1950 & Maryland

I wasn't in the dorm more than a few weeks at most when I got a call to come home! Marjorie had started getting pains, and went right ahead and took certain pills the doctor gave her to take just before delivery! It later turned out that she really wasn't ready to deliver, and they were just false labor pains. But it was too late. She had already taken those pills.

So I took her to Hartford Hospital (with my textbooks), and waited there. And waited. And waited. I don't know what I learned from my textbooks, but I suppose something. Finally they wheeled out both mother and daughter. The only thing wrong was, they were both "out", stone cold! Not a good way to start life. So much for "modern" medicine and all the drugs. The day was May 9, 1950, and I've never had a problem remembering it, but for a rather rediculous reason. I used to read the funny papers, and one comic strip was "The Gumps". One day he said "Today is May 9th, Min's (Minerva Gump's) birthday". It just stuck in my mind.

I was ready to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (EE major), with 15 extra credits, including several at the graduate level. They decided that I didn't need to take final examinations after all, and in fact was being considered for graduation "with distinction". I took a special test for that, but came up short. Oh well.

One of my graduate level courses was Microwave Techniques, and another was Pulse Circuits. I was particularly interested in Microwaves, and wanted to get a job in that field because it should be good in the future. But nobody was hiring. In fact on the engineering bulletain board was a clipping saying there were 20,000 (or some such number) surplus engineers. Furthermore, our wonderful president, old Harry Truman said right out "I think there's going to be a depression that will make your hair curl!"

Truman is the same president, while I was working for George Horning in Oregon, who got on the radio and said, "To relieve the meat shortage (there were still price controls left over from the war), I considered sending the Army out onto the range and commender the beef on the hoof, but ultimately, and very reluctantly decided to end price controls on beef."

Harry is the same one whose Secretary of State publicly said that "Korea is not within our sphere of vital importance", or something to that effect, implying to the Communists, "do whatever you want".

Another snapshot, and these are things people always forget: The Korean was was going full blast, and somewone asked him, what about using the atomic bomb? Our president's response? "Oh, I think that's up to the commander in the field if he wants to use it!!!!!!!!!!!" As soon as he said THAT, (I believe it was Clement Atlee), the British Prime Minister immediately hopped a transatlantic plane and came right to Washington to straighten him out. Then common sense prevailed. One of my coworkers later made the comment "Churchill has more brains in his cigar than Truman has in his head."

I have dirgressed. Pardon me. My mother wanted me to go to work on tobacco that summer, and wait until jobs opened up in the fall. But I couldn't stomach that idea. I also applied at a lot of places. In addition, I applied for positions as research assistant in combination with pursuing a Master's degree at The University of Illinois Champeign, plus other universities, including one in Tennessee. The later accepted me, but only after I had relocated to Maryland, working full time at the Naval Air Test Center, so it was too late.

I must go now.