LET'S CELEBRATE!

If any of you have checked the blog lately, you may have heard a song playing that does not fall under "traditional" Christmas music. Of course, it's not. It's a traditional Jewish folk song. ~ one you even may have danced to if you have been fortunate enough to attend any Jewish celebration. I went to an engagement party in Brooklyn one year, and had a wonderful time dancing to Hava Nagila!

You may or may not know that the Jewish holiday, Chanukah (or Hanukkah) begins at sundown on the 21st of December this year. At that time, the first candle of the menorah will be lit. Each night during the next eight days, another candle will be lit. There are beautiful Jewish songs that are sung before and after the lighting of the menorah, however, I was unable to put them on the playlist of music that I have on this site -- they just weren't available there. I did find a wonderful website that explains a lot about Chanukah, it's meaning, prayers, songs, and sacred traditions:

http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/media_cdo/aid/104620/jewish/Ner-Rishon.htm

I encourage you to visit this site. I promise you, you will not be disappointed. There are many delightful songs and a wealth of information about the Jewish faith. I have bookmarked it for my personal perusal in the coming year. I am woefully ignorant of this faith, as I am of so many others in the world. I remember when I was young I felt sorry for the Jewish children, as they did not celebrate Christmas, i.e., get all the presents!! Then I was told that during Chanukah each child was given presents every night during the eight-day celebration. Wow! A whole week of receiving gifts! My bubble burst when I was told that only one present per night was given, and that might be one of a pair of gloves one night, and its mate the next!

I am reminded of the first time I experienced religious ignorance as a young child. I was seven and attending a (protestant) church with my great-grandmother in San Antonio. A little boy in my Sunday School class was extolling about the beautiful interior of a church he had seen while passing by when the doors were open. He told of many candles lit, and described an altar with a cross and statues. I was frightened by the reaction of our teacher that morning. She immediately scolded him and told him to never go into such a church -- to pass it by quickly, as they were "idol worshipers", and God would be angry with them and him, too, if he ever went inside. I was more than a little confused, as I had been so enthralled with a loving God -- one who loved all the little children, "red and yellow, black or white, they are precious in His sight" -- an all-encompassing, forgiving, loving Father. How could this same God not be proud to have a pretty church in which we could worship Him? I struggled with many similar questions for years in my youth.

One of my favorite memories of Christmas is of trying to "catch" Santa in the act! I was determined this could be done if I could only stay awake! One year we spent Christmas at my paternal grandparents who lived on a ranch in Miles at the time. This was the first time in my memory that there was an actual fireplace in the living room, with the Christmas tree standing beside it. Santa would surely come down that chimney! That night my sister and I were to sleep in twin beds in the guest room. I had the ingenious idea that if we tied a string to our big toes and stretched it from one bed to the other, we could keep each other awake by pulling on the string when we thought the other was falling asleep! So much for that good idea. After several tugs, we both fell asleep at the same time!

I got a few responses after the Thanksgiving blog. PAUL MOTA wrote this:

"My daughter and the grandchildren spent a few days over Thanksgiving and even our son-in-law managed to arrive on Wednesday after dealing with pet problems in Houston. But we all had a great time and at our age, we have to cherish all the good times available to us. Our plans are to spend a few days in Houston over the Christmas holidays. I hope all of the Class of '57 have a great Christmas."

"Merry Christmas and a Harley New Year!" wrote TER COTHRAN. He was to take his lady friend (not on the Harley, I hope) this weekend to the Glendale Police Association's annual Christmas party, which he attends as often as he can. Then he is delivering Christmas gifts to his daughter and her husband, Amy and Paul.

Someone asked me what my Christmas plans are this year. Whoa! Do we have plans!! This year most of the family will meet at my daughter Carajean's home in Amarillo. I got a tentative count of around twenty who will be in attendance. My sister is too ill to travel, so her family won't be represented. One year we had over 30 sleep over. There were beds everywhere! I went to let the dog out through the laundry room, and discovered an air mattress next to the dog's bed. My great-nephew Justin had decided to come at the last minute, so he got the "dog house"! This was in 2000, and the year a lot of us got snowed in! It was also the year that the day everyone finally started to leave, a vicious stomach virus began to make the rounds. It was a memorable Christmas for many reasons!

My daughter's home is extremely large. So large that when they moved in, my granddaughter Ashlyn, who was only three years old, complained loudly about how far it was from her room in one wing to the kitchen, family room, and Mom and Dad's room in the other wing. She shortened that distance by riding her tricycle to get from one room to the other! In 2000, my dear mother who was suffering early stages of Alzheimer's kept getting lost trying to find her room. Once we found her at the door to the garage. She was puzzling over the Security Alarm buttons by the door. When I asked her what she was doing there, she said she was trying to open the door to her room! When I told her where she was, she said, "Oh! I thought this was a hotel."

There are five (5) fireplaces in their home. How confused Santa must be when he delivers the goods to that family! In 2000 he made a personal appearance on Christmas Eve, but the two youngest children were frightened by him, so he was asked to keep his visit secret in the future!

So many in the family are musical, that we started a tradition of singing Christmas carols and having everyone who plays an instrument perform for us when we are together.. Usually on Christmas Eve. Since we started this tradition, there are six more grandchildren (two are BOB and Ann's) added to our family. Carajean and her family play stringed instruments ~ Carrie plays viola, the two girls play violin, and her son plays cello. Her husband Branch took piano lessons, so maybe he will accompany us this year. My son Craig, who played guitar at Carajean and Branch's wedding, always delights us with Christmas music. Now his son Cameron plays guitar also, and has been requested to sing some operatic music (not accompanied by his guitar!) for his Aunt Carrie this Christmas. I remember the first Christmas he performed. Not having discovered his "voice" yet, he played a short piece for us on his harmonica! I'm not certain what the other "little" ones will do this year, but I'm certain they will perform in one way or another. I hear that Travis (age 6) and his little sister Kelly (age 3) have been learning a piece to play on the piano for us. The ones of us who are musically challenged will be more than happy to join in the chorus when the carols are sung!

During all the celebrations, BOB (BURTON) reigns king over Carrie's kitchen. (Although, Ann is the reigning queen of omelets, even flipping them into the air!) He is quite the gourmet cook, and most of the women are happy to relinquish the cooking to him. We do join in for cleanups, however, and I can be talked into making a salad or two, and maybe a vegetable casserole. I will bring my gingerbread men and decorated Christmas cookies for the little ones, fudge for the big boys, and we all usually join in to help create a gingerbread house for the annual contest held by the Archer clan. I am really looking forward to this family get-together, as you can probably tell.

One more thing before I close. DORIS (STOKES) AND DON WHITE have twin grandsons who are five months old now. When I went to get the flu vaccine in September, I ran into DORIS. Her daughter and those adorable twins, three months old at the time, were in the car. DORIS told me at the time that one of the babies had a stroke shortly after being born, but no effects had shown up yet. She recently emailed me the following: "My new grandsons will be five months old the seventeenth. Garison and Graham are their names. Garison had a stroke ~ we are not sure when, but we discovered it when he was three weeks old. He is doing okay for now, so please keep him in your prayers. We are doing fine. Hope you are the same. MERRY CHRISTMAS." May these beautiful babes be happy and healthy.

And may you all be happy and healthy now and throughout the coming year. As Tiny Tim said, "God bless us everyone."

Marilyn

POST-THANKSGIVING GREETINGS

I hope all of you enjoyed your Thanksgiving as much as I did. However, I hope you didn't put on the pounds like I did! I was so glad I took a pair of my "fat" jeans with me to Austin. As I prepared to make the trek home, those "fat" jeans were the only ones that I could button! I know I gained at least five pounds. Everywhere I went the desserts were so tempting. I ate pumpkin pie, French silk pie, peach cobbler, chocolate cloud cookies, and oh, so divine New York cheesecake. All in more than one sitting, of course. I also put away an inordinate amount of ham, turkey and dressing, sweet potato and apple casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, and assorted other vegetable casseroles. You know, it's fun being the guest at such feasts. That means you rarely do much of the cooking or planning. And sometimes you even miss the cleanup! More time to relax and eat.

We had some pretty big eaters at my son's house, as is evident from the following photo:

Here are some of the latest medical updates:

“I have not had any more heart problems; the monitor is in there just waiting for something to go wrong. Thank goodness I have had no problems. The battery is good for 3 years, so they plan to leave it in..”…ROSALYN URBANTKE HOELSCHER

"I will be dancing at my first granddaughter's wedding in December! The leg is doing great. Glad to hear all the rest are doing well, too."...BARB SHARPES BROOKS

JERLENE PIEL STEEL has also had good health news for two members of her family in recent months. One has had successful cancer treatment, and the other surgery on his knee. She had requested prayers for them.

In a recent blog post I wrote about WALTER and Diana THOMAS'S son, Gregory, undergoing treatment for a malignant pancreatic tumor. I am so happy to report that he has had successful surgery. Diana forwarded an email that Gregory's wife, Imelda, wrote to all their family and friends. It was a lengthy, heartwarming story of the events leading up to his hospital stay and the surgery. I want to share a small portion of what she wrote about their wait during the surgery:

“..And then I prayed. And then I texted most of you all to help me pray. And then guess what? God heard us all! His (the surgeon’s) assistant came back an hour or so later and said ‘They got it out! All of it!! It just slipped off the artery!!’ A miracle had been granted to us! I couldn’t believe it!! …Greg is in recovery now and will be for six weeks. It’s not been easy for him so far but I know we’ll get through it. The doctors think that this operation may have been curative for him. I witnessed a miracle!! I live with one!”…Imelda Thomas

I know all of you have been concerned about IRENE PIEL BATTS. I have good news to report. Not only is she feeling much better -- no longer feeling the side effects of the chemotherapy or radiation, but she is now buzzing around her house making plans for Christmas. There is only a small place that hasn't completely healed on her leg from the transplant area. This week, the best news of all -- she had the tracheotomy tube removed and they tested her swallowing of food-like substances. By the time you read this, she may be eating small amounts of food for the first time since her surgery. So far, she has been amazing in her ability to cope with all of this, and seems to be healing at a rapid pace. She will undergo more oral surgery, but it will be nothing like the major ordeal she went through in the last one. Please keep her in your prayers, and of course send thanks for all of the prayers answered thus far.

Well, guys, you know what's coming up next! I wish I could say I am prepared, but I'm afraid this year I am woefully behind on my Christmas preparations. I'm still in the afterglow of a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends.

It just keeps getting better and better. Keep the good stuff coming...and enjoy the holiday season we are about to experience!

Peace on earth,

Marilyn

ARMISTICE DAY 2008 -A.K.A. VETERANS DAY

J.F.Moragne (2nd from left) May 1952
San Antonio, TX

November 4th ~ Election Day ~ happened to be my dad's 90th birthday. I made the 3-hour drive to Mineral Wells to spend the day with him, and to reminisce about his 90 years on this earth. My daughter wanted me to take him to lunch on her credit card, so I asked where he would like to eat. Of all places, his favorite is Long John Silver in Weatherford. As we got settled into our booth to eat, we chit-chatted a bit. Toward dessert, I made the comment that I don't know how he keeps from being a butterball the way he eats anything he wants -- especially fried foods, and never gains weight. He informed me that he weighed the same now that he did when he was 18 years old and boxing for the Army. 137 pounds!

That started my questions. I knew he had some kind of title, but not what. It seems he was Lightweight Boxing Champ for his Regiment at Ft. Sam Houston. Somewhere in all my boxes of photos and memorabilia are some better pictures than what I have put on the blog this time, but these will suffice. Sorry, Dad. Wish I had planned this sooner. The pictures below were taken during his first tour of duty with the U.S. Army. He joined when he was only 17 years old. I'm not certain what the "uniform" on the left was for, surely it was not regulation! During this time, Dad said he weighed every morning. He couldn't afford to gain a pound. He did not want to be bumped into the Welterweight Division! Those guys were big!

He finished that three year stint, then married my mother and they had me and my sister before the Big War, WWII.

1st Tour of Duty ~ Ft. Sam Houston ~ Regimental Lightweight Boxing Champ

One thing led to another, and I remembered photos like these below from World War II. I think I mentioned in another blog that Dad never really wanted to talk about his war experiences when we were young. I thought this was a good time to ask. I knew he was a paratrooper, but didn't know the whole story. Really funny incidents took place when he was sent to Ft. Meade, Maryland waiting for deployment to the South Pacific. To entertain the soldiers, they held boxing matches. The winner would get a 3-day pass. Well, Dad's experience when he was a young soldier champion boxer served him well. He said he kept winning matches. He would have weekends off, then add on the 3-day pass for five days in a row. When he returned, he boxed for the next couple of days, won again, and again. He said the whole time he was there all he did was box and take leave.

Although Dad's Unit never made a combat jump, after paratrooper training in New Guinea they made a jump onto Okinawa, where they did a cleanup action on the caves in the mountains. Looking for anti-aircraft guns. They were there when the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Japanese surrendered. His Unit was the second one sent into Japan for the Occupation.

With Occupation Forces ~ Japan 1945
First Sergeant Jarvis F. Moragne

At this point Dad was naming the villages they covered in the mountains. Good memory for 90 years old! I really wished I had had a tape recorder so I could get this straight. They sent patrols into the villages to destroy all the guns. As Dad was the oldest in his group of men, he was given the noncom rank of First Sergeant. Dad started grinning as he remembered how the Japanese didn't show any respect at all for the military unless they were officers. Noncoms didn't count. In order to get the cooperation of the villagers, the sergeants like my dad were given lieutenant bars to wear. He said as soon as the Japanese spotted bars on his shoulders, they began to bow and nod in deference to his "rank".

As you can see from the pictures, it was snowing heavily at the time they were there. At one village they met with the villagers at the public school. The village officials adamantly denied they had any guns at all. However, tracks in the snow led Dad and his men to the huge anti-aircraft gun they had just moved to hide from the Americans. He still laughs about that. The Kamikaze glider pilots trained in these same mountains, so another one of Dad's duties there was to destroy any of the gliders still around. They also went into the schools and looked for books on aerodynamics and destroyed them, too.

Suddenly Dad looked at me and said, "You know there were concentration camps there, too." Yes, I knew, because as a young child I had seen lots of photographs in his scrapbook of piles of pitiful looking bodies as well as bones and skulls. There were mass graves being dug in these pictures. Dad said only one of the camps had American POWs, and the first Unit to go into Japan released them and they were already gone when Dad's Unit arrived. There were four more -- all containing Chinese and Koreans in terrible physical condition. (Images of the Holocaust came to mind.) I said that must have been horrible! He looked at me and said, "Yes, but we had a job to do." (They had to release the prisoners and bury bodies.) I said, "What a terrible thing to witness at such a young age".. He proudly said, "I was 26 years old!" At that moment, I knew it was that young 26-year-old man in charge of men in their teens that spoke to me. "But Dad, think about it. Your grandsons are all older than that! You were just a kid!" He lowered his head, and those frail shoulders began to shake. I think for the first time, in that near empty fast food restaurant, my father allowed himself to feel what he really must have gone through at that terrible time. He and I both shed silent tears for that young man, who was strong and courageous for the sake of the younger men under his command at the time.

(Below) Master Sergeant Jarvis F. Moragne ~ 4th Army HQ ~ Ft. Sam Houston, TX
Exercise Long Horn ~ 3 April 1952

Dad was called up to serve his country one more time during the Korean Conflict. A small Army Reserve Unit in Bronte, Texas got him to join them - really against his wishes. Naturally, they were the first to be called up when fighting broke out. This time he spent his tour of duty at 4th Army Headquarters in Ft. Sam Houston, Texas. Although most of his work was Top Secret, I did learn many years later that he was one of only three Master Sergeants that General Eisenhower recruited to be on his staff when SHAPE was formed in Europe in 1951. My mother threw such a fit because we couldn't join Dad for a year (I think it was in Paris), that he turned it down. Of course, it also meant he would have had to sign on for more years of duty. He was anxious by now (at 33) to start his own business.

I know you all could tell stories of your fathers' military service to our country, and many of you have your own stories to relate. Here's a salute to all of them and all of you! We honor you. We love the soldiers, but I think we all can agree, we hate the wars!

HAPPY 90TH BIRTHDAY, DADDY!

I'd like to close this with a quote I stole from my son Craig's blog:

"The United States of America is still run by its citizens. The government works for us. Rank imperialism and warmongering are not American traditions or values. We do not need to dominate the world. We want and need to work with other nations. We want to find solutions other than killing people. Not in our name, not with our money, not with our children's blood." ~ Molly Ivins

Nor our husbands' nor our fathers'..
Marilyn

GOOD NEWS TIME

JIM & BETTY COWLISHAW
November 7, 2008

Every now and then we need to remember all the things we have overcome at our age. As our bodies “out-age” our minds, it’s easy to become a little negative and worry that we might be falling apart. Especially when we have suffered some tragic losses among our friends and family members. There have been many success stories among us over the past year or so. Here’s some of the “good stuff” that’s been happening:

NYDAH ELLET had knee surgery shortly after the reunion in ’07. Here’s what she has to say today about having had a double knee replacement: “Yes, I am dancing and my teacher says that I look stronger than ever. Also Yoga is in my life. I would recommend the surgery but only if one totally commits to the immediate walking and physical therapy. Otherwise, you had the surgery for nothing.”

JAMES HAYS had heart bypass surgery and may already have his pilot’s license back. This is what he recently wrote: “The ticker keeps on ticking like the Duracell bunny. Actually, I'm fixed for quite a while, probably years. I'm in more danger from jealous husbands (dream on).” James’s wife Kay also had a successful hip replacement not too long back.

JUNE HASH CURRY underwent back surgery last year that caused her to miss the reunion. This year she has undergone wonderfully successful physical therapy that has kept her from having to have additional surgery for upper back pain. She can now enjoy playing hours of bridge!

PEGGY VIRDEN SHARP had heart valve repair surgery shortly after the reunion last year. The last we talked, she had been taken off nearly all medication, and except for being slowed down a little, she is back to her normal, busy lifestyle.

JANICE AMARINE suffered from a fractured hip this past summer that crimped her style for a while, but she told me that has healed now.

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PEGGY BRANHAM KRUMLINDE had a brief scare with a health checkup a few months

ago that turned out to be nothing to worry about. More of her “good stuff” was a lucky “little” win on a slot machine.

ROSALYN URBANTKE HOELSCHER was in the hospital at the time of our Class Reunion with heart problems. Some of us spoke with her by telephone at that time. Since then, in spite of a couple of scary episodes, ROSALYN had a monitor implanted to regulate her heart rhythm. The last we spoke she felt this would be the resolution of some of the episodes she had suffered. She was well enough to celebrate her and Nolan’s 50^th Wedding Anniversary at the end of August, looking beautiful and healthy!

GENE ROUTH missed the reunion last year due to a broken ankle. The last report I had from him, he had mended nicely.

I’ve made inquiries of RODNEY FLANAGAN and BARBARA SHARPES BROOKS in regards to their respective knee surgeries. I am assuming “no news is good news” and they have put their new knees to good use!

IRENE PIEL BATTS is still being challenged by the treatments she has undergone in recent months. However, she is courageously fighting the good fight, and I feel she will head the next list of our success stories. Keep sending her loving energy and prayers.

While we’re at it, now is a really good time to count our blessings and give gratitude for all of the above successes. Who says “good stuff” doesn’t happen?

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Two remarkable things in the news recently left me in awe of where modern science is taking us. The first thing was last Sunday on 60 Minutes. Researchers have developed a way to put electrodes on the brain of patients who are paralyzed that enable them to actually use a computer by THINKING!! In one instance, they have actually surgically implanted the electrodes into a woman's brain. Still in a developmental stage, but already working, is a small computer on a wheelchair. They showed the woman able to operate the wheelchair with her thoughts from a distance! Soon she will be able to use it and get around unaided.

The possibilities of enabling paralyzed people to lead useful lives again - in some cases, walk again, and amazingly, in the future for amputees to be able to operate artificial limbs by thinking... Wellll, let me say I think this is nothing short of miraculous.

The next item that amazed me was this: “Scientists reported decoding the entire genetics of a cancer cell.” By doing this, they are looking at personalizing treatment for an individual's DNA makeup (one size does NOT fit all) and cure more cancers than ever. It is going to happen in our lifetime, folks!

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Election Day I set out early for Mineral Wells to spend the day with my dad, who turned 90 years of age. I want to tell you in another blog about that poignant visit. For now, let me say it was a magical day for me, and I kept getting sidetracked to take photos of all the beauty in our little part of the world. Here is one of my favorites: (Who needs New England?)

Bayou Road One Lane Bridge

Burkett, Texas

Oh yes, before I forget... The episode I had last November and the trip I took by helicopter are only a distant memory now. I take my daily aspirin and exercise more than I used to. More of a hindrance to my everyday life has been the horrendous reaction I had to the chemicals used for ridding the orphan kittens and then my house of fleas this past summer. I just finished the third round of steroids. I'm happy to report that I no longer have to wear gloves to carry out my everyday activities! I'm tempted to try to catch up on all I had to leave undone, but will be more than satisfied to be able to do this blog and type answers to my emails without the gloves! The work will be there another day. Thanks to those of you who sent me such good wishes for my recovery. JUNE, you in particular!

A side note: My beautiful ballerina granddaughter Audrey who also plays the violin so sweetly I cry, has decided to major in "Environmental Science" and pre-med. Environmental illnesses are causing more of our ills than ever before, according to my Dr. McKinnon.

Before I go, I want to send condolences to NANCY THOMPSON BAKER, who lost an older brother this week. She is in Houston for his funeral as I write this.

Let me hear from all of you. I know there has been a lot of "good stuff" going on in YOUR lives ~ hasn't there?

Peace and love,

Marilyn

'TIL NEXT TIME, JERRY

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush,
I am in the graceful rush
Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room.
I am in the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there. I do not die.

~Mary Frye

Jerry Lynn Davis

Friday, October 31, 2008

Jerry Lynn Davis Sr. "Geepaw"

Abilene

Jerry Lynn Davis Sr. "Geepaw" of Abilene passed away on Tuesday, October 28 at his home with his loving family close by. A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, November 1, 11:00 AM at Baker Heights Church of Christ under the direction of North's Funeral Home, 242 Orange. His remains will be interred at the Abilene Texas State Veterans Cemetery when it opens in 2009.

Jerry was born in Ballinger, TX July 10, 1939 to Sidney Estes and Mae Belle. Jerry married Carolyn Marie Green on April 7, 1962 in Winters, TX. He attended Ballinger High School and joined the Army with his brother Gene in 1957. He faithfully served his country in the Army as a Military Policeman in Vietnam, a recruiter and working with young troops as a career counselor. He retired from the Army as a Sergeant First Class in 1978 to San Angelo, TX where he attended ASU and earned an Associate Degree in Business in 1980. He joined the U.S. Postal Service in 1982 working as a clerk, carrier, and custodian during his 20-year career. Jerry served as an elder of the North Main Church of Christ, in Winters and loved volunteering at Hendrick Medical Center. He was a member of Baker Heights Church of Christ for 14 years. Jerry loved High School football, Volkswagens, and visiting people. Jerry was known for his love of people and his sense of humor.

He is survived by his wife Carolyn of Abilene, his three children Jerry Jr., Karen and her husband Steve, DeDe and her husband Vance; six grandchildren Quinten, Madison, Ashten, Avery, Logan, and Meadow; his brothers Wilburn and Gene; his dog Eddie and so many close friends who will miss his friendship and sense of humor. The family would like to give thanks to Dr. Hirsch, and all of the wonderful nurses that cared for him.

Accepting donations in lieu of flowers to Baker Heights Church of Christ and Hendrick Hospice Care.

online condolences may be sent to www.northsfuneralhome.com

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I know each of you join me in sending our condolences to Carolyn and her family at this time of loss. JERRY will be missed by all who knew him.

Peace and love,
Marilyn

MORE HITCHHIKING ADVENTURES

Ter Cothran sent the following: “Your blog on hitchhiking was most interesting and brought up an old memory.

It was the summer of 1955 and I was at the Hillcrest Drive-In watching a movie called Lullaby of Broadway, with James Cagney and Doris Day. I went to the snack bar during intermission and started talking to Jimmie Robbins. We somehow got on the subject of seeing the state of Colorado. Before I knew how it happened we were making plans to go THAT NIGHT. At the time I had a 1951 Henry J that was not in the best shape. Jimmie didn't have a car so it was decided that we would set out in my Henry J as soon as we could get home and get some clothes packed. We didn't tell our parents we were going and left about midnight on our journey to see Colorado.

About half way to Winters, my Henry J gave up and the engine blew. We pulled into an old abandoned gas station and left the Henry J behind in the weeds. (I never did go back for it and to my knowledge it could still be there).

We started walking and there was no traffic on the highway at all that night. We walked all the way to Winters and about sunup we were hitchhiking somewhere on the north side of Winters when we caught a ride. When we reached Abilene we caught another ride and continued on going west to Sweetwater and then on to Lubbock. I can't recall exactly how many different rides we picked up before we arrived in Santa Fe. In Santa Fe we caught a ride with a gentleman in a black '54 Chevrolet pickup. He took us all the way to Durango, Colorado and even bought our meals on the way.

Outside Durango we were walking again and had our thumbs out to catch another ride when we were stopped by the Colorado Highway Patrol. Unknown to us, it was illegal to hitchhike in the state of Colorado. When the patrolman found out we were only 16 years old he took us to the station and got on the phone to our parents. He asked my dad what he wanted them to do with us and my dad, being my dad, said, "I guess you had better turn them loose so they can get home ‘cause I'm sure as hell not coming up there after them". Jimmie's mom had a flame-out and started crying and came completely unglued and went to my parents house wanting to know what to do about getting us home. My dad said, "They got up there okay on their own, they can get back the same way", and we did.

So, that was the great hitchhiking experience of 1955. Jimmie's mom got over it, but never was too cool on Jimmie hanging out with me after that. We remained good friends until his death, ....... God rest his soul. In 1961 while hitchin' from Fort Carson, Colorado to Los Angeles, I passed over many of the same highways that Jimmie and I had traveled on our adventure, and I smiled.” …TER

Keep the memories coming in to me! Does anyone have any ghost stories to share? It's almost Halloween, you know.

Pay attention to all the "good stuff" happening. And don't forget to VOTE!

'Til next time,

Marilyn

HITCHING A RIDE

By GLENN SMITH

“Driving out of Abilene the other day, I saw a man waving a hand-lettered sign. "NEED A RIDE SOUTH," it said. I was doing 70; I didn't stop. Neither did other cars.

Got me thinking. I had driven the road from Ballinger to Abilene and back 78 times in the past 100 days. This was the first hitchhiker I'd seen in that time. Very different from 50 years ago. I wondered how many members of the class of ‘57 had used their thumbs to get rides.

JAMES HAYS and I caught three rides to Guadalupe Mountain in December 1956 (Reunion Handbook). That was my first experience hitchhiking. Eight months later, in the summer of '57, I hitched from Abilene to near Fort Worth to visit NYDAH ELLET whose mother and stepfather had recently moved there. Took five hours and three rides on a Saturday.

Another weekend guest at NYDAH's mother's house agreed to my request for a ride to Ballinger as he was headed there the next morning. He and his wife were from Ballinger. He had a Taylorcraft, a two place, side by side, high wing airplane. As dawn was breaking, he and I bounced down a grass runway on the south side of Arlington. Trouble was he hadn't slept for a couple of days. A few feet off the ground, climbing nicely, his eyes closed. His head hung loose as he went fast asleep. At first I felt panic but, as his hand slipped from the control yoke to his lap, I touched the wheel in front of me and knew I could fly the plane. I hadn't been in a Taylorcraft before, but I had logged nearly ten hours of flying time in similar planes. I spotted the road to Brownwood, decided 1500 feet above the ground was a good altitude, and actually enjoyed the flight. This was before I got lost flying from Brownwood to Ballinger nine weeks later (for those who remember that account in a previous blog entry.)

An hour and a half after takeoff, Bruce Field appeared. I felt sure I could land the plane, was nearing the turn on final approach to the runway, when I decided I ought to try waking him. His eyes opened during the second vigorous shake. He reached for the control wheel, said "looks like we're here," rolled into a left turn and executed a perfect landing. He taxied, parked, shut the engine down. "Guess I had too many beers last night." I didn't think he wanted me to agree, so I kept quiet.

That Taylorcraft trip was the only hitching I did by air. It taught me that when begging free rides the unexpected is usual.

During 1957 to 1959, JERRY EOFF and I hitched our way from Ballinger to Abilene (we both went to Abilene Christian) and back to Ballinger a number of times. Sometimes we joined each other but often it was a solo effort. I don't recall his parents or mine encouraging our thumbing rides, but I also don't remember that they objected.

One day we caught a ride that dropped us off south of Abilene. We stood for about ten minutes before a shiny Ford sedan stopped almost beside us. Usually by the time a driver saw us at highway speed, and took a long enough look to decide we were okay to stop for, the vehicle would be 20 to 40 yards past where we stood. Then we'd run toward it, hoping the driver wouldn't race away showering us with gravel. That happened only once, but it made a strong impression.

The gleaming Ford was immaculate. We both sat on the bench front seat with me in the middle. As the driver accelerated, I noticed that the speedometer went from 0 to 140. "Will it go that fast," I naively asked. "Don't know," he replied. "Picked it up from the dealer a few minutes ago." His foot went to the floorboard. "Let's see. It has the biggest engine Ford makes."

As the speedometer needle passed 126, the right front tire blew. Of course we didn't have seat belts fastened. The driver stayed cool, braked fairly gently and hauled it to a stop on the right edge of the pavement. We climbed out. He grabbed the jack, said we need not help, loosened lug nuts, bolted the spare on, threw the shredded wheel into the trunk, and took us out to the college. We waved and he waved as he rolled on toward were he was headed. We didn't ask. He didn't say. Probably going to see a cute woman I thought.

It was a felt rule, not written anywhere, that it wasn't polite to ask questions. The driver could ask. Others in the car could ask. The one seeking a ride should answer differentially and put up with whatever smells, noises, idiosyncrasies, and silences happened to be present.

I had fantasies of being picked up by a beautiful girl driving a fast car. It never happened. All the drivers from whom I got a lift turned out to be male. Just as well. I was too shy to know what to say to a glamorous woman anyway.

I never had any really bad experiences while hitchhiking, but there were two occasions that put me off. In 1959, late on a Friday, I was headed to Ballinger. I waited endlessly for someone to stop. Hardly anyone was on the road. Finally the worst looking auto I've ever seen outside a junk yard clanked and jangled and smoked its way to a stop. It had plenty of rust, a shredded rag top, torn seat covers--the old grey felt kind with springs sticking through--and four occupants dressed in rags. I failed to understand what the man driving or his spouse said to me, but I climbed into the back seat with two screaming kids. Took two and a half hours to get to Ballinger. Each of the four seemed to speak a different tongue from the others. In compensation for their seeming not to comprehend each other, they yelled nonstop. I swore I'd give up hitchhiking but two nights’ sleep and classes waiting to be finished at ACC had me back on the road the following Sunday afternoon. A pleasant man in a pickup took me the whole way.

The other off-putting experience happened in Patzcuaro, Mexico about fifteen years ago. I was there with my wife and her sister, both born Mexico. We needed a ride to the airport in Morelia an hour away. Cab drivers were on strike. On the town plaza, my sister-in-law talked to a group of men who had a truck and asked them to take us to the airport. I found myself feeling thoroughly uneasy. I kept thinking--you may find this odd but it is what I was thinking--"if only there could be an angel to show us what to do." Across the plaza, maybe 300 yards away, a woman walked rapidly toward me. "The men you see there," she said looking at the guys my sister-in-law had talked with, are known to be thieves. You must avoid them!" (She worked at a local cultural institute that owned a small bus which she offered.) She told the men they would not be needed for the airport trip. I thanked her, asked her name. "Angelica," she replied.

I have no idea, except for JERRY and JAMES, whether others in the class of '57 resorted to thumbing rides. I've picked up hitchhikers off and on across the years, but I didn't stop for the man headed south the other day. Something intuitive gets my foot on the brake--or not. I don't argue with that.”...GLENN

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EDITOR'S NOTE: I was never in a position to hitchhike when I was young, but I remember during World War II that every trip anyone in our family made to California or Missouri, no matter how crowded our car was (with gas rationing, you took as many folks as needed a ride) we always picked up any service man who was hitchhiking. Often they would drive while others slept. As a small child, I spent many a mile trying to sleep with my head on the hump in the back floorboard.

I also heard my mother tell how her mother hitchhiked home to Missouri taking my mother and her younger brother with her during the Depression.

And we think times are tough now!

Marilyn