HOW DAD SAVED CHRISTMAS
BY DAVE GLASGOW
A TRIBUTE TO FRIENDSHIP
IN 1959, MY DAD, JOHN, WAS HOSPITALIZED WITH ‘KIDNEY PROBLEMS’ WHICH I LATER FIGURED OUT WAS PROSTATITIS. HE WAS RELEASED HOME AND WAS RECOVERING WHEN HE RECEIVED A PHONE CALL. DAD HAD A FRIEND, NAMED MELVIN, WHO HAD A CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP IN BURDEN, KS. BUT ALSO WAS A LONG HAUL TRUCKER. NOW, IF YOU THINK THIS IS A STRANGE COMBINATION, YOU DID’NT KNOW MELVIN!! HE WAS NOT SCARED OF WORK AND HE WAS ALWAYS LOOKING TO EARN A BUCK!! IT SO HAPPENED THAT MELVIN WAS TRANSPORTING A LOAD OF CHRISTMAS TREES FROM MINNESOTA TO WINFIELD FOR SALE IN LOCAL STORES. UNFORTUNATELY, HE BLEW AN ENGINE WHILE ENROUTE HOME AND WAS STUCK IN MINNESOTA, SOMEWHERE.
“JOHN, CAN YOU BRING ME AN ENGINE FROM OUR SHOP IN BURDEN?!” MELVIN PLEADED. “MELVIN, I JUST GO OUT OF THE HOSPITAL!!” LONG SILENCE. “WELL, I WILL SEND JEAN (HIS WIFE) WITH YOU. OKAY??” LONG SILENCE. DAD WAS TRYING TO LET MELVIN DOWN EASY. THIS WAS A TIGHT SPOT! YOU SEE, DAD AND MELVIN WERE CLOSE FRIENDS. DAD WAS ADAMIT IN THE BELIEF THAT YOU HAD TO TAKE CARE OF FAMILY AND CLOSE FRIENDS. HOWEVER, HE WAS STILL WEAK AND NOT AT ALL WELL. BUT, A FRIEND WAS A FRIEND!!
“OKAY, MEL, “ DAD SAID, “TELL JEAN I WILL BE THERE IN AN HOUR.”
SO, DAD AND JEAN LOADED UP A 348 CHEVY TRUCK ENGINE INTO A BRAND NEW 1960 CHEVY EL CAMINO AND OFF TO MINNESOTA THEY WENT!! BY THE TIME THEY GOT THERE, MEL HAD THE TRUCK IN A SMALL SHOP AND THE ENGINE OUT, READY FOR THE FRESH ONE TO BE INSTALLED. BACK ON THE ROAD, HE WAS HOME LATE THE NEXT DAY. CHRISTMAS WAS SAVED!! ALL WAS RIGHT WITH THE WORLD.
THAT’S HOW DAD SAVED CHRISTMAS, 1959. MORE IMPORTANT, THAT’S HOW MUCH DAD VALUED HIS FRIENDS.