My parents are in town so today I spent some time chatting with my Dad for the Armchair Genealogist‘s writing challenge. We talked about his character and values and if they have changed since he was in his 20’s. It was a time of transition for him, I think. He was gaining confidence after being away from a negative home life for several years. He had completed his GED a couple of years before but had failed a test of some kind for a college freshman equivalency. Not sure I understand that. I learned that he and the two other single instructors at the school lived in the barracks with students but in a different area. They felt like brothers to him. His only brother died when he was a year old. These men where older than my Dad and I think they might have been mentors but they certainly where more than just co-workers. One of them died a couple of years later in a drowning accident. He is still bothered by the explanation of what happened to him.

I mentioned to him about the running story I shared yesterday and he remembered a different one where a civilian who was watching my Dad run laps around a block or something decided that he must be tired so he started running with him thinking he would be able to beat him. But he didn’t. My Dad stayed a head of him the whole time. I’m thinking that maybe my competitive side was inherited from my Dad. I didn’t know this about him.

My short-term goal is to start working on a story and try to get a handle on they style of writing that will work for me and for this project. My Dad remembered that a student shared a story in the Underwater Swimmers School newsletter a few years ago about my Dad. He is going to find that. With a short story in good shape we will send it to the UWSS newsletter along with a request for students and instructors memories of my Dad. I don’t think he has a very good understanding of how others viewed him. A few stories could really help me to have a better understanding of his character.

I didn’t do well on my goal of following the Armchair Genealogist‘s writing challenge. I got no writing done at all. Just one of those days, I guess. I did spend a couple of hours listening to “The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls. That counts at least some because it is a memoir of Jeannette’s family. I really amazing book. I’m almost finished. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it. If I can handle my Dad’s history with half the grace the Jeannette does, it will be miraculous.

My Dad with his first car in 1954

Today was more of the same from yesterday. I’m still working on Day 4 of the Armchair Genealogist‘s writing challenge. I’m about two-thirds of the way through his letters from 1956. I found a few passages in letters that I think will work well in the history. Here is one I really enjoyed.

Hey, let me tell you how I fixed a couple of guys here. Anyway, Friday I checked in and went to work, and these two guys kept bragging about the good time they had made running a one-mile course. And they had been running it every day so they were in condition to do it. So I said let’s go out at noon time and run it for fun. They kept riding me about how they would slow down and not run too fast for me. So I just said to myself I will just show these two birds who will have to slow down. Anyhow, I ran them into the ground and best them both by several hundred yards. No more remarks from them then it was my turn to give them a bad time.

Here are a few things that I gleaned from today’s reading:

• friends make life fun
• being busy helps pass the time
• he had the same pair of loafers for 5 years
• he likes to buy and listen to records
• likes miniature rose better than full size roses
• called is car “old junk” it was built in 1948
• embarrassed about his childhood nickname
• reliable
• responsible
• realistic
• private
• respects others
• caring
• helpful
• service minded
• needs some solitude
• likes cold milk
• desires self-improvement and goal oriented
• knows his weaknesses
• his friends tease him too
• thought of himself as “just a sailor”
• protective
• competitive
• athletic
• confidence in teamwork
• learns from experience
• not very close to his family
• honest

My Dad with his first car in 1954

Trying to get back on track with daily writing after my vacation. I’m still working on Day 4 of the Armchair Genealogist‘s writing challenge, with developing the character of my Dad. While driving this past weekend, it occurred to me that reading my Dad’s letters during his time at Key West might help show more of his character. So that is what I worked on today. I made some notes and copied sections out and put them into Scrivener for future reference. No major revelations in my reading so far. After all, I’m the one who transcribed these letters several years ago. But it gives me more confidence in my perceptions of my Dad and the kind of person he was in 1856. Here are my notes from today’s reading:

• gratitude
• lonely
• longing for a family of his own
• tender-hearted
• kind
• bashful
• self-doubt in social situations
• didn’t like Navy housing
• looking for new experiences
• love of music
• frugal and willing to sacrifice for financial reasons
• lack of confidence in social situations
• reader
• good imagination
• hopeful
• sense of humor
• tease
• willing to ask others for information
• plans ahead
• humble
• challenges with expressing himself
• enjoyed complements
• likes to dance
• bashful with strangers
• bothered by things that go wrong
• visual teacher
• kind-hearted
• wants to help others who are lonely
• empathy
• others saw his worth
• bad handwriting
• man of faith
• observer
• goal setter
• self deprecating

My Dad with his first car in 1954

Now I’m working on Day 4 of the Armchair Genealogist‘s writing challenge. Day 4’s email is about “Creating Authentic Ancestors” or character development. I learned I need to get to know my Dad better and the kind of person he was before I came around. They are coming down for Father’s Day so I can ask him some more questions, but I thought I’d see what kind of list I could come up with today. I’m not sure what he would think of this list. I think I’ll ask him to make a list of his own to describe himself when he was 24.

Description:

24 years old

6 feet 4 inches tall

Lean

Strong

Tan

Crew-cut

Sailor for 8 years

Explosive Ordnance Disposal

Diver

Dark Reddish brown hair

Hard worker

Leadership (don’t ask someone to do something you aren’t willing to do)

Fear of heights

Heavy eyebrows

Brown eyes

Quick smile

Helping hand

Caring

All around good guy

Healthy

Shrapnel in his shoulder

Loves SCUBA

Claustrophobic?

High school drop out

Alcoholic father (a mean drunk)

Shy with women

Brave in service to others

Willing to try new things

Good with mechanical things

Strong swimmer

Reliable

Dependable

Casual

Dry humor

Tease

Self deprecating

Athletic

Willing to learn

Willing to change

Dyslexic

Struggled in school

Thought he was dumb