Engineer Memoirs
were so violently opposed. In general, however, the Corps was well received in the
area, very well thought and is still so today.
Q.
In 1933 when you were working in Vicksburg, how did the Depression affect your
family?
A
Very severely. Dad, in addition to trying to do farming, also tried to do other activities.
He managed some farming interests for others. He at one time was manager of a cotton
gin. At other times, as I indicated, he did sodding work on the levee job, and so forth
as a matter of making ends meet. I can remember the times very well. And while we
never suffered physically, there was always the question of whether there was going to
be money enough to get by. We always had a garden, raised vegetables. We always had
a few milk cows so that we could have our own milk and butter. We had chickens for
eggs. In large measure, we were self-sufficient for food.
University of Illinois, 19344938
Q.
You went to the University of Illinois, where you started in September 1934. Before
entering there, how did you become interested-
A
Why did I go to the University of Illinois?
Q ..
Well, first of all, you were the second child. Had your older brother gone to college?
A ..
Yes. First, maybe I better go back. I mentioned four children. My youngest brother died
from the results of an automobile accident when he was only five months old. He was
in the car with my father, lying on the
seat of the car. They didn't have baby seats
in those days. A truck came out of a side street in front of Dad, and he was not
successful in an attempt to avoid it. The car was hit, turned over, and the baby was
fatally injured. So that, in reality, there were only three boys remaining. This was in
1924. I was about eight at the time.
Going back to the question of college, as I grew up, while our family was not in a
position to do much about college education, Mother and Dad always had in mind that
we three boys should get a college education. More than anything else, I think, they
instilled in us the idea that this was the thing that we should do and that everyone
should work toward that end. They had attempted to save money to help, but the little
money put aside was lost in the Depression by a bank closing. And so, while they had
given us a very strong desire and anticipation that we would go to college, the means
were somewhat limited.
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