My First Memories

The first house I remember living in was at what is now 346 H W Circle in Madison, North Carolina. It was on the east side of the Dan River, a very small two-bedroom frame house. The heating system was oil-fueled forced air, and there was a metal grill duct in the center of the house. It was in the hallway outside the bathroom and bedrooms. I remember standing on the grill in my blue footed pajamas, feeling the warm air blowing up around me.

The house had a small kitchen which I also remember. My mother hired an African-American woman to clean and to take care of me while my parents worked. Her name was Colleen and I loved her very much. Each weekday morning she made me sit and eat breakfast, but this was not an easy task. The Captain Kangaroo television show would come on the television in living room. I just had to run in to help the Captain wake up Grandfather Clock. I still remember that vividly, and that show was central to my young mornings.

We also had a cocker spaniel named Suzie. She really was my older brother's dog but she and I became inseparable. Here are two photos taken of me and Suzie when I was about 2 and Suzie was about 3. These were taken outside that house's back steps.

There were other children in the neighborhood, notably three girls with whom I liked to visit and play: Jan, Judy, and Donna (Judy's younger sister). There was another boy, Jimmy, who was a little older. We had the run of this little neighborhood. It was a good time.