The Gilbert Cyril Ward-Mary Bernice Pyles Familyby Jimmy Don Ward

January 2013

The Ward-Pyles family began on December 18, 1921, when Gilbert Cyril Ward and Mary Bernice Pyles eloped and were married in Whitesboro, TX. The family ended upon the death of Mary Bernice Pyles Ward on September 24, 1981, in Lubbock, Texas. Spanning some 60 years through the 20th century, the family existed through the Roaring 20s, the expanding farming industry of High Plains of Texas, the Great Depression, World War II, and the expanding years following the war.

As the youngest child of twelve in the family, I heard many stories about the times leading up to the beginning of the family and the growth of the family. Of course, I witnessed firsthand the good times and the bad times as the children moved away and my father’s health faltered. After my father died in 1957 and my remaining brother and two sisters at home moved on to begin their own endeavors, my mother and I were all that was left at home from the large family. We had many discussions about the history of our family. I will reveal what I remember and collected during that time, and afterward.

My Father and Mother Marry

As mentioned earlier, my father had met my mother before he entered the Army during World War I. My father left the Army after the war and went out to West Texas to help his brother, Ernest, build a new home on Ernest’s new farm.

Also, as shown earlier, in the 1920 U.S. Census, my father still lived with his brother Ernest, along with Ernest’s wife, Drucy, and their baby son, Morris. Soon thereafter, my father went back to the Whitesboro, Texas, area to marry my mother.

As shown below, the 1920 U.S. Census listed only my grandmother and mother in the household.

There seemed to be disapproval of my father and mother’s marriage, because they eloped on December 18, 1921. Below are photos taken a short time before their marriage (within two or three years).

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Below is a photo taken of my father and mother before their marriage, most likely after my father was discharged from the army.

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My Father and Mother Move to West Texas

My father quickly learned to love the West Texas climate, compared to that in North Central Texas, along the Red River. Mother told me that my father would say, “You can actually lay down at night in the summertime and fall to sleep. Nights along the Red River often would remain above 80 ºF during the night, with high humidity and little wind. Summertime nights in the Lubbock area typically fell into the 60s, with lower humidity and a nice southerly breeze.

So, soon after they eloped, my parents went to live with my Uncle Ernest and Aunt Drucy to their farm about 5 miles south of Slaton, just into Lynn county. When asked if she knew my mother before my parents moved to live with my Uncle Ernest, Aunt Drucy replied, “No, I didn't know her until he [my father, Cyril] brought her on the train ... they got married and then came back out and lived with us until time for G.C. to be born, and they went back to her mother's to have the baby. But they lived with us there on the farm the first nine months.”

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My Parents Move to Whitesboro

My parents lived on my mother’s family farm north of Whitesboro, Texas, during the time of their first two children, Gilbert Cyril, Jr. (November 6, 1922), and Mary Willie (September 10, 1924). I assume that my father either led the farming operation or helped out on my grandmother’s farm.

Below is a photograph taken of my grandmother, Mary Ellen Pyles, holding my sister Mary Willie Ward. My brother, Gilbert Cyril Ward, Jr., is the young boy standing in front of his sister. Cousins Lucille Pyles (left), Wilma “Billie” Pyles (right), and James Bruce Pyles (on his knees) are shown in the photo as well. Since Mary was born in September 1924, the photo would have been taken in late 1924. The photo likely was taken in Whitesboro or on one of the nearby family farms.

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My Parents Move Back to West Texas

My father wanted to live near his brother Ernest, his closest relative. There were no schools near my Uncle Ernest’s farm in northern Lynn county, and Ernest wanted to move his family into the nearby town of Slaton in Lubbock County, so that his oldest son, Morris, could attend school. My Aunt Drucy explained, “Yea, well, when Morris was old enough to go to school - you see they didn't have school buses then like they have now. So, we had to move to town, so our kids could go to school.”

My sister Mary commented, “I was not quite a year old when they moved. They moved out here about 1925. About a year before you [my next older sister Reba] were born, so that was probably where they went.” My sister Reba was born at the farm south of Slaton, just inside Lynn County on May 21, 1926.

Drucy explained, “You [Reba] were the only one that I remember about when you were born and where, because I went out there and stayed a week.

Reba replied, “I have your name when I signed my birth certificate ... they didn't have any record that I was born anywhere, and I put your name on there. You were present when I was an infant, and I got my stuff from, for an emergency birth certificate. I was not reported. Mother said that you were there.”

Drucy also told, “I took her [Nellda, Drucy’s new daughter]. Cyril took us over there. And I remember laying you [Reba] and Nellda up side by side in the bed, you know. And Bernice and I laughed about our twins.”

Also, Aunt Drucy reveals that Ernest and Drucy lived just north of Slaton, across the canyon and she told this story about their driving back home, “And I want to tell you something else. I stayed a week, and Ernest came out on a Saturday, and we were living out across the canyon farming, and we went back through Slaton. Ernest said he wanted to go over to the drug store a minute. So he parked the car and went. And he came back. He said, ‘I've got something for you.’ And it was a Bell Bar ice cream [vanilla ice cream on a stick covered with chocolate - Bell was a dairy company in the area]. And that was the only bar of ice cream that I had all that summer. And it was the first Bell Bar I ever ate, and I thought ‘Oh, my goodness, what a treat!’"

My oldest sister Mary Willie Ward Howard remembers living on the farm, “The earliest I can remember was probably during the Summer of 1927 at the farm South of Slaton, just over into Lynn County. I remember Mother talking about living in Lynn County. I recall playing under a grape arbor; and G. C. [my oldest brother] getting sick after eating green grapes. I didn't eat them and wouldn't let Reba eat them either because our parents cautioned us not to do so. We were also cautioned not to go outside the cleared yard around the house because of snakes.”

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The Family Moves to North of Slaton

The family moved from the farm south of Slaton to a farm northwest of Slaton and East of Lubbock, just north of the large canyon which runs from Lubbock to just north of Slaton. My Uncle Ernest and Aunt Drucy lived on a farm in that area, and perhaps they wanted to be closer. Legal records show that my brother John Russell was born in Lubbock County on March 22, 1928, so perhaps they moved just before John was born.

My oldest sister Mary had many memories of the farm and the life there at that time:

“I am not sure when we moved to a farm about fourteen miles East of Lubbock on a line with Nineteenth Street. The time frame depends on where the family was living when John was born. This farm was located in the McClung Community which (as I remember) only had the McClung School and the McClung Baptist Church which were located about one and one-eighth miles southeast of the farm where we lived. I know we moved there before September, 1929 because G. C. started to the McClung School that Fall.

“While we lived at this farm, Daddy grew cotton and feed for the mules, horses and cows and sold the grain. He also grew peanuts, peas, beans, corn, popcorn, watermelons, cantaloupe, muskmelons and okra in the field. He grew the above items for the family food and for market. A farmer who grew products for market was called a truck farmer. In addition to the vegetables grown in the field, we always had a vegetable garden near the house that contained such vegetables as tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, sweet potatoes and Irish potatoes (white). This garden was tended by Mother, Mama (Grandmother Pyles) [Mary’s quote here indicates that my grandmother Pyles had moved from Whitesboro to my parents’ farm], and the older children.

“Daddy would load up the car (a Ford Model-T at first, then later a Ford Model-A) with whatever products were ripe and ready for use from both the field and the garden and take them to Lubbock. He sold some to the grocery stores and peddled some to the finer homes on Broadway and Main Streets. He would get more money for fresh vegetables by selling them door-to-door. G.C. helped Daddy with the gathering and selling items from the truck farm. Also our cousin, John Bruce Pyles, helped at least one year.

“During the summer of 1932, I helped also. I was almost eight. I would go to the houses on the side where the car was and G.C. would cross the street. I remember carrying an ear of corn and a tomato. I would knock on the door and ask whoever answered, usually a maid or cook, if they would like to buy some fresh vegetables. Most of the time, the person would go out to the car and select the items and Daddy or G.C. would carry the items around to the kitchen. Thereafter, the customers were eager to have the opportunity to buy fresh vegetables at their door. I felt quite grown-up dressed in my homemade girl's coveralls and dressy sunbonnet.

“John (???), Viola and Roy were born while we were living there [near McClung]. I can remember sitting with Roy who was asleep while Mother and Mama Pyles visited a neighbor. G.C., Reba, and I attended the McClung School. Reba only attended two or three months.”

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Below is a map of the general area, with the red oval showing the location south of Slaton, just into Lynn county, where the family lived before moving to the other red oval showing the general location north of Slaton and east of Lubbock. The yellow line out of north Slaton goes across the canyon area, northward to extreme east 19th street, which goes westward through the area where the McClung school and family farm were, then westward into Lubbock. I drove to Slaton on the route with my mother several times, and she pointed out the general location of the McClung farm.

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So, the family had grown considerably by 1930. Below is a U.S. Census 1930 listing of the family. The census was taken in April, and Viola Irene was born into the family July.

Below is a photo, taken in 1931 or 1932, of some members of the Ward family above the canyon, just south of the Acuff/McClung community. From left to right, my mother, G.C., Mary, probably John, my grandmother Mary Ellen Pyles holding my Viola, Uncle Walter Pierson (possible Reba standing to her side in front of Walter), children unknown, probably my Uncle Lloyd, my Aunt Ola Pierson, my Uncle Ernest Ward, and my Aunt Drucy.

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Below is a photo, probably taken on the same day as above, of my Uncle Walter Pierson and my father, Cyril Ward. The photo shows the canyon better, along with the road shown on the map.

Life on the Farm

I never lived on the farm, but I heard quite a few stories about the family’s life on the farm. Since my father never bought a farm, they always leased the farm from someone else. Mother said that she tried to get Daddy to figure out a way to buy a farm, but he was always afraid that he would lose it. Mother told me that she would reply that they did not have anything to lose. But, I suppose that my father was concerned about going into debt and not being able to pay off the debt.

My mother never did drive an automobile very often. They had a Model A Ford on the farm, and she would venture taking the wheel from time to time, to visit family and nearby neighbors, or to journey to the market. However, my father never did do a good job keeping working brakes on the automobiles. One memorable day, Mother had journeyed out with the car and was returning to the farm house. Since the brakes on car did not work very well, one would just circle the front yard until the car came to a stop. A Model A did not turn very sharply, and my mother ran into the corner of the house. That was the last time she ever sat behind the wheel of an automobile.

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Below is a photo on one of the farms with (l-r) Lloyd Ward (my father’s younger brother), Cyril (my father), and Walter Pierson (my father’s younger sister Ola’s husband). The head-high sorghum likely was on the family farm or the farm of Uncle Walter.

Severe Drought Forces Family From Farm

On July 9, 1932, Roy Cecil Ward was born into the family.

Drought and the Dust Bowl began affecting the Lubbock area, and Economic Depression had set in across the nation as the 1930s began. My sister Mary recalled those times:

“During late Summer or early Fall of 1932, the horses, mules and cows became sick and died. All farming at that time was done with mules or horses. I don't remember much about it except Daddy, Mother and Mama Pyles were very quiet and sad. I remember hearing Daddy tell Mother that many other farmers also lost their animals; and because of that, the banks were not lending money to the farmers. He said that he couldn't farm without livestock so we would have to move to Lubbock so he could find work.

“In January of 1933, we moved to a house on Sixth Street and Avenue K; and about a year later we moved to a house at 805 Avenue K. Daddy worked as a day laborer for building contractors, doing whatever he could. Work was very scarce as building was almost at a standstill. National economy was very low. Daddy took G.C., Reba, and me to farms during the summers to hoe weeds in the cotton fields; and in the Fall, we would stay out of school to pull cotton when the weather was good and go to school when the weather was bad. Eugene was born in October, ‘34. Our Uncle Lloyd Ward lived with us during part of this time.”

Below is a photo taken around 1933 of some of the children out on one of the farms. Mary is second from left on back row with her head turned. G. C. is in the middle of the back row. G.C. has his arms around Reba in the middle of the second row. Viola is in the front middle, standing

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in front of Reba. John is either not in the photo, or he is standing in front of Mary. Roy would have been a baby, and he is not in the photo. That appears to be a Ford Model A Ford automobile in the background.

On October 15, 1934, Eugene Ward was born into the family. He was not given a middle name.

The Family Moves Out of Town for a Short Period

My sister Mary explained, “In the Fall of 1935, we moved to a Ranch near Idalou. Our family shared with another family a large house owned by a Lubbock lawyer. The house was divided into two separate living quarters. We pulled cotton on the ranch and surrounding farms. When the weather was bad, Daddy took us to town to school. During this time, Mama Pyles was living with our Uncle Will Pyles in the 2000 block of Avenue E. For school enrollment purposes, we used that address so we could stay in the Lubbock schools. We stayed at Mama's after school until Daddy picked us up.”

The Family Moves to Just Outside of South Lubbock on a Large Lot

Mary continued telling of the family moves, “In January, 1936, we moved to a five-acre lot with a small house on what is now Avenue U and about 37th Street. This was outside of the city limits at that time. Daddy continued to work for building contractors. G.C. worked for Well's

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Dairy after school for free milk. This dairy was about three or four blocks further South on Avenue U. Daddy made a very large garden on the lot and sold the vegetables that we did not eat.

“On June 2, 1936, at the age of seventeen years and two days, our cousin Walter C. Pierson, Jr. (Dub) died from heart failure due to over exertion plus heat exhaustion. It was a very sad time for all of the family. The Ernest Ward Family, Walter Pierson Family and our Family were very close. Dub was a very nice, courteous boy who treated all the other cousins kindly.

“Daddy continued to work in construction and we continued to hoe in Summer and pull cotton in the Fall. Viola started to school in September, 1936. We walked to school when the weather was good, about eighteen blocks. Daddy took us to school when the weather was bad. G.C. started to Junior High School that year. Mama Pyles moved back with our family in 1937.”

Janell Ward was born into the family on August 24, 1937. Like Eugene, Janell was not given a middle name.

Family Moves to Southeast Lubbock

Mary continued, “In 1938, Daddy wanted to move where the children could ride a school bus to and from school and to have a larger house, so we moved to a house just North of Thirty-fourth Street and South East Drive ( Railroad Avenue at that time as it ran parallel to the Santa-Fe Railroad track). We lived there until the Summer of 1940.”

Charles Ray Ward was born into the family on May 9, 1939. Charles would grow up being called Buster. I heard that Charles did not have a name at first, so they just called him Buster; then, when he received his formal name, they kept calling him Buster. Once grown, most people called him Charlie.

Family Moves to Just Outside North Lubbock

Mary continued explaining the family moves, “We moved two or three blocks North of Erskine Avenue just East of where Avenue Q would have been if it had gone that far North. I finished Junior High School at Mid-term and started High School in January, 1941. My classes were from 11:30 to 4:30. As there were no school buses that time of day, I had to walk about two miles, part of which was across a stretch of pasture land with uneven hills. Very bad weather made it, even worse. One day walking down Avenue T at 8th Street, I saw a house for rent. Daddy checked it out and rented it. Then I only had to walk ten blocks.”

Family Lives in Central Lubbock

Mary tells of another move, “We lived on Eighth Street until January, 1942, when a fire started in a closet because of faulty wiring. We lost all of our clothing and bedding, mostly because of water damage. We had already joined Central Baptist Church, and the members were very generous in furnishing clothing and other items needed. Patricia Ann was only about a week old at this time, so Daddy took Mother and the smaller children to Slaton to Uncle Earnest's and

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Aunt Drucy’s house for about two weeks. Mama Pyles, Reba and I cleaned up what we could and discarded unusable items. I was seventeen and Reba was fifteen. It was a very traumatic experience for the entire family but especially for Reba and me who had to be right there in the mess for a number of days. I was not at home when the fire started, because I was working after school cleaning house and keeping two small children.”

As mentioned in Mary’s narrative, Patricia Ann Ward was born on January 11, 1942. She grew up being called Ann, but went more by Pat as an adult. Some of her California/Nevada nephews and nieces called her Auntie Ann.

Family Moves to South Central Lubbock

Mary tells of the next family move, “Daddy rented a house at 3210 Avenue J. This move was just after the attack on Pearl Harbor and the beginning of World War II. G.C. had joined the Navy in December and was not at home at that time.

“During the World War II years and latter 1940's, Daddy continued to work in construction. He learned to work in masonry. He became quite accomplished in the finishing of interior walls with plaster, as well as the outsides of buildings with stucco, and making cement sidewalks.

“Also during the later 1940's, Daddy’s health began to fail. It increasingly became more difficult for him to breathe, especially after heavy exertion or while lying down. He used several pillows to elevate his head and chest while sleeping. He was hospitalized several times during those years in Lubbock and in the Veterans Administration Hospital in Amarillo. He was diagnosed as having leakage of the heart. It was the same congenital heart-valve problem that he had always had. Because this heart valve did not completely close with each heart beat, part of the blood would flow back into the heart, which made the heart work harder to furnish blood to the body. I understand that as the years passed, the valve function worsened, and the heart worked increasingly harder and eventually just wore out, and the heart just stopped.”

Below is a photo taken at the time Mary and Reba were graduating from Lubbock High School, and Gilbert was home on leave from the Navy around the end of World War II. Due to the family’s frequent moves and the need to work in the fields, Mary had been held back a year or two; thus, Mary and Reba graduated at the same time.

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Linda Carol Ward was born into the family on November 8, 1944. I, Jimmy Don Ward, the last child, was born into the family on March 31, 1947.

Below is a photo of the children, circa 1945, before Jimmy was born. In the back row from left to right are: John, Reba, Linda being held by Mary, Viola, and Gilbert “G.C.” In the front row from left to right are: Roy, Eugene, Janell, Patricia “Ann,” and Charles “Buster.”

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Family Moves to Just Outside of Northeast Lubbock

Daddy was looking for a land lot on which to build a house of the family’s own. The family had never owned land or a house. My brother-in-law, Bill Howard, worked for the Veterans Administration with a woman who was selling a lot in the Clayton Carter Addition between Lubbock and the airport. Daddy bought the land, secured a loan, and the family built the home. It was a united effort among the family members, including in-laws.

Although I was born in 1947 when the family lived on Avenue J in Lubbock, my first memories were when we lived in the Clayton Carter Addition, at 706 E. Wabash (later changed to 1306 E Tulane when the city annexed the neighborhood).

The new home was a small 2-bedroom, 1-bath wood-framed stucco house. And, at first there were many of us living in that home, which was only about 1200 square feet: Daddy, Mother, Viola (perhaps shortly), Roy, Eugene, Janell, Charles, Pat, Linda, and I. Gilbert and John had moved to California following their service in World War II. Mary and Reba had married and started their own families in Lubbock.

Family Get-togethers

Among the families of my parents and my aunts and uncles in the Lubbock area, the group got together quite frequently. Sometimes the gathering took place at one of the families’ house. Sometimes everyone would meet at the local Mackenzie State Park in east Lubbock, especially if we had visitors from other cities. Below is a wonderful photo of about 40 of us at one such get-together. By using the apparent ages of the young children, I estimate that the year was 1949 – likely Easter, or early summer, in Mackenzie State Park, in Lubbock.

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My Earliest Memories in the Family

My earliest memory in my life was when I ran into a small plant or tree in our front yard and had part of my body scraped and cut. I remember crying and getting the scrapes tended to.

Buster and I slept in a bed in my parents’ bedroom. All of the girls (Janell, Ann, and Linda) shared a couple of beds in the second bedroom. Roy and Eugene slept in a bed in the living room.

I remember Viola taking us kids in her convertible over the overpass near New Deal, just north of where we lived. We loved going over that overpass; I guess partly because the land was so flat, and you could see some distance on top to the overpass. I do not remember Viola living in our house.

The only thing that I remember about Roy was that he buttered all of the biscuits before we ate. Mother typically would bake two pans of biscuits, one large 9”x18” metal pan, and one 9” square metal pan. Roy was having difficulty in high school, and he wanted to move to California with his older brothers. The brothers told him that they would agree to his moving to California, if he

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would promise to graduate from high school after he arrived in California, a promise which he successfully fulfilled. Roy moved to California with his brothers not long after we moved onto Wabash street.

I remember more about Eugene. Eugene had quit high school and worked in a small grocery store on Broadway near Mackenzie State Park. I remember going with Daddy to pick up Eugene from work. Eugene later worked at Furr’s Super Market on 4th Street and College Avenue (now University Avenue). A parking garage for Texas Tech’s football stadium now stands there. Eugene had bought a 1950 Ford Coupe, and later a 1954 Chevrolet. Eugene would let me “help” him wash his new Chevy every Sunday (grocery stores were closed on Sundays back then).

Eugene wanted to move out to California with his brothers, and he did so around 1954. About that time Eugene was drafted in the Army, and he served his time in California. After the Army he got a job in a Lucky Grocery Store in the bay area, and he lived with Roy in a house with a woman, Mrs. McCrary, who had rented rooms to G.C. and John when they first lived in California.

Just out of the Army, Eugene drove home alone in our brother’s new Buick. Eugene took me out to the airport for a pleasure ride to watch planes land and take off. It was a hot day, and the carburetor “vapor locked,” meaning that gas in the carburetor had vaporized to a point that the carburetor would not function correctly. The only solution was to let it cool, which would take a long time in the very hot afternoon. Eugene said that we would jog back home and wait for the weather to cool off. That was a 3-mile jog, which was long for an 8 year old boy, but just fine for a guy who had just gotten out of the Army.

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Daddy’s Car

There were two cars on our house lot – one, a 1939 Ford I believe, that was somewhat in working order in our driveway, and an abandoned older car, a Chrysler I believe, on the other side of the house. Linda and I would play in the abandoned car, pretending to drive to the store or to take a trip. We had to be careful, because wasps would build in the car, and other insects would like to hide out there.

My father worked on the operating car quite a bit. I remember an electric motor on a portable board that could be belted to the generator for charging the battery. I would ride with him to the store, and I remember his pumping the brakes a good block from the end of the road to ensure that we could stop. Below are images which I found similar to the automobiles that I remember, a 1939 Ford standard sedan on the left, and a 1935 Chrysler on the right.

The Ice Box

The family had an ice box with a thick wooden frame and a metal lining. I remember going with Daddy to the Ice House near downtown to pick up a block of ice. The ice man would pick up the big block of ice, about one foot cube or a little larger, with ice block handles (hinged rods with hand handles on one end and curved points on the other) and place it in the trunk of the car. The ice block sat in the ice box. We would chip away from the block with an ice pick for cold drinks and such. We would keep food in the ice box in a compartment near the ice block. When we finally bought a refrigerator in the early 1950s, it was a big deal. Our ice box was very similar to the one pictured below.

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The Radio

My earliest memories are just before the arrival of television. We had a large radio on the floor in our living room, which stood about 3 feet tall, similar to the image below. We would listen to radio broadcasts like Big John and Sparky, The Lone Ranger, and some bedtime stories. Of course, the adults listened to the news and weather, as well as some music.

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Our First Television

I remember seeing a television the first time at a neighbor’s house. It was a large cabinet with a small round picture tube about 10 inches in diameter. I believe that my brother Gilbert sent us our first television about 1953 or so. The first TV station in Lubbock, KDUB NBC/ABC Channel 13, came on the air in November 1952, followed by a second station, KCBD CBS Channel 11, in May 1953. There was very limited local programming, and evening network programs ended around 10 pm, when the stations would sign off, leaving a TV pattern and a high pitched hum. I believe that the TV was an Admiral similar to the 1953 model shown below.

Our First Toaster

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I remember when we got our first bread toaster, maybe with Green Stamps. The toaster had a flower etching on the side, and when sunlight came through the window, the flower image would show on the kitchen table. Before we had the toaster, we made toast in the oven broiler. With the new toaster, making a toast with margarine and jelly was now a snap, and so tasty. I remember that the toaster sat on the dining table. The toaster had a flower etching on it silver side, and when the sun shone through the window onto the toaster, an image of the flower would appear on the table top.

Our Back Yard

Our back yard was fairly big and Daddy grew fruit trees, grape vines (with old bed springs as growing frames over high poles), and a nice vegetable garden. Tomato plants seemed to be grown in all different places. Large tomato plants of red or yellow cherry tomatoes provided a quick treat. The small yellow tomatoes were shaped like little pears.

When it was time to pick the black-eyed peas or green beans, everybody had to pitch in. Even as a little lad, I had to pick a row of green beans before I could play. Sometimes we would find small garden snakes in the garden. Although we would play with the snakes, Mother always cautioned us not to hurt the snake and to put him back, because they were good for the garden.

There was a vacant lot next to our house, and sometimes Daddy would get permission from the owner to plant more garden on the vacant lot. During those seasons we would have a corn field to play hide and seek. Daddy also would grow peanuts. It was fun to pull up the peanut plants and see all of those peanuts on the roots. We knew where peanuts came from. Daddy would dry them and keep them to roast later, in the kitchen stove broiler.

Mother and the kids who were old enough canned the fruits and vegetables each harvest season. All of the canned goods were stored in our little house in the back yard. It was always fun to watch the canning process, with the large pressure cooker, mason jars, and such.

Washing Clothes

Clothes washing day was always a big project. Sometimes the clothes had to be scrubbed on a scrubbing board, which required some good arm, wrist, and hand energy. The washing machine was similar to the one shown below. There were two square was tubs independent of the machine. All were rolled away from the wall more to the center of the kitchen for more room. The wringer swung around, and the washed clothes were wrung into a tub of rinse water, sloshed around, and rung again for hanging outside. There was a hose on the side which could be attached to a garden hose for draining the water out the back door.

The clothes were hung out on the long clothes lines, to be dried and fluffed in the West Texas breeze. I think that there was a string hung across the kitchen for hanging clothes indoors as

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necessary (delicate clothes or bad weather). Mother finally got an automatic clothes washing machine in the middle 1950s, which made her life a little easier.

Our Back Yard

Janell’s Wedding

My sister, Janell, became engaged to my future brother-in-law, Ronald Edwards, about 1954. Ronald drove a convertible, and when he would arrive at the house to pick up Janell, I often talked him into driving me around the block with the top down. When Janell was engaged, she was showing her engagement ring to all of us in the house, and I exclaimed, “Wow, what a big, beautiful rhinestone.” They all got a good laugh, but I did not know why they were laughing. It was not too long until Janell and Ron were married in my sister Mary’s house.

I remember the tears in my Daddy’s eyes that day. I remember my sister Pat lighting the candles; her hand was shaking so much that she used her other hand to steady the arm with candle lighter.

My Brother “Buster”

Buster was really my closest big brother growing up. Although he was several years older than me, he did help take care of me brother-wise. Once, one of the neighborhood bullies (about 2 or 3 years older than me) was bullying me in the front yard. Little did the bully know that Buster

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was taking a nap, just inside the bedroom window. Buster raised his head and yelled out the window, “Franky, you leave Jim alone, and get back home.” Boy, was I proud and happy.

When the nice Lubbock summers would roll around, Buster slept outside on single bedspring bed. As a teenager of course he would stay out late after work and sleep until midday out on his bed, covered up, head and all, with his sheet and blanket. I would wait patiently for him to wake up and give me some attention. Much of my spending money (coins) came from Buster during those years.

Buster quit high school and worked full time in a grocery store, mainly for United Super Markets. He decided to join the Navy, and headed out to California for basic training, about 1956.

My Uncle Ernest’s Death

My Uncle Ernest, Daddy’s closest relative outside his own family, died of a heart attack in October 1956. It was a great loss to my father. Again, I saw tears in my Daddy’s eyes at the funeral. Uncle Ernest was so important to our family that all of my brothers and sisters gathered at that time. It may have been the only time that our entire family was together, since G.C. and John moved away before I was born. To take advantage of this gathering, a formal family portrait was taken. I remember sitting with the family for the photos.

Below is that photo - standing left to right are: Charles Ray “Buster”, Janell, Eugene, Roy, Viola, John, Reba, Mary, and Gilbert “G.C.” Sitting left to right are: Patricia, Daddy “Cyril,” Mother “Bernice,” Linda, and Jimmy.

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My Father’s Death

As mentioned earlier by my sister Mary, my father’s health slowly deteriorated through the late 1940s and mid 1950s. Daddy was born with a leaky heart valve, meaning that there was some backwards flow, making his heart work harder than normal. The Army kept him out of combat during WWI because of this heart defect.

I remember my father as a tall (about 6’ 1”, and 220 lbs or so). As his heart was failing, he went to the Veterans Administration Hospital in Amarillo. I remember going up there with the family to visit him. He came out into the waiting area, and he appeared so thin and frail, nothing like I knew him to be.

My cousin, Ernest Ward was a pilot at that time and he offered to fly my mother up to visit my father during his stay at the VA hospital in Amarillo. He story goes as such:

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My Uncle Cyril was in the Army during World War I. In his senior years his health was failing and he was in the Veterans Hospital in Amarillo. I called Aunt Bernice and told her that if she would like to, I would fly her to Amarillo for a short visit and back to Lubbock that night. She had never even been close to an airplane on the ground and I did not really expect her to accept. Surprise, surprise she readily accepted my offer.

We took off the next afternoon and had a nice flight. She thought it was great. After a nice visit we got back out to the airport in the dark, grabbed a sandwich and checked the weather. The weatherman told me that a cold front was coming from the north, but if I would take off immediately we could be ahead of it all the way back to Lubbock.

After about thirty minutes I lost faith in weather men. The west end of the front swung around, came east, and crossed right in front of us. I really found out the meaning of turbulence. We hit shaking down drafts and then up drafts that shook the airplane violently. We hit one down draft and the radio mike flew up and stuck on the ceiling until we hit an upper. Then the thought struck me, poor Aunt Bernice, and this was her first flight. However, I did not have time to worry about her. I had learned that in extreme turbulence one should slow down so there would be less stress on the wings.

I slowed down, and we “shook, rattled, and rolled” all the way to Lubbock. The high wind had shifted from to west and to my horror the east/west runway was not lighted up, only the north/south. That meant that I would have to do a cross wind landing. On my first approach I tried to line up on the runway but was blow off. I went around and on the second try I added a little power and lowered the right wing. That helped a little but the wind blew us off again. The third try I lowered the right wing again until I felt sure it was going to hit the ground. I felt one wheel touch the runway. I thrust the control forward and nailed it on the runway. We came to a stop and taxied up to the airport office. I just sat there, sweat pouring down my face, and I turned around jokingly and asked Aunt Bernice how she was doing. She calmly said, “Oh, I didn’t worry because I knew that if you were not worried why should I be?”

A guy from the airport office came out and said, “Oh, I did not know an airplane was out tonight or I would have lighted up the correct runway.” If thoughts could kill he would have been a goner.

In March 1957, the doctors told my mother that he had a very short time to live, that his heart could not last much longer. They decided to bring Daddy home to die. He did not take this state lying down; he died in the back yard getting his spring garden ready.

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My brother Buster had joined the Navy but did not get through basic training because of having flat feet, no arches. He came back home to Lubbock just before our father died. He was home that afternoon, and he told the story:

“The last day...

“It was a quiet day...nothing much going on. I believe it was only Mom, Dad and I in the house. I walked into the kitchen. Mother was wiping the kitchen counter. Dad was sitting backwards in his chair at the head of the table playing cards. Mom left the kitchen and went into one of the other rooms.

“Dad looked up at me and said, Do you want to play some cards? I believe that to be the last words he ever spoke to anyone. For some reason I did not feel like playing cards, so I replied, Not right now Dad, we will play some later. I believe that to be the last thing anyone said to him. He continued playing solitaire.

“I walked back into the living room. About fifteen minutes later there was a knock on the back door. I went back into the kitchen. Dad was gone, so I answered the door. A young girl was at the door, and she said, "There is a dead man in your back yard."

“I hollered for mom and followed the girl. Dad lay on the ground about ten feet to the left of the path to the alley. There were about ten people gathered around him.

“Mom came running out of the house, her arms flying in the air, and screaming. She was hollering, My daughters, my daughters, someone call my daughters. One lady stepped up and asked, What is the number? My mother screamed, I don't know, I don't know! Another lady stepped up and said, I know where the numbers are, I'll call them.

“At that point my brain must have gone blank, for the next thing I knew the paramedics were working on Dad, and one of my sisters, either Mary or Reba, was standing beside me. The paramedics worked on Dad for a long time. I believe it was Mary who stepped up to the paramedics and thanked them for trying so hard.”

[According to Mary, her husband Bill, who worked very close to the church where Mary worked, promptly took her to the hospital, where they met Charlie; he had ridden in the ambulance to the hospital. The obituary stated that their Dad had died en route to the hospital.]

I was walking home that afternoon from Elementary School five blocks away. We usually walked down the alley. About halfway home, a friend of mine came running up to me saying, “Your father just died in your back yard”! I took off running, but everyone was inside. I walked through the back kitchen door to the living room. When my mother saw me, she screamed and opened up her arms for me. I ran into her arms and she hugged in hard, rocking back and forth, crying, “What are we going to do? What are we going to do?”

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Our next door neighbor was in the house and she told my mother that she needed to go pick up her husband from work, and she asked my mother, “Do you want me to take the boy with me to pick up my husband?” Mother thought that that might be a good idea, because there was so much confusion in the house.

My neighbor stopped by the grocery store on the way to the workplace and went inside. While I waited alone in the car, I spotted my brother-in-law Bill Howard and my sister Mary speeding around the corner heading toward our house. I suspect that Buster was in the back seat.

When we arrived at the workplace and the neighbor’s husband got in the car and spotted me, he glanced at this wife in a questioning manner, and the neighbor explained, “The boy’s father died this afternoon.” Her husband replied, “Oh, what a shame.” We had been very close neighbors for several years.

So, there was another great gathering of the family, only about five months after my Uncle Ernest’s death. Only this time, they were without their Daddy.

Tough New Life for My Mother

My mother had never had to deal with the business side of running a family. Now she was the head of the household, with four children at home. She would have lots of help from the rest of the family; my Lubbock sisters and brothers-in-law in particular, and other help from her children who lived away from the area. We were able to collect Survivors Social Security and a small Veterans Pension after my father died. That helped so very much. There still was a monthly mortgage on the home of about $35 which would be paid off in two years. We got by okay with help from the government and family. Mother would pay all of the bills, then divide what was left over by four, which she spent weekly on groceries. We ate well and were never hungry, nor cold. Any extras came from gifts, green stamps, and such.

Buster and I switched bedrooms with Ann and Linda, so the girls shared the bedroom with Mother, while Buster and I had our own bedroom. It wasn’t too long before Buster decided that he wanted to move out to California with the other brothers, so off he went and lived in the same boarding house as Roy and Eugene. So, I had the bedroom all to myself.

Linda had difficulty adjusting to life without her Daddy; they were quite close, and Daddy did give her lots of attention. My sister Viola offered to let Linda live with her family in Odessa for a while. That arrangement seemed to work well for Linda, and after some adjustment, Linda moved back in with us. Vi and her husband Bob really helped out in that regard during those difficult months.

Life in the House After Daddy’s Death

After about a year, my sister Linda moved back to Lubbock with us. We all had adjusted fairly well to the new life without Daddy. My older sisters, Linda and Ann, were wonderful sisters to

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me. Although I was a pest to Linda from time to time, she treated me so well through our Junior High and High School years. I had lots of friends, and Linda always treated them so great – they all adored Linda. Ann had gotten a job with the Retail Merchants Association in Lubbock, where my sister Janell worked. Ann will buy me presents and help out the best that she could during my young adolescence years. I remember one day she walked in the front door and pitched a football to me and declared, “Happy Birthday!” What a treat.

Ann bought a turquoise 1957 Ford, with tail fins and all. When I got my driver’s license at the young age of 14, she let me drive her all around town. She enjoyed making the drive-ins, meeting friends, and not needing to drive. I had gotten my first real job sacking groceries at a United Super Market on 4th Street. Unfortunately, about that time, while taking me to work, we had a bad car wreck in her car – an old farmer turned left in front of us on the highway, and we broadsided him going about 60 mph. Fortunately, no one was injured seriously, and somehow the car was repaired. I had some busted ribs which took about six weeks to heal, so I lost my job.

Ann Marries

Ann married Jimmy Stuart in 1962 and moved out of the house. Ann had two daughters, Vicky and Pam, but the marriage did not work out. Ann moved to California in 1964 after Pam was born, and they lived with my brother Buster in his house for a while. After Ann moved out of our house when she was married, all that was left of the large family were Mother, my sister Linda, and I.

Charlie Buys a Car for Linda and Me

About the time that Ann was married and Linda and I were heading to high school, Charlie came home to Lubbock for a visit from California. Buster was going by “Charlie” now, since his real name was Charles. The car which Charlie bought for us was a ’55 Ford Station Wagon. It had been wrecked, and the front paint and molding did not match (probably from a 1956 model). It was quite a site, but it had a great engine and was it in very good shape. Below is a similar model, but with matching paint and molding.

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High School and Work

We drove the funny-looking station wagon to Lubbock High School each morning. Linda had gotten a job as a dental assistant, so she used the car for work, and I took the long bus ride home each afternoon. It was generally happy times.

Linda Marries

Linda had met her future husband, Jimmie Davis, while she was in Lubbock High School. Jimmie attending Monterey High School, and they were married after Linda graduated, in September 1963. Then, it was only Mother and I in the house. Mother had seen her huge household of 13 (10 children at home, her mother, her husband and she) dwindle to just 2 people.

My Remaining High School and College Years

After Linda married, I had the old funny-looking Ford station wagon to myself. After about a year, I traded the car in for a new 1964 Chevy II. I had gotten a job part time job at United Super Markets, staring at 55 cents per hour, but I usually had some cash in my pocket. Being at home with a job kept me going, and I went on to Texas Technological College for four years, graduating in 1969.

Mother kept my clothes clean, and I bought most of my meals out and about, so those years went by quite smoothly. Mother told me that as long I stayed at home and went to school, she could continue to collect my portion of Dad’s Social Security Survivors money, and that I could use that monthly money to help with my school and transportation expenses. It worked out great for

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me. We also continued to get wonderful support from the family, so we really never really were in need.

Home/Family Life Through the High School College Years

Since I was very busy with work and college, my sisters in Lubbock (Reba, Janell, and Linda) shared in helping mother with chores, doctor’s appointments, shopping, and such. When I worked on Sunday’s, mother could catch a ride to/from church with neighbors. I kept the yard work up. Janell would come and spend the night when Ronald, her husband who was a traveling salesman, was out of town. Janell would help Mother clean the house with those visits.

Last Child Leaving Home

When I graduated from Texas Tech in May 1969, I went into the Air Force and moved from Lubbock to Austin. Mother and I had been the only two family members left at home since Linda married, about 6 years earlier. As I drove away from the house on the warm June day, I looked back at Mother waving goodbye. Leaving her alone was a sad occasion. Since I had been very busy with school and work over the previous years, and had little casual time at home, Mother had adjusted to time spent alone. She seemed to enjoy it. She was offered an apartment near my sisters and the opportunity to move in with my sisters, but she preferred her independence in her own home.

Mother’s general health was fairly good during those years living alone, and she had frequent opportunities to attend church, visit relatives, and travel. She loved flying, so that helped in her travels during her elderly years.

Family Reunion 1979

In the summer of 1979 the family had a reunion in Lubbock. My brother John brought several Reno members, while others came from California and parts of Texas and such. This reunion was only two years before our Mother’s death, so it was the last time the family got together with her in large numbers.

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Mother’s Death

As mentioned earlier, Mother’s general health was fairly good throughout the 1970s. She did have gall bladder surgery, and she lost some weight which helped her get around better. Her arthritis seemed to have lessened after her weight loss, and she remained fairly active, visiting family often in town and out of town.

My sister Linda was out at Mother’s house for a visit one day in 1981, and Linda noticed that Mother was not acting her normal self. Linda called my sister Reba to come out to the house to verify Linda’s concern. Reba concurred. They took Mother to the doctor, and the doctor determined that she had had a slight stroke. Mother continued to have minor strokes over the following few weeks and gradually deteriorated, health-wise. Several out of town family members were able to visit her, while she stayed at my sister Reba’s house in Lubbock. Mother died in September 1981.

Mother remembered seeing her first car, and saw so many technological changes in the world throughout the bulk of the 20th century. She witnessed the periods of World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, the assassinations and civil rights period of the 1960s, humans walking on the moon, and women’s liberation. She was quite conservative, but also believed in live and let live. She told me that one of the greatest changes was the ability for women to wear pants – she loved wearing pants. She thought that one of the greatest inventions was panty hose, because hose tied in a knot at the knee caused her leg pain.

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