Theme
Music
Barbara's Chapter
Daddy’s Lap, Garden, and Backyard Workshop
Barbara warmly remembers curling up in Daddy's lap and describes his old-time remedies, including cigarette smoke for earaches, hot lemonade with booze, Samon Salve, and an overpowering experiment with menthol crystals in a furnace-connected vaporizer. Family activities included drag races, wrestling, golf, gathering nuts and grapes, and working hard in the garden and orchard. She recalls reading in an apple tree, his embarrassment-inducing old cars, his objections to girls attending college, Friday grocery and library trips, Christmas gifts, singing, trading, and inventive repairs. She also remembers helping him adjust and repair the television and his name for homes south of Coal Town Road: “Frogtown.”
Barbara's Chapter
Treasured Presents, Music, and Bicycle Rides
Barbara remembers Iris’s gift of a comic-book subscription and Bernie’s love of Mario Lanza records and thoughtful birthday presents after leaving home. Bob teased her and helped her do flip-overs; she took Carol’s outfits while Carol worked, and Dee styled or cut her hair before school. Barbara played most with Diana, riding bicycles on 39th Street, where a dog once tried to bite Diana but 'got the wrong leg.'
Barbara's Chapter
Radio, Sock Hops, and Teenage Days
Barbara recalls listening to KSTT—1170 AM and WLS—890, cruising Rock Island's One-Ways with girlfriends, Maid Rite sandwiches, and Whitey’s ice cream, where her mother always chose a strawberry cone. Her teen memories include sock hops, poodle skirts, crinolines, cinch belts, saddle shoes, Capezios, and curling irons heated on the gas stove. She remembers ten-cent fries after McDonalds opened during junior high, lunchtime dancing at Coolidge Jr. High, homecoming floats, 4-H and the County Fair, baby-sitting, work at Turnstyle and the Hasty Tasty, ironing even pillowcases, pizza's growing popularity, televised basketball tournaments, and hearing about the first man going into space over the school intercom.
Diana's Chapter · Childhood through high school
Seven Children, Shared Adventures, and Sisterly Mischief
Diana remembers Iris cutting hair, Bernie rescuing her from punishment and playing records, and Bob driving four younger sisters to school and building an igloo with Billy Johnson. Carol served as a second mother, led 4-H meetings, and accompanied Diana to the State Fair. Dee was a card-playing companion and peacekeeper. Diana and Barb shared sleeping space, television suppers, prank calls, forbidden games, and adventures with Carol’s car. Family outings included the drive-in, ice cream, carnival rides, and drag races.
Diana's Chapter · 1926 onward
Lee's Many Talents and a Scooter Ride into the Family
Diana traces Lee's childhood near his extended family, work in his grandfather's grocery store, school achievements, Naval service, ministry, teaching, and successful insurance business. After his first marriage failed, Diana met him three years after his divorce. Her father initially regarded Lee suspiciously, but a bold scooter ride with Diana became a memorable turning point. Lee and her father remained friends, and Lee took him to the hospital when he had a stroke. Lee also formed a close bond with Mom and managed his best friend Sy Fox's campaign.
Dee's Chapter · 1949; the Fifties; later recollections
The First Television and the Music That Stayed
The parents returned from Diana’s 1949 leg operation in Chicago with the family’s first black-and-white television. Dee contrasts television with the radio programs that had fed her imagination. Bernie bought a record player after starting window-display work, and Dee repeatedly played Patty Page’s The Tennessee Waltz. Bob and Sue danced, Barb and Margie adored Pat Boone, and Barbie and Diana played instruments. Years later, Diana’s warped violin was discarded, rescued by Mr. Sajben, repaired, and played by his son; Dee regretted being unable to recover it.
Carol's Chapter
Christmas Records, Boxes of Goodies, and Mom's Fruitcake
Carol recalls her mother playing favorite Christmas records and baking from just after Thanksgiving until Christmas. The cold back porch served as a freezer for the treats. After the children left home, their mother mailed them large boxes of cookies, candy, and breads. Her annual Depression Fruitcake was made early, repeatedly soaked in brandy, baked in assorted containers, and finished with glaze and candied fruit. Carol and her father dearly loved it.
Carol's Chapter
Rainy Days and Sunset Campfires at White Eagle
Carol attended White Eagle 4-H Camp with Dee and Eilene Peterson, wearing halter tops her mother made for the three of them. They slept in tents, ate in a communal dining room, and used latrines down a long wooded path. Swimming in the river, making crafts, singing around sunset campfires, and making S’mores kept the week enjoyable despite constant rain.
Carol's Chapter
The Family Camper and Her Summer Songs
Carol was a Brownie and then a Girl Scout. Her father drove her to Camp Shabone in Port Byron many summers, and she remembered herself as the family’s “camper.” She recalled songs about making new friends and the upward trail, as well as Tell Me Why and Down in the Valley.
Carol's Chapter · Childhood–1995
A Lifetime of Faith at Calvary
Carol recalls riding the Sunday school bus to Calvary Lutheran Church as a young child. Her father never attended church, but her mother joined after his death and worshipped with Carol every Sunday until she died. Carol participated extensively in church life through teaching, singing, office work, groups, and council service. She was baptized and confirmed there at fifteen on May 16, 1954, married her first husband Don Boney there, and recalls Chris's baptism and confirmation there. She describes over fifty years of membership before transferring to a church in North Port, Florida, in 1995.
Carol's Chapter · 1951–1954
Woodland Walks, Taffy Apples, and Junior High Days
Carol recalled seventh through ninth grade at Coolidge Junior High School. She often walked through a slightly frightening wooded shortcut and stopped at King’s Apple Orchard for a taffy apple on her way home. She earned good grades without much studying and was a favorite of her Home Economics teacher, Mrs. McManus. Her social life included slumber parties, pin curls, record shopping in soundproof listening booths, and jukebox sock hops. She bought her first seamed nylons for her first dance, attended football and basketball games, and played intramural sports.
Carol's Chapter · 1954–1957
Nickels for Favorite Records
Carol remembers loving records, repeatedly spending nickels on jukebox favorites and faithfully listening to the Top 40 on the radio.
Carol's Chapter · 1950s and after her high school graduation
Carol’s Favorite Songs and the Record She Kept
Carol recalls Elvis Presley as The King and a teenage idol whose hip movements upset parents. She lists favorite songs by Elvis Presley, Tab Hunter, Everly Brothers, Paul Anka, Debbie Reynolds, Pat Boone, Bobby Darin, and Neil Sedaka. Oh! Carol became a hit after she graduated from high school and remained a favorite because it included her name; it was the only 45 rpm record she still owned.
Carol's Chapter
Moline Cheers and Chocolate Marshmallow Malts
Carol shares the school song cheering for Moline and recalls using Lila’s dad’s pick-up truck to attend pep rallies and football games. Afterward, they loaded friends into the back of the truck and went to Iowanna Dairy in Davenport for chocolate marshmallow malts.
Carol's Chapter
Carol’s Extra Basket of Back-Then Memories
After the book was finished, Carol collected memories Bernie said there was not enough room to include. Her nostalgic list moves from Mom reading the funnies, homemade treats, and Dad's comparison of a Studebaker to a two-row corn picker to Bob's Davy Crockett hat, Bernie's stilts, school dances, fashions, childhood games, illnesses, street names, music, and remembered entertainment quotations.
Carol's Chapter · 1993–present
Phase Two: Sunshine, Church Friends, and Swans
After retiring from the Rock Island Arsenal in October 1993, Carol describes moving to Florida in July 1995 and enjoying a slower life in North Port. Church friendships, reading, keyboard playing, and Christmas ornament making fill her retirement. A swan collection begun with Charlie's anniversary gifts has grown to more than one hundred through gifts from family and friends.
Carol's Chapter · Childhood–1999
Chris: Backyard Friendships, Soccer, and a Life in Music
Carol's determination to live in the Coolidge school district placed Chris near three boys who became lifelong friends. His enthusiasm for soccer led to memorable football kicks and the captaincy of Moline Senior High School's first soccer team. At Northern Illinois University, he turned toward guitar and a college band while earning his degree. He later released a CD, founded a record company, supported local musicians, wrote music journalism, and compiled a family recipe book presented at the 1999 reunion.
Bernie's Chapter · High school and classmates’ later careers
Improvised Lines and Memorable Classmates
Bernard enjoyed building sets and performing in school productions. In Cuckoos on the Hearth, nearly the whole cast improvised, alarming Miss Rosenberg and upsetting the one actress who knew her lines. He also recalls the theatrical and musical talents of Herman Zimmerman, later a Star Trek production designer, and names classmates Maynard Swanson, Don Swenson, and Stan Leech as later holders of public office.
Bernie's Chapter · Childhood, including age sixteen or seventeen, and later recollections
Quiet Kitchen Talks and the Supper Call
At sixteen or seventeen, Bernard treasured quiet kitchen conversations while his mother ate a small sandwich and drank her last coffee of the day. She spoke of missing Grampa, worrying about Diana, and Dad's hard work without complaining. Overheard parental discussions revealed a cooperative decision-making partnership. Bernard also remembers listening to radio serials beside Daddy until Mom's familiar supper call, her delicious meals, and Dad's singing and whistling. He could still recall Mom's earlier voice but remembered Dad's speaking voice chiefly from later telephone calls after moving to California.
Bernie's Chapter · 1988 meeting; 1982 departure; 1993 death (dates as written)
Remembering Life and Travels with Larry
After recalling about sixteen years living with Rick, Bernard describes meeting Larry Savitz on a Caribbean cruise with Rick in 1988. Larry brought singing, friendships, sign language, dancing, parties, and cruises into Bernard’s life. Especially treasured were visits to Larry’s Uncle Irv’s beach-view condo in Aculpolco. Bernard also states that Larry returned to Philadelphia in 1982, contradicting the meeting date. Larry died there of AIDS in 1993, and Bernard remembers him with affection.
Iris's Chapter
Childhood Visits to the House in the Woods
Iris remembers her grandparents’ Minnesota woodland home, built by Grandpa and divided into sleeping and living areas with sheets hung from ropes. She brushed Grandma Olive’s hair outdoors, while Grandpa Dan entertained chipmunks with sunflower seeds in his pocket. Milk and butter were kept cool in a deep well, and mutton stew simmered on the stove—a smell Iris disliked. Weekend family picnics featured strawberries, homemade ice cream, fried chicken, biscuits, and singing; she tentatively recalls the men playing horseshoes.
Iris's Chapter
Jitterbug Nights at the Rec
Iris recalls loving dances at the “Rec” center at Moline High. Frank Sinatra, known as “The Voice,” made her and her companions swoon. Their favorite dance was the Jitterbug, and Iris describes dancing as her passion.
Iris's Chapter · Second World War
Singing All the Way Through Wartime
Iris recalls walking everywhere because of gas rationing and singing popular songs together along the way. She lists remembered titles and lyrics, explains the nonsense words of Marzy Doats, and names The White Cliffs of Dover as a favorite.
Iris's Chapter
Five Wonderful Children and a Life of Lessons
Reflecting on how quickly life passes, Iris names raising five children as her proudest achievement. She regrets not trying downhill skiing or pursuing more singing and dancing, worries about the challenges facing parents, and jokes that she would like to be four inches taller. Ultimately, she would change little and regards life as a learning experience, especially in forgiveness and being forgiven.
Iris's Chapter · 1940s
Gathered Around the Radio: Music and Wartime News
Iris recalls the constantly playing radio and the Moline Daily Dispatch as the family's main news sources, including news that might affect Uncle Lloyd in New Guinea. The family mourned President Roosevelt around the radio, but also enjoyed singing and dancing to popular songs and big bands. She recounts Bill's description of overseas propaganda broadcasts mixing favorite music with frightening, specific military information; she attributes that information to spies within the U.S. government. She remembers divided reactions to the August 6, 1945 bombing of Hiroshima, her father's approval, and Harry Truman's presidency.
Iris's Chapter
Precious Spare Time Filled with Creativity and Play
Iris describes her love of designing Christmas trees, decorating their stores, and helping operate the stores' gift shops. Her many leisure pursuits include sports, bird watching, singing learned from Daddy, dancing, and recently begun ceramics. She crochets gifts, including an Afghan for every family member, and reads fiction, non-fiction, fantasy, fairy tales, and books about angels.
Iris's Chapter
Songs, Dancing, and Days Outdoors with Dad
Iris recalls singing with her father in the car, especially on long trips to Brainerd. His favorite songs included Red Sails In The Sunset, which brings back a happy image of him singing beside her. He taught her to dance and, when she was about twelve, to shoot. She remembers using a twenty-two rifle, though she acknowledges the uncertainty of memory. He proudly praised her shooting, took her hunting without her shooting anything, and took her fishing during visits to relatives in Brainerd, where she caught fish.
History of the Guild Family · 1925–1965
Dances, Seven Children, and Grampa’s Helping Hands
After moving to Moline, Ethel met Floyd through Mary Hill and married him in 1928. They raised seven children, while Ethel worked several jobs and survived goiter surgery. Ed became a permanent member of their household, contributing childcare, housework and money, despite drinking and a serious workplace injury. Lloyd served in the Army Signal Corps, suffered lasting injuries and eventually lost contact with the family, leaving fond memories and a cocoa-dunking breakfast tradition. The passage gives conflicting dates for Ed’s death and funeral.
Our Childhood Games
Taking Turns Under the London Bridge
Players form a bridge with their joined hands while the others march beneath it singing “London bridge is falling down.” At “My fair lady,” the bridge players capture a player and waltz the prisoner away and back during the prison verse. The prisoner becomes a bridge partner, allowing everyone a turn. The narrator includes additional verses about building with iron, steel, and stone, noting that the family did not know those verses.