GO T0--> SAM'S PLACEAs most of the information seen on me shows that I was born, and where; will skip that bit of unnecessary information and go on from there. Judsonia, White Co, AR is approximately 55 miles north of Little Rock, up Hwy 67. The Community of Providence, Harrison Township, is approximately 8-9 miles out Hwy 157 from there. The place where I was born is about 1 mile east of where the old Providence School used to stand(now called Salvage Yard Rd), then about 1/4 mile north on Graham Rd (used to be RR1 but when 911 came along renamed; but didnt have the decency to hame it after people who had lived on it longer than the person they named it after!). My greatgrandfather sold the land to the school district for the school grounds, about 6 acres. At that time the house was a two roomer. Later, in about 1947, my dad and his Uncle Willie Scarborough built what was later the living room and kitchen. That year, or 1948, electricity came thru; and, now, no more coal oil lamps. The 100 watt bulb was the fashion of the day;and the electric fridge the rage. I grew up on this farm, there were lean times for sure;, but I never went hungry nor did I ever not have decent clothes to wear. Admittedly, some were handmade outta flour and feed sacks; but they were part of growing up in the South. At the time we grew mostly strawberries on the farm. Had been doing so since 1927 when mygrandfather started them. I vaguely remember cotton being grown about the last time around 1948. We also grew pickles (these were pickles for pickling not cucumbers!). Sometime around this time, we started going to Michigan to follow the raspberry, blueberry and cherry harvest, then down into Indiana for the tomato harvest. we did this for about 6-7 years after the strawberry season was over around the end of May. The last year I remember, it was snowing when we left Indiana for home. I have never been back to either Indiana nor Michigan since then. I would have to say that my childhood was a rather happy one. There are always things others have another doesnt. I never had my own BB gun, nor 22 rifle to hunt with; but I did have the customary Lil Red Radio Flyer Wagon and a bicycle. School, for the most part,was ok. My grades were better than average and my parents were happy. Neither finished school; but my dad did pass a test and obtained a teacher's license he sent me to keep about a year or two ago. Recesses were filled with the usual you can't catch me, and yes I can days. A few fights, here and there. Grades one thru six were at the old Providence Grade School, which was moved sometime back to the Central High School Campus and all grades combined there. Junior high was a real trip as we consolidated in the 7th grade with the old Plainview Grade School. So we had some as new to us as we were to them. We were a rowdy bunch, having and losing about 5 or 6 home room teachers until the Principal became our homeroom teacher in about the last half of our sophmore year and stuck with us the rest of the way. To name a few (done remember all first names): Mr Yingling who was fired for choking me; Mr Buckley, who left we think out of fear that some big farm boys were gonna whip his butt for his attitude and favoritism; then we had one I cannot remember much of the name but the paddling he gave I did deserve!! Then Mr Gould. Ah, Mr Gould and his lil rubber hose he used and that ended his career and was when we got the Principal, Mr Dean Curtis. The only sports we had were softball in the fall, basketball in winter. I played softball in the 7th, 11th and 12th grades; basketball in the 11th and 12th. We weren't the best because we never really had a decent coach; but we coulda been awesome if we had had one! Charles Simpson, Roderick Powell, Roy King (my second wife's brother) and I ran the school newspaper; dipping into assistance only with the yearbook processing. We were also a closekint foursome many wondered what the heck we did and how were in so many places at so many times (gossip column in school paper). Soon, and probably too soon, graduation came. The culmination of 12 years of, laughing and crying and hopes and fears with ones classmates. Our baccalaureate was April 12th, and graduation was April 14, 1959, I was valedictorian of the class, Roderick was salutatorian. Only 2/10 of a point separated the two of us, and the same between the other 2 (I dont remember who was 3d or 4th). Graduation came exactly 20 days before my 17th birthday. In a farm community, you have few choices. Farm or get out. I tried the unemployment office routine and in those days if you were facing the draft (yes we still had it), jobs were nothing more than maybe pumping gas or maybe working in a feed store or something like that. Roy and I got the idea we were going to enlist in the Air Force and see the world. So we did contact a recruiter and on August 10, 1959, we were in Little Rock for our physicals and aptitude tests. Roy unfortunately flunked the physical for high bloodpressure; but I went ahead and was sworn in and got my first airplane ride on a Trans Texas Airlines DC-3 that nite. Roy subsequently got his blood pressure down and was sworn in during September 1959. We landed in San Antonio TX about midnite or a little thereafter. Then and there, I began to wonder if I had made a mistake with all these loud mouths yelling at everyone to get on the busses and so on for Lackland Air Force Base. We were taken for midnite chow, got into our bunks about 230 am and then were rudely awakened about 5am! We didnt get uniforms for about 2 days. So the clothes we had were all we had; and Texas in August doesn't leave one smelling sweet for long!! But, uniforms we did get and began to shape up a little better since we looked like everone else and not the "rainbows" in the civvies no more!! Some people left Lackland after four weeks and went to technical schools, continuing their last 7 weeks of basic training there. For many of us, the technical school we were going to had no follow on basic training; therefore, we stayed the whole 11 weeks, combining Flights 573/575/577 into one flight in the 3701 Basic Military Training Squadron. Many went their separate ways, never to be seen again. But I feel that we all took a little part of each with us when we left. We all took our first stripe with us from basic training. A number of us went to Goodfellow Air Force Base, San Angelo Texas for training in the United States Air Force Security Service (now Electronic Security Command). This was about a 10 month school so by the time most of us completed, we had been in a year at least. We graduated from school around the middle of July 1960 and left on overseas to our assignments. Few assignments for new trainees were in the United States in this command.
Some went to England, some Germany, some Italy, some Crete, some Pakistan, some unknown sites, I, and one other, went to Osan Air Base Korea, the old Army designation K55, and where the infamous Hill 180 was. In a remote area like this, kamaraderie is great. One is soon assimilated into the daily routines . Someone is happy cause you are their replacement!! I spent almost 2 1/2 years there that have never been regretted. After Korea, I went to Germany. Cambrai-Frische Kaserne, a US Army post. We had a site out of town, but our barracks and support was on the post. I arrived there on January 23, 1963, during that cold winter when the fuel supplies were low everywhere in Europe. I never saw the sun til March and I don't think it got above freezing one time either! I met up with an old friend, there in Germany, that I had gone to tech school with. He had 6 months to go then. Remember his first name was Jesse, but the last escapes me now. He showed me around town and all the places to go to stay away from the mainstream GI hangouts. This was also the beginning of buildup and winding down of Fasching, the German equivalent to Mardi Gras and Carnival. Man did we have fun!! They couldnt find me for two weeks. Asked why I hadnt completely reported in, I told them they told me to take my time!! Jesse had a German friend named Bruno who had a car; so, we always had Bruno around as much as possible as he liked to practice English and we helped with the gas and the bier! I was also introduced to Maria, lovely Maria who actually never became more than a good friend. About May of that year, perhaps the middle; I had met two girls, both named Christel, both the same age. We hung out together a few times, nothing really serious developing but one and I kinda leaned towards each other we thought.. One day, another friend (who had a car) and I were driving around and I saw the two girls get off the streetcar. I told him to hit the next left and go to the Santa Lucia (Pizza & Beer place). He asked me why and I told him I knew the two girls and knew where they were going. So when they got there, there we were and so they sat with us.
We decided to go to another place in another town, have a few and dance some. Well, the Christel I was within the back seat of that old VW was a bit distant and I asked the other why as this one spoke no English at all! The other one said she would tell me later on. When we got to the other place, I asked the other Christel to take a walk with me and tell me what was going on, we walked about 1/2 block, stopped and looked at each other, melted into each other's arms, and laid liplocks right then and there! The other one rode in the front going back.
The second Christel was the one who ended up being Numbah one.. We actually went together 13 months before we married. Some of that history is on the page where our picture is..
After we left Germany on January 22, 1967, we flew into Charleston AFB SC where we had to wait for our car to come in on the boat. Was supposed to be in Monday, didnt get till Thursday; then started the long drive to Arkansas where my parents would meet their daughter in law for the first time; also their two new grandkids. From there we went to Oklahoma to visit my sister and her husband and introduce my family to them. Then back to Arkansas and on to San Angelo Texas. Yes, got sent back there again! We lived first in the Stardust Trailer Park, 2501 N Randolph, until about April of 67 then moved into base housing at 604C Carswell on Goodfellow Air Force Base. Goodfellow was a good assignment. Many good friends there - most notable were Jim and Jackie Walli[a Brit], Bill and Sharon Chavis, Bob and Pilar Underwood, Chuck Cassell (cannot remember her name); Elizabeth and Marvin (last name ??) [Elizabeth was a Brit]; Betty, a civilian I worked with and her husband whom I think was a Larry; Larry Namken who worked for me, Bill Cauthen, Dan Michalik, Maurice McIntosh, Morris Rowden, Joe Mantz, Captain Gorden "Andy" Anderson among others. We left Goodfellow in May 1971 for Little Rock Air Force Base. We lived on Dakota drive until our divorce in Oct 1971. She went to Houston TX and remarried there before the end of October.
After that, I met number 2, altho I had really known her for years. Remember my schoolmate Roy above? His sister? We eventually got married in Feb 72 and lived at 154 Kentucky Circle at Little Rock Air Force Base. An unusual thing about the marriage evening. When we arrived at the chapel, we found the chaplain was out on a downed plane incident. My parents saw the collision in midair as they were coming to the wedding. One of the chaplain's assistants asked me what I needed and I reminded him the chaplain was to marry us that everning but I understood why. As long as I had know this guy, he about floored me when he told me he was an ordained minister and could also perform marriages! So, we were married by someone I had known a long time and that made it neat also. We had our ups and downs, sometimes I think mostly downs. I got an assignment to Thailand for October of 74 for a year. She and our kids (her two and my two) stayed with her mother as her father had died in May of that year. When I returned from Thailand, we went to Blytheville Air Force Base AR and were assigned housing there at 1721B Cedar Dr. We lived there until we left there for Williams Air Force Base AZ in Sep 1979. We lived in apartment with her two as my two stayed with their grandparents while we waited for housing. Would have been better if all had waited methinks. This apartment was at 509D N Williams, Mesa AZ. Later we were assigned base housing in about April 80 at 9591 Alaska Drive on the base. I flew to Arkansas, drove our station wagon with the other two kids, dog and cat to AZ. Stopping at her brother's place in Albuquerque, NM for the night. Later on in 1981 we decided we might like to stay in AZ an since I already had 20 years in, could retire whenever. So we started looking and found the present address where I live now. We bought the place on Nov 30, 1981, but did not get moved in until Dec 23rd. So our Christmas present that year was the house. Times were good, times were bad and I guess the times got bad finally as she moved out Labor Day 1991. Our divorce was final March 3, 1992. Then, lesson not having been learned, I allowed my daughter Sonja to set me up with a blind date with someone she worked with. I was getting my boots shined looked up and saw my daughter coming across the dance floor with cutre lil redhead in a blue denim dress trimmed in white and white boots. I said to myself, "Boy, You are in trouble now!"Well, that made number 3 in October of 1992. That lasted till March 6, 1997. However, she moved out Labor Day 1996 (Labor Day and I dont get along!). Little does anyone know until now, that although I had stayed straight all the way, that three weeks after number 3 left someone I had known for a long time decided to visit for a long weekend. No names, but not forgotten. Anyway that brings me to here and how. Living alone with me high blood pressure, debts and me dog, Babe. And, not really looking for number 4 at all. Cause contrary to what me distant Cuz Lee Ann sings, "I ain't the fool still in love with no one who is in love with someone else!" Paraphrased a bit there! I wont say there weren't good times in any of these marriages: From driving around looking at castles, to the Main and Rhein Rivers, to some quaint little village in the OdenWald for lunch or dinner on a week end in Germany. To cookouts, parties, pizza parties, hot dog and marshmallow roasts, fourwheeling picnics during the second. To boot scootin to country, and RV trip, or out to dinner during the third. We just outgrew one another is about the most I can say,
Hopefully, you have listened to the music.....