A New View of Dad

There are so many records and documents available on the internet, it is amazing the new details about life that we can learn.

I found this photograph of Dad in a digital copy of his Nampa High School Yearbook.  This is dated 1946. Perhaps the most eye opening detail is that I don't think Dad ever mentioned that he was on the Student Council in High School.  I always thought of him as too introverted to be active in many groups.  But here he is.

According to the yearbook, the Student Council worked to raise money for a new piano for the school.

Family Health History

I was recently reading an article about hereditary diseases and I started to think about the multiple diseases I should be looking at in the Brubaker line of the family.  In his own history, in addition to the regular childhood diseases, Dad had whooping cough at about age five.  He suffered from diabetes and Parkinson’s disease.  He also suffered from heart disease that prevented him from having back surgery in his old age. 

The Parkinsons is an interesting consideration, because the verdict is still out on whether or not it is a hereditary disease.  In the case of the Brubaker’s: Dad had it, I think Uncle Jack and Uncle Bud had it.  I think Grandma Brubaker also suffered from it.  So what is going on?  One theory, the idea I like to call the “Pure Crapola, Theory” of Parkinsons is that maybe the family lived on farms and was exposed to multiple pesticides and fertilizers in their early lives.  The theory says this may have caused the Parkinsons.  I read about this theory in the Minnesota newspapers because there seems to be an increasing number of Parkinsons sufferers in the Upper Midwest.  This theory seems to be along the lines of when in doubt blame someone else for your troubles.  Anyway, that is all just rambling thought.

A point to consider is the heart condition of the Brubaker family.  It is not intended as some great compliment to say the Brubakers had great hearts.  The reality is that, although they may have suffered from heart disease, I don’t think any of them died from any type of heart disease.  Did they?

The point of all of this is that maybe we should be tracking diseases in the family.  It might help us in the future.  A new line of investigation in the family might be to record the diseases and the medical history of the family.  Maybe it will enlighten us in the future.

A Photograph with Uncle Dean

After posting Uncle Dean's mission diary, it occurred to me that a photo of Dean might add something to the blog.  So, here is a photograph dated August 1985 with Dad and Mom, Mom's sister Allie, and Mom's brother, Uncle Dean.

Uncle Dean Hislop’s Mission Countdown

Another diary I received as a Xerox copy is (I think) from my uncle, Dean Hislop.  The first date of the diary is dated Monday, December 13, 1943.  I don’t know if this is the actual date or if this is simply a handy diary for Dean Hislop to use.  This appears to be a countdown of the missions flown by Dean Hislop in the European Theater during World War Two.  I hope you find this to be an interesting document as I provide transcripts from time to time.

“First Raid” Target—Bremen  Got up this morning at 2:30 had breakfast & went to briefing (.)  Got target, ship no., and position, which was 2^nd in 1^st element which was good (.)  Went out to ship & radio was out.  They put in new trans. but it didn’t work so took off without one (.)  Just at take off I noticed my gun was busted and it took me until we were almost to Germany to fix it, we went into the target over the north sea which made the Raid a 6 & ½ hour run (.)  We test fired our guns & all were working which made us feel good (.)  We encountered flack when we were over the target which was only about 5 min & not to(o) heavy (.)  Only half our bombs would release and we had to take them back to the north sea & drop them (.)  Going out P47 were with us all the way which was good (.)  Saw no enemy fighters(.)  …I had my face frost bitten, Reposh (?) got the back of his hands burnt (.)  Other than that all went well (.)

Grandma’s Trip to New York

Some time ago I received a Xerox copy of a diary, the memoirs of “Mom’s Trip to New York.”  I don’t have any details about the trip.  Based on the content of the diary this was post World War Two.  It contains some interesting information.  I will let you draw your own conclusions, but the personality of Ruth Harmon Brubaker comes through in this diary.  Over time, I hope to provide more and more of the transcripts of  this trip.  And I hope you find it as interesting as I do.

Left home wed. nite at 9:30—Some send off too—it was swell.  Went right to sleep and had a nice restful day.  Will get into Laramie at 4:30—We have swell friends, haven’t we?  & swell family.  Thurs. –8 o’clock: Dad got on the train and its sort of nice to have him—he’s going clear to Omaha.  He managed to get a double berth and we had a nice supper in the diner—we are sure traveling fast—will cross the whole state of Nebr. in the nite.  Get into Omaha at 6 o’clock tomorrow morning. 

Well, here I am on the train for Chicago—this is a swell coach—You can ride anything here abouts on a pass—never had a bit of trouble—I’ll get into Chicago at 11:30 8.  This train really travels--& pretty smooth too.  I’ll eat my lunch and eat a meal in the diner tonight.  I sort of crave coffee—our breakfast cost $1.25 per—our dinner last nite $1.65 per.

We are going thru a town named Missouri Valley that just had a real flood—I see chicken houses & sheds flipped over & great fields of corn about 8 inches high—just drowned—I hope the road bed is o.k.

A Few Quick Words on Name Changes

                       Recently I have had several discussions about name changes taking place as immigrants enter the United States through Ellis Island.  Let’s bottom line this: it didn’t happen.  The Immigration Service maintained a staff of bilingual clerks at Ellis Island in order to accurately record the names of immigrants as they passed through the various check points.  In addition, ship Captains kept a very accurate passenger list or manifest with the names of passengers.

After immigrants entered the country, it is very likely they may have anglicized or simply changed their names.  A case in point here is Sherburne County is the man who decided there were too many Andersons in the area.  He went through the county court and legally changed his name.  Later his son went through the same process because the son was born before the name change and so also had to legally change his last name to fit the new name of his father.

Furthermore, don’t let a different spelling of a last name discourage your family history research.  I don’t know who said it first, the quote has been credited to Mark Twain, or Benjamin Franklin and a host of other men, but it is worth remembering (and forgive the paraphrase):  A man who spells his name only one way is obviously not a gentleman.

In the case of Brubaker, I was recently introduced to an alternate spelling of “Brubacher” in the 1850s.  I guess the family is slowly working itself towards the title of Gentleman.

Dad’s Lunch Box

Dad worked for 40 years for the Union Pacific Railroad.  Each day he would line this lunch box with wax paper, make a sandwich, bag up some potato chips, and a twinkie or a Ding Dong.  On a good day he would make the sandwich of egg salad, or possibly tuna.  On a busy day, when he didn’t have the time to make a sandwich, it was bologna with mustard on white bread.

He would always go to work with his lunch bucket in his hand, wearing blue coveralls, and carry a coat, mittens, and lantern.  The mittens were heavy duty things.  I think one pair probably lasted several years.  He always maintained that with mittens you could move your fingers around and keep them warm.  So he always wore mittens.

That will always be Dad.

This lunch box is the ultimate image of Dad working on the railroad.  When he retired he wanted to drive over it with his truck and flatten it.  I begged him not to do it.  I’m glad he didn’t.