Helen Baby sitting

When my sister Helen went to baby sit sometimes my parents were going to be gone so she would take me with her. She sat with a boy who was in my room at school and only lived a block from us. He liked to be entertained which Helen was not fond of doing so I would entertain him. I think we played board games. I learned to let him win as he did not like to lose. When it was time for him to go to bed my parents generally picked me up. If not I laid on the sofa and went to sleep. I don't think Helen gave me any of the baby sitting money but on the other hand my parents did not pay her for sitting with me.

Mayor's Christmas Tree

My husband was crazy about holidays and we observed every one. We even loved Arbor Day. Had a special cake for dessert that day. He had a good friend, Jerry Cohen, who was involved in many things to improve Kansas City. One of his favorites was the Mayor's Christmas Tree. People bought chances on a car and the money went to different charities in Kansas City. At first the winner got a car but they found people would not accept it for it made their taxes too high. They changed to a rental car for a year. Every year on the day after Thanksgiving we went to Crown Center early and got ready. The tree was there with all the lights and decorations. There were big wooden toys for children to climb on and sometimes if you were lucky they handed out candy treats. The Boy Scouts handed out candles to everyone and people could ice skate. The children ran around through the area which was fountains in the summer. The next day I would drive the two of them around while they delivered some of the stuff. One year Jerry's nephew won and they were in a state as to what to do. Ray argued he should have the car. Sometimes I sold chances. They did not draw the winner until the next morning. When it rained we had the ceremony anyway. That is when I really liked to sell tickets inside Crown Center. The choir was made up of people all over Kansas City. Some celebrity--a football player a radio star, etc.-- turned the lights on.

First permanent

When my sister Ethel was married they decided something should be done with my hair. It was naturally straight. They gave me a home permanent. They had just come on the market. I looked lovely for her wedding and the permanent stayed until I washed my hair. Later I went to a Beauty Shop and endured the rolling up of hair on a machine. I know the beauty shop was on the second floor and they sat me by a window. The building was old and I was sure would catch on fire while I was hooked up to the machine. They timed the minutes. It was always great relief when they took the curlers out. Then they washed my hair again and I set under a dryer for a long time. It seemed like forever and although I liked the person doing it I always hated it and did not see why I could not have had naturally curly hair.

ANOTHER THANKSGIIVING

When Cindy was four her birthday was the day after Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving morning it snowed four inches and driving was slick. We were not going to the Plaza this year as we were going to the airport as my mother was coming in from San Diego. We met her at the airport along with the Jensens who met us there to take my mother back to Topeka. This was the downtown airport so we were on the north side of the Kansas River, We told them goodbye and started home. The driving was terrible and we could not get back across the river, Finally everyone needed the bathroom so we stopped at a fire station in Kansas City, Kansas and they let us use their bathroom. We finally found a bridge open and got home. The next day was Cindy's birthday but all our guests were neighbor kids so they got to her party all right. They had called off the light turning on due to the weather and so we saw it on Sunday night.

Thanksgiving

When I was growing up. We had some great Thanksgiving days. My mother had a tendency to ask people to come. There was a single lady at church that came often, soldiers from Fort Riley, later in-laws of her children so you never knew who would be there. She was not a great cook. One year we had duck instead of turkey and it was really greasy. She liked to make rolls and they were good. We had cinnamon rolls with raisins until one of her grandsons said he did not like raisins so she made some just for him. One Thanksgiving vacation Helen went to Kansas City to have her eyebrow replaced she had lost in a wreck so she was bandaged up. The soldiers were very sympathetic. My Mother loved to have a crowd. It was too bad she was not a great cook but we were used to it and she did enjoy the holiday.

My Grandmother Burkhardt and her resting place

My Grandmother Burkhardt lived in Scranton, Kansas. It was named that because there are many soft coal mines around which I investigated when I was growing up with my cousin Lorraine. My grandmother never remembered my name and I was always "Edgar's kid". When she died she was buried in a cemetery along Highway 75. On the Memorial Day after her death we went to the cemetery south of Scranton to lay flowers on her grave. My dad was shocked when we got there as she was buried by the wrong Burkhardt. I do not remember who it was but it was not my grandfather. My dad made arrangements to have her buried by the right husband. I bet she had not rested in peace until then. I remember my grandfather as he was the only one I had. My other grandfather had died in, I think, 1911 and was buried as the second person in Topeka's Mount Hope Cemetery. I think my grandfather Burkhart's name was Joseph and he always was very kind to me and knew my name. He also knew I was Edgar's kid.

When I met Joyce Hall

Barry Goldwater was running for president and he came into a dinner in Kansas City. Ray was nice and took me along. He went to sit at the Press Table and the waiters looked around for a place to put me. The waiter saw a vacancy and sat me down. I did not know any of the people which was not unusual. I never got to order as they just brought me something which was the usual thing the waiters did. It looked great and I was hungry. I had one bite and the man across from me raised an uproar that I had eaten the plate he ordered. The waiters quickly brought him the same thing I was having. That was my introduction to Joyce Hall. I met him many times after that but he did not remember me as I am rather forgettable. He was very active in President Eisenhower's activities and we attended them. Sometimes it is nice to be forgettable.

More Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was always a family day but the day after Ray's love was the mayor's Christmas Tree. His friend Jerry Cohen got him involved and he loved it. It is still held at the Crown Center on the day after Thanksgiving. There are toys kids can climb on, choirs, singing, generally a local sports figure appearing and it is just a fun time. Ray loved it. They sold tickets that gave you a chance to win a new car. That was changed because the taxes were too high if you won. Then you got a rental car for a year which does not have taxes. Sometimes I sat at a table and sold chances on that evening. If it rained people stayed inside and watched. If clear you were outside. They have added fireworks and some other things. I don't attend now but have heard it is still great. I heard on the news that the new mayor of KC is changing the Master of Ceremonies which is a bad thing because the one they had was so good and this one is an early morning radio show host that most K C citizens do not know. After the money was counted I use to drive Jerry and Ray around to deliver things, like to Mercy Hospital. Last year he tried to change things but did not but it looks like he will be successful this year. Anyway I have great memories of it.

Thanksgiving

I belong to the Congregational Church, which was started by the Pilgrims, so we adore Thanksgiving. We maintain we fed the Indians but some say the Indians fed us. Anyway Thanksgiving is a big holiday. One year when I was growing up there were five Thursdays in the month of November. Congress was excited and told the states to pick their own Thursday. Missouri picked one and Kansas took the other. My father decided since businesses were closed we would go to Kansas City on Kansas' Thanksgiving. We took the south route on Highway 10 which went in to the Plaza through Fairway. We looked at the lights that Kansas City did in their Plaza area. Then we went home through Kansas City, Kansas on Highway 40. We stopped at their big Katz Store and brought some candy--chocolate kisses. Later after we moved to Kansas City, Ray and I took our family to see the lights. We parked on the roof of the Sears' store.

After Ray had worked at the Star for a few years he heard about this Hotel in the Plaza that rented rooms so you could see the lights so we started a tradition of going there. Since we had grandchildren it was easier. You were to order food but we always took along something our grandchildren would actually eat. Susan and Lee would even drive up from Wichita to attend. You were allowed so many parking places but some had to park their cars at Loose Park and walk down. The Hotel was sold but they continued the tradition. Ray would reserve the room again each Thanksgiving for the next year. Then we were back on the streets seeing the lights, but it was fun for awhile. Now I watch TV and see the lights turned on.

Baby sitting

I guess people still have people come into their homes and stay with their kids while they go out. When I was growing up my parents did not believe in allowances like some kids got so I earned my money to go to movies babysitting. You got 35 cents for the evening unless they were out until midnight and then you got 50 cents. Sometimes they had a small party before they left and had food. You were allowed to eat the leftovers which was good sometimes and sometimes not. Sometimes they owned a radio and you could listen to that but most people did not have radios. Some kids were fun but some were brats. I sat with a lot of neighborhood children, especially the neighbors across the street. I often was referred and some of those my mother checked out. I had one family that I really enjoyed and that I would have paid them to sit. But later in life I met the wife of the kid I had babysat with and he turned out to be a lousy husband. I liked her so guess she was right. I did not have that much influence on him I like to think. One family had a sense of humor. I was greeted one night with the two-year-old telling me he was a general. I asked what that meant and he said his dad said he was a General Nuisance. If I used my money for the Grand Theater (our first run) it took the whole 35 cents but we also had the Orpheum, the Gem (second run), the Crystal and the Cozy which were 5 cents and we got a local theater at College Hill called the Coed which was cheaper.
Except at Christmas when I wanted to buy gifts it was plenty of money.

Another scary moment

This month in my writing class we were to write about scary moments in our life. I have had a few but forgot one. Our family went camping every year and I think it was 1964 when we went to New York City as Ray was going to cover Kansas Day at the New York Fair. We were on our way home and stopped to camp in Missouri near St Louis on our last night out. We were close to home and we had a vote and decided not to put the tent up but to drive on home. We started west and they forecast a storm. We thought we would just as leave be in the car during the rain as to have to take a wet tent down the next morning. As we rode along the kids were asleep and suddenly our car was lifted up and turned around. We were let down and our car stopped. A farmer had seen us lifted up and came to help us. We were now faced toward St Louis. Ray turned the car around and we started off west again. At the first town Ray called the Star and they asked him what had he been drinking. We drove on home without any trouble. About a week later when I had driven the kids to swimming lessons the car would not move. I called Ray and he called AAA and they towed the car to a dealer. They told us that we had a broken axle. It had evidently cracked and it took a week to break completely.

Gone With The Wind

When I was a teenager I read a popular book they made a movie of called "Gone With The Wind." Everyone was reading it and they made a movie of it. It was going to be shown in Topeka at the Grand Theater (our first run theater. Tickets for movies were generally 35 cents but for "Gone With The Wind" they were going to be limited and would be $1.12. My parents were able to purchase two tickets. My mother, knowing I loved the book, let me go with my father. When you went with Dad you always sat in the back row downstairs. I don't think he ever saw a movie in the balcony. I was ready to sacrifice just to see the movie. The Sunday paper had two pages on the movie with many pictures. It was not a disappointment and worth the inflated price of $1.12.

Swear Words in the KC Star

When the K C Star went on to computers they had a tough job for someone. They needed to have a talented person make sure that swear words did not get into the paper. Ray and Bill Vaughn were chosen. Ray was very proud of that and together they made sure that the Star computers would not let swear words go through if the editors were not up to date on what were swear words.

After the wedding

I don't know if they still do it in Topeka, but when Ray and I were married after the reception the bride and groom and their friends drove down the main street of town (Kansas Ave.) honking their horns. The second place we lived after we were married was on 6th Street next to the Methodist church. They did things like have a wagon and put the bride and groom in it and go down the Avenue. We would sit on our porch and watch. Once, right after the bride and groom were on board, the horse ran away. The bride was screaming and her veil blowing out behind. Once the horse left before the bride got in the wagon. I think she was kind of glad. When we did it, my brother was driving the last car and was stopped by the police. One time the bride refused. Once they had fancy carriages and had a parade but generally when there was a horse involved there was just the bride and groom. They usually ended up at the Topeka Country Club for their reception. We had our reception at the church. I understand now they have individual cakes so what do the bride and groom cut?

Blue pears

When Ray and I were first married the war had not ended and apartments were hard to find. We found a duplex that had been divided into 3 apartments on each floor. We had the living room which had a fireplace and a front porch. It had a hallway through the center and a room on each side. The south side had our bed and the north side a kitchen which had a table, two chairs, and a two burner stove plate. We shared the bathroom with the two other apartments. I scrubbed the bathroom a lot. We had an icebox on the porch. I had never had an icebox since my father had invented a refrigerator so I had to learn how to get ice and such. It did not take me long to get morning chores done so I read magazines. One magazine had an article about how to spruce up your marriage. It recommended you add food coloring to fruit. I tried adding coloring to pears. Ray did not acknowledge my blue pears. I did not find out until later that he was color blind and they looked the same to him as the usual ones I served.

Camping with the Buffalo in Oklahoma

I'm using Scott's version of this occasion with a few of my comments thrown in. He wrote it better but I am just remembering it. So this is really my version so don't blame Scott. After our exchange student from Norway had been here a year we took her camping to show her the USA. She had camped in Europe so knew how. We went south through Oklahoma. Ray had been there in the Field Artillery. We were in a campground with a Buffalo herd. We woke up one morning to the rather odd sound of several large animals walking through our campsite, rubbing themselves against the tents and generally having a pleasant stroll down the hill towards the lake. The herd passed and we emerged. However the rangers did not want them down by the lake and a helicopter was trying to turn them around toward their grazing area where tourists were stopping along the highway to take pictures. To do this the Rangers used a helicopter to scare the herd around and back. The herd reacted rather strongly to the dive-bombing helicopter. We all got in the car and watched from there. The animals did not knock down the tent but the clothesline was not so lucky. They are very big close up. We kidded Ingrid about how Norwegians had explored the world, but she answered, "They never sent women."

Ray and the Detective Magazine

When Ray worked for the Topeka Daily Capital, when he was not covering legislature, he had the police beat. One night they had a shooting outside the Grand Tmagazine was a picture of Ray with another man looking at the blood. I can't remember whether the crime was solved but I kept the magazine and now a little mouse has chewed a hole in it so the magazine does not look good. However the mouse missed the page with Ray's picture.

Third Graders and Communion

Many years ago I taught Sunday School. We were given lots of helpful advice but were really on our own. One year I was teaching third graders along with another teacher named Doris. We were to teach the third graders about communion. We explained what it was and showed them the bread and the grape juice and then Doris noticed they were going to have communion in church. She asked the minister if we could attend, sitting in the back of the church and the minister said, NO. Doris was not one to take No for an answer. Come Sunday after the sermon, we marched in with our third graders and did not sit in the back as those pews are always full but marched up the aisle to the front seats. Our third graders were perfect and well behaved. They ate the bread immediately and waited to drink the grape juice and drank it together. They had learned well. We were proud of them.

Cindy and the swim team

When Cindy was starting to high school our older son, Steve, told her to go out for everything. She took his advice and even signed up for the swim team. The high schools had been adding swimming pools and Northwest had a nice one. I went to the swim meet. Cindy was in the one that you have to do all the different kinds of strokes. The girls dove in and started swimming. They had so many laps for each different stroke. The group swam very fast. Cindy swam very slowly. One by one the swimmers got out. Cindy was still swimming. Everyone was out of the pool but Cindy. She finally finished and they announced that she had won the race. The rest of the swimmers had made mistakes but Cindy had not. I was not sure if she was excited or not because she went in the dressing room and threw up. She won the race.

Prom server dress

My daughter, Cindy, had several friends but two were special--Stacy and Kristen. I liked them also and they had nice mothers. The three of them opened up schools like Trailridge Junior High or is it middle school and Northwest High School. For that matter when it was time to go to high school the building for the high school was not done. They went to Trailridge half a day and the Junior High went half a day. It meant that Cindy and our son Scott did not get to argue as much as they liked. The principal of Northwest had many bright ideas like three semesters instead of two. The PTA had three presidents--a parent, a teacher and a student. Ray was the parent. I do not remember the teacher but the student was killed during spring break that year. He fell off a log while hiking and drowned. Come the Junior-Senior Prom it was going to be like Romeo and Juliet. The three friends as sophomores were servers and were to wear dresses with the theme. I picked up the material for Cindy's dress and picked the wrong side of the material so her dress was wrong side out. One of the mother's of her two friends said if you could not tell it riding by on a galloping horse it did not matter. Cindy was brave and wore it.

Motheritis

I hope I spelled my title correctly but it means I did not like to be separated at night from my mother unless I was in my own bed. Many sleepovers I was brought home in the middle of the night by disgusted parents of friends. I gave up on them and never accepted. Finally in high school my church group was going to camp near Manhattan. My mother said she would write me everyday but would not visit on Parent's Day. I made it through but I still stayed home after I came back.

I shall give you a few of the adventures I had at camp. The food was not great. For instance they had oatmeal one day and Cream of Wheat the next day. On the third day they dumped what was left together. We were hungry a lot and we made peanut butter sandwiches. One night we were very thirsty. I was the only one still dressed so I went after the water. When I got to the dining room they were getting ready to blow taps. I ran across to the water jug and turned on the faucet. Pretty soon there were two feet--women's (the headmaster's wife). She asked what the water was for. As I crossed the mess hall floor I spilled the water. One pajama leg came unrolled.(That is what saved my life.) The bugler was laughing so hard he could not play taps.

Dust Storms

When I was probaly in the 5th grade Kansas had dust storms. They were not nice but Kansas did not have them as bad as Oklahoma. I know walking to school and recess you had to put a wet hankerchief over your face to breath. If we went out to recess you lined up at the drinking fountain to get your hankerchief wet, It must have really been awful for my future husband with asthma but he went to Quinton Heights not Randolph so I don't know. The sky was brown all the time even when thwe sun shone through the clouds. No one could keep their house clean as the dust was everywhere. I don't remmeber how the wheat farmers did that year but while it was not as bad as Oklahoma Kansas had trouble.

Rules for a hostess

1. Carry your yellow hostess card at all functions here and at the Fort.
2. Please serve when asked. Please do not come if you are not called.
3. Every Junior Hostess must stay throughout the party or function and assume responsibility connected with it. She will not be allowed to leave the building until the entire function is closed. Each hostess is responsible for her own conduct. Any hostess violating the rules must have permission of the U.S.O. Officials will have her name removed from the card list.
4. Clothing for the hostesses at informal dances will be one-piece dress and long hose(committee suggests no sweaters or skirts). For formal dances, dresses with jackets or sleeves.
5. Remember you arean official hostess (volunteer) and it is your duty to dance and associate with several soldiers during the evening. Be a good mixer.
6. If you smoke, please do it in the ladies lounge only

I hope to become better acquainted with you girls. We will have a happy time, serving together. Yours truly Mrs. W. D. Culbertson, USO Director
During this time I was also dating Ray (my future husband) and Mrs. Culbertson did not like him and said so and told my mother she should not allow it. My mother ignored the advice.

USO Hostess

World War 2 started when I was a freshman in college and everything changed. Most of the men left the campus and we had the air force and navy at Washburn. My sister, Helen, along with my friend Mary Jane decided to become USO hostesses. We were interviewed at the YMCA. We were told the rules, like you dance with anyone who asks you, you wear proper clothing. If you don't they would send you home and you didn't come back. Dances were held at the YMCA in the gym. If you minded all the rules, once a month you were eligible to wear a formal and attend the dance in the Municipal Auditorium. The soldiers were mostly from Fort Riley at first. They were Calvary men and wore big boots. I guess they rode horses but I can't think they had horses during World War 2 in Europe or Asia. As time went by the Topeka Air Base had soldiers and Winter Hospital. When they had a dance at the Topeka Air Base you rode out to the Air Base in a canvas covered truck which was a little cool in the winter time. You did not dance there as most of the soldiers were just back from the front and you were to talk to them. They mostly just stared at you. They were just glad to be back in the USA. The hospital mostly stared also. At school you could tell when the seasons changed as they changed outfits. I had to learn to keep my seat and not stand up when they did to salute the teacher. I played a lot of pool and could beat them most of the time which surprised them but they looked sad so I quit that and let them win. At the monthly dance the buses in Topeka stopped before the dance did. You were not allowed to leave the dance until it was done. One time my mother would pick us up and the next time Mary Jane's dad would pick us up. The next day the buses were running so you could get home. I loved Mary Jane's house as she lived beside the Santa Fe tracks and had engines going by all the time. I generally sat up straight in bed as they woke me as our neighborhood was kind of quiet. I don't know if we helped the soldiers much but we tried. Some of the hostesses made dates for later but I only tried it once to go bowling and it was a disaster. I think we went bowling. Going to movies and bowling were Topeka's big activities for social life.

Nurses Aides and World War II

During World War Two, one of my friends married a soldier and she wanted my sister, Helen, and I to sign up to be Nurses Aids. She, herself took the classes and quit before she ever served but Helen and I stuck it out. We really looked cute in our outfits. Topeka had many hospitals--Stormont, Santa Fe, Christ, St Francis. We took our training and were assigned to Christ (It is now Stormont-Vail). Helen took the maternity floor because she said you do the same thing and don't have to think. I was moved all over the hospital. At that time if we went anywhere our mother would tell us to wear our good underwear and drive carefully in case we had a wreck. When I was assigned what later became the emergency room and had a victim who was in a motorcycle wreck I cut off her underwear and did not judge her. Helen and I worked every Monday night and Sunday mornings. If you worked Sunday they gave you ice cream. That was the only place you get got it. On Monday nights you put the patients to bed for the night. You gave them the bed pan and took all their flowers and put them out in the hall. The flowers would use up the oxygen they needed to breathe. I thought plants gave out oxygen but I minded the rules. Sometimes I was assigned the maternity floor also and I generally had the job of sitting with the patient until she was ready to deliver as few had husbands to sit with them. The worst occasion I had was a male member of my church who was a patient and getting him ready for the night I spilled the bedpan and had to go get a mop and clean it up. There was a shortage of janitors to do the job. It was only as bad as when I was on the operating floor a couple of people who had come to give blood threw up in the elevator and I had to clean it up. I gave blood many times but did not throw up. I was in the gallon club and they finally told me I needed my blood more than they did so not to come any more. Helen and I finished our hours and gave it up and relaxed to just be USO hostesses.

One too many cubs

When I was a Den mother I took my den on many things and was always afraid I would lose one. One year we were at Scoutarama with my eight little cubs and I kept counting and I suddenly realized I had nine instead of eight. That is not good. I called a halt and looked under each little hat and found one that was not mine. I said "You are not mine." The little cub said yes but he got lost from his den. We marched down to the lost and found department and found a frantic den mother who was glad to see us. I wished him goodbye and took my group off.