SISTERS
SISTERS
Sat, Jan 12, 3:40 PM (13 hours ago)
to Roger, Sherrill, Stephen, Susan, Jason, Nikki, Suzette, Melanie, David
MY SISTER.
A Recollection on Sherrill’s Retirement, May, 1992
Sherrill and I go way back, ——-I’m her big sister! Two and a half years older.
She was always cute, smart, very sensitive, and the baby of the family.
Being about three shades lighter in complexion than the rest of us, (she takes after her British grandmother), our brother Stephen would tease her mercilessly about being found in the bushes outside our home in Khargpur, India. I don’t know how long she believed him, and I tried to console her.
Sherrill, as I mentioned earlier, has always been very sensitive. She was known as the family “cry baby”. One of my insensitive aunts tried to cure her of this trait by keeping track of her tears on a daily calendar. This did not help at all; she cried even harder!
At the tender age of five, we were packed off to a British run boarding school one thousand miles from home at the foothills of the Himalayas, for a period of nine months of the year.It was a 48 hour trip by train, and during those nine months, I became Sherrill’s mother. Sherrill often snuck into my bed at night in the dorm filled with 100 young girls. She was terrified of the School nurse, who was a mean spirited tyrant. Sherrill has written a story about Sister Manooch.
At the age of 13, ( I was 15), our family immigrated to the United States after waiting ten years for a Visa. We moved from a small, hot Railway town in India, to the cold Midwestern town of Peoria, Illinois. When the train was pulling out of the station heading from Khargpur to Calcutta and then Bombay, Sherrill’s 13 year old boyfriend was running desperately, trying to keep up with the train, sobbing, and heartbroken. His name was Hemingway, our pastor’s oldest son, who now lives in London. They still keep in touch!
For two weeks we were sailing the seas on the ROMA, an Italian ocean liner from Bombay to England. We girls were occasionally pinched by the Italian sailors, especially on the fire drills! I almost drowned in the ship’s pool, but was rescued by a young Russian tourist, and an older man, about 26, plied our family with chocolates. The voyage lasted two weeks, and we went through the Suez Canal, getting off in Cairo to visit the Tut Museum, Pyramids, Sphinx, and ride camels. Sherrill’s camel’s name was Princess Margaret! I don’t remember my camel’s name, but it could have been King George. Who knows!!
Our Middle Eastern Adventure!
We spent a month in England, looking up our many aunts, uncles and cousins, eating the familiar curry and rice, and then tromping around Oxford, looking for our Grandmother’s house where her two old nieces and brother still lived. Aunt Gertie, Aunt Helen and great Uncle Percy served us tea and crumpets, and we enjoyed their generous hospitality and English accents! Grandmother Dora Cancellor Naug remained in India with her son Archie and family, who eventually moved to Australia.
In April, we sailed on the Queen Elizabeth to NewYork. It was exciting to see the Statue of Liberty, and realize we were just a few of the many thousands of immigrants who had moved to this great and welcoming country. The United States of America! The year was 1960. In NY someone told us that the street lights said WALK or Don’t Walk, which meant you had to run when it said Don’t Walk! We could have never made it past NY City!!
We took a Greyhound bus from New York to Peoria, and were greeted by our family. We wondered why our twin cousins, Richie and Robbie Seth had this very nasal twangy accent, and realized that they had now become Americans! Would we start to sound like them as well?
It didn’t take Sherrill much time to adjust to life in America, and become a swinging teenager in miniskirts, much to the chagrin of our parents. After graduation, Sherrill went on to Bradley University where she met the handsome and famous Michael Morris, and was he ever lucky to win her over! Poor Hemingway did not stand a chance at that point, and the rest is history.
I know you know how talented my sister is, as a teacher, vocalist, High School Counselor, writer, and poet. (We tried to sing a duet together at our church one Sunday, and broke down laughing, but I ‘m not sure why. I think I was singing out of tune! )
Sherrill is also a very dedicated and caring wife, mother, grandmother and citizen. Mike, Jason and Nikki, you have the best wife and mother in the world, and I have the BEST sister!
Enjoy your retirement,Sherrill and Mike. You have both definitely earned it!
Susan
Sat, Jan 12, 10:29 PM (6 hours ago)
to me
That's very interesting! Loved it.