The World of Grandpa Don

How I became  Grandpa Don
		Biographical  Reminiscences
Journey on this page to ...
Biographical Reminiscences Why was this story written?
Contents The chapters and time periods
The World of My Youth A glimpse at Chicago in the 1940's
What was happening in the world		What Happened when I Was ...
Set sail to ...

Biographical Reminiscences
Started December, 2000

These pages are set down so that our grandchildren may know their roots and what brought us all to this point in our lives. Some of the stories will be new to our children and their spouses. 

It is also a testimony to the fact that the shared love of  family members is essential to a good life and that God is with us even during the times when we think we don't need Him.

In the belief that God wants us to share His gifts, and that my life and family are His Gifts, I want to share my story with all who visit these web pages. May you come away with a greater sense of Love, and an understanding that God works through us to build His Kingdom.

Also see ...

.The World of My Youth

From the Chicago Tribune
Christmas, 1941 - A view looking down State Street

This was the world of my youth. To go somewhere, you stood on the painted "safety island" in the street next to the tracks and waited for the street car. This scene shows several bunched up since many routes converged on State Street. Also note the double 'decker' bus in the background. These were used on the Boulevard routes. Not visible in this photo are the trolley wires strung over the tracks which delivered electric power to the cars. The streetcar was a great mode of transportation when few people had automobiles. However, when the streets became crowded with autos and trucks, the "safety islands" were not very safe and if there was an accident, fire, or some other problem that blocked the track, there was no way around and the street car had to wait. Also, in the winter, wires froze and broke and track switches froze. 

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What was happening in the world during this time?

At the end of each chapter are links to the historical events of the world for each year covered in that chapter. The reader will be able to get a historical background of the times. Births and deaths of well known people, as well as developments in technology are listed. The visitor can see what was happening on the day he was born or any other date significant to him. 

I had started to list events that I thought were important at the end of each chapter but they have been replaced by these links. The task was too time consuming and, as they say, 'why reinvent the wheel?' Besides, I was apt to omit things which were significant to others.

The links are to a web site called "Timelines of History". Students of history can use this resource to find any event from the "Big Bang" to the present. I do have a problem, however, with their view of the "Big Bang". They quote a source which describes it as a totally 'accidental' happening. I chose to believe that it was an event in the creation of the universe which was carefully planned and caused by God. 

What happened when I was ... ?

My good friend and fellow team member on the parish web ministry sent a link to a web site that searches out historical events which occurred during your life. I input my date of birth and this is what it reported: 

Grandpa Don was ...
70 years old at the time of the 9-11 attack on America
68 years old on the first day of Y2K
66 years old when Princess Diana was killed in a car crash
63 years old at the time of Oklahoma City bombing
63 years old when O. J. Simpson was charged with murder
61 years old at the time of the '93 bombing of the World Trade Center
59 years old when Operation Desert Storm began
58 years old during the fall of the Berlin Wall
54 years old when the space shuttle Challenger exploded
52 years old when Apple introduced the Macintosh
52 years old during Sally Ride's travel in space
49 years old when Pres. Reagan was shot by John Hinckley, Jr.
48 years old at the time the Iran hostage crisis began
45 years old on the U.S.'s bicentennial Fourth of July
43 years old when President Nixon left office
41 years old when Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace was shot
38 years old at the time the first man stepped on the moon
36 years old when Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated
34 years old during the Watts riot
32 years old at the time President Kennedy was assassinated
28 years old when Hawaii was admitted as 50th of the United States
26 years old when the Soviet satellite Sputnik 1 was launched
22 years old at the end of the Korean War
14 years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima
10 years old at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
3 years old in the year radar was invented

Go to
Chapter One