Childhood Photos 1949-1950 5th Grade

 

Childhood Photos 1949-1950 5th Grade

Eileen, Mom, and her three boys: Tommie, Jimmie and Bill (sometimes still Billie!)
Notice the favorite setting for pictures…

 

The second favorite location for photos… Bill and his Mom. Similar dress style, I note.

The grove, off to the north east from the house, behind the chicken houses… a favorite play place.

The Kinnick cousins, Kathleen, Kelton and Karen, were at the farm on a Sunday afternoon. Very common occurrence - Jimmie and I seem to be sticking our tongues out. Not the nicest of photo. Later on I built a ‘cabin’ in the grove, to the right of this photo location. Don’t think any photos survive of it. There were also old farm implements stored here, that made for great climbing around on.
What fun!

Another county fair photo, I’m sure. No way to date this, so here it is!!! ;-)

Star Church young people gathered together for some occasion.

Back Row, left to right, Ann Rees, Dwight Brown, Doyle Gymer, Bill Smith, Dennis Ford, Phil Huffed
Middle Row, left to right, Tom Rees, Charlotte Shirbroun, Donna Grim, Nancy Bolger, ??
Front Row, left to right, ??, Jessie Rees, Marla Williams, Ramona McGee, Wayne Grim

Could make lots of comments, but I’ll leave that up to you, the reader…
Frustrating not to remember those two girls names… help?

Good example of young folks, guys and gals, growing and maturing at different paces…

I did notice how Nancy and I always seemed to stand nearby to one another… pure chance??


See you down the road…  :-)
 

Childhood Images 1948-1949 - 4th Grade

 

Childhood Images 1948-1949 - 4th Grade

This appears to be late in 1948. Notice that Tommy arrived in the spring - we were now 5!

This is aphoto I used on a web page many years ago about Willow #3; here is the caption from that time:

“Notice building and cars and background - Spring 1949
Back row (left to right): Donnabelle Shirbroun, Bernice Pevestorf, Joan Bowman, Beverly Woods, Pat
Thomas, Bill Smith
Middle row: Wilson Thomas, Jim Tolsdorf, Dick Hunter, Judy Tolsdorf, Bob Hunter, Charolette
Shirbroun, Shirley Woods
Front row: Jane Lovell (?)(blonde girl), Gary Hunter on right, in front of Shirley”

Our teacher for 4th, 5th and 6th Grades was Inez Shirbroun, wife of Speedy, the local Coon Rapids Radio repairman, and soon to be Television guru. Since our school sat on a hill, he put up an antenna on Thursday nights and picked up the WOI-TV, Ames, signal from about 60 miles to the east. We got to go watch the Lone Ranger, in black and white, of course, small screen - but it was our first exposure to television. It was a couple of years after that before we were able to have one in our home - and all three channels!!! ;-)

In the meantime, this is what I constructed and played with… inside, on carpet... Lincoln logs made the outline. I created the cars out of plaster of paris, in rubber molds, wheels inserted while wet. I still have a couple of them, somewhere, in a box.

Two different views, outside, that also shows more of the yard around the east side of the house. I was quite into architecture at the time. Constructed each building out of wood. The large 'cattle shed' on the right was modeled after the real one my Dad constructed across the road, south of the barn... looks just like it. Proportions are a 'bit' off from rest of buildings, but... made at different times, for different reasons. By the way, the house was a very modern design, for the times....  ;-)

P.S. Really amazing these photos survived!!! ;-)


See  you down the road… ;-)

Childhood Photos 1945-46 - 1st Grade

 

Childhood Photos 1945-46 - 1st Grade

I can’t be sure exactly when this photo was taken, but I’m going to assume 4-County Fair in Coon Rapids, likely in Summer of 1945, and go from there. I just love this photo!! ;-)

Again, this was likely a church related party, in the backyard at our farmhouse. Quite a spread. One of few photos we have of this side of the farmhouse in full.

Billie with first cousins, Kathleen and Karen Kinnick. Interesting background of barn and tractor.

 

Cute photo of brother Jim and I. I do not have an occasion or a date, again. Background interesting again, featuring the garage.

This one features Mom and Jim, again… quite the pose! Again, consider the background, the buildings, the car... as World War II was ending, as well, time-wise! ;-)

When school started in the fall, I had the same teacher, neighbor Mildred Peverstorf. Here is the announcement in the paper:

75 Years Ago - The Coon Rapids Enterprise
August 24, 1945
The three rural schools in Willow township, Greene County, will be taught by Coon Rapids
girls this year. Mildred Pevestorf at No. 3, Etta Scott Fick at No. 4 and Ruth Pfieffer at No. 9.

Jim and I in Winter attire, again, note Barn and Crib behind.

Dad got the “new” - to him - Farmall M - that is Jim with him - I think this was Feb 1946. But, the most important element of this photo is just behind Dad, above the tire... the old front porch was replaced by a wonderful new indoor bathroom... complete with tub and toilet!! Also, a 'front door' that never worked out that way!! ;-) Little things mean a  lot! ;-)

This is likely Bible School, June 1946. Nancy sitting in front of me. I’m second from right, standing, if you cannot tell.  

NOTE: As a reminder, compiling these black and white photos from this era is an exercise for me and my family. I'm sharing it widely, and I hope each of you find it interesting and worth our time to view, but, it is mostly for my gratification. Thank you.

See you down the road... ;-)

The year 1943 and me - in photos

 

The year 1943 and me - in photos

This was the last year before I started to school. It began with what has now become a familiar photo - the first one I have of Nancy and I together in the same photo - dated 14 Jan 1943:

Bob, Bill, Roger, Barbara, Carolyn, Nancy

This was at a gathering of Grandma Kinnick’s Sorensen relatives. I love it, but my Mom, Eileen, always hated it, because she had her hair in curlers to look good later in the day… while the visitors were all dressed already (Especially her cousins from California!). She is right behind me just left of center.

This was a typical gathering at the Leo Kinnick residence, mid-year I am guessing. I’m lower left, holding my Dad’s hand. Cousin Dennis Ford is to the right, looking at Leo.

Here is my birthday photo, assume I got the trike bike for my 4th birthday:

Here is my next favorite photo of the year, with Mom, Buzz (Freshman in High School), and me in the fall, on the road just south of the house, looking east:

Families are Forever! ;-)

See you down the road...

My First Year: 1939-1940

 

My First Year: 1939-1940

I was born on July 1, 1939. These were the proud parents.

Last week when I published my Childhood Memoir Challenge article, I included the following:

“My childhood can be seen in three phases, in my mind, at least:
1) Farm Rentals in western Iowa - Mar 1938 thru Feb 1942 ( I was there Jul 1939 to Mar 1942, approaching 3, on Jul 1 of 1942.
2) Our own farm, nearby - Mar 1942 through Seventh Grade at Willow #3 (May 52 - 10 years)
3) Town School, still lived on same farm - Fall of 52, 8th grade through Spring of 53 plus High School thru Spring of 57 (18 on July 1, 1957)

I have absolutely no memories of phase 1. Nothing. [ADDED: I’ve since been told that is perfectly normal to age 4…whew!] I have read my mother’s diaries of that time (She kept a daily diary from 1932 to 1999, the end of her life) and there are a few photos, but they only show things I don’t have memory of. Thank goodness for them, however.”

This week, I want to bring together the photos and words I have of my first eighteen months of so, birth through 1940. Next week we will look at 1941, and 1942 the following week, on Tuesdays.

These next two photos are also from 1939. An earlier blog post said this about the photo with Dad (it also applies to the photo with Mom, I’m now certain):

“I may have posted this before, but I've now determined more details about it. In Mom's diary, the first week of December, 1939, they got a new (to them) 1934 Chevy, it snowed, and Mom got me a new snow suit by mail order from Montgomery Ward. Pretty good reason to take a photo, I think.”

 This next one, with cousin Karen Kinnick, nine months older, would have been late spring of 1940.

And, on the Smith side, here I am with first cousin, Gary Hilgenberg, nearly a year older than me:

These two with Dad around the same time.

And, this one with Uncle Buzz, about 12 (now 92) around the same time.

 

At a Smith gathering in the summer, Dad is holding me, just left of center and the women:

With Grandma Kinnick on the farm:

 

 

With Mom and Dad perhaps in the fall of 1940:

 

Next time, we’ll look at the 1941 photos. Neat to finally put these together in one place…

See you down the road…

Music Activities in High School

 

Music Activities in High School

As mentioned in my Childhood Memoir Challenge article, music was a major activity of my High School career, both band and vocal music activities. Mom played the piano as well as sang all her life in various venues. So there was an influence there, for sure.

I believe this is Spring of Freshman year.

Starting in 8th grade with Mr. Bush, band director, I began playing the Baritone Horn (Euphonium) in concert and marching band, as well as small groups from time to time. Starting with Freshman year, I also played Solo performances for Contests, though I was most likely only mediocre… truth be told. Mom had me taking both piano lessons (from her and others) as well as vocal lessons early on in High School. I also did Solo Vocal performances for Contest, but again I was only a little better than mediocre as a Soloist. I was better in duets or small groups, as well as in choir performance.

At All State, our quartet was Wilson Thomas, Donna Grimm, Nancy Bolger and Bill Smith.
[I look at this picture of Nancy and just about melt away, by the way…so many memories!]

Probably my proudest musical accomplishment came from participating in All State Chorus, all four years of High School. And, this is where Nancy comes into the picture, literally as well as in participation. The full truth is that Nancy was probably one of a small handful of the most talented students, musically, in the four years we were in High School, regardless of grade level. However, she wanted to be known as a well-rounded student, musically and academically, not just a musician nor an accompanist. She was an accomplished pianist. She took lessons from Concert Pianist, Mr. Terchek, in Carroll, for several years. She almost certainly would have had some success in that direction if she had the interest. She wanted, however, to only do as much as she wanted to do, not get pulled into being THE pianist. There were others who could also do that. Donna was one of them. While Mom accompanied me the first couple of years, in that last couple of years, Nancy did. I was very grateful. I was better because of her. Nancy played Saxophone in Band.

Back to All State. In those years, we were chosen by quartet, and Mrs. Anderson, the vocal music instruction, usually sent three quartets to the TryOuts to compete. Everyone was surprised when our #3 quartet was chosen that first year. Nancy and I were Freshmen, Wilson and Donna were Sophomores. Donna was a good soprano, Nancy sang Alto very well, Wilson was Tenor and I sang Bass. None of us were great alone, but we were great together. Nancy and I ended up in quartets together all four years, with different Soprano and Tenor combinations. Andy Kretzinger, a very good tenor, good friend in our class, sang with us one year, but was also in quartets selected all four years, as well. Very unusual, but neat.

Marching Band and Concert Band were great experiences. However, I think I probably most liked participation in special events, such as Contests (usually in other towns) and County Band, or going to the Audubon County Fair, for example. Seeing different places, meeting different students, in different venues, was stimulating to me. It made a very naive young man into someone much more worldly. I still had a lot to learn, I just didn’t know it yet!

By the way, I did play my Baritone once in a special Marching Band appearance as a Freshman at Iowa State College. That was the end of my band experience. But, I still have that Baritone Horn, in the original case, over in our storage unit. It still works just fine.

P.S. We also played in the Roy Holliday Town Band in the Summer Time. We’ll save those stories for another time…

See you down the road… ;-)