The Neighborhood

I guess the thing that was common in the time that I grew up, that has totally changed in modern times, is the concept of the ethnic community. Back then, the different communities and neighborhoods had common names based on their backgrounds. It was very common to refer to a section of town as “the Pollock community”, and another  section of town as "the Jewish community."  My section of town was known for the  Blockheads” (Scandinavians), and the "Krauts" (Germans).  My family were "Blockheads". It was not uncommon for people to say things like "The Pollock did this", or "the Kraut did that".  At that particular time, you were talking about friends and neighbors that you truly loved and respected.  There was nothing meant by it.  People did not observe that kind of language as being derogatory.  I am glad, however, that it is different today.  Some of what today is  labeled  as  discriminatory language was not considered as such when I was a boy.  We have come a long way.

Humorous about Dorothy

The one thing that will always stand out for me is the one thing that triggered my meeting Dorothy for the first time.  In my senior year of high school, Dorothy and I were assigned the same English class, which was the first period of the day. It was the first week of the year when you’re really feeling your way around and all of the people are people you don’t know.  I always sat in the front because I knew I would end up there anyway.  Dorothy was sitting back behind me and over to my left.  The teacher asked her some question and she made a response, and I was just struck by the tone and the quality of her voice, and I thought to myself "Gee, I would really like to know her", because that voice just got to me.   And so I didn’t think anything more about it until one day, probably about 3 weeks down the line.  I was on my way out of class (because I was sitting in the front row I was the first one to walk out the door), and I came down the hall and my next class was study hall. And Dorothy came out after me and she said, “John Matson, John Matson”.   And I turned around and here she was, she came down and she wanted to talk to me!  That was the beginning. I still to this day do not know why she did that.  She tells me now that she was aware of me in middle school because I interviewed Governor Youngdahl.  That was in the school paper and she had read that, and she always thought I was a smart kid.  For some reason, she decided she wanted to know me, and had it not been for that we would never have shared over 56 years together, because I would never have approached her myself.

I guess I wouldn’t consider myself shy at that time, except with respect to girls.  And there I was shy.  I had a terrible time.  Like I said, most of the experience I had with girls before meeting Dorothy were group things.  A bunch of guys would talk with gals, etc..  But I was really sort of shy about that.