Sentimental Sunday : Basic Training Graduation

These are photos from graduation day from basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky.  My training was an OSUT (one site unit training), 16 weeks of fun.  My MOS was 19-D Cavalry Scout.

Sentimental Sunday : News and Notes

The Tiger's Tale was our student newspaper at Alexandria-Monroe High School in Alexandria, Indiana.  I came across this story in a copy of the newspaper that I had saved from my school days.  Am planning to donate the copies of the newspaper along with other photographs to the local historical society.

I can remember the computer class at Ball State University, and believe there is a photograph of the whole group somewhere.  At the time, I was promised that completing the course would earn me some college credit.  However, the course never appeared on my college transcripts.

Sentimental Sunday – discuss a sentimental story or memory about an ancestor, or maybe even a family tradition that touches you. This is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers  and was suggested by Renate Sanders at Into the Light .

Sentimental Sunday : Senior Will

I, Travis J. LeMaster, of the senior class of 1987, being of questionable mind and unexplained body, do make, and publish, and declare the following to be my senior will.

To my little brother, Jason, I leave the legacy of the the nickname "Moe," and the uncanny ability to pass courses without doing any serious work.

To Chuck Tuite, I leave my collection of German folkmusic.

To Glenn Smock and Mark Naselroad, I leave my wrestling shoes (one for each).

To the senior class of 1988, I leave the responsibility of keeping S.U.R.F.F. alive and well.

To Ronnie Ross, I leave my "mooching" abilities, and to Lori Hannah, I leave my brains (she'll need some).

To Mike Lewis, I leave my typing skills, and to the rest of the study body, I leave my blessings and an open invitation to party with me at Ball State.

This was my "Senior Will" as published in the Tiger's Tale, the school newspaper of Alexandria-Monroe High School.  I came across this while looking for pictures for my 25th class reunion.

S.U.R.F.F. stood for "Student's United Revolutionary Freedom Fighters" and was a spoof that was done for the yearbook.  Featuring a para-military takeover of the school, complete with camo and weapons, it was something that would not be tolerated in today's post-Columbine world.

Sentimental Sunday – discuss a sentimental story or memory about an ancestor, or maybe even a family tradition that touches you. This is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers  and was suggested by Renate Sanders at Into the Light .

Sentimental Sunday: Grocery Day

The following tidbit came from a personal interview with my mother about her family:

Miscellaneous:

Tuesday was always mom's day to buy groceries.  She and Phyllis Moody would always go into Alexandria on Tuesday's to buy them.  

© 2010, copyright Travis J. LeMaster http://tjlgenes.blogspot.com

Sentimental Sunday: Family Legends

The following tidbit comes from a personal interview conducted with my mother:

Were there any family stories or legends that you can recall?

I never heard anything about that.  If I did, I was a young and didn't pay attention.

[Ed.: C'mon!  Surely, there was something there about an Indian princess or something.....] 

Sentimental Sunday: Politics

The following are some tidbits regarding politics from a personal interview with my mother:

What can you tell me about your family and politics?

Lambertson's were Democrats, the Wright's were Republicans.
  
Martha Lambertson was Madison County [Indiana] Recorder, as a Republican

Daddy couldn't declare his politics because he worked for the post office.  He never voted in the primary.

[off-topic]: Dad loved to work the "Little Fooler" puzzle, believe it was from the Chicago paper.  Loved to work that every week.  At the post office, he was considered the money order clerk; Henry Brown worked at one side of the window, dad at the other.  Dad had to take a sorting pitch test every year and could only miss so many in a certain amount of time.  I remember him practicing at home.  Dad was an avid reader; both mom and dad were - they were in three book clubs at one time.  They were always going to the used book stores.  Mom liked Harlequin's - quick reads and you didn't have to think. They both loved Michener novels, John Jakes novels, etc.

What about Wendell Willkie; did your mom tell you anything about his 1940 campaign in Elwood? 

Just that she was in the parade.

[off-topic]: I remember watching the 1968 riots on television and thinking that I was watching another world.  I had a high school chemistry teacher whose wife was from Louisiana, and she had trouble getting on a bus with blacks [when she moved north]

 
© 2010, copyright Travis J. LeMaster http://tjlgenes.blogspot.com

Sentimental Sunday: Clubs

The following are some tidbits from a personal interview with my mom about her family: [William and Bonnie (Lambertson) Wright]

Were your parents active in any clubs?

Mom and dad were members of the Elks.  At that time it was more private - teachers and professionals, etc.  "What you saw up there stayed up there."  Mom and dad did a lot of dancing up there.  Your dad and I belonged there for awhile.

The Elks took drinkers to fund it.  Mom and dad would have a drink, but were not heavy drinkers.  Some folks would spend $50 to $100 a night there.  The Elks were considered 'upper class', hard liquor crowd.  The Eagles was a blue-jean, factory worker, beer-drinking crowd.

The Elks used to have tip-boards back when you couldn't gamble.  One year dad won a stuffed Santa there.  I always think of him when we pull it out for Christmas.

Mom may have been in a sorority when she was first married, but I don't know for sure. 

© 2010, copyright Travis J. LeMaster http://tjlgenes.blogspot.com

Sentimental Sunday: More Easter Memories

Last week, I posted about my mother's recollections of Easter.  This week, I had the opportunity to ask my dad to share some of his memories.

How did your family celebrate Easter?

I remember having Easter egg hunts around the house.  The eggs had candy in them.

We would have Easter dinner out at Vera's house. [Clarence & Vera (Haley) Stuber]

Usually we got new clothes for Sunday School.

Where did you go to church?

I remember going to church at Collett, and then later at the People's Mission in Portland on Main Street.

Easter was the time of year to get new shoes, etc. 

© 2010, copyright Travis J. LeMaster http://tjlgenes.blogspot.com

Sentimental Sunday: Easter memories

This week I asked mom to share some of her Easter memories.  The following is a transcript of the interview:

How did your family celebrate Easter?

Every Easter mother made us both Easter outfits.  Always had a hat and gloves and black patent leather shoes.

I remember one morning early on Easter I received a little white jacket coat.

We always stood out front of the house and had our picture taken.  I have pictures somewhere.

I also remember one year having an aqua-colored dress with ruffles (dotted Swiss).

Don't remember having an egg hunt, but always got a basket with candy. 

© 2010, copyright Travis J. LeMaster http://tjlgenes.blogspot.com

Sentimental Sunday: Memories of Virgil Lee Wright (1894-1972)

Virgil Lee Wright (1894-1972) was my maternal great-grandfather.  While I don't have any memories of him to share, my cousin Charlie High shared some of the following tidbits:

"Virgil hid his Salem cigarettes in my cattles' corn born bin.  He was always at the fairs when I showed my cattle and he came and visited me in El Paso, Texas while I was in AIT training in the Army.  Bob and Barbara Webster brought him down there."

Another tidbit was relied by Charlie "a guy at the feed barn named Ernie Rector said his family was in a thrashing ring with Virgil and many locals such as Blackledge, Goldie Freese and many more, John and Mike Wright, etc."  I had no idea what a thrashing ring was, until I looked it up on Google and found this book:






Charlie also told me that he named his first steer after Virgil, called him "Virg". 

© 2010, copyright Travis J. LeMaster http://tjlgenes.blogspot.com

Sentimental Sunday: Clemon Beals Lambertson

 

Clemon & Helen (Duncan) Lambertson, circa 1960

Clemon Beals Lambertson (1898-1994) was my maternal great-grandfather.  I only have a couple of memories of him, but the following tidbits came from an interview with my mother:

Mom always remembered him being married to his second wife, Helen, as mom's grandmother, June, had died when mom was 4 years old.

Clemon apparently didn't like coffee, and was quoted as saying "nothing that black could be good for you".  

Clemon was a painter, and painted the inside of his house one year, and the outside the next.

Clemon didn't have his first cavity until he was well into his 80s.

Another expression of his was "you made your bed, now lie in it".

When my grandmother was sick with cancer, he told me mom "your kids aren't supposed to die before you do". 

Sentimental Sunday: Plenty of Girls in Alexandria

I've been fortunate to be able to spend some time visiting with my mother during my lunch hour, and have been sharing my research discoveries and asking her questions about her memories of the family.  After begging her to 'write it all down', I finally realized that I would have to write it down myself.  Now I pack my lunch and a tablet of paper to try to record the stories as she remembers them before they are gone forever.

Today's post on Sentimental Sunday is dedicated to my grandparents, William Lee and Bonnie Mae (LAMBERTSON) WRIGHT.  Married June 7, 1941 in Madison County, Indiana, it wasn't too long before World War II came and grandpa joined the Army Air Corps.

 

Apparently, my great-grandmother, Edna Muriel "Peach" (PIERCE) WRIGHT, was quite a character and possibly fit the stereotype of a meddling mother-in-law.  I asked my mother to retell a tale that she was told about her parents and this time I was sure to write it down.

What was the story you told me about how great-grandma interfered with your dad & mom's relationship?

Grandma "Peach" kept telling dad that he didn't have to go to Elwood to find a girl; that there were plenty of girls in Alexandria.  She had one picked out for him who lived in Summitville, believe her name was Evelyn.

Dad enlisted in the Army Air Corps with uncle Bob Walsh.

Mom went up to the base at Duluth, Minnesota to be with dad.  While she was there, dad received a letter from Grandma "Peach" stating that mom was running around on him.

Did that cause a rift in the relationship between your dad and Grandma Peach?

They [mom & dad] just laughed about it.

Not sure what to make of this story, related to my mother by her mother, but it would appear that Grandma Peach may not have been happy with my grandfather's choice of a wife.  I wonder what the reaction truly was when my grandfather received that letter from his mother, telling him that his wife was out running around while he was in the service - and knowing that she was with him there on the base?

Mom wasn't sure how grandma and grandpa met, but Elwood and Alexandria are small communities with 10 miles of each other.  Apparently, however, Grandma Peach had her own ideas about who her son should marry.