Kenneth and brother Bradley would hide from their father the money they earned. Their father would take it if he knew where to find it, and actually searched for it. The boys would hide their money inside the newel post on the stairs and dad couldn't…
Mae Landon was a very elegant woman, always properly dressed, walked elegantly, with flashing brown eyes. She was not the kind of person who would bother to explain things to people (like in the stout story). She would sit very elegantly and never…
Kenneth remembers Mrs. D'Armant Minium, a very buxom woman with plump arms and a voice like cream. At age sixteen she became curious about having a baby, and so she had one, and then she disposed it somehow. Mae never forgave her for the baby,…
In 1947 Kenneth was invited to give the Haskell lectures at the University of Chicago. It was one of the six most prestigious lectures in religion and philosophy in all of the US. A week before the lectures he loaded his material and came to Chicago…
Kenneth was invited to give the Haskell lectures because A. Eustace Haydon, his doctoral supervisor, was retiring and wanted Kenneth to succeed him. He told Kenneth that he will never forget him, and went on to tell how he would prepare for his class…
Kenneth gives a detailed description of the fourth day of the Seminar. He describes his daily routine, involving introducing speakers, a staff meeting, and other meetings he might have.
Kenneth gives a detailed description of the fifth day of the seminar. He explains that he has a new librarian, Miss Idol. He also discusses the rapid growth of the library due to requests for documents. He tells his father's chicken story. Word also…
Kenneth explains the origin of his middle name, "Perry", which he got from a "collateral" relative, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. he sings a song about the Commodore and recalls how, at age thirteen, his father took him to see the great picture on…
Kenneth bought his own clothes from Cash Smith, the man who owned the clothing store. It so happened that Kenneth was the right size to model clothes, so he made money by modeling clothes for cash on Saturdays.
Kenneth tells about his dog, Jimmy, who was a very special dog from a prestigious kennel in England. The dog was originally a gift to Kenneth's father, but Kenneth always considered Jimmy to be his dog. Kenneth's father was the only member of the…
Bradley Landon was born on October 20, 1899. He was a ten-pound baby and he grew to be a very strong, handsome boy. He had a hot temper and would become very angry at people. He never was good with girls, so when he met Kathryn Lehrer Lindner he…
Kenneth tells about the ATV company going bankrupt, mostly as the result of his father's poor business skills. When Kenneth left home, that was the end of manufacturing staff.
Kenneth remembers Ray Pooks imposing his will at a high school track meet. He would require that the events be rescheduled so that he could participate in them all. Kenneth was amazed at this man doing everything just as he had said despite the fact…
Mae was away and Brad decided that he and the boys (Bradley and Kenneth) were going to make pancakes. As a chemist Brad tried to analyze the mixture, throwing one after another of the ingredients and hoping to come to the perfect pancakes. He never…
Following Kenneth's misadventure with the stout spilling everywhere in the house, some older women from the church came to visit Mae, who never gave any explanation to the visitors about the smell of alcohol in the house. As soon as the women entered…
The brothers were actually quite close. Kenneth gave him a fine clothes brush once, and an expensive watch he had won playing craps at the railroad shop. Margaret remembers how, when she first met Kenneth, he would talk often of Bradley, and warmly.
A story from Kenneth's childhood. It was fall, and very wintry, and very cold, but his brother, Bradley, wanted to go canoeing. To begin with, Bradley sat in the rear and Kenneth sat in the front. They paddled a number of miles before they decided to…
Kenneth's mother, Mae, was anemic and was told by her doctor that she should have a stout or dark beer that would help her overcome her anemia. This was standard procedure in those days. The father, Brad, was preaching against alcohol consumption and…
Kenneth returns to the story of his time at the University of Cincinnati, life at the home of Mrs Heintzmann (who was a spiritist), his friends Bennie and Felix, and his struggle with chemistry. He also recalls his friendship with Katherine Lindner.
In 1953, Kenneth traveled to northeastern Thailand. He used this trip to scout out some of the areas which the Mekong River project would impact. He noted, in these areas, the great work ethic of the Vietnamese over that of the Chinese.
Upon being appointed to Thailand, William Donovan needs to meet with Walter Robertston. Kenneth phones his office and tricks him into having a meeting with Donovan, as he was in the office listening to the phone conversation. When the time seemed…
The whole mob of them would go down the stairs to the floor below where the coffee bar was. Half way down the stairs, there was a huge firehose all coiled up and ready to go in case of an emergency. There was a wheel that you whirled to turn the…
Kenneth had one further temptation to leave government when, in 1947, Chicago University invited him to deliver the Haskell lectures in comparative religion. These were the most prestigious lectures in religion in the United States. This, however,…
Kenneth gives an account of a conversation he had with Mrs. and Mr. True. Mrs. True was going on about the merits of Harvard, but Kenneth stood up for his son, Kip, who was attending Wheaton. Mrs. True argued that Harvard was significantly more…