Well, this is me!
Before I launch into a chronology of my early life, I must say that I never married and have no children. I did have two brothers as will be mentioned in the chronology below and I now have several nieces, nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews. Unfortunately, I lost my youngest brother, Rob, in 2005, and, of course, I value highly his children and grandchildren. I have created a brief memorial page for him at which you can take a look.
The chronology below covers only the years of my youth. Someday I might try to create a chronology of all the years since then, but for the time being you can get a good idea of what I have been up to since then by looking through this website, My About page would be a good place to start. Although I never became rich or famous, I have led a fairly active life and always seem to have more activities than for which I have time.
First, however, I will share with you some pictures from various stages in my life. If you want to see them go to Greg's Gallery.
Next, I will try to give you a brief chronology of my life. While both of my parents were born, raised and went to school in Kansas City, Missouri, I spent most of my very young years in many different places. In 1965, I moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where I have lived ever since.
1942 - I was born in 1942 in Glendale, California, though I understand that we actually lived in Santa Barbara. My mother and father were married about a year before I was born. I suspect that I was conceived about a month before Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. My father never served in the Second World War. Instead, he had lied about his age and joined the Navy below the normal enlistment age in the late 1930s and had served his time by the time I was born or, at least, that is the story I was always told. Furthermore, my father was in California working as an aircraft mechanic in a large airplane factory - I think it is probably one that was well-known and important in the run up to WWII. I remember nothing of the time I spent in California, although lots of pictures still exist of that time. However, I ain't showing you the pornographic pictures that my parents took of me in the nude during that time. They are not full frontals anyway - mostly butt shots.
1944 - By July, 1944, we were living in North Kansas City, Missouri, and my bother, Don, was born at St. Joseph Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. I remember very little of our time in North Kansas City and few pictures remain. During at least part of the time that we lived there, my dad taught shop in the Argentine School District in Kansas City, Kansas. We had a collie dog named Laddie who I do not remember. I do remember that my favorite toy was a rolly-polly because it was fascinating the way it kept rolling back and forth. I once put the parts of the toy down the our heat ducts and was amazed and distraught to learn that the pieces could not be retrieved. I, also, remember leaving North Kansas City as we drove down the hill from North Oak Trafficway onto Burlington as we were leaving - probably my first recollection of Kansas City though I had no idea what the roads were called.
1946 - By November, 1946, we were living in Sioux City, Iowa where by brother, Rob, was born at St. Vincent's Hospital. We lived in an apartment above a grocery store on the south west corner of 7th & Jones which was across the street from St. Vincent's Hospital. I had my tonsils removed at that hospital.
1947 (fall) to 1948 (spring) - Kindergarten. We were still living in Sioux City and I began my education there attending kindergarten at Irving Grade School. Since my mother had both my younger brothers to care for, I had to walk myself to school which was about 5 to 6 blocks. I remember there being issues with my journey to school because my mind would wander as I was walking to school and I was frequently late.
1948 (fall) to 1949 (spring) - First Grade. We moved to Mission, Kansas, and lived in a newly built house. I went to Hickory Grove School for first grade. I was not in on all the financial arrangements, but I understand that my grandfather Noland funded this purchase. I remember lots of cardboard boxes in the garage that were the result of purchasing new appliances.
1949 (fall) to 1950 (spring)- Second Grade. Things did not work out during the time we lived in Mission and we moved to live with my paternal grandparents in Mason City, Iowa. We lived on a farm owned by my grandfather's brother outside of Mason City. We occupied the farm house, but we did not farm the farm. I went to a small one-room school house nearby. I was the only one in the second grade, but there were two kids in my brother Don's kindergarten class. During that time I learned that there was a fire at my old school of Hickory Grove and I cried about it - not sure why.
1950 (summer) to 1951 (spring) - Third Grade. My dad started working in Minnesota in a traveling salesman job. We spent the summer living in a trailer traveling around Minnesota. When fall came around, we had to find a permanent home, so my parents rented a cottage on Lake Darling in Alexandria, Minnesota. I believe that my mother got a job working for the City of Alexandria which was quite a trip from our cottage. What I remember most about that place was the huge snow piles in the winter.
1951 (fall) to 1952 (fall) - Fourth Grade & Half of Fifth Grade. We moved to 1016 South Oakdale, Springfield, Illinois, and I went to Matheny Elementary School. We lived in an all white rental project. Behind us was a railroad track and on the other side was an area of houses occupied by black folks. My mom told me to never go there. Some of the black kids asked me to come over and play which I did and had fun. This was the first time that I had encountered black people, although I do not think that "black" was a common word back then for Negroes. Amazingly, this was before integration became a cause in America, yet the school was integrated. As an update, I think that now the railroad track is a street and Matheny School has been moved to a site across from that street. A Google Map street view of the house where I lived taken in 2014 looks exactly the way it did in 1951-1952. My mom had a job as a secretary for Allis-Chalmers.
1953 (spring) - Second Half of Fifth Grade. We moved back to Mission and lived with my grandmother. I attended Hickory Grove School again. I have a painful memory of this time period. Some time back we had acquired a liver and white English Springer Spaniel and called her Snuggles. Unfortunately she liked to dig in my grandmother's bushes, flowers and yard and my grandmother was not at all tolerant of the dog and insisted that we get rid of her. I will never forget sitting in the back of our car and seeing my father holding the dog with the promise that he would take care of it. I never knew what actually became of the dog. The reason that we moved in with my grandmother was that my father wanted to move to Atlantic, Iowa, for a job, but my mother refused to move again.
1953 (fall) to 1954 (fall) - Sixth Grade and the first couple of weeks of 7th grade. My mother apparently relented and we did move to Atlantic, Iowa. I believe that the address was 306 Oak Street. It was an old house with a coal furnace in the basement. We had to keep it lit, shovel coal and clean out the coal bin, etc. I cannot really remember what I did, but I do remember helping shovel the coal into the coal bin.
1954 (fall) to 1959 (spring) - 7th Grade thru High School, Junior Year. We moved to Omaha, Nebraska. For 7th Grade, I went to Western Hills Elementary School. For 8th & 9th Grades, I went to Monroe Junior High School. For High School, Sophomore and Junior Years, I went to Benson High School. We went to Dundee Presbyterian Church which is where I did my first volunteer work in a leadership position. The youth group wanted to go to Chicago and to make money for the trip, we had a carnival and I was the chair of the committee that did it.
1959 (fall) to 1960 (spring) - High School, Senior Year. We moved "back" to Kansas City in late May or early June and in the fall I went to Shawnee Mission North . Actually, it was back mostly for my parents since they had grown up in Kansas City. Me and my brothers had never lived long in the Kansas City area.
1960 (fall) to 1965 (spring) - College (KU)
1965 (summer) to present - Moved to Kansas City, Missouri, to go to the UMKC Law School. Since then I have lived as far north as 31st Street, as far south as 147th Street, as far west as Wyoming Street and as far east as Flora or Wayne Avenues.
And, so, TRUTH, LOVE, JUSTICE AND PEACE TO ALL!!!