A Few Thoughts From Butch On His Birthday…

By: John “Butch” Dale

I turned 75 years old today. Yes, three quarters of a century. Very difficult to fathom. Wasn’t it just a few months ago that I was attending school, playing basketball, learning to drive, and chasing a cute little gal? Now that cute little gal and I will have been married 57 years this coming weekend. How did she put up with me all those years? And our four “little kids” are ages 52, 49, 44, and 35. I have finally reached “old-timer” status! Some of you out there are in the same boat.

I may have a few aches and pains now and then…mostly when I first get out of bed in the morning, but overall I stay active and feel pretty darn good. I am a survivor. Seven members of my 1966 high school graduating class of 34 are deceased, and a few others have serious health issues. Four of my fellow police officers are dead, and two others in poor health. I quit smoking 23 years ago and started exercising more…or I wouldn’t be around today.

The changes that have occurred during my lifetime are almost unbelievable. Our phone in 1957 was a crank-type oak wall phone…A theater ticket–a quarter, bottle of Coke or candy bar–a nickel, gallon of gas–27 cents. Our school PTO purchased Converse All-Star basketball shoes for each boy on the team…$6.00 a pair. The same exact shoes today are nearly $60.00. My wife and were married in 1966, and our first house, located on a double lot in Clarks Hill, cost $5500. Well, you get the idea.

Computers, the Internet, E-mail, cell phones, debit cards, satellite TV, microchips, etc. have changed our way of life. In the 1950s, conformity was the rule. We dressed alike and thought the same things. The husband worked, and the wife stayed home and raised the kids. Men dressed like men. Women dressed like women. Very few people had tattoos. No one wore nose rings, colored their hair green, split their tongue, pierced their lips, or had buttocks implants. Back then people paid 50 cents to see a carnival freak show. Now all you have to do is visit Wal-Mart or the mall.

As a kid in the 1950s, you did what your parents told you to do. If not, you were in trouble, buster! I did my share of work on the farm, mowed yards in town, and helped neighborhood farmers. But the good thing is that I was pretty much on my own. It was great! “Be careful…and be back by six o’clock for supper.” No seat belts or child safety seats. No helmets for bike or Cushman scooter riding (and I rode everywhere!). I spent a lot of time in town playing with friends, visiting the stores, talking with people of all ages. I made things in the shed with Dad’s tools. I swam in the horse tank. I fished at nearby gravel pits. I explored in the woods. At a very young age I drove both the truck and tractor. I very seldom was sick, but if I had a terrible cold…”Grab the Vicks Vapo-Rub, and I’ll fix you some chicken noodle soup. You’ll get better.” The only time we visited Doc Otten was if it was an emergency. “No use paying $2.00 for a doctor visit.”

Now my parents were not uncaring or negligent. They cared for us and loved us very much, as did the other parents in the community. They “let kids be kids.” They did not satisfy our every desire and buy us anything we wanted. Yes, there were times when we got in trouble or made mistakes. That’s part of life. We learned from our mistakes. I think growing up this way made my generation more self-sufficient and more independent, more creative, and as an added bonus, less likely to crave material possessions.

When I was born in 1948, Harry Truman was President. I “liked Ike,” watched JFK’s assassination, saw Nixon resign and Clinton lie. I admired Ronald Reagan. I witnessed several U.S. wars, with one of my boys, Clark, serving in Iraq after 9-11. He attended Texas Tech and is now a real estate broker. I taught junior high, high school, and college for 16 years, and my daughter Shelle became a teacher. I served as a police officer and County Sheriff, and two of my boys, Neil and Brett, became police officers. I became a librarian (as a second job) in 1990 to help pay for my kids’ college tuition…and I still do that today simply because I love it.

I found a photo of my birthday party when I turned one-year-old in 1949. There were twelve other kids present, along with their mothers. I believe that was the only actual party I ever had. On the remainder of my birthdays, my Mom baked a cake and prepared my favorite meal for supper that evening, and occasionally a friend stayed overnight. Dad lit the candles and everyone sang “Happy Birthday.” That was typical for most kids in those days. We didn’t need toys or other presents, because the best present was the care, guidance, and love from our parents.

The best thing about being this age is that I can do whatever I want to do. I am certainly set in my ways. I have gained much knowledge. Been there. Done that. And I can tell people what I REALLY think.

No use placing 75 candles on my cake today. By the time a third of these are lit, the first ones would be burned down to the nubbin. And if all 75 candles were lit at once, our smoke detector would start beeping. But that’s OK. At this age, I don’t want a big celebration. I just want to remember the great years I have had, be with my family, and then enjoy the peace and quiet…and I’m happy.

What the heck…might as well shoot for 100 now!

– John “Butch” Dale is a retired teacher and County Sheriff. He has also been the librarian at Darlington the past 32 years, and is a well-known artist and author of local history