SIXTY-SIX WAS AN EVENTFUL YEAR
It would be easy to summarize 1966 for us in just a few words. Everybody
traveled but Ed, and even Ed didn't stay put. Late in 1965, alter several years of renting, we decided to sell the Kansas City house. It had been a wonderful house to live in, and we hated to see it go, but a property over 800 miles away can be a real financial headache to rent, maintain and manage. So a small army of workmen descended upon the place, put it in apple-pie order, and shortly after the beginning of the year a buyer turned up.
As a rule we all take minor sickness more or less in stride. One kept Les at home a few weeks in February, and then, just when he was about to return to work, excruciating pain landed him in the hospital. It was a kidney stone attack, and added to fly left him in low gear for a while. Fortunately, recovery was prompt enough to permit a trip to South America in April. This was a two-week assignment in Lima, Peru as instructor at a Security and Fire Protection Seminar. It was strenuous at times, but thoroughly enjoyable, and a real opportunity to get acquainted with Francisco Pizarro's ancient City of the Kings. Afterwards came a sightseeing trip to Iquitos, up across the Andes and over into the Amazon Jungle area. The high (?) spot was falling into the Nanay River and banging up the camera a bit. That Nikon F needs shock absorbers! Last year, it was dropped on the ground at Cuzco. Some primitive Yagua Indians were seen, still hunting with blowguns and curare tipped darts, but no shrunken heads in evidence. Perhaps all the head shrinkers went to the USA to practice psychology!
On the way home, a short stopover was made in Bogota, both for business and pleasure. Colombia is a nice place to be. Then back to the states, well laden with Xmas gift purchases. Les had so much baggage that it was worthwhile to go via Los Angeles to avoid an overnight stopover in Mexico City and the extra Customs involved. Early in the year, the big radio project was erection of a 50 foot antenna tower and beam antenna system. Ed and Les have a lot of monkey blood, so the actual erection went smoothly. Late in May, disaster struck. A freak wind storm hit San Antonio, the guy wires were snapped like so much string, and as Les looked out the back door in horror, the tower folded over in less than a minute, a lot of expensive junk filled the yard. Not until late November was the bulk of the damage repaired. The beam is still in pieces! May was a bad month. Les invited a chunk of money from the sale of the house in blue chip stocks. The bear market this summer left them black and blue chips! Like lots of others, we got hurt!
All this time, Ed was racing down the home stretch at Texas A&M, enjoying the fringe benefits of being a senior, including interviews for a job after graduation. Polly and Dan, were planning for a bit of travel. Hopefully, Larry would drive down for Ed's graduation, then all three would go gallivanting. Dan finished school at Texas A&I the 26th. On May 28th, everybody went over to College Station. Polly and Dan continued north. Larry didn't get his leave in time. What a trip! They were away three months, covered 31 states, three Canadian provinces, and put I5,000 miles on the speedometer doing so. First they ambled leisurely up to Fort Dix, New Jersey where Larry, stationed at the Field hospital, managed to get a furlough. He made Sgt. in March, and had just re-enlisted. The bonus helped him get a new red Plymouth Fury. From there, all three continued generally north, way up to Nova Scotia. The next target area was Kansas City, via Buffalo, traveling in zig zags to visit as many people as possible. Larry wants to make Kansas City his permanent home, so there were lots of things for him to do there. Eventually his leave time grew short, so the Fury dashed back to New Jersey. The long trek continued, back in the Valiant. It was anything but a race with time. The dauntless duo meandered over the northeast, visiting and camping as they went, recrossing their trail four times. They got as far north as Minneapolis, then turned generally south via Kansas City. When they finally straggled into San Antonio, plans were already in the making for the summer of 1967, this time to cover the Western states. Since Dan will graduate in 1968, and the HemisFair will be in San Antonio, they reasoned this would be their last good chance to go gadding.
In early June, Ed packed most of his things and moved to the Dallas area to start a new job with Ling-Temco-Vought. He works at the Grand Prairie plant, which is building the Navy A-7 fighter bomber. Our new electrical engineer is assigned to Ground Support instrumentation. Home for him is a shared apartment a few miles away in Irving. After bullying Polly's old Plymouth into operation the last year at A&M, he wanted better wheels. Now he's driving a brand new second handed Comet. Ed enjoys grown up life with his own home, his own car, a steady professional assignment and the knowledge that he's at last on his own feet. But back in San Antonio, Les feels the pinch, now that his highly skilled "slave labor" is no longer around.
Polly and Dan weren't the only travelers. For several years Les had planned to attend his 35th Class Reunion at Cornell. Originally, it was to be a leisurely vacation trip but it didn't work that way. There was a lot of business to be taken care of, so the scheduling was a bit on the rugged side. Early in June, after a flying trip to Norfolk to attend a meeting, he jumped in the car and begun to drive, but not in easy stages. There were many miles to cover, stops to make, and not much time. By midweek though, he was with his classmates, knee-deep in nostalgia for a few days. It was hard to figure why he felt just like a recent graduate when most of the class showed so much wear and tear! Reunion over, the Dart was headed toward the New York-Philadelphia
metropolitan area where he concentrated on business. Then came a long haul out to northern Wisconsin, across Iowa, down to Kansas City, and finally south to San Antonio, arriving on the 4th of July. It was a rugged three weeks and 5,900 miles! There were high spots though, that made it all worthwhile. For the first time, Les traveled with two meter FM radio in the car. Mobile ham radio is a real thrill and a help too.
Down at Texas A&I, Dan is getting to be a practical politician. He was elected Secretary of Alpha Phi Omega, and is going to Minneapolis during this Xmas vacation for their National Convention. He's VP of the Young Republicans in this area and swears that the recent resurgence of the GOP is all his work. These college juniors really get to be big wheels around the campus. Dan continues to play in the A&I band and got to lot of football games that way. They hope to go to the New Orleans Mardi Gras next Spring. That would really be a grand occasion for the band.
Polly continues at the piano. Until May she played every day at a nursery school, but gave it up because it was such a long drive across town. Now she's concentrating on her accompanying work, a small group of piano pupils, and playing the cello in the Trinity orchestra. A few weeks ago, Larry reported he had been upped to Staff Sgt. An overseas tour is in prospect, and he hopes for Okinawa.
The animals? Still all with us. Pixie is getting deal and shows signs of age, but the cats have more than enough pep for all.
230 Montpelier Drive
San Antonio, Texas 78228
1 December 1966
