Fearless Spectators

Grandma Remembers

February 12, 2008 5:14 pm

My maiden name is Olive Juanita Haskew, but you can call me Nita. I am what you would call a Southern Belle. On February 12, 1926 I left the comfortable environment of my mother’s womb and saw the world for the first time. I truly believe those simpler days had more to offer than the world we live in today. But that is another story. I am here today to let you know the story of my life.

I was born at home, not in a hospital. That was a usual event in rural Alabama. My father, Albert Comer Haskew, was a farmer. My mother, nee Olive Bertha Davis, was a devoted housewife and school teacher. I have three brothers – Percy, James, and Ned; and three sisters – Maggie, Alma Ruth, and Frances. I was born in Nettlesborough, a town with one store, but attended grammar school in Thomasville. I have to mention that my sister Maggie lives in Lower Peach Tree – a bit of a strange name as there is no Upper or Middle Peach Tree.

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Categories: Family, Memories
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Dadums Remembers, Part Deux

February 11, 2008 5:24 pm

When I was quite young [1932] I witnessed the “Bonus Army,” or “Bonus Marchers,” camped out on the Anacostia River Flats in southeast Washington. This area was near the end of Pennsylvania Avenue across from the Anacostia Bridge. This was during the days of the Depression and the marchers were World War I veterans who had been promised a bonus. The Government wouldn’t keep its word and pay the bonus to the veterans.

They camped in makeshift huts at Fairlawn, a park-like green area along the Anacostia River. The vets were orderly, but President Hoover wanted them removed from the area. He sent the United States Army to remove them forcibly. Among the famous generals leading the “attack” on the marchers were MacArthur, Eisenhower and Patton. The marchers refused to move. The army used tear gas and bayonets to drive them out. I witnessed this action first hand. It was horrible to watch. Several men were killed – United States veterans. I cried at the sight of it.

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Categories: Family, Memories
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Dadums Remembers

February 10, 2008 12:11 pm

I am John B. McVeigh. I was born on February 10th, 1926. It was a very cold day to arrive on Earth. My father was a dentist. My mother was, as it was called, a housewife. My sister Mary is six years older than me, my other sister, Helen, is four years older. In 1930 my brother Bill arrived. That completed our family.We lived on East Capitol Street, just a mile from the nation’s Capitol. It was an interesting time to grow up. There were many young boys in the neighborhood and we never had trouble starting a baseball or football game. Outdoor sports were a big thing in the 30s. No tv to interrupt play. I remember when tv’s first appeared, the screen was 4 1/2 inches by 6 inches. Many people had a magnifying glass over the screen to enlarge the picture. It didn’t work.

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Categories: Memories
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Family Memories

12:11 pm

My mother, Nita, and my father, John, are only two days apart in age. Today is my father’s 82nd birthday. My mother was born not only on her own mother’s birthday, but Abraham Lincoln’s as well.

I think I started calling my father “Dadums” when I was twelve. I’ve asked him and mom to post some of their memories and they have graciously agreed. Today and tomorrow, I’ll be putting up Dadums’s posts, to be followed on February 12 by one from Mom. I’m working on her still to get another post up the next day.

Happy Birthday, Mom and Dadums!

Ruthie

Categories: Family, Memories
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