 | Faye Graves, a native Wichitan, attended school at Friends and Wichita State, concluding at Midwestern Theological Seminary. He has been active in media for many years with Channel 12, KIRL, KFDI, KOOO AM & FM (Omaha), KFRM & KICT 95, as an owner, manager, producer, director and announcer. He has served as President of the Haysville Board of Education. He has also served on several national boards of the Southern Baptist Convention. Faye currently serves as Executive Pastor and Director of Administration and Education at Immanuel Baptist Church, 1415 S. Topeka, Wichita. You may contact Faye by e-mail fmgraves@amenibc.org, or by phone at (316) 262-1452. |
Nostalgia
2006-12-01 15:48:00
Kansas’ winters
What are some of your fondest memories of winter during your childhood?
ANSWER: In the classic country song called, "If we make it through December," the lyrics say December is the coldest time of the year. While that might be true in some parts of the country, it is not true in Kansas. Or, at least in my opinion it is not true.
I remember living on South Water Street in the early 40's. When I think about all of the 'old time things' we did, I chuckle. First there was the old coal stove that set in the center of the house. It was responsible for the heating of the entire home. The coal was delivered by a truck and dumped into a coal shoot that was under the house. My dad would load up the stove at night and the coal would generally burn up through the night. The house would be freezing in the morning. Not only was it freezing, but the pipes were frozen too. Dad would get up first, load the stove with coal and in about two hours the house would warm up so the rest of the family could get up and be comfortable. My mother would fix breakfast and I would start getting ready for school. I attended Harry Street Elementary at the time and, as the majority of kids did, I walked. This required dressing as warm as I could. Because it was World War II years, most boys my age wore an aviator helmet. Thinking back, we all had to look really stupid, wearing a cap with ear flaps and totally flat, nearly glued to your head. Most of them still had goggles. Then of course came the heavy mackinaw coat and sheep-lined gloves. We all wore long underwear, and then overshoes, generally with four buckles. The movie "the Christmas Story" depicts this "look" very well.
Upon our arrival at school we all hung our coats in the coat closet. Each student had a name over their coat hook. We would put our overshoes below and neatly against the wall. The coat closet was also the place many of us would spend time as punishment for talking in class, being late and the dreaded sin of chewing gum in school. Your time in the coat closet was spent being alone. I remember one boy who became creative while in there and switched the clothes around so they were not on the usual hooks. When the class lined up and went through for lunch there was on of the worst traffic jams you could imagine. Speaking of traffic, most of the cars had tire chains because we received a lot more snow then than we do now. Seeing many cars stuck was a usual part of the winter. These are a few memories of Januarys past. I still think of them as the good old days.
