Nope, but he is a December in the making (and not just because he was born in December!)

In the Beginning:

(Posted by Ron)

On a December morning in 1942 I was born in the little town of Kenova, WV.  I remember living in only two houses during my 18 years at home.  There was a third home, but we left that when I was about 3 years old.  It’s worth mentioning here that another little boy was born the same day, in Chicago, IL.  His name was Nelson Paul Luster and he was destined to live only three days.  His sister would be born 15 years later and comes into my story many years down the road.

Life was easy for me as I grew up. I didn’t have a lot of restrictions. They weren’t really necessary because life was a great deal safer for a child then than it is today. Within a few blocks of my home we had hills to climb, caves to “explore” and creeks in which to play. It wasn’t much farther to the town’s swimming pool and the two rivers that bordered the town. It was an exciting place for a little boy.

I am the youngest of five children. My oldest sister, Joyce, left home when I was only four or five years old so I don’t remember much about her as a child. My strongest memory is that for many years I would get a birthday card from her with a dollar inside. I looked forward to that with great anticipation each year and never doubted that she loved her little brother.

My brother, Stan, is thirteen years older than me and I remember sharing a bedroom with him for a few years. He was a popular, active teenager so I didn’t see much of him. I do know that I thought he was really special. I still feel that way about him and all of my sisters. Stan was drafted into the Army and served during the Korean conflict.  He married soon after his return and our big brother/little brother relationship continued from a distance, as it does now.

My second sister, Flo, was one of the two sisters with whom I remember living. She is ten years older than me and left home in her late teens so even she is not a strong childhood memory for me. My youngest sister, Yvonne, is only five years older than me and I remember quite a bit about living with her. I don’t think she always enjoyed having me as a little brother and have to admit that I often made life difficult for her. On the other hand, she usually repaid me in kind. She, too, left home in her late teens so I spent my teenage years with just my parents.  We continue to be close, however, although she still considers me to be her “little brother.”

It’s safe to say that I lived my young life almost as an only child. I had neighborhood friends with whom I played each day but believe I grew up very much as my own best friend. I didn’t play team sports or join Scouts or do many of the things that other boys did. I believed that was because dad was so busy, which he was, or that I just wasn’t interested. It never occurred to me that shoes and gloves and uniforms and such cost a lot of money and that my parents simply could not afford such things. On the other hand, I don’t recall missing them.

One of the first things I recall owning was a library card. We had a library at my elementary school and later, in the town auditorium building. I remember being happiest when I was reading. As I could read, I started reading everything I could find. Although I eventually developed a primary interest in science fiction I never lost my habit of reading whatever was available. One of my strongest elementary school memories is winning an award in the fifth grade for reading more books that year than anyone else in the school.

School came easily to me. I remember many times when I would have a library book hidden inside the book I was supposed to be studying. That changed somewhat when I discovered girls, however that’s another story. Recently, when asked what was my favorite class in school I realized I didn’t have one. I think it was then that I knew how much I just wanted to be out of school. Graduation was a very happy day for me.

Read Part 1 of Gayle’s Story

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