"My earliest memories go back to when I slept in a crib at about 18 months old. That would have been in 1940 when we lived in the east side of St. Paul on Hudson Road. I remember Mom and Dad always being attentive to me, coming into the bedroom to visit and play. The crib with its wooden bars was a pen that was necessary for my safety but I always wanted to get out as soon as I awoke and by shaking the sides I got their attention. They played with me often as did my grandfather and aunts and uncles and other friends and relatives who stopped by to visit. Mom and Dad were social people and the ties to their families were strong so we spent time visiting relatives as well as having them visit us.
"Dad had a Model A Ford car and we rode in it to visit Grandma and Grandpa. I recall the unique sound the motor made and Dad answering all the many questions I had about the car -- the dials on the dash board, the knobs, and the motor and what made the car go. I was probably four years old at the time. He always enjoyed explaining things like that. I also enjoyed listening to him talk to others about the car or his work or tell tales of his youth.
"The men in the family would gather after a Sunday dinner and talk and tell stories. There was often loud laughter and as a little boy I was often puzzled about what made something funny. Dad or Mom would explain and sometimes they would keep the explanation vague because the story might contain some words or concepts they didn't think my young mind was ready to receive at that time or without some refinement. My parents had a strong sense of propriety and decency and made sure I knew right from wrong and manners and respect for others. They also tried to protect me from hearing and saying "bad words" although once in awhile Dad used cuss words to make his point if he became excited.
"Like most children I got to know when certain subjects were off-limits and so I avoided asking about them. How babies were made was one such subject. The topic of which aunt or friend was expecting a child was talked about at the dinner table between Mom and Dad or at family gatherings among the adults. Eventually, I figured it out with the help of little friends because in those days parents had a hard time explaining about sex. My parents weren't different from most others of that day in holding back on that topic. Nevertheless, birth and death were discussed, and by listening carefully to many conversations, a kid could learn a lot about life before their parents intended them to.
"Mom was always caring and protective. I felt loved in the home and by my aunts, uncles and grandparents. Mom read to me often and put me to bed with a prayer. She and Dad also brought me to Sunday school when I was three or four. And, I believe Mom helped in the class because I recall working with her making notebooks which contained simple stories of Jesus and other Bible characters. We looked at the pictures together and she read the stories to me that went with them. I credit her with introducing me to the Lord through that Baptist Church experience. Although it took may years for the real truth of the Gospel to take hold of me, I'm not sure I would be a Christian today if it weren't for that early exposure to the Bible teaching which Mom brought to me.
"Strangely, while the Word had a stronger and stronger impact on me as I grew older until at age fifty-eight I now accept Christ as my savior, Mom seemed to become less and less spiritual. I really don't know what her relationship to God was when she died. She never talked about it in those last years. I do recall her saying once that the church seemed to take the joy out of life; the preaching said that anything fun was immoral or illegal. Maybe she was joking.
"Mom's sense of humor and a love for music were apparent to me early in life. She had refined kidding and sarcasm to a gentle, playful method of teasing for fun or for making a point. She could also use sarcasm to fight back if someone got too unpleasant with her. This is a trait that was influenced by her dad who kidded and teased a lot, too. She had a knack for seeing the humor in many situations and this contributed to her optimistic outlook on life.
"Mom was a moral person who taught and practiced honesty, respect for others and the rules, clean thoughts, kindness and helpfulness. Dad reinforced and spoke about these things, too, but as a little boy around the house every day with her while Dad was at work, it was Mom who drilled in the moral. She could also be a mild disciplinarian and I recall once or twice when she washed out my mouth with soap for saying some nasty words,. I might have received a deserved paddling a few times but I never feared her discipline. Mom seemed always to be understanding and protecting.
"Once in awhile when she and Dad had words Mom might cry a bit but I don't recall if it was in anger, frustration, or what. Following such feuds, Dad would leave the house and cool off. Later when he came back in they would make up and kiss and hug.
"The most frightened I ever saw Mom was one night in about 1943 when Dad was at work and an enormous wind storm blew trees down on our house. She thought the roof or walls might collapse, and I watched as, with tears on her cheeks, she pushed hard against the wall during the worst of the storm in an attempt to protect us. She was always strong in a tight spot.
"Mom was also a strong believer in a clean house. She worked at some cleaning project every day with the radio up loud to keep her company and maybe to provide a boost to her abundant energy. Any visitors who came to our place always saw a neat house and she prepared daily as if an inspector from the health deparment were coming.
"She always had the coffee pot on the stove for the unexpected company that could drop in at any time. It was the custom for people to just drop by for coffee without notice. Mom smoked, too. I didn't think much of it when I was little but eventually got to wondering why I was lectured about the bad aspects of cigarette smoking while Mom puffed her Chesterfields. Parental inconsistencies seen from a child's point of view were puzzling but when I became a parent I understood them better.
"Dad was an imagination builder. He talked about books he had read, his travels and adventures, airplanes, and he spoke a lot about his home town and early life in Claremont. I knew he had briefly gone to college to study engineering but the money ran out and his dream of being an aeronautical engineer went with it. He got me interested in building model airplanes. Because of him I listened to adventure programs on the radio such as 'Jack Armstrong, the All American Boy,' 'Hop Harrigan,' 'The Lone Ranger,' and 'Sgt. Preston of the Yukon.' He built in me an appreciation for reading. To this day he reads a lot and still gets pleasure out of telling us about his latest good book.
"Before I was old enough to go on trips myself, he told tales of his hunting and fishing experiences. I looked for him to return from his fall weekend hunting trips when he would bring pheasants and ducks to clean. Later, when I was nine or ten, he would take me along sometimes to be part of the adventure. Much later when I was in college we would go together on fishing and hunting trips to Canada, North Dakota, Western Minnesota, South Dakota, and even once to Mexico to hunt doves. We took these trips up to five years ago and they are great memories for me.
"Dad was also the faily disciplinarian and when he felt it necessary would administer some 'back side' justice. He was never mean, just concerned about avoid repetition of bad behavior or breaking of the rules.
"Both Dad and Mom were involved in Cub Scout leadership. This took time and patience. Dad was the leader of the Cub Pack at my school when we lived in Omaha. Mom was a Den mother. Thinking back now on the job they did after serving as a Boy Scout troop leader myself, I realize what a demanding task it was for them, but Dad is a natural leader and could get the support of the other adults and Mom knew how to manage kids. Our pack was a success as a result.
"Dad liked to participate in sports and was quite competitive. I admire the fact that he picked up the game of tennis in his 60's and kept at it for so long. He became a golfer in his early 40's and he and Mom enjoyed thye game and their friends at the Forest Hills Country Club. But, since my family were tennis players, he took up that sport so he could be part of our recreation. He got pretty good, too, for starting so late.
"Most of the preceding recollections are from my first six years of life before my sister Joan was born. She came along in 1945 after we moved to Eau Claire, Wisconsin. While Mom and Dad naturally paid the new baby a lot of attention, I don't recall much envy on my part. I still got attention, and Joan and I got along well from the beginning. I did some brotherly teasing when she was old enough to appreciate and react to my antics but we never fought seriously about anything. She played with her friends and I played with mine. We got along fine then and to this day have a strong, loving relationship. We both got excited at Christmas and spent time weeks ahead of December 25th trying to guess what Santa would bring to us. Dad and Mom made Christmas special. During the year we did not receive many toys, nor did my friends. But, at Christmas, when were four and ten, we really enjoyed the presents and Dad coming in dressed in a Santa suit. Mom took us to the department stores to visit Santa and see all the toys. These are very pleasant memories.
"Mom and Dad were interested and caring grandparents to Joan's kids and mine. Dad especially got excited and attentive with the kids and they reciprocated whenever Gramps came around. Mom loved them as much but Dad showed his emotions more. The strong interest they had in our families has helped my children, who now have children, to be better parents who place a high priority on the time and attention spent on their offspring."

from "Gram and Gramps" by Don Kampa and other family members, including Dick Kampa on this excerpt, (1997) pp. 220-231