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- Tags: Kenneth Landon's Childhood 1868-1943
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Kenneth and His Brother Fight
The Landon brothers got in a furious fight in which Kenneth's brother ran after him until he vanished away for the rest of the day. The boys were alone that day so Mae, their mother, who usually protects Kenneth could not help. Kenneth was gone for…
Kenneth's Brother was Chased Home by Orphans
Orphans chased Kenneth's brother home, threatening to beat him up. Once home, Kenneth's mother called the orphans cowards and challenged them, saying her son would beat them one person at the time. No orphan wanted to take up the challenge singly and…
Who Kenneth Thought was Most Respectable in Town
Kenneth grew up thinking that the most respectable people in town were Presbyterian and Republican, until he went to Washington D.C., where he discovered that the best people were often Democrats and from other denominations.
Kenneth Traveled to New York Alone When He was a Boy
As a young boy, Kenneth used to travel by train to New York, using his pass and spending time with his aunt Maude. He enjoyed riding the ferry, the street car, and the horse trolley across the city. Aunt Maude was his great favorite.
Kenneth Worked at the Railroad
At age fourteen, Kenneth worked with the Erie Railroad and got used to lifting heavy things in a storehouse, which quickly built up his upper body muscles. He worked various kinds of jobs before working in the blacksmith shop, where he learned to…
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…
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…
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 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.…
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…
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…
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.
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 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 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…
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 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…
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 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.