Courtship & War Years by Cathy Eaton
Memories, Dreams, And It
Probably Happened: 1946.-1976
The Eaton Jr. Family
Prologue:
It Took Two and Then Some:
Cyrus S. Eaton and Mary S. Eaton
Courtship
The War Years
Marriage
(1938-1945)
In the intricate patterns
Of the mingling waves and rocks,
In the surprise of every sunrise,
The voices of seagulls and pines
Echo in the sounds of your hearts
Seating the shores of years together,
The' shores have not been sandv and sheltered,
Nor always peaceful.
Nor have they ever vanished
In 1942 Mom attended the liberal arts woman’s college, Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. That same year Dad attended Pine Bluff School of Aviation, an air corps training center in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The United States of America had been at war since December 8, 1941. Dad’s class, 42-D, graduated from The Air Corps Advanced Flying School of Ellington Field, Texas, on April 29, 1942. Dad’s close friend, Hank Coakley, was a regimental captain who ghost wrote Dad’s letter to Grandpa Stephens requesting the hand of Mary Margaret Stephens in marriage. She was nineteen years old. War changes things and people. Living must be packed into a small amount of time in the present. The future is even more uncertain that it is in peace years. That year Farley Eaton Married David Hume, Catherine Stephens married Harvey Barrett, and Mom almost chickened out/
July 11, 1942, Dad remained confined in the hospital. Grandpa Stephens deceived the marriage license bureau which needed Granny’s signature on the marriage certificate because Mom was a minor; he solemnly declared Granny deceased while making Mom promised, “Never tell y9our mother; it would break her heart.” Later that evening Grandpa Stephens delighted in revealing the deception. During the busy afternoon Mom suffered a case of the jitters; the Eides, close neighbors, bolstered her with a shot of scotch and sent her back to her Chesterton Road home in Shaker Heights, Ohio. The hospital released Dad for several hours. Cyrus S. Eaton, Jr. married Mary Margaret Stephens in the backyard of the Stephen family home. In true Christian generosity, a deal between the archbishop and Grandpa Stephen’s telephone company had been made to secure permission for an outdoor wedding between a Catholic and a former Babtist/current atheist. The church received special phone benefits, and a priest married Mary and Cy.
Maid of honor, Catherine, and bridesmaids Helen, Dibbie, Susie, and Farley Eaton attended the bride. Neighter Hank Coakley or Jim Hobstetter could obtain leave so Grandpa Eaton acted as Dad’s best man. A beauriful wedding! Even if Dad, drugged up, cannot remember the time of the wedding and had to spend his wedding night back in the hospital. Mom celebrated her wedding night at a co-ed slumber party.
Of course, the roman began long before July 1942. Dad dated Molly Doan (Bellamy), a neighbor of Mom’s who, young and innocent, skipped down some steps and burped. She was 16. Dad was 21. Dad took note. For their first date, Dad escorted Mom to a hockey game, where a flying puck knocked out one of his teeth. Impressed, Mom (after dis-inviting a previous date) invited Dad to her junior prom. After all, Dad was a college man, a fraternity man. On New Year’s Eve, Mom was granted permission to stay up the entire night – but absolutely no drinking! Mom’s younger sisters encouraged the romance: throwing peas at Dad when he came to dinner; spraying cheap, smelly perfume in the interior of his mother’s car, which he had been given special permission to drive. Mom evidently admired the lean, hungry look. During some of their courting days, Dad suffered a broken jaw. Pulled wisdom teeth and boxing do not mix well. Another special privilege – Mom traveled by train to a Colgate fraternity party. Although the young women were sequestered on a dorm floor guarded by a matron, the guys including Jim Cleveland and Jim Hobstetter snuck in their bedroom and escaped being caught by hiding under the bed while smoking a cigar and on the fire escape.
The romance fluctuated. Dad borrowed money and bought everybody drinks. Mom’s laundry bill soared. Dad forgot to write. Mom flushed his fraternity pin down the toilet (or did she send it back.) Dad forgot to write. Mom had a marvelous time at Dartmouth with a guy named Penny. Dad called. Mom was still at Dartmouth. Woops! Spring vacation in Texas – and Mom promised marriage at the train station, or did Dad do that? Grandpa and Granny Stephens worried about their four and one half year age difference, about Mom’s decision to leave Smith College after only two years, about Dad’s seriousness in this endeavor. But, only two months, a marvelous letter from Dad arrived and eloquently requested mom’s hand in marriage. Doubts dispelled, a marriage date was set. Thank you, Hank Coakley, the ghost writer of the letter. The romance flourished.
After the wedding, Mom and Dad drove to Midland, Texas, where Dad practiced flying B-18 Bombers. Mom save her money with which Dad purchased a car radio. The newlyweds made close friends – many of whom would not survive the war. Two survivors, Hobby and Dottie Hobstetter (another Colgate/Smith romance) joined various escapades during those days of training. Mom and Dad moved to Mac Dill Field, Tampa, Florida. Mo, untrained in the domestic arts, managed to boil eggs so long that the water boiled away and the eggs exploded on the ceiling.
Memories, Dreams, And It
Probably Happened: 1946.-1976
The Eaton Jr. Family
Prologue:
It Took Two and Then Some:
Cyrus S. Eaton and Mary S. Eaton
Catherine Lee Eaton
Courtship
The War Years
Marriage
(1938-1945)
In the intricate patterns
Of the mingling waves and rocks,
In the surprise of every sunrise,
The voices of seagulls and pines
Echo in the sounds of your hearts
Seating the shores of years together,
The' shores have not been sandv and sheltered,
Nor always peaceful.
Nor have they ever vanished
In 1942 Mom attended the liberal arts woman’s college, Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. That same year Dad attended Pine Bluff School of Aviation, an air corps training center in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The United States of America had been at war since December 8, 1941. Dad’s class, 42-D, graduated from The Air Corps Advanced Flying School of Ellington Field, Texas, on April 29, 1942. Dad’s close friend, Hank Coakley, was a regimental captain who ghost wrote Dad’s letter to Grandpa Stephens requesting the hand of Mary Margaret Stephens in marriage. She was nineteen years old. War changes things and people. Living must be packed into a small amount of time in the present. The future is even more uncertain that it is in peace years. That year Farley Eaton Married David Hume, Catherine Stephens married Harvey Barrett, and Mom almost chickened out/
July 11, 1942, Dad remained confined in the hospital. Grandpa Stephens deceived the marriage license bureau which needed Granny’s signature on the marriage certificate because Mom was a minor; he solemnly declared Granny deceased while making Mom promised, “Never tell y9our mother; it would break her heart.” Later that evening Grandpa Stephens delighted in revealing the deception. During the busy afternoon Mom suffered a case of the jitters; the Eides, close neighbors, bolstered her with a shot of scotch and sent her back to her Chesterton Road home in Shaker Heights, Ohio. The hospital released Dad for several hours. Cyrus S. Eaton, Jr. married Mary Margaret Stephens in the backyard of the Stephen family home. In true Christian generosity, a deal between the archbishop and Grandpa Stephen’s telephone company had been made to secure permission for an outdoor wedding between a Catholic and a former Babtist/current atheist. The church received special phone benefits, and a priest married Mary and Cy.
Maid of honor, Catherine, and bridesmaids Helen, Dibbie, Susie, and Farley Eaton attended the bride. Neighter Hank Coakley or Jim Hobstetter could obtain leave so Grandpa Eaton acted as Dad’s best man. A beauriful wedding! Even if Dad, drugged up, cannot remember the time of the wedding and had to spend his wedding night back in the hospital. Mom celebrated her wedding night at a co-ed slumber party.
Of course, the roman began long before July 1942. Dad dated Molly Doan (Bellamy), a neighbor of Mom’s who, young and innocent, skipped down some steps and burped. She was 16. Dad was 21. Dad took note. For their first date, Dad escorted Mom to a hockey game, where a flying puck knocked out one of his teeth. Impressed, Mom (after dis-inviting a previous date) invited Dad to her junior prom. After all, Dad was a college man, a fraternity man. On New Year’s Eve, Mom was granted permission to stay up the entire night – but absolutely no drinking! Mom’s younger sisters encouraged the romance: throwing peas at Dad when he came to dinner; spraying cheap, smelly perfume in the interior of his mother’s car, which he had been given special permission to drive. Mom evidently admired the lean, hungry look. During some of their courting days, Dad suffered a broken jaw. Pulled wisdom teeth and boxing do not mix well. Another special privilege – Mom traveled by train to a Colgate fraternity party. Although the young women were sequestered on a dorm floor guarded by a matron, the guys including Jim Cleveland and Jim Hobstetter snuck in their bedroom and escaped being caught by hiding under the bed while smoking a cigar and on the fire escape.
The romance fluctuated. Dad borrowed money and bought everybody drinks. Mom’s laundry bill soared. Dad forgot to write. Mom flushed his fraternity pin down the toilet (or did she send it back.) Dad forgot to write. Mom had a marvelous time at Dartmouth with a guy named Penny. Dad called. Mom was still at Dartmouth. Woops! Spring vacation in Texas – and Mom promised marriage at the train station, or did Dad do that? Grandpa and Granny Stephens worried about their four and one half year age difference, about Mom’s decision to leave Smith College after only two years, about Dad’s seriousness in this endeavor. But, only two months, a marvelous letter from Dad arrived and eloquently requested mom’s hand in marriage. Doubts dispelled, a marriage date was set. Thank you, Hank Coakley, the ghost writer of the letter. The romance flourished.
After the wedding, Mom and Dad drove to Midland, Texas, where Dad practiced flying B-18 Bombers. Mom save her money with which Dad purchased a car radio. The newlyweds made close friends – many of whom would not survive the war. Two survivors, Hobby and Dottie Hobstetter (another Colgate/Smith romance) joined various escapades during those days of training. Mom and Dad moved to Mac Dill Field, Tampa, Florida. Mo, untrained in the domestic arts, managed to boil eggs so long that the water boiled away and the eggs exploded on the ceiling.