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THE GRAND OLE OPRY & OPRY LAND
To the die hard “Old
School” Country Western fans the letters WSM mean The Grand Ole Opry in
Nashville, Tennessee, the pinnacle of Country Western music. On one of our
many trips Ed and I decided to go to Nashville and see the Opry live. Our
trip this time was going to be a double ended trip, on the first leg we
went to Washington D.C. (more about this another time) the second and last
leg was Nashville and the Opry.
The City of Nashville was
in itself quite unique, though not an extremely large city, its
personality was bigger than as they say “Texas.” It was almost a living
monument to the music itself. Everywhere we went had a famous name
attached to it or was a famous landmark. What a thrill it was to walk
along the streets where Hank Williams, Elvis, and many other famous and
nearly famous people may have walked.
That Saturday night we went
to The Opry. What a thrill it was to see the many Country music legends
perform at that hallowed hall, not to mention be a part of a broadcast
that has with each and every show become a part of history. As a mandolin
player I imagined what it would be like to return to the Opry next time as
a performer.
Opry Land was kind of like
an up scale Cedar Point with more shows but with legends headlining the
bill. We were fortunate enough to see the legendary “Father of Bluegrass”
Bill Monroe perform. After the show he and his band members signed
autographs and talked to everyone. I got up the courage and talked to the
“side-man” whose name I unfortunately have forgotten at the moment. The
gentleman was also a recording artist in his own right. Because I had
admired his mandolin I asked him what make it was. He replied that it was
custom made for him by a gentleman there in Tennessee as he handed the
instrument to me and turned and stepped away to answer Bill Monroe. There
I stood holding a priceless, famous mandolin.
After playing a quick riff
of Black Mountain Rag, I got the gentleman’s attention and returned the
instrument. As I walked away I thought to myself that I if I were a
dishonest person and fleet of foot I could have made an attempt to leave
the park with a great souvenir. As a side light that mandolin was the
finest and nicest touch instrument I have ever or will ever play.
For those who are
interested, WSM broadcasts at 650 on you AM dial and in the Northeast Ohio
area can only be heard during the non daylight hours under clear skies.
The other option is to listen online at
www.wsmonline.com.
THE CUYAHOGA VALLEY LINE
As I have stated
previously, as a resident of the Cuyahoga County, I am able to enjoy the
“Emerald Necklace” (the Metro Park system). In addition to that I am privy
to another gem the Cuyahoga Valley NATIONAL Park. This park has as does
the Metro Park, many fine programs all year round. This Park however
extends beyond the Cleveland area. The park extends the entire length of
the Cuyahoga River and Ohio Canal.
One of the greatest
offerings in the park is a railroad line which runs from Cleveland to
Akron through the historic and picturesque valley. I was fortunate enough
to be a passenger on this fine conveyance on two occasions. Each time I
couldn’t help but imagine what it was like to be alive back in the day
when this train was the most modern and fastest way to travel between the
two cities. On the occasions I rode the train it was pulled by an antique
steam locomotive, now due to the expense and difficulty of maintaining a
live steam engine the Cuyahoga Valley Line was forced to go to a vintage
diesel, but I digress. It wasn’t hard to imagine the Pioneers and Indians
hunting and fishing along the river especially when the woodland creatures
come out to see what was disrupting the silence. I can’t help but wonder
what it must have been like to be a Trail Blazer like Lewis and Clark and
see this beautiful countryside for the first time.
If there was anyplace to
“step back” in to the past, this is it, not to mention getting back to
Nature. The park has a plethora of historic spots. If the opportunity ever
arises to visit the park by all means DON’T pass it by, take the time to
stop and smell the roses, you won’t be sorry.
GREATER CLEVELAND AREA METRO PARKS: THE BEREA RIDE
We who live in the greater
Cleveland area are blessed with a truly wonderful park system. Dubbed the
Emerald Necklace since it encompasses the Cleveland area from East to West
through the Southern extremities from Lake Erie, it is this writer’s
opinion, that it is truly a “Buckeye” gem. The park has many attributes.
It offers a multitude of picnic areas, fitness and bicycle trails
including horse trails, not to mention a host of year round fun and
educational programs. If water sports are you forte the park system has
you covered, and for you winter sport fans Cross Country skiing and a one
of a kind in Ohio, refrigerated toboggan run. For you Golfers there are
numerous courses. A game preserve an ecological dream come true and just
minutes away from the heart of Rock and Roll.
It was a beautiful early
summer day when Ed, our friend Jeff and I started out on our “ten-speeds”
from the Memphis-Fulton area in Cleveland to have lunch at one of our
favorite “hang outs” the now gone but not forgotten, The Berea Pizza and
Oven Grinding
Co. in Berea. We started
out on the main roads until we got to the Brookpark and Tiediman Rd.
entrance to the Metro parkway. We peddled through “Old Brooklyn, Parma,
Middleburg Hts., and finally to the South side of Berea, where we had a
terrific lunch .It was an extremely wonderful leisurely and enjoyable ride
in and among the beautifully wooded park system, which took most of the
morning. The ride home was quite a different matter. All of the beauty,
fun I enjoyed on the bike path on the way to Berea now became the “HIGHWAY
TO HELL” on the way home. It was on the way home that I was more
cognoscente of the DISTANCE of our journey. My legs started burning, my
hands started to numb and my arms lost their feeling. In short my body
started saying, “WHAT THE HELL?” In my mind I started asking myself, “What
was I thinking!” All of the previously beautiful scenery now became a
boring blurring drudge.
We eventually returned home
sometime around supper time. I dismounted my “trusty steed” rubber legged
and what felt like a bruised butt, which was surprising because I had
opted for a “Touring Seat” as opposed to the “Racing Seat” which was hard
and with out shock absorbing springs. After that I swore I’d never touch
that bike again. I of course did ride again, many, many times, just not as
long of a trip. That trip was an experience that I will never forget and I
am glad I did it. If I were able, I would do it again.
It was the trip of a
lifetime and my favorite bike trip of all. It certainly was a mile mark in
my life, no pun intended.
A DAY THAT WILL LIVE IN INFAMY
On July 20th
1964 Mom & Dad packed us up in the car for one of our family excursions.
This was to be a surprise
trip. It turned out to be more of a surprise than originally planed.
The only thing Ed and I
knew was that we would be having a picnic at Portage Lake State Park.
Unknown to us we were
headed for the Goodyear blimp hanger and possibly see a blimp up close and
personal, if it wasn’t out on a flight (Just one more aviation
connection.). After the blimp we were going to go swimming and have a
picnic at one of our favorite parks, Portage Lake.
As fate would have it, that
trip didn’t happen. We were driving along on RT 224 near Wadsworth headed
for Akron when we were hit from behind by a semi truck. Dad later said
that he had seen the truck a long way back behind us but never suspected
it to close in on us. Dad honestly thought that since the first impact was
so sudden that a plane had made an emergency landing on the freeway and
hit us. What had actually happened was the driver had fallen asleep. On
the first impact rig jack-knifed and the trailer snapped loose hitting the
car again and pushing it uncontrollably until coming to rest some distance
down the road. On the first hit the door opened then closed after I was
thrown out. When I came to the cab was approx. 300 ft. away from me. Mom,
Dad and Ed were able to stay with the car during the ride from HELL. Mom
and Dad both obtained shoulder injuries and Dad had the tip of his nose
broken. Ed was in shock and almost wandered out into traffic. I was rushed
to Wadsworth hospital then transferred to Akron Children Hospital. I had a
compound fracture of my leg; my pelvis was broken in 4 places which had
punctured my bladder. I was given Last Rights. Now as a parent myself I
can more than appreciate the horror. My biggest fear at that time, since I
had not seen Ed since we started out that day, was that he had died in the
wreck. I can’t express how happy I was when Mom and Dad brought him up to
see me since he was too young to be allowed up as a visitor. We all became
survivors that fateful day.
This “adventure” did have
an up side. I was hospitalized during “Race Week” of the Soap Box Derby.
The celebrities that year were the cast from Bonanza. By tradition the
Stars would visit the hospitals. That being said I met and shook hands
with Pernell Roberts, Michael Landan, Loren Greene and Dan Blocker. Each
one came in separately and gave all of us their autographs, and spoke
briefly to us. Loren Greene told me that I reminded him of a little “Hoss”.
While I never did get a
chance to see the blimp hanger or a blimp up close and I did get to meet
famous T.V. stars, this is NOT a trip I would recommend to anyone.
Thank God for the Doctors,
Nurses, and Emergency Medical Technicians who saved
my life that day and the
days that followed. We were blessed with many good friends, old and new
who helped us through this near tragedy. We could not have made it with
out their help and caring.
Most importantly thank you
God for saving a little fat kid from Oberlin, Ohio, U.S.A.
BY GONE DAYS
I mentioned in a previous
installment our home in Oberlin was built by Mom and Dad. When I say built
I don’t mean that they went to the bank, got the money, contacted a real
estate dealer and builder and had the house raised. I’m talking about
rolling up their sleeves working their fingers to the bone, hard manual
labor, BUILDING a house.
Dad did go to the bank for
the loan and his collateral was a plan for the house he had drawn on a
piece of shirt cardboard. I remember seeing pictures of my then future
home in many various stages. There were pictures from the digging of the
foundation, laying of the many coarse of concrete blocks, the installation
of the roof and the applying the shingles to the long awaited painting of
the final structure.
In later years Dad and Mom
added on a 1 ½ car garage. This project was different; it was built by a
contractor. The new garage was more than just a garage. It was also a
place for Dad to have a work bench so that he could work on the car and
car radios and garage door openers which supplemented his income. More
importantly the new garage was (to Ed and me) our new playground. Many a
time we would layout a city on the clean concrete floor with chalk and
strategically place all of our toy cars and trucks and play all day until
Dad came home and pulled the car in. It also was our stage where we would
play records and put on “shows”. This is one of ways we expanded our
imagination
Speaking of expanding our
imaginations, one of our other favorite pastimes was playing with empty
cardboard boxes, not that we were that poor, it’s just that it was FUN to
pretend they were cars, trains, airplanes, whatever we wanted them to be.
Another fun pastime was taking card tables putting blankets over them and
becoming forts and tents.
Please remember these times
were BEFORE Game-boys, video games and all of the electronic game media.
HOW DID WE EVER MAKE IT! It is my opinion that we did MUCH BETTER! The
Electronic age has been a big boom to our lives and in most cases has
improved our lifestyle. It CERTAINLY affected my life as an Electronic
Technician, but it has its down side as well. It has robbed our children
of there imaginations and their open mindedness. Basically they don’t seem
to be able to think on their feet. They can’t do simple math (i.e. make
change.) without the electronic cash registers. Those of you that are
parents are well aware of the situation when batteries die or when the
game crashes or horror of horrors the computer is TOO SLOW. These children
go berserk because they are BORED and have NOTHING TO DO. When suggesting
they use their brains they give you the “Deer in the headlights” look. God
forbid you lose power or the T.V. goes out, because even though Johnny may
be able to read he just doesn’t want to. What ever happened to going
outside and playing ball, tag, etc.? We used to dig small holes in the
back yard just big enough to insert frozen juice cans and play golf.
Here is a scary thought.
For those of you who are 50 plus and have children of college age, these
people will in 4-8 years will be out in the working world. They will be
Doctors, Lawyers, Teachers, Engineers, Managers and Supervisors. Armed
with their mentality and their “Everything is disposable.” attitudes, the
only thing I can say is, “God help all of us, each and everyone”.
COUNTRY COUNTY FAIRS
County fairs are a
wonderful part of Americana especially the rural “Country” fairs.
As I have mentioned I was
born and raised in Oberlin Ohio a rural community and part of our annual
traditions was to go to the Lorain County Fair in Wellington Ohio.
The County Fair
historically has been a culmination of the modern day city equivalent of
the Home and Garden Show, Industrial Show, Carnival and a place to see our
friends and their 4-H projects. In short it is THE social event of the
year.
I have tried to keep this
tradition alive with my family as well.
The thing I enjoy the most
is the opportunity to see big name entertainment at an easier to afford
price.
I have had the chance to
see many performers that I wouldn’t have had the chance to see if it
weren’t for the Fair. The acts that I was able to see are as follows:
Roy Clark
Buck Owens and the
Buckaroos
Susan Ray
The Statler Brothers
Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin
Brothers
Boots Randolph
Chet Adkins
Floyd Cramer
It was the Boots, Chet and
Floyd's performance that stands out in my mind because we had front row
center seats. When I say front row center I mean that it was THE front row
in THE center of the seats designated as track seats which were within
about 10’ from the stage. We had gotten our tickets early and took our
seats because we knew that this show would sell out fast. As we suspected
the show did in fact sell out fast and not only were all of the seats sold
out but also standing room. The show started and about half way through
the sky opened up and there was a deluge of rain coming down. Mom being
the resourceful lady that she was pulled ponchos out of her bag and the
four of us stayed in our seats while others scurried for cover, after all
these WERE the BEST seats in the house. The rain finally stopped and the
performers returned to the stage. Boots was next to perform after the
rain. One of the songs that was popular at the time was ”Rain Drops Keep
Falling on My Head”. That was what Boots played and as he played he look
directly at us and shrugged his shoulders and rolled his eyes skyward.
After the show we walked
away with our shoes and pants cuffs full of mud that had splashed up on us
from the track and having to trek through it back to the midway.
We were now cold wet and
muddy but we saw Boots, Chet and Floyd also known as the “Million Dollar
Band”, up close and personal.
I can’t help but wonder
whether Boots , Chet and Floyd thought that we were the most dedicated
fans or that we were just plain NUTS. Either way it was the BEST show we
ever saw and certainly the most memorable.
AUNT MARY
In every family there is
one member who is the “Family Historian” if the family is really lucky
they will have more than one to fill in any gaps or details.
In our family it was Aunt
Mary. Aunt Mary actually was Mom’s aunt, but we called her aunt. Aunt Mary
was the one who kept in touch with all of the relatives near and far, keep
in mind this was BEFORE E-mails. She would HAND WRITE letters and on the
RARE occasion phone the relatives.
Aunt Mary was my favorite
aunt because she was always telling jokes and playing with Ed and me to
the point of getting down on the floor and playing with cars and trucks
with us. She seemed to enjoy playing with us as much as we enjoyed playing
with her, despite her inclining years.
As I got older I more
appreciated her as the “Historian”.
I mentioned previously my
ties to aviation through Jack Lynch, this was Aunt Mary’s brother-in-law.
In her travels to see her sister Aunt Mary met Lindbergh, Earhart, Roscoe
Turner and many other aviation pioneers because they would “drop in“ to
visit Jack. Occasionally Aunt Mary would relate stories about these
“LEGENDS”.
Sadly Aunt Mary passed away
at the ACTIVE age of 83.
I only wish I could have
found out more about her travels and all of the people she met and rubbed
elbows with, famous and not so famous.
She was a terrific lady and
I shall always miss her.
THE CLEVELAND PRESS
Once upon a time Cleveland
Ohio had two newspapers,
an early morning edition
and an afternoon edition. The early morning edition is the existing
Cleveland Plain Dealer, the afternoon edition was the now extinct
Cleveland Press. The Cleveland Press grew from the original Cleveland
News. I know this because my grandfather (Moms Dad) worked for “The News”
before it became “The Press”. The “News “was grandpa’s first job,
they held it for him while
he served in WWI. The “News” became the “The Press” and Grandpa eventually
retired from the paper as a pressman.
As young kids on our summer
vacations, Ed and I would spend time with Grandma and Grandpa in
Cleveland, (The BIG city.) leaving Oberlin behind for a whole week. During
one of these weeks Grandpa took us on the bus to the “Press”. I remember
going into the big building seeing the huge presses and hearing all of the
men yelling, ”Hi Al. Who are your body guards?” Grandpa would introduce us
and continue the tour. We met Louis B. Selszer, who Grandpa introduced him
to us as “Mr. Cleveland”. This in itself was cool but what I remember more
was our tow-motor ride back to where the huge rolls of paper were stored
and back.
We all came home with a
newspaper that was literally HOT off the presses. The front page announced
that Congressman JFK of Mass. was going to run for President.
The pictured showed the
John Kennedy family frolicking in the surf of the Atlantic Ocean.
SAILING ON MARS
Some of my fondest memories
with Ed were made when we sailed on MARS. If your thinking, SAILING? On
the planet MARS? Is he NUTS!
Please allow me to explain.
In Lakewood, Ohio there is a street named
Mars, Mars Ave. Ed always
thought it would be novel to live on that street, so that when someone
would ask where he lived he could say Mars.
Shortly after Dad passed
away Ed bought a 22’ Sailing Yacht manufactured by the Catalina Yacht Co.
in California. Since he didn’t have the house on Mars Ave. he named her
MARS. I sometimes think that down deep that it stood for Mom and ours,
because Ed always asked me along and we often had Mom as a passenger (She
always enjoyed boat rides.)
On the maiden voyage we
experienced heeling to the gunnels, this means that we had the boat
leaning so far over to one side that the surface of Lake Erie almost met
the surface of our deck. (Thrilling / scary.) We also experienced fog that
day. It was the thickest fog I had ever been in. We eventually crept back
to the dock and found out that there were small craft warnings posted and
we never should have been out there. After that we took the Coast Guard
class and ALWAYS checked the weather before we went out.
There is nothing like
sailing. It is just you, your ship, the quiet, and Mother Nature moving
you along. I am of the opinion that anybody can operate a power boat and
enjoy the water and go from place to place, but you have to be “smarter
than the average bear” to sail.
The adventures we shared
are too many to relate here, but to mention one of the most thrilling was
our viewing the Cleveland Air Shows on Labor Day, from the “wet” side.
Seeing the acts from that perspective was fantastic!
You haven’t lived until you
have had the “Thunderbirds” and “Blue Angels” buzz the mast.
From the trips to
Huntington Beach, the trip to the “5 mile Crib” and the “Parade of Lights”
escapade, you can understand why when Ed and I stepped off MARS for the
final time, both of us had a lump in our throats and a tear in our eyes.
We had been a team and were as one mind piloting
Mars, with Ed at the
tiller and me, manning the sheets.
Thanks to a great brother,
I will always have these great memories.
Thanks
for all of the GREAT times Ed.
OBERLIN
As I have mentioned I was
born and raised in Oberlin Ohio
Oberlin is, I guess you
could say a typical college town.
Oberlin College was the
first co-educational college and was one of the “Stops” on the
“Underground Railroad”, in fact a few of my fellow Cub Scouts discovered
one of the tunnels/hiding places the slaves used in the basement of “The
First Church of Oberlin”.
As kids living on the outskirts of town we would walk down the tree lined street from home to “down town” passing all of the fraternities and sororities along the way.
During the mid fifties and
early sixties the students in the summertime would sit on the porches and
yards of their “houses” playing the music of the times, primarily folk
“protest songs” and early rock an roll. As we would get closer to town we
would hear Bach, Beethoven, Handel, Brahms and all of the “Classical
Music” as we passed the Conservatories. This is where I received my
appreciation for ALL forms of music.
We didn’t have a dog of our own when we were young because we always seemed to have the neighbors dogs at our side. There was one little dog that was special to me, that was a little Sheltie who I called Lassie after the TV personality. Though it was smaller than the standard Collie it was big to a 3yr. old. That dog was ALWAYS with me though it lived two doors down. When the people moved to California Mom and Dad said that they would not be surprised if that little dog would return some day looking for me. The people who bought that house were the Stoudts. You may have heard of their son Cliff. Cliff grew up to be a pro football player. He was the backup quarterback for Terry Bradshaw on that certain team in Pennsylvania whose colors are black and gold, during the “Steel Curtain “days. Curiously enough Ed had a “relationship" with Cliff’s dog a little Cocker Spaniel. Ed (Ed at that time about 2 or 3 yrs. old) and I were headed home from Cliffs walking across the field that separated our houses when one of the kid yelled “SIG ‘EM!” that little dog ran toward us and bit Ed’s little hand. No damage was done but to a little guy (Wow! THAT was a LONG time ago!) it was very traumatic. Cliff isn’t the only celebrity Ed got to know, he graduated with Drew Carey
The only other celebrities
that I ever met were the original cast of Bonanza.
A story for another time.
TORONTO
Ed and I took many fun
trips together. Several of these trips were to Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The trip that stands out in my mind is the time we went when a Deaf
Convention was in town. We always stayed at The Sheraton Centre Hotel.
This was a terrific place to stay and since we stayed there so often it
felt like “home”.
Upon arriving back to the hotel after breakfast and a little sight seeing we found our room being cleaned and serviced. Having to wait until the maid was finished we went back down to the lobby to sit and wait. The lobby was full of people yet strangely quiet, except for a strange “snapping-like” sound and occasional laughter. As we continued to observe, we realized that these people were deaf, and we later saw a sign welcoming them. We (Ed, our friend Jeff and I) agreed that the deaf folks must be telling some hysterical jokes that we would never know.
This was a time in
Toronto’s history when there was a great deal of controversy about the
issue of government and language (English vs. French).
We were walking the streets
early one Sunday morning before returning home when we were approached by
an activist who was polling the public for their opinions. Not wanting to
favor either side for fear of the consequences and not wanting to appear
as the tourist that we were fearing a mugging, I was speechless.
Unbeknownst to me Ed, walking behind me, thinking very quickly, started to
fake signing. The activist apologized and continued on down the street.
THE KINSLEY TWINS
For all of you who are expecting exploits with a couple of HOT blonds from Sweden, I sadly apologize. This adventure involves Ed and me when we met a set of twin boys when we were about 6 and 9 years old respectively and the twins were about 12 or 13. Living in Oberlin, Ohio where we did, a lot of the people we knew lived on farms, this was true of the Kinsley family. The twins were the brothers of two if I remember correctly (It’s been too many years since the adventure.)1 or 2 siblings. At any rate one Saturday Summer afternoon Mom and Dad piled us into the car and we headed to Baumhardt Rd. to the Kinsley farm, a short 10 or 15 minute drive. After visiting for a short while the boys, Mom suggested that they show us the rabbits. I thought, “Cool I’d like to see the rabbits.” I always used to check them out at the Lorain County Fair along with the rest of the farm animals. When Ed and I got out to the barn where the rabbits were, I was for the first time in my life, afraid of these critters. These weren’t your garden variety bunnies. These were Texas Style Jack rabbits that were the size of a small dog and to see them at eye level as a 9 year old was, to say at the least a little concerning. (These were the biggest freaking rabbits I ever saw!) Bravely we finished seeing the rabbits. Kid on farms mature faster than city kids, due to the fact that they have responsibilities at a young age. Some of the chores could and did include, in the case of the Kinsley’s, driving the tractors to do the plowing, etc. This being said the boys asked us if we wanted to go for a ride with them. After clearing it with Mom and Dad, the boys took us out to a, as memory serves, a red and white 1954 Olds hardtop with the top completely sawed off. This according to their Dad as he told our Dad was for safety, in case it rolled over the boys would not be trapped inside and that there would not be any shattered glass. While the twins took the driver and “shotgun” spots Ed and I jumped in back. We started out the drive way, crossed the road and took off down the dirt path through the fields bouncing along (seat belts were OPTIONAL those days) with the wind in our faces. The boys probably were only going 20 or 25 mph if that, but without a windshield it seemed a LOT faster (WAY COOL). We returned safe and sound with memories of monster rabbits and fast cars driven by kids not that much older than us. As I grow older and have experienced the difference in the maturity between “City” kids and “Country” kids I have a greater appreciation of being raised in a rural setting during my formative years. I think it has given me a better set of values, made me more responsible and caused me to have more respect for the power of machinery, i.e. cars.
NEW YEARS EVE WITH "THE GUYS"
One of my fondest memories is New Years Eve with our friends, the guys we hung out with. As I have mentioned in previous entries, Mom and Dad were always glad to have “The Guys” hang out at our house as were the guy’s folks. New Years Eve was no different. As young men with cars and the freedom to go anywhere or any place, we all gathered at our house to celebrate the New Year. These were great times. It all started around the early supper hour with enough food and beverages to feed us all ten times over. Once everyone arrived and had our initial “supper” we broke out the Monopoly game. This may not sound like such a big deal, but this was not your average Monopoly game. This was the granddaddy of all marathon Monopoly games. Once we started it didn’t end until we were all too tired or out of money to continue, which meant the early hours of New Years Day, when we would all go out for breakfast at Denny’s. The time that I remember most is when my friend Wade got so powerfully rich that he actually OWNED the Bank and IT would BORROW from HIM! Aside from “The Game” we socialized “pigged out" on the food and at midnight watched the “Ball” drop in Time Square and eventually crashed all over the living room floor until breakfast in the morning. After breakfast everyone returned home and Ed and I helped Mom clean up and get ready for our family New Years Day dinner of roast pork sauerkraut and all the fixings. Mom said that having the guys crash all over the floor looked like a “flop house” but that she was glad to have them. She, Dad and all of the rest of the parents were glad we were all safe on New Years Eve, “amateur night.” Though we were all old enough to drink the party was for the most part “dry” none of us got drunk, passed out, or prayed to the porcelain gods, for this we are ALL thankful. As all of our lives changed and Mom and Dad Passed away, the New Years Eve parties gave way to each of our own families and creating new traditions. New Years Eve parties will come and go but for the rest of my life I will remember that game and that night when Wade bought the Bank.
FLYING WITH DAD
In previous chapters I have
expressed my interest in aviation.
PARADE OF LIGHTS ON THE CUYAHOGA
When we were single and our pockets would jingle, Ed invested in a yacht. Most people would say he bought a boat, but when you buy a 22 foot sailing craft built by the Catalina Yacht Company, it’s a YACHT. This fine craft was christened “MARS”. The name is a story in itself which is better told by the captain himself. The years Ed had MARS we had many great adventures, too many to go into at this time, but believe me the day MARS was sold, a big part of our lives went with her. One of most notable adventures was a stunt we pulled off during Cleveland’s River-Fest. One of the highlights of the festival was a parade of lights. This entailed A number of boat owners and commercial craft including various sponsors’, celebrities and dignitaries. At that time the Westside of the river was NOT yet developed and allowed several places to tie-off, but I digress. These facts known, as you would expect this event was a “Pay to Play” event, the money raised went to the prize winners. Not having the big bucks needed and yet wanting to join in on the fun and considering it the perfect prank, we decked out MARS (no pun intended). First off the name MARS was enough to invoke mystery and strange lights. We started mid afternoon rigging strings of lights along the rigging and along the gunnels (edge of the deck for the land lubbers). One of our friends rented a portable generator for power and to add a special touch, part of her inventory of safety equipment was a high candle power SPOT LIGHT. We finished just before dusk and set off for the river. Once in the river we tied off and gave the appearance of waiting to WATCH the parade. The parade started and we waited for our chance to slip in. We powered up the lights and if memory serves, we slipped in behind the boat which featured the military brass of all of the Armed Services. We appeared to be a big hit, as the people along the bank cheered and shouted “MARS” as we randomly put the spot light on them. As we continued down the river waving and enjoying the success of our prank we neared the end of the “parade route” and turn around for the rest of the participants. This now became a concern of ours that one of the first boats in the parade coming towards us might be officials and we would be VERY BUSTED. Being the skilled and very wise captain, Ed called out to dose the lights and we SWIFTLY returned to our dock. The morning paper had a full page picture of the parade taken from an elevated position, in the background you could plainly see our mast. We were the ONLY sailboat in the parade. Years later at a showing of the many cool photographs of Cleveland and the river. Ed and I saw a couple of beautiful color pictures showing VERY clearly MARS in the parade completely lit up and her name big as life. They say that everyone has their 15 minutes of fame, I guess that was ours.
HUNTINGTON SWIM TRIP
As we go through life we are blessed with meeting thousands of people. If we are truly blessed we will call many of these people our friends. Life deposits these friends all over the world and we rarely see these folks again. In a very few isolated instants we are fortunate enough to be reunited with these fine people. This is true of Andrew and me. I was lucky enough to have this happen to me a second time in my life. That story is as follows.
When Ed and I were younger Mom and Dad would take us to Huntington Beach to go swimming in Lake Erie. Edgewater beach was closer but was always more crowded, so we would venture up to Bay Village (Gas was cheap then) to go swimming. On this particular day Ed and I invited a couple of our friends along I invited Wade and Ed invited Frank. We had the usual great time including a lesson in unlocking a car with a windshield wiper. (Dad accidentally locked his keys in the trunk and Wade crawled through the back seat to the trunk to get to the keys.)
Many years later I became employed at E.T.I where Wade was instrumental in my getting hired. He started to tell me the names and positions of my new colleagues and he mentioned Frank's name. I reminded him of our swim trip. He assured me that it could not be him because there was no resemblance.
After meeting with Frank, he also remembered the swim trip. Wade and Frank had worked together for a number of years and never realized that they had met before. In both of their defenses they both had changed a great deal since their first meeting, in fact I didn't recognize Frank at first either. Frank had lost a lot of weight and Wade had been working out and looked less like Gandhi and more like Atlas. Upon making the connections we went on to reflect on the trip and the good time we had. I'm glad I was able to be there to see the expressions on each of their faces as they realized the irony.
UNCLE JOE BICKEL
Some of my earliest memories
include Uncle Joe and Aunt Elsie,
MR. R.
I first met Mr. Eugene Ruszkowski at Charles A Mooney Jr. High. as a 7th Grader. He was a giant of a man (from a little 7th graders perspective) we were told that he once played football for the Cleveland Rams before they became the Los Angeles Rams. His homeroom adjoined ours and was also an Art room.
Our homeroom teacher specialized in the still life and abstract. Mr. “R” in the live ACTION and REAL LIFE works. Mr. “R” had a number of football action drawings and use to tell us that to him watching football was like watching a ballet.
One day during 8th grade I was in the Auditorium Study Hall and I ran out of things to do. Hoping that “Mr. R” wouldn’t notice he calls out, “Bickel, Come down here.” That was the scariest time of my Jr. High life, since Mr. “R” was known as a strict disciplinarian; I thought I was in for it. Instead I was pleasantly surprised when he asked me to work for him during that period. From that time until I went to James Ford Rhodes High School I worked for Mr. “R” cleaning prepping and sweeping for Mr. “R”.
After graduating to Rhodes My brother Ed followed in my footsteps at Mooney. Ed got Mr. “R” for homeroom. On the first day of class Mr. “R” asked Ed if he was Norm’s brother when he said that he was Mr. “R” said, ”You’re working for me. ”When Ed came home that night he told me what happened. I laughed and he said sarcastically “Thanks”. Through it all we were both glad we had the opportunity to know and become friends with Mr. “R”.
NEVER SAY NEVER
When we all left High School we may not have said it but I’m sure we all thought it, “No more pencils, no more books, and no more teachers’ dirty looks.” I also thought I would probably never see any of my teachers again, not that had a bad relationship with any of them, but I figured that was just how it was. Surprise! I saw four of them in the years since that day in June 1972.
The first was My Physical Education teacher from Junior High, Mr. Sovey, in a fast food establishment when my Father-in-Law passed away. I did not get a chance to speak with him but it was good to see him. The second was my Junior High Math teacher Mr. Gealek. My son and I were walking to our car after an Indians night game when we saw him. I was able to have a nice chat with him on the way to our cars. Thirdly, I happened to run into Mr. Hobart, one of my Junior High School Shop teachers one morning with my wife while we were having breakfast at a local Bagel joint. It was interesting to find out from him that the three Shop teachers still hung out together. If you were expecting a kicker, here it is. I have been working at Rockwell Automation for a little over three years now and I happened to meet a younger gentleman whose last name is Plumlee, he had a familiar face though I had never met him before. I found out he was from the Westside and was a Charles A. Mooney Jr. High graduate and a James Ford Rhodes High School Graduate as I was. Plumlee not being an extremely common name, I remarked to him that the last Plumlee I met was another Junior High Shop teacher and was he related. He replied that he was Dan Plumlee Jr. my shop teacher’s son. Not only was he my teacher’s son but his Grandparents (his dads folks) lived across the street from my Great Aunt yet we never met as kids.
The Junior High teacher that I saved until last is the one that I have the most regard for that would be Mr. Ruszkowski, “Mr. R”, who I will expound on at another time. I actually had a chance to speak to him shortly after High School Graduation while I was attending Electronic Technology Institute. during one of my later terms. He was umpiring a twinight softball game that Ed was playing. It seemed to me that Mr. R looked as though he had been quite ill, in great contrast to the last time I saw him in school. I later found out that he had passed away from Cancer.
How surprised I was each of the times when I saw these teachers whom I thought were strictly in my past had shown up at later times in my life.
FIRST LOVE, CARS!
We all remember our firsts, our first two wheelers our first girl friends and our first homes. I’m sure that if you ask any male about his first love he will say it was his first car, because it represented his “coming of age” and his independence. Growing up as a 50’s kid and having a Dad in the auto repair business, I was privileged to get acquainted with a great many cars. This where my gear-head background starts.
Due to “the accident” I went towards the “BIG” cars and since Dad was a GM guy, Ed and I automatically became GM guys too. My first car was as many guys’ first cars were a pre-owned (USED) car. It was a 1970 Chevy Monte Carlo. It had a 350 cu. in. V-8 4bbl. carb engine with a shift on the column, which was somewhat unique to that model. It also was one of the first factory issued vinyl tops and rear window defogger (a fan mounted beneath the package deck with a grate over it. It had a metallic green paint job with a black vinyl top which I found out later that was dark green. Ed took over the family car when his time came. It also was green and had a 325cu.in. V-8 2bbl carb. When he eventually traded it in and came home with a BRAND NEW 1977 Firebird, the new car bug bit. Ed’s Firebird was a beautiful dark brown with a Doe skin interior and again with a “Big” V-8.
Since I liked Moms first car a 1954 Olds Ninety Eight, I bought a 1977 Olds Delta 88 coupe. It was again green with a 350 4bbl and to quote “Tim the Tool-man Taylor it had “MORE POWER”. I had the ’77 until I got married at which time I bought a 1985 Delta same big “350” that I kept until Mom passed away and I inherited Moms 1984 Delta. My next car was a complete turn around since I was now looking at an economy car. I found myself in a Toyota Tercel a fine piece of engineering and great for the times. I owned a Corolla for awhile, a PT Cruiser a truly fun ride and a Sebring for a time.
My latest “Love” is a Toyota Yaris coupe this is a probably the smallest car I ever owned but it’s a TERRIFIC ride and gets 40 mpg. Each time I traded I gained technology and had uniquely different styling As kids we were told that one day we would have flying cars like “The Jetsons”. The technology that would be needed has yet to be developed and at today’s gas prices would be untouchable. Maybe I won’t see flying cars but maybe my grandchildren or more likely my great grandchildren’s kids will. Here’s hoping that “Teleporting”, “Beaming Up” may actually have an iota of reality. At this point that seems to have more of a chance than the flying cars that WE were promised. “Live Long and Prosper”.
HOMOGENIZED CARS
Today it seems as though every auto makers all have the same designers on their payrolls. Though I’m sure that the NEW cars all have their little nuances but basically to me anyway they all look alike!
In the 1800's the cars for the most part looked like the carriages they were derived from. Enter the REALLY big Touring cars for the family outings on the still unimproved roads and the more SPORTING Roadsters for the “younger” set. They were still boxy in nature but yet distinctive in design and fairly recognizable to the manufacturer. The 40’s again brought forth the more aero-dynamics and rolling curves which were developed from the aircraft research at the time. In my opinion these are one of the finest works of art ever produced. I state this because of not only the flowing lines but also because each and every one of these cars was uniquely different and distinguishable as to who its manufacturer was. In the 50’s thru the 70’s the design engineers were driven (Excuse the pun.) to streamlining more like the “Jet Age” it represented. The car manufacturers now were in competition for highest horse power and fastest car available and actually used wind-tunnels to test their designs. The “Big Three” auto manufacturers were after something else, $$$$$$$$$, and to do this they built different style cars to attract the “Family man” and the younger “Hot Rod” guys. This demanded UNIQUE and DIFFERENT styling to attract the different markets and you could tell the difference between a Ford, GM and Chrysler. Even the GMs were distinctive between the corporate divisions.
It seems as though it was the 80’s when the cars were downsized considerably and started to become more one size fits all generic. The 90’s to present day the designs just became more and more cookie cutter shared buy all of the car makers. When I see the cars today I highly suspect that if your Chevy needed a particular part you could go to a Ford dealership to get it. I guess if you crave the unique and different you have to look at the extremely expensive luxury cars or the imported high performance sports cars. In light of today’s gas prices maybe we should look back and RE-consider the TRUE horse power of REAL horses. Perhaps the Amish have the right idea.
FASCINATION WITH WARBIRDS
While on my break at work the other day I mentioned something that I saw on the MILITARY Channel. One of my table companions jested that because I have seen numerous items on the Military Channel and the History Channel that I may be a War Monger and a “DANGEROUS”, “TERRORIST” type person. I assure you dear reader that I am NONE of these.
I must confess that at one time in my life I did ask myself about my fascination with these war time aircraft. My conclusion was that though these machines were weapons of war and brought endless death and destruction, my interest in them was purely due to the engineering, science and technology of the times. Not to mention the “Old fashioned” “American Know How” and HARD WORK that actually assembled these marvels.
I recall a visit to The U.S. Air Force Museum at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton Ohio, where I saw a P-61 Black Widow (http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/). The P-61 despite its “P” designation, it was not only a pursuit plane it was also a light bomber and night fighter, thus this particular craft was painted black and being a museum piece it had endless coats of wax and a shine on it so high that I could have used it as a mirror to shave in. It was THE most fierce and awesome piece of equipment I had ever seen. This is when it struck me that this was a KILLING machine but at the same time it had a very sleek and cool line to it. Being the gear head that I am I appreciated this, as I appreciate the fine line of the P-51 Mustang and many of the fighters and bombers of the time.
The designs of the planes through the ages have been unique to the times. The planes of WWI were pretty much all “standard” bi-planes except for the Sopwith and Fokker tri-planes. WWII however displayed numerous and very distinct designs. Korea and Viet-Nam brought forth the “Latest and Greatest” fastest jets which in this writer’s opinion have become more generic designs, not unlike our cars, more on this later.
It is safe to say that WWII had the most influential and unique aircraft ever manufactured. Speaking of manufacturing. The remanufacturing and restoration of the planes takes many, many, man-hours to bring these machines “back to life” and being on the repair end in the electronics field I can truly appreciate the work involved in taking old and broken equipment and making it look and work like new.
WWII aircraft are a part of our history and I am glad to see that it is being preserved all around the world. Attached is a link to the P-61 Black Widow mention above. http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet_media.asp?fsID=524
PC, TOYS & WEAPONS OF NO DESTRUCTION
Today we live in a very curious, politically correct (PC) and safety conscious world. While I do agree that we need to be sensitive to the feelings of others and keep our kids safe, I firmly believe that we are PCing and child proofing everyone to death. In my opinion two of the funniest movies ever made would NOT be able to be made today. Firstly Blazing Saddles and anyone who remembers that flick will remember why.
I won’t go into the details but I will say that what was said and done could be viewed as offensive but if you have an OPEN mind and can LAUGH at YOURSELF, this movie is HYSTERICAL! Animal House was another EXTREMELY funny movie that would again cause a ruckus on the PC front due to the fact that it was and is “Cutting Edge”.
Not only to the PC people but would probably tick off PETA. Remember how the horse was killed? Moving on to the safety of our kids. When we were kids we had metal cars and trucks to play with, not die-cast “Hot Wheels” type cars, I’m talking about the STEEL “TONKA” type trucks and the friction “motor” cars made out of “REAL TIN”! They were great fun, sure we got little nicks and cuts from them occasionally but we didn’t DIE or get any DISEASES from them we got “Band-Aids” put on us and we went back to our “Tin Toys”. My favorite toy was a non-mainstream TIN toy that Ed and I got for Christmas one year. It was a battery operated toy which was basically a “Dart gun” type toy. There two basic parts to the toy, the first part was a small blower which supported a small styro-foam ball on a column of air, and revolved around causing the ball to move in a circle (if viewed from above) while the ball danced up and down on the column. The second part was essentially a “Dart Gun”. You would aim the two darts which had small rubber rocket shaped tips through a mirrored site, sort of like a periscope laying on its side and used the darts to knock the ball off its column of air.
We also had anther neat TIN toy which was a “Shooting Gallery” similar to the ones found at the carnivals of the time. We would wind up the spring drive, flip the release lever and watch the little ducks go past as we shot at them with our suction cup tipped darts.
Speaking of guns, we as young men of the ‘50s loved realism and appreciated the detail to that end. We one day received the coolest toy guns we ever had. It was a replica of a Colt 45 six shooter. It was made out of cast metal painted black and operated like the “Real McCoy”’ the chamber revolved each time the trigger was pulled and the “bullets” were lead slugs trapped in the chamber with brass caps on the flat end of the “bullet” The brass cap secured a “Greeny Stick’m“ cap (a small amount of EXPLOSIVE GUN POWDER placed between two pieces of paper) which we stuck on the back and loaded into the pistol as you would load a real gun. As we pulled the trigger the chamber would rotate, fire the cap and smoke from the exploding cap would exit through the barrel. Today this toy could NOT exist as it did then and would get you arrested at the airport if you packed it in your suit case. It was beautifully replicated to look like a Colt 45, but it was a TOY!
We also had another cool toy. It was a “Cap Rifle” that actually shot an orange plastic bullet. Though made of plastic it was a great deal of fun. We were too young for a BB gun, (Probably because we would, “Put our eyes out.”) so we had this rifle that really shot bullets. This rifle also had a lead slug on to which we put a “Stick’m” cap and to the other end we fitted the orange plastic bullet. A note on the package suggested that for MORE realism try putting a small amount of “Baby Powder” in the bullet before affixing it to the slug. This was WAY COOL because now when we fired the “weapon” not only did we hear the bang and see the smoke, we could actually HIT a target. We couldn’t shoot tin cans or break glass bottles like in the Saturday morning serial westerns we saw on TV so we knocked over paper cups (plastic cups weren’t developed yet). I still remember Dad giving us stern instructions on the use of our new “fire arms”, “Treat these guns as though they ARE REAL and NEVER point them at anything you don’t intend to shoot”. I suspect that Mom may have had her doubts about our rifles but I’m sure we suppressed her fears as we SAFELY fired our rifles and knocked down our “Dixie Cups”.
After going down my memory lane with me I’m sure you will find a great number of things that COULD not and WOULD not happen in today’s world, and we probably suspect why.
After all, who among us 50 plus year old males didn’t take a complete roll of 100 toy explosive caps and hit the ENTIRE roll with a rock or hammer and have our ears ringing for 5 minutes.
FISHING
It may come as a surprise to some of you that I do have another passion other than aviation, and that would be, fishing. I suspect that this sport may be in my genes.
My grandpa was a fisherman who taught Mom to fish, and Dad taught Ed and me to fish. My first recollection of a fishing trip was to Lorain, Ohio. where we fished off of a pier. The pier was across the way from a Lake ore-boat loader and un-loader. We arrived sometime after supper one summer evening and didn’t get home until well after dark. Ed caught a small Bullhead Catfish and I caught a 12 inch smallmouth Bass. That was the first and last time I have ever beat Ed in fishing.
We then started to fish at a State Park closer to home and the Oberlin Reservoirs. One trip to the “Old” Reservoir we ended up on a mission of mercy. When we got to the reservoir we discovered a boy about my age (around eight) that had wrecked his bike and had a broken his leg and was cut and skinned up pretty well. Dad jumped into action and managed to get the boy into our car and rushed him to the hospital. We had many fishing trips, some with Mom and most of them as a family. On a trip with Mom we hopped on our bikes and peddled down country roads and went to the “New” Reservoir. We even had a wonderful fall trip to the State Park. Mom made Sloppy Joes and we ate them at the park and went fishing after that.
As we got older we met friends who also fished. Ed’s best friend fished a lot at Pymatuning and my best friend fished a lot in Lake Erie. I fished a few times at Pymatuning and actually caught a nice sized Walleye, but one of my favorite places to fish was the State Park with my best friend.
I purchased a 12 foot aluminum row boat to which I added an electric motor. My friend and I have spent countless hours of fun aboard my boat and have had many crazy, adventures all in the name of fishing. On one of the most memorable adventures was with my friend Wade.
I met Wade at a now deceased institution of higher learning called Electronic Technology Institute, ETI for short, where we obtained our Associates Degrees in Electronics. Wade and I decided to explore a creek that led off of the State Parks man made lake. This was to be our most fun and wackiest trip. We started to row into the creek which headed back to the deeper parts of the parks property where very few people save the canoeist (due to the shallow draft of the boat) ever went. We eventually got to see a great many flora and fauna that were completely untouched by human hands, not so much as a hiking trail. It was great, we felt like Lewis and Clark.
I should mention that as we got deeper and deeper into the area the water level got shallower and shallower. At this point we started poling the boat like gondoliers. Upon reaching our end point, the creek was also narrower and the water “level” was deep enough that we could have actually WADED through the water. This was as far as we or anyone could go. Why did we do it? Because “it was there" and we could. We have laughed about this adventure for many years. All in the name of fishing.
OUR HOUSE
Our house was a simple concrete block bungalow which as I have mentioned was hand built by Dad and Mom and a few others. It was built with love and that love carried into our new house when we moved to Cleveland. Our house was the “COOL” house. Everybody wanted to hang out there. Part of the reason was due to Ed’s out going nature and secondly due to Mom and Dad being easy to talk to.
This was especially true as we got older and started having our own cars, because Dad would gladly help us all diagnose our mechanical problems and talk cars with us.
Mom always had an ear for any of us when ever we “just wanted to talk”. I remember one time when I came home from work and found one of our friends sitting in the kitchen talking with Mom waiting for Ed. Mom later told us that he had been there for a couple of hours. When he first arrived she told him that Ed would not be home from CSU for some time, he said that it was OK and that he just felt like talking to someone. She asked if his parents knew that he was going to be here. He said yes and that they never worried when he was at our house. My best friend actually once did the same thing, waiting for me.
New Years Eve after our high school years was always an event to remember. Every year we would gather “The Guys” (our friends) over to the house for a marathon Monopoly game. Everyone would bring pop, food and snacks. We would start the game at around 5 o’clock in the evening and continue into the morning when we would go out for breakfast, stopping only to watch “The Ball” come down on Time Square. After this bash “The Guys” would head for home and Ed and I would hit the sack, until Mom would call us for New Years day dinner.
Many of times we would go out with “The Guys” coming in late in the evening and the whole gang of them would crash on the living room floor until morning. None of the parents minded because their kids were at our house, the “Cool House”.
MOM & DAD
The two people to whom I owe
everything (literally) are Mom and Dad.
MY BROTHER ED
As I have said I am the first born. My brother Ed was the second and last. When Mom and Dad told me that I was going to have a little brother or sister I was thrilled. Some how I just knew I was going to have a little brother so that I would have someone to play with.
Mom and Dad were trying to decide on a name for the little guy while watching TV. Eddie Albert happened to be on at the time so I chimed in and said how about Eddie Albert. Since my grandfather’s name was Albert, it came to be.
Since he was born Ed and I became very close, in fact if we were any closer we would be Siamese twins. Through the years we have had many adventures together. We have gone on a lot of fun vacations and have visited quite a few states, not to mention about half a dozen trips to Toronto and one to Quebec, Canada. The one trip that I remember most is the trip to North Carolina.
We had the opportunity to visit Kill Devil Hills. This is were the State Parks maintain the Wright Brothers Memorial Area and museum. Kitty Hawk was the closest mailing address at the time of their flight, thus Kitty Hawk took the claim to Fame. I can’t begin to describe the feeling that I had walking THE VERY FLIGHT LINE the Wrights flew. I was awe struck to say the least. The other thing that was pretty cool too was that the ranger in charge of the tour started off by saying “It all started with two brothers from OHIO.” and here we were, me and MY brother from OHIO also infatuated with flight, standing right there. In my reading about the Wrights later in my life I came across an interesting little tidbit of information. Orville Wright played the Mandolin. Did I mention that I played the Mandolin? Creepy, huh?
My best friend and confidant, my brother Ed and I through the years have been through a lot, good times and bad, but always together. We even married our wives the same year, 3 months apart. We were first, then Ed and his wife. I am the oldest after all so it just seems to make sense some how. Our kids even matched up in order. My nephew is the oldest My son is one year younger, my niece is one year younger than my son or two years younger than her brother. There are three years difference between me and Ed. Dad as I found out in my later years was a child prodigy violin player not a violinist a fiddle player. Dad made the distinction very clear to us as we were growing up. A violinist plays Classical music; a fiddle player plays the popular tunes, for the most part, country folk music. Long story short, Ed came home with a guitar one day Dad taught him how to play. Looking for an instrument for me, since my fingers couldn’t reach across the guitar fingerboard, became a challenge. One day while in a discount store we spotted an inexpensive mandolin (3 or 4 mandolins ago) which Dad taught me to play, became MY instrument. This led to family jam sessions which I still miss to this day. Dad would be on the fiddle Ed on guitar and me on the mandolin. We played exclusively for Mom to the point where on nice summer days would find things outside to do, including going for LONG walks.
Not that we sounded so bad it’s just that Mom wasn’t that musically inclined. She was our toughest critic. One of the most memorable musical adventures Ed and I had was with a co-worker. The co worker played guitar and banjo, his brother played drums, his sister and her girlfriend sang as a Gospel group and had a piano player and a bass guitarist. We got together regularly on Friday nights at Ed’s friends house. The Friday night that I remember the most is the night Ed’s friend had about 20 people CRAMMED in the basement. We started playing and singing at about 6 or 7 o’clock that night and went until sometime after midnight. There were guitars banjos, basses, drum, piano and me the lone mandolin. At one point the neighbors came over. I thought that this would kill the evening of fun, thinking that we were making too much noise too late at night. Much to my surprise and delight they JOINED IN! Ahh, our young and single days. To quote Hank Williams Jr. “All my rowdy friends have settled down.” As we get older we don’t party as hardy as we used to or stay up as long as we use to, we just don’t have the “spunk” we had to party like we did. Now it takes me all night long to do what I used to do all night long. Memories are great they are what keep us young when we start looking like our parents and grandparents not to mention sounding like them.
THE AVIATION CONNECTION
I guess the best way to start out on my explanation of my aviation fixation is to start out with Dad. My dad learned to fly on the “GI” Bill. He had his pilot’s license when he met Mom. When Dad asked Mom to marry him she said that he had to decide between her and airplanes. In case you are wondering what his decision was, I’m here, and I was the first born. When we were younger we would sometimes stop at small airports and walk around to look at the planes. Moms concern about flying was NOT unwarranted she lost a cousin in WWII who was part of a bomber crew that did not return. Moms uncle (my great uncle) Harold “Jack” Lynch taught Charles A. Lindberg how to Instrument Fly. “Jack” Lynch later was taking a gentleman for a “joy ride” when the man had a heart attack slumped over the controls preventing “Jack” from controlling the plane. The plane flew into the side of a mountain, killing them both. Mom had her reasons.
Dad as I said learned to fly on the ‘GI Bill”. He learned to fly from a friend whom he had gone to High School with, Dean Ortner. The Ortner family owned an airport in Wakeman, Ohio. Some of you may remember this airport from when those unfortunate sky-divers were dropped over Lake Erie.
I remember as kids we would go to the “Ortner Family Air Show” that WAS total family fare. It would always be held on Fathers Day. This is where I had my first and only flight in a small plane, at the age of 8 or 9 this was THE coolest thing I had ever done in my life. The plane was a Piper Apache, a 5 place twin engine vehicle of fantasy. It was painted the color of the sky on a lightly clouded day. Its fuselage was painted a beautiful light blue. Its wings were painted angel white.
The only flying I’ve done since is on the commercial liners. Dean did aerobatics in a P-51 Mustang, F-4U Corsair, AT-6 and a Piper J3 Cub. The cub act was the most impressive. Dean would climb to a prescribed altitude and cut the engine and perform aerobatics on the way down until landing. This was extraordinary because the only way you can start a Cub is by pulling the prop over by hand, like the old bi-planes. Did I mention that the pilot on my first flight was the famous local” Aerobat” Dean O. himself?
This dear reader is the start of my addiction.
Fast forward to the early 60’s. I was in grade school when Scott Carpenter became the first American in space and John Glenn the first to orbit the Earth. Let us not forget all of those brave men like Chuck Yeager who were the test pilots of all of the X-Planes, (X1 thru X15) which lead to not only the Mercury flights but to the latest “Shuttle” flights. (I still remember all of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo flights.) These men became my heroes. Though their names today go unmentioned I still have a great deal of admiration and respect for all of these men and the Test Pilots of our modern day experimental “birds”. These are the TRUE “X-MEN” Hopefully this explains my obsession with aero-space.
If you have any memories of the Ortner air shows or other any other aviation stories I’d love to hear them. Just contact me at nlbick454@yahoo.com.
INTRODUCTION
First and foremost I would like to thank my friend since junior high, Andrew, for allowing me this opportunity to express myself. For those of you with moderate expectations of this column I’m sure I will not disappoint you, and thank you for your support. About me. I am a product of the ‘50s, as my 5 bypasses will attest. I am married to a wonderful woman for 22 soon to be 23 years, if she will still tolerate me. We have a terrific 17yr. old son who has enriched our lives to no end. We also have 4 dogs (sorry, cat people). The dogs are as follows, 2 toy Poodles, 1 Miniature Poodle and a Poodle Yorkie mix. As a side light, the Yorkie was an adoption of mercy. His caregivers were elderly and both passed away. The people who inherited him already had a LARGE dog which if had sat on him would have squished him. The people were going to put him down. Thankfully they contacted our groomer who introduced us to the now 5yr. old pup. He and I have bonded the degree that he follows me EVERYWHERE.
I like all kind of music as long as it is good, though I am partial to country/folk. No surprise here I play Mandolin, not well I just play. I am an Electronic Technician by trade and an “Aerospace NUT” by reputation with an emphasis on the Aero. More to come on this later. (BIG SURPRISE HUH?)
Politically I guess I’m a Democrat. But mostly I’m a free thinker and ecologist. The first President I remember is Eisenhower but I consider John Fitzgerald Kennedy as the real first President. Though I wasn’t old enough to vote for him I felt as though HE was MY President since he was young enough to lead my generation for many many years into the future. You can Imagine my sadness at his assignation. I still remember his quotes.. “Ask not what your country can do for you…” “We chose to go to the Moon in this decade … because it is hard.” A WWII hero as the skipper of PT 109, and to take a stand with Dr. King. What a GREAT MAN.
If I have peeked you curiosity dear reader, I will give you this teaser to wet your literary appetite. I am a living relative of an actual aviation pioneer and connections with local aviation legend. Do you see a THEME here?
Thanks again Andy, Norm
(Editors Note To Norm: Thank-You For Coming Aboard!) |
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