Valedictorian

I learned something interesting about my father this last weekend. My cousin told me my father was valedictorian of his high school in 1934 when he graduated. This makes a lot more sense now why he was so angry that his father wouldn't let him go to college and forced him to become an electrician working for him instead. My father wanted to become an electrical engineer instead. However, I can now also see the wisdom of my grandfather because as a result of not going to college at that time he always had a trade, always had a job, and always owned at least one car from the time he was 16 or 18 and this was also true of his two brothers who also were not allowed to go to college. The poor who had no jobs during the Great Depression also included some of the most educated people in the U.S.

But those who had a building trade job like my Dad and his brothers always had work. And since their Dad was an Electrical Contractor he made sure he and the boys and the family were well provided for throughout the Great Depression. And even during World War II my Dad's oldest brother and he had already served as Hellcat fighter gunners in Marine Bi-planes from 1934 to 1937. So, they had already served time as Marine Corp reservists before the start of World War II. Also, when the war began they were quickly needed to build Liberty ships there in Seattle that ferried munitions and soldiers to all theaters of World War II. So, even though my Dad was always angry his father wouldn't let him go to college, his father's choice for he and his two brothers saved he and his older brother from dying in the war and made sure they always had money in their pockets, a place to live, cars and food to eat. However, my Uncle Tommy was a Military Top Secret Test Pilot.