Then I learned to walk to Mom’s lap where she read me stories. I loved fairy tales, Bible stories and Oz books. After walking, I learned to run. Running in the house was a no-no. I ran anyway. One afternoon I tripped. Hit my head on the edge of our dining room table. The doctor did the head sewing. Eighty-five years later, it is difficult to see, but a scar is there. It’s a reminder that “no” is often the best answer.
During pre-Depression days, our family had a car. Our property had a long driveway from the street to the garage. As a youngster, I waited for Dad to turn into the driveway. He stopped and I jumped on the running board and held on while he drove to the garage. I loved that little ride. Today government would object as it did when we kids walked to the cemetery to fish in the cemetery lakes.
I was the one who measured our car’s gasoline with a stick, much like a 16-inch ruler, which I inserted into the gas tank. When removed, the wet part indicated the gallons of gas in the tank. As a youngster, I really was proud of that important assignment.
Then the Great Depression jerked us around and we were all walkers again.
The adults rode the Ortman Stewart Bus. One rainy day, I got on the bus and took the only available seat. Soon a pregnant women joined the bus crowd. I stood. Gave her my seat. Two men departed the bus when I did. One came over.
“Son,” he said, “you don’t need to give up your seat to a woman. My wife is stronger than I am. Let her stand.” As he talked. I wondered if he had ever been pregnant.
I really miss the teenage dances when Jim Murphy’s dad allowed him to drive their 10-year-old Hudson. Jim picked up his date, then me. I really liked the three in the front seat ride. Talk could be heard and the touch of perfume his date wore set the mood for dancing. Naturally, when corners were turned, our shoulders bumped. I miss riding three in the front seat even now.
I was the first chairman and Bob McDade was co-chairman of the W.W. Sebald Self-Reliance Award created by Mr. Sebald. The program was given national attention and Armco flew us to New York to explain the self-reliance award to the VIPs attending the annual convention of the National Association of Manufacturers. I stood on the prestigious stage of the Waldorf Astoria and told the remarkable story of the winners who had to overcome adversity to make a life for themselves. Recognition for kids who were down but refused to be counted out is very important. Somehow today it is not politically correct. The Sebald Award was one of the finest youth programs in the nation.
At age 25, I was nominated, along with 17 others from throughout Ohio, to be a vice president of the Ohio Junior Chamber of Commerce organization. Thanks to a good campaign by Middletown Jaycees, I was one of the five elected. A VP was expected to speak to many Ohio Jaycee organizations. I worked at Aeronca at the time and the company provided a pilot and an Aeronca Chief to fly to my speaking locations. At that time most, if not all, smaller cities did not have airfields. We landed in farm fields, parks and even cemeteries. The latter is the one I’ll never forget. We stayed overnight. Took off the next morning and the pilot had to lift off fast to miss the gravestones. I did not know there was danger taking off over the tombstones until we were in the air; then the pilot, whose name was really Kit Carson, told me. I was ill all the way home.
There are many ways to get where you want to go, but times are changing. In many countries today, and maybe America some day, more and more people are driving autos powered by engines fueled by compressed air. No gasoline. Just place a tank of the air in the car and go about 50 miles per tank. The cars have unique appearances, but are reported to be inexpensive to drive.
Today there are countless opportunities to get from here to there but, for me, walking everywhere, as we did during the Depression, was a lucky break.
We kids didn’t need to worry about obesity. Using Shanks’ pony to get to and from school was included as part of our education.
Today I don’t crawl, don’t run, don’t drive, don’t fly, walk very carefully and three of us don’t fit in a front seat. I don’t understand air cars, but suspect Congress is working on a way to tax air.
Knight Goodman is president of Knight Goodman Inc. public relations firm. He formerly held management positions at Aeronca and The Journal, and was chairman of Middletown’s bicentennial celebration in 1991.