Bernard James Guild

known as Bernie, Daisy Guild, Bernie Boy

also written Daisy Guild, Bernie Boy, Bernie Guild, Bernard James, Bernie in the book

Biography

Describes himself as the first son and second child. Born fifteen minutes after midnight, weighing ten pounds. His eyes were treated with silver by the attending doctor; he was circumcised four days later. His mother described him as initially colicky, then healthy, happy, and talkative. His first word at eight months was “Bernie.” Narrator identified in the chapter attribution. Recalls his fifth birthday, walks with Grampa, and childhood activities with Bobby and Iris. Parents and grandfather are referred to only by family titles. Narrator. Was six when the family moved into the house on July 16, 1942. Grew up there with five sisters and a brother. Helped Dad a little with building two bedrooms. Narrator. Remembers the homestead's plants, climbing the elm, eating too many mulberries, mowing orchard weeds with Bob, and picking wild berries with Grampa. Narrator of the chapter. Recalls childhood pranks, games, homemade go-carts, and performances with siblings and other children. Narrator. Kept his green plaid marble bag for years after childhood. Mom sewed drawstring marble sacks for Bob and him. Admired marble designs but never mastered Bob's shooting technique. Narrator. Recalls receiving his first jackknife with Bob when they were about seven or eight, playing knife games, and making willow whistles. Identified in the chapter heading as the narrator. This section presents descriptive portraits of adults he grew up with. Narrator. At about ten, befriended Toby Fry. Crow was his favorite card game. Mom said Iris was happy when he came along because he became a permanent guest for her tea parties. Narrator. Drew Hopscotch courts for Delores, enjoyed Jump Rope and Double Dutch, learned Jacks from Carol, and helped Bob carry heavy buckets of well water. Narrator. Enjoyed construction toys, crafts, Chinese Checkers with Grampa, and especially coloring. Painting figurines taught him patience. Narrator of Bernie's Chapter. Adored Grampa Williams and was told he followed him everywhere as a toddler. Recalls Grampa dying in his arms and holding a mirror to his mouth to check for breathing. Narrator of the chapter; recalls winter sledding with Bob, also called Bobby, and other children in Moline. Education also recorded as “Attended high school; no school name is given.” (Bernie's Chapter). Narrator. Received a coloring book and a small box of crayons for his tenth birthday in 1946. Recalled childhood embarrassment about poverty, determination to improve his circumstances, and gratitude for his parents' sacrifices. Learned automotive and tinkering skills from Dad. Narrator; visited Chicago at about age ten. Tom Johnson scolded him for failing to thank others. He never told Mom or Dad, disliked Tom afterward, and remembered to thank people thereafter. Education also recorded as “Attended junior and senior high; schools not named.” (Bernie's Chapter). Narrator. Designed and painted Halloween storefront windows annually in junior and senior high. Said he never overturned an outhouse or went on a hayride. At about seven, Iris dressed him as a girl and introduced him as “Daisy Guild” at a church Halloween party. Narrator. At twelve or thirteen, chased and punched Sonny Joiner after a girl accused Sonny of peeping. Immediately felt remorse. Later learned Sonny had undergone surgery that day. Says this was the first time he struck anyone in anger and that he never struck another soul afterward. Narrator. Says he was two when war broke out in Europe in 1938, nine on V-E Day in late summer 1945, and ten when overhearing a conversation after V-J Day. These ages and dates are preserved as stated. Participated in Boy Scout paper drives. Recalls wartime toys, propaganda, rationing, gardening, and frightening accounts and exhibits of atrocities. Narrator of the chapter; recalls these events from when they were about eleven. Education also recorded as “Attended Coolidge Junior High School.” (Bernie's Chapter). Narrator. Repeatedly painted his used bicycle. Practiced on Iris’ bike with Bobby's help before Daddy formally taught him to ride. Narrator of Bernie's Chapter. Describes being a quiet child eager to please, admiring Ray Rohrer's toughness and badness, and learning profanity and sexual information from him. Narrator; mesmerized by the garage forge and spent many hours watching Dad fix and build things with Bob and the girls. His mother is referred to only as Mom. Narrator. Helped operate Daddy’s homemade tractor, was drenched in spray chemicals more than once, and plowed gardens. Recalled possibly working with Bob to plow neighbors’ gardens for five dollars without permission. Narrator. Contrasts his mother's forgiving response to spilled milk with the Petersons' harsh discipline. Recalls taking Billy's BB gun to protect kittens and later leaving Billy stuck in mud with Bob. Chapter narrator. Recalled Fourth of July fireworks, attending public displays, burning fingers while attempting Daddy's firecracker trick, and launching cans with Bobby. Helped attract customers to Herby Spahn's stand in exchange for free fireworks. Particularly enjoyed fireworks packaging and Snakes. Narrator; recalls being about eight years old during the incident. Mistook his father's assistance in putting down Harry Means's hunting dog for the killing of a man. Did not tell the story until adulthood. Education also recorded as “Skipped fourth grade and became a pupil in Miss Carlson's classroom.” (Bernie's Chapter). Narrator. Made a farm boy marionette that the school confiscated and never returned. His unnamed mother made its overalls and red shirt. Education also recorded as “Describes himself as a good student who persevered because his parents emphasized education as the route to a better life; no school is named.” (Bernie's Chapter). His school years are documented in the family scrapbook. He disliked school and preferred summer vacation, running barefoot, and playing. Education also recorded as “Attended sixth grade and high school; decided in twelfth grade that art would be his life work.” (Bernie's Chapter). Narrator. Broke his arm skating at age eleven; the Moline Daily Dispatch described the injury as a fractured right wrist. Earned an A-plus for a left-handed geography project. Made sets and acted or sang in high school productions. Education also recorded as “Attended Moline High School; excused from Driver’s Ed “Road Time” after demonstrating his driving ability.” (Bernie's Chapter). Narrator. States he was sixteen in 1952 and eleven in 1947. Learned to drive on his father's homemade tractor and a family funeral trip. Had a persistent fear of driving over bridges and never learned to swim. Refers to his father as Daddy and Dad without naming him. Education also recorded as “Graduated high school with Honor Society recognition, in the top 10 of a class of 300, 21 days after his seventeenth birthday. Won a poetry contest and the Senior Fine Arts Award for Art; appeared in six plays. Did not go to college immediately after high school.” (Bernie's Chapter). Reported learning that his I.Q. was 149, which Frank disputed. Wrote a comedy review for the ADC Fellowship show. Excelled in art but struggled in PE despite trying hard. Bought a long switchblade while pretending to be a “Hood.” Was aware of the Korean War and glad to be too young for the draft. Wondered whether attending college immediately might have led him to become an architect. Credited kindness toward teachers with gaining attention and improving his scholastic achievement. Narrator; about seventeen in 1953. Herman Nelson was his best friend. He and Herman had East Moline girlfriends during a rivalry between Moline and East Moline guys. Narrator of Bernie's Chapter. Remembers his father with affection and admiration. Narrator. Describes himself as a boy who accepted his father's unilateral decision-making authority and regarded his father as a hero for caring for the family. Narrator. Admired his father's tinkering, disliked rabbit hunting, and remembered being spanked after walking home alone from school during a blizzard. His parents are referred to only as Dad, Daddy, Mom, and Mother. Narrator; says he was eleven when the family traveled to his grandfather Dan's funeral in 1947. Narrator of the chapter. Recalls frequent car outings with Bobby and their father to trade junk and visit people. Narrator. Describes Sue Guild as being like his sixth sister, not explicitly as an actual sibling. Says Guild rhymes with “wild.” Narrator. Had ringworm, measles, and chicken pox, although he says he cannot remember being sick as a child. Did not catch whooping cough despite deliberate exposure, but was quarantined. Had a tooth removed under gas at twelve; the vivid experience made him afraid of ether and contributed to delaying tonsil surgery. Had his tonsils removed the day before Kennedy was shot. Reports a lip scar from a dog bite too early to remember. Disputes Carol's account that he screamed at blood. Prayed nightly for Diana's leg to heal. Narrator. Helped hold Daddy's divining rod, played in concrete well rings with Bob, and helped winch dirt from the well. Dad and Dale lowered him into the unfinished well, where he recalled seeing stars in daylight. He was sworn to secrecy under threat of the razor strap and told Mom late in life; she claimed she had known. Identified as the teller of Bernie's Chapter. Narrator. Describes childhood discipline, his mother's care and advice, and his admiration for both parents. Sent Mom and Dad money every payday throughout his working life, sometimes twenty-five dollars. Mentions a brother and sisters without explicitly identifying them by name. Education also recorded as “Refers to his liberal education; no institution is named.” (Bernie's Chapter). Narrator. Credits his mother's teachings, his own experiences of discrimination, and his liberal education with counteracting learned prejudice. Recounts a visit to the LeClaire Hotel at about eight or nine years old. Education also recorded as “Selected by the Women’s Club of Illinois for a week of art classes at Robert Allerton Park at age sixteen.” (Bernie's Chapter). Credits Robert Raushenberger with teaching him how to see beauty, a skill he continued practicing for fifty-some years. His father is referred to only as Dad. His father, referred to as Daddy, attempted to teach him to swim by throwing him into the Rock River wearing muslin water-wings. Bernard states that he never learned to swim. He loved Scouting and earned over twenty merit badges, but the swimming prerequisite prevented his advancement to Explorer Scout. Occupation also recorded as “Shoe salesman at J. C. Penny’s” (Bernie's Chapter). Narrator. Saved money from his salary and sales bonuses for art-school tuition and a little rent money; attendance is not stated. Occupation also recorded as “Previously worked at Penny’s; seeking a part-time job while attending art school.” (Bernie's Chapter). Education also recorded as “Enrolled at Ray Vogue Schools; describes his first day in a figure-drawing class.” (Bernie's Chapter). Tells Byron he is from The Quad Cities and says he could have said Moline. Spent most of his savings on five-hundred-dollar tuition and half his rent money on three outfits. Had one week of rent money left. Describes discomfort drawing a nude model, attraction to Byron, and encouragement on discovering he could draw as well as his classmates. Occupation also recorded as “Shoe salesperson at Winsberg’s while attending art school” (Bernie's Chapter). Education also recorded as “Attended art school at Ray Vogue for two years.” (Bernie's Chapter). Narrator of the chapter. Became interested in becoming an art director after Tom Brown explained advertising strategies. Describes close family ties, an accepting art-school community, and the development of his liberal ideas. Occupation also recorded as “Art director at Foote Cone and Belding” (Bernie's Chapter). Education also recorded as “Attended Ray Vogue Schools; describes deciding he had had enough art school in September 1954.” (Bernie's Chapter). Narrator. Hired by FCB in September 1954 and initially worked in the mount room. Says he was eighteen on his first account assignment, six months after starting, and had just turned nineteen in April 1955. Worked in the Chicago office for five years. Won an art directing award for a Chicago Tribune poster in his first year. Describes himself as the first FCB art director permitted to work on a television commercial. Occupation also recorded as “Advertising art direction; created ads and commercials.” (Bernie's Chapter). Says he moved in with Rick on his twenty-first birthday in 1957, but also says they had lived together in Chicago for five years before the move to San Francisco. The heading says SAN FRANCISCO 1961, while the arrival date is New Year’s Day, 1960. Describes travel and the arts as a practical liberal arts education that helped his advertising career. Lists places visited over the years, including Hawaii twenty-five times. Describes architecture as his greatest love and dream profession. Remodeled four houses of his own and six for other people. Mentions writing, cooking, and art directing without explicitly identifying them as occupations. Enjoys driving around San Francisco studying the architectural details of old houses. Narrator. Lived with Rick for about sixteen years before they went their own ways. Reports meeting Larry Savitz in 1988 and living with him until 1982; both dates are preserved as written. Learned sign language with Larry. Occupation also recorded as “Advertising art director” (Bernie's Chapter). Narrator. Larry introduced him to Frank, who moved in with him in 1983. Worked with Frank on advertising accounts at FCB. Describes their shared love of art, intellectual compatibility, humor, and lively arguments. birth date recorded both as “April 11, 1936” and as “1936” in the book; kept as written. occupation also recorded as “Book layout designer”, “First job doing window displays in downtown Davenport.” in the book. Author of the foreword. Describes a powerful bond among seven siblings and introduces their seven stories. Narrator of the chapter "We Nine." Author of the family-history introduction. Identifies Edward Williams as the maternal grandfather and Captain Merlin Ringering as a cousin. One of three of Floyd’s children who remembered Olive as tender and kindly toward them. Credited as the book layout designer. Production tools listed are Adobe PageMaker 6.5 and 7.0, an Epson Expression 1600 photograph and graphics scanner, and Adobe Photoshop 6.0. Identified as the teller of the chapter "Putting Hard Work Together." Listed among seven children. Not explicitly equated with Bernie. Barbara thinks Bernie bought Mom the music box bird in a gold cage in Paris. Daddy stopped attending the reunions sometime after Bernie and Bob were twelve or thirteen. Appears in the nickname list. Bernie and Bob had ringworm, and Barbara remembers nylon hose knotted on their heads. Shared a bedroom with Bob and Grampa Williams. Enjoyed Mario Lanza records, especially 'Drink, Drink, Drink.' After leaving home, sent birthday presents, including a 'balloon' outfit from Marshall Field’s for Barbara. Thanked for urging the family to undertake their recollections; described as being in his kitchen. Comforted Diana when she was punished for walking on a wet kitchen floor. Played operettas and Mario Lanza on the family record player. Caught Diana, Barb, and Kent Reichenberg playing Show and Tell in a sewer pipe. Diana tentatively recalls Bob and Bernie wearing nylon-stocking caps after catching a condition mentioned in connection with school health checks. Described as worldly, proud, and adventurous. Supplied the explanation for the narrator's nickname Pudge, though barely old enough to remember. Born six years after Iris; Bob came right after him. Bernie's white shirts were among the items Mom ironed. Went to Saturday auction sales with Dad and Bob; the boys ate peanuts and drank soda pop during the subsequent tavern stop. Remembered for designing the best decorated sugar cookies and announcing that he could see Santa from the front window on Christmas Eve. Remembered for making the most beautiful Easter eggs. Says the narrator was Grampa's favorite, probably after Bob. Bought the family a record player with his first job. Won top honors painting Halloween scenes on downtown store windows. Built an igloo with Bob and appeared in a newspaper picture. Plastered his room so well that the narrator says his work is still there. Shared a bedroom with Bob and Grampa. The narrator believes he helped choose the ivy wallpaper. Helped Bob tip over the outhouse after the 1950 addition. Dee's brother, whose Victorian home features plants, flowers, orchids, and bananas on the wall. Yellow is described as his happy color. The poem credits him with success involving commercials, books, and a Clio Award, and describes his enjoyment of traveling, dancing, and dining out. He encourages Dee to exercise and do yoga. One of the six younger siblings Iris helped care for. One of the two brothers already at home when Carol was born. Accompanied Daddy and Bob to the coal yard and climbed and slid down coal piles. Six years younger than Iris. Helped the girls make newspaper kites with Bob. Carol thought Bernie and Bob were probably the first to use Daddy's wooden bench at the meal table. Grew popcorn with Bob for one year in McFarland’s vacant lot, then dried, shelled, bagged, and sold it to movie theaters with Daddy's help. Went to the park early with Bob to save picnic tables. Bernie and Bob had copies of Hardy Boys books, which Carol also read. Told Carol about the spelling Floyde on Dad's birth certificate. Signed a 'Roses are red' autograph-book verse ending 'And so are you.' Drew beautiful covers for Carol's term papers. Carol believed the covers helped her grades. Said there was not enough room for these additions to the finished book. Bernie's stilts are recalled. Visited the narrator in Germany while Mom was there and joined the group's travels through Germany, Denmark, and Holland. Went hunting for rabbits and squirrels with Daddy and Bobby to provide food for the family. Visited and toured with Mom during Carol's years in Germany. Author of the signed recollection and photographer of the family portraits. Age 25 that day. Brought a borrowed Leica camera home to Moline at Christmas. Remembered Mom preserving pork sausage and sage patties in grease for Grandpa Williams. Still has the gray crock with blue hunting scenes used for this purpose. Planted a field of popcorn with the narrator one summer. Their relationship is not explicitly stated. Helped the narrator with pictures to replace the unwritten narrative. Broke an arm while ice skating. Robert thinks Bernie drove the stick-shift car made from a 1936 Chevy and a 1937 Chevy. Was eleven and a half and had just learned to drive on the Minnesota trip. Stopped before bridges so Dad could drive across. Later hosted the travelers for several days in San Francisco and was described as a great tour guide. Occupation also recorded as “Held the Kay Bee Clothing store job before Robert Ray Guild.” (Bob's Chapter). Planted a field of popcorn with the narrator and shared in selling several hundred pounds at ten cents per pound. Occupation also recorded as “Worked at the J.C. Penney Store in Moline before the narrator.” (Bob's Chapter). Receives special thanks from the narrator for his efforts in putting the book together. Born after Iris Lee. Later joined the fishing at the lake on Gus Falk's family's property. Remembered as a cute, mischievous, energetic little boy who broke Iris's toy china tea sets and swatted her behind. Iris would chase him with a dish towel until Mom stopped them. Remembered the small two-story tar-paper-covered house Dan built on Falk’s farm. Floyd's son, named for Bernal Almond Guild. Saw Dan and Olive for the last time in nursing homes and accompanied Minnesota visits. Not explicitly equated with Bernard James in the passage. Second child. Birth described as 'after the Great Depression ended in 1936'; later wording says Ethel was pregnant again with Bernie two years after her 1934 surgery. Sent Ethel to Germany in 1979 and joined the family tour of Germany and Denmark. Second child; passage describes his birth as after the Great Depression ended in 1936. Sent Ethel to Germany in 1979 and joined the family there for travel to Denmark. Readers are referred to Bernie’s memories for more about marbles. Bernie’s memories explain Cootie Catchers. Would amuse the family for hours playing Squiggles. birth date recorded both as “April 11, 1936 / 1936” and as “1936” in the book; kept as written. occupation also recorded as “Book layout designer”, “First job doing window displays in downtown Davenport.” in the book. Author of the foreword. Describes a powerful bond among seven siblings and introduces their seven stories. Narrator of the chapter "We Nine." Author of the family-history introduction. Identifies Edward Williams as the maternal grandfather and Captain Merlin Ringering as a cousin. One of three of Floyd’s children who remembered Olive as tender and kindly toward them. Credited as the book layout designer. Production tools listed are Adobe PageMaker 6.5 and 7.0, an Epson Expression 1600 photograph and graphics scanner, and Adobe Photoshop 6.0. Identified as the teller of the chapter "Putting Hard Work Together." Listed among seven children. Not explicitly equated with Bernie. Barbara thinks Bernie bought Mom the music box bird in a gold cage in Paris. Daddy stopped attending the reunions sometime after Bernie and Bob were twelve or thirteen. Appears in the nickname list. Bernie and Bob had ringworm, and Barbara remembers nylon hose knotted on their heads. Shared a bedroom with Bob and Grampa Williams. Enjoyed Mario Lanza records, especially 'Drink, Drink, Drink.' After leaving home, sent birthday presents, including a 'balloon' outfit from Marshall Field’s for Barbara. Thanked for urging the family to undertake their recollections; described as being in his kitchen. Comforted Diana when she was punished for walking on a wet kitchen floor. Played operettas and Mario Lanza on the family record player. Caught Diana, Barb, and Kent Reichenberg playing Show and Tell in a sewer pipe. Diana tentatively recalls Bob and Bernie wearing nylon-stocking caps after catching a condition mentioned in connection with school health checks. Described as worldly, proud, and adventurous. Supplied the explanation for the narrator's nickname Pudge, though barely old enough to remember. Born six years after Iris; Bob came right after him. Bernie's white shirts were among the items Mom ironed. Went to Saturday auction sales with Dad and Bob; the boys ate peanuts and drank soda pop during the subsequent tavern stop. Remembered for designing the best decorated sugar cookies and announcing that he could see Santa from the front window on Christmas Eve. Remembered for making the most beautiful Easter eggs. Says the narrator was Grampa's favorite, probably after Bob. Bought the family a record player with his first job. Won top honors painting Halloween scenes on downtown store windows. Built an igloo with Bob and appeared in a newspaper picture. Plastered his room so well that the narrator says his work is still there. Shared a bedroom with Bob and Grampa. The narrator believes he helped choose the ivy wallpaper. Helped Bob tip over the outhouse after the 1950 addition. Dee's brother, whose Victorian home features plants, flowers, orchids, and bananas on the wall. Yellow is described as his happy color. The poem credits him with success involving commercials, books, and a Clio Award, and describes his enjoyment of traveling, dancing, and dining out. He encourages Dee to exercise and do yoga. One of the six younger siblings Iris helped care for. One of the two brothers already at home when Carol was born. Accompanied Daddy and Bob to the coal yard and climbed and slid down coal piles. Six years younger than Iris. Helped the girls make newspaper kites with Bob. Carol thought Bernie and Bob were probably the first to use Daddy's wooden bench at the meal table. Grew popcorn with Bob for one year in McFarland’s vacant lot, then dried, shelled, bagged, and sold it to movie theaters with Daddy's help. Went to the park early with Bob to save picnic tables. Bernie and Bob had copies of Hardy Boys books, which Carol also read. Told Carol about the spelling Floyde on Dad's birth certificate. Signed a 'Roses are red' autograph-book verse ending 'And so are you.' Drew beautiful covers for Carol's term papers. Carol believed the covers helped her grades. Said there was not enough room for these additions to the finished book. Bernie's stilts are recalled. Visited the narrator in Germany while Mom was there and joined the group's travels through Germany, Denmark, and Holland. Went hunting for rabbits and squirrels with Daddy and Bobby to provide food for the family. Visited and toured with Mom during Carol's years in Germany. Author of the signed recollection and photographer of the family portraits. Age 25 that day. Brought a borrowed Leica camera home to Moline at Christmas. Remembered Mom preserving pork sausage and sage patties in grease for Grandpa Williams. Still has the gray crock with blue hunting scenes used for this purpose. Planted a field of popcorn with the narrator one summer. Their relationship is not explicitly stated. Helped the narrator with pictures to replace the unwritten narrative. Broke an arm while ice skating. Robert thinks Bernie drove the stick-shift car made from a 1936 Chevy and a 1937 Chevy. Was eleven and a half and had just learned to drive on the Minnesota trip. Stopped before bridges so Dad could drive across. Later hosted the travelers for several days in San Francisco and was described as a great tour guide. Occupation also recorded as “Held the Kay Bee Clothing store job before Robert Ray Guild.” (Bob's Chapter). Planted a field of popcorn with the narrator and shared in selling several hundred pounds at ten cents per pound. Occupation also recorded as “Worked at the J.C. Penney Store in Moline before the narrator.” (Bob's Chapter). Receives special thanks from the narrator for his efforts in putting the book together. Born after Iris Lee. Later joined the fishing at the lake on Gus Falk's family's property. Remembered as a cute, mischievous, energetic little boy who broke Iris's toy china tea sets and swatted her behind. Iris would chase him with a dish towel until Mom stopped them. Remembered the small two-story tar-paper-covered house Dan built on Falk’s farm. Floyd's son, named for Bernal Almond Guild. Saw Dan and Olive for the last time in nursing homes and accompanied Minnesota visits. Not explicitly equated with Bernard James in the passage. Second child. Birth described as 'after the Great Depression ended in 1936'; later wording says Ethel was pregnant again with Bernie two years after her 1934 surgery. Sent Ethel to Germany in 1979 and joined the family tour of Germany and Denmark. Second child; passage describes his birth as after the Great Depression ended in 1936. Sent Ethel to Germany in 1979 and joined the family there for travel to Denmark. Readers are referred to Bernie’s memories for more about marbles. Bernie’s memories explain Cootie Catchers. Would amuse the family for hours playing Squiggles.

Timeline

April 11, 1936
Birth of BERNARD JAMES GUILD
The Guilds
Fifteen minutes after midnight, April 11th, 1936
Birth of Bernie
Born in the upstairs bedroom of his parents' rented house; weighed ten pounds.
Bernie's Chapter
Four days after birth
Bernie's circumcision
Bernie states that he was circumcised four days after his birth.
Bernie's Chapter
1936
Bernie is born
Second child, described as born after the Great Depression ended in 1936.
History of the Guild Family
After the Great Depression ended in 1936
Birth of Bernie
Second child and first son. Another statement says Ethel was pregnant with him two years after her 1934 surgery.
History of the Guild Family
the Forties
Learning to ride a bicycle
Daddy taught Bernard in less than ten minutes and praised him to John Reichenberg, not knowing Bernard had already practiced on Iris’ bike with Bobby's help.
Bernie's Chapter
the Forties
Bicycling to Coolidge Junior High School
Bernard was allowed to ride about a mile to school and parked in the large bicycle racks without a lock.
Bernie's Chapter
after the war, in the Forties
A small periscope from the postwar surplus-store era
Following the opening of a War Surplus Store, Bernard and Bob obtained a small periscope. Their plan to watch Sis Vergain undress failed because she kept her shade closed.
Bernie's Chapter
In the Forties
Ordering and hiding a Jane Russell photograph
Bernard sent for an eight-by-ten glossy photograph of Jane Russell in “The Outlaw” and kept it hidden in his dresser drawer.
Bernie's Chapter
July 16, 1942
Moving into the house on 39th Street
The family moved into the house when the narrator was six and Bob was five. The boys jumped out of the windows in glee.
Bernie's Chapter
V-E (Victory over Europe) Day in the late summer of 1945
Remembering V-E Day from the front porch
Bernard says he was nine and stood in misty rain feeling pride in America and sharing his family's excitement. The date is preserved as stated.
Bernie's Chapter
1946
Bernard's tenth birthday
Received only a coloring book and a small box of crayons, prompting his first remembered disappointment and a resolve not to be poor as an adult.
Bernie's Chapter
1947
Trip to Grandpa Dan Guild's funeral
Bernard traveled with Dad and Bob to the funeral. At eleven, he drove part of the journey and confronted his fear of crossing bridges.
Bernie's Chapter
1947
Trip to Grandpa Dan's funeral
Bernard says he was eleven and finally realized Dan was his grandfather during the trip to his funeral.
Bernie's Chapter
1947
Brilliant Northern Lights
Bernard remembers brilliant swirling Northern Lights during the Minnesota visits.
Bernie's Chapter
1947 (picture from that trip)
Childhood trip to Minnesota
Traveled with Dad to visit Dad’s brothers. Bernie was eleven and a half, and Robert was ten. Dad drove across the bridges because Bernie was hesitant.
Bob's Chapter
The Fifties
Bernie’s first job brings music home
Bernie bought the family a record player when he got his first job doing window displays.
Dee's Chapter
1950
Two bedrooms and a bathroom added
The narrator's father built the addition with no professional help. Bob and Bernie tipped over the outhouse.
Dee's Chapter
In 1952, at age sixteen
Bernard gets his first car
Acquired a ’36 Chevrolet to drive to Moline High School.
Bernie's Chapter
1953
Herman beaten outside the Chocolate Shop
Herman announced himself inside the shop after hearing rivals wanted a fight over his girlfriend. He was escorted to the alley and beaten while his friends waited outside in the narrator's car.
Bernie's Chapter
1953
Friends persuade Herman to seek treatment instead of revenge
Herman retrieved his .22 pistol from his house and threatened to shoot the man who broke his nose. On the return journey, his friends persuaded him to go to the hospital so his nose would not heal crooked.
Bernie's Chapter
September of 1954
Hired at Foote Cone and Belding
Applied for an art director job with a portfolio containing a chalk illustration of a man's shoe and string painting; hired and started in the mount room.
Bernie's Chapter
April of 1955
Draft examination results in 4F classification
Had just turned nineteen; failed the physician's examination in less than three minutes and returned to his drawing board at FCB.
Bernie's Chapter
that night, April 1955
Going-away money becomes a workplace party
Threw a party for everyone at work using money collected as his going-away present.
Bernie's Chapter
My twenty-first birthday in 1957
Moving in with Rick
Bernard moved into Rick’s small apartment after meeting him at Kitty Sheon’s.
Bernie's Chapter
New Year’s Day, 1960; heading says SAN FRANCISCO 1961
A snowy New Year’s arrival in San Francisco
Bernard arrived alone on one of the first jet-propelled passenger planes after a farewell party in Chicago. He says it snowed for the first time in one hundred years. Rick arrived a day later after staying for the movers. Bernard says they had lived together in Chicago for five years, despite also dating their move together to 1957.
Bernie's Chapter
1962
Purchase and improvement of the first house
Bought the house for eighteen thousand dollars with a two-thousand-dollar down payment loan from Rick’s father. Subsequently fixed it up, added a garden, and sold it for thirty-two thousand dollars; the sale date is not stated.
Bernie's Chapter
1965
Proceeds put into the Laurel Street house
Put the cash from the first house into 333 Laurel Street, fixed it up, and subsequently sold it for fifty-five thousand dollars. The sale date is not stated.
Bernie's Chapter
1973
Sausalito sale brings financial independence
Sold the house six years after buying it, at the peak of an inflationary spiral, for three hundred thousand dollars. Put the profit into various investments, realized he was rich, and resolved no longer to tolerate mistreatment at work.
Bernie's Chapter
1979
Ethel's cherished European holiday
Bernie sent Ethel to Germany to visit Carol's family, then joined them. They toured Germany and Denmark in a huge government-issued Mercedes.
History of the Guild Family
1979
Ethel’s dream trip to Europe
Bernie sent her to visit family stationed in Mainz with the Army, joined her, and traveled with the group to Denmark in a government-issued Mercedes.
History of the Guild Family
1982
Larry returns to his family home
Larry stopped living with Bernard and returned to his family home. The stated 1982 departure precedes the stated 1988 meeting; the contradiction is preserved.
Bernie's Chapter
1983
Frank moves in with Bernard
Frank moved in after attending art school.
Bernie's Chapter
1988
Meeting Larry on a Caribbean cruise
Bernard met Larry while on a cruise with Rick. Larry lived in Miami at the time.
Bernie's Chapter
1994
Art museum visits in Italy
Visited art museums; expressed a wish to see art in Paris next, not a completed Paris trip.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Bernie leaves home
After leaving home, Bernie sent wonderful birthday presents.
Barbara's Chapter
During childhood
Bernie interrupts an orchard game
Bernie caught the children playing Show and Tell in a cement sewer pipe and threatened to tell their mother if it happened again.
Diana's Chapter
Saturdays
Saturday auction sales and tavern stops
Dad, Bernie, and Bob attended auction sales at an unspecified location, then stopped at a local tavern in the Highland area.
Dee's Chapter
Halloween during childhood
Bernie’s Halloween window honors
Bernie repeatedly won top honors painting Halloween scenes on store windows.
Dee's Chapter
date not given
Dee visits Bernie in San Francisco
Dee visits her brother's Victorian home, enjoys his conversation and an outing to an old-time ice cream parlor, and leaves by trolley car.
Dee's Chapter
date not given
Coal-yard trips with Bob and Bernie
Daddy took Bob and Bernie to an unnamed industrial coal yard to collect furnace coal. The two climbed and slid down coal piles while Daddy loaded the trailer.
Carol's Chapter
one year
Bernie and Bob grow and sell popcorn
The boys grew popcorn to sell and were allowed to keep the proceeds. Daddy helped plant the corn, offered harvest helpers fifty cents for finding an ear of Indian corn, bought a sheller, and drove the boys to movie theaters to make sales.
Carol's Chapter
At age eight months
Bernie's first word
His first word was “Bernie.”
Bernie's Chapter
kindergarten
Walks with Grampa to kindergarten
Grampa walks the narrator beside the railroad tracks and foundry wall to school and returns to walk him home.
Bernie's Chapter
My fifth birthday
A joyful fifth birthday
Wearing a red Superman sweat shirt, the narrator twirls in dewy grass by the picket fence until everyone falls down.
Bernie's Chapter
First grade
First prize for alphabet printing
The narrator wins first prize in an alphabet-printing contest judged by the teacher's mother. Mommy is happy because she taught him to write.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Arnold is locked out for lateness
The teacher locks the door and asks the class to remain quiet when Arnold knocks. They let him in after he begins crying.
Bernie's Chapter
Christmas
Meeting Christmas Baby Carol
The children tiptoe in to see their new sister sleeping in a laundry basket. Grandpa is upset because Mommy is sick.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Mommy comes home with Baby Delores
Mommy goes away and returns with Baby Delores; Daddy returns with ice cream.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
May baskets with Iris
Iris helps the narrator make purple-paper baskets filled with Lilies of the Valley. They hang them on a neighbor's doorknob and run away.
Bernie's Chapter
Almost immediately after the purchase and over the years
Making the small house into a lasting home
Dad raised the house and built a basement, chimney, and water system, then enlarged the kitchen and added bedrooms and indoor plumbing. Bob and the narrator helped a little with the bedrooms; Grampa is remembered helping with the early garden and basement work. Later came green asphalt siding, a new garage, and a work shed. The chicken coop became a playhouse. By the telling, the home was Dee’s and had white siding again with forest-green shutters.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Growing and selling popcorn with Bernie
Used Dad's corn-seed planting device on land loaned by neighbors. Sold several hundred pounds of popcorn at ten cents per pound and were allowed to keep the money.
Bob's Chapter
After graduating from high school
Sales and management training at J.C. Penney
Bernie worked there before the narrator, who became the best salesperson in the men’s department and entered management training.
Bob's Chapter
During the years in Germany
Visits and touring with Mom and Bernie
Carol remembers visits and touring with Mom and Bernie.
Carol's Chapter
At Christmas; on Carol’s 23rd birthday
Family portraits during Bernie's Christmas visit
Bernie photographed the family with a borrowed Leica camera against orange and green fabric in the girls’ bedroom.
Carol's Chapter
During the same Christmas trip home
Jerry Edlund photographs Bernie
Jerry Edlund took the portrait of Bernie included to complete the family photo folio.
Carol's Chapter
one New Year’s Eve
New Year's Eve drive to Chicago
Drove the Chevrolet to Chicago without permission.
Bernie's Chapter
after driving for over four years
Bernard applies for his driver's license
Paid twenty-five cents; no test was required.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Excused from Driver's Ed road practice
The teacher allowed Bernard to take “Road Time” off after seeing that he could drive.
Bernie's Chapter
21 days after my seventeenth birthday
High school graduation with honors
Graduated Honor Society in the top 10 of a class of 300.
Bernie's Chapter
During high school
Poetry contest win
Won a poetry contest with what he calls a really juvenile poem about a clock.
Bernie's Chapter
During high school
Senior Fine Arts Award for Art
Won the Senior Fine Arts Award for Art.
Bernie's Chapter
During high school
Comedy writing for the ADC Fellowship show
Wrote a comedy review for the ADC Fellowship show.
Bernie's Chapter
one night
Hiding under Herman's car
After rivals came looking for them at their hangout, the narrator recalls hiding under Herman's car until the pursuers stopped cruising around.
Bernie's Chapter
During one of Mother's long summer visits to California, after Daddy's death
A summer conversation about his parents' marriage
The narrator's mother told him that her husband's authority had never come into question for her, despite the girls' strong views, and reaffirmed that he had been a good man.
Bernie's Chapter
“Blizzard of the Century”
Walking home alone in a blizzard
Took a shortcut home from school through three-foot-deep snow, arriving after three hours. Mother was hysterical, and Bernard received a razor-strap spanking of one or two swats.
Bernie's Chapter
what was to become our last trip there
Last visit to Dan Guild's grave
While the family visited and pulled weeds, Myrtle suggested digging Dan up to see what he looked like. Bernard believed she meant it.
Bernie's Chapter
Often daily
Frequent junk-trading outings with Daddy
Bernie and Bobby accompanied Daddy on car trips to trade junk, often visiting Hugh Chase's house. Hugh and Daddy traded items or went elsewhere to arrange trades with others.
Bernie's Chapter
after W.W.II
Bob and Bernard treated for ringworm
The narrator attributes the epidemic to returning GI's from the South Pacific. Louis Arp treated the boys weekly; Daddy's successful use of Kerodin reportedly became standard treatment after the doctors heard about it.
Bernie's Chapter
when we were very young
Whooping cough exposure and quarantine
Mom made Bob spit in the children's mouths so they would become ill together. The narrator says everyone caught it except him, but he was quarantined to the house.
Bernie's Chapter
when I was twelve
Tooth extraction under gas
Under gas, the narrator saw a spinning blue merry-go-round over a deep blue lake, a disturbing image he still remembers.
Bernie's Chapter
the day before Kennedy was shot
Bernard's tonsil surgery
Previously avoided tonsil removal because he feared ether after his experience with dental gas.
Bernie's Chapter
the day after the narrator's tonsil surgery
Hearing the news that Kennedy was shot
The narrator was on his sofa eating potato chips when Walter Cronkite came on with news of the shooting.
Bernie's Chapter
at an age too early to remember
Dog bite leaves a lasting lip scar
A dog bit the narrator on the lip when he would not give it its stick.
Bernie's Chapter
Once
Mom endures shoulder bursitis
Dad made Mom tough out severe shoulder pain sitting in a rocking chair. The narrator found her suffering unbearable to watch and disliked Dad's response.
Bernie's Chapter
When Diana was a little girl
Diana's painful leg illness
The narrator feared Diana would lose her leg and prayed nightly for healing. He remembers her courage as sustaining the family through the illness.
Bernie's Chapter
most of the summer
Building Floyd Guild’s Well
After choosing a site with a willow divining rod, Floyd cast a dozen concrete rings, each three feet high and three feet in diameter with approximately eight-inch-thick walls. He excavated beneath successive rings until the well was thirty-three feet deep. Bernard and Bob helped winch dirt; Dale McFarland and Tom Johnson are tentatively identified as neighbors who later helped. One unused ring was rolled to the orchard.
Bernie's Chapter
a hot day, just before Dad hit water
A Secret Descent into the Well
Dad and Dale lowered shirtless Bernard into the well using a rough rope halter. He recalled painful rope, intense cold, and seeing stars in daylight from the bottom. Dad required secrecy under threat of the razor strap.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Bernard leaves for California
Mom cried when Bernard left for California. He felt guilty about going so far away and could not think of how to comfort her.
Bernie's Chapter
Every payday all my working life
Payday support for Mom and Dad
Bernard sent his parents money every payday, sometimes only twenty-five dollars, as a measure of repayment for their hard work and sacrifice.
Bernie's Chapter
When I was sixteen or seventeen
Quiet evening conversations with Mom
Bernard sat alone with Mom in the kitchen at night and felt privileged by their more adult conversations.
Bernie's Chapter
When Bernard was about eight or nine
Childhood visit to the LeClaire Hotel
His father took him into the lobby to see a black man shining shoes. The man smiled and offered Bernard a shoe shine; Bernard was unable to answer, and his father led him away.
Bernie's Chapter
When Bernard was sixteen years old
A week of art classes at Robert Allerton Park
The Women’s Club of Illinois selected Bernard for a week of classes taught by art leaders. His father drove him there and picked him up afterward. Raushenberger’s lesson on seeing beauty became a lifelong influence.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
An unsuccessful swimming lesson
Bernard's father threw him into the river wearing muslin water-wings. Bernard sank, emerged, and was grabbed by his father, who carried him out while Bernard clung to him.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Bernie's ice-skating injury
Bernie broke an arm while ice skating.
Bob's Chapter
Early Fifties
A school car built from two junk Chevys
The narrator's father combined a junker 1936 Chevy and a junker 1937 Chevy into one working stick-shift car to take the children to school. Robert thinks Bernie, Carol, and he all drove it.
Bob's Chapter
date not given
Three-week family vacation out West
A five-thousand-mile trip in a new 1975 station wagon, including several days with Bernie in San Francisco and visits to friends in San Bernardino. The passage gives the car's model year but does not explicitly date the vacation.
Bob's Chapter
date not given
Cutting weeds in the orchard
Dad assigned Bob and the narrator to cut orchard weeds with a large scythe and a hand sickle; later he mowed with a blade behind his homemade tractor.
Bernie's Chapter
One year
A blackberry harvest large enough to sell
After an especially abundant wild blackberry harvest, Grampa sold berries house to house to rich people in Villa Park.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
A peppered bouquet for Mrs. Rohrer
The children tried to make Mrs. Rohrer sneeze by presenting flowers sprinkled with ground black pepper.
Bernie's Chapter
every year
Annual visits to the Soap Box Derby races
The children watched races each year after abandoning their own racer plans because wheels were too expensive. The narrator recalls crashes at the curve just down from The Plantation restaurant.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Lost shoes recovered in the woods
The narrator lost his new shoes for two days. His father found them in the woods, and the narrator received a licking.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Impromptu performances at The Play House
Children dressed in donated old clothes and performed homemade acts in a converted chicken coop for siblings and neighborhood children.
Bernie's Chapter
More than once during the narrator's childhood
Returning marble winnings
The narrator recalls that other children's parents forced him and his companions to return marbles won after enticing those children to play “for keeps.”
Bernie's Chapter
When the narrator and Bob were about seven or eight
First bone-handled pocketknives
Daddy gave each a small bone-handled pocketknife, and they immediately learned to play Mumblety-peg.
Bernie's Chapter
One summer day, when the narrator was about ten
Making peach ice cream with summer hail
After a sudden hailstorm, Mrs. Fry and the children used collected hail and rock salt to freeze peach ice cream in nested cans, then ate it on the porch.
Bernie's Chapter
Later
Iris discovers a childhood game
Iris and a girlfriend spied Bernard and Toby playing doctor and threatened to tell on them. Bernard worried about it for a long time.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Grampa Williams dies in Bernard's arms
Bernard recalls Grampa dying in his arms and holding a mirror to his mouth to see whether he was still breathing.
Bernie's Chapter
Christmas one year
A shared Flexible Flyer for Christmas
The narrator and Bob received a new Flexible Flyer sled, which they rode together rather than taking turns.
Bernie's Chapter
winter
Winter sledding in the Big Woods
They rode a steep, winding path and continued along the frozen creek to a log at a small pond. The long walk back limited them to a couple of runs.
Bernie's Chapter
winter
Spinning downhill in a homemade Shell sign toboggan
The narrator's father attached a rope to half of a metal Shell sign for use as a toboggan. It carried three or more children and spun rapidly down the crowded hill.
Bernie's Chapter
Pre-Christmas; year not stated
Jenny Swanson's pre-Christmas luncheon
Jenny invited the neighborhood's “poor children” to lunch. Bernard accepted a small present but felt that including his family was a crushing insult.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Imagining a different family home
Daddy discussed buying a two-story house a few doors up from the Ferrys. Bernard imagined decorating and landscaping it. No purchase or move is reported.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
A sign for Dad's workshop
Bernard posted “A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING AND EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE” in an unsuccessful attempt to encourage tidiness. Dad was amused.
Bernie's Chapter
When the narrator was about ten
Childhood visit to Chicago
The narrator traveled with Billy Johnson and his parents to visit Grandma and Grandpa Hobson. The trip included lunch at Marshall Field’s and buying a toy for Bob.
Bernie's Chapter
When we got home
Tom Johnson’s lesson in gratitude
Tom scolded the narrator for failing to thank others. The narrator felt embarrassed, never told his parents, disliked Tom afterward, and thereafter always remembered to give thanks.
Bernie's Chapter
Every year in junior and senior high
Annual Halloween storefront window painting
Designed and painted Halloween windows, including a motorboat-race satire referring to parking and making out at the airport.
Bernie's Chapter
When Bernard was about seven
Church Halloween party as “Daisy Guild”
Iris dressed Bernard as a girl with spit curls and introduced him as “Daisy Guild.” He bobbed for apples, got water up his nose, and recalled that no one guessed he was a boy.
Bernie's Chapter
Late fall, at twilight, when the narrator was twelve or thirteen
Bernard chases and punches Sonny
After a girl, probably Carol, yelled that Sonny was peeping, Bernard caught Sonny running away and punched his shoulder. He stopped when Sonny cried and he felt overwhelming remorse. He did not strike Sonny in the face despite a vaguely remembered bystander’s urging.
Bernie's Chapter
A few days after the fight
A warning that stayed with Bernard
While Bernard was playing Kick The Can, Sonny’s mother came to the fence and told him about Sonny’s surgery, warning that he could have seriously hurt Sonny. Bernard did not answer her and says he never struck another person.
Bernie's Chapter
during the war
Uncle Lloyd serves in New Guinea and returns wounded
Signal Corps service followed by a wounded return home; he gave Bernard a bloodstained Japanese flag and Japanese and U.S. Occupation Scrip money.
Bernie's Chapter
After V-J DAY; being only ten
Overheard accounts of atrocities shape Bernard's attitude toward war
Listening from bed to his parents' quiet breakfast conversation, Bernard was horrified and decided never to go to war.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
A frightening visit to the Royal American Shows
His father took him into an atrocity exhibit containing graphic photographs and wax recreations, including a replica identified as Tojo. Tojo was represented, not present. Bernard also recalls seeing an exotic dancer outside a tent.
Bernie's Chapter
When we were about eleven
Billy Johnson receives Gypsy
Neighborhood children gathered to admire Billy's Shetland pony. Ray leaped onto her back, provoking an angry reaction from Tom.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Forrester's dogs are fenced in
After the dogs repeatedly chased Bernard on his ride home, Dad complained that they bit at him and ripped his good pants. The dogs were fenced in after the confrontation.
Bernie's Chapter
Once, during childhood
A bicycle trip to Ray's cave hideout
The boys rode and carried their bicycles along a creek. Despite Bernard's exhaustion, Ray led him to a hillside cave floored with flattened cardboard boxes. Ray offered corn-silk cigarettes rolled in newspaper; Bernard tried one, which was strong and at one point burst into flames.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Floyd Guild's garage raising
Neighbors built a garage in one day. Floyd promised a ham dinner and expected over twenty people; Mom received only one day's notice, and Virginia helped prepare the meal.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Daddy builds a homemade tree sprayer
Daddy cut down an old Willys chassis, welded the parts together, reconfigured its transmission for larger tires, and built a pump. A hundred-gallon drum was eventually replaced with a wooden tank from King’s Apple Orchard.
Bernie's Chapter
when we first graveled it
Leveling the driveway and digging a ditch
Bernard drove the homemade tractor while Daddy guided a heavy scoop behind it to level the driveway. They used the same method to dig a ditch behind the garage for used washing machine water. Dale said a shovel would have been faster.
Bernie's Chapter
Occasionally, later on ... in the spring
Plowing neighbors’ gardens for five dollars
Daddy sometimes brought a Deere’s tractor home for a day or two. While he was at work, Bernard used it to plow neighbors’ gardens for five dollars. Bernard explicitly expressed uncertainty about Bob’s participation and whether they ever got caught.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Planting a half-acre of popcorn
Bob and Bernard learned to drive the tractor and maneuver the plow while planting popcorn. Bernard plowed other gardens that year with Daddy supervising.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Eileen punished for breaking a glass
The narrator recalls watching in terror as Mrs. Peterson slapped Eileen after she broke a plain drinking glass.
Bernie's Chapter
When we were, maybe, ten years old
Bernard takes Billy's BB gun to protect kittens
Billy threatened kittens in a rusty burn barrel. Bernard took the gun and ran away; its sharp sight ripped Billy's palm open.
Bernie's Chapter
one day
Bob and Bernard leave Billy stuck in mud
During a tremendous rainstorm, Billy became stuck knee-deep in mud. Bob and Bernard left him there and told no one.
Bernie's Chapter
every Fourth
Family Fourth of July fireworks
Daddy brought home a bag of fireworks for the family to enjoy after dark.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Public fireworks at Soul Bowl
The family watched fireworks put on by the Moline Daily Dispatch from the hillside surrounding the playing field.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Trying Daddy's firecracker trick
Bob and the narrator both burned their fingers attempting Daddy's trick with tiny firecrackers.
Bernie's Chapter
for a few years
Herby Spahn's roadside fireworks stand
Herby operated a fireworks stand supplied through trips to Saint Louis, Missouri. He gave free fireworks to the narrator and companions for helping attract customers.
Bernie's Chapter
A summer night when the narrator was about eight and Bob about seven
A summer visit to Harry Means's home frightens the boys
The narrator's father helped Harry put down his hunting dog. The boys misunderstood an overheard conversation and rifle shot, believing a man had been killed.
Bernie's Chapter
A long time later
The narrator learns what happened that night
The narrator overheard Harry Means discussing putting down his hunting dog with Daddy's help, revealing the truth behind the frightening childhood outing.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Bernard skips fourth grade
After skipping fourth grade, Bernard ended up in Miss Carlson's classroom.
Bernie's Chapter
The entire semester
A semester of marionette making
Miss Carlson had pupils make marionettes for a planned end-of-semester show. Bernard made a jointed farm boy from cigarette papers and library paste.
Bernie's Chapter
After one semester
Miss Carlson is fired and the puppets are confiscated
The narrator says Miss Carlson was fired for failing to teach lessons. She never returned, and the school confiscated the puppet materials. Bernard never recovered his marionette. The children's belief that she had been taken to jail is not confirmed.
Bernie's Chapter
In sixth grade, when I was eleven
Skating fall and broken arm
Fell playing Crack The Whip while learning to skate. His father paid seventy-five dollars to have the arm set. The newspaper reported a fractured right wrist.
Bernie's Chapter
Sixth grade, after breaking his arm
An A-plus for a left-handed geography map
Made a three-dimensional map of the Yucatan Peninsula with his left hand, including green ricrac palm trees.
Bernie's Chapter
Twelfth grade
Choosing art as a life’s work
Decided art would be his life work.
Bernie's Chapter
High school
Improvising Cuckoos on the Hearth
Most cast members made up their lines, leaving the drama teacher uncertain when each act ended and distressing the actress who had memorized her part.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Swimming prerequisite stops Explorer Scout advancement
Although Bernard loved Scouting and had earned over twenty merit badges, his inability to swim prevented him from advancing to Explorer Scout.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Shoe sales finance plans for art school
Bernard saved enough from his salary and significant shoe-sales bonuses for art-school tuition and a little rent money.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Bernie goes to Chicago to attend art school
Bernie went to Chicago intending to enroll in art school and find part-time work to support himself.
Bernie's Chapter
A Monday morning in July
First day of figure drawing at Ray Vogue
Learner directed one-minute sketches of a nude model. Bernie struggled with anxiety but ultimately discovered that his drawing compared favorably with his classmates' work.
Bernie's Chapter
The morning of his first day
Bernie pays his tuition deposit
Mrs. Ray explained that tuition must always be paid in advance. Bernie says most of his savings from Penny’s went toward the five-hundred-dollar tuition.
Bernie's Chapter
Bernie's first day at art school
Bernie and Byron become friends
Byron invited Bernie into the hall for a cigarette, introduced himself, discussed Learner, offered encouragement about finding work, and invited Bernie to lunch at Charmettes.
Bernie's Chapter
When his final rent for the shared North Side apartment came due
Bernie finds work selling shoes
Hired at $1.25 an hour, working from one to seven after classes and all day Saturday: forty hours and fifty dollars weekly, plus a twenty-percent clothing discount. Received a fifty-dollar advance on his first day.
Bernie's Chapter
Shortly after starting at Winsberg’s
Room and board with Bertie
Bertie offered room and board near the store, helping her finances and shortening the narrator’s travel time.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
An introduction to advertising and a fast MG ride
Over Brandy Alexanders, Tom Brown used Life magazine ads to explain selling strategies. Bernie became interested in art direction. Brown then let him drive his vintage MG, which Bernie says he took to 110 miles per hour while both were intoxicated.
Bernie's Chapter
Their two-year hitch at Ray Vogue
Two years of art school and friendship
The narrator found artistic direction and an accepting peer group. Byron organized large art parties, renting halls, hiring bands, and selling tickets to cover costs.
Bernie's Chapter
During his time in Chicago; later in his new Vauxhall
Journeys home by train and car
Returned home whenever possible on the Rock Island Rocket, with family meeting him at the depot. Later drove his new Vauxhall, but preferred the train for its simplicity and the chance to relax.
Bernie's Chapter
at six months
First account assignment wins client approval
Assigned Armour Chemicals and sent to keep making layouts until the client approved one. His layout succeeded after five previous layouts had been refused.
Bernie's Chapter
my very first year
Art directing award for a Chicago Tribune poster
Won an art directing award during his first year at FCB.
Bernie's Chapter
During five years in the Chicago office
First television commercial
First FCB art director permitted to work on a TV commercial. His first was the animated “Mr. Oops” for Dial liquid dishwashing detergent.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Asked to help the San Francisco office
Cone asked Bernard to help save the office and promised a train ticket home if he did not like it. The passage does not describe the actual move.
Bernie's Chapter
Shortly before moving in with Rick in 1957
An unaffordable apartment with Byron
The narrator calls this a false move to a too-fancy apartment he could not afford.
Bernie's Chapter
After 257 Hampton Court; for a couple of years
A shared home on Surf Street
They lived here before moving to San Francisco.
Bernie's Chapter
After arriving in San Francisco
A new apartment with a bay view
Rick found a new apartment near the Castro with a view of San Francisco Bay. Bernard mentions a huge raise in pay.
Bernie's Chapter
The next day
A white convertible and a hill-driving lesson
Bernard bought a brand new white 1961 Volkswagen convertible for $1,200.00 and was horrified by the salesman’s hill-driving lesson.
Bernie's Chapter
After only a few months in San Francisco
First European advertising assignments
On his first trip to Europe, on FCB, Bernard worked on a Renauld of France sunglass campaign in Paris and a Beauty on the Beach suntan lotion ad in Cannes. Bob introduced him to fine dining, antique shops, and Versailles.
Bernie's Chapter
over the years
Bernard's travels over the years
Lists visits to London, Paris, Cote de Zur, Italy, Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda, Greece, Mikinos, San Torini, Rhodes, Crete, Istanbul, Turkey, Canada, Alaska, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Granada, other Caribbean islands, Japan, Thailand, China, Taiwan, and Hawaii. Reports visiting Hawaii twenty-five times.
Bernie's Chapter
six years before its sale in 1973
Purchase of the Sausalito house
Sausalito came after Laurel Street. The purchase price is written as “sixty-nine.”
Bernie's Chapter
After the Sausalito sale
Purchase of the Cumberland Street home
Bought the house for one hundred and eighteen thousand dollars and still lives there at the time of telling.
Bernie's Chapter
After living together for about sixteen years
Bernard and Rick go their own ways
Decided to go their own ways after about sixteen years living together.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Learning sign language together
Learned sign language because Larry had many deaf friends.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Stays at Uncle Irv’s beach-view condo
Bernard and Larry used Uncle Irv’s large staffed condo whenever Irv was not there.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Larry introduces Bernard to Frank
Larry had known Frank in Florida.
Bernie's Chapter
for a while
Advertising collaboration at FCB
Frank worked as a copywriter at FCB and teamed with Bernard on several accounts.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Producing C and H Sugar commercials in Hawaii
Frank wrote and Bernard art directed two commercials. They resisted the director’s proposed rewrites and were pleased with the results.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Bernie and Bob have ringworm
Barbara remembers nylon hose knotted on their heads.
Barbara's Chapter
Every year at Easter
Family Easter traditions
Egg coloring and hunts, new Sunday clothes, Sunday school, and a large homemade dinner.
Dee's Chapter
Winter during childhood
An igloo earns a newspaper picture
Bernie and Bob built an Eskimo igloo and got their picture in the paper.
Dee's Chapter
date not given
Family picnics at Riverside Park
Recurring family picnics, including gatherings with families from Mom's 500 Club, featured specialty foods, cards, playground play, swimming afterward, and watermelon before going home.
Carol's Chapter
Fifth and sixth grade
Carol keeps a class autograph book
Class autograph books were popular during these grades. Carol's surviving book contains verses from family and friends.
Carol's Chapter
Three months, when Carol, Charlie, and Chris lived in Germany
Mom's three-month visit to Germany
Mom visited for three months. Bernie visited during her stay, and the group traveled throughout Germany, Denmark, and Holland.
Carol's Chapter
One summer
Growing and selling popcorn
Bob and Bernie grew popcorn with Dad's permission to keep the proceeds. His story of a gold ear encouraged a quick harvest. They found no gold ear and sold the popcorn for ten cents a pound.
Bob's Chapter
Bernie and Bob too, later on.
Fishing at the Falk family's lake
Iris and Dad fished at the lake, with Bernie and Bob joining later. They caught many fish and enjoyed fried fish instead of mutton stew.
Iris's Chapter
Before Bob was driving his four younger sisters to school
Bernie moves to Chicago
Bernie had moved to Chicago by this period.
Diana's Chapter
After her birth in 1938
Carol comes home to her siblings
Carol went home to the apartment to join her sister Iris and brothers Bobby and Bernie.
Carol's Chapter
Later that day
Carol’s 23rd birthday celebration
The family celebrated Carol’s 23rd birthday after the portrait session.
Carol's Chapter
Later years, usually 'Forth of July'
Minnesota family reunion trips
Visited Floyd's siblings and parents. Floyd stopped going to Minnesota after his mother died.
History of the Guild Family

Stories mentioning Bernard

In the family geneagram

Recorded in the geneagram kept with the book. Where the corrected pages and the master run differ, both readings are shown and the corrected one is the reading the archive follows.

Corrected record · Bernard James Guild

Born: April 11, 1936, Moline, Illinois (Home Birth)
Died: Joined(1st) October 12, 1957 Rick LaCroix (Changed name from Joseph Paul in 1965)
Born: June 21, 1930, Chicago Illinois
Died: .......Joined........ (2nd) September 1, 1977

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Master record — superseded · Bernard James Guild

Born: April 11, 1936, Moline, IL.(Home Birth)
Died: (Bernie's data)

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Referenced in

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