Wow, What a Day!: A Memoir

By Edgar Allen Moore

On August 16, 1938 in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, a tiny boy opened his mouth and cried for the first time. As Germany persecuted Jews and Orson Wells prepared for his infamous War of the Worlds radio program, Edgar Allen Moore began his life as the second of three boys in a Scottish-Irish family who nurtured an insatiable curiosity and a zest for adventure.

In his entertaining memoir, Moore chronicles his journey from childhood to adulthood as he experienced variability, excitement, and satisfaction while working in five different professions. As Moore shares how he was influenced not only by the death of his mother at a young age, but also by a post-war cultural environment, he details how he managed to become successful despite living with the effects of attention deficit disorder, an then-unknown affliction that would not be diagnosed until later in life. As he narrates his adventures from college to military assignments to eventual employment, Moore provides a compelling glimpse into what it is like to look at each sunrise as a new opportunity.

WOW, What a Day! shares one baby boomers narrative of what it was like to grow up amid the chaos of World War II and the subsequent years as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery and embraces enriching life experiences.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abbott Press
• Release date: Aug 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781458204578

Edgar Allen Moore

Dr. Edgar Moore is semi-retired after having served fifty years in the fields of rehabilitation, health care administration, and retirement management in different areas of the country. He has amassed thousands of close relationships in each of the above professional realms, affording him an intense richness of camaraderie by helping individuals during transition in their involvement in health impairments, major changes in lifestyle, and the general aging process as it affects each of us through the years. Dr. Moore is a product of Scotch-Irish and English ancestry, born and raised in the western Pennsylvania foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and with his brothers suffered the loss of their mother in their early teens. As he experienced his early youth and young adulthood following World War II along with other baby boomers, the changes in lifestyles, personal goals, and plans for the future were new and different from what had gone before. WOW, What a Day! explores how the extreme nature of his educational, professional, social, and religious lives have impacted his plans and productivity; he also recalls withstanding considerable upheaval on the home and national scenes of the American Dream. Through the completion of his advanced education, military service, leadership in four social service professions, he met daily challenges and achieved fulfillment while managing the effects of ADD as an adult. The constant support of his wife, two children, and recently four grandchildren have sustained his daily walk. He and his wife, Cherie, celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary in 2012. With the love and support of friends and family, Dr. Moore looks back on his productive life in surprise, gratitude, and humility for each of the enriching contacts he has experienced through the years.

Book preview

WOW,

What

a Day

A

Memoir

by

Edgar

Allen

Moore

LIVING WITH

ATTENTION

DEFICIT

DISORDER

Foreword by Daniel L. Moore, M.D.

abbottpresslogointeriorBW.ai

WOW, What a Day!

Copyright © 2012 Edgar Allen Moore

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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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.

Author Photos by Holly J. M. Horton

ISBN: 978-1-4582-0456-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4582-0458-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4582-0457-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012910677

Abbott Press rev. date: 07/26/2012

Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1 Childhood Years

Chapter 2 High School Years: 1952-1956

Chapter 3 Undergraduate School, BA: 1956-1961

Chapter 4 United States Air Force: 1961-1965

Chapter 5 Retail Management: 1966-1967

Chapter 6 Rehabilitation Counseling: 1968-1969

Chapter 7 University Of Virginia, MEd: 1970-1972

Chapter 8 Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center, Speech:1972-1982

Chapter 9 Walden University, PhD: 1979-1982

Chapter 10 Long Term Care Health Administration: 1982-1984

Chapter 11 Retirement Management: 1985-1990

Chapter 12 Relocation Back East: 1990

Chapter 13 Speech-Language Pathology Services, Central Virgiinia:1991-2012

Personal Data

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WOW, What a Day is the memoir of a baby boomer, Edgar A. Moore, who has reached the age of retirement and a time of looking back on a non-sedentary life of variability, service to his benevolent God and fellow man, and significant attainment in five professional arenas. Beside the influence of a postwar living environment and the cultural changes that it produced, this boomer also encountered the added experience of living with ADD, first as an unknown when growing up and then as an adult who gradually found help in dealing with it.

It is a fast-moving saga of true encounters in education, involvement, and grateful years of child rearing. Edgar encountered continuous change in his college years, military assignments, and employment settings around the country from Mainline Philadelphia to Southern Californian beaches to Big Sky Country in Montana and the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. His life seems to have echoed with that phrase coined the year of his birth: Go West, young man.

Foreword

Wherever Thou Goest

Listening-Connections-Decisions

As life’s histories are recorded by self or others, they reflect the character of the individual (abilities/talents--developed and undeveloped; inabilities--influential and non-influential in one’s overall development; attitudes and personalities--innate/basic and learned, observed subjectively by one’s self and objectively by others). Likewise, they reflect the character of the community/society/environment in which one’s life has evolved/developed. God has made us individually, so we always start out different but similar to each other. Three brothers, born of the same parents and raised in the same home, may maintain some similarities in appearance, function, and behavior; but they also will develop specific individual characteristics.

Such individual variation was true of the 3 Moore boys. We grew up in the country between Cowansville (a small rural crossroads community) and Kittanning (a town beside the Allegheny river) in Armstrong county, western Pennsylvania. I was the oldest brother and throughout my childhood had characteristics which would now classify me as having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) –but in those days, I was just all boy. Impulsive behavior (especially re speech), difficulty maintaining attention to and completing tasks, procrastination, disorganization, and the chronic sleep disturbance often associated with ADD/ADHD have persisted throughout my adult life (will be 75 in July, 2012). My two younger brothers, Ed and Paul, did not have as much disruptive hyperactivity and now would likely be classified as the relatively hidden group of symptoms called Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Such symptoms include the inability to effectively and successfully maintain attention/concentration to/on an attempted task, resulting in frequent changing to a different task and/or incompletion of the initially attempted task. Such interferes with any sequential learning activity and/or performing situation (reading, writing, organizing, planning, personal relationships, etc.).

It is appropriate to emphasize that as each individual has specific fingerprints, each individual with ADD/ADHD has their own specific combination of symptoms. For years, disruptive hyperactivity was the more significant or predominantly identified symptom of the symptom complex which was initially called Minimal Brain Dysfunction (MBD). The current terminology, ADD/ADHD, more appropriately emphasizes the more basic symptom of difficulty maintaining concentration or staying on and completing a specific task. The disorder was considered to mainly involve young boys, and that the symptoms would improve as they got older (matured). Fortunately, in recent years, we now understand and accept that disruptive hyperactivity is not a consistent or required symptom; and that females also may have ADD/ADHD. Other symptoms (impulsivity, poor concentration/attention to tasks, ineffective sleep=fatigue, disorganization/procrastination) may all significantly interfere with or limit effective function and behavior. ADD symptoms are not just limited to the school or educational situation; they may limit or interfere with successful function and behavior (including sleep/rest) in many different situations and throughout life.

Another positive change in the understanding of ADD/ADHD is the progressive emphasis on the positive characteristics of this disorder. Most individuals with ADD/ADHD are of at least average intelligence, have a good imagination and are creative in a number of ways (artistic, musical, innovative, develop/invent new ideas and things), often have excellent hand function and visual perception (mechanics, builders, craftsman, surgeons, etc.), and are frequently people persons (good salespeople). Effective treatment of an individual with ADD/ADHD should consist of a concerted effort to develop their talents/abilities as completely as possible, as well as maintaining a continuing effort to minimize or diminish the symptoms which negatively influence their daily function and behavior.

The changes in/of community/society activities in the past 60-70 years have tended to accentuate the symptoms of ADD-or have at least increased the significance of the consequences of these symptoms. We live at a faster pace-the 24 hour society. Untreated ADD individuals have 3-4 times as many accidents as non-ADD individuals; the faster you are moving, the greater the consequences of a brief distraction. The chronic/recurrent sleep disturbance associated with ADD often results in chronic fatigue which accentuates all of the negative ADD symptoms. The larger number of students in a classroom increases the potential for distractions (visual & auditory) which may interfere with a sequential learning activity. Progressive advances in electronic communication now enable many students to take classes on line, thus minimizing distractions; but procrastination and disorganization often limit the effectiveness of self-paced on line education. Maintaining consistent accountability to the teacher or director of the educational program is important in effectively utilizing this method of education for anyone, but especially for the individual with ADD.

I trust that brother Ed’s recollection of his (our) experiences of this transition from childhood to older (not old) adult life will help you to better understand and appreciate the many factors which have influenced your development. May your future days continue to be positive. Each day is another one of His gifts to us—Rejoice and be glad in it!! Ps 118:24

Daniel L. Moore, M.D.

Living with ADD,

Day and Night

Acknowledgments

In undertaking this life writing project, I discerned it to be an ongoing work of recalling, amassing, detailing, organizing, designing, editing, revising, and polishing information that described my life over the passing of time. I quickly became aware that I could not accomplish such a goal without the help of numerous contacts along the way in living and in writing. Authors frequently state a truism that somebody will surely be missed in their attempt at acknowledgement, and I join their ranks with such awareness. I am truly sorry for omitting those individuals who rightfully belong in this listing but have been overlooked. I hereby give grateful acknowledgement for that particular influence given by them and the following:

• My beloved parents for their creation and nourishment of the Moore Boys in all our stages of development.

• My extended family who gave tremendous influence in my early years, especially the McGregor’s for anointing me a Summer Mac and introducing me to that different lifestyle of California’s Southland.

• Fellow professionals in my previous employment settings who shared my life in a daily challenge and reward in providing for those helping professions in which we served.

• Dr. Jerry Johnson and Dr. Jim Dixon, my research advisers, who gave me an invaluable experience as I learned from their expert guidance and wrote my doctoral dissertation.

• Those of my family who have given ongoing support and encouragement toward attaining my goal of life writing are brother Dr. Dan in his leadership in living and for his understanding of our common ADD malady and various children and grandchildren who have given their individual encouragement as well as their knowledgeable base of classroom training in advanced writing skills.

• Lastly, the most involved in editing assistance were my retiree friend, Helen Lindsey, who gave immeasurable guidance from her twenty-four years as an English teacher and my daughter, Holly, who initially got me started in writing by taking me to several writers’ conferences. She also gave me guidance in the layout and design of my storyline.

• My sweetheart of these fifty years, Cherie, has been the most influential in a supporting role and has shared in many of these episodes in learning, living, and loving!

Introduction

The years between the Depression and World War II were the crux of time between one phenomenal cultural upheaval and another! In view of such significant change in all settings, for those of us born in that period, I’d like to cover some of those years and describe how they set the stage for a rather exciting life. Millions of new Americans appeared on the Social Security register at such an explosive rate we inherited the name baby boomers! I was one of the early baby boomers who were the product of the tango before the ships left the dock as compared to those who resulted from the massive return of the ships from the war. Many causal factors were put in place with the return of our military might, and the American Scene took on a whole new meaning as never before recorded in history; this involved profound changes in the economic, educational, financial, and social scenes.

Those were life-changing experiences for the families who remained on the home front, the returning soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, and seamen of the Coast Guard, as well as the baby-boomer population that resulted.

Major elements of growing up in this permanently changed environment were gradual changes in housing, construction, education, manufacturing, and the mercantile scene. Looking back over my life, in my bright twilight years, I recall those experiences in all stages of my life as fun-packed, exciting, and adventurous! Making it through those rough times or periods of exhilaration was accomplished with the concept of just making it to retirement. It would be worth it! Now that we’re there—what happened?

I invite fellow boomers to identify similar episodes in this changed living environment, the roller coaster of peaks and valleys that affected our lives that weren’t there for our parents or their parents before them. There probably have been many similar experiences in your daily planning and carrying out those plans with enlightenment, loving support, or the right timing.

I, Edgar Allen, was born and grew up in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains of western Pennsylvania. My parents were both from large families and, as the family names would indicate (Moore, Woods, Myers, and Allen), they originated in the British Isles. It’s difficult to imagine growing up at different stages of my life without the influence and impact of a large extended family. I can see how my family has impacted my life and lifestyle. Looking back at genealogies, it appears that most of my ancestors in recent generations migrated through Pennsylvania, eventually settling in western Pennsylvania. I was surprised to recently discover that my father’s great-great-grandmother and my mother’s great-great-grandmother were sisters—four generations removed!

I’m excited to be able to recap most of the excitement that I’ve experienced in life. Baby boomers entering their retirement years can compare our responses to the post-war years.

Things that were acquired on the way—type-A personalities, ADD, entitlements, or adversities—made for a gracious spread of enriching nourishment from the start. We all started working toward the adult reward called retirement. For some, it was working under one employer’s roof; for others, the front doors we entered every morning or the professional hats we wore changed repeatedly.

I invite you to read along and see if any of my experiences are similar to those in your life. Mine has included peaks of successful completion as well as some pretty low valleys of depression, but perseverance has paid off! How about you?

Chapter 1

Childhood Years

The formative years between the Depression and World War II set the stage for my exciting life.

I was born Edgar Allen Moore. You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve heard people repeat my name, but with a Poe, and then laugh. Looking back, I can’t imagine growing up without the influence of my large extended family.

I let out my first infamous cry in the early morning hours of August 16, 1938. Kittanning was a fairly small western Pennsylvanian town nestled along the east bank of the Allegheny River. Located forty miles north of Pittsburgh, its shaft and strip coal mines and manufacturing plants contributed immensely to the growing war effort. The main manufacturing plants included Eljer Pottery, maker of vitreous china products that many rears have sat upon—also known as the commode; Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, producer of pane glass windows, many of which provided the front windows to popular automobiles; and Linde Air Liquid Oxygen Plant, which provided a relatively new product to manufacturing plants in the area.

Kittanning was derived from the Iroquois Indian name of Kit-han-ne, which meant Place by the Great River. We always bragged about feeding the Ohio and the Mississippi Rivers their needed water supply. It was a satisfying living environment with a wide range of temperatures that enabled four distinct seasons of the year, including the cool, balmy breezes of a summer evening and the seven-foot-thick ice jams of a frigid Arctic winter. Kittanning was the county seat of Armstrong County, known for its location in the Allegheny Foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.

Dad was born Paul Daniel Moore, the fifth of eleven children, on September 16, 1912, and he died at age ninety-seven in November 2009. Mom was born Wilda Leora Myers, the fourth of ten children, on November 15, 1914, and died an early death at the age of thirty-eight on November 26, 1951.

Being born the second of three boys was symbolic of the new pre- and post-World War II births, introducing substantially smaller numbers of siblings in a family and a transferring from rural to more urban environments. Recently, a friend informed me that Granddad Moore had lost the homestead farm because of a $60 unpaid tax lien on the property. I wonder how many times that devastating experience of losing a home happened to other families.

As the middle boy between Dan and Sonny, I always had an incentive to try harder in whatever task to follow Dan’s example or set one for Sonny. I followed thirteen months behind Dan and was thirty-two months ahead of Sonny. Affectionately we have always been referred to as the Three Moore Boys—Danny, Eddie, and Sonny Paul. One of my earliest childhood inquiries was about why the spelling on my brothers’ names ended with a y while mine ended with an ie. However, as you get older, you learn to put such trivialities on the back burner.

It was interesting in my early psychology courses to learn of particular characteristics of the second or middle child in a young family as compared (both favorably and unfavorably) to those of his siblings. It was fun at the time of first exposure and again many times later to adhere to such characteristics like the Avis rental car company’s motto—being number two means we always try harder. Such endeavors were often encouraging and exciting, but they could sometimes be frustrating or frightening! For example, one of my earliest childhood memories involved revering my big brother’s example; I always had him to look up to, whatever the episode. We were inseparable in many ways, but that competitive edge reared its ugly head every now and then. Our high school teachers quickly knew us well; on my first day in her class Mlle. Foulis said, Not another Moore. If Danny had done it, Eddie would surely follow suit!

There must have been some early exceptions to that premise of Danny being the leader. On one occasion, my parents had put us to bed early one evening while they were entertaining friends. Our upstairs heating system had open convection air registers to the second floor. My brother and I were inquisitive enough—or plain daring enough—to pull the register out of its floor aperture to allow a clear view down to the first floor. This was natural for our three- to four-year-old inquisitive nature, right? Dan, being the oldest, went first but apparently sensed the danger of such a perpendicular drop, and he let me have a peek. I stretched as far forward and downward as I could until I had an early childhood experience that imprinted indelibly on my mind as flight. I had fallen through the spring-held register cover between floors to the living room below and fortuitously landed in a well-positioned stuffed chair that was unoccupied. As soon as my parents had checked my well-being, I was whisked back upstairs to bed without even an offer of refreshments. Danny and I felt it was unfair.

When Sonny was born, we three boys grew individually and as the unified Moore Boys. We quickly experienced many bonding episodes in our daily family life. One such shared benefit was having the best domestic cook for a loving mom. We enjoyed developing a sweet tooth for desserts in those days, and we revived the memories years later in phenomenal recall!

The close proximity to the majority of Mom’s family meant frequent drop-in visits and Sunday gatherings at my grandparents’ home. It was a clapboard house of meager furnishings, but it was filled with much love and togetherness. The humble dwelling knew frequent tight seating around the dining room and kitchen tables during inclement weather and full-blown outside picnics during the spring and summer months. All gathered around in loving support when Granddad Myers died and Grandma became a true matriarch.

We older cousins took on the responsibility as babysitters for the younger set as they grew in number and size. The home had a big yard with a grape arbor and trees with a couple swings to fly high on and limbs to scale, but we sometimes needed the help of adults to get down. The only negative of those back-home experiences was being caught in the outhouse and pummeled with an endless barrage of crab apples.

One of our prized possessions was a life-size replica of Uncle Sam holding the pole that flew the American flag out front. When a visitor came up the path from the dirt road to the front porch, a gold star greeted him in the front window. Grandma had three sons serving in the US Army Corps and several spouses of other children in the navy and marines. Overseas experiences were often a topic of conversation, but the focus of every Sunday afternoon would eventually center on playing the competitive game of croquet, which sometimes would be laid out over the entire yard in a double schematic. Inclement weather would move the crowd to the dining room and kitchen tables for whatever game of cards was requested. If the group got loud, Grandma would be sure to get after them!

The food was always symbolic of Grandma’s kitchen; it looked good, smelled good, and tasted good. We kids got a big laugh when somebody would have it even talk back to them one way or the other as a belch or a fart which Uncle Bud was quite skillful. Every mother would bring a side dish and relishes; Granddad and Grandma would generally try to furnish the meat or the frequent meatloaf. Dad occasionally brought a couple of roasts when he owned his store. The food was plentiful, the conversations were endless, and the solidarity of the long afternoon soon dwindled into twilight. When Saturday faded into Sunday, the majority of us attended the Sunday service at the home church, Union First Presbyterian Church of the Presbytery of the Kiskiminetas.

A frequent ending to such a festive Sunday or holiday would find those kids still awake all squeezed together on the long front porch swing. On several occasions, I stayed over and took a different bus to school in the morning. That was an initial experience to be away from home by myself. I enjoyed the change from Mom’s ham sandwich with mayo that we usually took in our lunch buckets to Grandma’s bologna sandwich with mustard. Grandma’s Chandler’s potato bread didn’t quite equal mom’s homemade rolls or bread. My, how life’s little things can enhance variety in the spice of living!

This is a good point to delve into the character and personality of those individuals who comprised the Charles Robert Myers family. I do this to demonstrate the effects of being of Scotch-Irish stock. Like so many other American families, my maternal extended family pulled together to make ends meet during those years. Take note of some of the Christian names those loving parents gave their offspring.

The oldest child, Carrie Ida Minerva (1908–1984), married Louis Fester who worked his gas wells among other jobs. I went with him one Saturday to help dredge the water from the wells; he called it bailing them. They had one older boy and a younger girl, Louis, Jr. and Patricia. I was closer to Pat, and I strained our relationship when attending her junior class play. I hollered from the back of the balcony for her to look out for the villain behind her. It wasn’t in the script, but the house roared; she eventually forgave me. Pat was the first grandchild to complete her baccalaureate degree from Wooster College, a small Presbyterian school in Ohio.

Aunt Helen Mae (1909–1991) liked to play the matriarch. She lived in the center of town across from Uncle George’s store and the post office. She married John R. Davis, and they raised one daughter, Barbara. Since she was Dan’s age, we were always more like brothers and sister than cousins. Uncle Jack did strip coal mining. Uncle Jack operated a steam shovel or drag line as they were then called. Instead of shoveling up coal with a forward movement, he pulled his large bucket backward and hauled a much larger load to the waiting truck. When he’d come home, he was black and had to wash out in the washhouse. Aunt Helen was a diabetic but guarded her full candy dish that we loved to get into!

Uncle Allen Charles (1911–1948) was the uncle from whom I received my middle name. He married Jane Williams and they had one son, Tommy. They lived in town, right beside the high school football field, so we visited frequently on Friday nights after the game. Uncle Allen also was a strip coal miner who drove a bulldozer. Uncle Allen was killed when his bulldozer overturned on him and broke his neck when Tommy was an infant.

Uncle George Edgar (1912-1993) was the uncle from whom I was named. He returned from the army and went to work from the army and went to work for the US Postal Service; he also sold Hoover vacuums. He performed his postmaster duties and was proprietor of a small grocery store in the heart of Cowansville. He married Virginia Coulter from rural Brick Church whom he met when she was one of Mom’s helpers with us boys. She was a great cook and baker, which their five children—Allen, Randy, Dennis, Bill, and Connie—loved.

Mom was born two years after Uncle George and two before Uncle Dett. Grandma had planned to have a neighborhood friend help deliver the baby, but that evening the house burned to the ground. Grandma had to hurry to her mother’s home at the Brick Yard for Mom’s delivery. For unknown reasons, Mom stayed with her grandmother well into her toddler years. This special affinity lasted through the years and caused a sort of rift between Mom and her siblings.

Uncle Robert Burdett (1916–1973), known as Dett, also returned from the army, but he relocated to St. Louis for employment. We had visited when he was a patient at Walter Reed Army Hospital. Uncle Dett was seldom seen by family when he lived in St. Louis. I visited him once when crossing the country to California and met his wife, Aunt Dude.

Aunt Vadabelle (1918–1978), known as Betty, married Joseph Giacoletti from Ford City. They had one son, John Charles, whom we always called J.C. Uncle Joe was a leading salesman in the furniture department of several large Montgomery Ward retail stores. He taught us to truly love Italian spaghetti and to grate blue cheese as the proper topping! They moved early in our lives to answer the call of Florida.

Uncle Marion Casper (1920–1983) was always dubbed Bud. He came back from the army and brought his wife home with him from the ranks. Aunt Eula Belle Lafever was a real live gal from Oklahoma and was a bit different from the girls from Cowansville. He became a steeplejack and worked on a number of smokestacks and cooling towers for electric power plants over the years. Their children were Joyce Ann, Bobby and Janice.

Aunt Norma Jean (1923–06) married Donald R. Salsgiver who returned from the navy and became a certified steamfitter. They had the most children (three boys and three girls). Ronnie, Chucky, Donna, Judy, David and Elaine were always visited on Christmas Eve since they had so many toys to assemble. She too was a good cook.

Aunt Lois Gladene married Russell B. McGregor, a returning marine who became a career marine following the war. They had two children, Gerald and Sally. After his marine assignments, they eventually moved to Orange County, California. I lived with them during the summers of my college years.

Gertrude Rose was the baby. She married John Eugene Harmon, a returning army soldier who had been a boxing contender as part of his ancillary duties. He was from East Brady and worked his civilian job as a steelworker in neighboring Butler. Their children, Linda and Jack, were always like our kid sister and brother. Aunt Rose became a postal worker after the children were grown and always had to explain how her nephew was older than she was.

Dad was always a well-known leader in the community: class officer in high school, a thirty-year member of the school board, and a longstanding member of different bodies of Masonry, including a 33rd Degree Mason in Scottish Rite. He always felt badly for not being eligible to serve in military service because of his vision. He was known for giving his all on the home front. He was a top-notch student in high school and a prime candidate for college matriculation, but he did not have the necessary financial backing. He was employed soon after high school as a butcher at the A&P grocery. Because of his popularity and drive to succeed in town, he eventually bought and operated Moore’s Meat Market for years on North Grant Avenue.

Let me introduce you to the Moore siblings who influenced Dad’s early childhood and helped nurture him into adulthood. They were a close family in childhood, but they did not have the camaraderie that Mom’s family did. When they lived on the farm, they operated a gas pump down along the Cowansville Road. In those days, full service was totally expected. I believe it was Uncle Bob and Uncle Howard who got into a scuffle; one ended up throwing scissors at the other. I’ll bet the patron drove off in great haste! The Moore’s were not distant by any means, but they were not as cohesive or tight as the Myers were (disregarding the scissors incident).

The oldest of the Moore siblings was Uncle Ralph Woods (1905–1995). He married Vernie Bolts, and they had one son, Eugene. Uncle Ralph was a resident of Cowansville and a member of Union First Presbyterian Church. He was always known as our Scout leader, but none of us attained the rank of Eagle Scout except his son, Gene.

Aunt Mabel Etta (1906–1995) married Frank Cunningham; they both worked at Eljer Pottery. They did not have children, but she played a significant mother role in our lives. Both were active in their respective churches—hers Baptist and his Methodist.

Uncle Howard Leroy (1907–1988) married Aunt Harriet Walter, and they had one daughter. She was an LPN and worked at the hospital in town while he worked as a brakeman on the Pennsylvania Railroad. His hobbies were fishing and growing prize gladiolas. They lived a stone’s throw from their Moore childhood farm home.

Twin sons Warren and Willis died in infancy (1911).

Uncle Robert Earl (1915–1984), always called Bob, married Aunt Carrie Slagle. They had six children: Merna, Bobby, John, Frances, Owen, and Regis. Merna was also one of our surrogate sisters. Uncle Bob worked most of his life at Pittsburgh Plate Glass