Chapter 41

12/14/2004 

Partying with Janet Jackson

reconnecting with old Uncles                                 

feel I want, no I must continue looking for stories for my readers

It all started out as a routine assignment. Got the call while shopping at Boscovs. Could I drive a black Acura TSX to Buffalo. I'll pick it up on Sat, drive out Sun to stay overnight with relatives, and return Mon. Obtained pix of Cuz Carol Lee's son, William Mungall second to right of Janet at a house party in L.A. after the American Music Awards http://abc.go.com/primetime/ama/ 2004. William ('98 Univ. Mich) received the Architect Design Award of the year for his work as concept architect on exclusive homes in California. He consequently gets invited to various celebrity-charity events at that designed house. Life as a box of chocolates.

Bottom right- Uncle Gene Schmidt age 84, me (young) , and Uncle Dick Schmidt eldest in family at 88 (who let me stay overnight at 131 Lamont Dr in Amherst).

Top left- stopped on the way out at bro-in-law- Pete (Jammer) Kanches aging fast (and recorded his prestigious Cape Cod Ridge Club http://www.ridgeclubcapecod.com/ Championship 2004 prize. Made also untold thousands of dollars in prize money, can't speak of for tax purposes. His twosome beat Bobby Orr & son, Keith Tkachuck & brother, Derrick Sanderson & bunch of other hockey losers. [he seriously is in this crowd] Pete thinks he is the best golfer in the family.

Bottom left- recorded a few of Uncle Genes, trophies including the Orchard Park Country Club 1960 Club Championship http://www.orchardparkcc.com/ at which he has been President and member for eons. Not shown are the numerous other trophies taken by his kids, not to mention the car he won with his hole in one up near Rochester. At 84, he was golfing the day before, as he does most every day.

technical note: am enjoying the XM satellite radio a lot on these trips, great to get away from the annoying Christmas music with some 50's Dragnet and channel 74 Bluesville. Reception is great- few glitches up near Crown Point and in Mass Berkshires- think it might be magnetite interference- or fringe satellite coverage?

note to self: the TSX seats fit my back the best of any cars, wondering if I swayed Neph David too much based on that, wondering if I can get a good deal on his TSX since he's not 100% satisfied, [gen X'ers]

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bonus tedious tidbit coverage for fam based on my 6 hours of interviews:

William Mungall spends much quality time with his grandpa, Uncle Dick. Amazing, young kid traveling a month to Australia  with Dick in 2003. Going bungee jumping where bungee jumping originated. Dick not seeing well walked right into the pool in Fiji, but climbed hundreds of feet up in the air over a special bridge. William climbed famous Ayers Rock, scuba dove in Great Barrier Reef.

In 2001, they went three weeks to Germany and thereabouts. Dick learned German but they all spoke English there. Went to Baden where his Grandpa Ignatious Schmidt came from. [Same city Dad dropped bombs on mission #18. Navigator had said "Love to see the bombs eat into the German towns."] Imagine dropping bombs on your father-in laws house. Went to Vienna, where William had done some study. Visited Dachau. One of Dick's Jewish friends Andrew Pollinger had been born in Buffalo, moved to Dachau and at 16 was taken by the SS into the work camp. Parents had no idea of whereabouts. Was in camp till liberation 16 months later, actually escaped when errant allied bomb hit fence. So skinny his parents did not recognize him. Returned to Buffalo. Became aquatinted or reacquainted with Dick. In 1992 Andrew translated the transcripts of Rudolph Hoess the Kommandant of Auzchwitz-Bierkenwald which became the book "Death Dealers" -read some.  Hoess was know as the world's most notorious mass murder, by his own words. Was sentenced & hanged year later at the camp. Not the same as the SS Rudolph Hess, who served a life sentence at Spangau Prison in England.

Uncle Dick out of high school in 1934 couldn't get a job till '37 because of the Depression (imagine), finally got steel work '39 then drafted into Army '41-'46 as equipment repair man all over the States. Flew over Atomic Bomb test site by mistake, but prior to the detonation. Close call thru Rocky Mountains hauling a B-24 engine in the cargo plane. Barely enough lift, not to mention the nerves on landing with the meager ropes securing the large engine in the bay. Had taken college courses sporadically, finished BS Business Management at Univ Buffalo '47 and offered teaching job 5 classes of statistics before even getting diploma. Taught for 38 years there, retired and has continued to work there for free for last 19 years. Of course the Army asked if he could come back for Korean War. He was in middle of Masters dissertation- Army passed him by!

He had no idea or plan of what he was going to do from high school to Army to college. When offered the teaching job, he had never even thought of doing that. Meanwhile became an expert on the Univac and taught it- precursor to all PC's today. Learned many computer languages, COBAL, FORTRAN, C, etc will be taking one week "R" computer language course next semester. Got MS and PHD in business management. Sabbatical to Edinburgh Scotland, had Research Fellowship in economics from Univ of Cal, Berkley while maintaining Research Assistantship at UB while also teaching there simultaneously.

He looks fit for his age. Asked if cholesterol was high. Didn't know hadn't seen a doctor in years. Don't like em. Likes to shovel snow. Does it for about 6 neighbors who have ailments.

Uncle Gene flew airplanes around Stateside for Navy during WW2. Would fly war weary craft back from California to Virginia. Some were all crappy & corroded looking and gages & stuff never seemed to work right. They said, oh those planes were sunk underwater. Get back to Virginia where they would take apart and scrap them. Took off from Jackson Miss one time- ran out of gas, switched to second fuel tank, ran out, went to third and last- sweated bullets till touch down.

Another time, he taught pilots in a Stearman trainer aircraft at Attumwa Naval Air Station in Iowa admitted hot dogging with another pilot- had mid air collision- sheared off wings- spiraling at 1500 feet- bailed, pulled rip cord before even clearing tail. both made it alive. At same base, he remembered getting a car loan from a pretty bank officer named Pat Nixon whose husband was a junior officer there and went on to become the US President. Was assigned & ready to ship out to fly the (low probability of survival) TBM torpedo bombers in the Pacific until the big bomb was dropped to end the war. Switched to Army National Guard flying helicopters after the war- was the oldest military pilot in the US at 62 yrs around  1980 when the Pentagon got a special waiver for him.

Seems like there is a message in all this......

Uncles said my grandmother Nana (Mary) was born in Russia. East Prussia was part of Russia during their lifetimes, but when she was born I believe it was part of Germany.