 | 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
2005-02-01 09:22:00
Warm memories
ANSWER: Seeing all of the ice in the January ice storm is reminiscent of the storms of days gone by, many years ago. It seems that now days, we have less snow and more ice than we did in the 40's and 50's. I received many reader's comments about my column last month regarding times when coal was our main source of heat here in Wichita, I was reminded of the way that many of the two-story farm houses were heated. My father told me that when he was a boy, there was a metal vent pipe that went out through the second story roof of their house and he and his brothers received their heat as they slept from the warmth of only that pipe. (Really doesn't sound too comfortable.) He said it was pretty darn cold. Many heated with wood burning fireplaces and of course the house was lit with coal oil lamps. The lighting was much less bright at that time because the lamps caused dark spots in a large room. The kitchen stove was usually wood, coal oil, or kerosene, but you know we still ate well and had no trouble gaining weight. Cars had to be wrapped and shielded at night, but still froze up. There was no fuel injection and you had to prime the carburetor or use the choke. During that era outside cranks were used and even on cars that had starters. Winter was tough in those days. Do you remember the World War II years and the ration stamps that you had to produce to purchase your gasoline? You had to display a stamp on your windshield classifying your vehicle. And, do you remember that the filling station attendant would have to pump the gasoline manually, with the use of a large handle until it filled the upper portion of the tank? The hose was connected to your car and as the gasoline was released the gallons were measured with a painted line scale on the side of the pump tank, which indicated the amount of gallons that it required to fill your car. The attendant would hurriedly check all of your cars fluids, air in the tires, and clean the windshield in order to keep your business. It was called full service, and service was a necessity in all business back then.Folks it's a much easier life now and looking back, the Good Old Days seem kind of grim. Drive carefully in the ice and snow!
