I'm not usually given to birthday greetings on this BLOG. This one, however, deserves all the accolades this humble writer can offer. On Wednesday, June 2, my brother-in-law, Glenn Caldwell, of Fort Smith, Arkansas, will celebrate with my sister Dorcie, his 101st birthday! He is at home. Glenn is a bit feeble because of an earlier fall, but sharp of mind and wit. He could well be the oldest living graduate of The University of Arkansas.
Glenn and my sister married after both had lost mates of many years. They were members of a Methodist church in Fort Smith. Glenn's proposal was this: We will marry if you will fly with me to Hawaii. This woman who had never been on a plane or driven a car took him up on the offer.They married in Hawaii. That flight would follow with trips to many places around the world from Russia to China. They literally saw the world. They are an unusual and talented twosome.
What greeted Glenn in 1909? Some of these stats will help you know. William Howard Taft was President. Life expectancy was 47 years. There were 144 miles of paved roads. 230 murders were reported across the US. There were telephones in 8% of the homes. Bathtubs in 14%. Average wage was.22 an hour. Ninety-five percent of births were at home. Coffee was .15 a pound. Women washed their hair once a month with Borax or egg yokes. Leading causes of death were !. Pneumonia and flu 2. TB 3. Diarrhea 4. Heart Disease 5. Stroke. (So what about cancer? Have we brought it on ourselves?). Six-percent graduated from High School. Las Vegas had 30 people. The average income was $944.00 a year and the average time worked was 47 hours. 10,607 Model T's came off the line that year. Buick was next, followed by Maxwell and Studebaker
Kids did have phones. They were tin cans tied to twine. It worked real well IF you had a loud voice and good hearing.
Wishing you a great day Glenn!.
