A Gift of Memories Grandpa Don

A Gift of Memories

Childhood

Full Name: Donovan Gerald Cummins

Father: Donovan Joseph Cummins         

Birthplace Columbus Indiana             Birthdate Oct 19 1902
Mother: Nedra (Daily) Cummins           Birthplace Columbus Indiana       Birthdate Sept 27 1906

Were you named after someone and why did they give you that name? yes my dad

How old was your mom when you were born?

33

Who did they say you looked like?

Grandpa Daily

Did you ever have a nickname?

No

What important event happened the day you were born?

I don’t know

Where were you born?

Date: ^10-20-39

Birthplace: Columbus Indiana

Did you have any brothers or sisters and what are their names?

2 brothers Larry and David and 1 sister Carol

Did you ever fight with your brothers and sisters? Who treated you the nicest, and who the worst?

Yes to the fights.  Nicest-Larry
Worst- Carol

Did you have to share your room and your things?

Yes and yes

Growing up

  What was the best birthday you ever had and why?

When I got a big toy airplane from Berta (my nanny) in 2nd or 3rd grade

Can you remember your favorite birthday present?

Big toy airplane

How much did the tooth fairy leave you for a tooth? 10c

How old were you when you got an allowance and how much was it?  $1 at age 10 or 11

How did your parents punish you? Did they spank you? Who was stricter? Yes Yes Mom

 What was the naughtiest things you ever did?

Jumping out of haybarn into sheeps wool

What were your favorite games and toys?

Riding bikes

Did you ever go sledding, skiing, or skating? What sports did you like? Were you on sports teams?

Yes all 3 softball, basketball

Did you get to stay up as late as you wanted to and watch TV or listen to radio or records?

No

Did you ever argue about your bedtime?

No

Did you ever go to the hospital? Have stitches? Break bones?  Yes for tonsil extraction. No stitches or broken bones.

Were you scared of doctors or shots?

Yes

What kind of transportation did you have? Did you ever ride in a plane bus train or boat? What else?

Car, boat, buts and train and buggy-horsedrawn

Did you ever run away from home or hide from your mom and dad? Why?

Yes mom was mad

Where was your favorite place to go when you were angry?

Barn

What chores did you have to do?

Mow yard

When you given money what did you spend it on?  What could you buy for a quarter?

Yes for caps and cap gun and candy

Did you have a pet? What was its name?

Yes several Rex a dog, White and Topsy were horses and cats with no names

What did you most like about your best friend? Did you have fights and secrets?

No fights and yes to secrets and we liked the same things.

Did kids ever tease you? Was there a bully who picked on you?

No

Your House Growing Up

What did your house look like?

2 story white wood with lots of windows

How big was your yard?

huge

 

How many rooms did it have? 4 bedrooms 1 bathroom a kitchen and breeze way to the garage where we showered, living room.

How big was your room? What did it look like?

Big with 3 beds for us boys and we had 2 windows.  Our room had log walls with cement between them

  

Could you keep it messy if you wanted?

Yes

How many people lived at your house?

6

What was your favorite thing in the whole house and do you still have it? Can't think of anything

Celebrations

What did you usually do on Thanksgiving?

Got together with the Daily family

Was your mom a good cook? What did she make best?Yes Fried Chicken

  

Did you chop wood or help with Christmas preparations? Put up tree

Do you remember a special gift you made for someone? no

Did Santa come to your house?

yes

Did you ever see him or talk to him? yes

  

Did you hang your stockings, what did Santa leave in them? Yes

  Candy

Did you have a Xmas tree? How did you decorate it?

Yes Decorated with ornaments

What did you usually do on Christmas?

open gifts and got together with the Daily's

Did you make cards on Valentines day?

no

  

Did you ever give or get flowers or candy from a boy/girl?

No

Did the Easter bunny come to visit? Did you have egg hunts?

yes and yes

Did you celebrate 4^th of July? How? Did you have fireworks?  Yes, with fireworks

Did you dress up for Halloween or make your own costume?  What was your favorite?

Don't remember we dressed up

Did you trick or treat?

Yes

What traditions did your family have?

Family getting together on the holidays

Did you ever have a big family reunion?

Yes on the moms side

What schools did you go to?

Petersville Elementary school Columbus North

Did you get good grades?

No

  

What subjects did you like? Hate?

Like History hate math

Did you walk to school or ride a bus?

Rode a bus

Did you ever tease your teachers or play jokes on them?

No

  

Did you play hooky?

No

Did you have lots of homework?

Some

Did you travel growing up?

Yes went to CA, Englad, Scotland

What was your favorite trip?

England

Did you go on family vacations? 

yes

Did you go fishing or swimming?

yes both

What was the longest distance you ever went on a trip?

When we went to Scotland and England

Did you ever take a trip by yourself?

Yes in HS

Did you go the State Fair or amusement park?

KS State Fair in HS

How old were you when you learned to drive?

14

Did you have your own car? What was it?

Yes, 1951 Mercury

 Did your parents ever ground you? What for?

No

What did you and your friends do on weekends?

Went to movies and hung out

Did you ever get into trouble with your friends? What happened? no

What did you think about most as a teenager?

Girls

What time did you have to be at home at night?

11pm

How old were you when you started dating?  Did you ever have a boy/girl turn you down when you asked for a date?  How did you react?

Didn't care. 16. yes

How did you feel when you met your date’s parents? Nervous

Who is the boy/girl you remember the most?

Barbara Eddy

When you met grandpa/grandma where did you meet and how old were you?We met in CA I was 35

Were you serious from the start, or did you still date other people?

We didn't date others

Where did you go on your first date? What was it like? Christmas dinner ok.

What was your favorite thing to do together?

Hanging out with our friends

Did your parents like him/her right away?

yes

 Did you ever have a big fight while you were dating? Probably

When did you ask him/her to marry you? Where were you?  What did you do to propose?  How did he/she respond?

At the apartment in CA. Just ask her, she said yes.

What was your wedding like? When and where was it? Cold. it was in December and snowing. Dec 27 Aurora KS at St Peters Church 1975

Did anything funny happen that day?

Stacy got mad (she was 3 yrs old) because she couldn't see aunt Kay

Did you have a honeymoon? Where did you go?

Yes Madonna Inn in CA

Where did you first live together?

CA -Friday's apartments

What was your first job?

Farming with my Uncle

What was the worst job you ever held?

Shoveling Coal

What is your favorite funny story about the first years you were married?

See Kays response.

When and where were your children born?

Shannon: 1977 in Concordia

About my parents

What was my mom/dad like as a baby?

A good baby most of the time. Started talking and walking at age 1.

Did they get into mischief and get spanked?

Yes and yes

What chores did you make them do? Did you give allowance?

Sometimes for mowing the yard and picking up his toys.

Did they behave in school and get good grades?

Yes and mostly yes He could have done better if he applied himself more.

What thing did they like to do best?

Play video games and put together models and play outside.

Did they keep a clean room?

Sometimes

Did they ever do something special or surprise you to make you happy or proud?

Always. That's what is special about ones children. They are always doing something to surprise you.

What will you always remember about them?

There's so much. One that he saved the family from being asphyxiated by gas from a leaky furnace. He received an award for this.

If you could…

If you could spend a week doing anything you wanted, what would it be like? Going racing

If you could, which age of your life would you most like to revisit and why?

In the desert riding motorcycles

If you were elected president what would you do for our country?

Give more support to Farmers

What do you feel is the most significant change to happen in your lifetime?

Having children

If you could have dinner with anyone in the world even someone who is dead, who would it be?  Why?

Kay

Can you tell me a funny story about my family?

When Shannon and Brandon made Brent jump out of the top of the barn wearing Walmarts bags to see if he could fly

Is there a place you always wanted to travel but never made it?

Australia

What is the most favorite place you have ever traveled?England

What is your best memory?

Lots of them, none specific

What advice do you have for me as I grow older and make my way in the world?

Study hard in school and don't do drugs!