Biographical Notes reCharles A. (Chuck) StonePage 4 of 4 Pages, of Chapter 11,SCHOOL DAZE |
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| As the fall of 1972 turned to winter in Flag, we had a very snowy season coming up. It must have snowed every two or three days. We didn’t know it then, but it would eventually be counted as a total of 207 inches for the entire winter. Having been raised in Minnesota, we were fairly comfortable getting around. By this time we had our financial feet on the ground sufficiently to have become a two car family to deal with all of the comings and goings. |
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| The Methodist Church development project was moving along quite well. Plans had been drawn up, initial funding was identified, and construction had begun. Where possible, Nell and I joined the congregation in putting in as many self-help hours as we could. As we moved on toward Christmas time, the building committee was trying to figure out how to finance and build the chancel furniture for the main worship hall. With almost perfect timing, a church in Hawaii had sent our church, in the blind, a $1,000 donation to be used as our church might dictate. I told the building committee, if they would reserve that amount to purchase materials required, I would build their chancel furniture in my home shop and donate the labor. They readily agreed and I spent many hours in the coming months striving to keep that promise. Taking their proposed furniture designs and making the modifications necessary to mesh them in with my tool and skill capabilities, the work moved forward a bit each day. My school work did not suffer. |
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on the North side, from the roadside Chapel of the Holy Dove. Summer of 1972 |
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printed from our family photo negative collection. |
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| Late winter of early 1973 found our family preparing for yet another time of transition. We had found and negotiated a house plan where Norris could begin construction when the frost went out in Minnesota. Sandie was preparing for her individual art show that was part of her BFA graduation requirements. David was at Lowry AFB, taking electronics courses, prior to his eventual shipment to Alaska. Dad was juggling a number of balls in the air and loving every minute of it. We planned to use a U-Haul truck to move ourselves to Minnesota. We used David’s vacant bedroom to pre-pack and store stuff that we could get ready in advance. At the same time, we prepared our Dining and Living Room area to become an art display room. Sandie would have her art show right in our home, with the public invited. A team came from the church and moved the chancel furniture down to the new, nearly complete, church building. The plan was that congregation members, both adults and children, would work together putting a Walnut-colored, Watco Oil, hand-rubbed, finish on the Oak-wood components. This process was accomplished with both dispatch and tender loving care with little on the floor. Nell, Sandie and I were preparing for an extensive garage sale that would immediately follow her art show. The schedule was finalized and notices for both went in the mail and to the local newspaper.
Sandie’s show and sale was scheduled to run for a few days. It was a smashing success, in spite of the fact that Sandie had come down with some kind of a virus. While handling one of her pots, she dropped it and it broke into a number of pieces. We saved them and she later put it back together with glue and it still makes a memorable house decoration for us, even today. As she was selecting her pieces for the show, she relegated a number of broken items to the trash. We were amazed to find visitors out going through our trash cans, looking for interesting discarded items. Our garage sale was next and went as planned. We cleared out a lot of stuff that we would not have to find room for in the U-Haul. We arranged to sell our house, at a fair price, to a couple who were involved in the University teaching program. |
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| The first official Trinity Heights United Methodist Church service, in the new building, was conducted, with the new chancel furniture playing an important role for the first time. We had previously had a few make-do services when the building was sufficiently completed to keep the congregation out of the weather. It had been a real thrill to see the furniture moved into place. I had the feeling that some church members believed that my home-built furniture would do until they could obtain some professional grade. But, Nell and I have visited that church twice, since our departure, and each time we attended a service, the furniture was in place, fully intact.
[Editors Note: On 23 January 2001, I received a call from Bill Denlinger, now retired and living in Tuscon, AZ. He said the above was not true. They had never intended to replace the furniture. He did say that the church has grown to such an extent that they had to build a second and larger multipurpose sanctuary, but our furniture is still in use in the original sanctuary. Good news!] |
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Church chancel furniture, built in our garage shop, installed in the new church, ready for the first service. Below: Reverend Bill Denlinger conducts |
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| Nell’s brother and his crew had our basement dug and were installing the floor joists about this time. We felt an urgency to get up there and join the building crew. We picked a departure date that fulfilled our school obligations, all but attending the formal graduation ceremony. The school expressed regret that we would not stay for the formal graduation ceremony, but the call of Minnesota was too strong to resist. We were on the road, graduation day. |
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| We had sold our second car, a Toyota station wagon, keeping the larger Ford station wagon because of its carrying capacity. Finally the day came to begin loading the U-Haul. We loaded and loaded and still did not have enough room. I went down to the rental agency and rented a trailer that would be towed behind the U-Haul. We had said our good-byes to Nell’s office crew, our friends at school and the neighborhood. On a May morning, with snow flakes in the air, we departed Flag, thankful for the experiences and friendships we had accrued in the past five years. We set our course for Little Falls, wondering what was waiting over the next horizon. |
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End of Page 4 of 4 Pages, Chapter 11 — Go to Chapter 12 Click below to select a destination Go to Page 1 — 2 — 3 — 4, this Chapter Chapters 1 — 2 — 3 — 4 — 5 — 6 — 7 — 8 — 9 — 10 |
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