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- Tags: Kenneth Landon's Childhood 1868-1943
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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.
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…
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…
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.
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 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 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 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 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 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'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 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 Participated in Childhood Gang Fights
Kenneth tells about his childhood gang fights using beebee guns and .22 shorts in pistols. They would wear heavy overcoats and shoot at each other with these things. Kenneth sings, "In the fields and in the marshes."
Kenneth Was Close to His Mother
Kenneth was close to his mother and inclined to care for her. She was often sick and Kenneth would help her out, doing massage therapy using something called Viavi salve. He remembers buying his mother a new muff and fur piece and charging his father…
How Kenneth's Father Treated the Family Pt. 2
Kenneth tells about his parents' relationship with each other, their fights in the middle of the night over issues of marital intimacy, probably because his father treated his mother harshly. He tells about one night when his father was weeping and…
Kenneth's Wayward Youth
Kenneth recalls his father's advice against movies, cigarettes, drinking, and bad girls, and how at an early age he discovered that "all these things are probably delightful." He tells about how he began buying his own clothes at the age of fourteen…
Kenneth and his Father Took a Trip to Washington
Brad took his son, Kenneth, on a visit to his older brother, Henry, in Washington D.C. Brad's first job was in Washington, so he wanted to see the city again after many years. He also wanted to show Kenneth the great painting of Commodore…
Kenneth's Musical Side
Kenneth bought an old flute, repaired it and learned to play on his own. He went on to learn to play several other musical instruments and later on bought a new flute, which he had to sell during his unemployment years in the 1930s. He never went…
Kenneth's Bicycle
Kenneth's first bike was made of a girl bike frame and parts from several other bikes. He and his brother were to keep their tires soft lest the repair blows up. The second bike was good and had the right kind of frame.
How Kenneth's Father Treated the Family Pt. 1
Kenneth's father was mean to his family but nice to other people. He treated his wife and kids harshly. Mae had no pocket money and the kids had no allowance unless they worked for it. At age fifteen Kenneth confronted his father and challenge him to…
Winter During Kenneth's Youth and the Sports He Played
Kenneth learned to skate in the severe winters at an early age, at times up to twelve miles. By age fifteen he was part of an excellent hockey team and would go to other towns, including Winniped, to play. He never was able to play school sports…
Kenneth's Career as a Boy Scout
At age twelve, Kenneth became a tenderfoot boy scout. He went to a three week long scout camp but stayed one week only--he was sick of waking up early to make bread. At the end of the first week he woke up very early to walk thirty miles back home.…
Mae Landon's Conversation with Kenneth's Principal
Kenneth's mother spoke with his high school principal, Miss Haxton, five years after his graduation. The principal was quite surprised to hear that Kenneth was studying to become a minister--she never though that he would come to any good.
Kenneth's Father Took the Family to Bible Camp
After the death of brother Bradley, father Brad began taking the family to Gull Lake for Bible conferences. The deal was that he would take them there and give them a vacation if they would agree to attend one of the services. Kenneth always attended…
Kenneth's Brother Died
Kenneth tells how his brother Bradley died a year before his graduation from college. Bradley had frequent bowel troubles and their father stupidly suggested once that he used a machine in their home that operated an eccentric (that was "guaranteed…