My sibs and I

When we were young

The firstborn child.

Another child in their lives.

Another son, making three children.

As they got older, Mary and John developed a special bond, and so did Dick and John. All three of them got along really well from what I have heard. Dick and I played together some of the time, and Kathy and I were like best friends part of our childhood, but I am jumping ahead.

Another cutie, me, makes four.

Here we are with our parents and my mom's mom, Edie. My grandfather, Pappy, must be taking the picture.  My grandmother, Edie, didn't like my dad very much. The only reason was because my dad was Catholic and my mom converted against Edie's and Pappy's wishes.

Edie refused to step into our house until my mom's third baby was born and then she would only come if dad wasn't home. By the time I was born, she softened up enough to come and visit even if he was there. That's me Edie is holding. Cute huh! 

The picture on the right is another one of our dad with us. He is holding Dick and myself, while Mary and John are standing next to him. It looks like it was a hot summer day. Of course in those days, no one had air conditioning, at least no one we knew. We also didn't have a TV yet.

Another cutie, my sister Kathy, makes five.

Edie used to take a lot of pictures.  That's why I have such a large collection of really old pictures of the relatives on her side. My mom took up the habit of taking lots of pictures, and I guess I inherited the same interest.

This professionally taken picture was about 1955. I'm in the middle, next to my mom. Kathy is the baby. So, that is Dick on the left, then my dad, Walter, Kathy on his lap, my older brother John behind me, me, my mom, Joan, and my older sister, Mary on the far right. Mary and I were wearing 
"sister's dresses". I think we had two sets of them over the years. The other ones are in the picture up above.

Let me take a minute and tell you about a Television show we were on around 1955.

I don't think we ever found out exactly why, but one day we were chosen to be on a TV show that was produced in Chicago. My mom answered the phone one day to be told that we had been selected to be a on show called "Welcome Travelers."

These were the outfits we bought to wear on the show. (Kathy was only 3 and they didn't want her on the show so they paid for a babysitter to stay behind and take care of her.) This picture was taken afterwards and we are sitting on the sectional sofa that we were given as a gift for being on their show.

The way it seems to me is that we were chosen because of being a large family and because we lived in a little town. I don't know it seems likely to me. The show was like a public relations show telling the rest of the USA how great Chicago is.

Okay, I just asked my mother and she said that she instigated the whole thing by writing to them first. I remember when we were little she always told us that the day they called us on the phone to tell us we were selected to be on the show, that she kept refusing to take the call. She kept telling the operator that she didn't know anyone in Chicago and it must be the wrong number. I believe it was the third time before they got her to talk to them. I was just reminding her of that and she doesn't remember that at all. Hmmm. The show paid for a babysitter to come with us, and they transported us to Chicago from our northwestern town by a train. My younger sister, Kathy, had to stay home and they paid for a babysitter for her too. I had never been on a train before and it was exciting. I remember ordering some chocolate milk and being so thrilled that I was allowed to get it. When the porter brought it to me it was sour and he was already gone when I discovered it. It was in a little glass milk bottle with a cardboard lid.

When we got to the hotel they put us in, I remember thinking it was so wonderful. They sent our parents out on the town that night and Martha, our favorite babysitter stayed with us. The next day we went to the studio to be taped for the show.           Martha >>>>

They ran through what we would be asked and even how we were supposed to smile when they first introduced us. This is the funny part of this story. They told us to nod our heads as our names were called out. I was only 5 and my dad thought that I might forget to nod mine and told my brother, Dick, to reach behind my head and push my head for me. So as they called my name I started to nod and Dick started to push and between the two of us, I ended up falling off my chair and landing on the floor. Luckily that was either a rehearsal or else they retaped it because I don't remember seeing that when we got to watch ourselves a few weeks later on TV. We were all given prizes for being on the show.

I received this huge doll.

Remember the picture above of us sitting on a sofa? We won that and a year supply of some soap or something that sponsored the show. My older sister, Mary won a camera, my brothers got some shirts (John is wearing his in this picture) and they sent a tricycle for my little sister.

There is another professional picture of us all with my parents that was taken about 4 years later, but I look so dorky I never scanned it. Maybe I will get brave and scan it and put it on here. Its good for something to laugh at. 

My parent's house

 Our basement also served as our tornado shelter.