Youthful Memories

The book begins before my birth in 1942, during World War II on my Dad's farm in Borden County Texas. We moved many times during the first eighteen years of my life. My family and I went through many hardships during those years. We were very poor but did not know it in our younger years. Everyone we encountered was in a similar situation. We soon found out when we started to school. I started to school on a cold winter day in November, 1948. My brothers Richard, Ray and I had to walk a mile to catch the bus. I have never forgotten how cold my hands and feet were when the bus finally arrived. It seemed like hours but it was probably ten or fifteen minutes. Starting late to school was because farm children had to pick the cotton before winter set in. I never heard of any parents getting into trouble for keeping the children out of school so long. I know Mom and Dad didn't. We moved five times between 1948 and 1957. We moved to Roswell, New Mexico in 1954. We were fortunate to move within the same school district so we did not have to change school the next three years. I graduated from the eighth grade in 1957 from Berrendo School. In September I started to North Junior High School my freshman year which was in Roswell. The first time I went to a city school. The next year I went on to Roswell Senior High School. My dad gave up on farming and worked in a service station in Lake Arthur the next two years. I stayed in Roswell with my three brothers living in a trailer ho...