Browse Items (1041 total)
Sort by:
Kenneth Dated Often Before He Went to Wheaton
Kenneth recalls dating several girls (Mabel Shirk, Mabel Poppinay, etc.) and how he always had girls. He expresses his disappointment in his early girl selections.
Kenneth's Father's Cars
Kenneth recalls his father's first car, how his father started driving before being told how to stop the car and had to drive round and round for hours until he ran out of gas. He eventually learned to drive and fell in the practice of buying a new…
Kenneth Was Afraid the Train Would Hit Him
At age three Kenneth thought the train was going to run him down when it swerved as it came into the station. He took off, running out of the station and then home. Nobody could catch him, so the family had to have the train held until Kenneth was…
Kenneth Played Follow the Leader as a Boy
Kenneth, then six years old, played with a group of boys aged four or five a game called "follow-the-leader." He led the group to jump out of a first story window, then a second story window, and finally from the attic. Two of the boys wouldn't jump…
Kenneth Would Go Swimming and Get Punished
At age twelve Kenneth would play "follow-the-leader" at a swimming hole in French Creek. His mother didn't want him to be swimming at the river, so he would always manage to come back home with everything dry. But his mother always knew and would…
Kenneth Fell Down the Chimney
Kenneth once went in a new house on Park Avenue and inadvertently fell headfirst down the chimney. He was wearing a big straw hat which offered some protection to his head, but still he was knocked out for awhile. Once he realized what had happened…
Kenneth Used to Eat Necco Wafers
Kenneth loved Necco wafers--the old, large size ones--and he would eat two after breakfast, two before lunch, two after lunch, and three after dinner. His brother Bradley would steal some if he found them.
Kenneth's Dad Would Steal His Sons' Money
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…
Kenneth Bought His Own Clothes and Worked as a Model
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.
Jimmy, Kenneth's Dog
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…
William Bradley Landon Jr.
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…
Brad Landon Sr.'s ATV Company
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.
Ray Pooks Astounded Kenneth at a High School Track Meet
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…
Brad Landon Sr. Attempted to Make Pancakes
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…
The Follow up To The Stout Story
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…
Kenneth Was Close to His Brother
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.
Mae Landon
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…
Mrs. D'Armant Minium
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,…
French Creek
French Creek would freeze during winter and people could ice skate on it six to twelve miles. In the spring the ice would break and back up against the bridges and back up the water in turn, causing flooding in the town. People enjoyed it.
Stinky Altenburg
One of Kenneth's friends was Stinky Altenburg. His sister became one of the prostitutes in the town, but the other sisters were very proper. Kenneth and Stinky and other friends would hang out in town very often. Stinky became a successful lawyer.
Kenneth's Early Work on The Railroad
Kenneth took a job at Erie Railroad at about age fourteen. His could have been turned down because of his weak physical appearance, but because Brad was his father the foreman took him on. Kenneth recalls working in the storehouse, driving truck.
Kenneth Gambled in His Youth
Saturday was pay day and everyone would dress up and go to downtown. Kenneth would watch the men gambling and quickly learned the best way to win. He remembers gambling, playing the role of the banker and winning consistently.
Miss McCabe Kenneth's Sunday School Teacher
Miss McCabe, Kenneth's Sunday School teacher, wanted all her boys to become preachers. One day she announced that Theodore Borrel was going to become a minister and asked Kenneth why he didn't want to become one. Shortly after, two of Theodore's…
Kenneth Got Hand-me-down Clothes
Boies Penrose, the governor of the state, had a son with many garments he no longer needed. For many years these were passed on to Kenneth.
Sunday Afternoon Walks
Sunday afternoon walks were an institution. After church you would have a heavy dinner and go for a walk as a family and call on somebody. Children were not allowed games or anything like that. In the evening you would go again at church.