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1970 History by Alfred Reidel s .d V. — _• -F-" ....+...... .. _ .. - _ .. -. _ - ... � moi.'. . .• IL -x -- - � FS ate_ - � -..__�'' - - _. _ __. -- - . . �� ._. ------- . • -- r�; l 7 dyl PREFACE Seventy years of the twentieth century, as viewed by the writer. This is not intended to be a history book as regular history books go. Some events that turned out to be important may = not even be mentioned. Some events emphasized by the writer are mentioned and were important to the writer at the time.' This is the way life was lived by the writer, some things are serious, some things are funny. Time flys, and as Elbert Hubbard said, "Progress comes from the intel- ligent use of experience." Written by: - Alfred E. Riedel The Eighth Child The Sixth Son - r 1 DEDICATION This manuscript is dedicated to my Mother and Father, the finest parents anyone could have, and to my darling, wonderful wife, who for the past fifty years has been my love, my Joy and my inspiration. . 1 I 1 ,��tel.•f'� �Y7*Z�j7�+�� r O,�'�a�J i Col �'�� •.,.� �' � :r./ t SEVENTY YEARS IN THE TWENTIETH CHAPTER "Aren' t you glad you didn' t answer all the knocks of Opportunity?" William Feather The year was 1904 and the whole world was on the threshold of some remarkable changes. This book is not meant to be a history of the following 74 years, but in some respects it can' t help but be somewhat historical . The history part will be as viewed and lived by a lad born November 30, 1904. Some events will seem to be minimized, some emphasized. To a lad born on a farm in Minnesota two miles north of the city of Minneapolis , the names of men like Henry Ford, and his horseless carriage, Thomas E. Edison, and his electric light, Harvey Firestone and his rubber tire, and many many other inventors were mere names and not to be taken seriously. The Spanish American War of 1903 was over and expansion of the country to the West was continuing. In a way this should turn out to be one person's life and commentary of the first three quarters of the twentieth century, in a place like Minnesota and later in Texas. A good- place to start? Well , why not at the beginning, Fridley, Minnesota, a township along the East side of the Mississippi River. The farm, 300 acres in size, was owned by my Dad. The farm home - a two 1/� -1- story farm house along with the usual out buildings - a large red dairy barn, a large red horse barn, a hired men's house, a combination wood shed, ice house, a dairy building containing a large concrete ice water tank full of water and ice to cool cans of milk and to the left side of the wood shed, the very important family out house with its box of lime. After use the lime was sprinkled on the deposit to keep down odors. Dad kept all of us up-to-date. The following rough drawing is a birds eye view to show the approximate location of the buildings in relation to the Mississippi River, the county road to Anoka and the Electric Inter-Urban that ran from Minneapolis to Anoka. The two story farm home is the home I was born in, and the following view shows the farm from the Inter- Urban tracks. The river being much lower does not show. -2- 'i'i. a."7' w�.d.iL'1.�' "lY!•t .y-� T\..� ��:.,��K��n��y.��.l"•Ia. •L' w�µ~��e•� ��, "Sar' V. o��, _ .�,J�j at-+�•--)•-~�� _l x 5 L a e ""i• 'Ay'...� �I e,? ya Y•'s: +vim i'�1'Ya`S�,W.r -"�t-s:1 ^"'e� �t 7 w '.• �'!"3 t A'`.-.:. ��3 Sof 1� ,. a ti,,35,P s'' w...' :. L lw b� H Y � � �x^a Z3,, ` ,:-�.yv �� ..IrG � x.��.iC':�: '�w.,_. �'� ti •c?r :t7' ni� G.'am. A�- yK 7_ 4: c. 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TK i R W G R - IT M Rd E A GR$�-"l' '�O�0 Q Al The home - windmill and cow barn were on the same level , next level was the horse barn - men's house - dairy house ice house - wood shed and out house, lowest level and nearest the river were the chicken house and pig pens. Notice I have placed particular emphasis on the chicken house, wood shed, main home, and the out house. I soon found I was wearing a path to these various buildings. In the winter the various levels proved to be great fun to a boy with a sled, but shoveling a path through the snow to the various buildings was no fun. -3- Chickens fascinated me, so here is a chicken story. The chicken house and the attached chicken yard proved to be an interesting and essential part of the farm. The chicken yarn was surrounded by a twelve foot high chicken mesh fence to keep the chickens from flying out. The ashes from the kitchen stove were carried to the chicken yard (which was my job) and dumped in a heap. I learned later there was reason for not spreading the ashes around. Immediately after dumping the ashes the chickens would come running with their wings flapping making a great stir, dusting themselves . This I learned later was to kill the chicken mites. This was just another example of the way Dad used everything available rather than having to buy powder for the chickens. Dad used hens for raising baby chicks. Even as kids we learned to put twelve eggs under a hen that started kackling around wanting to nest. After twentyone days , we had a bunch of little chicks. There was no need to watch or care for an incubator. The chicken house often provided us with our Sunday dinners. Roosters usually were the ones we took out after. Trying to catch them was quite a job, but Dad was equal to the job. He took an ordinary wire steel coat hanger and straightened it out making one end a hook and the other end a handle. The drawing below -shows how it looked. AMM From handle to hook was about 30 inches. While the rooster was standing on the roost, we could hold the hanger by the handle and hook the bird by one leg with the hangers hook. Once the birds foot was in the hook, it was easy to catch. The rooster or hen was then taken to the wood yard where we placed the head on a large block of wood. We drew a straight line with a pice of soft black coal to the end of the block. For unexplained reasons , the line fascinated the bird so -4- much that the neck and head remained straight and still . With the quick stroke of the axe, the head was chopped off. Dad or one of my older brothers did the job. Anyhow, it beats going to the butcher shop and we always had fresh chicken. Sounds cruel , but that' s the way it was. Dad tried to raise turkeys, but never had much luck. Turkeys get coc cid i osis from chickens and die. This is true today; turkeys have to be vaccinated or raised in seperate pens and they cannot be in contact with chic.kens. Turkeys are hard to raise, as us kids learned later and dad just didn' t bother with them. On a farm one learns a lot about animals, birds , etc. , without being aware of it and was easier than studying it from books. LW -5- Minnesota is a land of extremes but very interesting to a boy. Weather was cold and snowy during Winter sometimes 20-250 below zero and hot summers when the temperature would reach 100-1020 above. Winter times called for wool stocking caps, ear muffs, mackinaw coats, sheep lined over-shoes, long underwear, snow men, snow forts, snow balls, hay rides, .sled parties. These often took the form of progressive suppers starting with Oyster stew then on to the next for fried chicken and last for desert. We had-fun. No need for liquor, marijuana or other drugs. We didn' t know they existed. Summer times were straw hats, light shirts and overalls , most of the times we ran barefooted. Somehow my earliest clear recollections start at the age of five. All of a sudden I had a younger brother, Chester was born. This as you can imagine was a startling development. 1 no longer was the baby of the family. However, he wasn' t much use to me. With five older Jr trothers and two older sisters, I still had plenty of bosses. He took up Mother's time that once belonged to me. However, I got over it because I was busy helping wear or shoveling a path to the out house, to the wood shed, to the chicken house, along with exploratory visits to the horse and cow barns, the men's (worker's) house was off limits. I found I had a job to keep myself busy - carrying wood to the wood burning kitchen stove and the pot-belly sitting room stove. This meant ashes for the chicken yard. Eggs to be gathered for the house. As I grew older other jobs were added. I don't want to give the impression I did all the chores, there always seemed to be plenty of jobs to do even with five older brothers and two sisters. Dad and Mother saw to that. Later in life I learned to appreciate my Mother and Dad. -6- Dad came to America as an immigrant in 1880. He told of standing on a street corner in New York with 76� in his pocket and a small carpet baa of clothing wondering what to do next. A man saw him and understood the situation and gave him a job on his farm at Lake Minnatonka, Minnesota clearing land, cutting trees, taking out stumps , etc. , working largely for room and board. He stayed there three years. Later he was offered a job on a dairy north of Minneapolis. Land was cheap and he bought land every opportunity he had. It was here he met a man named Charlie Nelson , a Swede. Charlie had two sisters, Ida and Manda, in Sweden that wanted to come to America and he sent the money so they could. The sisters spent a stormy three weeks crossing the ocean. It was so bad and scary that neither girl ever went back, not even for a visit. Dad met Ida , fell in love and were married June 1 , 1889. To be a successful farmer a man had to be a "jack of all trades". In addition to being a dairyman, he was a carpenter, cabinet maker, blacksmith (shoed his own horses) , veterinary, doctored his own animals , plumber pipe fitter, butcher (smoked his own hams and bacon) , made his own sausage and was an inventor or improvisor of sorts. When things went wrong he found ways to correct them. Mother too had to carry a load in addition to being a wife, mother and homemaker. She was a manager, cook, nurse, baker, canner, sourkraut maker, laundress , seamstress and church booster. Dad was one of the first to put in a Union Carbide household gas plant. We had gas light throughout the house. Also one of the first to have central heating (boiler with radiators in every room) . The gas plant was in a separate room with an outside vent for escaping gas. The coal burning boiler -7- was also in the basement as I think of it now, it's a wonder us kids didn' t blow up the house, but Dad's outside vent and locked doors probably prevented it. / D 7'1-1 ae �7 i c ;,0 .. 1 When the rural telephone line was put in, Dad was one of the first subscribers. It was a party line and everyone had his own ring. Of course, there was considerable eaves dropping. Our ring was one long and one short. It wasn' t long before everyone knew everyone elses ring, and people learned to be careful what they said on the phone. - Nevertheless , hone.Nevertheless , with no radio or television i the phone was a great convenience. Six short rings was a community call and the operator would give out information of general interest. Later Dad also put in inside plumbing, one of the few farm homes so equipped at that time. It does show though that Dad was alert and kept up with the changing times. The older children did the harder jobs. Cows to be milked, milk to be delivered, cows and horses to feed, barns to be cleaned. In the Spring, manure to be spread (by hand forks) on fields , fields to be plowed, planted, cultivated, hay to be cut, stacked or placed in hay lofts in the cow and horsebarns. Potatoes to be planted, potato bugs to be hand picked and put in a small kerosene can and burned, mature potatoes to be dug and placed in the basement, oats to be cut, stacked, threshed, garden and orchard to be tended. On a farm like Dad's , there was no end to the work to be done and work we did starting at an early age. E," -9- 1 � i L 1 r el I must include Giggs, a thoroughbred mongrel . He was part hound, black lir with dark yellow spots over lively, intelligent looking eyes. Giggs was given to me as a pup one day by a neighbor and Dad let me keep him. I loved him. No farm is complete without a good dog and Giggs was an intelligent one. He would tear down the pasture and bring up the cows leaving the year] ings. It was not all work. There was play and some of the play turned out to be dangerous. There was the time a calf was tied to a buggy weight with a 50 foot length of rope. It was fun chasing the calf, but the calf ran in circles tying the rope around my legs. Attempting to chase the calf with the rope around my legs caused me to fall hitting the weight with my fore- head. What happened next, I don' t know. I must have been unconscience. The scar on my forehead, to this day, is proof that it is foolish to try to run when your feet are tied. Later the same year, I could not go the Minnesota State Fair, a valued experience for us kids. To pacify me, Dad bought me a pony whip. Immediately, I had to try it out. My target was our pony which was in the yard, so I dashed out of the house and proceeded to use the whip. The pony did what came natural and gave me a kick in the mouth, cutting the tip of my tongue. The doctor saved my tongue, but I lisped, couldn' t say "th" for years. I -10- CHAPTER 2 "Experience is not what happens to a man, it is what a man does with what happens to him. It is a gift for dealing with the accidents of existence, not the accidents themselves." Aldous Huxley The year was 1912 and as far as I was concerned began the day brother Roy and I watched a man jump out of an airplane and land in our pasture. Wilbur and Orville Wright had made their historic flight near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina December 17, 1903 but at my age of eight I probably hadn' t even heard of it and was indifferent to say the least. Roy and I ran down the pasture toward the man's landing place (he i narrowly missed landing in the river) and helped him roll up his parachute. To us this was the beginning of the air age and a most startling event. It no doubt was not the first parachute drop but it was to us. It became the most interesting topic of conversation for weeks. Not to be out done, us kids had to try it too. It was decided that an umbrella would work. I was the smallest so was selected to make the first try. After considerable discussion, it was decided that I was to climb to the hay loft door, open the umbrella and jump, sailing gently to the ground. I agreed, climbing to the loft outside top door, I opened the umbrella and jumped. The umbrella refused to cooperate by turning inside out and I hit the ground with a thud. Fortunately I was not hurt, but this was my first and last attempt at parachuting. End result, one ruinei, "'� -11- umbrella and a paddled boy. A young man (name I cannot recall ) had built an aeroplane and Dad beino generous and curious allowed him to use our pasture as a run way. Us kids would spend every opportunity we had watching him run his plane up and down the pasture. Planes were exciting toys for daredevils but Dad insisted they were of no practical use. Men were stunt flying at fair grounds, wing walking, etc. a dare-devil business of which we were sure "no good would come it". 1912 was a great year. Dad bought a Buick automobile (they weren't called "cars" yet ) with no front doors-gas , shiny, bright brass head lights, back seat (with doors) , lay down top with side curtains (incase OT rain) painted black. Thus began the auto age for me. Dad bought a Buick because Uncle Nelson (Mother's brother) had bought a Ford and Dad was not to be outdone. Brother Ed being the oldest son was the first to learn to drive. Then Bill , then Walter, Arthur was considered too young (fifteen). Cars had purest - 0 - Lite (gas tanks) for night driving. Vulcanizer sets to repair inner tubes and air pumps to inflate the tires after they had been repaired. �� -12- Zu- � owl— may.., L✓� -ry i t } Y' r Autos were constantly stopped along the road due to engine trouble or flat tires , broken springs, etc. The horse was still considered the main and only reliable means of transportation and when coming up to a stalled car it was great fun for us kids to call out "Get yourself a horse!" Autos had to be hand cranked and men -with broken or sprained arm and wrists were quite common. Self starters on Autos were unheard of. Politics was a hot subject in 1912 at our house. Dad and Uncle Charlie (Nelson) had heated arguments. President Taft secured the Republican nomination. Teddy Roosevelt and Taft had a falling out and Teddy ran as an "Independent Progressive (Bull Moose) candidate". The Republican vote was split and Woodrow Wilson, a Democrate won the election. -13- In 1913 the hot issue was the 16th amendment to the constitution con- cernina the income tax. It passed and the resulting law among other things provided for a 1% tax on incomes over *$3,000.00 for single people and over $4,000.00 for married people. Dad was very unhappy and I remember him saying over and over again "Politicians can' t be satisfied, some day it will be 1001". More important to me was going to the one room Oakwood school . School was a mile and ;I away and us kids walked it most of the time. When winter cane with snow on the ground and the temperature often at -200 (below zero) , Dad would hitch up the horse to a cutter (sled) and bundled together (Roy, Alice, and myself and later Chester) under a fur hide robe, with jingle bells ringing, would go off to school . Dad may not have liked it but us kids thought it was great fun. All 8 grades were taught by the same teacher in the same room. The only distinction being in the seating arrangement. Lower grade students v had the advantage of hearing lessons given to upper grades - resulting in some students skipping grades. It was not unusual for a student to finish the 8 grades in 6 years. I was one that did. Qus' Work continued on the farm and during the hot summer days after a day of cultivating potatoes , hoeing the garden, etc. , all the boys would make a dash for the river, shedding clothes as we ran. Nude was' the only way to swim and the last one in was a "rotten egg". All the boys became expert swimmers. My two sisters never learned to swim until much later in life. The river was a fascinating place and drew us like magnets. MPLS had a number of sawmills and the river at our farm was full of logs from the Northern forests. The logs were marked with an axe showing to whom they �,' -14- belonged. The logs were sorted into booms and held until needed. Brother Waiter got a job working sorting logs, etc. Logs laid still and floated on the surface unless disturbed by us kids running and jumping from one log to another. It didn' t take us long to play a game "follow the leader". The leader had a fairly easy time, but following, stepping on the rolling, bobbing logs was another matter. Mother knew what we did but all she could do was worry. We had some close calls but none of us dro.wned. However, I remember one close call . St. Anthony Falls is at Minneapolis and is considered the tead,,navigation on the Mississippi river. I mention the Falls because the current of any stream is strong before any falls. The current on the Mississippi two miles from the falls is no exception. The river at the farm is about four long city blocks wide, naturally swimming the river was a challenge. One day while swimming alone, I decided I could do it and immediately started out. About half way across, I ,�►�� began to tire and the thought flashed through my mind that the river was wider than I thought; however, I found by taking it easy and swimming with the current, I could make it. I did, the only trouble was that when I landed I was about half a mile down stream naked as a jay bird. Hiding myself the best I could by the river bank, I walked back up the river opposite the farm and hollered until my brothers heard me and came and got me. Dad gave me his number one lecture concerning the "buddy system". Needless to say, I never did that again until I was older and then only with one of my older brothers as company. Besides swimming, we fished for Red horse (a sucker mouth type fish) and mud cats. Winters we trapped for muskrats , minks and rabbits . Summer we drowned out gophers. -15- We always had a large garden and orchard. The home had a full basement which not only held the Union Carbide gas equipment and coal fire furnace for the radiators but also a larae room with shelves full of preserves from the garden and the orchard. We had barrels of apples , a bin full of potatoes, for eating and next years planting, jars of sour krout and dill pickles. This was mothers end of the business and she did a wonderful job of it. This room she kept under lock, keeping the key herself. Fall came and with it a most exciting time. All of a sudden someone would spot something coming down the road and holler "The Threshers are coming" . The boss thresher would pull the threshing rig between the huge staO,s of grain, then back away, turn around, fastening a long leather (twisted) belt from the engine to the threshing machine. The engine burned cord wood and with neighbors as help, Dad was in business. It was the custom for neighbors to help and Dad would also follow the crew to other farms. The greatest part of the fun for us kids was the kitchen. Food was plentiful and delicious. Kitchens and kitchen tables (seating up to 14) were large. Wives of the threshers came to help and all in all it was an exciting delightful time. Winter followed and with winter the time to put ice in the ice house as has been previously briefly been mentioned. The river besides providing fish and fun, provided ice for our ice house. In the winter when the ice was about 14 to 15 inches thick Dad took an ice saw (a saw about 8 inches wide and 6 feet r -16- long with handles on only one end and with large teeth) and cut blocks cf ice about 2�' X 5' in size. These were hauled by sleds to the ice house laver by layer and covered with sawdust. Enouch ice was put in the ice house to cool milk and the kitchen ice box until the next winter. Milk had to be kept cold to stay sweet. Also, ice had to be put in the milk wagon to keep the milk cold while it was being delivered on the milk route. To start with the milk was taken to town in 10 gallon cans. Dad had lona pint and quart diopers. Customers would meet Dad with pans , jars or pitchers and Dad would dip out the amount customers wanted. Dad had a lot of customers because he kept the milk cold and therefore sweet. Later Dad switched to glass bottles and us kids inherited a new job of washing, filling and capping the milk bottles. The milk was raw, there was no such thing as pasteurized milk so the milk had to have special care. / r 0 -17- Dad delivered milk to customers in the city of Minneapolis by means of horse and waaon. The city used to use horses for their fire engines and when there was a fire they pulled the fire engine at a gallop to the scene of the fire. When the horses got old, the city sold them cheap to whoever would buy them. One time Dad boucht one of the horses for his milk route. All went well until one day while Dad was delivering milk , a fire engine went by on the way to a fire. True to his training the old fire horse took off after the fire enoine. When Dad found the milk wagon at the scene of the fire, it was a wreck. Cans of milk had been thrown out and the wagon was ruined. Needless to say that was the last old fire horse Dad bought. 00, �l •q ;-V 117 t:"I • ,' ..�:�: _ �-,,1� rw•7�i.ice''YiT:-n.: �_ `�•ve-..r.+..,,..�..�y.'..�,_ 14, -18- L U Dad was a great believer in keeping farm equipment looking good and ;n good repair; hence the long open face machine shed between the chicken house and the oia pen. During the fall and on rainy days we worked painting, repairing, greasing plows, mowers , cultivators, planters, etc. , getting ready for the next season. When that was finished, we chopped woog filling the wood shed with fire wood. When that was done it was fall and time for butchering. Dad did it and the rest of us helped. Dad had his own smoke house, made his own hams, bacon, sausage, salt pork , etc. Mother made head cheese, canned meat, etc. Where my parents learned to do all they did is beyond me. Dad's idea was to waste nothing. He used the lime from the Union Carbide gas machine to white wash the chicken house, cow barn, etc. Dad not only was a butcher, he also was a veternarian, treating the animals , chickens, etc. , when they became sick. ' _ -19- CHAPTER 3 "To follow foolish precedents , and wink with both our eyes, is easier than to think." William Cowper 1914 was a sad year. There was a diphtheria epidemic and Roy, Alice and 1 caught the contagious throat disease. Dr. McDonald, our family doctor gave us the diphteria antitoxin treatment. Alice and I recovered but the antitoxin came too late for brother Roy and he died. Returning from the funeral one of our neighbor ladies in attempting to comfort said, "'Well , Ida, you still have eicht children left." Mother was very much indignant and said, "I love all my children with all my heart. No one can take his place!" Mother often repeated the conversation but I learned the miracle of the size of a parents heart. Parents can love all their children with all their heart all at the same time. The world events intruded on our somewhat quiet farm life. An Austrian Duke was assassinated in a town called Sarajevo and Europe was in a war. In May 1915 a German submarine sank the unarmed British luxury liner, Lusitania with a loss of life of 1,198 including 128 Americans. November 1916 was another election year, feelings were high. Wilson won the election with the slogan, "He kept us out of the war!" Five kierican merchant ships were torpedoed in March 1917. Wilson called for a Declaration of War and we were in it. �Y -20- Anti-German feelings sprang up. Dad was a German and that fact alone caused a nasty whispering campaign. Dad was immensely loyal and the whispers hurt. War bond campaigns were started and Dad over subscribed the amount allotted to him attempting to prove his loyalty. Brother Walter enlisted in the army. He was a good motorcycle mechanic and spent his time in the army driving a motorcycle with a side car taking superior officers from place to place. Brother Arthur joined the National Guard. In spite of everything Dad did, he never was satisfied that he was doing enough. He had left Germany because he didn' t like compulsory military training, he didn' t like the Kaiser and the stories of freedom and cheap land in this country appealed to him. He was a citizen of the United States 1000% and wanted everyone to know it. When the government sent out a request for mo re wheat, he planted wheat even though up to that time he had been planting oats and rye for his dairy cows, horses , pigs and chickens. Farm labor was hard to get and wages were high. He never forgot the time he hired a man to stack the wheat. Dad made a suggestion and the man, who showed up wearing a silk shirt, threw down his fork, demanded his money and walked off the job headed for town. Dad, brother Art and I (only 13 at the time) finished the harvesting. Brothers Ed, Bill and Walter with Dads help, started a small milk bottling plant in St. Paul in 1914. The government needed milk, butter and cheese, �s. and since both Ed and Bill were married with children, they were placed in an essential to the War" classification. Radio was new on the market and us kids had a great time making crystal sets (with a copper wire and ear phones) . We had a new plaything. Complete radio sets with loud speakers were still in the future. -21- November 11, 1918, an armistice was signed, the Kaiser abdicated, and the boys came home. What a day! What a celebration! Wilson was working for a "League of Nations" with fourteen points for a lasting peace. He failed and died a disappointed man. In 1920, two constitutional amendments were passed, #17 gave Women the Right to Vote and #18 established Prohibition. Warren G. Harding, a Republican, was elected President and Calvin Coolidge, Vice President. Harding died in 1923 and Calvin Coolidge became President and was re- elected. The country was prosperous and Herbert Hoover, a Republican, was elected to the Presidency in 1928. 6 . -22- CHAPTER 4 "We cannot advance without new experiments in living, but no wise man tries every day what he has proved wrong the day before. " James Truslow Adams With the end of the war, the country was still prosperous. Labor on the farm was hard to aet. Work was done by the family. I had finished grade school and in 1918 started to attend East High School in Mpls. �a# .L�e e g, r"= Dad had a lot of foresight and was one of the first to give land for a street car inter-urban line from Mpls. to Anoka. The land being just across the Anoka road which ran past our farm. Even had a small station named "RIEDEL". This trolly (painted red) made it possible for me to attend high school . I know I couldn' t have been a very popular student because there were times when I had to milk ten cows morning and evening with no way to take a quick bath. To get spending money I carried a crate of ( 12 dozen) eggs to the school cafeteria. No one ever said anything but I wouldn' t have cared anyway. I wanted the money. Being more or less left by mysel `, I went out for public speaking, took a small part in the class play, and made one of the graduation speeches talking on the subject "The Tests of an Educated Person". How about that? Only a high school graduate would pick a subject like that! With my credentials in hand, I presented myself at the University of Minnesota and was accepted. Along the way Dad sold a good part of the farm, about 200 acres of land, to the Great Northern Railroad. Dad put a good part of the money in -23- the Dairy plant in St. Paul . (Sanitary Farm Dairies , Inc. ) bought a house at 1842 Fairmont Avenue, St. Paul and we moved there. Now the problem was to get to and from the University. Fairmont Avenue was about a mile from University Avenue that led to the University. One way to do it was to walk and thumb a ride to the University once I had gotten to University Avenue. Returning home, I used the same method. The dairy prospered and Dad and my brothers bought a small dairy on Thomas Street and turned it into a butter plant and milk distributing station. Working at the Thomas Street plant during the summer vacation months , and with Dads help, I finally succeeded in buying a Chevrolet Coupe to go back and forth to school . Having a car enabled me to spend more time at the University getting to enter into the social life. I was invited to join Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity and did. Elected a member of Phi Delta Gamma , an honorary forensic society, the Shakesperean Club, was a member of the Sophmore Debate team, was Chairman Forensic Committee. Finally graduated with a BA degree in Economics , a minor in speech and a minor in psychology. But, wait, I 'm going too fast. While working at the Thomas Street butter plant, I met Walter Sehm, who later became my brother-in-law by marrying my sister Alice. During the summer of 1922, I worked in the office of the butter plant but in 1924 brother Ed who ran the plant needed cream so he sent Walter Sehm and me on a cream buying trip in North Dakota. The trick was to stop by all the small railroad stations and copy the names of the shippers sending cream to other butter plants (centralizers) and then call on them leaving shipping tags and urging the farmers to give us a try with their next shipment. Our first stop was Litchfield, N.D. where we made Walter's -24 relatives our base of operations. This relationship was a great help to us and it helped us get a good start. We had to build confidence in our- selves and our company because we had no other credentials. We succeeded fairly well and the following year Ed sent me out by myself. Towns were small , roads were poor, some nights I slept in the car to save money. This type of business lasted for many years. The Great Northern Railroad became known as the "milk run". As time went on farmers organized coop-erative Creameries and the centralized butter plants in cities like Minneapolis, St. Paul , Omaha gradually changed their method of doing business or simply closed down. Coming back home after working the Dakotas in the summer of 1925, I decided I wanted the experience of going away to school . Mother and Dad finally agreed and I enrolled in the University of Iowa for 1925-26 school year. When the year ended instead of going back to St. Paul , I drove to Omaha. Knowing something about milk, cream, buying and selling, I applied for a job with the Alamito Dairy Company. They were short handed and I got a job driving a one horse retail milk wagon. In those days we got up at 2:00 a.m. , harnessed our own horses and hitched up our wagons , loaded and iced the milk and started out. My route was in South Omaha (packing house district) so a lot of my business was for cash. The foreman rode with me for about half a day. The Dairy came and got him because one of the other route men did not show up for work and he had to "pull " another route. The foreman said "The horse knows the route, here's the route book. When the horse stops , look in the book, you are supposed to make a delivery." Each route book page was complete giving name, address , amount of milk, cheese, etc. , to deliver. I r �► -25- objected but to no avail , I finished the route missing only one customer. The foreman never did get back with me so you can say the horse taught me the route. Later when trucks came into common use for milk routes it took two to three weeks to teach a new man the route. Horses went out because they slowed up traffic, but they were smart and had their advantages. Horses also used to put their droppings at the same place every day. Some people liked it some didn' t. Those that did used the droppings for their flower or vegetable gardens. Things do change! I did fairly good but I still wanted to finish school so I gave notice. I am glad to say my foreman hated to see me go and tried to talk me into staying. I still remember a man dressed in a tux that met me every Sunday morning ordered a quart bottle of milk (glass, no paper in those days) and drank it right there on the spot. I finally asked him why and he said "It stops the hangover!" As long as 1 was on the route he was one of the most regular and best customers I had. I lived at the YMCA while in Omaha and learned to - -26 appreciate the good work they do. When time came to go back to register for school , I found Iowa did not offer the courses I needed in a way that I could attend and secure the necessary credits to graduate in 1927. Checking, I found Minnesota did, so back to the University of ,'Minnesota I went graduating in March 1927. Airplanes became stronger, better and faster. Pilots continued to set new flight records. The most amazing and spectacular flights was that of Charles Lindberg crossing the Atlantic Ocean non-stop. He landed at Paris , France May 21 , 1927 (plane - The Spirit of St. Louis) to receive a terrific heroe' s welcome and the air age leaped forward. Brother Walter helped me to get a job as messenger and bookkeeper in the Farmers and Merchants State Bank, St. Paul , Minnesota (next door to the milk plant) and I was "tickled to death" to get it. The Merchants National Bank opened a branch bank, Grand Avenue State Bank and offered me a job there. Farmers and Merchants State Bank was also a branch of the Merchants National Bank. Raleigh Wilhelmi was cashier and manager of the Grand Avenue Bank. I was promoted to teller. Wilhelmi , a girl secretary and I ran the branch bank. There I had the experience of being held up. One day about noon, the bank lobby was empty, two men came in the bank. They approached my window, passed in a $10.00 dollar bill and said "change it". As I reached for the cash drawer and took out ten $1.00 dollar bills, I looked down and saw a gun. The man said "Back up, keep your hands up, this is a hold up! ". In the meantime, the other man covered Wilhelmi with a gun and ordered all three of us into the vault. We had strict instructions to leave the vault door open. But there was a cage inside sepQrating the safety deposit boxes from the rest of the vault. They put the three of -27- - - I us in the cage and slammed the door. Wilhelmi waited a while then managed to get his hand through the bars of the cage and we got out. The last we saw of the hold up men, they were running down the street. Of course, the robbery was reported. We worked until about 11:00 P.M. that night and finally determined the loss to be $4,031. 11. About a year later, the hold up men were caught and we learned one was an escaped murderer and the other had a long criminal record. It was a good thing we didn' t resist. 1927 y c5' '— , W U� . -28- CHAPTER 5 "The young have aspirations that never come to pass, the old have reminiscences of what never happened." H. H. Munro While working at the two banks I decided to study law. I registered at the St. Paul College of Law night school . However, I continued to spend some time at the Phi Sig house at the University of Minnesota. One night I attended a party at the Phi Mu Sorority house and saw a vision of the most beautiful girl ever coming down a stairway. I didn' t know it then but as far as I was concerned, it was love at first sight. I managed an introduction, it turned out she came to the "open house" with a fraternity brother, Erling Berg. Having a car, I took Erling to the fraternity house, my date to her home and the "vision" to her sorority, the Kappa Delta House. I learned later that she had a good friend that lived only two doors from my home. On the way to the Kappa Delta House, I managed to arrange another date and for the rest of the year (1927) I dated no one else. I decided 1 didn' t want to become a lawyer after two years of night law school -- and that I had enough for business purposes (wrong) having studied contracts , torts , etc. So I quit the law school in December 1927. My brothers were doing good in the milk business and with the "vision" in mind I wanted to become self supporting as soon as possible. But where? I didn' t want to work for my brothers or my cousins (tile Nelsons) . They were all in the milk business in Minneapolis , so what to do? I didn' t like cold freezing winters so I told my parents I was "heading �' _ -29- south". They tried to talk me out of it but I was determined. My brothers Ed, Bill and Walter figured I would soon be back. Art halfway encouraged me and Chester said if I found anything he would join me. That was all the encou raaement I needed. I told the "vision" Mildred I would be back and would write. Got her to promise she would write also. January 2, 1928, I took out for St. Louis. I loaded the Chev. Coupe with practically all my belongings, student trunk, suitcase , over night bag and about everything I could put in the trunk of the car. Arriving in St. Louis, I checked into the Y. M. C. A. , parking my car on the "Y's" lot. Spending about three days visiting some of the dairies, looking the town over and playing Chess with others that were staying at the "Y". The parking lot was on the side of the building that I could see it from the window of my room. The 4th day I got up, looked out the window and couldn't beleive what I saw. My car was gone! I went down looked at the grease spots. I notified the "Y" and the police. The police located the car but my trunk, suitcase, tools, spare tire, etc. were gone! The trunk and suitcase contained my graduation tux, spare suits, shirts, etc. I spent three days going from pawn shops to other pawn shops hoping to recognize my belongings - no luck, and I was sick of St. Louis, too cold and too unfriendly. -30- I decided to head south - no report to the folks in St. Paul . Tulsa looked like a good spot (on the map) so I headed that way. Tulsa didn' t appeal to me much so I headed for Oklahoma City after buying a spare tire and some clothes. Oklahoma City area didn' t look like good milk producing area, so I headed for Dallas. In Dallas I realized I was getting close to salt water and Galveston. I liked Dallas but decided I could return if I wanted to and anyway, I might as well say I had seen salt water. Arriving in Galveston, I walked barefoot in the salt water - too cold to go swimming (February) . Sat in the car for awhile and I decided to go back to Houston (about 200,000) , much bigger and aggressive than Galveston. I checked in at the "Y" and started out looking the dairies over. Phenix Dairy was the big one and I decided probably vulnerable. Out Washington Avenue was a small creamery called Producers Creamery owned by three dairymen, Compton, Christenson and Grisbee. Mr. W. C. Compton was the manager. I hit him up r for a job. I had to go to work. No luck. Finally found out they had a small , no panels , Ford truck. Talked him into renting it to me and selling milk to me at platform prices. Next day I bought a few cases of milk and lit out for the Houston Heights working Heights Boulevard, Arlington, Columbia and other streets in the area. I started to build up a milk route. Found out Phenix and other competition wasn' t so tough. About three months went by - Compton called me in and said, "Riedel , we are out of money and are going to close up." I said, "you can' t do that. I have just got started." That night I called Dad and told him I had found a great opportunity and needed $2,500.00. Dad agreed to loan me the money. I had about $2,000.00 �� -31- in savings and checking account in my own name in St. Paul . The next day I talked to Mr. Compton and got him to call a meeting of his partners , Christenson and Grisbee, which he did. Somehow (I often wonder how) I talked them into taking $1,500.00 each in stock Producers Creamery, Inc. capitali4ed for $25,000.00 in a new corporationffor their interest in the company and in addition, putting in $2,500.00 in cash for stock along with my $4,500.00 for stock gave us a company with $16 ,500.00, $8,500.00 unissued stock, and we were in business. I was Sec. ,Treas. , and Manager, W. C. Compton was Vice President, W. H. Grisbee was President, and A. C. Christenson a Director. I immediately contacted Chester, just having graduated from Central High School in St. Paul and since he didn' t want to go to college, urged him I to come to Houston. He did, and we got a room in the Heights and roomed together for about a year. According to a report we heard, there was a fine retail dairy for sale - Keyworth Dairy. We contacted Mrs . Keyworth and bought the dairy for $5,000.00 incorporating it into the Producers Creamery, Inc. We changed the name .to Keyworth Dairy, Inc. The name Keyworth was better known than Producers and Mrs. Keyworth agreed to stay on as temporary President, W. C. Compton as Vice President, and myself as Secretary-Treasurer. Brother Art joined Chester and myself the spring of '29. Mrs. Keyworth retired and sold the one share she held. W. C. Compton sold his stock and resigned. Then Art was made President, Chester Vice President and I remained as Secretary-Treasurer. This remained our officer set up until ,� -32- about 1967. Arthur was made Chairman of the Board, I became President and Treasurer, and Chester Vice President and Secretary. Son Bill, who Joined the business in 1957 after sepn.ration from t:e Air Force, became Assistant Secretary and Treasurer. Many times we were asked how us three brother managed to work together as a unit. It was not hard because we realized we had to in order to make a success of our business. We had a verbal understanding that when questions came up we had to have unanimous agreement. Two to one meant no action could be taken until the 3rd finally agreed. Also it was understood that each one would put forth all his effort for the interest of the company and salaries were the same for each person regardless of title. We made a good team and the success of the Sanitary Farm Dairies . Inc. was due to a joint effert not by any one person. -33- CHAPTER 6 "So live that you wouldn' t be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip" Will Rogers It was now 1929 business was good and getting better. I wrote regularily to the vision (Mil ) had managed to make one trip to St. Paul returning by way of Chicago where Mil had a job. We dated, danced at the Palmer House and had a lot of fun. I returned to Houston but decided I had had enough of single life. I wrote Mil asking her to meet me in New Orleans and we would get married,. " GIQry'be she agreed. I suggested New Orleans because the Illinoi5 't" .gtral R.R.'had AlrPct run there. Business was good nm times were;prgsperous but tbod help was hard to find. It seemed impossible to get away for 4 thaR`i couple of days . We decided October 19, 1929 would b '.a gdod� day,t"--Val ter,and w1 fe Marie were in town helping Chester and me with 'goo garding the dairy. I told them of our plans and they decide to go to _Ne4,Drleans and "stand up" for us. They took the train and I drove"over in my Chevrolet Coupe. We checked into the Jung Hotel . Before leaving Houston I went downtown to Corrigan Jewelry and bought a diamondhd- a weddin6 ring. October 19, I met the train and there she was - "Hallelujah" (Jehovah berap ised). Gave her a big kiss slipped the ring on her finger and went to meet Walter and Marie at the hotel . I think we had lunch and then went to the city hall to get a marriage license. Couldn't get one, I didn't have a blood test certificate. Found out I could get one at a near by drug 34- .':1 store that was licensed to check and issue certificates. The man needed one and the woman didn' t! Secured license, now the preacher. I suggested a Lutheran minister and Mil agreed. I called him; Rev. S. J. Helfrit and he was in. We went to the parsonage. Walter and Marie "stood up" for us and we were married. Hallelujah! It was still early in the afternoon and Walter suggested we hire a taxi cab-and see some of New Orleans . Sounded like a good idea. The taxi driver showed us part of the town and particularity the cemeteries, explaining why wo many people were buried above ground. New Orleans being below sea level . Marie leaned back behind Mil so Mil couldn' t see her mouth make the word "flowers". Great idea. I told the driver to stop at the next florist. Waiter and I went in and not wanting to be a cheap skate, bought a dozen huge yellow chrysanthemums and gave them to Mil . Marie almost had a fit. She said she meant a corsage. Mil took the mums all the way to Houston and I was real proud of them. We rented a furnished efficiency apartment on Waugh Drive and were as happy as any two love birds could be. But things changed fast, the great American boom came to an end. October 29, 1929 the stock market crashed. People started selling stocks frantically. The faster they sold the faster prices fell . It was estimated that by November 15th, stocks had fallen 50110 or about 30 billion dollars in stock values vanished. Many people had bought stocks on margin and were wiped out (millionaires one day; and millions in debt the next) . People were jumping out of tall buildings committing suicide. Un- -35- employment jumped when business laid off employees to cut expenses. Banks I oreclosed on farms, business sold inventories below cost to meet their debts. Herbert Hoover was president and he was blamed for the Great depression. The dairy business was terrible and we worked (Art, Chester and myself) day and night to keep our heads above water. People started rumors and rumors led to "runs" on banks. Many banks closed for good. Prices of dairy products changed downward almost daily, prices paid producers were cut-, producers called a milk strike, pouring milk down the sewers. All the men anyone wanted could be hired for $25.00 a week and milk sold for 5� a quart. Exci tment and tormoi l everywhere. Betty Lynn was born September 14, 1930 in the middle of the depression, a beautiful baby. Her blond hair a bright spot in an upset world. Radio continued to be a lot of fun. We now had loud speakers and it was getting to be a real force in our home life. Television was mere speculation. Encylopedia Britannia Vol 21 page 911 had this to say. "At the present time (1931) while all of these possibilities (showing images) as well as some special developments such as television in color, have been experimentally demonstrated the practical and economic barriers to transmitting really satisfactory images are so great as to oppose very serious obstacles to the general use of television." The dairy grew in spite of all the trouble. Other small dairies gave up -36- practically giving us the business if we would buy their milk. We worked day and night and existed day by day. Stalled one creditor to pay some to another. It was a real touch and go proposition. Meeting the payroll as small as wages were , was a major problem. We took out of the business only enouah money for absolute necessities. Dad loaned us some money or we would never have made it. T n 1932 Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected president by an overwhelming vote. In the spring he declared a bank holiday. Every bank in the country was closed and remained closed for 30 days. Routemen brought in coins and currency and we had no place to put it except in our own safe. Small businesses up and down Washington all came to us for change. When it came to paying our milk producers we issued checks for "cash" in $1 - $5 and $10 denominations so they could pay their bills. Our checks and checks of other companies circulated during the bank holiday like currency. Some checks came back at the end of the period covered with deposit stamps so heavily as to be unreadable. -37- CHAPTER 7 "We should be careful to get out of an experience all the wisdom that is in it - not like the cat that sits down on a hot stove lid. She will never sit down on a hot stove lid again - and that is well ; but also she will never sit down on a cold one anymore" Mark Twain The bank holiday ended with the passage of a series of acts by Congress and the President. The passage of the Federal Deposit Insurance FDIC insuring bank deposits up to $$10,000.00 enabled the banks to reopen with- out fear of a run on the bank. YS LIC did the same for Savings & Loan associations. The National Reconstruction Act (NRA) with its Blue Eagle emblem allowed even forced businessmen to get together to eliminate cut- throat competition. Zero percent interest was all that was allowed on savings accounts to encourage banks to loan money and business men to borrow it in order to get business to hire more employees. In--the dairy business a man was hired to establish fair prices , eliminate ruthless competition. The man who ran the dairy business was a Major Decker. He set up rules and regulations , eliminated special discounts, or any other deals that would undermine the established price schedule. Some of the alphabet acts were: W.P.A. - Work Projects Administration P.W.A. - Public Works Administration C.C.C. - Civilian Conservation Corps. �► -38- and of course, F.D.R. - meant Franklin Delano Roosevelt E.P.A. - Environmental Protection Agency N.A.T.O. - (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) F.B. I. - Federal Bureau of Investigation C. I.A. - Central Intelligence Agency J. F.K. - John F. Kennedy L.B.J. - Lyndon B. Johnson Many of the Acts were absolutely necessary and the country was on the road to recovery. We have had to contend with alphabet politics ever since. William Algin, "Bill " ,'larch 22, 1933 was a great day. Mil presented me with a son/ Business was looking up and we were greatly pleased. Also in 1933 the company bought a piece of land on West Gray ( 1802) looking forward to building a new dairy plant. Brother Walter spent about six (6) months in Houston helping design, build, and supervise our new dairy plant. He was a good engineer and his help was invaluable. We moved into our new building in the spring of 1935. We had a grand "open house" inviting all Houstonians to attend. Thousands did and from then on business was good. Every year showed an increase in sales and profits. Lew Matteson, a real good friend of mine suggested to me that we open a bank on South Main. Lew' s attorney was Joel H. Berry and he also thought it was a good idea. Mr. Berry,took care of all the paperwork. In addition to myself drotners Art, Chester, Lew Matteson, Joel Berry, A.M. Askew, Ed Blackburn, Otis Massey, J. Brown Cutbirth all took stock and the new bank, South Main State Bank opened for business in the spring of 1944. Joel H. Berry was -39- The Masonite Cow used as a Duck and Goose Blind v 2 hinge to conserve space and to make it easier to carry. Cow was cut out of one sheet of Masonite 4' X 8' X 1/8" thick. Z4 0 President and director, Lew Matteson, vice president and director, and additional directors were A. M. Aske% J. Brown Cutbirth, Ed Blackburn, Otis Massey and myself. I am still a director of the bank ( 1979) . It was not all work and no play while brother Walter was here supervising our new building. Walter loved to hunt ducks and geese and we spent several days in the marshes and the bay near Austwell and Tivoli (about 100 miles from Houston toward Corpus Christi ) . Ducks and geese were plentiful and while we used newspapers as decoys, we needed something to use as a blind. One of us or both got the idea of taking a sheet of masonite, cutting it in the shape of a cow and spraying it with paint to make it look more realistic. We got Ray Knepple, our truck body builder to do this for us. Ray put a continuous hinge in the middle and carrying straps to fit on our shoulders one on the front and one on the rear of the masonite cow. -- We couldn't wait for the weekend to come,when it did we headed for the marshes. Walter took the front and I took the rear, we were wearing our hip rubber boots and typical hunting jacket, carrying our shot guns , shells, drinking water, lunch, etc. , so you can see, we were loaded down. We started out at a fast clip, but we hadn't gone very far before the masonite cow got awful heavy. I tried walking in Walter's foot steps but the masonite cow bellied out and in, making it hard to carry. I wanted to quit but Walter said let' s set it up against a fence that was there. This we did also spreading newspapers as decoys. We ducked behind the masonite cow and had a good day hunting. When it came time to return, we decided to leave the cow there, with the game it was just too heavy. Several weeks later '� -40- the cow was still thereland maybe still there) as far as we know. The idea � �... was good but we don' t recommend it. I got so tired I thought I was going to have a heart attack. 1 am merely telling this tale to show it wasn' t all work, sometimes play is harder than work. -The "New Deal " was in full swing. Deficit financing to pay for it was in full speed ahead and F. D.R. was re-elected in 1936. I had become a Methodist after attending church with Mil (who was a Methodist) and hearing Dr. A. Frank Smith preach. Business was very demanding so I did not attend regularily. In 1934 a real good friend of mine, Hugh Watson, organized the Executive's Association of Houston and I became one of six charter members of the club meeting every Tuesday morning for a 7:30 breakfast. I was already a Kiwanian having joined in November 1928 on the recommendation of brother Ed who was a Kiwanian in St. Paul . (November 1978 I received a "Legion of Honer" certificate as a 50 year member. ) The Executives club was a purely business exchange and promotion club and continues to a certain extent in that respect to this very day. 1935 was a tragic year. The world was shocked by newspaper headlines, "Will Rogers is dead". The cowboy humorist was my favorite and just about everyone else felt the same way. He died in an aeroplane crash with his friend Wiley Post on August 15, 1935 in Alaska. One of his statements was "I never met a man I didn' t like " and people returned his feeling, everyone liked him. He wrote a daily newspaper column that was eagerly looked for everyday. He made movies , worked in vaudeville on radio, wrote six books -41- and many magazine articles. He is still frequently quotid today. One of his remarks that peopled loved was , "Lord, the money we spend on government, and it' s not one bit better than the governments we got for one - third the money 20 years ago. " Another time he said, "People ask me where I get my jokes - I tell them I just watch congress". Regarding government finance he said "We will never get anywhere with our finance till we pass a law saying" that everytime we appropriate something, we got to pass another bill along with it stating where the money is coming from". He was a great man and no one has ever taken his place. a�J -42- CHAPTER "How I pray that we may make the love of Christ more real by trying so to live in his spirit that people can believe that God loves them and wants them to live at their best that you and I shall seek to make the most of our best for the sake of others" Dr. Paul W. Quillian 1937 turned out to be a real significant year. Hugh Watson was a good friend of our new pastor Dr. Paul W. quillian. Hugh Watson and Dr. Quillian were good friends had played golf together and my first introducation to Dr. Quillian was on the Brae-Burn Country Club Golf Course. Dr. Quillian, Hugh Watson,' Clarence Wademan (a well known florist) and I played a round of golf. We had such a good time and felt so comfortable with one another that we played golf almost every Monday until Dr. Quillian became ill in 1949. There is no doubt in my mind that he was one of the men that had the greatest in- fluences on my life. He was a terrific preacher. I attended church regularily and to this day I try to follow the teachings of this- great christian leader. Upon his death his friend Dr. W. Kenneth Pope became minister of First Methodist Church. Dr. Pope remained as minister until he was elected Bishop in 1960. Dr. Charles L. Allen, became and is now the minister of First Church. Truely 1 have been blessed by having some of the outstanding church men as leaders. With outstanding men like these, how can anyone not be a better man as a result? -- -43- In 1939 the Nazi Army in Germany began to make ugly signs. And the world began to respond by buildina up war machines. The U. S. authorized the first peacetime draft, building a two ocean navy, etc. A lot of war activity went unnoticed as far as I was concerned. Mildred delighted me by presenting me with a beautiful baby girl , Nancy Ann, on January 29, 1940. This was more important to me than the far off rumblings of war in far off Europe. Most ordinary people were busy with the problems of living and were shocked by the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941. Mr. William C. Marshall and I were on a hunting trip at Walter Goldston' s Lodge on Grand Chinare in Louisiana listening to the car radio. When the - announcement came over the air, we looked at one another speachlessly. We knew the war was on. We returned to Houston the next morning to get ready to do our part. Roosevelt declared war on Japan and Germany and Italy declared war on us. The nation was on a war basis. Twelve million men were sent over- seas. Most army camps were in the south. There became a great problem to supply the camps. Being in the milk business this problem "came home" to us at once. As the men came to camp they didn' t bring any cows with them. What were we to do for milk? We started hauling milk by tank loads from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois where the cows were. This was only a partial answer because men were drafted into the services and help, truck drivers, plant workers , were hard to get. We bought cows in the north and shipped them to our production area, and this helped -44- i some. Competition was tough, we had to ration milk to our customers, and some of our competitors refused to sell milk to certain customers unles they bought butter from them. It was so rough we started our own butter plant in Caldwell , Texas. We continued to make butter until we had a fire in 1945. The situation had changed and having bought a milk and ice cream plant (Brazos Dairy) in Bryan, we decided not to rebuild. �<.,, � � �[ .�,r ,�� 1 _ i..•c�t. :.�•ssi �� r..:..�*.�-�--.-Qivi+• Ci.J�.�t+tr-c.,<. Germany surrendered on May 7. 1045 and after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki , Japan surrendered September 2, 1945. In 1943 we took a vacation with Everett and Velma Filley at the V Bar H Ranch at Bandera. It was so much fun just being with these creat people that we started taking vacations together. We continued this wonderful relationship for fourteen years untill EverCtt died. We travel together to Colorado Springs, New York, Lake Louise Canada, Hawaii , etc. No one ever had a better companionship. Everett was Vice President of The Texas Company and while he was not a graduate geologist, he knew a great deal and I learned a lot from him. Every trip was a joyful wonderful experience. Velma is a great person and she and Mildred are dear friends. Our entire families remain the best of friends and I personally miss Everett more than anyone can imagine. -45- CHAPTIE R 9 "A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life. " Charles Darwin The wars end marked the beginning of a long occupation of Germany and Japan. Trials of German and Japanese leaders for war crimes. Truman was president following the death of President Roosevelt on April 12, 1945. Following the war relations with Russia degenerated into what was called a "Cold War". We were too far removed and too busy running a business to realize the seriousness of the situation. Betty Lynn was attending S.M.U. and dating a son of friends of ours - John and Janice Troxell - Richard K. Troxell . We had other things to think about besides a "Cold War" with Russia. Betty and Dick were married December 28, 1949 at a delightful wedding in First Methodist Church. Dr. Pope was the preacher. Both went back to S .M.U. and stayed until Dick graduated. Upon graduation he went into the advertising agency business and has been in that business ever since. On April 3, 1951 we became grandparents for the first time. Betty and Dick presented us with a beautiful baby girl Milli , Laura was born March 6, 1954, Richard Jr. March 6, 1957 and David June 20, 1962. Mi 11 i married Brooke Fhel ps, .amd before long wd became great grand parents on the birth of a baby boy Barrett on March 31, 1974 and on April 20, 1977 we became great grand parents again on the birth of Paul . Two mighty fine -46- - children. We are indeed proud. In June 1950 North Korea invaded South Korea. General Douglas MacArthur was in charge and lead a brilliant counter offensive until Chinese tr000s entered the conflict. MacArthur urged all out war and the public was jolted when President Truman relieved MacArthur of his command. The conflict dragged on until President Eisenhower managed to arrange an Armistice in 1953. !'• � - !'!r .L y�'^ rT' J 34 � � S 1 a �;f �. �F�-. AV R THE HOUSTON CHR13NIMLE MDAY, MAIRCN 3. 1ST �,t,,f.,, .�{•F � Q � +�+�c-�a _- s T..RY T''Tl,� ��; ti`'c- F1J!]+ v,e,�' c r.x..,.. t- �,; ! 'c'.� 54^1.-- P ifr L � .+5� v"±• _� '!+- r�w 7'f, y�.�-�f `� pyo-_ �#� p�� _. 4 .. a `1 t-- •.: :.Cj ! j ..aOt.:. - � f y -.►.c .i 7!. )if^ ...�,, � ,,. Y•y JA - .. } _."�ry�, -st'iF. Y_ .tea � '''' - J._-.. �•7 .-'aLL....- � r•' ' �it,. '��r-s-Asa..'. - i � ' 101-.m+Ds Stas Sex ChrenicU StaifI, L".'DouB David L Edon. Geor:e --iM. FitllYer.W�� L. i �'HS1' BAH3LE11 SHE DT3YA3CT ATTb1LNrThe regular ` ' Zrard f wh:di We �daT "dis+l �•:,_Bell, piaries MfdLnd, and Grand Jur? Forrman c AOL%M ' d ArY Wi133�en2 H. Scali Lrom apra ae theT are can- Bae3c ion,hit to zisht,art Cidt Ruchardson,3.R. Ciusn Aob4n000. } '�SCr to ma7u�L its rtu'tlia� s:iceme.�� Leat to riYht,-front,are '` Not shoK•n iz the i�celith merr_ber, J�N,ewton Wrsy. ;1. -L g .. .. - _.._._......,.....�.-.-.._.-......�_- •.•rs ��e_�="A_i:�iC�'�1:i+2L'�"''fG.'`�2*✓••".'e -47 '_V. ,.A Is Bared 7 f�. t�tt211a god• Z44 to NMI ?esu^ i.CMlt��l1� := - nvicer.o ' 14 sd encs ;114W-� . _ v T STAN RIDDING and manner,` :epiled -7ud;e ZirtY cc2�s IGE T gravaiy. "Howas+e, sat -could; r' `!## rChrowete Staff 3/ /r� not have srieetee a better ensu - _ r>`' ?'. ti" •! S 2te iegul.r Harris County Sor the fedi than Mr.atetveni ',� .QiSy :esFaay estcuties! 3' lure, in an explosive aa- The panel's action made rt rrund eieer QW the valid 4ury areata was stsmrd :brztasrt vi ;tarda: ".aouncemcm to Judge Langston I ino assistance from lir. Scott es Caaritx's new.;tT� j3ry a(� ,G. King, uetincsday d squaii- his aides—:nciudin ScvtYs re- ..fied" District Attornev Williamg H. Scott in thew invriaigatton of porters—la probing vier cases i .�.' f ?tledel, .wcretary-err 14 E :,the Curley 32yerc vwe case. and of any kind. ;bear move also _ of the ,5 a a 2 t s r y. Farm�gram } 7Orrn on w•bat day-s. .named O'Brien Steven_ a,special bolstered reports that Mr- Scstt's I?attiet. Wu awosn 2n. by I}is• 'Mr Trararm-11 der!iwd to ,say iattorney. activities are united intth;•the f when .the tteldaver and Appearing In a body before hush-hush proms into Uo s by i :Jtadg .Langston"�. )angi grand j... 73arrit Count, vice canditioes by. would gold !ta lYrst sesaioe. :. •=edge 2{in>: short after f ..m (November l Aiong: "h-Ji pnnri at 12 ot3:ez the ?ury tnformed him of their both the holdover , •° .action. at °'---' twat) grand fury and the resu- - lir fFebrvary term) grand jury. On?land the Y..Was -We are to an favesilts• Mr. Scot; has de tied there is W, $'Tranww1l, foreman of the Iti o Y e r>a bey.. tei7a grand jury. t Zion In wbkb we feef that any connect:nn. The d' et attorney ie dis- whfch got a: %4&,/ extension to :,.. - �. Appraache! by newsmen-cow►- i .invvstifate •sotase setst staf.n• A. E. Riede" rern e3nesday' y L#tea!fled. said � y� s des,�� ; t, = - - - 3°trntaa et�e pane. anent in the tension-laden situa- t'd. tttlrleii. f'3he.tt+►e fammet event into 3a' a�;stet ' ••`We have therefore CO- lion surrounaing his a(fice, eft ` " .:rated Mr. n'8rien 8ttvena Scott seemed tsnperturOed.' $lei-,�ttdrlir- �tesutaabip to dc+ :,e �a �= -to conduct the iavrstiratian S UW-: „1 "i liavr ro �mtn�t•' tt! the- s -9X ..2 i "fes as'• j"T cannot ermine ti_vrt s6uietltin;! '":t is sour lwunri and sworn f I don't know anYtlsins about-The •rte. a. t war •..- a f•:y,x - •� "L y+ - �. ��' duty to conduct ,tech an tnvr_- ret»efts of rnY vLire are an open a- ,;� i 5 •c Ion in a fair and lm rual y in�esti- j� t_ book and.I %vicome an L cr . ,Yt: . -u.«.►.s.i� :« _ ,.. c- .. a. ae...•. _7•,+._ ,l:'� 1l�tlon. TIla'.Ae naMinj Lo hidC'.'. �1 That lift. Sews'•'bl0k~ �#fob+i.Saen:s to a 3preading " r Ina.helm visa Verr E arae ow"eneed bT tis llie:.Q-_ mitied nevsmen at the Criminal Courts Bu sure that Pow;e•ierseaft.''. .1becttse & E• 'Riedel, close-mouthed' current grand jury;- ; ' Gasses 'yilnsr of the �eai ''fetrernm of taking lessons from a.past-master at parrying' 3. tuarters•division. yse ham" fifers—'RQ. R. ?ramtnell. +s�sae+ a_arae!: � 'A f amrtsel is foreman at the hold-over grand jury inzesti-� a ssergeam i , t gating ti-ice. His stock camrtzent td all. questions is ''no# sspent ari �w Mt cvrtzment.. _•• •> kis tstsater iedter et a6t t Riedel has parried questions. about grand juryactivities `— sales.flied 4UAI filed 17 ;;;-with the same atatzmenL lEz; stave�a Reoit ett�oa,.'.? "lie atutt have talked to someone—sometirrte," one 1ieSas- Thewgeani, .like adt staves hem- =••titan said; after a fruitless no comment" interview. C°°' with - the Yeah.",quipped:another,_"�7amtnell �e�weyr�and rsuciar arxrtd}ttnes_isras u�• 'f �` y�:li.ted.. 1 . 1mrstion is _►7F sy�� 'N +c.. , n*A* s 7'a k and iF x Meet, ' r.7 r 0iA_ _ W. fha tris tbtiai�y .fai'#ad a2•I ,Cie sip iiy j -Y iiaki far all; atension�3= JU ter , as `'2x12 irleaits thoWd cautiuue if � tepbzta i,rldi.�ate it probably will,. irme-can Pleted. r� ltrlagirle tea.good reason for..JtKlge Lang- The November grand'jury s term .WU Ston King :to deny the request, and wie extended 90 days for a secret probe of the ,-v�S God .know he vi•vWd slot deny it x-lthout good ' luarcntics trafflc,'It showed how well the ; rea.4on. extra time vas apeitt b returming Gravid jury'set'vice is t�me�risuming slope indicimeuts. That grand jury also t alat�t :Udo m 3riY� in specW ti�,i- ;113ade some practicalremazi�dations for today pulsed the past grand tiorie, and-the gay is trivial :Mast mmn• ..,;:a contiauing.polke drlw apinst drug ped• k,llbe far seeks g a 90-dar est.enlod beta are busx mean and serve at a tacrt kv d1eS3. <, : .. , f;ta tem to complete • 's of time from the private affah-L- When a t-rand juron =get sR too .little public tlJudge s 'panel voruntar'ily proposes to CDnd e be- insults-tor. the c ounuaunity st ndce they ; .:: i"�= spoke Salle ;0 c gond the three-months eats ?ssa ae•v F�ebreaxy-tezn l� period,2t is not far render. Both the holdover November i I.:Jug. it will aes•w, aide br s1c3t:;-. the en}oyrnent of the service, but to in. Panel, which adjmnied last week,-and the s ;tut the baldove grand JtU7.il_ t�tigate seriotus crimes of which it has current one whose hiako routine datura. r-. Once The February term grand jury Friday have n*mde outstanding ends of ,f :d Juryuum, rs of the aoTdo*er '.._,� �rstooci to have same � end itz:s, w..�23.•rT'et) �-t' Important evi- accomplishment, for which Harris County meil, •foreman, am Rualet I-[.. of vim. Already it has ane a speo- ci _ owe[ a srobe of tltudQ. . aerobe, ,P«�ld not "y when tb r -., =��- -. :., gam' �: expect to hold bearings or tubal, T '_- 6' . :..: aubjecs- Of sAetr- teseatt - 1 � rx�. P. y-�s+�a��a-r.�.� est.•-•"r+ _i1 f .�A i L.dtiwJ Y.i . . ..a" . a•i' ='tr aR r'w4�' ��r'Fq vS t�:' J..•��Tt{7 I�[.bbd A ! { ; ere -treasurer CHAPTER 10 "Everyone desires long life, no one old age. " Johnathan Swift Business continued to be good and we were making money. Mil and I realized that we were entitled to a grand trip. In 1958 we made plans and had a very good time visiting Europe. We visited England, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Scotland. This trip is mentioned because there were thousands of people like us on the move. It was the thing to do. We made hundreds of pictures and kept a running diary of our trip. Still have the 10" X 11" loose leaf note book with pictures stuck in place and we still enjoy looking at it. I had taken up watercolor painting again making it a real hobby. Nancy and Walter Conrad who had known and dated since being students at Lamar High School told us they loved each other and wanted to get married. F. Walter Conrad a very fine man had just graduated from Princeton University and Nancy from Randolph Macon. We gave them our blessing and they were married August 2, 1960. They lived in Austin while Walter was getting his law degree and Nancy worked for Scarbrough Department stroe in the .Adv. Dept. and spent spare time as an artist having a one person show at a gallery in Austin. Following Walters graduation he spent 2 years in the army at Ft. Lewis , Oregon. So time marched on in spite of world affairs. Jennifer a beautiful baby girl was born in Tacoma, Wa. February 5, 1965 and a baby boy Paul on December 13, 1968. Walter was a first Lieutenant in the Army. When he left the Army, he bec-l-n-, a member c f the 1i :uston Law Firm of r Barer and Botts and has been very successful. he is now a partner of the Firm. — 48 — 1963 was a tragic year. We were shocked by the assassination in Dallas on November 22, 1:63 of President Kennedy. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson became President. Bill after graduating from S.M.U. entered the airforce and was stationed at Keesler Air Force Base, Beloxi , Miss. He was descharged as a First Lieutenant and returned to Houston to run the new Hande° Food Markets. He had been dating a beautiful girl named =' ' Bobbie Graham and they were married January 19, 1963. Bill continued in his capacity as President of HandeeFood Markets , Inc. and did a good job increasing the number of stores and expanding the operation. In 1973 a beautiful baby boy A. Graham Riedel was added to their family and we became grand parents for the seventh time. Fir away Vietnam (a place we didn't know how to pronounce) was at war. President Kennedy had sent in an advisory mission. It grew and grew. President Johnson sent in weapons and soldiers and the war grew still more. The war was unpopular and the nation was divided. Johnson did not run and Richard Nixon was elected president. Nixon ordered withdrawal of American troops. Soon, South Vietnam collapsed. As citizens , we hoped our officials in Washington had learned a lesson not to mess in other people' s affairs. Martin Luther King, a black ? inister was assassinated April 4, 1968 in Memphis , Tennessee. War in Asia , killing in Memphis , demonstrations on College Campuses , boycotts , marches , etc. covered the front pages of the newspapers -49- showing the attitude of people. 1968, a lull came in the situation in the U.S. so Mil and I decided to make another trip. Europe was peaceful and European countries were urging people to visit. We did - visiting Portugal , Spain, Italy, Austria, Germany and Holland. In this trip we had included the Greece and the Greek Islands. However, in Italy my ulser kicked up (started bleeding internally) and we called a Doctor Torior.ia in Rome. He put me on a water and sugar diet and gave me vitamin K shots. The blee ing stopped While in Rome we heard about the assassination of Robert Kennedy. We were shocked. Our country was getting to be a violent place. Later while campaigning for President, Governor George Wallace of Alabama was shot and crippled. What will happen next? We stayed in Rome for two extra weeks and then continued the- revised trip by ourselves, going to Austria, Germany, Holland and then home. The trip was a great experience. We were welcome everywhere. No where did we run into a "Yankee qo home" experience. �- -50- CHAPTER "Houston , Tranquility base here, The Eagle has landed" Neil Armstrong 1969; Jubf 20th we watched on television as astronaut Neil Armstrong took "one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind" as he stepped from the Apollo spacecraft onto the moon. As Americans we were proud. Success is exhilarating thing and we were in high spirits. We even had fun changing Jane Taylor' s poem "Twinkle, twinkle little star, How I wonder what you are! Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky. " to read "Twinkle, twinkle giant star, I know exactly-what you are! An incadescent ball of gas, Condensed into a solid mass." "Twinkle, twinkle giant star, I do not wonder what you are! For seen through spectroscopic lens , You are helium and hydrogen. " -51- 7— b E rounccd. C'. c c 1 ........... Ja J." ...... wvns S V C'- 7"%6,1 is C,:,,-iven;er;ce Sores operated since 1928, it was art- c,-- -ioustoL has reached an nounced. ag-.-eemenz to acquire three When the sale is complete, companies from *.* A. E. Riedel Will become P&dc, family interests, F. T. chairman of the board of Sard- D y e , Jr, president, &a- tary. Other new officers Im ricn-uneed'Monday. sanitary will be Chester Rie- :ne proposed acquisitions del, vice chairman, and Wil- i n c*A.u d e Sanitary F2r71 liam A.Riedel.president. Dal-'es, Inc, A. E. Riedel" Handee Food IMart, Inc or-. pm.!:,dent; Handee Food I iMart, erates 54 convenience grocery %Vi;liam A. Riedel, president, stores in the greater I lauston an,i Quality Park,Inc. area and has 10 additional No purchase price was dis- units in various staves o, de- ciosed. ve, .Opment. 7'.e Riedel con- Quality Park,Inc, owns sev- .. -,o be rc*,:-%'ely associated era: hundred acres of land is Sanitazy Farm Dalries, and zear Br):an,Texas. L.c, wh.efi It has owned and i a t I o n a I Convenience S:ores, Inc, operates 40 Stop IN Go convenience grocery stot-es in the Houston area with '-* other units under de- velopment. There are 330 Stop IN Go stores in 11 states. The retail milk business was beginning to go the way of the ice man, laundry ,nen and retail breadmen. As problems increased, the Milk Drivers Union became more and more difficult to do business with. They just wouldn' t recognize the situation. Supermarkets were putting in their own milk plants , women did' t want to stay home waiting for milk delivery which cost more than milk picked up at the stores. W.e had organized the Handee Food Markets (that grew to a group of 65 convenience stores ) and had taken on the Baskin-Robbinc 31 flavors ice cream franchise. We were still doing good and expanding in the Convenience and Ic--Cream store business. Bill was now out of the Air Force and was president of the convenience store group. The family was getting older. Brother Walter, Bill and Ed had died . their interests in the various companies went to their heirs. Some o` the heirs wanted money rather than stock. Brother Art was more interested in . banking than in the dairy business and in addition was in poor health. Art n_ r An opportunity to sell out "lock stock and barrel" for cash was presented. All the stockholders voted to accept the offer made by the National Convenience Stores , Inc. , owners and operators of the Stop and Go Convenience stores. National was really interested in the Hand- Stores rather than the dairy business and following a disasterous strike by the dairy employees union liquidated the dairy - selling the Baskin and Robbins franchise back to the parent franchiser, the land in Bryan to the Bryan Industrial Development District, the Houston -52- building and real estate to Marion West, who owned neighboring real estate and the trucks and dairy equipment to various dairy people. The dairy which had made us a very good living for forty years ceased to exist. The dairies in St. Paul , Minn. , Cedar Rapids , Iowa , Clinton, Iowa and Rock Island, 111 . were sold to Land O'Lakes, a large dairy producers ---- cooperative with headquarters in Minnesota. The Riedel family was out of the dairy business. Having sold the dairy business, time got heavy on my hands and I decided with Mil 's okay to look for a place in the country. A place to visit and enjoy, and being sold on real estate, a place that would be a hedge against inflation. We found such a place. 100 acres and all farm buildings and equipment, at Round Top, Texas. Known as Menardii-S Place owned by Mr. and Mrs. G. L. Rowley of Houston. We bought it and began to make plans for remodeling it. On the grounds one day we found a Mexican canary. We started calling. the place Cater Hill Ranch. The name stuck and it is called that to this day 1979. The year was 1970 and we were freer than we had ever been. We decided now would be a good time for another trip - Asia. We visited Hawaii , Japan, Taiwan, Thialand, Malaysia, Phillipines , Signapore, Hong Kong, back to Hawaii and home. It was a splendid trip and we enjoyed every minute of it. Taking pictures , making sketches and keeping a dairy, which we still enjoy looking at. -53 Returning from our trip we started remodeling the house at Canary Hill Ranch. it was interesting and something to do. In addition, Mil and I expanded our hobbies , painting in oil and watercolor. We took lessons, attended demonstrations and bought books. Some of the work- shops we attended were put on by some of the nations best known artists. To name some, Elliott O'Hara, Ed Whitney, Milford Zornes,Harry Worthman (a Houston artist) , Millard Sheets , Bud Biggs , R. E. Wood, George P'Jst etc. We joined the South Western Watercolors Society of Dallas , later becoming an independent organization Watercolor Society of Houston. I was so interested that I served as treasurer and later as President. With the interest we had it was natural to take an additional step. October 2, 1972 we opened the Ca ry Hill Galleries , Inc. at 3033 Fountain View Drive , Houston. We have expanded this business to include fine art supplies, commercial art supplies , custom framing, a special room set aside for art classes and of course, space for a gallery. This business continues to this day and we see opportunities for expansion since Houston continues to grow at an amazing rate. -54- CHAPTER 12 . "Inability to tell good from evil is the greatest worry of man' s life." Cicero As busy as we were with our own gallery plans , the country was placing great- emphasis on our foreign relations. President Nixon visited China in February 1972 paving the way for better relationship with that country of 900 million people. Nixon was a master at handling foreign affairs but he had problems at home. We awoke one day in June 1972 to the biggest government scandal in my memory. The "Watergate" scandal and the following senate telivised hearings showing corrupt political campaign practices forced;, Nixon to resign as President of the United States on August 9, 1974. He was followed by President Gerald Ford who was later to lose to our present President Jimmy Carter. I made this comment that as bad as "Watergate" was without modern recording tapes the scandal would never have reached the proportions it did. in the past, events in government leading even to murder could not be traced. I 'm afraid that people will be more careful in the use of tapes, but improvement in government will be slow in coming. "If we confess our sins , he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness". John 1:9 -55- Inflation, or in other words devaluation of the dollar, plus the energy crisis continued to be the major issues from 1973 to the present 1979. In 1973 there were gas pump lines but people continued to think there was no cas shortage. Several times during the wonderful vacation trips we made with Everett and Velma Filley, fifteen or more years ago, Everett, Vice .President of the Texas Co. prophized the coming shortage. He would say, "All the easy oil fields have been discovered from now on i-ts going to tougher and tougher to find oil . We are going to have to find other forms of energy." Yet according to U.S. news and world report November 27, 1978 issue 930 of 1978 American cars had automatic transmissions 93% power steering 880 power brakes 81'. airconditioning, etc. We hope we find the additional sources of energy. August 17, 1978 three Americans flew across the Atlantic in a balloon, Max Anderson, Ben Abruzzo and Larry Newman. This created almost as much excitement as Charles Lindberg's crossing in 1927. Lindberg's feat did more to promote the age of the aeroplane than anything else since the flight of the Wright Bros. at Kitty Hawk and the balloon crossing was "frosting on the cake. " A new treaty was made and the control of the Panama Canal is to pass to Panama by the year 2000. -56- President Carter worked hard to get a peace treaty calling President Sadat of Egypt and Prime Minister M. Begin to a conference at Camp David. tentative agreement seemed to be reached but no treaty as ye9t, January 15, 1979. Also in 1978 President Carter gave Communist China official diplomatic recolnition. With 900 million Chinese in the world recognition was just a matter of time. We hope for the best final results-only time will tell . "The young have aspirations that never come to pass, the old have reminiscences of what never happened." H. H. Munro Besides family members - no report of this kind is complete without the I acknowledgements of great friends that have had a great effect on my life, to mention just a few, Dr. A. Frank Smith, Dr. Paul Quillian, Dr. W. Kenneth Pope , Dr. Charles L. Allen, Hugh Watson, Clarence Wademan, Everett Filley, Dave Bintliff, Joyce Lehman, Bates Peacock, Fred W. Allen, Jr. , Latimer Murfee, Roy Hohl , M.A. Peterson, Lew Matteson. Clubs and other organizations to which I owe a deep and binding debt, First United Methodist Church, Y.M.C.A. , Boy Scouts of America, holland Lodge nl , Scottish Rite, Arabia Temple Shrine, Jester's Court #136 Kiwanis Club, Executives Association of Houston, Southwestern Water- color Society, Watercolor Society of Houston, Art League of Houston, -57- South Main Bank, Sanitary Farm Dairies, Inc. , Canary Hill Galleries, Inc. Marvin Stone in U.S. and World Report for December 18, 1978 said "Fifty years ago, Calvin Coolidge thought he could see forever. He saw the best of all possible worlds , as contrasted with our own tumultuous and perilous condition. Forever, though, lasted only into the following year, until the disastrous stock market crash of 1929". As great as the changes in the past 70 years have been there will be greater changes in the next 30 years. The year 2000 will be an amazing year. "When looking back usually I 'm more sorry for the things I didn' t do than for the things I shouldn' t have done. " "Optimism for the young it's natural ; for the old it's a necessity. " B. C. Forbes As time goes on, I expect to add other personal items that will indicate the current personal time of life. No great stress on world affairs , more emphasis on local situations. Some day, perhaps a relative ( I hope) will read this and add to it. As time rolls on I may add other incidents to this report, but if I don' t I hope this report may serve to inspire someone, perhaps one of my grandchildren, to bring it up to date. I close with a quote from Dr. Charles L. Allen's sermon of February 11, 1979. -59- Quoted in Dr. Allen' s sermon on February 11 , 1979: 0 P P 0 R T U N I T Y "They do me wrong who say I come no more - When once I knock and do not find you in. Each morn I stand again before your door - And bid you wake and rise and fight again. " "Weep not for precious changes passed away - Wail not for golden ages on the wain, Each night I burn the records of that day - And at sunrise every soul is born again. " Dr. Allen does not know its source nor its author, but he has known this little poem for many years. — - -60- Quoted in Dr. Allen's Sermon March 18, 1979 4 LIFE WITHOUT PURPOSE Life without purpose is barren indeed There can' t be a harvest unless you plant seed, There can ' t be attainment unless there ' s a goal And man' s but a robot unless there ' s a soul. If we send no ships out, no ships will come in. And unless there' s a contest, nobody can win . . . For games can' t be won unless they are played. And Prayers can ' t be Answered unless they are Prayed . . . . ` So whatever is wrong with your life today, You' ll find a solution if you kneel down and pray Not just for pleasure, enjoyment and health. Not just for honors and prestige and wealth But Pray For A Purpose to Make Life Worth Living. And Pray For the Joy of Unselfish Giving. For Great Is Your Gladness And Rich Your Reward When you make Life ' s Purpose The choice of the Lord. Helen Steiner Rice 17 4_•i � i A7" I rvray the Lora, rrugnty t3oa, Diess ana �, � {�� keep you forever, Grant you peace, perfect peace, courage in every endeavor. Lift up your eyes, and see His face, and His grace forever, May the Lord, mighty God, bless and keep you forever. EKG v Tf-F- F/i;sr UQITfD MZL Tt-uert, 7- N L.fzdH 5r.'4D.4Y t9 ti