When I Was Young Geneameme, Part 1 of 3

Since something obviously went wrong last time I tried to post this, I'll try it again.

Alona Tester of LoneTester HQ geneablog has a geneameme up.  It looked interesting, so I’m going to play along.

“Like it or not, life today is a whole lot different from when we grew up. And as genealogists and family historians, we are mindful of recording our own history, yet so often it doesn’t happen, and sits in the “I must do that” list.

So this “When I Was Young” geneameme has been created to allow you to record at least some of your childhood memories. This series of 25 questions will take you back to your childhood as it asks questions about the games you played, what school was like, what heirlooms you have from your childhood, what books or stories you remember from back then … and a whole heap more.

So if you’d like to record a little of your own childhood history, feel free to take part in my “When I Was Young” geneameme.”

Since the list is 25 questions long, I decided to split my response into parts.  In this first part, I’ll do the first eight questions.

1. Do you (or your parents) have any memorabilia from when you were a baby? (i.e. baby book, lock of hair, first shoes etc.)

I doubt they still have much more than photographs.  I’m pretty sure, because they moved out of their house into an apartment a bit over a year ago, and downsized a lot during the move.  I know Mom used to have a picture frame assembly of an upright 8x10 frame (which contained my 1 year picture if I remember correctly) on a horizontal shelf.  The shelf itself held my bronzed baby shoes. I don’t know what happened to that, but I remember it clearly.  Mom also had a baby book with lots of scrapbookish things.  Being first child, my life got documented.  Later kids never get as much of that sort of documentation done.

2. Do you know if you were named after anyone?

Sort of, yes.  My father is Dana Eugene Dillman.  My name Daniel was taken from Dan, which was shortened from Dana.  My middle name is Gene, short for Eugene.  I have never liked my middle name.  Mom mentioned once that she had another middle name in mind, and told me what it was, and I remember preferring it to Gene, but I have since forgotten what it was.

3. And do you know of any other names your parents might have named you?

Aside from that potential other middle name, no.

4. What is your earliest memory?

I remember climbing onto the wing of a small airplane to get in.  Mom took me for a ride in a small plane in Sioux Falls, SD when I was two and a half years old.  It’s possible this is a false memory, but all of the other planes I remember from childhood were Cessnas with upper wings, not something you would climb on to get in the plane, so I am personally convinced this memory is real.

5. Did your parent/s (or older siblings) read, sing or tell stories to you? Do you remember any of these?

I know Mom read a whole bunch of Dr. Suess and Berenstain Bears and such books to me when I was little.  I had no older siblings.  I still love those books, and bought a large number of them for my kids when the time came.  I still have a bunch of them in a box for when grandkids start arriving.

6. When you were young, do you remember what it was that you wanted to grow up to be?

Here’s an easy one.  From very early, say 1^st grade or so, I wanted to be an Astronaut.  In fact, I was very outspoken about it.  All of my friends and teachers knew about it, such that when one teacher announced a free showing of a movie to be held one weekend, and said the film was The Reluctant Astronaut (a Don Knotts picture), every head in the class turned to look at me.  That whole thing fell through when it became clear that NASA wasn’t going to be putting a lot of men in space at the end of the Apollo Program. 

During high school, I got interested in photography, and aimed for that.  In fact, I went pretty far, as I enlisted in the Navy as a Photographer’s Mate.  I spent almost six years doing photography and photofinishing.  However, doing photography the Navy way is a great way to burn out the creativity of a photographer, and I ended my enlistment and virtually did not pick up a camera for almost a decade afterward.  I had to have my arm twisted to take pictures of my kids when they were young.

Lately, I have renewed my interest in photography, shooting mostly animals, landscapes and concerts.

7. Did you have a favorite teacher at school?

For elementary school, I would have to say it’s a close race between Ms. Dooher in 3^rd grade and Mrs. Knettel in 4^th grade.  Mrs. Knettel would probably edge out for the win.  She cared enough about the geeky science kid to go out of her way to find extra-curricular learning tools for me.

In high school, Leroy Pauley was hands down my favorite.  He was the German teacher.  I took three years of German from him, largely because he made his classes fun and interesting.

8. How did you get to school?

In elementary school, I took the school bus.  It usually picked us up at stops a block or three away, depending on which year and so forth.

Starting in 7^th grade, I walked or rode my bike to school.  It was a mile or less to both Jr. and Sr. high.  Just had to be careful crossing the highway.

This and all other articles on this blog are © copyright 2015 by Daniel G. Dillman