Uncle Frank...First Story...of Many

Aunt Dorothy, Uncle Frank and my mother, Maxine

My Uncle Frank was mother's older brother.  He was the oldest of four siblings.  There are lots of stories I can tell about Uncle Frank.  When he was in high school...for summer break...he hopped a train headed for Colorado where he intended to visit his Aunt Rett and her family.  This was back in the 1930s, and it must have not been too alarming for my grandmother to see him off...but her message was strong...'Be back before the school year begins.'

He had many adventures on this ride, but I will only mention one.  While riding freight trains he met a lot of interesting people.  On one train he encountered a man with a guitar...called himself Woody...Woody Guthrie.  Frank said they talked and I think Woody might have influenced my uncle's political thoughts.  Frank grew up to be a staunch democrat and a union man...being a union steward at one time. 

One of Frank's great talents was his cartoons...comic...characters he would draw.  Each letter or package he would send us was decorated with pictures...maybe a Santa or Easter Bunny.  But Mother had to be careful with some of these...because he would often insert something in the pictures...that may not be...hmmmm....well...like one of his Christmas cards was a beautiful winter scene with a bridge.  If you looked closely....Santa was on the bridge...and if you looked closer...you could see that Santa was relieving himself in the stream...of course, only his back was showing....but it was obvious after a second look...what he was doing.

Here are a couple of Uncle Frank's comics that I recently found.  I will write more stories about him later....I have some great World War II photos he took.  (He was the ship's photographer.)  Here is a picture of a boxing match between FDR and Hitler. I found this in a letter that Uncle Frank had sent to the family.

 The next picture could probably apply to what many think about the work getting done in Washington, D.C. at any time.  Whatever....this is one of the pictures Maxine would have kept from the eyes of children and friends.