My Father’s Voice

By Janet Flaugher

William Schumacher was a big man, robust and handsome, square jawed, with blue eyes and wavy, blond hair. His smile was boundless, his laughter infectious. He was kind, compassionate, and ethical. Most of all, he was a role model to his family, friends, colleagues, students, and anyone else who crossed his path.
In a fascinating biography, his daughter Janet Flaugher posthumously chronicles his life through his own stories left to her in a folder after his death. The child of immigrants, William grew up in Denver, Colorado, during the Great Depression. He never owned a bike or a ball, and rarely had a penny to his name. As Janet continues his story through the years, she reveals a glimpse into a life well lived as Bill transformed into a United States Air Force bombardier during the Second World War and became a celebrated Denver public schools administrator, a devoted husband to his wife of sixty-three years, a dedicated father to two children who adored him, and a loving grandfather to five.
My Father’s Voice is the biography of a war veteran and public school administrator who led by example that kindness is never out of style, that integrity is paramount, and that every life has value.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Feb 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9781665701617

Janet Flaugher

Janet Flaugher is a Colorado native. She has written many children’s books in English and Spanish for her children and grandchildren. Join her blog at jtalespinner.com.

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Copyright © 2021 Janet Flaugher.

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 author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Archway Publishing

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ISBN: 978-1-6657-0160-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6657-0161-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021900525

Archway Publishing rev. date: 02/10/2021

Contents

Dedication

Foreword

Introduction

Chapter I Family

Chapter II Growing Up

Chapter III Military Service

Chapter IV Other Voices

Afterword

Acknowledgements

Dedication

This book is dedicated to his grandchildren and great grandchildren, Charles, Amy, Andrea, Cheryl, Jennifer, Camille, Joshua, Coby, Addie Jo, Apollo and Athena, so they can also enjoy his stories.

Foreword

What is the measure of a man? What he accomplishes, what he overcomes, what he contributes to the world? For the challenges he rose above, for the thousands of children whose lives he touched, for his bravery and courage both on and off the field of battle, for his steadfast friendships, for the family he led and charged with carrying the torch, Bill Schumacher will always be remembered. He served his family, his community, his God and his country well. His life was richly blessed with love – the love of his family, of his students, of his friends.

Robert Schumacher

Introduction

The last notes of the song fade. Taps. All is well. Rest in Peace. Behind me I can hear Jennie softly crying and I think nothing will ever be well again. My father is dead. I could not prevent it and I will never be at peace with it. We sit there as my daughter, Amy, sings America, steeling herself against the tears welling up behind her eyes. My mother, his wife of 63 years, is sitting with her head bowed.

Every relationship you have impacts your life, changes you, however microscopically. But there are some people whose influence on you is like the effect of the Colorado River on the Grand Canyon. Profound. William Schumacher was one of those people. I loved my father. I idolized him. I imitated him. I wanted nothing more than to be like him. He was a big man, robust and handsome, square jawed, with blue eyes and wavy, blond hair. His smile was boundless, his laughter infectious. He was kind. He was compassionate. He was ethical and moral, almost to a fault. If he discovered the store clerk undercharged him, he went back and settled-up. He did not cheat at golf. He gave credit where it was due. Although he was highly skilled and competent, he was humble. I recall when he had received an honor for the job he had done as Principal. We were telling him how wonderful he was. He told me never to forget if a Principal looked good it was because he had a great staff that made him look good. As a Principal, it was his responsibility to make it possible for the staff to do their work.

That leads me back to people who influence you. I believe my dad was born to be a teacher. He loved to teach. He loved kids. And he loved to see kids learn and succeed. No one could have had a better father. He didn’t spank. He guided through listening, reasoning and discussing. And throughout my life, my father told us stories about his childhood. As I became an adult, I frequently encouraged him to write his stories down to ensure they wouldn’t be forgotten. It was my belief he never complied with those requests. After his death, my mother gave me a manila folder that simply said, For Janet. Inside were all the stories, neatly typed.

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William Schumacher Portrait

A Short Biography

Born to immigrant parents in 1922, William Schumacher’s father died in a tragic train accident before he was two years old. He, his older brother, and his younger sister lived with his mother, who soon remarried. He grew up poor in the Swansea/O’Learia neighborhood of Denver, Colorado, during the Depression. He rarely had a penny. He never owned a ball. He never had a bike. The gift of a fresh orange at Christmas was a fabulous treat. As a young boy, he often helped his older brother, Fred, sell newspapers on the street corner. He spent much of his early childhood with his grandmother, who took him with her to take food to the needy, sang old hymns and songs to him and took him to church on Sundays. He graduated from Manual Training High School in Denver, Colorado. Like most children of his generation and situation, he was expected to finish high school and get a job. He was a fine student and an outstanding football player. Although his parents never attended one of his football games and did not even attend his graduation, he was noticed by a University of Denver scout and offered an academic and athletic scholarship to attend the University. From his parents’ perspective, a college education was frivolous, and less important than a job. But he was allowed to go. He graduated in 1946 with a BA in Social Studies and Physical Education.

He never dated much in school, concentrating mainly on schoolwork and athletics. But the day