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Message: <blockquote data-quote="GeneW" data-source="post: 3966197" data-attributes="member: 27284">Dad was born in 1912, Mom in 1916.   I stay that only because back in those days people usually had a really good work ethic and tried to learn how to do more things.Both went through the Great Depression, Dad got his degree in Agronomy from Oklahoma A&M in Stillwater (now today is OSU Stillwater).   Dad went to work for the State Of Oklahoma and ran what they called "Experiement Stations" back then, he worked on getting better Sweet Potatoes, I'm told he did the work for a patent but the State or Oklahoma A&M got it.     He knew a LOT about all kinds of livestock, I have correspondence from him to others via the US Mail back in the 30's and 40's of such.  I'm amazing these letters were not lost or thrown out or burned back in the day.  It's a treasure to pull those out of the box and read them.   BTW postage stamps were cheap back then!Later he went to work for the Oklahoma Unemployment Service, in the late 50's or early 60's, until he passed.  He and Mom had a Greenhouse & Nursery Business, Mom ran it during the day, Dad helped at night and weekends.   They put my young butt to work as toddler, weeding, watering, keeping things neat, and I learned how to add up, with a pencil and paper, peoples purchases, collect the $$$ and make change in my head and give them the change back.    No calculators yet back in that day, at least easily available.Dad also had a small farm just outside of town, raised hogs and a few cows, raised sweet potatoes, pecan trees, etc.  Anything to make $$$.   He had to put 21 plates of food on the table every day.  We always had a big garden, and Mom would can a lot in Mason Jars. He also taught Welding at the Granite Reformatory, and some livestock type teachings, to the inmates.   I was told that this was desired to help them when they got out of prison to hopefully get a gainful job and stay out of prison.  The story I got later on from my other older relatives, aunts and uncles and grandparents, was that back in those days, a young man who had his head on straight, and who went through the Great Depression, would learn everything he coud.   Dad did, for sure.  He could repair cars and tractors, weld, paint, build and repair houses and barns, all kinds of mechanic work, electrical and plumbing, knew how to grow and raise things, and a lot more.    You just don't see that nowadays.Oh yeah, just to clarify, the stories I was told, and lessons pounded into my skull, were the struggles of eating and being housed safely and all that from the Great Depression and up and through the days of World War 2 Rationing, and the inevitable recessions along the way.   There was really nothing back then like things now, such as todays Welfare, Food Stamps, Section 8, free this and that.   You sank or swam back then.  Tough bunch of old birds they were.</blockquote>

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