Personal History continued

A nephew, also ordained, reminds me that I failed to mention an older brother, Don, who also was ordained. I'll catch up to that. After being drafted in April 1943 in spite of vision in only one eye and a prosthesis in the other, I served in the Army Air Corps for just over seven months when the Commanding Officer at Hamilton Field, CA called me in and asked if I would accept a discharge. Since Dad had died that summer and Mother was home with a young teen ager (brother Lee) it seemed appropriate to go home. As the Major said: "You only have vision in one eye." Funny the Draft Board didn't notice that! I didn't tell Mother that I was heading home. Instead I took the train from San Francisco to Washington, DC to visit my high school girl friend who was working there as a Secretary. We had dated through most of the 11th and 12th grades and at one point during the DC visit we visited a Baptist pastor to discuss the possibility of marriage. I have been forever thankful that that didn't happen considering the woman I did marry some years later. Brother Don was dating Judy"s older sister, Garnett and she eventually became my sister-in-law.

I re-enrolled at Marshall College, and was nearly finished by the time twin brother John was discharged. It seemed appropriate that I stay an extra year so that we might have some time together before I went off to Seminary. I decided to take a Master's Degree in Psychology. Near the end of that period I was invited to join the faculty at Marshall and teach beginning Psych. Now the story gets complicated.

I was very active in the W.Va. Baptist Youth Fellowship through College and conducted workshops throughout the State. I was also President of our Association of BYF. Sister took a job as Director of Christian Education at the Church in Kenova, a town in the neighbor Association. in the Summer of 1948 she set up a summer camp for youth in that Association at Camp Mad Anthony Wayne. She asked me to help in planning recreation. A young lady, who was also a Marshall graduate in Home Economics was the chief cook. I had known her some through previous BYF situations. Her family called her Betty. To me she was "Harriet Elizabeth". On the last day of the Senior High portion of the Camp I was dancing with a pretty little red head when this Cook came out of the kitchen in apron and with flour on her face and "cut in." Since she was president of her Association we talked about some joint activities of our groups. I invited her to come to Huntington one Sunday evening; have supper with us at Grandmother Taylor's (a weekly event) and go with me to meet with the youth group at my Church that evening. Before we left the house my Aunt Bertha leaned up to me and said: "Jim, we like her." Well, we had the Church event and then I took her home to Ceredo. A small town about 15-20 miles from my own home. I stayed a while, we talked, we chased a fire engine to the next town to a lumber yard fire, came back to her place, talked some more, and then taking her hands I look straight into those lovely eyes and said: "You are going to marry me, aren't you?" We kissed and that was sealed. The next day I left for Summer School at the University of Cincinnati. That was near the end of July 1948. We were married in April 1949. A marriage that lasted over 56 years until her untimely death in December 2005.

For a Blog this has gone one long enough. More history to come.