… … A Pogrom of a Different Genus … …
This day, a Friday 58 years ago in 1960, Willard Albert William Maas and Annabelle Mae Holden Maas hosted and backed a certain, conducted event. This matter was in preparation for Willard’s re – enrolling as an Iowa State University undergraduate; Willard had had to drop out of ISU in 1939, after his contracting the poliomyelitis virus back at his age of 19 then. He was to begin again with its Spring Quarter of 1960, this term commencing in March; and his going there to Ames then with their eldest of four children, 16 – year – old Sydra, only the two of them, to reside at its 840 Pammel Court. Exactly similar metal / quonset housing units are here
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/506655026805533841 and
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/506655026805533809 ––
with another one (some years later, of course) as well Zachary Adam’s actual very first home @ 697 Pammel Court commencing 22 hours after I, wholly uninsured, had birthed him [ Tuesday, 24 August 1976 ] with the help of Nurse Ms Jan Sterbenz and Dr Frank Sterbenz over in Nevada, Iowa’s Story County Hospital. Absolutely ALL of these housing units are now long – demolished and – built over with other ISU structures.
The rest of us of the family were to join Willard and Sydra then when Williamsburg, Iowa’s school year ended; we –– all six of us –– would move in 1960’s June to 1377 Hawthorn Court (https://www.pinterest.com/pin/506655026805534514) directly across from ISU’s horse pastures on the north end of the one entry from Hawthorn then to the undertrack tunnel which led walking commuters into ISU, soon to be Willard’s portal always over to its Heady Hall and his Department of Agricultural Economics. Hawthorn Court, Unit #1401, became (some years later, of course) Zachary Adam’s second home, also in a Quite Cold, Cold – February with a fuel oil – truckers’ strike occurring for ISU’s Pammel Court residents and at when the temperature that moving day was a -10⁰ F and his wee, blue baby bathtub fell from the packed – to – its – hilt Chevrolet van onto the ice below --- and shattered into elebenty gazillion pieces thereby thoroughly and altogether ending its existence.
The event orchestrated by an agricultural business for the Maas Clan that Friday, 19 February 1960 ? That was known as the epic and notorious auctioning one of that era and, actually, even unto this y2018 age … … the Farm Sale. I know it that specific day thereof … … to have been in the middle -20⁰ Fahrenheit – range for its temperature, it likely The Coldest of all of those 1959 – 1960 wintertime Iowa days.
The Sale itself ? Even with vendored comestibles including hot chocolate and even hotter, soooo sugared and true cows’ creamed coffee (barn – style lattés ! then) available for purchase ?
It --- --- the Sale --- --- was an entire and utter ... ... bust.
As
witnessed silently by me, then a 12 – year – old schoolgirl – kiddo, within the
ancient farmhouse’s enclosed front porch with its classic turn – of – the
– century industrial gray – painted plank – flooring. Just him and me alone together with this
particular and quiet vista of ours … … our eyeballs’ gazes … … aimed directly
down to and upon the East Barn lot’s Sale
arena. I imperceptibly changed mine … … my scan:
I peered over at my exactly 40 – year – old father surveilling it all
from afar.
And
thereupon was burnt a memory in to my brain which has never left it: One tear
tracked down my Daddy’s left cheek.
– fin –
