The Class of ' 64

In 1954, I came to what had been a sleepy little village until the government decided to build an Atomic plant near by. This created a boom in Real Estate.

My father was the minister of the Waverly Church of Christ. In 1954, there was ground, but no building. There wasn't much of a congregation either. The congregation met in the parsonage, a three bedroom house with a full sized basement. The bedrooms became class rooms, and downstairs was where people congregated. My job was to make sure there were enough folding chairs.

My new school was East Elementary. It is gone now, they tore it down on my birthdate in 1965. The town had grown so rapidly that the old school buildings were not large enough to house all of the new children. In fact, before this was built, students had to go to half days. Of course, that was done away with when the new East Elementary school was built.

The last town I had come from was New Vienna, Ohio, it was hardly the bustling community Waverly had. One summer, I heard the screams and hollering of children at play. I asked Mom if she heard it too, it escaped her attention, but not mine. (More later)

We missed seeing Corban....

We missed seeing Corban.  I suppose we will have to wait until next time.  Corban makes  five.  It is two boys, and three girls.  Drew is so much like his father.  He is just mischievous.  Last Thanksgiving, he wanted to play checkers. But rather than play on the red squares, he wanted to play on the black.  I don't see how this made any difference, but he beat me squarely.  I call him a con artist.  I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't grow up and go into Advertising.  All of his kids are special, I just hope he has no more.

My Grandfather Parsons had seven kids; Mom, Nell, June, Sina, Bobby, Henry, Howard, and Kenneth.  My Grandfather had no more than a third grade education, but he was a tool and die man, he could make anything.  He was a welder, and a well driller.  He taught all his sons the trade.  Kenneth did not care for the rough life of a well driller, and so he became a school teacher.  He did rather well, at least, he kept a roof over his head.  In fact, Grandpa had water, electricity, and conveniences when others did not.  He raised chickens, and had gardens, and all of that.  Money was hard to come by, but even in those lean years, he had a car.

So perhaps Dan will be like his great Greadpa.  He has taken after his Grandpa, what is it with the Justice clan and pleaching?

Kenneth even for a time tried to Preach, but it never took.  I believe the bottle had more influence over him than the Bible.  I do think that is what killed him.   He died at a horrible young age.

Grandpa had a bottle of Old GrandDad by his bed, but he just took one shot a nght before he went to sleep.  I never saw the man drunk.

Now Uncle Bobby, I had seen him drunk on many ocassions.  But, now he too is dead.

Howard is a self appointed know it all, who knows nothing.  He is smart, but stupid at the same time.  When I asked about one of his boys, if he was sending him to school, he replied that he was going to let him work in the mines.  I told him they would try to kill him, which they did try, he was injured, and was never whole after the accident in the mines. 

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Going back to Indiana

It is a cloudy morning....

Carol is on edge about her stress test, it has been delayed.  There are many things which have her stresed out;the loan did not come through on the house, we use our credit too much.  We have good credit rating, and we do pay our bills, but they want someone who doesn't really need the loan anyway.  I was never happy with the idea of paying off a mortabe until I die.  At 64, a thirty year mortage could be a death sentence.  To whose belenefit was this loan supposed to be for anyway?  It sounds to me as if it were for the banks.  And now, they say our rating is not high enough.  Boy, talk about the pot calling the kettle black, did we not just bail out these bastards to the tune of billions?  And, now, I who need aloan can't get one?  So there are two concerns which has Crol upset.  Well, the one is already taken care of, the Bank said no.

Been back to Valpo

This is the closest place to going home for either of us.  You could play the old record,"Sentinel Journey Home" and you would not be far off the mark.  Carol graduated from Valparaiso University, and I spent most of my teen years in Kouts, and that is not  far from Valpo.  I also spent a lot of time dating girls at the University.  I also lived Four years in Valpo, finishing up college.  I graduated from Purdue at Hammond.

So, we spent five days there, thinking of ways to return.