Roy Rogers' autograph 1947

I was eight years old.  In those days I almost never missed a Saturday afternoon western movie.  Roy Rogers and Dale Evans with their music and adventures were my favorites.

So I wrote to Roy at the movie studio and asked him for his autograph.  He sent it right away.  I had been given an autograph book the Christmas before.  So I cut the autograph out and pasted it on a page in the book.  Others of my idols, (several school teachers, for example) also signed my book.  I still have it somewhere.

I happened to be in Vacaville, CA at the Roy Rogers museum when Roy passed away.  I picked a bunch of wildflowers and left them at the museum with a note about how much I cared for him and Dale.

Dale personally answered my note with a thank-you which I now have as well.  It is on the  back of a photo from her early days. 

Thurston's Bachelor of Arts Degree

Thurston (my dad) started teaching band at Eastland High School in 1947.  He loved the work.  He started with a school that had not had a band in 5 years.  He went to his old band teacher, Pat Howard, who lived in Comanche.  Pat told him how to get started...what book to use, and he stayed one page ahead of his students that first year. More info later about the Eastland High School Band later.

In 1949 Texas passed the Gilmer-Aiken bill, which required all public school teachers to have a college degree. So Daddy started going to classes at Howard Payne College, in Brownwood, Texas.  He attended classes on nights and Saturdays for a long time. Finally he got his diploma.  He went to the graduation ceremony by himself.  These are snapshots of him that I made on our back porch in Comanche that day.

My 1948 recital dress.

This is the dress Mother made for my piano recital when I was 11 years old.
It was made of golden yellow taffeta with net over it.  Not Mother's choice of styles, but mine.  I wanted a real formal.

I took piano lessons from age 6 to age 15.  Every year I would have a
recital and expected everybody in the family to make a big deal out of it.

One year my aunt Ernestine gave me a white Bible.  It had Jesus's words
printed in red.  I was very proud of that; not sure why I don't still have it.

I also had a little pearl locket with a gold cross on the front.  It would hold
two very tiny pictures but I think it came with the Lords Prayer in it. It was on a very delicate gold chain.

Snow in Comanche January 1943

On January 2, 1947 Aunt Laura wrote in her letter to Aunt Mamie:

"we are having the most beautiful snow.  It started New Years Eve and the forecast for tonight is more snow.  We (Ed and Laura) are carrying water to the chickens three times a day for three days so far."

We lived nearby Ed and Laura's place that year. Snow was and is so rare in Texas.  It was huge fun.  Here are a couple of pictures from that day. In January 1947 Bill was 4 and a half and I was 8 and a half.  Our birthdays are 4 days apart.