maddash

I have always felt this man was something special. He used to walk the neighborhood in Decatur when I was a kid. Lived with his daughter, Norma Roland. Frank Sheldon Peterson (uncle to my grandfather,  Cal Fuller Peterson. Frank Sheldon Peterson was born in Decatur, Adams Co., Indiana on April 2, 1876. He served in the Spanish-American War as a member of company B, 4th Regiment, Indiana National Guard, which had been organized in Decatur on June 7, 1889. In April, 1898 Peterson was serving as corporal. The company mustered at Camp Mount, IN on April 26, 1898. After a rigid examination, and the addition of 25 men to the company’s rolls, the regiment was put on active duty May 12, 1898, and left by rail May 16, for Camp Thomas, at Chicamauga park, GA, arriving there May 18. On July 28 the regiment left Camp Thomas under orders to proceed to Puerto Rico. On July 30, at Newport News, VA the orders were countermanded, and on August 21 the company proceede...

Linda's mother had a sister, Jessie. Jessie married George Moe in 1928. They were both born and raised in North Dakota. Moe was short for Kragmo. George's parents immigrated to America from Norway in 1881 and George's father died when George, the oldest of four children......was six years old...1910. To say George had a rough life was an understatement. His mother gave all four children (ages 6,5,3,1) over to a Norwegian farmer to raise and do farm labor when George's father died. As soon as George could get a job away from the farm, he took all his siblings and raised them on his own. He was a young teen when he did this. George put himself through college and law school, was an officer in the Civilian Conservation Corps after WW2. His main life occupation was an attorney for the state of California. Linda's favorite uncle.  

 

I have been carrying this rooster around for almost 54 years. In 1969, Dad bought an 80 acre farm in Hoagland, Indiana. It was always his dream. One of the first things Dad wanted done was moving a small (30x40) barn about 100'. Dad, Chuck and myself used a Case pay loader and lots of telephone poles to  lift and move the building. I rescued the weather van on top the barn and always dreamed of  seeing that rooster flying in my back yard. I finished the rehabilitation and now, in 2023, the rooster is flying again.   In my back yard. Dad is smiling.

About 1988, I bought a 14' wooden cabin cruiser (tugboat actually) with a 1955 Elgin 5hp outboard from an old guy that built it, in Tarpon Springs, Florida. It had a fog horn, windows that opened in front and lots of wooden extras. Then engine was made by the ELGIN Watch Company. My friend Gordon, Lisa and I took that boat out into the Gulf, cruising the scallop beds along the coast. I loved that boat but would not be crazy enough to take it out in the Gulf today. I always thought of Humphrey Bogart in African Queen when I boarded her.

One picture I have has always intrigued me. It is one of my favorites. This is that picture's story. My grandfather, Cal F. Peterson had a younger sister, Dorothy (Pete) Mildred Peterson. Not much is known about her. I am probably the only family member that is aware of her life. Dorothy was born in 1907. She had two brothers and two sisters, Cal (my grandfather), Bea, Thelma, and Ralph. Dorothy was evidently an accomplished athlete, as were her other siblings. Decatur, Indiana's high school had a girl's basketball team, unusual for this period of time. The team went four years (1923-1927).....undefeated. Dorothy's sister Bea and cousin Isablel also played but it appears Dorothy was one of the stars. Dorothy married at 21, died at the age of 23. According to the death certificate she died of a faulty heart valve. A contributory cause was indicated as: Athletic Shock (the cardio-vascular system fails to supply enough oxygen-rich blood to the organs. She died a...

This is Linda's uncle Ed Stiles, in his bear skin coat. Linda's mother wrote a poem about him and his funeral. Ed always seemed larger than life.  He was a salesman, selling cigars and beer and an avid  sportsman.

My Dad turned 17 in Feb 1944, 3 months before D-Day, June 6th. He had been waiting to turn 17 so he could quit school and join the Navy. His brother was a Seabee in New Guinea. A large number of his Decatur Indiana high school classmates did the same thing.   In my wildest dreams, I can't imagine this happening today.  

A short bio of Cal F and Edna L Peterson, my grandparents. Cal Peterson and Edna Neukom were married on 19 Dec 1924. Cal was 22, Edna 21. At the time of their marriage, Cal was a clerk for Erie Railroad. Edna was a housekeeper. Cal moved his family (at the time only baby Cal Merlin and Edna) to Indianapolis to serve as chief clerk of the Supreme and Appellate Court of Indiana. 1926-1930. Cal had aspirations of becoming a lawyer. At this time, serving an apprenticeship was needed. I suspect that the Great Depression and Edna’s eyesight played a factor in the family moving back to Decatur. It is not confirmed, but it appears that Charles, my father, was born in Indianapolis. 1927. The depression was hard on the young family; Cal reportedly left his family with Edna’s mother and rode rail cars to California (had family there) looking for work. The residence at 603 Penn St. was acquired about 1930-31. Grandma Edna told me it was purchased for $300.00, and had to be financed. Edna’s vision ...

 

Tomorrow May 26 is my mother's birthday.  She would have been 95 years old. Many years after she passed away,  I was scanning some old photos and found a picture of our farm barn.  I vaguely remember taking the picture, probably around 1985.  On closer inspection of the scan, there was a hidden image of my mother.  She always sat by the window in her rocker and looked out at the barn yard.  I bought her a few Bantam Chickens one year and she would spend hours watching those birds in the yard. I think my mother was thanking me for the chickens in this picture.  She always told me that the three greatest, most relaxing things in life were: watching a crackling fire,  watching moving water and watching birds. You are welcome Mom.

  Linda grew up in West Los Angeles, near Santa Monica. Her family doctor was William L. Mortensen. Dr. Mortensen's father founded the Santa Monica Hospital and his son was president of First Federal Bank. He treated all of Linda's family and technically was our daughter Lisa's doctor in the womb. Oh.....and he was married to Beaver's Mom.  Barbara Billingsly.

I first met Linda at a party in Thousand Oaks, California.  I was in the Navy, stationed at a submarine base in San Diego and Linda was in her senior year at California Lutheran College.  Linda's father had been transferred to Moorpark and they had a home built in Thousand Oaks. This world was all new to me.  Suburbs of Los Angeles were popping up all around LA and each one became a new town.  EVERYTHING was new.  Linda lived just off the exit of the Ventura Highway, famous in song by the group America. Where Linda lived was once the ranch of Joel McCrea, famous cowboy and motion picture star.  Walter Brennen owned an adjoining ranch and in 1971 there was still an abundance of wide open spaces.   Hollywood took advantage of this area and most of the westerns, TV and Movies were filmed on the ranches surrounding Los Angeles and the old sets of buildings still stood in Thousand Oaks and other towns. 

 Want to complain about how hard it is being a parent?  Read this first: this young lady in the orange was a mother of many children. She worked and took care of her kids and home.  Can you guess what makes her special? She was blind. She never got to see those smiles of gratification or the mocking faces from her kids. But what she saw was pure love for each of her children and worked hard to raise them right. She lived to be 94 years old and I can still remember her carrying a smile around for no reason other then God had given her another day. I'm proud to say that this amazing human being belongs to my family. Although she's not alive today, her hard work and love for life helps me push through struggles. In loving memory of Edna Peterson. By Andria Peterson This was written by a great grandchild of Edna.  I am a grandchild of hers.  I took these pictures in 1982.  That is our house in Hoagland in the background and the young girl is Carrie Peterson, a ...

Linda's Dad bought a new 1962 bug for his family of five in California. He was always sort of a "nutty professor" and he loved that car. Linda inherited it and I learned to love Volkswagens and bought a 1968 Bug while in the Navy. We were a 2 Bug family. It was a sad day when I posted this ad on the Sperry's (Navy ship I was on) bulletin board. FYI....Linda and I owned 4 Bugs, 1 Fastback, 2 Buses, 1 Rabbit in days gone by.

  One Day in My Life-A Story of WWII, by Paul & Lowell Sell By  Karen  in  Sell ,  Train Wreck at Valery-en-Caux ,  Veterans Day ,  World War II Today, on the eve of Veterans Day, I am pleased to share this WWII story about a local WWII soldier, Sgt. Lowell Sell. A big thank you to Dr. Jerry and Connie Sell for sharing this story that involved Jerry’s uncle Lowell Sell in January 1945, shortly after Lowell arrived in France to begin his service in the war. Lowell Sell told the story to his brother Paul and Paul wrote the narrative in 1999. Four Sell brothers grew up on 707 south of Rockford. Three of the Sell brothers, Lowell, Paul, and Carl, and their cousin Otis “Leroy” Sell, all served in WWII. In addition to Lowell Sell’s story, their cousin Leroy’s father, Charles Dillon Sell, wrote a poem about sixteen Rockford-area men who served in WWII. His poem,  The Otterbein Sixteen , appears here, after Lowell’s story. Otterbein United Brethren in...

We were at the Cleveland Clinic a few weeks ago. I stopped at McDonalds for a couple senior coffees for the road. Two old black guys were behind me, waiting for their order. I noticed the one guy had an Ohio State hat. I turned around and asked him if he was a Buckeye fan? He was hesitant, we were in a black area of Cleveland......I was the only white person in the whole place. He responded that indeed....he was a fan. I reached in my pocket and handed him a buckeye nut. I told him I always carried one for luck and wanted him to have it. You would have thought I had given him a hundred bucks. “I have never seen a buckeye” he said, and gave me a heartfelt thanks. I told him the buckeyes always brought me luck and I hoped it did the same for him, I keep spares at home. We parted ways friends.

Congratulations Chuck. 30 May 2023 Your daughter Rachel and her husband Mycal have produced your first grandchild, a beautiful baby girl.  She is perfect, has two wonderful parents and is destined for a great life.  I am so happy...but jealous. We met Rachel last week and took Nora in her first long stroller ride around Parkview Hospital.  Linda and I were so glad Rachel  thought of us. We should have celebrated your 71st birthday this year but your name lives on in Nora Peterson Rodenbeck.  You can be proud.

  The Sunshine Skyway, Florida.  I crossed this bridge driving a large truck about once a week for 30 years. I once had a truck break down at the top. The wrecker had to leave from St. Petersburg, drive south across the bridge, turn around and cross the bridge going north (picking my truck up on the way). We moved to Florida in 1982, two years before a freighter hit the old bridge in a bad fog, killing 35 people.  The fog was so bad no one recognized the bridge had collapsed and cars and buses kept driving into the bay. The old bridge stood for years with one side gone. Mangled steel hanging....a reminder of the Greyhound bus that went over the side. My Mom always closed her eyes for the entire trip across. There is a telephone at the top  for suicide jumpers to make one last call. I talked a friend down at the top one night about 2am. Funny, he had a gun and was going to shoot himself before jumping? I told him to give me the gun...the fall alone was sufficient.

  William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison, an American military officer and politician, was the ninth President of the United States (1841), the oldest President to be elected at the time. On his 32nd day, he became the first to die in office, serving the shortest tenure in U.S. Presidential history. William Harrison was an aide to Mad Anthony Wayne, for who Fort Wayne, Indiana is named. My great great grandfather, Rev. David McMichael's second wife (Maria Harrison) was a 2nd cousin of President Harrison. Their child, Mary Caroline McMichael was the mother of Laura Boice....my mother's mother.

                             A little history. I just rescued this old picture of my grandmother's family. Taken in 1928 in Midland Michigan. It's a great picture but has one caveat. One person, the baby in the picture, Irene Macklin Weaver is alive and well in Geneva, Indiana. My grandfather took some wonderful pictures with that Brownie Camera.

We were almost involved in a three cart pileup in aisle 14 at Dupont Kroger yesterday. Linda was upset that there was no diet cranberry juice left so she pulled into traffic, almost t-boned a guy racing to the toilet paper aisle with one of those small, sleek grocery carts.  After apologies we headed to the produce department for romaine lettuce…..too late. Racing back to the egg cooler, we snagged one of the last three dozens, snatching the eggs from the hesitant old lady who was deciding if she would go organic. Damn…..they are out of coffee creamer again. Headed for the self checkout, carefully sanitizing the touch screen.  Searching for UPC labels we scanned, paid and bagged our groceries.  We failed to load all the coupons from the web site but still thanked the mysterious talking lady inside the checkout for her service.   Walking out we complained to the Bagging Guard that we didn’t get an invite to the Kroger company picnic.   The parking lot was packed,...