Dec. 30, 2003 - 17:31 MST

THE WONDERING JEW

Emulate

Two stars in my firmament were my Mom and Grandma. But I knew it was impossible for a boy to grow up to be a woman and certainly would never be able to master the cutting of cloth or the sewing of same. My Dad, the man who ruled over my life was a bit too unapproachable and I really knew very little of who he really was inside.

Who could I pattern myself after ? A major choice, my great uncle Howard. Dad thought that Howard was his brother, but later in life learned that he was nephew to Howard. So the years that Howard was alive I knew him as uncle Howard.

He wasn't exceptionally big but was muscular. The thing that impressed me and made me love him was his personality. Polite and courteous as well as very kind, low of voice and not given to dispute. It was my pleasure to be anywhere near him. My cousin and I of a Sunday used to watch Dad and uncle Howard play cribbage and converse with each other.

It was always peaceful around him and relatively quiet, the most noise would be me and my cousin playing. Just to be near him was a calming influence. When I asked him a question I listened to his answer with great attention. His advice was always good and pitched to me at my age level, of course I didn't know that then.

He was a skilled cabinet maker and many examples of his work were to be seen in the two story, frame home he built, at their church and in our home. In our home were a pair of benches which would seat two adults or three kids which were put together without nails or glue, a sturdy step stool that came with us when we married, a Governor Winthrop desk, beautifully made for my Dad, a fancy cutting board as well as other small odds and ends to many to mention but valued nevertheless. Later in my teens he built a table for table tennis that survived many resurrections. The last I saw of it was as a slot car table at my brother-in-law's home.

I loved to watch him as he worked, making something out of wood. I learned a lot too. I didn't learn much about staining, varnishing or painting because that was usually done when we kids weren't around. During the depression uncle Howard did the handyman bit, fences, sheds and cabinet work in houses. I was able to be with him some of the time and learned a bit more.

I think that is what shaped my character to a person who loves handwork and making things. Tools, oh, I still can't get past the Craftsman section in Sears, drooling over things I will never use or have room for, but the love is still there. What I learned stood by me when I began to work in metal, do machining, drilling and tapping and enabled me to grasp machining to very close tolerances. Made me eager to learn new things about work I was doing.

I guess uncle Howard was as near a male angel as a human can get. Cool, calm, reasonable and willing to look at the other side of things, and keep the peace above all.

I have made the attempt and have fallen short in many ways, yet feel that some good has been accomplished. Uncle Howard was a hard man to Emulate . . . . . . . . . . .

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