American Journey: A Lifetime of Stories

By Ted Pariza

This occurred over a lifetime. It is about the Good and Bad Experiences had by a Baby Boomer named Peter, as a child growing up to adulthood and all through life. The mysterys of life and all thats sacred unfolds; life holds almost endless secrets untold or many times forgotten. The story briefly traces Peter and his Family, year by year, from the mid-nineteen forties to 2009. Several generations of family are represented on both sides. They came from Europe: from England, France, Norway and Poland entering into and through Canada and finally into America to become American Citizens and Proud of It!

With the years since World War II, the world witnessed; Advances of Wonder, Amazing Strides Forward and Shocking Social and Moral Changes. Todays America is most certainly nothing like the America of your Grandparents. Improvements in American lifestyle first, with America most always the innovator, followed shortly by the rest of the World. Peter was just trying to get by, but he was faced with living and learning, as we all are.

In The World around Me

This section appears at the end of each year. Such topics as;

Cost of Products By Year - Car, House, Milk, Bread, Gasoline, 1ST Class Postage, Minimum Wage, the Stock Market, the U.S. Population and the World Population by year.

American Sports; Baseball, Football, Basketball Annual Championship Winners, Both Summer and Winter Olympic Games, Boxing, Horse Racing, Tennis, Golf and more.

Political News

Science News

Inventions

Then Current TV Shows

New Toys

On The Speedway

Top Pop Songs

Sports Academy Awards - Best Movie of The Year

American Winners

Americans Favorites Died

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 10, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496917195

Ted Pariza

Ted Pariza is the guy who wrote, "The Waiting Room". You know, that's a short story you can read after you look up 'Ted Pariza' on your computer using almost any search engine. In the process, you'll see the story is his concept of what it is like when one dies and passes over. Once passed over, he tells what he finds and what he sees. What kind of experience he has before being reborn into another unspoiled 'fresh and clean' life. This book is written by the same guy, but this book is about the good and bad experiences had by a fictious aquaintance as a child to an adult and all the way through life. The Book covers seven decades. The mystery of life and all that's scared, as it pertains to the main character, are told therein. Life holds lots of secrets untold and sometimes forgotten. Ted Pariza lives in Houston, Texas where both his ex-wifes, his three children, his nine grand children and his (so far) five great grand children all reside.

Book preview

© 2012, 2014 Ted Pariza. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 11/05/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-1721-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-1720-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-1719-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014910393

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

American Journey

1946 to 2009

Contents

*** Look for ‘IN THE WORLD AROUND ME’ at the end of each year ***

The Forties - Happy Days are here Again

1946 (Born 9/14/46) – New Beginning

1947 (1 year old) – No stories to tell-

1948 (2 years old) – No stories to tell-

1949 (3 years old) – No stories to tell-

The Fifties - A Time of Rock N Roll

1950 (4 years old) – Innocents

1951 (5 years old) – Lessons

1952 (6 years old) – Do Over’s

1953 (7 years old) – Salesmanship

1954 (8 years old) – Rebellion

1955 (9 years old) – Resentment

1956 (10 years old) – Here Prince

1957 (11 years old) – When it Rains it Pours

1958 (12 years old) – What?

1959 (13 years old) – A Whole New Environment

The Sixties - The Beat Goes On

1960 (14 years old) – Passing

1961 (15 years old) – Goodbye

1962 (16 years old) – Responsibilities

1963 (17 years old) – Time to Grow Up

1964 (18 years old) – Out in The World

****                  POINT OF NO RETURN

1965 (19 years old) – First Duty

1966 (20 years old) – Adjusting

1966 (20 years old) – Contentment

1966 (20 years old) – Departures

1966 (20 years old) – Nervous Jokes

1966 (20 years old) – Shock

1966 (20 years old) – Disbelief

1966 (20 years old) – Sum Total of Life

1966 (20 years old) – Terror

1966 (20 years old) – The End Result

1966 (20 years old) – The Final Straw

1966 (20 years old) – Mount Up

1966 (20 years old) – The Beat Goes On

1967 (21 years old) – Unexpected

1968 (22 years old) – Promoted to Civilian

1968 (22 years old) – What Goes Around

1969 (23 years old) – Viet Nam

1969 (23 years old) – Final Days

The Seventies - Age of Aquarius

1970 (24 years old) – Homecoming

1971 (25 Years old) – Up in Smoke

1971 (25 Years old) – Prosperity

1972 (26 years old) – New Things

1973 (27 Years old) – Win Some, Lose Some

1974 (28 years old) – Good and Bad

1975 (29 years old) – There’s One Born…

1976 (30 years old) – Plush Gardens

1976 (30 years old) – Party Down

1976 (30 years old) – Traveling

1977 (31 years old) – Teenager

1978 (32 years old) – Times They Are a Changing

1979 (33 years old) – Cause We’re Moving-on Up

The Eighties - Trials N Tribulations

1980 (34 years old) – Brothers

1981 (35 years old) – Trust

1981 (35 Years old) – Oliver’s

1982 (36 years old) – Oil Reserves

1983 (37 years old) – Good Choice

1984 (38 years old) – Reliable

1985 (39 years old) – Downfall

1986 (40 years old) – Millionaire Dreams

1986 (40 years old) – Lovelace

1987 (41 years old) – Brownstone

1988 (42 years old) – Downtowne

1989 (43 years old) – Masterpiece

The Nineties - Infamous Years

1990 (44 years old) – Starting Over

1991 (45 years old) – Why did I do that

1992 (46 years old) – And the Winner is

1993 (47 years old) – Good Job

1993 (47 years old) – Hit Man

1993 (47 years old) – Recruiting

1993 (47 years old) – Blind Date

1994 (48 years old) – Moving On

1995 (49 years old) – Walking

1995 (49 years old) – Atlanta

1995 (49 years old) – Rescuing April

1996 (50 years old) – Going Straight

1997 (51 years old) – Bittersweet Endings

1998 (52 years old) – Back in the Saddle

1999 (53 years old) – On the Road Again

Two Thousand - The New Millennium

2000 (54 years old) – Modern Medicine

2001 (55 years old) – Shattered Illusions

2002 (56 years old) – Starting Again

2002 (56 years old) – Modernizing of Popeye

2003 (57 years old) – If at First You Don’t

2003 (57 years old) – Baptism of Rain

2003 (58 years old) – Dreams Achieved

2004 (58 years old) – Getting April

2004 (58 years old) – Best Laid Plans

2005 (59 years old) – Change Can be Good

2006 (60 years old) – Step Up

2007 (61 years old) – It’s Always Something

2008 (62 years old) – Good Help is Hard to Find

2009 (63 years old) – Just One Buckin Thing…

About the Author

Let this writing serve as one small example of the Stories each of us has to tell

This book was written, AS TOLD by Peter Bushings. It was not written for historic value, not as a history of his life, nor is it a Diary. Although I did attempt to add some current and historic events throughout, the book is a compilation of a handful of experiences Peter had in the course of living his life. They are presented chronologically. Some are in greater detail then others. There is always more to the Story; however one must keep in mind that some of these Stories only lasted mere minutes or hours, in real time.

Peter was a common man; so let his Stories serve, as one small example of the Stories each of us has to tell. If the truth be known, many other people’s life experiences would prove to be FAR MORE interesting, should they be reported. I report these on Peter’s behalf, as a form of ‘Written Image’, for those who follow in his ever-expanding family tree. Peter wanted to be remembered far better then some dusty photograph found in an attic, could ever portray.

In some cases, the names of certain parties or places represented herein are fictitious. Not necessarily because Peter was trying to protect anyone’s innocence or identity. More to the point, it’s simply he didn’t remember. If through reading this, you develop a better understanding of Peter’s family and the America they lived in, we will have achieved Peter’s goal. Memories belong in the Heart.

Ted Pariza

September, 2012

I just wanted to say how much I appreciate Ted’s Tape Recorder and the great job he did taping all those Interviews we did together and turned them into a smooth readable story. Thanks again Ted.

Peter Bushings

January, 2014

*

<+>

Angels

Are Friends

Who follow YOU

Through

Life.

Always

Remember

&

Never Forget

I was thinking

Of YOU today, and

Asked the Lord to bless

You. To guide YOU & protect

You, as You go along your way.

His love is always with YOU, His

Promises are always true. When we

Give him all our cares, we know, he

WILL

See us through. So when the road YOU

Are Traveling seems difficult at best. Remember

I’m still here praying and GOD WILL do the rest.

AMEN.

A gift YOU can

graciously

Receive

(Unknown Author)

A New Beginning

1946

Peter: Newborn

(Starting with the year of his birth.)

After the War the Nation went from few Men, to all its War worn Veterans returning Home

Welcome to the World of Miracles. Today in the Twenty-First Century we live our day to day lives, from paycheck to paycheck; we are surrounded with what certainly would have been Modern Miracles in the nineteen forties. I realize most of these things, were in fact in existence when most of you were born. However, imagine living in a time BEFORE the Transistor, GPS, commercially accessible ‘Jet’ Airplanes, the ‘Desk Top’ and ‘Lap Top’ Computers, the ‘Internet’, ‘Cell Phones’, ‘Cable TV’, ‘ATM’s’ and even something as mundane as the ‘Butane Cigarette Lighter’ or the ‘Bic Pen’. All of these things would have been amazement’s to behold back then. Even the Movie Industry back then, had just a few years before, converted to Movies ‘In Living Color’ versus, ‘Black and White’ with the original 1939 Movie release of, "The Wizard of Oz".

The years immediately following World War II, were part of a rare transitional period in American history. It was perhaps an attitude, held by those who had taken part in or witnessed the War or major military altercation(s). The ‘Average Joe’ went through some rather severe changes in lifestyle too. Before the United States was drawn into World War II, life was much simpler, what with Out-houses and hand-pumped water, still in use by many American citizens. Houses cost mere HUNDREDS of dollars to build. The Depression was showing no signs of ending. The times, they were hard.

During the War, most everything became secondary and of lesser importance. The one BIG common goal all Americans held high, was to END THE WAR! To that end, the countries goals were aimed. To their credit, the women of America picked up the slack caused by the vacating men going off to war. The Ladies learned and in time performed most, if not all the jobs; well, which their counterparts had left behind. The attitude then was, YES WE CAN!

After the War the nation went from few men, to all its war worn veterans returning home. The men in turn, replaced the women workers again. We as a society went from the ‘Wants’ of wartime rationing & restrictions to a ‘New Beginning’, where positive thinking made everyone an Optimist. Everything was appreciated and viewed as fresh and new. Anything was possible. It was the ‘ATOMIC AGE’, what with the Atomic bomb having been developed only months earlier.

Although ‘Mechanical’ TV had been in existence since 1926, the original devices would not be compatible with TODAY’S ‘Electronic’ TV systems. Electronic TV came into being, based on inventions and discoveries of many people and many scientists. However, in the mid-forties it was only then becoming available for the first time, at a price the Common Man could afford. The Computer was at best, only an Expensive Toy for the few experimenters and researchers with ‘Vision’. The future then, is what we call our present today.

Peter came into being as a result of a very active hard working Mother, so very happy to see her ‘happy to have survived’ Husband, returning to her from deaths edge. Both Peter’s parents have told him that he was planned for and wanted. Peter represented a NEW BEGINNING. Peter was born on September 14, 1946, in Troy, Michigan. He weighed 7 pounds 14 ounces and he had Blond Hair and Blue Eyes. Peter’s parents named him, Peter Allan Bushings. A New Beginning is the way he would have put it too, A "New Beginning" for him that is.

(Thank you, Lord. Amen.)

Peter’s Father Quinton Joseph Bushings, was American born of 100 percent Polish-Canadian parents. Peter’s Dad was the third of six children. He, like his siblings, was the FIRST American born generation. Peter’s Father’s parents, that is:

Peter’s Grandmother on his Father’s side was Heidi Olympia Zajac, and was born and raised in Canada.

Peter’s Grandfather on his Father’s side was Valentino Wilhelm Bushingski, and was born and raised in Canada.

Peter’s Great Grandmother on his Father’s side was Katerina Isabella Sobczak, and was born and raised in Poland and had immigrated to Canada.

Peter’s Great Grandfather on his Father’s side was Xavier Boris Bushingski, and was born and raised in Poland and had immigrated to Canada.

Peter’s Mother Belle Tatum Borgos was born in America of fifty percent Norwegian and fifty-percent English ancestry. Her mother, that is:

Peter’s Grandmother on his Mother’s side was Emily Francis Atkins, and was the first American born generation.

Peter’s Grandfather on his Mother’s side was Johnan Ingvald Borgos, and was born and raised in the United States.

Peter’s Great Grandmother on his Mother’s side was Christina Eleanor Brathoved, and was born and raised in England and had immigrated to the United States.

Peter’s Great Grandfather on his Mother’s side was Peter Clive Atkins, and was born and raised in Norway and had immigrated to the United States.

Peter’s Mother was born to first generation Americans, which made his Mother second generation American. He, along with his brothers, was therefore: third generation American.

Peter’s parents already had two older boys before he was born. Peter’s brothers, Quinton Raymond Bushings is nine years his senior and William Gavin Bushings is six years his elder. Peter’s oldest brother is called by his middle name, Ray, because he was named Quinton, after their Father. Peter was told, having two men named Quinton in the family, would have served to be too confusing and their parents didn’t want to call his brother, ‘Junior’. William is called Bill. Peter’s third brother is nine years younger then him. His name is Troy Walker Bushings.

Peter: 1 – Infant

1946

No stories to tell

In The World Around Me…

1946

(Starting with the year of Peter’s birth.)

1946

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POLITICAL HISTORY: The COLD WAR began

POLITICAL HISTORY: August - Congress passed the ‘Atomic Energy Act’.

INVENTIONS: Microwave Oven

BUSINESS NEWS: Formation of ‘Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering’, which later became ‘SONY’

SCIENCE NEWS: The World’s 1ST COMPUTER - FULLY ELECTRONIC SUPERCONDUCTOR, Electronic Numerical Integrator Analyzer (ENIAC)

RADIO SHOWS: ‘Sky King’ began and continued to 1954 when it ‘crossed-over’ to TV.

IN SPORTS: Baseball – In the 43RD WORLD SERIES the ‘St. Louis Cardinals’ defeat the ‘Boston Red Sox’ 4-3

IN SPORTS: Football – In the 1946 NFL Playoffs the ‘Chicago Bears’ defeat the ‘New York Giants’ 24-14

IN SPORTS: Basketball - In the 1946 BAA was rapidly working towards becoming the NBA, but the record doesn’t show the games played or the scores achieved.

IN SPORTS: Horse Racing – ‘ASSAULT’ wins the Triple Crown

ON THE SPEEDWAY: On 05/30/1946, George Robson won at the 30TH annual Indianapolis 500, with an average speed of 114 MPH.

18TH ACADEMY AWARDS: on 03/07/46 BEST PICTURE – went to ‘The Lost Weekend’, directed by Billy Wilder

TOP POP SONG:

NUMBER ONE - Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!, sung by Vaughn Monroe,

NUMBER TWO - For Sentimental Reasons, sung by Nat King Cole and

NUMBER THREE - Personality, sung by Johnnie Mercer

AMERICAN WINNERS: Emily G. Balch (U.S.) wins the 1946 Nobel Prize for PEACE, Dr. Percy W. Bridgman (U.S.) wins the 1946 Nobel Prize for PHYSICS, James B. Sumner, Dr. John H. Northrop and Wendell M. Stanley (U.S.) win the 1946 Nobel Prize for CHEMISTRY and Hermann J. Muller (U.S.) wins the 1946 Nobel Prize for MEDICINE

Peter: 2 – Toddler

1947

No stories to tell

In The World Around Me…

1947

1947

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––––––––––––––––––––––––

INVENTIONS: TRANSISTOR invented by William Shockley, Barden & Brattain at Bell Laboratories

INVENTIONS: MOBILE PHONES

INVENTIONS: TUPPERWARE patented by Earl Silas Tupper

SCIENCE NEWS: Willard Libby discovers ‘CARBON-14 DATING’

SCIENCE NEWS: 1ST ‘Around the World’ Commercial Airline Service

SCIENCE NEWS: 1ST Supersonic Aircraft

TV NEWS: Texas City, Texas – Over built with Oil related Plants and facilities. The entire city is leveled with a blast from an exploding ship.

TV SHOWS: ‘Howdy Doody’, began and continued to 1960.

TV SHOWS: Baseball’s WORLD SERIES televised for the 1ST time

IN SPORTS: Baseball – In the 44TH WORLD SERIES the ‘New York Yankees’ defeat the ‘Brooklyn Dodgers’ 4-3

IN SPORTS: Football – In the 1947 NFL Playoffs the ‘Chicago Cardinals’ defeat the ‘Philadelphia Eagles’ 28-21

IN SPORTS: Basketball - In the 1947 BAA Championship ‘Philadelphia Warriors’ defeat the Chicago Stags’ 4-1

IN SPORTS: Boxing – For the 1ST time Jake LaMotta gets knocked out by Billy Fox

ON THE SPEEDWAY: On 05/30/1947, Mauri Rose won at the 31ST annual Indianapolis 500, with an average speed of 116 MPH.

NEW TOYS: ‘Magic 8 Ball’

19TH ACADEMY AWARDS: on 03/17/47 BEST PICTURE – went to ‘The Best Years of our Lives’, directed by William Wyler

TOP POP SONGS:

NUMBER ONE – Heartaches sung by Ted Weems,

NUMBER TWO - Smoke, Smoke, Smoke (that cigarette), sung by Tex Williams and

NUMBER THREE - (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons, sung by Nat King Cole

AMERICAN FAVORITES DIED: Bugsy Siegel – Mob Gangster had a ‘Vision’, which in time became what we now know as ‘Las Vegas’. He was MURDERED at 41 years old AMERICAN WINNERS: Dr. Carl F. Cori and Dr. Gerty Theresa R. Cori (U.S.) win the 1947 Nobel Prize for MEDICINE

Peter: 2 – Toddler

1948

No stories to tell

In The World Around Me…

1948

1948

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POLITICAL HISTORY: The ‘Selective Service Act’ is passed

SCIENCE NEWS: The ‘POLAROID CAMERA’ introduced

INVENTIONS: FRISBEE invented by Walter F. Morrison

INVENTIONS: WURLITZER JUKEBOX invented by Robert Hope-Jans

INVENTIONS: VELCRO invented by George de Mestral

BUSINESS NEWS: The ‘Xerox Corporation’ commercially perfected the ‘xerography’.

SCIENCE NEWS: Peter Goldmark develops the ‘LONG-PLAYING RECORD’

RADIO SHOWS: ‘Hopalong Cassidy Show’ starring William Boyd, began and continued to 1951 when it ‘crossed-over’ to TV. Mr. Boyd also made 7 full-length movies as Hopalong Cassidy.

CURRENT TV SHOWS: ‘Pantomime’, the ‘Ed Sullivan Show’ and ‘Quiz Time’

IN SPORTS: Baseball – In the 45TH WORLD SERIES the ‘Cleveland Indians’ defeat the ‘Boston Braves’ 4-2

IN SPORTS: Football – In the 1948 NFL Playoffs the ‘Philadelphia Eagles’ defeated the ‘Chicago Cardinals’ 7-0

IN SPORTS: Basketball - In the 1948 BAA Championship ‘Baltimore Bullets’ defeat the ‘Philadelphia Warriors’ 4-2.

IN SPORTS: Basketball - BAA (Basketball Association of America) reigned supreme. This organization ultimately became the NBA (National Basketball Association)

IN SPORTS: Horse Racing – Jockey EDDIE ARCARO wins the Triple Crown riding ‘CITATION’. This marks Eddie’s 2ND time to win the Triple Crown

IN SPORTS: Due to the Political environment of the world and of course World War Two, 1936 was the last Olympics, with the next Olympics not being held again until 1948.

IN SPORTS: Olympics XIV - SUMMER Olympics held in London, England 07/29/48-08/14/48. In the summer games the United States won 38 gold, 27 silver and 19 bronze medals for a total of 84 medals.

IN SPORTS: Olympics V - WINTER games held in St. Moritz, Switzerland 1/30/48-02/08/48. In the V Winter games the United States won 3 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze medals for a total of 9 medals.

ON THE SPEEDWAY: On 05/31/1948, Mauri Rose won at the 32ND annual Indianapolis 500, with an average speed of 119 MPH.

NEW TOYS: ‘Scrabble’ and ‘Cootie’

20TH ACADEMY AWARDS: on 03/20/48 BEST PICTURE – went to ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’, directed by Elia Kazan

TOP POP SONGS:

NUMBER ONE - I’m Looking over a Four-Leaf Clover, sung by Art Mooney,

NUMBER TWO - Buttons & Bows, sung by Dinah Shore and

NUMBER THREE - Red Roses for a Blue Lady, sung by Vaughn Monroe

Peter: 3 – Toddler

1949

No stories to tell

In The World Around Me…

1949

1949

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POLITICAL HISTORY: January 20 - Presidential ‘Swearing in’ of ‘Harry S. Truman’, 2ND term as the 33RD President of the United States. Mr. Truman had been Vice President to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, when FDR died in office on April 12, 1945, four months into his third term as President. Harry S. Truman had been sworn in as President for the 1ST time on that date.

POLITICAL HISTORY: The ‘MINIMUM WAGE BILL’ passed into law.

POLITICAL HISTORY: NATO was formed

INVENTIONS: the CAKE MIX

SCIENCE NEWS: Maria Goeppert, Hana Suess, Hans Jensen and Otto Haxel develop the ‘NUCLEAR SHELL" of atomic structure

SCIENCE NEWS: CORTISONE discovered

MARKETING: The Woman’s ‘BIKINI SWIM SUIT’ introduced

RADIO SHOWS: ‘George Burns & Gracie Allen Show’, began in 1934 and continued to 1949, when it ‘crossed-over’ to TV.

RADIO SHOWS: ‘Father knows Best?’ (With a question mark) starring Robert Young began in 1949 and continued to 1953 when it ‘crossed-over’ to TV.

CURRENT TV SHOWS: ‘Texaco Star Theatre’, the ‘Ed Wynn Show’ and ‘Time for Beanie’

IN SPORTS: Baseball – In the 46TH WORLD SERIES the ‘New York Yankees’ defeat the ‘Brooklyn Dodgers’ 4-1

IN SPORTS: Football – In the 1949 NFL Playoffs the ‘Philadelphia Eagles’ defeat the ‘Los Angeles Rams’ 14-0

IN SPORTS: Basketball – In the 1949 NBA CHAMPIONSHIP the ‘Minneapolis Lakers’ defeat the ‘Washington Capitols’ 4-2

IN SPORTS: Boxing – Joe Louis retires; Ezzard Charles beats Joe Walcott for Heavyweight title, 33RD annual Indianapolis 500, with an average speed of 121 MPH.

NEW TOYS: ‘Candy Land’, ‘Lego’s’ and ‘Silly Putty’

21ST ACADEMY AWARDS: on 03/24/49 BEST PICTURE – went to ‘Hamlet’, directed by John Huston

TOP POP SONGS:

NUMBER ONE - Some Enchanted Evening, sung by Perry Como,

NUMBER TWO - A Little Bird Told Me, sung by Evelyn Knight and

NUMBER THREE - (Ghost) Riders in the Sky, sung by Vaughn Monroe

AMERICAN WINNERS: William Faulkner (U.S.) wins the 1949 Nobel Prize for LITERATURE and William F. Giauque (U.S.) wins the 1949 Nobel Prize for CHEMISTRY

Innocents

1950

Peter: 4 - Preschool

Life was simple and Peter was the Loved Child we all should be at that age

At four years old, Peter’s life was filled with games and naps. ‘Kick the Can’ was a neighborhood favorite game. Peter was having a normal childhood for someone his age. Life was simple and he was the loved child we all should be at that age. He was way too innocent to see the problems of the world or any problems within his own family.

In The World Around Me…

1950

1950

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POLITICAL HISTORY: The ‘KOREAN WAR’ or better described as a "Police Action’ began

POLITICAL HISTORY: The 23RD Amendment passed, Presidential terms limited to a maximum of TWO TERMS

SCIENCE NEWS: Gertrude Elion creates the 1ST DRUGS TO TREAT LEUKEMIA

CURRENT TV SHOWS: ‘Truth or Consequences’, Alan Young Show’ and ‘the Burns & Allen Show’

IN SPORTS: Baseball – In the 47TH WORLD SERIES the ‘New York Yankees’ defeat the ‘Philadelphia Phillies’ 4-0

IN SPORTS: Football – In the 1950 NFL Playoffs the ‘Cleveland Browns’ defeat the ‘Los Angeles Rams’ 30-28

IN SPORTS: Basketball – In the 1950 NBA CHAMPIONSHIP ‘Minneapolis Lakers’ defeat the ‘Syracuse Nationals’ 4-2

IN SPORTS: Basketball – 1950 marked the 1ST NCAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

IN SPORTS: Soccer – The 1ST WORLD CUP competition since 1936. ‘Uruguay’ defeats ‘Brazil’ 2-1

ON THE SPEEDWAY: On 05/30/1950, Johnnie Parsons won at the 34TH annual Indianapolis 500, with an average speed of 124 MPH.

NEW TOYS: ‘Little People’ and ‘Clue’

22ND ACADEMY AWARDS: on 03/20/50 BEST PICTURE – went to ‘All the Kings Men’, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz

TOP POP SONG:

NUMBER ONE - Mona Lisa, sung by Nat King Cole,

NUMBER TWO - Harbor Lights, sung by Sammy Kaye and

NUMBER THREE - The Fat Man, sung by Fats Domino

AMERICAN WINNERS: Dr. Ralph J. Bunche (U.S.) wins the 1951 Nobel Prize for PEACE and Dr. Philip S. Hench and Edward C. Kendall (U.S.) win the 1951 Nobel Prize for MEDICINE

Lessons

1951

Peter: 5 - Kindergarten

He only worked One or Two Days a Week

Like most kids his age, making the transition from Running Free to having to take on a certain amount of discipline, what with starting to attend Kindergarten, was somewhat of a task for him. Peter began his experience, in a Catholic school by the name of Saint John’s. Having Nuns as Teachers, was strange to him as well. Both Peter’s older Brother’s were already attending that school. The school was located in Greenleaf, Michigan, where Peter and his family lived.

Stevie Jackson, Peter’s five year old neighbor and Peter both loved a litter of kittens Peter’s Cat, Mittens, had given birth to. They played with them everyday. One kitten in particular was their favorite. They would pick it up and hug it. Peter’s parents thought that was so cute, they took pictures of each of them in turn, hugging the kitten. One day they actually hugged the kitten to death. They didn’t mean to do it! It was so traumatic to them. Death was a totally foreign concept. With that hard realization, they cried and cried.

At five, Peter had his first Job. It was a non-paying Job and Peter only worked it sporadically, but there were lessons to be learned and he was eager to learn his share. What did he do, you ask? Peter was an Assistant Milkman. Back in those days, a Man in a truck came around everyday and delivered Dairy products to your front door. Milk, Butter, Cream, Cottage Cheeze and even Ice Cream were the standard deliveries. The Milkman would stop in front of your door and retrieve the empty bottles and read the note left for him. The note told him what was needed for that day. Once a month the Milkman would come to your door and collect for last months deliveries. Peter’s Job was to run to each door and bring the Milkman back the note for him to read. Sometimes, the Milkman would call to Peter and have him bring more bottles of Milk or maybe Butter or Cream. Peter’s Mom let him work for the Milkman, if he was up when the Milkman stopped at Peter’s House. Peter had to promise to be on his best behavior. Peter only worked one or two days a week, while the Milkman was on their Street, but Peter had great fun and he felt very special doing it.

In The World Around Me…

1951

1951

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––––––––––––––––––––––––

SCIENCE NEWS: 1ST Transcontinental Direct-Dial Telephone Service

SCIENCE NEWS: 1ST ATOMIC POWER produced

SCIENCE NEWS: COLOR TELEVISION is introduced to the American public

TV NEWS: 1ST COLOR TV broadcast

CURRENT TV SHOWS: ‘Red Skelton Show’, ‘Studio One’ and ‘Your Show of Shows’

IN SPORTS: Baseball – In the 48TH WORLD SERIES the ‘New York Yankees’ defeat the ‘New York Giants’ 4-2

IN SPORTS: Football – In the 1951 NFL Playoffs the ‘Los Angeles Rams’ defeat the ‘Cleveland Browns’ 24-17

IN SPORTS: Basketball – In the 1951 NBA CHAMPIONSHIP ‘Minneapolis Lakers’ defeat the ‘New York Knickerbockers’ 4-3

IN SPORTS: Boxing – Rocky Marciano knocks out Joe Walcott for the World Heavyweight Title

IN SPORTS: Horse Racing – CITATION is the 1ST Horse to win $1 Million

NEW TOYS: ‘Color Forms’

ON THE SPEEDWAY: On 05/30/1951, Lee Wallard won at the 35TH annual Indianapolis 500, with an average speed of 126 MPH.

23RD ACADEMY AWARDS: on 03/29/51 BEST PICTURE – went to ‘All about Eve’, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz

TOP POP SONGS:

NUMBER ONE - Too Young, sung by Nat King Cole,

NUMBER TWO - Mockin’ Bird Hill, sung by Les Paul & Mary Ford and

NUMBER THREE - Hey Good Lookin, sung by Hank Williams

AMERICAN WINNERS: Ernest M. McMillan and Glenn T. Seaborg (U.S.) win the 1951 Nobel Prize for CHEMISTRY

Do Over’s

1952

Peter: 6 – 1ST Grade

Peter was considered somewhat of an Oddball

Peter was still attending Saint John’s when he entered into the First Grade. At the end of the school year, Peter was held back and made to repeat the First Grade for a second time. Why you ask? No, not because he didn’t grasp any of the Nuns teachings, other then one. Peter had a natural tendency to write with his left hand. Yes, that’s correct, Peter was LEFT-HANDED! Oh my God! Shock… right? Peter still is left handed today. But back in those days, someone, only God knows who, decided that being LEFT-HANDED was wrong and needed to be corrected. After completing First Grade for the second time, Peter still had not changed to writing with his right hand. Believe me, the Nuns had hit his hand countless times with their wooden rulers, in an effort to make him change to his right hand. It was intended for Peter to repeat the First Grade a third time. Peter was apparently considered too stubborn to learn to use his right hand. Thankfully, Peter’s Dad interceded and demanded Peter be passed onto the next grade.

Peter recently heard on Television that a study had been done and the result was that there were as many left-handed people in the World as there are right-handed people. He’s not sure he could accept that, because as a left-handed person, Peter always found himself to be in the minority. But apparently, there are far more left-handed people then you might think. Being left-handed is accepted these days. Back then, Peter was considered somewhat of an oddball. A non-conformist.

Looking around, you have to ask yourself, how many natural or normal things today, are ‘they’ trying to change, because ‘they’ think they should.

Back in the fifties, life was oh so much easier. Everyone trusted everyone else. Today, just Who, can you trust? Why do we have to protect ourselves from everyone else? Why does every person feel they have the right to change everyone else? Back in the day, if you didn’t like something you didn’t have to. Today it seems, no one can look away. It’s for the good of everyone else, if they stop it or destroy it, if you or something you may do is different. What ever happened, to minding your own business? If it is not harmful and you are not physically endangered by it, leave it alone, stay out of everybody else’s business. And even if one could be potentially harmed, simply stay away from it and there is no problem. This is America, land of the free. We are all free to do as we wish; freedom of Religion, freedom of Speech and freedom to think or do whatever. The other guy DOES have the right to do it. It’s not hurting you, so leave him alone. If it is hurting you, so what? Peter always said, Different strokes, for different folks. We are not all cut-out of the same Cookie Cutter. That, my friends is EXACTLY WHY life is worth living, because of our differences. Cherish what makes us each different. Stop trying to make everyone the same. Stop and think about it, life would really be boring if we were all the same. They say a good couple is the two half’s, that make up One. I believe you’ll find, the two half’s are opposite of one another in many ways. That’s why they complement one another. Where one is weak the other is strong. They thus work well together. As One they are STRONG. Get it?

For those of you who read or heard of the book written back in the 1960’s, Big Brother - 1984, we are definitely headed toward a Government controlled Society, as it is portrayed in that book. We all need to stand-up and stop all the madness, before it’s too late. Perhaps it already is!

This was also a red letter year for Peter’s family and America in the sense that they got their first TV. It came in a huge wooden cabinet with a TV screen maybe Six inches square. It was Black & White. Color TV was off in the not foreseeable future. Being six years old, TV opened up a new world to Peter. It wasn’t long before he was watching a long list of favorites on Saturdays mornings, including such favorites as; Sky King, Roy Rogers & Dale Evans, The Cisco Kid, Kookla, Fran and Ollie, Howdy Doody and of course endless cartoons, such as Felix the Cat, Mickey Mouse and Popeye. Television was a real treat and it was truly different versus the TV you see today. For example, the Commercial Breaks were literally one or two one minute Commercials period. Compared to today, with a mix of ten or even twenty fifteen second, thirty-second, one minute and even thirty minute Commercials, called Infomercials. TV went off the air by midnight every night and there were only three Channels. Peter was truly part of the TV Generation. TV became a good stand-in Baby-Sitter.

In The World Around Me…

1952

1952

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POLITICAL HISTORY: The ‘GI BILL OF RIGHTS’ came into being

INVENTIONS: 1ST SOFT DRINK

BUSINESS NEWS: 1ST ‘Holiday Inn’ opened in Memphis, Tennessee

SCIENCE NEWS: BAR CODE patented by Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver

SCIENCE NEWS: Jonas Salk conducts the 1ST trials of his ‘POLIO VACCINE’

SCIENCE NEWS: Henri Laborit & Pierre Deniker discover CHLORPROMAZINE’S (otherwise known as THORAZINE)

SCIENCE NEWS: 1ST CLONING EXPERIMENTS– Scientists demonstrate they can remove the Nucleus from a Frog egg, replace it with the nucleus of an embryonic frog cell and get the egg to develop into a Tadpole. This ‘Nuclear Transfer’ transplants an animal’s genes to an egg. The Tadpole is a CLONE of the embryo that donated its nucleus.

TV SHOWS: ‘Hopalong Cassidy Show’, began as a TV ‘cross-over’ from the radio. The TV show continued to 1958

CURRENT TV SHOWS: ‘What’s My Line?’ and ‘Dragnet’

TV NEWS: January 14TH - Pat Weaver at NBC began the ‘TODAY Show’.

IN SPORTS: Baseball – In the 49TH WORLD SERIES the ‘New York Yankees’ defeat the ‘Brooklyn Dodgers’ 4-3

IN SPORTS: Football – In the 1952 NFL Playoffs the ‘Detroit Lions’ defeat the ‘Cleveland Browns’ 17-7

IN SPORTS: Basketball – In the 1952 NBA CHAMPIONSHIP ‘Minneapolis Lakers’ defeat the ‘New York Knickerbockers’ 4-3

IN SPORTS: Olympics XV - SUMMER Olympics held in Helsinki, Finland 07/19/52-08/03/52. In the summer games the United States won 40 gold, 19 silver and 17 bronze medals for a total of 76 medals.

IN SPORTS: Olympics VI - WINTER games held in Osio, Norway 02/14/52-02/25/52. In the VI Winter games the United States won 4 gold, 6 silver and 1 bronze medal for a total of 11 medals.

NEW TOYS: ‘Match Box Cars’, ‘Pez’ and ‘Mr. Potato Head’

ON THE SPEEDWAY: On 05/30/1951, Troy Ruttman won at the 36TH annual Indianapolis 500, with an average speed of 128 MPH.

24TH ACADEMY AWARDS: on 03/20/52 BEST PICTURE – went to ‘An American in Paris’, directed by Vincente Minnelli

TOP POP SONGS:

NUMBER ONE - Glow Worm, sung by the Mills Brothers,

NUMBER TWO - You Belong to Me, sung by Jo Stafford and

NUMBER THREE - Night Train, sung by Jimmy Forrest

AMERICAN WINNERS: Felix Bloch and Edward M. Purcell (U.S.) win the 1952 Nobel Prize for PHYSICS and Selman A. Waksmen (U.S.) wins the 1952 Nobel Prize for MEDICINE

Salesmanship

1953

Peter: 7 – 1ST Grade

Within an hour Peter had Sold Out

Peter repeated the First grade twice. This gave him the privilege of being teased, harassed and heckled by his peers. Oh nooo, he was left-handed, like it was a disease or something. Even Peter’s older Brothers made fun of him. That entire experience was probably Peter’s first real disappointment in life. In the long run, the experience did make him stronger. Peter learned to be more patient and forgiving. He couldn’t beat everyone up for teasing him. He didn’t even try. It was a losing concept. What he did do though, was become more inward. Peter depended on himself more. Consequently, group Sports of all types became less attractive to him. Peter was drawn to activities that only required him as a participant, which he could do by himself. Over time Peter certainly DID learn to be a Team Player and a good participant, but that came later. At seven years old, Peter learned to rely on himself.

In play, he was rarely chosen as a team member on the play ground in Sports. Peter didn’t seem to have the desire. He was happier reading a book or drawing a picture. As he said, he learned to rely on himself. That’s not a bad thing.

Peter’s Mom was a Plant Person. She had more flowering gardens then she could pray over. One beautiful spring day, Peter’s Mom made big piles of Weeds as she cleaned her gardens. Peter just didn’t understand why she was pulling up plants that had, what to him were pretty blooms or colorful foliage. Peter carefully collected them into a bushel basket. He then went from door to door pulling his red wagon behind him and sold them, one at a time to the neighbors. Back then Peter offered his best Sales Pitch with each one, pointing out the pretty colors and attractive shapes. Within an hour or two, Peter had sold each and every weed. Peter probably took in big money, maybe fifty cents total. Looking back on it, he was certain the weeds were thrown away instantly, but Peter must have come across as cute. He learned the art of Salesmanship. If you believe in your product, that makes it much easier to sell.

In The World Around Me…

1953

1953

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POLITICAL HISTORY: January 20 - Presidential ‘swearing in’ of ‘Dwight D. Eisenhower’ 1ST term, as the 34TH President of the United States. Richard M. Nixon - Vice President.

POLITICAL HISTORY: ‘Health, Education and Welfare Department’ (HEW) created

POLITICAL HISTORY: The ‘ROSENBERGS’ were executed for Spying

INVENTIONS: The BLACK BOX FLIGHT RECORDER invented by David Warren

INVENTIONS: The 1ST MUSICAL SYNTHESIZER invented by RCA

INVENTIONS: RADIAL TIRES

BUSINESS NEWS: the 1ST modern ELECTRONICS-DEFENSE-CONGLOMERATE of CORPORATIONS, becomes the LITTON CORPORATION

BUSINESS NEWS: 1ST IBM Computer - the ‘701’

SCIENCE NEWS: James Watson & Francis Crick create a model for the structure of DNA

SCIENCE NEWS: Stanley Miller creates ‘AMINO ACIDS’, the ‘building blocks of life’, in the laboratory WITHOUT the presence of oxygen

TV SHOWS: ‘I Led Three Lives’ began and continued to 1956

TV SHOWS: October 20TH - Edward R. Murrow began the ‘Person to Person show’ where he visited the homes of famous people.

CURRENT TV SHOWS: ‘Our Miss Brooks’, ‘Kukla, Fran and Ollie’ and Make Room for Daddy’

IN SPORTS: Baseball – In the 50TH WORLD SERIES the ‘New York Yankees’ defeat the ‘Brooklyn Dodgers’ 4-2

In Sports: Football – In the 1953 NFL Playoffs the ‘Detroit Lions’ defeat the ‘Cleveland Browns’ 17-16

In Sports: Basketball – In the 1953 NBA ‘Minneapolis Lakers’ defeat the ‘New York Knickerbockers’ 4-1

In Sports: Golf – Ben Hogan does the ‘HAT TRICK’ by winning the U.S. Open, the Masters AND his 1ST British Open

ON THE SPEEDWAY: On 05/30/1953, Bill Vukovich won at the 37TH annual Indianapolis 500, with an average speed of 128 MPH.

NEW TOYS: ‘Plastic Army Men’

25TH ACADEMY AWARDS: on 03/19/53 BEST PICTURE – went to ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’, directed by Cecil B. DeMille

TOP POP SONGS:

NUMBER ONE - You, You, You, sung by the Ames Brothers,

NUMBER TWO - Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes, sung by Perry Como and

NUMBER THREE - Good Night Sweetheart Good Night, sung by Spaniels

AMERICAN WINNERS: Secretary of State and General George C. Marshall (U.S.) wins the 1953 Nobel Prize for PEACE and Fritz A. Lipmann (U.S.) wins the 1953 Nobel Prize for MEDICINE

Rebellion

1954

Peter: 8 – 2ND Grade

He turned every color in the Rainbow

Peter’s parents filed for Divorce that year. His two older Brothers were forced to make appearances in Court. The Court wanted to hear their opinions. Peter, he was considered too young. So, he was sent to Summer Camp instead, Thank You Lord. Living with someone else can be tough, especially, if you are forced to live a certain way or have certain conforming ideals to adhere to.

Once Peter did realize at eight, that a Divorce meant his Daddy would live somewhere else, Peter wasn’t happy. At his age Peter didn’t understand why, but he began to smoke Cigarettes and even drink Beer. Peter was rebelling and rebelling was a concept Peter didn’t even understand. It just came naturally. Bill was a real good influence on him. At Fourteen, Bill was a Smoker too. He used to steal their Dad’s Chesterfield’s. However, when Bill discovered Peter had been stealing his Dad’s Chesterfields and taken up smoking as well, Bill forced Peter to eat a Cigarette, a Winston to be exact. Peter was forced to eat all of it, except the filter. All the Kids who were there told Peter, he turned every color in the Rainbow. He’ll never forget it. In fact, that’s probably why Peter gaged any time he got any amount of tobacco in his mouth there after. Thanks Bill.

In The World Around Me…

1954

1954

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POLITICAL HISTORY: The French withdraw from Viet Nam

INVENTIONS: ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES introduced

INVENTIONS: SOLAR CELL invented by Chaplin, Fuller and Pearson

INVENTIONS: NON-STICK PANS

SCIENCE NEWS: ‘CinemaScope’ developed

SCIENCE NEWS: 1ST ATOMIC SUBMARINE commissioned

SCIENCE NEWS: 1ST ‘KIDNEY TRANSPLANT’ is successfully performed

Restaurant News: Ray Kroc opened the 1ST McDonald’s

TV SHOWS: ‘Father Knows Best’ (without the question mark) starring Robert Young began as a ‘cross-over’ from radio. The TV Show continued to 1963

CURRENT TV SHOWS: ‘U.S. Steel Hour’, ‘Lassie’ and the ‘Omnibus’

IN SPORTS: Baseball – In the 51ST WORLD SERIES the ‘New York Giants’ defeat the ‘Cleveland Indians’ 4-0

IN SPORTS: Football – In the 1954 NFL the ‘Cleveland Browns’ defeat the ‘Detroit Lions’ 56-10

IN SPORTS: Basketball – In the 1954 NBA ‘Minneapolis Lakers’ defeat the ‘Syracuse Nationals’ 4-3

IN SPORTS: Soccer – In the WORLD CUP ‘West Germany’ defeats ‘Hungry’ 3-2

NEW TOYS: ‘Robert the Robot’ and ‘Whee-Lo’

ON THE SPEEDWAY: On 05/31/1954, Bill Vukovich won at the 38TH annual Indianapolis 500, with an average speed of 130 MPH.

26TH ACADEMY AWARDS: on 03/25/54 BEST PICTURE – went to ‘From here to Eternity’, directed by Fred Zinnemann

TOP POP SONGS:

NUMBER ONE - Mister Sandman, sung by the Chordeetes,

NUMBER TWO - Sh-Boom, sung by the Crew-cuts and

NUMBER THREE - Earth Angel, sung by The Penguins

AMERICAN FOVORITES DIED: Robert C. Richardson (U.S.) 1996 Nobel Laureate for Physics at 72 years old

AMERICAN WINNERS: Ernest Hemingway (U.S.) wins the 1954 Nobel Prize for LITERATURE, Linus Pauling (U.S.) wins the 1954 Nobel Prize for CHEMISTRY and John F. Enders, Thomas H. Weller and Frederick C. Robbins (U.S.) win the 1954 Nobel Prize for MEDICINE

Resentment

1955

Peter: 9 – 3RD Grade

Gertrude went out of her way to make Peter feel Uncomfortable

Peter’s parents divorce became final when he was nine years old. Now his Daddy came to pick him up on Saturdays. Peter was introduced to his Father’s Girlfriend, later to become his Dad’s second Wife. Her name was Gertrude. It became apparent to Peter very fast, she didn’t want anything to do with Daddy’s children. Gertrude wasn’t shy about it either. She went out of her way to make Peter feel as uncomfortable as possible, whenever his Dad wasn’t around.

May 25TH, 1955

Peter’s little Brother, Troy Walker Bushings was born in Troy, Michigan. Dad denied Troy was his offspring for a long time. Mom had to take him to Court, a couple more times to prove Troy was his Son. Troy was an innocent to all the goings on between Mom and Dad, but overtime Troy was forced to share in all the negativity too, just like his Brothers.

In The World Around Me…

1955

1955

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POLITICAL HISTORY: 1ST Presidential Press Conference filmed

INVENTIONS: TERACYCLINE

INVENTIONS: OPTIC FILTER

SCIENCE NEWS: Arco, Idaho is the 1ST U.S. town to be powered by "NUCLEAR ENERGY’

RESTAURANT NEWS: Col. Harland Sanders opens the 1ST KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN restaurant

CURRENT TV SHOWS: ‘Gunsmoke’, ‘The Honeymooners’ and the ‘Alfred Hitchcock Show’

NEW TOYS: ‘Play-doh’

MUSIC NEWS: ‘ROCK N ROLL’ was born

IN SPORTS: Baseball – In the 52ND WORLD SERIES the ‘Brooklyn Dodgers’ defeat the ‘New York Yankees’ 4-3

IN SPORTS: Football – In the 1955 NFL Playoffs the ‘Detroit Lions’ defeat the ‘Cleveland Browns’ 59-14

IN SPORTS: Basketball – In the 1955 NBA ‘Boston Celtics’ defeat the ‘St. Louis Hawks’ 4-3

ON THE SPEEDWAY: On 05/30/1955, Bob Sweikert won at the 39TH annual Indianapolis 500, with an average speed of 128 MPH.

27TH ACADEMY AWARDS: on 03/30/55 BEST PICTURE – went to ‘On the Waterfront’, directed by Elia Kazan

TOP POP SONGS:

NUMBER ONE - Sixteen Tons, sung by the Tennessee Ernie Ford,

NUMBER TWO - The Yellow Rose of Texas, sung by Mitch Miller and

NUMBER THREE - Why Do Fools Fall in Love, sung by The Teenagers

AMERICAN FAVORITES DIED: James B. Sumner (U.S.) 1946 Nobel Laureate for Chemistry died at 68 years old, Alexai A. Abrikosov (Russia/U.S.) 1953 Nobel Laureate for Physics at 27 years old

AMERICAN WINNERS: Polykarp Kusch (U.S.) wins the 1955 Nobel Prize for PHYSICS and Vincent Du Vigneaud (U.S.) wins the 1955 Nobel Prize for CHEMISTRY

Here Prince

1956

Peter: 10 – 4TH Grade

Peter wound up Walking about Three Miles

As a Cub Scout at ten years old, Peter’s Mother dressed Peter up as a girl, for a play Peter’s Scout Pack was putting on. She had Peter in a full array of make-up from Hair Spray to Rouge, Eye Shadow and Lipstick. Complete with a Bra, with tissue paper as stuffing. Peter looked real Stupid and he felt that way too. Peter hated it.

Social Morals took a dive. The word Divorce, which had been a real taboo in our religiously STRONG America, was now, along with Religion in general, losing out to the desire to live life fresh and free. Another thing that fell in that time period was the word, Reputation. Up to that point, a person’s reputation was held at the highest of importance. "You MUST remain squeaky clean, was the lesson. This caused everything to be done, behind closed doors. Now, the word Reputation, with all its significance, just seemed to fade away and loose its meaning.

When Peter was ten, his Dad, his Brothers Ray and Bill and Peter, all drove a brand new 1956 Desoto from Troy, Michigan to New Orleans, Louisiana. They took pictures at every new State Marker they came to, entering each state along the route. You should have seen Peter’s Brothers with their Hollywood Haircuts, that is, longish hair on the sides with a Flat Top in the center. Peter was just a kid and still wore the traditional Buzz Haircut, White T-Shirt, Blue Jeans, and what then were called Tennis Shoes. That’s an Industry that went from one single Tennis Shoe to all sorts of Walking, Jogging, Sports and Running Shoes. All of which seem to be highly specialized these days, entirely radical steps forward in Technology, if you’ll pardon the Pun. (Sorry I got side tracked there for a second.)

They delivered the 1956 Desoto to the Owner and picked up his 1955 Desoto in exchange. The 1955 they had received, was the same make and color, everything was the same. Well, other then it was one year older then the Car they just delivered. For being one year old, the Car was still like new. Anyway, once in New Orleans, it was Mardi-Gras time. They wandered the streets, sometimes catching the Beaded Necklaces and other stuff, thrown from the passing party floats and from balconies above. It was fun. They drove back to Troy. All in all, it took maybe ten days to drive round trip.

Then again, Peter had some, not so fond memories as well. For example, Peter’s Dad always used to call him, His Little Prince. I know, I know. It wasn’t Peter’s idea, believe me. Well, as you can imagine, on the Trip everyone was in rather cramped quarters. Besides, being picked on by his older Brothers was the norm, Peter being the youngest. They were at a Rest Stop along the highway and Peter had wandered off, following a butterfly or something. You know how ten year olds are, curious and distracted you know? Dad told Ray and Bill to go find Peter. Ray and Bill started to walk away from Dad as they shouted, Peter, where are you Peter? Dad told them, Hurry up, RUN! Picking up the pace and breaking into a run, they continued calling Peter’s name. Ray started to whistle three high notes, just like they used to do, to call the Dog. Bill picked-up on Ray’s whistling and started to call, Here Prince, Here Prince. Realizing what they had said, they laughed and laughed. Hey, Peter was no Dog! He didn’t like that one bit, but of course, that’s the one that stuck. By the end of the trip, Peter had had enough of that stale line, you can believe that.

At ten years old, Peter’s parents had been divorced for going on two years. Being picked up on Saturday mornings and spending the day with his Dad was becoming routine. Peter’s Dad would question him, about what his Mom may have said or done. Returned Home at the end of the day, Peter’s Mom would question Peter about what his Dad and/or his Girlfriend may have said or done. Peter was frankly too young to realize what was going on. One Saturday night Peter and his brothers were again dropped off back Home. Peter’s Brothers told Mom about some comments Peter had told his Dad under questioning. Apparently the answers Peter had given his Dad could be interpreted as Derogatory Statements about his Mom. Peter had not intended them that way. When his Mom heard, she told Ray to get a belt. Mom intended to spank him. Mom told Peter he was Playing both ends against the middle, whatever that meant. Peter did not want to be spanked. Peter ran out the front door into the freezing cold, without his Coat. Peter wound up walking about three miles before he came to a Bar. When Peter went inside, the customers treated him to Hot Chocolate. Asking a lot of questions, they found out his name and address. When called, Peter’s Mom came to get him and take him Home. It was his guess, after being asked questions as to Why he was outside without a Coat, Peter’s Mom decided NOT to spank him. Lesson learned by both of them.

In The World Around Me…

1956

1956

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POLITICAL HISTORY: The INTERSTATE HIGHWAY ACT passed

INVENTIONS: HOVERCRAFT invented by Christopher Cockerell

INVENTIONS: The 1ST computer HARD DRIVE

BUSINESS NEWS: The 1ST organizing of the EUROPEAN COMMON MARKET

SCIENCE NEWS: TRANS-ALANTIC Cable Telephone service is established

NEW TOYS: ‘Yahtzee’, ‘Ant Farm’ and Corgi ‘Die Cast Vehicles’

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS: The ‘RINGLING BROTHERS and BARNUM & BAILEY CIRCUS’ performs for the last time under the Canvas Big Top

MUSIC NEWS: ‘ELVIS PRESLEY’ appears on the ‘ED Sullivan Show’

IN SPORTS: Baseball – In the 53RD WORLD SERIES the ‘New York Yankees’ defeat the ‘Brooklyn Dodgers’ 4-3

IN SPORTS: Football – In the 1956 NFL Playoffs the ‘Detroit Lions’ defeat the ‘Cleveland Browns’ 59-14

IN SPORTS: Basketball – In the 1956 NBA ‘Boston Celtics’ defeat the ‘St. Louis Hawks’ 4-3

IN SPORTS: Olympics XVI - SUMMER Olympics held in Melbourne, Australia and Stockholm, Sweden 11/22/56-12/08/56. In the summer games the United States won 37 gold, 29 silver and 32 bronze medals for a total of 98 medals.

IN SPORTS: Olympics VII - WINTER games held in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy 01/26/56-02/05/56. In the VII Winter games the United States won 2 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medal for a total of 4 medals.

ON THE SPEEDWAY: On 05/30/1956, Pat Flaherty won at the 40TH annual Indianapolis 500, with an average speed of 128 MPH.

28TH ACADEMY AWARDS: on 03/21/56 BEST PICTURE - went to ‘Marty’, directed by Delbert Mann

TOP POP SONGS:

NUMBER ONE - Memories Are Made of This, sung by Dean Martin,

NUMBER TWO - Love Me Tender, sung by Elvis Presley and

NUMBER THREE - Singing the Blues, sung by Guy Mitchell

AMERICAN WINNERS: William B. Shockley, Walter H. Brattain and John Bardeen (U.S.) win the 1956 Nobel Prize for PHYSICS and Dickinson W. Richards and Andre F. Cournard (U.S.) win the 1956 Nobel Prize for MEDICINE

When It Rains It Pours

1957

Peter: 11 – 5TH Grade

That day he heard just about every Bad Word

At Peter’s not so tender age of eleven, Peter had become somewhat of a Juvenile Delinquent. Peter’s Mother would leave the house in the morning on her way to work by six A.M. and didn’t get home from work, riding the Bus every night, until after six P.M. Once or twice a week she would get home, only to learn that Peter was being held at the Greenleaf Police Department, for one thing or another. In looking for a way to control Peter, his Mother cut a deal with a Greenleaf Policeman by the name of Johnny Haze. Greenleaf was a small town of about ten thousand and still had a small town atmosphere. No one locked his or her doors. Leaving the Car unlocked, with the keys in it was commonplace. People trusted people. Officer Haze would be waiting for Peter when he got out of school and then pick him up. Then he would take Peter directly to the Police Department’s Lobby. Where Peter was allowed to sit quietly and do his homework. Like, this is a Drag, Man.

On Saturday’s, Dad would come to pick him up. That week Dad made the mistake of bringing along his then Girlfriend, Gertrude. Mom was a big flower person. She had almost entirely eliminated the lawn around their Duplex corner lot with Flower Gardens. She loved the way the flowers looked and the way they smelled. That morning, Mom was outside, with a hose in her hand, watering her flower beds. Previously, Peter’s Mother had warned Dad that she didn’t ever want to see Dad’s Girlfriend. Mom called that Woman, EASY. When Dad and Gertrude arrived in Dad’s then brand new 1957 Chevy, Peter was in the house. That was pretty much BEFORE Air Conditioning, so all the house windows were open. Peter’s Mother shouted his name, shouting for Peter to come outside, to go with his Father for the day. Peter’s parents were not socializing well. The Divorce with all those Court appearances, were entirely way too fresh in their memories. By the time Peter came outside, his parents had begun a Shouting Match. Peter’s Father got out of his Car and was standing next to it. Gertrude was sitting in the front seat watching the scene play out. Back in those days, although Dad’s Car had Air Conditioning, it was rarely used. Consequently, all the Car windows were open. Mom began to approach Dad, in their shouting match trying to, out insult each other. When Mom got within maybe ten feet from the Car, she aimed the hose at Peter’s Father. Dad moved to the passenger side of the Car in an attempt to avoid being soaked. With hose in hand, Mom realized just how close she had come to Dad’s shiney new Car. With that realization and her extreme dislike for Gertrude, she stopped aiming the flow of water coming out of the hose at Dad, and simply aimed it at Gertrude. The interior of the Car began to rapidly fill-up. Leaving little interior space dry. Peter came out and was ushered into the Car with great speed. Dad was getting wetter by the second. He jumped in and they sped away. Peter heard just about every bad name there is about his Mother that day, to be sure.

In The World Around Me…

1957

1957

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POLITICAL HISTORY: January 20 - Presidential ‘swearing in’ of ‘Dwight D. Eisenhower’ 2ND term, as the 34TH President of the United States, with Richard M. Nixon – as Vice President.

INVENTIONS: FORTRAN, the Computer language

BUSINESS NEWS: The 1ST production model BOEING 707 is produced

BUSINESS NEWS: The formation of ‘FAIRCHILD SEMICONDUCTOR’, proved to be the INCUBATOR for many high tech companies to follow

SCIENCE NEWS: Russia launches ‘SPUTNIK’ the 1ST ‘MAN-MADE SATELLITE’

SCIENCE NEWS: 1ST UNDERGROUND NUCLEAR EXPLOSION

SCIENCE NEWS: SURGEON GENERAL linked Smoking to Lung Cancer

TV SHOWS: ‘Lassie’, staring Lassie the ‘Wonder dog’, began on radio and ‘crossed-over’ to TV. The TV show continued to 1964

TV SHOWS: The Lone Ranger with his sidekick ‘Tonto’ began and continued to 1964.

TV NEWS: 1ST National Videotaped Show

CURRENT TV SHOWS: ‘Perry Mason’ and ‘Leave It to Beaver’

IN SPORTS: