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Clifford and Ethel Gary (1953)
Introduction
Introduction
For my MeSearch product in U.S. history, I chose to research my paternal great grandfather Clifford Vance Gary (1913-1976). I selected my great grandfather because I've heard a few stories about him in the past and he sounded like quite the character. He had also passed away before I was born, and I was curious to learn more. In preparation for this product, I interviewed one of Clifford's three children, Vance Gary (my grandfather), twice and I researched relevant historical events that affected Clifford like the Great Depression and the Flint-Beecher Tornado. One new fact I learned about my paternal great grandfather was he lost multiple fingers throughout his life. His thumb was amputated after an accident involving a sledgehammer, and he lost two more fingers in a sawmill accident. If you look closely at the picture on the left of Clifford and Ethel (his wife), you can see he is missing his right thumb. One interesting detail I learned about my family history in general was my ancestors arrived in land now know as Michigan in the early 1800s.
A Brief Biography
A Brief Biography
Clifford Vance Gary was born on Dec. 28th, 1913 in Kawkawlin, MI (108 years ago). His father, Amos Wallace Gary, was 25 at the time of his birth and his mother, Ethel Belle Gubbins-Gary, was 20. He was the 3rd of 9 children. The name "Vance" (which happens to be my grandfather's first name) is of British origin. This name is significant because it appears to go back multiple generations (e.g. Vance is the middle name of my great great uncle) though the story behind it is currently unknown. It is derived from the old English word “fenn” meaning “marshland.”
Clifford was considered part of the “Greatest Generation.” Members of this generation lived through World War I, the Roaring Twenties, the deadly Spanish Flu Pandemic, rapid technological innovations (e.g., radio, telephone, automobile), the Great Depression, World War II, intensifying storms due to global warming (e.g. Flint-Beecher Tornado), and more.
Clifford was described as being hard-working, and determined. For example, he single-handedly dug his own basement with just a shovel. His hobbies included boxing, checkers, square-dancing, hunting, and bowling. He would at one point become the proud owner of his own bowling alley. His son Vance (my grandfather) has many memories working in the bowling alley. Before automated pinsetters were created in 1941, my grandfather would be the one who manually reset the pins and returned the bowling balls.
This is Clifford with his siblings (from left to right - Lawrence, Clifford, Pearl, and Adaline).
This is Clifford's World War II Draft Card. All men between 21 - 45 had to register.
How does your individual family member’s story help you to understand the American Dream?
I do not know how Clifford would have defined the American Dream. He passed many years before I was born. However, when asking his son Vance about what Clifford may have thought about the American Dream he said, “Clifford came from humble beginnings. His parents weren’t wealthy people and often struggled to make ends meet. I think Clifford would have thought the American Dream meant the guarantee of economic advancement through hard work. Clifford toiled for much of his life trying to secure economic stability for himself and his family. In the end, I believe Clifford would have thought he achieved the American Dream. The reward of his hard work could be found in the success of his children and the generations that followed.”
Clifford's story helped me to understand specific ways in which certain family members have been provided aid and privileges based on their gender and race. For example, Clifford was able to find work during the Great Depression through the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) which provided an important financial lifeline during an incredibly desperate and unpredictable time. However, women in a similar situation as Clifford were not able to join the CCC. People of color, though able to join, were admitted at much lower rates than their white counterparts even though the Great Depression hit communities of color much harder. For example in 1933, African American unemployment rates were double the national average (well over 50%). However, the CCC capped African American enrollment at 10%. It would be careless, and inaccurate not to acknowledge these realities in Clifford’s story. It is important for me and my family to understand how historically our family has been granted advantages while others have not. This is a historical reality that is deeply connected to the American Dream.
Excerpt from Family Narrative Essay
"In the twilight hours of June 8th, 1953, Clifford came face-to-face with a truly terrifying sight. Just an hour earlier, Clifford had noticed with dismay a fierce and foreboding thunderstorm approaching from the south that turned the northwest sky a “black, yellow, and green" color the likes of which he had never seen before. Now, in the fading daylight, Clifford stood on the porch of his newly built home and could just make out in the distance an exceptionally massive, and violent tornado barreling towards him and his family. Clifford’s blood ran cold. Before him was the Flint-Beecher tornado, one of the most devastating tornadoes in our nation’s history."
By: Arthur Gary
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