Porch Sitting And Times Past ::

From Buster:

THIS IS A ROUGH DRAFT OF AN ARTICLE- NEED YOUR THOUGHTS, INPUT, AND ASSISTANCE. PLEASE RESPOND


RECENTLY THERE WAS AN INTERESTING PIECE OF INFORMATION IN A POPULAR NEWSPAPER THAT STATED THAT LESS THAN 10% OF THE FAMILIES IN THE U.S. HAD A MEMBER OF THE FAMILY WHO HAD SERVED IN THE MILITARY. IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE EXPERIENCES OF THE LABELDED 'GREATEST' AND 'BABY BOOMER' GENERATIONS THEN THAT IS AN ASTONISHING PIECE OF NEWS.
IN THE SUMMER OF THE 1950'S MANY OF THE MEN IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD WOULD SIT AROUND AND TALK ABOUT THEIR WAR TIME EXPERIENCES. DEWITT HUCKABEE WOULD TELL OF HIS PARATROOPER EXPERIENCES IN ITALY AND SOUTHERN FRANCE. DOUG NIMS WOULD TALK ABOUT BEING A FORWARD ARTILLERY OBSERVER IN THE PHILLIPINES AND BILL VINSON WOULD TALK ABOUT INDIA. HOWARD SHUMATE WOULD NOT EAT A BABNANA BECAUSE HE HAD SO MANY IN THE PHILLIPINES. BOB MONTGOMERY WOULD NOT EAT ANY FOOD THAT HAD BEEN TOUCHED BY A FLY BECAUSE OF HIS EXPERIENCES ON SOUTH PACIFIC ISLANDS AND EVERRETTE BRADY COULD RECALL HIS EXPERIENCES AS A BOMBER PILOT OVER JAPAN.
ONE OF MY REMEMBERANCES IS AS A YOUNGSTER WAS WHEN WE WOULD VISIT ONE OF MY GRANDMOTHERS WHO LIVED IN THE COUNTRY. IN THE EVENING THE GROWNUPS WOULD SIT IN ROCKERS ON AN UNSCREENED FRONT PORCH AND TALK WHILE SHELLING BEANS AND PEAS. THE ADULTS WOULD CHAT AND SIT IN THE DARK BECAUSE THE ILLUMNINATION WOULD ATTRACT BUGS.
OCASSIONALLY THE KIDS WOULD SIT ON THE PORCH AND LISTEN- THE RIGHTS AND PECKING ORDER FOR KIDS HAS NOW SOMEWHAT EVOLVED- AND YOU WOULD SOMETIMES HEAR CONVERSATION ABOUT YOUR GRANDPARENTS FAMILY AND WHAT TIMES AND EXPERIENCES WERE LIKE DURING THE WAR BETWEEN THE STATES AND THE OCCUPYING YANKEE DAYS OF RECONSTRUCTION. A KID WOULD HAVE NO IDEA WHO UNCLE NED OR GRANNY MOLLY WAS, BUT THEY WOULD KNOW THAT THEY WOULD HAVE HAD A COLORFUL PLACE IN FAMILY LORE AND LEGACY.
THE 65TH ANNIVERSARY OF VJ DAY RECENTLY PASSED AND IF YOU DO THE MATH, AN 18 YEAR OLD IN AUG. OF 1945 IS NOW IN THIER 80'S. THE VETERANS OF WW11 AND THE FAMILIES THEY CAME HOME TOO ARE FEWER. EVERY AMERICAN WAS TOUCHED BY WW11 FROM SUGAR AND RUBBER SHORTAGES, TO GAS COUPONS, TO WOMEN WORKING IN INDUSTRIAL JOBS, AND TO FAMILIES RELOCATING.
THE BABY BOOMER GENERATION WHO ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE GREATEST GENERATION, GREW UP ON THESE WAR TIME STORIES AND THOSE OF OUR FAMILY COPING WITH THE GREAT DEPRESSION. THE IMPACT OF THE WAR IN VIET NAM AND THE SIGNIFICNCE OF TELEVISION ARE PART OF OUR LEGACY. EVEN TODAY WHEN I HEAR ABOUT A KID DROPPING OUT OF COLLEGE I FLASH THINK OF THE MILITARY DRAFT EVEN THOUGH IT HAS NOT BEEN AROUND FOR DECADES.
UNFORTUNATELY, MANY OF OUR GREAT FAMILY STORIES ARE NOW FORGOTTEN AND LOST. I ONLY RECENTLY FOUND OUT THAT MY GRANDPARENTS DID NOT HAVE ELECTRICITY AND IN DOOR PLUMBING UNTIL THE 1930'S AND THAT ONE OF MY GRANDMOTHERS GOT UP AT 4:00 AM TO CATCH A BUS TO GO WORK IN A MUNITIONS PLANT WHICH WAS LOCATED TWO HOURS AWAY. SHE MADE THIS JOURNEY WHILE ONE OF HER SONS WAS LISTED AS A MIA AND SHE DID NOT KNOW WHETHER HE WAS ALIVE OR DEAD. YOU HAVE FAMILIES WHO MADE SIMILAR SACRIFICES. WE DO NOT KNOW IF WE DO NOT ASK.
THE CAMDEN HIGH CLASSS OF 1965 RECENTLY HELD ITS 45TH REUNION AND THE CLASSES BEFORE AND AFTER US WERE INVITED. IT WAS A MICROCOSM OF CAMDEN AND KERSHAW COUNTY IN THE 1950'S. ONE HAD TO BE STRUCK BY THE IMPACT OF DUPONT ON LIFE IN THIS COUNTY AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF A RELIGOUS AND SOCIAL TOLERANCE OF THIS COMMUNITY. THERE WERE ATTENDEES FROM NEAR AND FAR AND THE MAIDEN NAMES WILL BE USED.
WHAT IS INTERESTING THAT THROUGH THE INTERNET MANY OF US HAVE RECONNECTED. DELORES COLE.. AND RICHARD REED BOTH NOW LIVE IN OHIO AND WITH JIM RING IN VA., DIANA ELLIOT.. IN MD., BONNIE NOWLEN.. IN GA., SUZZANE STEED IN CHARLESTON, SANDRA COLE.. IN ALASKA AND ARTHUR HUDSON IN GREENVILLE, THE JOKES AND STORIES FLOW FREQUENTLY. FRED DEATON, WHO LIVES IN ALABAMA, IS AN INTERNET GURU AND HAS ESTABLISHED A CLASS OF 1965 WEB SITE AND WITH THE TOUCH OF A COUPLE OF BUTTONS YOU CAN COMMUNICATE WITH THE FOUR FORMER CLASSMATES WHO LIVE IN CALIFORNIA, NEW ZEALAND, ALSASKA OR THREE BLOCKS AWAY LIKE JACKIE LYLES OR JOHNNY JAYNES.
THE LAST NAMES WILL BE EASILY RECOGNIZABLE. THERE WERE QUITE A FEW ATTENDEES WHO NOW LIVE IN GA. SARA LEE KELLY.., DONALD SHAPLEIGH, LEE CARRIER. .......HELEN HARTER ..WHOSE FATHER RAN THE BUICK AND CHEVROLET DEALERSHIPS WHERE PART OF THE COUNTY COURTHOUSE NOW SITS LIVES NOW IN N.C. MARTHA MCMURDO.. RESIDES IN PHILADELPHIA. JAMES WILLIAMS,WHO IS FIGHTING CANCER AND ONE OF THE ALLTIME GREAT FOOTBALL PLAYERS IN THIS COUNTY, TRAVELED DOWN FROM CHARLOTTE.

/// LOOKING FOR HELP HERE ON OUT OF STATERS////

WHAT IS NOW INTERESTING IS THAT STORIES, JOKES, HISTORY, POLITICAL OBSERVATIONS, AND FAMILY BENCHMARKS ARE THE NEW PICNIC TABLES AND ROCKING CHAIRS. COMMUNICATION THROUGH THE WIZARDRY OF SATELLITES IS COMMON AND DAILY. SEARCH YOUR MEMORY BANK FOR A MOMENT AND THINK ABOUT WHAT THE HEADLINES AND STORIES WERE WHEN THE RUSSIANS LAUNCHED THE SPUTNIK SATELLITE. THOSE DEATH RAYS FROM OUTER SPACE WERE GOING TO TURN YOU INTO A CRISY CRITTER.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.