"I was born the day Lindbergh landed in Paris"

I was born in Nauvoo, Route 1, on the farm. I lived there until I was drafted in the Navy in World War II. My first 9 years I went to school at Thatch. Thatch Jr. High. Then I went to Walker for two years, but I left and went to Curry when Mr. Cecil Burkett went there from Thatch. He was the principal at Thatch. I was one year from finishing at Curry when the Navy drafted me. I went to Bainbridge, Maryland for basic training. I spent one year in the Navy, right at the end of World War II. Right when they were letting all the surplus men out. So I got out. I lived in Daytona Beach, Florida for 3 years. I worked as a truck driver, and I was the bakery manager at Bell Bakery. I was drafted back in the Army. If I’d had enough sense, I’d have enlisted back in the Navy and not had to go through basic training again. I went to Fort Jackson, South Carolina and they placed me in headquarters, doing special orders. I stayed there my entire tour of duty. My boss in special orders wouldn’t let me move. I was the chief clerk on special orders. I met my wife, Anna Jean Ford, while I was in South Carolina. She was a civil service worker, born in Virginia. We married in 1951. Then we went back to Florida, and then I decided to go to school at Clemson. I was there 2 ½ years. I studied both civil and industrial engineering, and I was burnin’ the midnight oil. I was studying every night, and I decided it was enough. So we moved back home, and I applied for work. Marigold Coal Company. Mr. Lee. He was the owner. He hired me as a civil engineer. I told him about my lack of degrees, but he said he didn’t care as long as I can do surveying and map work. I worked there for 20 years. Engineer, foreman, superintendent. Mr. Lee owned some mining property in Kentucky. And he said to me that he wanted me to mine that. So I moved up there. I started doing mission work for the church. I established a congregation of the Church of Christ in Monroe, Georgia. We drove to Georgia every weekend while working for the mines. They established new mines in Kentucky. I was runnin’ it, and got down physically. I came home and went back to work for Marigold. Then we moved to Wyoming. I worked for Coal Valley, this coal mining company out of Oakman. We really liked Wyoming and planned to retire there, but work got slack. I was superintendent of 3 big draglines. When Peabody moved mines further out west, I chose not to go. I came back and worked for Ellis Taylor at Oak Grove mine. I worked for them until 1990 when I had open heart surgery. A month later, they went back in and cleaned my system out. I wasn’t doin’ too well, and they didn’t think I was going to make it. I spent 13 hours in surgery and 6 weeks in the hospital. I made it back to decent health and went to work for Drummond. I couldn’t do strenuous work. I worked until I couldn’t work anymore. I have two sons and a daughter, and three grandchildren. There’s a flock of my relatives here [in the nursing home at Ridgeview]. I started having problems with my health. I went to Princeton. I had two small strokes, but after each one, I was back up and goin’ after 24 hours. But I was losin’ part of my memory. My wife and I were married for 56 years. She passed away last November. She’s buried at Midway Church of Christ goin’ toward Oakman. I’m 86. I was born the day Lindbergh landed in Paris. May 21, 1927. I go by Frank. 78