Recollections of Arnold L. Jarvis Thanksgiving 2011, by Karen Coldiron (Daughter) Born April 23, 1928 – Grannies Creek WV “Grannies Creek is a small community with no church, no post office, and a one room school which eventually closed.” Mother: Cora Estelle Boggs Father: Roy Clyde Jarvis “I grew up on a farm with my sister Mildred, her birthday was October 25th 1929...I think, not sure.” Q: What kind of animals did you have on the farm? A: “Pigs and chickens and all that. I'm guessing we had 250 acres, but only 5 acres on flat land. There was a bunch of oil wells, we had gas rights.” “My parents were divorced when I was four and we (me and Mildred) went and lived with Aunt Bertha (Mom Lloyd), Uncle Everett and Grandmother Lydia Jarvis. Aunt Bertha had 13 older children, of which four lived at home when I lived there. Uncle Everett died when I was 7 or 8 years old. I was in 6th or 7th grade when Mildred went to live with her mother. Dad Married Beulah Campbell and they had Bobby and Billy.” “The house we lived in was a large two story log house...that had been built on to. In 1938 we had electric, there was a hand well pump on the porch for water, and a spring by the house. We had free gas rights and a gas stove. We had an outhouse, no plumbing while I lived there.” “When I was young, I was my grandmothers pet and slept with her. When I got older, I slept upstairs, had the whole second floor to myself. She was mean to Mildred. She didn't like my mother and Mildred looked like and reminded her of my mother.” Q: Were you considered wealthy or poor back then? “ We had no income. We traded produce, raised hogs, butchered, milked cows, and sold cream. I remember after my uncle died, my aunt thought she'd raise chickens for income, and it was a big flop. I remember playing dominos.” Q: Did you have a radio or TV? “ Never had TV, no TV in those days. On Friday nights we would go over to the neighbors and listen to prize fights. “ Q: How did you spend your days as a little boy? “I liked to hunt, did a lot of hunting. I got my first gun when I was 10. It was a 28 gauge dad gave me. Q: Favorite Food? “Fried chicken. Had pinto beans every day of our lives...cornbread and pinto beans. Only had chicken on Sundays. If the preacher was coming they made more pies and cakes. Only had pie or cake on the weekends or holidays.” “I had two dogs. Dixie and Whit. Both Heinz 57's.” Least Favorite Food? “Asparagus.” Favorite Color? “Blue” Favorite Flower? “Honeysuckle” Favorite Holiday? “Ground Hog Day” Are you serious? “No, 4th of July.” Q: What about school? “Through the sixth grade at a one room school at Grannies Creek. Grades 7-8 at a two room school called Hagger School that was about 2 miles away. Then I went to Clay High School...took 2, sometimes 3 different buses a day to get there. I went into the military before graduation. I wanted to be Military Police when I first entered” Q: Did you like school? “Not particularly.” Q; Sports? “No.” Q: Did you have a girlfriend in school? “Yes, one in particular. I was engaged when I went into the service...lacked one month of being 18. Geraldine Brown. She got tired of waiting and married my buddy. Not really a buddy...a friend of mine. She died about a year ago (2010). Her husband died a few weeks later. Q: So you kept in touch with her? “Oh yeah, I went to go see her about 10 years ago with Betty Lee when we were in West Virginia. I only saw her one time.” Q: If you could have been anything in the world what might it have been? “I might have been a truck driver. I always wanted to be a truck driver.” Q: First Job? “I worked one summer cuttting fields, clearing pastures for 50 cents a day. In High School, I worked for Bates & Rogers, railroad construction, building trusses and bridges.” Q: First car? “I was in the military, a 1934 Dodge, green...an old one.” Air Force Career “I enlisted in March, I was 18 in April. At that time they had a draft. You could enlist for two years. I went in for three years, it didn't go over good with my fiance. I did my basic at Wichita Falls, TX – then Airborn Radar Mechanics course in Boca Raton FL. I flew weather recon missions for the Berlin Airlift stationed out of Daharam Arabia – came back to the states and was sent to Japan. I flew air-sea rescue in Japan and rotated to Korea. Flew 44 combat air-sea rescue flights in Korea. When I came back to the states I was assigned to Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton Ohio. Spent a year at a remote ground radar site in Alaska for aircraft control and warning squadron. Then I was reassigned to Wright Patterson. Met your mom in March 1955. Had Sheila on December 1st and Karen in 1958. “We moved to Cloudcroft, New Mexico in 1962, where I worked at the Electro-Optic site for the Air Force. Retired from Air Force in 1966, 20 years and 3 months with the USAF.” Afterward, I worked for Rockwell International at the same place and McDonnell Douglas at White Sands, finally retiring in 1985.” Postscript: Arnold lived out his days in an area close to Elephant Butte, New Mexico, where was well known as an avid horse trader of sorts. He had garages and barns and shed filled with electical and mechanical :treasures.” Probably enough for projects to last ten lifetimes. Well into his 80's, his health gradually faded, and Arnold passed away on June 9th 2016. Shown is a picture of him with one of his great grandchildren during his last few days... |
Two years ago today a “thousand year” rainfall event caused great flooding in West Virginia. Twenty-six people died in the flooding, and may thousands were displaced by rising waters. As much as 10 inches of rain fell on that Thursday, catching much of the population off guard for the rapidly swelling creeks and rivers.
Safely at home in South Carolina, I could not imagine what it would be like to have my childhood memories washed away in the flood. I scoured the internet for any new posting along the Elk River. For two days, I was constantly transfixed on finding images or an account of the Jarvis homestead that was on the river between Big Chimney and Elkview. Finally on the third day of my search, images from the Governor's fly-over of the area showed the house – amazing above water. Others around it inundated with water.
My recollection of the property at Elkview was that there were 42 steps between the upper property and a landing below where there was a picnic area. Then, there were another 20 or so steps down to the boat dock on the river at normal levels. Just from these rudimentary calculations, the river had to have risen nearly 50 feet to reach the level it was at during the flood! I'm still in awe...
I have no idea who lives there now. My grandfather Roy Clyde Jarvis built the house before I was born in the 50's and when he passed my uncle lived there until sometime in the late 70's. Despite being such a long time ago, I was surprised by how powerful my feelings were, knowing the place was in jeopardy. I'm thankful it was spared, and heartbroken over the loss of so many others that didn't fare as well...
One of the sad things in Big Daddy's World is the lack of supporting photographs of the things I've experienced and cherished over the years. As a rapidly aging old guy, I'm grateful that at least someone either had the foresight or still possesses some of the things I hold dear. It's also helpful when memory becomes vague, because the facts about these things are somewhat different than my perception at the time. Not everything I did or possessed was the best or the coolest, but they are conveyances of memory, and that's what this world is about...
Today's throw-back is a true classic – the 1968 BSA 441 Shooting Star. This bike was an enigmatic end of an era production model that was almost laughlingly promoted as a touring bike. In an age when smooth running multiple cyclinder big bore bikes like the Honda 750 were coming into production, this ground pounding single wasn't exactly the cross country mule it was supposed to be. It had it's place, to be sure, but the rest of the world pigeon holed this bike into obscurity, and it's production ended in 1970. Standard equipment on the Shooting Star was the typically problematic combination of Amal Carbs and Lucas electrics. Paired with a high compression 441cc single cyclinder, simply starting the bike was perhaps the single most challenging part of ownership. If you knew the secret, that particular feel of the piston approaching top dead center, you may have success. If you lacked this awareness, a visit to the emergency room with a broken leg may be in your future. I looked at this as an economical security device, and rarely removed the key.
Parked in front of a bar, there were always those wanting a free ride after a few beers. Always trying to be friendly, I allowed everyone a shot at it. “If you can start it, you can ride it.” Not once, not even among my Harley riding friends did the bike come to life under their inept kicking.
The demise of this bike was a sad tale, a bent valve coming after the exhaust pipe slipped from the head. Vibration was always an issue and I should have bought stock in loctite right from birth. I couldn't afford the repair cost, and the bike sat in a barn unattended for several years before being sold. Of all the motorcycles I've had, this one is at the top of the list of having back. It wasn't a thrilling balls out powerhouse, but a pleasant Sunday ride in the country machine. I'm grateful to those still enamored with the BSA singles and preserving the legacy! Looking back so many years, I've got to ask; “What was I thinking?” Everyday between 4:00 and 5:00 in the afternoon thunderstorms descend on the little town of Mulberry Florida. Everyday at that very time, I would be riding in long line of traffic heading away from work. I suppose you have to expect to get caught in the rain on a bike in Florida during summer thundershowers, but 5 days a week? Oh, and April and October were the rainy months.
The moment I saw it, I had to have it. A low mileage '77 Harley Davidson XLCR on consignment at a Yamaha shop where my best buddy was a mechanic. It had only been ridden for several months, before the original owner mothballed it, and had been sitting unridden for 3 years. We fired it right up, took to the streets and I was sold. It was at a time when folks were lining up to buy Harleys, and the values were out of sight, but I got a deal. The original owner made prosthetic arms and legs – and suddenly realized virtually all his clients were riders.
Unfortunately, Willie G Davidson's dream bike was really a mechanical nightmare in cool clothing. Produced at the height of sub-par AMF quality control, the bike was never without some kind of mechanical or electrical issue. Comparing this 1000cc ironhead sportster to anything made after is nearly impossible. You had to be there, you had to ride it. Granted, it was Harley's fastest production bike, but that only lasted until the 5 speed 80 inch Shovelheads came out in 1980. That little bike would be screaming while the big bikes putted along at 70 MPH.
Since the frame was different from stock Sportsters, retro-fitting or customizing was nearly impossible. No stock side-pipes would fit without melting the fiberglass battery cover. It burned oil at an amazing rate, without smoking. Riding the sandy and soaked roads wore chain incredibly fast, and good quality Dunlop tires didn't stay that way long. The clutch was fussy, and the generator brushes caused all sorts of mysterious electrical and battery issues. The flange for the rear mount of the gas tank was located less than ½ an inch of padding from your man parts – causing an unusual numbing experience on longer rides.
Nevertheless, it got a lot of attention, and since I failed to own a car, I racked up 44,000 miles in less than three years. The seating position looked uncomfortable, but was very ergonomic in hand and foot placement as well as balance. On cold morings I would lock down the throttle, put my hand in my pockets and ride nearly 15 miles hand free. It cornered much better than any othe Harley of the day, and probbly since. For everything bad I have to say about the bike, I never regretted owning it. People always ask if I wish I still had it, and my honest answer is no. I squeezed every bit of life out of that bike, and it beat me up the whole way. When it was time to go, it went cheap – XLCR's hadn't escalated as a collectible at the time. The bike went off to Gainseville FL and was converted to a drag racer. It was my 1st H-D, but not nearly my last – and those are for a different post. I recently read an article regarding the difference between compassion and empathy. As it turns out, compassion reflects our ability to have an emotional response to a person or situation, while retaing some certain degree of emotional distance. Empathy is the full on engagement of our compassion internally, feeling compassion on a level that may actually become emotionally painful. One allows you to be a witness and move along, the other can be consuming. Once I read this description, I understood the roots of depression I've suffered with for nearly all of my life.
In the mid-1960's my family moved to a home on Walthery Avenue in Ridgewood, NJ. My bedroom window faced the street, and I spent many an hour watching the comings and goings in the neighborhood. In 1969 Dan Campanelli married Pauline Eble, and they lived for a short time in a basement apartment in her parents house across the street. Pauline suffered from severe childhood polio, and relied on crutches to move about, but Dan would gently lift her from the basement entrance and into their car as the came and went. I will never forget watching one horribly rainy and windy day as they struggled from the house and to the car. His compassion for her was mesmerizing, my empathy for them both was crushing...
Fast forward 20 years, and I'm restoring an 1810 log home in South Carolina, perusing magazines for decorating ideas. I come across an article about a stone house in Pohatcong, NJ that looked very appealing. Reading further, I find the restoration had been completed by Dan and Pauline Campanelli. That fall, I went to visit my mother in Florida, and she was surprised and tickled to read the article and see the pictures. That Christmas she gave us a Campanelli print entitled “Oranges.” It was a wonderful surprise and deeply personal and appreciated gift.
Pictorial history, demographics, and industrial development of Charleston WV. Download free in PDF format!
Every boy has their heroes, and sometimes if you're lucky they're in the family. Robert Dale Jarvis is my late mothers step brother, and probably one of the most adventurous people I've ever known. Suffering from heart murmurs as a kid, he strained against his leash to accomplish many things contrary to his mother's wisdom, and nerves. After college Bob joined the Air Force and while there, took up skydiving. Trained as a dentist, he left West Virginia in the early 60's to set up a lifelong practice in Greenville, South Carolina.
Bob always had an affinity for fast cars, and with his dental practice thriving, he began building race cars for the local track. The Greenville – Spartanburg area of South Carolina was no stranger to car builders for the NASCAR circuit and parts were readily available from cast-offs and wrecks in the various series. Nevertheless, building a car, financing a garage, and everything else associated with a season long campaign was expensive and required the utmost in dedication.
Bob's own accounts of his early stock car racing adventures were anything but stellar. He was tearing up cars more often than finishing and the expenses and frustration were a heavy weight to carry. Known as the “Friendly Dentist,” I suspect Bob began getting a helping hand up and in 1975 he was the NASCAR Grand National Champ at the Greenville-Pickens Speedway, gaining a reputation as a well respected driver.
In May of 1982 Bob earned the opportunity to drive the #32 Buick at a Winston Cup race at the Nashville Fairgrounds – a track no longer used in the series. Racing with the likes of Darrell Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt, Bob got noticed by the sponsor of the #6 Buick and secured a ride in the Daytona Firecracker 400 on the 4th of July. Clinomint Toothpaste was the sponsor, and they felt a dentist as a driver was a great pairing. On lap 47, Bob hit the wall coming off of turn four and his day was over – prompting the sportscaster to question if he was counting his teeth after the impact...
After Bob's NASCAR experience, he stayed active in the automotive circles around Greenville, and approaching the age of 65 began racing Thunder Roadsters, a new class of cars powered by 1100cc Yamaha engines with a 6 speed gearbox. Among the places he raced was the bullring in Bristol, where by accounts, the lap speeds were faster than those in Sprint Cup cars. Unlike the bigger cars, the Thunder Roadsters created a draft, and shear momentum made for incredible lap times. Bob finished 2nd in the inaugural race at Bristol and continued in the series for several years afterward.
I've since lost touch with Bob, the last time we met, we were both driving Porsches and visited the Greenville-Pickens speedway, as well as some of the local automotive talent. I'll have more about Bob in future blogs, with memories of some of the unique and highly desirable cars he's owned....
WASHINGTON, June 6, 2017 – Second Lady Karen Pence and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue today unveiled a newly-installed beehive on the grounds of the Vice President’s residence, drawing attention to the plight of pollinators whose numbers are in decline. Together, the two urged Americans to do their own part to help reverse the population trend among the creatures, which are essential to producing much of the nation’s food.
“All types of pollinators, such as bees, butterflies, birds and bats, are critical to providing our nation’s food, fiber, fuel and medicine,” Mrs. Pence said. “However, our beekeepers have been losing colonies for many years. This presents a serious challenge to our ability to produce many of the agricultural products that we enjoy today. The bees at the Vice President’s Residence will provide an added bonus to the vegetable and flower gardens by making them well pollinated and taste even better at harvest.” Perdue released a proclamation he has signed declaring June 19-25, 2017 as “National Pollinator Week” (Proclamation can be viewed online at https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/national-pollinator-week-secretary-proclamation.pdf (PDF, 97.5 KB)). Perdue noted that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency led efforts to create a National Pollinator Health Strategy. The two agencies are working with a number of other federal departments to implement that strategy, which includes significant USDA research. “Most farmers and consumers have no better friends and few harder workers than the honey bee, as more than one-third of all U.S. crop production requires insect pollination,” Perdue said. “But our honeybee population has been losing ground at an alarming rate. The problem represents a diverse mix of challenges requiring a wide range of solutions. And at USDA we are leading the way in research to help out our pollinator friends.” Honeybees are the nation’s primary pollinators, adding at least $15 billion a year in value to about 90 crops by increasing yields and helping to ensure superior-quality harvests. Those crops include nuts, fruits, berries and vegetables, which add color, taste and texture to our diet. The number of honeybee hives in the U.S, has declined from 6 million during the 1940s to only about 2.5 million today. Those losses have been attributed to a number of factors, ranging from a syndrome known as “colony collapse disorder” to stress caused by factors such as parasites and pests, transportation of bees, sub-lethal exposure to pesticides, and poor nutrition. Mrs. Pence and Secretary Perdue pointed out that a lack of supportive habitat near hives also contributes to the declines. Even if people don’t set up their own hives, they can help by planting bee-friendly flowers and flowering herbs in their yards and gardens. Honeybees particularly love wildflowers, lilacs, poppies and Black-eyed Susans, as well as herbs and vegetables like mint, sage, squash, tomatoes, oregano, and rosemary. In addition, bees get thirsty, and that placing birdbaths and small basins of water could help relieve their thirst. Mrs. Pence installed a beehive in the Indiana governor’s residence in 2014, when Vice President Mike Pence served as the state’s governor. She said more than 80 percent of the land in Indiana is dedicated to agriculture, and its crops are very dependent upon pollinators. The hive unveiled today is located on the grounds of the Vice President’s Residence. It is a triple-deep “Langstroth” beehive that holds traditional frames and was obtained from Eco Honeybees of Falls Church, VA. The hive contains almost 20,000 bees and continues to grow.
One of my earliest memories was from a huge swimming pool - a waterpark before there were waterparks. Rock Lake was a natural pool built on a prior quarry that operated in the 1930's and earlier. The pool was opened in 1942 and advertised as "the largest and most beautiful pool in the East." The pool was surrounded by rock walls which were used as natural high dives. It also included things such as a 50 foot slide, water trampoline, spraying fountain, trapeze and miniature churning sternwheel. Unknown to me, the pool was segregated, which led to civil rights protests after I moved from the area in the later 60's.
Like many things in West Virginia, historical memorabilia is sometimes difficult to come by. After all, until the interstate highway system was more or less completed there, the state was virtually isolated from the rest of the country. Much of the history is handed down in spoken language, and I recall my older relatives as incredibly funny and talented storytellers. In recent years, I've run across quite a few real photo postcards, that have significant local value. The provocative history of coal mining, logging and early railroading are some of the sought after collectibles from Vest Virginia.
I suppose it's a little curious that both of my grandmothers owned 1957 Chevy's - perhaps the most iconic car of the fifties. One was a turquoise blue four door, the other a black 2 door. The turquoise car was traded for a new '63 Impala, the black car, not a very happy history. The black '57 belonged to my grandfather, who died in 1966, when the car became owned by my grandmother who never learned to drive. For 10 years the car sat in a old timey wooden garage that was maybe the next best thing to being out in the open.
By the mid-seventies the '57 Chevy had become somewhat of a collectible, certainly a great platform for street and strip mods, and the fact hadn't escaped me, or any of my cousins. My grandmother, steadfast in what we thought was her nostalgia for the car, refused to give it or sell it to any of us. In fact it was always the great debate around family holiday gatherings. In 1976 we all gathered for Thanksgiving and during our perusal of the property, found the car to be missing. Even before we arrived back at the house, accusations of insider dealings and corruption among the local cousins were rampant. How was it possible we didn't get invited to parlay for the car? As it turns out, Granny had sold the car for $200 to the paper boy. Fearing a family riot, instead of pitting us all against each other, she pissed us all off by selling the car to a veritable stranger. Being a veritable matriarch of the family, she was never really met with affection by any of us boys, but from that point on she was persona no grata.... |