Eighteen Years Ago Today

There are eighteen year-olds today that have only heard about the events of 9/11.  Previously on this blog I have reported how I first heard of the events.  For those of you who aren't familiar with how things happened that day, there is an extensive on-line resource for you to see what WE saw that day.  It is worth a look.

https://archive.org/details/911
 

A Photo of My Mother (and a History Lesson!)

In rummaging through letters and photos, I found this photo of my mother (Lula May Jeter) .  I'm not sure how old she is in the photo, there is no date on it.  I believe she was in her early twenties (she got married at the age of 24 on December 24th, 1939).  This is one of the very few professionally done photos of her so I became interested to see if I could find out anything about the photographer.  What I found was very much a surprise to me!

Edgar B. Smith was a commercial photographer in Wichita.  

"Edgar B. Smith may have done more than any one, single photographer to preserve a memory of the Wichita scene during the growth years of the 1920s to 1950s.
Smith learned his trade in the studio of Wichita photographer Homer T. Harden, who trained him as an apprentice during his high school years. At that same time, Smith enrolled in the first flying class taught by Clyde Cessna and was one of its three graduates in 1917.
 
After serving in World War I as a photographer for the Army Signal Corps, Smith eventually returned to Wichita, his hometown. He went into business with Maurice Hodge in 1924. According to a newspaper of the time, Smith-Hodge Photographers announced that they had opened up a new field of commercial photography. This new venture consisted of "making colored photographs of traveling men's samples… The customers are able to see the exact likeness of the article they purchase without the salesman being burdened with a number of large cumbersome grips… All the coloring is done by hand."

The partners worked together for a year or two, and then Hodge left Wichita for San Diego. At that point Smith combined his skills in photography and aviation to launch a long career as an independent commercial photographer. His photographs of thriving Wichita businesses are complemented by his aerial views of the downtown commercial area, the aviation factories, and the milling and refining district. This distinctive legacy earned Edgar B. Smith the reputation as "The Dean of Aviation Photography." (Source: http://www.wichitaphotos.org/exhibit/exhibit.asp) 

Mr. Smith was a prolific photographer.  You should search for Edgar B. Smith at the following web site: http://www.wichitaphotos.org/ .  You will be amazed at the breadth of his work.

The end of the semester - grading time!

I have become an addict of Reddit, an online social sharing community. If you don't know about Reddit, I recommend the following link to figure it out.

What is Reddit?

It is a very informative and entertaining site.  One of the users of that site posted the image to the left to the "Professors" community, saying 

"It’s that time of the year. Bottoms up, folks."

(username is GoonDaFirst).   

I remember the grading frenzy and do NOT regret not having to do it anymore.  I enjoyed teaching... grading not so much.  Cheers everyone! 


(BTW, this isn't real, it is photo-shopped from  Writer's Tears. )

The Amphibious Man (World War II)

During his service in World War II, my father was a motor machinist mate on a ship called a Landing Craft Infantry (Large).  

"The Landing Craft, Infantry (Large) ....was a large beaching craft intended to transport and deliver fighting troops, typically a company of infantry or marines, to a hostile shore once a beachhead was secured. The LCI was an important ship and widely used for amphibious warfare in World War II.

The LCI carried passengers, but could not transport vehicles. LCIs were 158 feet long and 23 feet, 3 inches wide at the middle. They typically had a crew of 24-60 sailors, and carried 200 soldiers, who descended from ramps on each side of the craft during landings. LCIs were not originally designed for cross-ocean journeys, but did so out of necessity and urgency during WWII. They sailed from shipyards in the United States to the European and Pacific Theatres. Their flat-bottom hulls were designed for beaching, which meant the men aboard felt every wave, and many sailors and soldiers ended up seasick non-stop. The hull or skin was made of a quarter-inch steel plate. LCIs were propelled using two sets of quad General Motors 6-cylinder diesel engines (8 engines total)." (Source: http://usslci.org/facts/ )

Among my father's papers I found the following poem explaining the role of the Amphibious Man. I apologize for the small type. I have added below the words to this poem.

You've heard of the air force
and the Marines and Paratroops
But think as hard as you can
Though you've heard of the Army
And of other groups,
Have you heard of the Amphibious Man?

The Amphibious Man is a real rugged sort
But unlike the Fleet
He has no home port
Goes where he's needed
Does what he can
This poor Orphan sailor
the Amphibious Man

You might be a battleship sailor
From a cruiser or off a tin can
Maybe fresh out of Boot training
Or perhaps a second cruise man
The pick the man at random
How else could the provide?
A few might choose the duty --
But they are usually Shanghaied.

You've heard plenty of the Navy
Of ships, both for and aft,
But we'll bet a pretty penny,
You've heard least of the landing craft
And they've got to have the LCI's
to win this doggone war.

They're loaded from the transports,
In the middle of the night
Sail around to rendezvous,
Can't even show a light.
Find their way in Darkness
And land upon the shore,
Through bombs discharge their cargo
Then go right back out for more.

Bringing in the first wave
Doesn't end the job.
For the troops upon the beach
Can't live without this Gob
He brings in reinforcements
And everything they use
His Job is full of danger
But he never makes the news

For when the beach is taken
And the radio start to tell,
You'll hear of the Marines and Soldiers
And how they went though Hell.
You'll thrill to front page stories
Of their Heroic Job
But You'll never hear a word
of the poor Amphibious Gob!

And when this war is over,
And he back in Civvie life
How in Hell will he explain,
To his Kiddies and his wife?
They love he's in the Navy
But he's the subject of a Gyp
He's just an orphan sailor,
A Gob Without a ship!

My Great-Grandfather’s Grave

Those of you who have known me for a long time, know that my maiden name is Chabino.  When I was growing up, I was curious as to the origin of my name.  My father was estranged from his father and mother so he was no help.  As I got older I began the genealogical journey to figure out where I came from.  

Eventually the journey led to the grave of my great-grandfather in Seiling, Oklahoma (northwest of Oklahoma City).  His story is fascinating.  

John Henry Chabino was born on May 3, 1843, in Burlington, Vermont. His father, Antoine, was 32 and his mother, Marie, was 24. Antoine's surname was Charbonneau.  Antoine was born in Canada and emigrated to South Hero in Vermont in about 1835 where he married Marie Robillard.  So how did Charbonneau become Chabino?

In about 1850, the Charbonneau's made the journey to Wisconsin where the family settled.  At the age of 18, John Henry enlisted in the Union Army and fought in the 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry on the Kansas/Missouri border.  It is at the time of his enlistment that his name is put on the roster as "Chabino".   In 1862, at the age of 19 he married Rebecca Phelps (she was 15). They proceeded to have six children together and lived in the Fredonia area.  After a bit of a scandal, John Henry and Rebecca divorced.

John Henry moved to Pratt, Kansas and in 1888 at the age of 45 married 14 year old Ida Bishop and they participated in the last land rush into Oklahoma in 1893.  The family settled in Seiling, Oklahoma. By the age of 35, Ida was a Civil War Widow, receiving a pension for her under-age children.  My grandfather was Clarence Chabino born in Pratt Kansas in 1889.