALIAN FRIENDS

What else can we say about Betty and Antonio and their family, except: THEY ARE THE GREATEST!

The couple is considerably younger than we are, but they don't seem to care. We visit with them as long as possible, and they participate in any discussion we choose to talk about. They really and truly make us feel like we are all equal and we never seem to run out of some conversation with them. They give and take and offer their opinions on any subject, and they listen to our opinions on any subject. This is a personal quality that we miss with many of our other acquaintances. Sometime they may disagree with us, but they are never disagreeable. It is the utmost pleasure for us to visit with them. This includes their Mama and Papa, and her brother Gianni and his wife, Manuela.

We count our blessings that we have found much younger friends that we can truly call our ideal friends. We have come to love them almost as much as two of our own children, even if they do live far, far away near Milan, Italy.

Our 60th Anniversary

August 5th, 2007 was a memorable day for me and Virginia. To celebrate, we decided we would repeat the same type party we had for our 50th Anniversary. We invited 25 friends and family members to join us at First Methodist Church for the 8:30 am service, and afterward, we all would meet back at our house for brunch and a little celebration. Forty people showed up, and Patricia and Ben and Willis helped prepare all the food, and helped to direct traffic at home. The food and fellowship was fantastic especially with son David and his wife, Charlene and their kids and grandchildren. Then we had a special treat when Wren and his Virginia showed up from Dallas by surprise.

At the church service, Patricia and Ben sang one of our favorite hymns, Great is Thy Faithfulness, and Willis accompanied them on piano. Willis began the program with his rendition of Southside Will Shine Tonight. This was the "official" school song of my Elementary School he had arranged as though it were a hymn.

All this brought on the "water-works".

LA-RAMBLA in Barcelona

In Barcelona, Spain there is a very large pedestrian boulevard with all sorts of interesting sights to be seen. There are no cars allowed of course, so the area is usually filled with visitors, locals, and various vendors selling all sorts of items to the passersby continously. Some of the items offered are live birds in cages, goldfish in bowls, pet bunny rabbits, cheap clothing, cheap jewelry, and paintings of all kinds.

Also there are a number of human mimes that imitate various characters of history, such as: sun goddesses, Roman Gladiators, and even the Statue of Liberty. Their costumes are elaborate with beautiful colors, and they just stand there for hours on end without moving. Their collection cans are always at their feet to receive donations for the "art" they are depicting.

I came upon this person dressed in a complicated white toga, to resemble a classical Roman ruler. His face and hands were painted white to match the robes he wore, and he just stood there without moving for hours on end. He saw me as I approached, and as his eyes met mine, he nonchalantly glanced down at his collection jar hoping that I would fill it.

I slowly started to walk away. This is when he looked back at me and smugly gave me the "finger", then silently continued his interpretation of the Roman ruler.

It's All About the Money

Nowadays it seems as if my mailbox is daily filled with enumerable requests for donations to all kinds of charitable organizations. Most of these seem to be reputable, however there is a limit to the number of groups I can possibly give to.

We have found a friend in our Sunday School class who is a retired lawyer named John. I once asked him why there are more and more requests for donations these days.

His profound reply was, "IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY- and if they say it isn't - IT IS"

And if John says, "It is - IT IS!"

Mammoo's Hobby

Everyone needs a hobby! 

Virginia has loved to cook and do handwork as long as we have been married. (62 years!). She has crocheted numerous afghans through the years. They have all been extremely beautiful, and we have stacks of them after giving many away to children and grand-children and friends.

Several months ago our church started a knitting group that meets weekly to provide prayer shawls or hats and scarves for donation to an outreach ministry. She dearly loves this activity.

I have several hobbies, also. One of them is working in my little garden while planning our next trip, and then working EASY cross-word puzzles while I am not napping (or writing a few memories for this blog thing).

To Enjoy Retirement, Fun is Fundamental

Retirement used to mean staring into the sunset in a rocking chair. Not anymore. Many or most "retirees" now work at part-time jobs for pay. Many volunteer their time in activities just for the fun of it.

My experiences convince me that these are the essential elements for a happy retirement at any age:

FAMILY
FINANCES
FUN

If you're lucky, you'll have children or grandchildren to share your golden years. If not, "adopt" some, figuratively or literally. Nothing will make you feel as young and think as young as regular association with kids.

Money is meant to be spent in retirement. Take care of your medical and health needs and the education of minor children or grandchildren. Then spend the rest - You can't take it with you! Don't skimp so you can leave something for the older kids. You've already fed, clothed and educated them to adulthood. That's enough.

Fun is the most important retirement requisite of all. Too many people are bored most of their working lives. Retirement should mean escape from that boredom.

(Copied from USA column by Al Neuharth, called Plain Talk)

2007

This year should be a memorable year for us. In April I will mark my 80'th birthday (I cannot believe this). August 5th will mark our 60'th wedding anniversary and we will ask our family and close friends to join us at our Church, with brunch afterward at our house. Also this year will be my brother Wren's 40'th anniversary with his Virginia (this will total 100 years for us brothers - a record for this family).   It will also mark our 47'th year to live in our home in Baton Rouge.

We are now making plans to celebrate by taking another cruise to the eastern Mediterranean for 10 days starting September 25th at Rome. After the cruise we want to combine a week in a villa in the Tuscany area of Italy with Wren and his Virginia. We hope our friends from Milan (Betty and Antonio) can join us for a few days while we are there.

This will be a total of 25 days in our favorite part of Europe with part of our family, and our very closest Italian friends

Bethel College - McKenzie, Tennessee

This is a small college about 100 miles north of Memphis which was established by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in 1846. Virginia's maternal grandfather, Professor N. J. Finney had been President of this school from 1909 to 1921, and president emeritus until 1931. He taught lessons in Greek and Latin there until his death at age 84, and died while preparing his lessons for the next day.

The school had honored him by erecting a flagpole in the middle of the campus with his name engraved in the pedestal and the dates of his tenure there. A large portrait of him now hangs in Heritage Hall on campus along with pictures of all the other past presidents of the college.

We had been invited to a Homecoming Celebration in October 2006, and we drove there to participate. There was a nice outdoor reception area where we met a Dr. Prosser, the current President and his wife and several other alumni. That evening there was a reunion dinner with approximately 500 in attendance. We thoroughly enjoyed meeting with many of the people and they were all extremely cordial. Some of the oldest persons there remembered Professor Finney.

After making a contribution in his memory, we rode around the attractive small town of McKenzie, spent the night, and returned home the next day.

Touring Through Kentucky

Recently we drove from Baton Rouge to Bloomington, Indiana to see our grandson, Ben, perform with his ballet class at the University of Indiana. We were amused at many of the unusual names of the businesses that we saw along the way.

Here are just a few:

BIG BILL'S BELLY-BUSTIN BAR B-Q
BEER
BELCH
BLISS
YOU'LL BE BACK!


TATTOO CHARLIE'S
DONE WHILE U WAIT


FIFTH THIRD BANK
(Wonder what happened to the other four)


LITTLE HOPE CEMETERY
STOP HERE!

Seen on back of waiter's shirts in Bloomington, Indiana:

EAT FAST - AND - LEAVE!

Stopping Traffic in Paris

On our first visit to Paris in 1979, I felt I just had to see the historical Arch-de-Triomph.

This enormous shrine is located right smack in the middle of a huge four-lane circular street called CHAMPS-ELYSEE. Literally thousands of cars and buses careen around it daily - VERY FAST!

There are no traffic lights in the circle, so I had to do the best I could to run through all that traffic to get across the street to the building. After waiting for an eternity it seemed, I noticed a slight opening in the traffic. I took out my handkerchief and waved it furiously as I dashed through all four lanes of Paris traffic! All the cars started honking and yelling foreign words at me, and some of the drivers even waved the strangest signals with their hands and fingers!

When I finally made it across safely another pedestrian already over there asked me, "Why didn't you just use the pedestrian subway - it's much safer?"

Alhambra

Our 18 year old grandson (Ben) has been taking ballet lessons for about 12 years now. He dearly loves this activity and has gotten quite good at it, as well as all his other studies in Baton Rouge High School. He has straight A's all through high school, and is now on academic as well as ballet scholarship at Indiana University to continue his studies.

Once while observing him practicing his dance steps, I asked to teach me just one of those intricate movements. He agreed and then he instructed me to hold on to the back of a chair and extend one leg straight back, with a slight kick, and then return it. THAT WAS IT!

He had a name for this movement and I think it was "ALHAMBRA", but I am not sure.

I now have been practicing this one movement for years. I am still waiting for the New York Ballet Company to call me on stage to perform.

Little Red Riding Hood

Substitute teaching in the elementary grades can be very interesting. Once while subbing for a kindergarten teacher in a very Christian school, I was asked to read the story of "Little Red Riding Hood" to the class.

The little ones all sat on the floor around my big rocking chair while I read the story as follows: Little Red Riding Hood was tripping along through the forest on the way to grandmother's house. Hiding behind her in the woods was the big bad wolf".

Suddenly one little kindergarten child with a huge frown on his face said loudly, "I don't like that BIG BAD wolf"!

I continued to read the story. When I got to the part where the wolf arrived at grandmother's house ahead of Little Red Riding Hood, the frowning one stood and said in a louder voice, "I still don't like that big, bad wolf"! I continued to read.

"The wolf found grandmother in bed, and she said, "My goodness, what big eyes your have" - "The better to see you with, grandmother", the wolf said. Then she said, "My, what big ears you have" - "The better to hear you with" he said. Then she said, "My, what big teeth you have, grandmother" - "The better to eat you with, grandmother" - AND HE ATE GRANDMOTHER".

At this time, the scowling little kindergartner jumped up and loudly screamed,  "I TOLD YOU I DIDN'T LIKE THAT SUM'-BITCH!"

Blueberries

Virginia and I  love blueberries and we love to pick them fresh.

Several years ago we were driving out Plank Road, near Slaughter, when we saw a small sign on the side of the road advertising a blueberry patch where you could pick them yourself. The arrow pointed straight ahead and after about four miles, the signs pointed down a "dim" gravel road. We followed the sign down this road for about a mile and then another sign pointed down an even "dimmer" road where we found lots of blueberry bushes just loaded with fruit. The little shed had a sign that said, "HONOR SYSTEM- Pick all you want, then use our scales to weigh them, and send us a check in the pre- addressed envelopes provided". The price was very reasonable.

We must have picked about 4 gallons, then weighed them and sent our check. Then we froze them and enjoyed them for almost a year. The next several years we did the same thing.

This year when we returned, the sign was off the shed and there were no more scales or envelopes to send the money. We picked another 4 or 5 gallons anyway, and called the owner to offer to pay. He said, "Just forget it, you don't owe me anything. I am out of the blueberry business-so tell all your friends to come on up here and pick as many as they want, all free!"

We now enjoy blueberry pancakes, blueberry waffles, and blueberry angel food cake the year round!

Want to Go on a Sea-Cruise?

Cruising can be economical. The cost of a cruise includes virtually all food on the trip, although there may be cover charges at some of the ship's fancy restaurants.

This, of course is a good deal. And the food's not bad. We ate mostly in the buffet cafe, which had especially interesting breakfast dishes, ranging from sublime (grits) to the ridiculous (baked beans)

However, my friends who drink warn of the dangers of the little plastic card issued to each guest on the cruise.

If you're lounging on the pool deck, you may see a waiter in a flowered shirt carrying a tray containing tall pink tropical drinks garnished with an orange slice, a cherry and a small paper umbrella.

To obtain one of the festive and refreshing beverages, you simply hand the waiter your card and sign a ticket, which means that your credit card is bill for about 9 bucks, including a tip. (While the food is paid for,  you pay for all booze- type beverages).

This "cashless" system is very convenient, but if you overdo it you can seriously damage your credit card balance.

There's also a casino on board.

So, as the late Johnnie Cochran might say, "If you do the vice, you must pay the price". On the final morning of the cruise, just before disembarkation, final statements are put on each stateroom door, telling you just how much you've spent on those tall pink drinks during the cruise.

At this point you start to hear screams echoing up and down the ship --- followed by splashes ...

(Reprint from Smiley Anders column, Morning Advocate)

Retirement

For the last two years I can truly say that I have enjoyed my retirement very much. Virginia and I have continued to travel to Europe each year as well as Alaska and Hawaii. We have recently returned from a 3 week European visit which included a visit in London, then a river cruise on the Danube from Prague to Budapest, then on to Milan to visit our Italian friends.

Both Virginia and I have been retired for several years and I have more time on my hands to do a few things I haven't been able to do before. At her suggestion I have been enjoying substitute teaching at the LSU Laboratory School. I find about two days a week that I substitute when a teacher is ill or must be absent from the classroom for a day at a time. I love to read to the lower elementary classes. The Middle and High School classes are enjoyable, even though they are sometimes a challenge for me due to discipline opportunities (not problems).

I enjoy teaching when I can stand in front of a hgh shool class and relate a few of the lessons I have learned throughout my life. I hope the list below will be helpful to some young persons as I have benefitted from all these that were first taught to me by my mother, Abie.

My mother tried to teach me and Wren all these lessons while trying to raise us. I call it:

LIFE 101

1. Treat others as you would like them to treat you.
2. Set a goal in life. Do not lie, cheat, or steal to reach that goal.
3. Find a mentor or someone to inspire you - a teacher, leader, or neighbor
4. Adversity - (trauma, suspense, or loss) Learn to overcome it.
5. Accept responsibility for all your actions or statements.
6. Three "C's" : (Criticize, Condemn, Complain) Don't do either of these unless you have a solution to offer that will improve the situation.
7. Be tolerant of other people and their religious or political beliefs.
8. Focus on the job at hand. If you make a mistake, admit it and do it right the next time.
9. Learn patience. You can only eat an elephant one bite at a time.
10. Have a sense of humor.
11. Stickability. Anything worth doing is worth doing well. Get as much education as possible and stick with any project you start.
12. Always be proud of yourself. Don't do anything you would be ashamed of.
13. Be thankful for what you have.
14. Help others who are less fortunate.
15. Get a job. Earn self-respect. "Earn a dollar, save a dime"
16. Register when you are eligible and vote in every election for the best qualified person, regardless of the party affiliation.
17. Be proud to be an American.
18. Respect authority and your teachers, they are here to help you.
19. Keep a positive mental attitude at all times.
20. Find a Church you are comfortable with. Join it and support it.

Walking in the Mall

I have enjoyed mostly good health all my life and moderate exercise has always been inviting to me. Since moving into our home in 1960 I have jogged on the streets, attended gymnastic classes, and done considerable yard work, including raising a small garden. Until a few years ago I was able to use a rowing ergometer inside the house for about 30 minutes each day. Also Virginia has always been a great cook, we have square danced for 25 years, and have  carefully watched our calorie intake as well as providing mouth-watering dishes for 62 years.

Arthritis is common in our family and I am no exception. As I got older, my left hip had started to get more of my attention after each bit of physical movement. When the pain became unbearable the inevitable hip-replacement took place. A young doctor named J. E. Broyles did a masterful job of this and after several months of patience and physical therapy, Virginia and I started walking early each morning inside the Mall of Louisiana near our home.

We have now been doing this daily for about 18 months for periods of 30 minutes each time. We go early in the morning before the customers arrive and the entire atmosphere is very enjoyable - with no cars, no barking dogs, and no bad weather to contend with. Even soothing background music is provided and there are many interesting sights to be seen also.

I can almost smell those fresh baked cookies and the frying bacon from the food court now.

Bill from Milan

In 1993 our neighbors across the street invited us to meet some of their friends who were visiting from Texas. While there we mentioned our plans to go to Milan, Italy on our next vacation. One of the Texans said that another of her friends, Hazel had a brother who lived there, whose name was Bill Ferguson.  He had been originally from Baton Rouge but had been living in Milan for many years.

Hazel gave me her brother's address and a little of his history as an LSU student. I wrote him a letter and told him when we expected to arrive in Milan. He answered promptly and suggested that we call him upon arrival at our hotel in Milan.

As soon as we arrived, I phoned him and he seemed pleased to hear from us. He asked if we had plans for our first night and we certainly had none, so he said, "I have 3 tickets for tonight's ballet performance at La Scala Opera House. Would you care to join me?" We were astounded to be invited to the largest and most prestigious opera house in Europe.

The opera house was opulent and simply magnificent in every way. The program as a most beautiful ballet called "La Beyedere" by Mincus. The entire performance was simply breath-taking in it's beauty and quality of dance and music. Virginia and I thought we must have "died and gone to Heaven".

This night was to be the highlight of our entire 25 day European vacation, and the start of a wonderful new friendship with our good friend, Bill. He now lives here in Baton Rouge and we consider Bill an extended member of our family.

John Wayne

One of the greatest Hollywood actors, John Wayne, was making a movie in Baton Rouge. In 1970, a few friends and I were fortunate enough to be invited to his hotel suite to meet this great man.

We were a few minutes early and waited in his room for him to arrive from the days filming. Soon the big man himself "swaggered" into the room and waved hello and said to all of us, "Howdy pilgrims". We all stood up to greet him and get introduced. He graciously shook all our hands and invited us to have a seat while he freshened up a bit.

When he returned to the room I offered him my seat in a big lounge chair where I had been sitting. He refused, saying, "Oh, no, pardner, I prefer this straight kitchen chair". He mounted this chair like he would a horse, with straddled legs and his arms resting on the back of the chair. He reached for a big strawberry off the table, and ate it quickly and continued to visit with each of us, smiling all the time.

After settling down, I asked him which of his 140 films had been his favorite movie to appear in. Without hesitation he replied, "A movie I recently filmed in Colorado called "True Grit", and I will be disappointed if I don't get the big award for it". After a bit, we all left his room with great memories of the "Duke" and of course we later saw this movie.

The next year, he was awarded his only Oscar for the best actor of the year in "True Grit".

The Haircut

Sometimes men go to the barbershop as much for the conversation as for the haircut.

For years I had gone to Joe's barbershop on Nicholson Drive, not for the best haircut, but for the enjoyment of visiting with all the other "old geezers". While waiting our turn for a haircut, we would solve all the problems of the world and see who could tell the biggest lie.

One Saturday morning I went inside and while waiting my turn for Joe, the stories began flying fast and furious. I laughed so hard my stomach muscles were starting to hurt. After hearing all these stories I stood up and walked right out of Joe's and went back home. (Still laughing all the way)

When I walked into the house, my wife asked me, "Where have you been?". I looked straight at here, shook my head and snapped my fingers and replied, "Oh my gosh, I forgot to get my haircut".

This story got even more laughs when I got back to Joe's!

Square Dancing

Many years ago we had a good friend named Martha who was also an elementary school principal at the time. We were visiting her and her husband (Tubby) in 1978 and they invited us to join them at their square dance club for a party. We joined them for that evening at a local clubhouse where we met several other friends of ours about our own age.- young.

After we arrived all the prepared food was served, and we visited and had great fellowship with all these newfound friends. After the meal, all the tables and chairs were moved to the sides of the room and the caller appeared with his 45 rpm records of country music and his P. A. system. We had no idea how to square dance so we just became "wall-flowers" who just sat back to observe the dancing and "point and grin".

All the members arranged themselves in groups of eight in the form of squares and the fun began. We had only seen this activity on TV before, so the live rendition of this was quite interesting to us. We thoroughly enjoyed the music, the fun, and the dancing along with the caller's creativity on the microphone. We decided at that time that we just may be interested in learning how to do this since we loved country music and fellowship such as this.

Sure enough, lessons were being offered by another caller for non-dancers. We signed up for these lessons as soon as possible. We now have enjoyed this weekly activity for over 25 years. We have traveled all over the country along with many other lovers of this huge dancing party. We still love to go occasionally.

"DO - SE - DO"

Occupying the Pulpit

I had been the Chief Administrative Officer for Mayor Dumas for about 2 years when he asked me to represent him at a Founder's Day celebration at Mt. Zion First Baptist Church. This is a large Baptist Church in downtown Baton Rouge with primarily black members. The Pastor was my good friend, the Reverend T. J. Jemison.

At the appointed time (11:00 AM) I arrived at the Church and took my place along with a number of elected local politicians such as the District Attorney, several judges, Councilmen and State legislators. The rest of the Church was completely filled with its regular membership.

The Choir started singing some beautiful gospel music and continued and continued. Then the Reverend said a prayer and proceeded to welcome all the guests. He then announced that the collection plates would be passed. The choir began singing some more gospel music as the collections continued.

As soon as the collection plates were presented "down front" the Reverend announced that an additional collection would then be take for the "tithers", and that only checks should be written for this. The choir was instructed to start singing again as the collection plates were passed among the congregation.

Then after these tithes had been received, Reverend Jemison announced for the third time that another collection would be collected to pay the note that was due on the building at that time. Once again, the choir began to sing and the plates were offered to the congregation.

Finally, after all these collections were finished, the Reverend prayed over this and thanked every one with a big smile on his face. He then said, "Our good friend, Mair (Mayor) Dumas could not attend Church today, but he has sent his "right hand man", who is my good "Mefodis" friend, Mr. Gene to bring us greetings from the "Mair". Come on up here to the pulpit, Brother Gene".

With a startled look on my face and complete surprise, I had no choice but to follow his invitation. There I stood in the pulpit of the largest black Church in Baton Rouge, filled to overflowing with Church members and highly elected local officials. I was almost bewildered but somehow I managed to say a few words on behalf of the Mayor. The congregation was most helpful to me when I would pause, and they would all say, "AAAAA - MEN" in unison.

After an extended sermon by the pastor and more choir singing we were dismissed. By then it was about 1:30 PM. Virginia had been waiting for me since 12:00 noon when our Church had been dismissed. This had been quite an experience for a white person from the hills of Arkansas.

THE DAY WE MET THE FIRST PRESIDENT BUSH

The date was September 8, 1989. Then President Bush had been invited to address the National Baptist Convention in New Orleans. This was a world- wide organization of black church people. Our good friend, Rev. T. J. Jemison (President of the group) had invited us to come to the convention as his guest to hear the President.

We arrived about an hour before the President was to speak and sat down among several thousand delegates from all over the country. About 20 minutes before the speech we heard a large booming voice announce over the loudspeaker, "WILL MR. AND MRS. GENE WORLEY PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM". It was Rev. Jemison's voice, so we proceeded up to the podium and found our places on the fourth row among all the visiting dignitaries of this enormous group of black people. We were the only white faces in the entire crowd at that time.

Soon the band started playing "Hail to the Chief", and here he came! Not six feet from us, smiling and waving to the crowd. This made three white faces on the podium. Reverend Jemison introduced him to the crowd and he made a great speech on family values and education against drugs.

After the speech the President turned around and started shaking hands with lots of people on the podium. Reverend Jemison escorted him straight toward us. He said, "Mr. President, I want you to meet my good friends from Baton Rouge, Mr. and Mrs. Gene Worley.  " We both shook his hand and Virginia said to him in a loud voice, "I'm an elementary school principal". He smiled at her and said, "That's great".

For once in my life I was so excited I could not say ONE WORD!

World's Finest Chocolate

At 50 years of age I suddenly found myself between jobs.

This was not all bad, I figured, since I had good health, a wonderful wife and a great family, a good home mostly paid for, not seriously in debt, and a wealth of experience in the sales field. My biggest problem was just looking for a job to support my family.

After a few weeks of agonizing weeks of idle time, I became bored with TV, didn't care for golf, fishing, or hunting. I simply began to wonder what in the world I could do to continue my career and help raise our kids. Virginia had been in education for many years as a teacher and also a Principal of an Elementary school. One evening we were discussing any possible avenue I might consider for employment.

She had been very successful in fund-raising in her schools by using a product called "World's Finest Chocolate". This was done by the students taking boxes of chocolate home and selling it to their family and friends. The profit on each box would go to the school. I learned from her that all schools needed to raise extra funds for school supplies and miscellaneous equipment.

Wisely, she suggested that I contact her local distributor, a Mr. Ed Campbell, and inquire about any available openings in the sales force. At first I was very doubtful about selling "candy"for a living. I was completely unaware of the potential in this field. I soon called and went to see Mr. Campbell.

He was slightly older than I and had a very relaxed but positive attitude. He was very business oriented with long experience in the sales field. After getting acquainted I asked him about the company's history and production methods. He explained all this fully to me and convinced me that the company had a solid reputation of quality merchandise and was capable of fulfilling all the orders that were sent into them.

When I asked him about the possibilities of employment, he quickly told me that the potential for success was unlimited and the salesmen worked on a straight commission basis. This meant that for every sale I made, I would be paid a certain percentage of the total order. Success would depend on my ability to call on the prospects that he selected, show them the program and ask for the business. There would be no retirement plan, no health insurance, and no paid auto expenses.

He also told me there would be no limitation on my income or territory assignment. An office at home and a car, along with a positive mental attitude was all that was needed. I was not required to make any monetary investment in the company. This all seemed like the answer to a prayer for me.

When I asked him when I could start, he replied, "Right now", as he reached in his desk drawer and gave me the name of a school in a small town nearby. I rushed right down to the school with my order form and a few samples of the product and presented the program to the Principal.

The school was desperately in need of funds for their Beta Club, so I had arrived at an opportune time for them. He gave me an order for 30 cases of $1.00 bars for immediate delivery. With great joy, I rushed back to Mr. Campbell's home with the order. He was all smiles and so was I. He then gave my the names of three more schools in the area as prospects! This was to be the start of the most successful part of my professional life.

I continued selling chocolate and could not have been happier. I was doing something I dearly loved while providing a high quality product to deserving groups and schools that derived a great profit. Best of all, of course, it proved most lucrative for me.  I was calling on 900 schools in Baton Rouge and the surrounding parishes at this time.  This job provided my family with an excellent income, trips to Europe every year, and a great retirement income that I had saved through the years. About two years ago, I trained my son to do this work to take my place one day.

One day all distributors in the company were abruptly notified that the Sales Division of World's Finest Chocolate had been sold to our biggest competitor - a fund-raising division of Reader's Digest, called QSP. This company offered magazine subscriptions for schools to sell for fund-raising. I realized at that time that retirement was inevitable for me. I managed to obtain the position for my son and he seems happy with his new position with the new company.

Several of my good friends are still with QSP. I have many fond memories of Wendell Wiggins, Susan Bjonerud, K. T. Lopresti, and lots of others. I have the greatest respect for Wendell, even though he is an Ole Miss fan.

Nothing lasts forever and I feel extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to do a job where every day was the "World's Finest".

Service Station Memories

I had numerous employees in the 8 years of this business. One of these was a young black man we called "Black". He was of slim build and did general service station work such as washing and greasing cars and was usually a reliable conscientious worker. Sometimes, however, he would fail to show up for work for several days at a time without notifying me he was going to be absent.

One day he failed to show up for work with no phone call as to why he was absent. Three weeks passed with still no word from Black. We all began to wonder what had happened to him.

One morning about 10:00 am I noticed him peeping around the Coke machine at me with a strange look on his face. He tiptoed up to me and said, "Mistuh Gene, can we talk?" I said, "Sure, but first tell me where you have been for 3 weeks". He bowed his head and said, "Mistuh Gene, I'se got deep trouble. My brother done passed three weeks ago, and it's hot and he needs buryin".

I said to him, "You mean he died 3 weeks ago and still not buried?". "Yassuh Mistuh Gene. Dey won't bury him without cash money, and Mistuh Gene, It's summer time and he needs buryin' real bad".

I loaned him the money and told him to take care of the problem and come on back to work the following day. Sure enough he showed up on time the next day and never missed another day's work.

I never did see his brother's obituary in the paper.

The very best employee I ever had was a huge black man named Ernest Bridges. He must have weighed well over 300 pounds. He always wore a smile and was able to do almost anything I would ask of him. He was always very polite and helpful and had a great positive mental attitude. He never met a stranger. We called him "Tiny".

Once in the hottest part of the summer, he was busy servicing a car. It must have been 100 degrees and he was sweating profusely, but hard at work. I noticed how hot he was so I brought him a Coke and remarked to him, "Kind of hot today, isn't it Tiny?". He wiped the sweat off his brow and smiled and replied, "Mistuh Gene, it ain't all that hot, it's just the HUMANITY is so bad".

I miss him more than any other ex-employee of mine.

DAVID AND PATRICIA

I finished LSU in August 1951, and was looking for a job. Bobby Nolan, one of my good friends was employed at Esso Standard Oil Co. Refinery here in Baton Rouge. He suggested that I apply for work in the Accounting Department. After a short interview I was employed at a salary of $315.00 per month. This was a good starting salary at that time. The work was pleasant, five days per week with 2 weeks vacation per year and along with Virginia's salary we felt like we were doing just fine.

Since we had been married in 1947 we both had wanted children. In 1952 the doctor discovered this was impossible for Virginia, so we decided we would try for adoption. We applied at the Volunteers of America office in New Orleans. After several lengthy interviews which took about a year we received a call that a beautiful little 4 month old boy with brown eyes and hair was available in Shreveport. We were very excited and hurried to see this wonderful little child who had come our way. We fell in love with him at first sight and named him David. What a joy he has been for us! The Lord had answered our prayers.

I stayed in the Accounting Department until 1957 and then felt I would be more comfortable working in sales rather than accounting. I applied for a transfer and we were then sent to Memphis where we stayed for about a year. Later another transfer took us to Nashville, and then to Clarksville, Tennessee.

We then decided David needed a little sister, so we applied for another child in Nashville and after about a year, Patricia came along and she fulfilled all our dreams for children. They have been the most wonderful things to ever happen to us. We have always been very proud of both of them.

The cold weather in Tennessee as well as the LSU Tiger football team, was calling us back to Baton Rouge. I decided to resign from Esso and return to go into the service station business. I found a station to purchase and spent the next eight years in this field. It was a great learning experience.

With very little money but an awful lot of credit, I managed to borrow the necessary funds to purchase my inventory such as gasoline, motor oil, tires, batteries and accessories. Hiring of personnel and bookkeeping was a new experience for me also. Virginia had continued to teach during all these career changes.

After eight years in this business, I was able to sell it and go to work in Mayor Dumas' administration for the City of Baton Rouge. I was his Chief Administrative Officer for five years. This was most interesting work in the field of human relations. During this time I was able to meet many high ranking dignitaries and stayed through 2 mayoral elections that Mayor Dumas had won. I really enjoyed these years of public service. After leaving the Mayor's office, I studied real estate, worked with a road contractor and was employed by the L. S. U. Alumni office, while searching for the perfect job for myself and family.

The Joys of Artichokes

It was 1948.  

Not long after moving into our brand new little house on Aster Street, Virginia and I discovered the wonderful taste of fresh buttered artichokes. She had carefully cooked them and melted real butter to dip the leaves into before eating. They were delicious. She and I were having a real party, carefully removing each leaf and dipping them into the melted butter and eating heartily. We enjoyed each morsel of several artichokes for supper that night.

Soon after we retired, I noticed a strange feeling in my stomach, which seemed to get worse the longer I laid in bed. Then it suddenly developed into an emergency situation and I sprang out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I had waited too long!  These slightly digested, well-buttered artichokes came up and almost completely covered the floor and the walls of the hall to the bathroom.

Almost directly behind me in the hall Virginia followed with the same problem I had. She covered the remainder of the hall with her slightly used artichokes: so much so that we both slipped and fell onto the slick floor surface amid all the melted butter and other unidentifiable matter.

Oh, boy. What a "clean-up" party we had after that.

The Day I Quit Smoking

I had been employed at Esso Standard Oil Company in the Accounting office for several years and had been a heavy smoker since teen age years. One of my friends and a co-worker was also a heavy smoker. We each had considered giving up the habit since we were aware of the physical consequences of smoking. At this time the word "cancer" had not been associated with smoking.

One day I read an article in the Reader's Digest about quitting smoking. The author of the article pointed out that on average it took about 3 minutes of time to smoke one cigarette, including the time it took to purchase the product, the matches, and the time it actually took to smoke it. This meant that for each pack of 20 cigarettes, one whole hour of precious time had been consumed for nothing more than adding tar and nicotine to the lungs. At the rate of one pack per day, that meant that seven hours per week had been used only to feed a nasty habit. In addition the cost of the cigarettes and the cost of repairing burned holes in one's clothing was exorbitant. The author of the article asked the question, "What would you do if you had seven additional hours of time each week if you did stop smoking"?

My friend, Enoch said to me one day, "You don't have the guts to quit smoking". This was a real challenge to me so I told him the same thing. We then both agreed that the first one to smoke another cigarette would buy the other one a steak dinner. This was to be on the honor system.

I agreed and we shook hands on this. I immediately called Virginia and told her, "I have just quit smoking". There was about half a pack in my shirt pocket. I decided to leave them there and whenever I wanted to smoke, I would just pat on the pack and silently say, "OK, you're there but I shall not smoke anymore". I was determined in my mind, my heart, and my soul that I would quit. It was the most difficult physical challenge I had ever faced.

The habit was so ingrained into me that I literally wanted a cigarette with the tips of my fingers.

Someone suggested that I chew gum instead of smoking. I must have chewed thousands of packages of Spearmint gum. The suffering was intense for several years, but I gritted my teeth, silently kept repeating my oath, and kept patting the half-empty pack in my shirt pocket while chewing my gum.

It must have taken five years for the urge for a smoke finally left me. I had discovered that I felt better, had fewer colds, food tasted much better and I enjoyed everything in life far more than before. No more coughing phlegm in the mornings, no more dull headaches, no more sinus problems. My sense of smell had returned. Later I learned that smoking had been determined to be a major cause of lung cancer. This was an enormous benefit of quitting.

It has now been almost 50 years since I quit and who knows, I may not have lived this long had I continued. I may not have seen my son David and my daughter Patricia grow and I may not have seen my 5 grand-children. This had been one of the best decisions I had ever made in my life.

The Bus Station

I was home on furlough from the Army when LSU played Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas January 1, 1947.  My brother was playing for LSU at that time. My mother and I decided we would ride the bus from El Dorado to Dallas to see the game.

While waiting to change buses in Texarkana we were standing next to a wall in the crowded waiting room. Earlier she had observed an older man sitting in one of the chairs trying to roll a Bull Durham cigarette who had obviously been drinking heavily. He was dressed in overalls, tennis shoes, and a big straw hat.

She nudged me in the side and whispered, "Watch this". She was an expert "people watcher".

He very shakily found his cigarette papers and "blew" one apart to use. He then slowly opened the small cloth bag of tobacco by using his teeth to pull on the little yellow string opener. He then shakily tried to pour the tiny grains of tobacco into the paper, spilling most of the contents on the floor of the bus station.

After a great struggle with the few grains left in the paper, he carefully licked the paper into a slight roll. It could not have been more than two inches of paper and half dozen tiny grains of tobacco. Then the long search for a match began. After patting all the pockets in his overalls he finally discovered a large kitchen match. With a great flourish he stroked the match against the seat of his overalls and the light flared mightily. When the flame finally reached his short cigarette, there was a sudden "Poof". In an instant the small cigarette was gone, along with his eyebrows and part of the straw hat he had been wearing.

The score in the ball game was LSU 0 ARKANSAS 0

The Crap Game

I had many interesting experiences while I was in the Army, but this one stands out in my memory vividly. I had just arrived at Camp Robinson for induction, along with hundreds of other draftees. There was always a lot of waiting around for roll call, physical exams, uniforms, etc. In the company area there was a small building called the "Day Room". This contained one large pool table and several tables and chairs with a bookcase in the corner where we could read or write letters home while waiting for the next muster and endless roll-call.

There were draftees from all over the country. We were all just waiting for the next orders to do something or other. Right after our monthly payday (Fifty cash dollars), a few of my friends and I strolled down to the day room just to pass a little time. There happened to be a dice game underway on the pool table which was covered by an army blanket.

Naturally we started out just observing the roll of the dice. The game had just started and the bets were only 25 cents. Unbeknown to my mother I had indulged a few times in high school dice games and had been fairly lucky in these games. I searched my pockets and found a dollar which was enough to start with when it came my turn to roll the dice.

I found a place at the table and when my turn came around I started with a 25 cent bet. I rolled the dice and won, and kept the dice as long as I continued to win. I then bet the 50 cents. I rolled the dice and won again. I then bet the $1.00 that was still on the table. I rolled and won again. The game was getting very interesting by that time.

I finally passed the dice to the next soldier and he increased the betting to "no limit". This meant that anyone with the dice may bet as much money as he liked. The "pot" was getting bigger and bigger with each roll of the dice. The crowd of onlooking soldiers increased also.

My winning continued when I would place side bets as others rolled their dice at their turn. When my turn came to roll the dice again I felt real lucky, so I bet $5.00 this time. I rolled the dice and won. Then I bet the $10.00 that was on the table. I rolled the dice and won again. I then bet the $20.00 and won again. I kept going like this for some time, each time betting more and more money and still winning! At one time I had both hands full of money with one and five dollar bills sticking out of each pocket. The excitement of the game kept growing all the time. There must have been over three hundred dollars on the table belonging to me that I had won.

I then decided to bet it all. I shook the dice real well and rolled them on the table. Before they stopped rolling a huge hand and arm came from behind me and grabbed the dice and all the money and thrust it all at me. It was the beloved arm of my good friend, Lance from my home town who had come with me.

Lance was larger than I and somewhat older and wiser. He said, "put all this money in your pocket and come with me". This enraged all the ones who had lost their money to me, and they all wanted to fight me. Big Lance then said to the crowd, "This is my friend and you will have to whip my _ _ _ to get to him and his money". He was well over 6 feet talL And strong as an ox and was ready to defend his friend.

We backed out the door of the day-room while stuffing all those bills into my pocket and headed for the Post Office. I asked Lance, "Why go to the Post Office?" He replied, "You gonna send all this money home to yo' Mama".

Abie never did know where I had gotten all that four hundred dollars.

High School Years

The earliest memory of High School was December 7, 1941. It was a beautiful quiet Sunday morning and as I was walking toward church, I saw several people running out of a drugstore on the square screaming, "The Japs have bombed Pearl Harbor"! I had never heard of Pearl Harbor at the time, so I went into the drug store where the radio was still announcing the news. I could almost hear the "BOOM-BOOM" of the bombs being dropped on the innocent victims. I was to learn more of this later.

I had been looking forward to high school mainly to get into the band program. One of our neighbors had been in the band and I learned a love of music from him at an early age. Of course, I needed an instrument and once again I turned to my mother for this. I'll never know how she found the money to buy a used cornet for me, but somehow she did.

Learning to play the cornet came very easily for me. Our band director ("Boss" Fulkerson) was a great teacher and disciplinarian who was to have a profound influence on my life - both musically and professionally.

We had band practice every day and I developed some life-long friendships there. I especially liked Gene Wilson, Bill Craig, and James Hanry. "Boss" instilled pride in all of us and his favorite motto was "Anything worth doing is worth doing right". We had a large band for a high school (about 80 members), which included such instruments such as French horns, oboes, bassoons, tympany drums, and fifes for use in symphonies.

Our uniforms were beautiful and the music was constantly rehearsed. My special pleasure was marching at half-time for the weekly football games since my older brother (Wren) was a member of the team. I thoroughly enjoyed the four years in the high school band.

Once during my freshman year the entire symphony band was invited to perform in New Orleans where the International Lions Club was having their annual convention. This was a great experience for a 14 year old boy who had never been out of Arkansas before. We all loaded our instruments and ourselves into 2 huge Greyhound buses and started out for the 10 hour journey to a place we had only heard of.

We stayed at a nice hotel near the auditorium. We had a wonderful time, not only performing but just looking up at the tall buildings we had never seen before. The performances by the band went well and some of the sights we saw were very exciting for us kids. We saw street entertainers, and also shoe-shine boys who had their own little portable kits. This contained the polish, a cloth, and a brush. The price for a shine was 15 cents (or a nickel for a dust-off). We settled for a 5 cent dust-off.

The concert was well-received in the largest auditorium we had ever seen. We played many of the John Phillip Souza marches as well as Beethoven, Lizst and Shubert compositions.

My grades in band were always straight A's and English grammar did not cause any hardship at all. Typing was also a very interesting subject for me. I sometimes struggled in some of my other courses, such as algebra, trigonometry, and science. There came a time that I even thought about leaving school early and joining the service since WW II was still raging at that time. After a long talk with my band director, "Boss" Fulkerson, I changed my mind and finally graduated in May 1945. One week later I was drafted into the U. S. Army.

I also worked after school at odd jobs such as bagging groceries, working behind the soda fountain at the drug store and bus-boy at a cafe. One summer I worked with a construction crew helping to build an airport near our town. All this experience was to be very helpful to me later on.

One Motorcycle Ride

I must have been about 15 years of age when I heard the distinctive sound of a huge motorcycle come roaring up to the side of our house in El Dorado, Arkansas.  The driver stopped his big machine facing the closed entrance to a large corrugated tin garage next door. The driver was an older friend of ours who wanted to show off his new motorcycle.

After saying hello, I followed him out to examine the big machine more closely. It was a brand new Harley-Davidson, huge and shiny. The more I admired the enormous motorcycle the more I wanted take a ride on it. Finally I talked my friend into allowing me to just sit on it. Naturally I wanted to start it just hear it go "VAROOOOM, VAROOOOM."

Sure enough my friend offered me the key and said, "OK, go ahead and start it." He stood way back from me. I turned the switch on and gave it a big kick with my right leg to start it. In a split second it sounded like a cannon had exploded as this huge projectile sailed completely through the closed door of this garage at full-speed with an enormous crash with me holding on for dear life!

In the blink of an eye I discovered that I had landed upside down underneath a big truck that was parked inside the garage. The motor was still running full-speed with the back wheel going faster and faster all the time.

Somehow I was able to find the ignition switch to turn it off and amazingly I lived to tell the tale, without so much as a scratch. The garage had a huge hole where the motorcycle and I had gone completely through it.

That was the last time I ever got on any motorcycle.

The Star Theater

There was an old fashioned movie house about a mile from our home in El Dorado, called the "Star". The admission was only a nickel to attend, and always showed black and white cowboy movies on Saturdays. Usually there was a double feature and sometimes a serial action movie that continued for weeks at a time. Also there many comedy movies with Mickey Mouse, Laurel and Hardy, and the Three Stooges. Then there were the Movietone News and sometimes Travelogues that showed movies of many foreign places that I found most interesting.

Some of my favorite cowboys were: "Buck" Jones, Tim McCoy, Hopalong Cassidy and "Hoot" Gibson. Tarzan was also one of my favorite serials. Tarzan would usually be almost eaten by a crocodile while swimming to rescue someone, and then be continued next week when he would miraculously survive. Then he would go on another life-saving adventure atop a huge elephant, along with his monkey friend, Cheetah.

Many Saturday afternoons our mother would send Wren and me to the Star. She would give each of us a nickel for the show and a nickel for candy. I preferred the 5 cent grab-bag which always contained a yellow banana sucker along with a little surprise such as a little toy beetle, which went "click-click" when pressed together.

After the first movie and comedy were completed I would be ready to go home. My brother Wren would not allow me to go by myself so he would hold me down in my seat until I cried myself to sleep. He wanted to see the whole show over and over again. I remember several times waking up after the theater would close. All the lights would be on and I would wonder where we were. Then Wren would "drag" me all the way home.

Since the admission price was only a nickel, the show was well attended, mostly by young people. Later the admission price was an old used automobile tire. We would always find one somewhere and roll it all the way to the show. You could hear us "slap-slapping" our tires while rolling them all the way from home to the Star Theater.

Glorious Football

Southside Elementary School even had a football team at that time. I was in the third grade and wanted to play with my big brother Wren in this game, so I went out for the team. Our coach was Mr. Waddell, Wren played guard and we had a 92 pound quarterback named Dale Gray. He was "fast as lightning."

At that time, the teams played both offense and defense. Since I was the smallest kid on the team I was assigned to play center position, right next to my big brother. Uniforms were unheard of at that time so we played without helmets or shoulder pads, and some of us even played barefooted.

The "big game" between Southside and another school across town had started. The other team had the ball on their own 10 yard line, with 90 yards to go for a touchdown. They had the biggest and strongest quarterback in town. His name was "Big Veldon". I thought he looked big and ugly. He looked six feet tall, probably about 18 years old, and he must have weighed 150 pounds or more.

The ball was snapped to Big Veldon and he took the ball and came charging straight up the middle of the line toward me. He looked like a huge rampaging, wild elephant! I either had to jump on him or get out of his way. He would not be stopped. I made a giant leap onto his back and circled his body with my legs and held on for dear life. He carried me the entire length of the football field and scored a touchdown for his team with me riding on his back. They went on to win that football game.

It was then that I decided that football was not my favorite game.

Early Childhood

As kids, my older brother Wren and I were normal in every way and occasionally we required discipline of various kinds. Our mother’s favorite method was to say, "Go bring me a switch" if we had been especially bad. She had a favorite peach tree in the yard, and it didn’t take very long for Wren and me to kill this tree by removing the limbs and providing them to her.

Wren and I were both in elementary school in El Dorado, Arkansas. Our principal’s name was Miss Ellis. She and our mother (Abie) were great friends. If Miss Ellis had to correct either of us with a paddle, Abie would repeat the process of correction with her peach tree switch when we got home. There were some very good teachers including Mr. Waddell, Miss Eula Good Goodwin, Miss O’Laughton, Miss Bishop, and my favorite, Miss Mouton.

I have many great memories of Southside School including a spelling bee when I was in about the 4th grade. I always loved reading and I was a pretty good student. In the school spelling bee I was left on stage with one other student. My word to spell was "aim". In my anxiety to spell it right, I quickly spelled it "Ame". This of course eliminated me, but I have never forgotten how to spell this word.

My first day in the third grade was spent in a hospital. The day before school started, my brother and I and several friends had been playing in a large lumber yard which contained hundreds of large logs that had been piled high by a local lumber company. We thought it was great fun to jump across one log to another.

It was almost dark and I tried to jump across a large log when it suddenly started rolling toward me. I jumped off backward from the log and it continued to roll, pinning one of my legs between it and another log. The pain was unbearable and I must have fainted. The next thing I knew I was being shaken from side to side. When I woke up I was in the arms of a large boy who had picked me up and was running to my home with me. He and my brother had lifted the log off my leg. Fortunately no bones were broken, but the nerves in my left leg are still dead.

The third grade was quite an eventful year for me. My parents had separated and my father was no longer living at our home. I could not comprehend the meaning of this at the time, and I missed my father very much.

Valentine's day was very important to all third grade students.  Each student was expected to buy a valentine for his or her special friend in the same room.  These cards cost about 1 cent each and at that time my mother did not have this kind of money to give to me.  I was feeling very sorry for myself.

About the middle of the day, there was a knock on the classroom door. The teacher went to the door and then turned and motioned for me to come to the door. I had a visitor! There stood my father who had a paper sack filled with enough Valentine cards for me to give to each of my 25 classmates. I was the proudest child in school that day, and I have never forgotten this act of kindness by my father.

Most Sundays our mother would drag us "kicking and screaming" (not really) to Church and Sunday School at a Methodist Church near our home. Sunday School proved to be interesting, but Church service seemed to last an eternity. At about 13 years of age I asked my mother, "Which church should I join?" She told me to visit several other churches with several of my friends and then select any mainline church that I would be most comfortable with a good youth program and then join it and support it. I took her advice and joined the Methodist Church after visiting several others.

She also somehow provided 3 meals a day and at practically every mealtime she would talk to us about honesty, integrity, hard work, how to handle adversity and to be responsible for all our actions. She would also listen to our opinions and would encourage us to do our best at anything we tried.

The main source of income for my undereducated mother (she finished only the third grade) was a small restaurant near the school she called the "Kleen Kitchen". She cooked and served hamburgers and soft drinks only and with our help she managed to provide for Wren and me.

One of my greatest joys as a child was a pair of roller skates my mother provided for Christmas. The skate key was my most prized possession. At this time we lived about a mile from school and I soon wore these skates out by skating to school and back on the sidewalk.