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- Tags: Kenneth Landon's Childhood 1868-1943
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Kenneth on the Sequel to the Great Stout Story
The sequel was just as hilarious. Mae was ill, and people from church came to call with the visiting committee. There were three women. Mae was up and thanked the women for coming. But when they came in the door, they stopped cold and began sniffing.…
Kenneth on the Great Stout Story
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 on His Father Bradley
Kip says he has never seen a picture of Bradley, and Carol and Kenneth tell of the pictures down in the basement there at 4711. Some show him in a military uniform, even one with a monocle he got after Kenneth had given him a watch.
Kenneth on His Legendary Canoe Trip with His Brother Bradley
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 and Will Remembering Will Running the Mile
Kenneth remembers Bill running the mile in high school, "all up and down in one place." Will remembers his one moment of glory running the mile.
Kenneth on the First Time He Went to the Theater
Kenneth remembers the first time he went to the theater, at age eight or nine. Mr. Jenkins, a printer for The Evening Republican, and Bobby Jenkins took him there. He recalls being photographed wearing the dress of Alice Jenkins after a party and…
Kenneth's First Encounter With Corruption
Kenneth on his first encounter with graft and corruption. He was about 11 years old and went with Jimmy, a 15 years old, to a movie. The girl that was selling the tickets liked Jimmy and so gave them two tickets before she turned around to take them…
Kenneth Sings a Song From His Childhood
Kenneth sings a song from his childhood. He mentions that it just came to mind as he was washing the dishes the other day, and Margaret was surprised to that she had never heard it before. Kenneth is quite amused by the way that things that have been…
Kenneth's Success in High School and His Humility
Kenneth can't remember ever taking a book home in high school. His memory was that his grades in High School were not good, but going through his records he was surprised to discover that he had excellent grades. He also tells about him learning to…
Kenneth's Tonsils Dissolved
Kenneth interjects to explains that he is one of few people whose tonsils simply dissolved. The doctor had told him that he needed to have them removed, which Kenneth didn't want to do, and fortunately at a later visit the tonsils were nowhere to be…
Kenneth's First Experience with the Dentist
Kenneth recalls his first visit to the dentist. It was for an extensive work including multiple teeth removal and filings. The dentist wouldn't tell Kenneth, who was 7 or 8 at the time, what he was going to do, so Kenneth refused to cooperate. They…
Kenneth and Some Friends Caught a Snake
The area where Kenneth and his family lived was infested with black snakes, and often the kids would find them curled up in their clothes at the river where they used to go swimming. One day one of the children caught a six-foot snake for the Barnum…
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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,…
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…
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.
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…
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…
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…