Wayne Clark
633 Woodchuck Ln.
Lake St. Louis, MO 63367
w.clark.3367@att.net
Dear Classmates,
My first attempts at producing a short bio per your request crashed in the waste can of writer's block. Only after choosing this chronology format did the memories begin to flow...and flow...and flow. Now it's too lengthy but that's your problem.
If travel, cars, kids and career dominate this bio it's because that is the kind of information and dates that can be recovered from photo albums and old check books. Kids are especially present in the check books.
I have used fiction and exaggerations only where necessary to make the story better. Braggadocio is unlimited. As most of you have, I begin my story in:
1948: After graduation from HHS, I worked the summer for my father at our family grocery and meat market. I don't recall having given any thought to what I wanted to do with my life. I suppose I expected someone to tell me what to do as had been my experience for my first 18 years. I enrolled at the last possible minute to return to school that fall at Hannibal LaGrange.
1949: Continued to work in the family business for spending money as I stumbled through a couple of semesters at HLG. I was still looking on the backs of cereal boxes for directions for my life when it happened! Marilyn Taylor, class of 49, graduated HHS and soon after consented to become my wife. Finally, I thought, someone to tell me what to do. She insisted that I have a job so I continued full time in the family business; learned to calculate mark up, cut meat and keep the books.
1950: We were married January 1, knowing that we knew all that was needed for a long and happy married life. Our Mothers had accompanied us to Palmyra Court House to give consent for the Marriage License. She was 17 and I a wise and experienced 19! We set up house keeping in an apartment on Dowling Street. We pooled our $240 life savings and started with a new refrigerator, range, dinette and mattress, all of the essentials. All other furnishings were borrowed or willingly handed down. Marilyn got a job.
!951: Our first year had been blissful and in April I accepted employment with Southwestern Bell Telephone, traveling northeastern Missouri in their construction department. I needed transportation to get home for weekends so we bought our first car, a '49 Plymouth. I loved the new job. Hung out in a little tent and platform twisting telephone wires over the streets of Hannibal and other NE Missouri towns. But the Korean War had begun and late in the year I, along with a number of others from class of '48, received notice from "the people of Marion County" sent by Katherine Kane and our Marion County Draft Board.
1952: I was provided a bus ticket to St. Louis where on January 4, I took that important step forward that signified my willingness to obey many others who were going to tell me what to do for a couple of years. Our troop train to Camp Roberts California was obviously not high priority as our route over "best available" tracks entered and departed Texas three different times and traversed Sonora, Mexico for many hours and miles. Our locomotives were variably steam or diesel, depending upon what was available. The vintage Army mess car had coal-fired ranges.
Basic training removed the many pounds I had gained from only two years of Marilyn's fabulous cooking. She developed her cooking talent at an early age. Her family's business was Taylor's Cafe on 7th Street near Broadway. Do any of you remember her father Fred's, foot-high meringue pies?
Training to kill and twist telephone wires simultaneously went all too quickly and my transportation to Korea sailed in June. The Navy crew served Navy beans for breakfast each day but few passengers noticed. Most were mid-westerners and so seasick that food erupted soon after being swallowed. This made sleep in the troop compartments impossible and nights on deck became the norm. There were plenty of people to tell me what to do regardless of where I chose to pass the time.
Upon arrival at Korea and the Second Infantry Division, Army logic took one look at my telephone and infantry training and assigned me to artillery.
1953: I kept my head down, my hands in my pockets during any calls for volunteers and quickly accumulated the 40 points necessary to be eligible for rotation back to the U.S. The Navy was still serving Navy beans; I arrived stateside in July. Marilyn seemed happy to see me. By October, I had fulfilled my obligation to the people of Marion County and happily returned to civilian life and my job at Southwestern Bell.
1954: I had resumed traveling for S.W.Bell construction department, twisting telephone wires above the streets of N.E. Missouri towns. We bought an unfinished four-room house at 615 north Hawkins, across the street from Jim Ballinger. Again, I needed transportation to get home to see my love so we bought a 1955 Oldsmobile hardtop coupe, coral and white. What a beauty, my love and the Oldsmobile. The Korean War had ended. The good life had returned.
1957: Our marriage was still childless; we discussed and accepted the idea that we might be destined to remain so.
1958: Jeffrey Wayne, our first was born September 4. The 10th year Reunion of the Class of '48 had been held August 30. I recall attending alone as Marilyn awaited her September 4 appointment.
1961: S.W. Bell finally recognized my many talents and offered a long overdue, richly deserved promotion---along with a move to Farmington in S.E. Missouri. I would be allowed to tell a small crew of employees what to do.
1962: We loved the small town feel of Farmington and quickly settled in a small rented house. I was at home more often than before. Nancy Caroline, our second, was born June26.
1963: I stayed busy learning to tell people what to do. It was more difficult than I had imagined. We moved to a larger rented house in Farmington.
1964: Daniel Joseph, our third was born June 1. Proving that there was a mathematical relationship between my being at home more often and the size of our family. That year I was transferred to Florissant in St. Louis County and to a job that would eventually keep me at home every single night. This could mean trouble---but I had wisely bought a station wagon in 1963.
1965: Settled comfortably into my new job and the family in a new 4 small bedroom subdivision home in Florissant. Our first mortgage since leaving Hannibal in 1961. Finally coaxed some grass into growing on that bare, yellow clay lot. Life was good. Life was secure.
1966: So much for security. I left my secure job at Southwestern Bell for what promised to be an interesting job with a small, struggling consulting company that specialized in work for telephone and cable-tv companies. It was like starting over again.
1967: Learned to spell consultant correctly this year.
1968: One learns fast when one's customers want answers and the consultant hasn't a clue.
1969: Neat 4 week project in and around La Paz, Bolivia. My first experience in international business and travel. The customer spoke Spanish, the contractor spoke Japanese and I as a third party inspector spoke only English. I wished I hadn't dropped Mrs. Fette's Spanish 1 Class. What they say about La Paz's altitude causing disabling headaches for the first three days is true. Don't go there for a short stay.
1972: A nice two-week in July project in Rio De Janeiro. Stayed at a hotel on Copacabana Beach but July is their winter. Robes supplemented most of the bikinis.
1973: 25th year Reunion of the Class of '48.
1976: Our little company began what would become a very interesting three year multiple task project in Egypt. Sadat was still president. The project was USAID funded so our payments were assured. Besides being a fascinating project, seeing Egypt's antiquities during leisure time was truly a lifetime experience. Lived just a mile from the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx. Visited the interior tombs of the Pyramids even though my claustrophobia raged. Rode a camel for the classical tourist photo. Belly Dancers are mysterious. So is the construction of the pyramids.
Also in 1976, had a short visit to start a three-year project in Lagos and the interior of Nigeria. The only things civilized are Harp Beer and two Hotels. Don't go there. Our first born graduated from high school.
1977: My father passed away January 5. He was born in 1904 at Solomonville, Arizona Territory. He is buried in the Wright family plot near Perry, Missouri. My company started what would ultimately be three years of work placing telephone service in seven small villages on the Arctic Slope of Alaska. Summer days are long but the construction season very short. The immensity and wild beauty of Alaska made this my favorite project of all time. Aurora Borealis viewed from the lounge atop the Anchorage Hilton cannot be described. I have tried to understand this phenomenon but scientific explanations could not possibly be the whole story. Even though I had visited on business many times, I returned to Alaska as a tourist in 1998.
1980: Our oldest son Jeff came home from NEMO State at Kirksville complaining of pain and was soon after diagnosed with cancer. The next 5 months were a blur of hospitalizations, surgeries, tests and chemotherapy. Marilyn's strength was awesome as she took charge of the fight. I was helplessly dumbfounded by the realization of what had happened while I thought I was in control. There would later be other demonstrations of who is in control of life. Second born Nancy graduated from high school. Youngest son Dan passed drivers test and immediately took to the streets of Florissant on a motorcycle.
1981: Life resumed the look of normalcy as Jeff returned to school at Kirksville. It would be years before life felt safe and normal but today Jeff is married to Cindy, was 43 in September 2001 and lives near Bowling Green, MO.
1982: My mother passed away April 2. She is buried near Perry with my father and her parents, just 2 miles from the homesite where she was born in 1904. We moved to a home at Lake Saint Louis. We had lived in Florissant for 18 years, from Jeff's first grade to Dan's graduation from high school. My office was at Spirit of Saint Louis Airport in Chesterfield by this time and the commute to Florissant was becoming more and more hectic. Our little company sold the Cable TV systems we had built in Columbia, St. Charles, St. Peters and other small towns. We were no longer capable of borrowing enough money to finance their rapid growth. My pockets jingled for the first time since I won a $100 Wendt-Sonis Award in 1948. So I did what any intelligent father with three children in college would do in this situation: I bought a humpbacked purple Cadillac.
1983: The 35th Year Reunion of the Class of '48 was held June 30 and July 1.
We sold what was left of our little company to Kansas City Southern Industries. They were mostly a railroad but had ventured into cell-phone and cable-TV. I had outgrown my willingness to be told what to do but stayed as a consultant wondering if I could take orders from the new owners.
1984: The answer was NO. I retired but promised Marilyn I would not be under foot and would seek another job soon. We took the family to Hawaii at Christmas to celebrate my retirement. Jeff received a degree in agronomy from U of MO, Columbia, so wisely took a job in the telephone industry.
1985: I remained under foot as I expended my energy in an attack on the many needs of our house and precipitous lakeside lot. We traveled to Vermont, Arizona, Florida, New Orleans and then Williamsburg Virginia at Christmas time. Colonial Christmas decorations are special there. Go if you have the opportunity.
1986: A busy, busy year. In May, daughter Nancy graduated Columbia College and son Dan graduated MU at Columbia. In September, Dan married Sandy, his first true love from high school and they began their new life in Anderson, Indiana, where he worked for General Motors. Jeff bought a rural home on 50 acres near Bowling Green. Our house was struck by lightning. Etc. Etc. In September there were no college expenses to pay so I bought a black and silver Cadillac.
1987: Helped found a little software company here at Lake Saint Louis. It was made up of former associates. I had a title. Marilyn liked it because it looked to friends and neighbors like I was employed. We traveled to Cape Cod and Williamsburg again.
1988: Oldest son Jeff married Cynthia Guthrie of Pleasant Hill, Illinois, on September 18. 40th Year Reunion of the Class of '48 was held July 1 and 2
1989: Marilyn's Class of '49 had their 40th Year Reunion. Matthew Daniel, our first grandchild was born to Dan and Sandy in September. In February, I survived emergency six-way heart bypass surgery. In fact, I leaked blood like a sieve afterward and got to survive the operation twice in thirty-six hours. I preferred it to the alternative but don't go there if you don't have to.
1990: We had a 40th anniversary gathering of family, friends and special neighbors here at home on January 1. Afterward, it was a quiet year as I continued to avoid pressing my luck... in case I was near running out. In October we traveled the St. Lawrence River, Quebec to Toronto in a "Lake Steamer". We steamed days and docked at night for a quiet sleep. Less than 40 passengers with a professional but friendly crew. A great way to see this area.
1991: I had emergency hospitalization for an ulcer caused by a daily aspirin prescribed for my heart problems. My heart problems were the result of smoking. I began smoking in Korea because cigarettes were sometimes free with our rations. It takes stupidity a long time to travel a full circle. I don't smoke anymore. Adam Joseph, our second grandchild was born in December. Marilyn and I toured Eastern Canada, Quebec to Nova Scotia via personal car. Their fine old things like hotels and parks are better kept than ours.
1992: I began receiving Social Security checks in October and hoped I didn't die before recovering what I had paid in. We traveled Switzerland with a group of railroad fans, American Association of Railroaders. We spent 10 days at a hotel in Bern and used trains, often with private cars, to visit all points of interest. What a great rail system they have. For example, one can travel round trip to near the top of the Matterhorn from any point in Switzerland in just a few hours.
1993: We traveled Western Canada with a group from Gilcrease Art Museum in Tulsa; Calgary to Vancouver and Victoria Island via plane, train, bus, boat and street car. The plane was a Ford Tri-Motor seaplane! A great trip with great people.
1994: Marilyn and I had two weeks in England, Scotland and Wales traveling with the railroaders group. Stays in London, York and Chester. Trains to all other points. I wish the US had a great passenger rail system.
1995: Thomas Christopher, our third grandchild was born to Dan and Sandy in October.
We sold the little software company that prior associates had formed back in 1987. Now I don't have a title or a job. I filed for Medicare in June to become effective in September. Unlike Social Security, I hoped I would never collect this "entitlement". In December, I combined a trip to Yosemite with a little bit of business in Fresno. A light snow fell while I was there. Breathtaking!
1996: In April we traveled with the American Queen from Saint Louis to Paducah. It is always surprising how little our "civilization" shows through the dense trees of the riverbank. Scenery cannot be that different from what inspired Mark Twain. Dan and Sandy with our only three grandchildren, moved from Indiana to Oklahoma. He left a secure job at General Motors for what promised to be interesting work for a small struggling company. Where do our kids learn such disregard for security?
1997: Marilyn and I spent parts of March and April in Phoenix, Tucson and Sedona. Our children and their families visited as schedules allowed. I enjoyed reintroducing them to my birth-state and what I know of our Clark family roots. The versatility of Arizona never fails to surprise even those who have had previous exposure. What was then a curiosity about my father's childhood in Arizona has now grown into a full-fledged obsession with family history and genealogy.
1998: Our "Alaskan Rail Adventure" trip with the railroaders group was in May. There aren't many roads anyway so rail is a great way to really see the wilderness. Mt. McKinley, now properly called Denali, rises to 20,300 feet from its just above sea level surrounding. Incomparable.
Class of '48, 50th Year Reunion was held September 18-19; the 19th was my birthday and symbolic of the delivery of my 72nd Social Security check. I figure the 100th would be more than break-even. I may beat the system yet.
We met my brother Dick and his wife in New York City for a few days in December. We did the usual tourist things: museums, a couple of shows, UN and the Empire State Building. Marilyn had never been there and I had never experienced much "touring" while there on business. We had driven as a favor to my long-held "Avoid Abuse by Airports and Airlines" doctrine. A stop at newly restored Poplar Forest, Thomas Jefferson's "get-away from visitors to Monticello" home at Lynchburg, Virginia, was the highlight of the trip. It made the drive very worthwhile. Go there if in the neighborhood.
1999: Marilyn's 50 year Class reunion was held in September. Lots of '48s married '49s. We traveled the Lewis and Clark Trail from St. Charles to Three Forks, Montana in anticipation of the bicentennial of their voyage in 2004.
2000: New Years Day was our 50th wedding anniversary. We skipped planning a big "do" because of questionable weather at that time of year and besides, there was the big Y2K scare. You remember the predictions: Power outages, bank failures, plane crashes. January 1 weather was balmy and Y2K predictions didn't happen.
On October 21, we held the Wright Family (my Mother's line) reunion at Sawyer's Creek with 83 in attendance. The Wrights have always been a family that kept close ties through thick and thin, and the family has seen a lot of both. My generation is now the oldest and it is unclear to me that this great tradition will be continued forever.
2001: We finished the Lewis and Clark Trail to Fort Clatsop, Oregon in July and I need to finish this epic before Christmas. I apologize for the length but the exercise has been fun. I found great pleasure recently in discovering that Rosemary Rouse Schneider's son, Bret and our son Dan live across a fairway from one another in Edmond Oklahoma. I enjoy demonstrations of how small our world really is. Hopefully, while reading this some of you will find where our paths have crossed or our interests are shared. Let me know.
God Bless America and all who love her.
**********