The Way We Were Wednesday - Grandfather Dale
This was taken, probably in the mid 1950s, it is my maternal grandfather (my mother's father.) I think this was taken in Florida. My grandparents started traveling with travel trailers in the late 1930's, in the starting in the 1950's when the farm was closed up for the winter, they would go to Florida for the winter, pulling the trailer back and forth. This was in a relatively prosperous time, the fringe on the awning was a sign that money was not tight. In the early 1960's, he rolled a tractor and broke his leg, while recovering from that he had a major heart attack. This was long before bypass surgery, he was advised to sell the farm, and retire, or plan a funeral. They sold the farm, bought a new larger travel trailer, and retired. He lived another 14 or 15 years, dying in the fall of 1976, after suffering a debilitating stroke. I am not sure what he is carrying, I think a boat oar, he loved to fish, and had a series of small boats. He was one of a dozen or so kids, grew up farming with horses and mules (he prefered mules.) He had about a 4th grade education. During World War II, he was a steam shovel and dragline operator for construction expanding the Ford Rouge plant.
Amazing what all our grandparent had and did. Both my grandparents on my mother's side only had schooling up to 6th grade equivalent. He ended up being the VP of a trucking company for the whole of northeast and she raising 6 kids, running the home, and cleaning homes, and involved church lady. They had built a beautiful stone Queen Anne Tudor when the family expanded, and that they both happified died in. Fond memories of that house.
ReplyDeleteNone of my grandparents finished high school, one came close.
DeleteIt's a great photo and interestingly in colour. I like the van's venetian blinds.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't notice the blinds.
DeleteA great shot. I love to read about your family history.
ReplyDeleteThe colors and the film type worked well to preserve the image,
Deletemy maternal grandparents never made it to middle school; I'm not sure about my paternal grandparents. my maternal grandmother's 3 kids graduated high school, my sister and I graduated college.
ReplyDeleteOne of my grandmother's had a brother with a couple of years of college, as time progressed so did education
DeleteMy father was from the same era as your grandfather -- Depression, WW2, etc. He had a grade 6 education. Left school to work full-time on the farm.
ReplyDeleteFarms and factories, my father dropped out of high school during WW2 to go to work.
DeleteThis was the mode of travel for my family starting in the late 1950's and early 60's. I went on many trips in the travel trailer, then the camper and finally the motorhome.
ReplyDeleteI only traveled in a motorhome once, oh and I had one for a mobile office for a month, that I had to drive home at night, we couldn't leave it on location.
DeleteOMG I love that RV! So quaint. I'd love to have one of those and restore it.
ReplyDeleteThat story about your grandpa is so cool. Men of his generation were totally different to the men we see today. Totally.
XOXO
An old classic. The trailer and the men. The fun one was finding a photo of him when my mother was less than a year old, with long hair sticking straight up on top of his head.
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