My Other Brother

Gary Gene Campbell was born December 14, 1959 in Hutchinson, Kansas. I'm not sure if he was born on a sunday or monday. I do remember on that sunday night Dad introduced us to the "Wizard of Oz". It was broadcast on television and I remember how excited Dad was for us to watch it; in black and white of course. I also remember waking later in the middle of the night and hearing the wind blow outside. In the morning Dad announced that Gregg and I had a new brother.
Gary lived a little more than 7 1/2 years. This year would be his 50th birthday. How fitting with Gary's birthday near Christmas that some of my memories of him revolve around this time. On Gary's first Christmas Mom and Dad gave Gregg, Gary and I candy cane pajamas; shirt, pants, stocking cap all packed neatly in a candy cane stocking. Don't we look cute in the picture?
The next Christmas we lived in Springfield, Illinois and Gary would have been about two years old. He had the habit of wanting to take his clothes off. He could get everything off except his white shoes and socks. The house we lived in was big, old and not very warm, especially during that winter. It may have been Christmas night that we were in the living room watching "Sing Along with Mitch" (?) When what to our wondering eyes should appear....but Gary, riding a toy jeep, pulling a duck that he had got for Christmas. You guessed it, he did not have any clothes on except for his white shoes and socks.
One Chrismas Eve in Lebanon, Mom and Dad went to some friends Christmas party and left me to watch my brothers Gregg, Gary, Scott and Mark. They would not be gone long, but asked me to put my brothers to bed. For some reason I put us all to bed in our two twin beds. As we were laying in bed Gary asked if there was really a Santa Claus. "Of course", I said. Gary replied, "Then Santa is almost here cause you can see Rudolph's nose". Sure enough when I looked out the window there was a red glow in the dark sky.
"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night." -30-

Magic Man

"Hocus pocus, ala-kazaam, wham-bam, candy bar for Jimbo on the divan!" With those words I would run from my bedroom into the living room and look on the divan for THE candy bar. Sometimes one was there and sometimes Dad would have to try again. Dad would come home from "chasing" about the time I was going to bed and most of the time he would perform his magic routine. Sometimes the first attempt was a "fake" to get me out of the bedroom so his second try could be, "Hocus pocus mala-ka-fred, candy bar for Jimbo, under his bed" Sure enough, there it would be. I was pretty gullible at that age (4-5) and thought a little man lived in the walls moving candy bars around. Most of the time the "Magic" act would involve candy, but one time Dad made a puppy appear in the furnace room.
As part of Dad's job with Public Finance he had the responsibility at the end of the month to go "Chasing". That was his word for collecting delinquent payments. It was in the evenings or sometimes on saturdays. In Joplin he and Jack Watkins would go together. In later years (and other towns) Dad took me along for some Saturday excursions. And believe me, they really were "chases". Dad would go to the home of the customer and if they weren't there he'd sometime wait until they returned, go back later or leave to find them wherever they might be.
When Dad and Jack went "chasing" together in Joplin, Mom, Gregg and I would go over to the Watkins house or Donna and the Watkins girls would come to our house. On one occassion we were at the Watkins house. Donna and Mom were changing Gregg and Karens diaper on one of the beds. All of a sudden a big furry spider came out from under the bed. Much screaming, jumping back, leaving naked baby bottoms on the bed. When things settled down somewhat, the baby's were picked up and we all hurried to our house which was about a block away. When Dad and Jack returned home they killed the spider. No candy bar that night.

Job Fair

Kids, I think you know my Dad was in the Marines and that he worked for Central Bank in Lebanon. Dad worked other jobs which resulted in transfers and moves that our family made to Kansas, Illinois and back to Missouri. I'm sure Dad may have had other jobs that I'm not aware of, but I'll share what I remember.
My earliest memories of such things begins in Springfield, MO. We lived in a small house on Della street, one block north of Kearney. For a short time we lived in a house on National Avenue, not far from the house on Della. Both were relatively close to Grandpa and Grandma's Bear house on the corner of Missouri and Turner street. The first job I remember Dad having was at J.C. Penney's in the shoe department. Penny's was located on the north side of the City square and the shoe department was in the basement. I remember while he worked at Penny's he also took some evening business classes at Drury (?) college. Eventually he took a job with Public Finance which was just north off the square on Boonville. When your Mom (LaDonna) and I went to buy an engagement ring we parked at a parking lot on the sight of Public Finance and bought the ring at Zales Jewelers, in the building formerly occupied by Penny's.
I do remember going to Penny's for a new pair of shoes. At Public Finance we watched one of the Springfield Christmas parades from the window of the office. It was in the evening and must have been cold. The parade came through the square and headed north on Boonville, past the office, to Commercial street. As a point of information, the city square in Springfield was the shopping mecca of city at that time. As mentioned there was J.C. Penny's, also Fox Theatre, Gillioz Theatre and the big department store Heer's. It was a busy thriving part of Springfield.
Dad began his career at Public Finance as an Assistant Manager but was promoted to Manager. With that promotion came a transfer to Joplin, MO. I can't remember our Joplin address but we were across the street from a small shopping center and a few blocks east of downtown/Main street where Dad's office was located. He was the office Manager and his assistant manager was Jack Watkins. Jack, his wife Donna, two daughters Terri and Karen, lived in our neighborhood about two blocks away. Terri was a about a year younger than I while Karen was close to Gregg's age. The picture posted with the blog is of Terri and I in front of our house in Joplin. The edge gives a date of June 1958. It would be fair to say that Mom and Dad were good friends with Jack and Donna Watkins. Our paths would cross several times as we moved through Kansas and Illinois. -30-

Blog commentary

A minor frustration in writing this blog is finding appropriate pictures, in a timely manner, to post along with the article. I know I've seen a picture somewhere but where is it when I need it? Is it because of old age on my part? A faulty memory? or maybe I just need to take time and organize my picture collections better. At any rate, I will always try to post a picture with an article, you may have to return several times to the blog before it gets posted. Thanks for your patience and thanks for reading the blog. -30-

Cardinals Lose Heartbreaker in District Final!

The title of this blog takes its name from a series of articles I wrote when Matthew played H.S. Varsity baseball. Originally titled "Matt Stats" it was designed to report, via e-mail, Matthews games stats when playing on the J.V. squad. We've come to the end of the regular baseball season and I've probably exhausted family/Dad baseball stories. So as a close to this portion of blog posts I'll close with the final edition of an Old Peanut Bag moldy oldie.

Taking a 5-1 lead into the bottom ofthe 7th inning against the Blue Springs South Jaguars, the Raytown South Cardinals were unable to hang onto the lead and lost the district championship on a game winning 3 run homer. Starter Adam Meyer pitched very well until that fateful inning. He struck out six, walked two and had given up a solo home run until that point. In the seventh he simply ran out of gas, giving way to Greg Walker who had pitched only two days earlier against Truman. Balls by the Jaguar batters found gaps until finally a three run homer to left center field gave Blue Springs South the victory and the District 14 Championship.
Matt played LF and played well, making a put out on a fly ball early in the game. At bat he went 1-2 (3 AB's) I arrived in the top of the second inning where Matt had an 0-2 count. He stretched it to 2-2 before hitting a grounder to the right side. The ball went off the first basemans glove who was unable to retrieve it in time to throw to no one covering first base. Steve Kuehn on third base came in to score the Cardinals first run. Matt came in later in the inning on a double by Shawn Stilwell, driving in two more Cardinal runs. Later in the game Matt grounded out 5-3. In his last at bat the third baseman trapped Matt's pop bunt allowing him to reach first base.
Yes, it was a tough loss but many of us sitting on the cold bleachers of March in Mill River Park can remember thinking, it was gonna be a long season. The Ray-South Cardinals had that awful start in the Liberty lead-off Tournament going 1-4, their only win coming against Raytown and one of the losses to the Liberty JV squad. The Cardinals would go on to lose their first two home games against Ft. Osage and Center High School. (both of those losses were avenged later in the season) At this point the Cardinals found themselves 1-6 and the season was looking even longer. However, a win against Ruskin before Easter got the Cardinals headed in the right direction. From this point on the team went 16-7, winning the small 7 conference Championship (10-2), eventually beating a state ranked team of Blue Springs and then finding themselves in the District Championship game. Yes, it was a heart breaking loss and at this point many of us found ourselves saying the season didn't go long enough.
In the beginning of the season Matt wasn't getting much playing time and I'm sure was getting pretty discouraged. I know at times I found myself getting discouraged driving to games to watch Matt play only to find him riding the bench or in very limited playing time. I enjoyed watching the games and seeing the team play and improve but as a parent you always want to see your child play. On game day mornings I would leave for work, telling Matt to make the most of his opportunities and rub his head for good luck. (rubbing his head for good luck was already a tradition) Eventually he worked himself into the line-up playing in left field and starting 15 games.His hitting, starting off slow, improved throughout the season. One of his goals was to not strike out, unfortunately he struck out 8 times. One stat that I found especially pleasing was that he got on base 8 times due to fielding errors by the opposing team. In our reflection after the game he would always ask what happened; he was too busy running to the base, not watching the ball. Good hustle Matt, when you put the ball into play something good may happen, make the most of your opportunities.
Remember, LIFE IS A BALL, MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR OPPORTUNITIES. -30-

Bottom of the 4th: Professional Baseball

Sunday afternoon September 27, LaDonna and I attended the last Royals home game of the 2009 season. Zack Grienke won his 16th game 4-1 against the Minnesota Twins. He is on track to hopefully win this years Cy Young award. Living in Kansas City access to Kauffman Stadium has allowed my family to see many outstanding ballplayers and memorable moments.
While growing up my family made trips to Busch stadium in St. Louis to see the Cardinals play. A trip to St. Louis took about 3 hours so trips were not frequent. In the picture you see my brothers and I in front of Busch Memorial Stadium. (L-R, Mark, Scott, Gary, Me, Gregg). On our first trip to the stadium in 1967 we were passing through to Illinois. There was no game that day. We returned the next summer to see our first game. We arrived early to get the best GA unreserved seats available. We found out that GA seats were the top six rows all around the stadium. There we sat with our ballgloves behind home plate, a long way up. On return trips we worked our way down closer to the field. One hot Sunday afternoon we returned for a "scheduled" double header against the Pittsburgh Pirates. We sat on the first base side mid-level, in the shade under an upper deck. It was hot and the shade felt good. I remember some other people from Lebanon were at the game on the 3rd base side, sitting in the sun. Of course we saw Roberto Clemente but I remember Dad commenting how impressed he was with a young shortstop, Fred Patek, who would later play for the Royals. Some of the Cardinal greats we saw play in those early trips were Bob Gibson, Tim McCarver, Lou Brock, Curt Flood, Dal Maxvill, Julian Javier, Orlando Cepeda, Mike Shannon and Roger Maris.
Eventually Dad worked his way on to the baseball field itself. The Lebanon Chamber of Commmerce sponsored a Lebanon Day at Busch Stadium. As one of the officers of the C of C Dad was on the field with several other people from Lebanon for first pitch ceremonies.
It was about 1970 when we made our first and only family trip to a Royals game. They were still playing in Municipal stadium on Brooklyn Avenue. The tickets Dad bought were behind a post on the first base side down the right field line. He went to exchange them for something with a better view. The only Royals players I remember seeing were Lou Pinella and Amos Otis.
Through the years LaDonna and I (and family)have seen many great baseball players and moments. Our honeymoon involved a trip to see the Cardinals vs. Dodgers. Grandma Rita celebrated the news of her first grandchild by seeing the Braves play the Cardinals. LaDonna and I saw Steve Carlton win his 300th game vs. the Cardinals. We also saw Reggie Jackson of the Yankees face Hal Hrabosy of the Royals (with Billy Martin putting in his two cents). Our kids have seen George Brett, Kevin Seitzer's six hit game, Mark McGwire, and Nolan Ryan to name a few. Seeing Zack Grienke pitch this past sunday was only the latest in a long list of great baseball moments. -30-

Top of the 4th: Champions

The Lebanon Little League All-Stars shown in the picture were coached by my Dad.(left) In the front row middle is Mark "WHO" Campbell. After coaching the Midget League White Sox Dad stayed active in Lebanon baseball coaching other teams and being active in the sport at all levels. Dad served as Little League President and also served as President of the Optimist Club. The Optimist were a sponsor of the Babe Ruth League in Lebanon. One of Dad's accomplishments was dividing the league into a Junior Division and a Senior Divison. Gregg, Scott and Mark played in Little League, each of them making the All-Star team, and Babe Ruth league. Gregg and Scott also played High School Baseball making All-District or All-Conference teams. In addition Gregg played Legion Baseball and earned a Baseball Scholarship to Crowder Community College in Neosho, Missouri.

The picture is on a page with an article about the Little League all-stars but also includes an article about Lebanon's Babe Ruth All-Stars advancing to the state tournament in the 14-15 year old division. On that team is Scott Campbell who played shortstop. Seems like Gregg and Scott primarily played 2nd base or Shortstop.

There were several occassions when Dad formed pick-up teams to go play at the Mickey Owen Baseball school in Miller, Missouri. One such occassion had several boys of Gregg's age but included the Hilme & Clark fathers and sons from the Midget League days. During this era Mickey Owen was the Sheriff of Greene County, MO (Springfield) whom Dad had met through other civic activities in Lebanon, notably Boy Scouts. So, who was Mickey Owen and why did he have a baseball school? Mickey Owen was a catcher who played professional baseball between 1937-1954. Most notably he played for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Brooklyn Dodgers. He is most famous for a particular event that took place in the 1941 World Series, Brooklyn vs Yankees. Quoting from an article: "During the championship season, he set a record for most errorless fielding chances by a catcher with 508 perfect attempts. Ironically, Owen earned a place in baseball lore for a costly passed ball that he was charged with during the '41 World Series." The Dodgers led 4-3 in the top of the ninth inning. With two outs and a 3-2 count on the batter, Owen missed a swinging 3rd strike. The Yankees went on to rally, won the game and took a 3 games to 1 lead in the series. The next day the Yankees won the world championship in game 5. -30-

Bottom of the 3rd: From Worst to First

Part of the caption from this picture says: "The Lebanon Optimist took time Monday night to express appreciation for the improvements to the baseball diamond at Lebanon High School provided by the memorial funds of the late Jim Campbell, Harold Beaver and Lloyd Johnson......Above from the left are: Faye Beaver, Dorothy Johnson and Rita Campbell."
I had mentioned this memorial in the last blog post. Mom was also active in Lebanon Little League. One year she ran the concession stand at Maplecrest Park, where the Major League teams had their games. That was a year I played in the Babe Ruth League, I think Dad was still coaching Scott in the Midget League and Gregg was playing in the Major League. Some nights our family would be at three different parks.
In the second year of Dad coaching the Midget League White Sox he had many of the same boys from the previous year, who were now a year older. I remember Dad talking to the boys/team at one practice asking them about winning vs. everyone playing. He was committed to giving everyone a chance to play but wanted them to help make this decision. Some close games would come when getting everyone in the game would be difficult. You have to remember, in this era and this league there were no limitations about not keeping score, everyone bat in the inning regardless of outs,etc. The only special rule I remember was that a boy could not pitch more than six innings in a week. Don't get me wrong these are good in controlling coaches who want to win at all costs. Dad let the boys help make the decision and they all understood it. I remember one game where a boy did not get in the game. His parents were upset and told Dad so after the game. He explained the team decision, calmed the mother down and she eventually became one of the best fans of the team.
Now, back to the games.... This second year went a lot better than the first. The team was winning games. In one game the White Sox were behind and a parent told Dad that he hadn't worn his "lucky" shirt. Dad hadn't realized he had worn it to all the games so far, so Mom made a trip home to get it for Dad. With his "lucky" shirt the team won the game. At another game he ripped the sleeve of the shirt on the fence. The White Sox got behind and several mothers were ready with needle and thread to sew up the tear. Again, the White Sox won the game. In the previous blog I think Dad is wearing that lucky shirt; brown with vertical tan & white stripes. The team wore orange hats. Two of the other hot teams in the league were the Senators, coached by Mr. Hilme and I think the Pirates, coached by Mr. Clark. Both of them had a son on their team. The games with the Senators and Pirates were always close, hard fought and exciting games. When the season was over Dad and the Midget League White Sox finished in first place with a record of 14 - 0. I thought it interesting that the next year Gregg played on the Major League Cubs. Two of his team mates were the sons of Hilme and Clark. -30-

Third Inning: Lebanon Little League

While searching for information about Lebanon Little League on the internet, I came across a notice in the Lebanon Daily Record. Glenn Drake had recently passed away at the age of 90. Mr. Drake was active in Lebanon youth baseball, especially the Babe Ruth League. He had been instrumental in getting the Babe Ruth World Series to Lebanon. There were many other men in Lebanon who were active and important to Lebanon Youth Baseball, some of them being Ollie Scott, Harold Beaver and my Dad. Dad served in many capacities; as a Midget League coach, Little League President, and President of the Optimist Club that sponsored the Babe Ruth League. At his death a memorial was set up for improvements to the High School baseball field that was shared by the Babe Ruth League.
Lebanon Little League was organized into three leagues; Midget League for boys age 8-9, Minor League for boys age 10-12. These leagues had 8 teams each. The teams were the Red Sox, Pirates, Reds, Colts, Phillies, Mets, White Sox and Senators. There was a Major League of six teams for boys age 10-12 who were the "better" players. These teams were the Cardinals, Orioles, Dodgers, Yankees and Cubs. I can't remember the name of the sixth team.I played for two years (age 11 & 12) on the Minor League Reds.
Dad began his involvement with Lebanon Youth baseball by coaching the Midget League White Sox for two years. During those two years my brother Gregg played on the team along with some other kids from our neighborhood, such as Mike Eidson, Gene Eidson and Royce Crisp who lived in the neighborhood for a short time. Most of the boys on that first team were 8 years old and just beginning to play organized baseball. In those games score was kept and there was a winning and losing team. The team had lots of fun, the boys learned a lot, but by the time they game to their 14th and final game they were 0 - 13. In this final game Dad decided to surprise the other team. He prepared a lineup with names of Peanut characters which Mr. West the announcer at Gasconade Park read off. Players were announced as Linus, Schroeder, Pigpen, Snoopy, etc. My brother Scott was announced as Charlie Brown AND the pitcher. Dad put him in the largest team jersey he had which happened to have the largest number, 14. Scott didn't pitch in the game, but his warm-ups on the mound had the opposing team all psyched out wondering if this little kid was really going to pitch. It seems like the opposing team may have been in first place. The game began and Dad moved kids around every inning, letting every one pitch that wanted to. I remember Gene Eidson caught a fly ball in the outfield. That was something pretty rare in midget league. When the dust settled the Midget League White Sox finished their season 0 - 14 but had some momentum to take them into the next season. -30-

A Trip to the Mound(s)

In the summers of 1970 and 1971 my church youth group took a trip to Colorado. Our destination was north of Denver, near Rocky Mountain National Park. We stayed in Our ministers cabin which was at the foot of Mt. Meeker. We did the sight-seeing stuff at Estes Park and Denver but made several climbs over the two summers; Meadow Mountain, Twin Sisters, Bear Lake and Ozul Falls to name a few.
On our trips from Lebanon we would always anticipate the Kansas/Colorado border. It was then we would begin to scan the horizon for our first glimpse of the Rocky Mountains. After miles and miles of the prairie it was a thrilling sight indeed.
Over the past 34 years LaDonna and I have made several trips to New Mexico. As we travel through Kansas, parts of Oklahoma and Texas, we look forward to the first sight of mountains. Rabbit Ears, near Clayton, New Mexico, are the first two mountains (?) we see as we approach the border. It's almost as if saying, you're almost to the mountains. It is even more thrilling as we head west out of Raton toward the Cimmaron Valley and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
Our trip to New Mexico this summer took us to the Albuquerque area of the state. This was an area we had not been to before. We did drive to the top of Sandia Crest which overlooks the city. A pretty sight indeed. For another of our day trips it was recommended to us, by the Hotel breakfast hostess, to see the Jemez (Hamas) valley. We headed northwest out of Bernalillo on highway 550 to San Ysidro. There we headed north on highway 4. We travelled through the Jemez Pueblo. From the road we saw their fields of crops and gardens.Farther northe were the Red Rocks, Gilman Tunnels, Soda Dam and Battleship Rock. As we travelled farther north the elevation rose as well. The scenery changed from the red rocks and scrub brush to mountains and Ponderosa Pine. Enjoy the pictures. LaDonna and I both agreed we prefer the mountains to the valley. A trip through the Jemez Valley was a good "TRIP TO THE MOUND(TAINS). -30-

Bottom of the 2nd: Farm League

Grandkids can have a lot of fun on the farm and there were always cousins to play with. Doug, Eugenia, Galen, Burt and Mary Jo Bumgarner(Aunt Wilma's kids) lived just up the road from the farm and were always available to play with even if no one else showed up. Most of the time we played out in the fields exploring, building forts, hide and seek, etc. When my brothers and I were big into baseball we took along our bats, gloves and baseballs. There was plenty of space to play a game. You just had to find an area where there were not a lot of cowchips. Most of the time we played in a field that was in front of the farmhouse. It was slightly downhill with home plate at the high end closest to the house. Not many cowchips but it was a little rocky. By the way, baseballs are white, correct? In major league games if a ball hits the dirt they get a new ball. Not us. The baseballs we played with were usually brown, scuffed up and played with until the cover came off.
While we played ball adults would be sitting in the front yard under the trees engaged in adult conversation. I remember Dad telling me that Grandpa would talk about swapping knives at Hokinsons general store in Strafford. I do remember once when we were playing baseball Grandpa stood up and said something like,"Let me try and see if I can do that". We were all taken by surprise. Grandpa Campbell was going to try and hit the ball? Had he ever played baseball before? Could he do it? Anticipation set in as Grandpa took the bat and stepped up to the plate/rock/cowpile (take your choice) I think it may have been Gregg or Scott who was pitching. I was out in the field quietly rooting for Grandpa to hit the ball. Yes! He hit the ball!Having done that he handed the bat back and walked back to the front yard. -30-

Rain Delay?: Happy Father's Day

As we celebrate Father's Day, enjoy these pictures of my Dad. He is the reason I started the blog. Enjoy.

Love, Dad/Grandpa/Jim-James

2nd Inning: Sandlot Baseball

(The photo is from one of Matthew's early Y-League teams)

My youngest brother Mark was born in 1964 right before we moved from Riverton to Lebanon. With five boys in our family I would joke about there being enough of us to have our own basketball team. Remember though, we are a baseball family.

"Baseball game at Eidson field in fifteen minutes!" Keller field needs to be mowed and the Montgomery's aren't home. So today's game will be played at Eidson field.

All the kids who lived in our neighborhood on Keller Drive had a yard that doubled as some kind of ball field. Our yard had a basketball goal in the back and enough room in the front yard to serve as a small football field. John Wright also had a basketball goal and a long narrow yard far enough away from his house to serve as a driving range when we got our few golf clubs. The Montgomery's had a big field. However, small trees planted in strategic places made it difficult to play any kind of ball game.

Mr. Keller lived next to a vacant lot that was the biggest field in the neighborhood but it also took the most work to mow. We kept the infield playable but the outfield was too big for any of us to mow with our push mowers. Sometimes we could keep short right field manageable but left field always kept our baseballs. Even if a riding mower was ever available the field was more in need of a brush hog. Too bad, because right field bordered the V.F.W. post and had a hedge of bushes that made a perfect home run fence.

Eidson field was our favorite. It had the best conditions of all the baseball fields in our neighborhood. The yard was well mowed and the whole outfield bordered the V.F.W. bushes. Center field was the shortest distance for a home run. Houses on either side of the field were well in foul territory and only had a few small windows. To keep the ball from going into the street we constructed a portable backstop transferable between Keller and Eidson field. It also served as a "catcher" when our teams were well short of nine players.

Baseball games in the neighborhood were always announced along with the name of the field. If you missed the initial call you could always look out your front door and see where the game was being played. Kids who played in the neighborhood games at one time or another were John and Dan Wright, Mike and Gene Eidson, Charlie Halter, Glenn and Steve Montgomery, my brothers Gregg, Gary Scott, Mark and myself. There was also Leland Wright and his older sister Donna who played. She had the unfortunate luck of having the family nickname "Heifer-lou" Sometimes adults would play field positions for both teams and visiting friends were always welcome to play.

As each player arrived they called out the position they wanted to play by calling the name of the famous ball player they would be for the game. Since we were St. Louis Cardinal fans we would usually call to be a Cardinal player. So, if you wanted to play third base you would say, "I'm Ken Boyer" or in order to play first base you would call out, "I"m Orlando Cepeda!" Sometimes we would call players of some other team, but they had to be an All-Star caliber player like Pete Rose, Johnny Bench or Roberto Clemente. In addition to calling "dibs" on your position by naming a player, you gave your team an added advantage. By invoking the name of a famous player your batting average and teams chances of winning increased. It was almost like saying, "God is on our side", therefore we are assured of victory.

The player we would name changed depending on what position we wanted to play that day. Except for my brother Mark. He always wanted to play shortstop and wanted to be Julian Javier. He was one of the youngest in the neighborhood and it was all he could do to play shortstop, let alone say "Whoolian Ha-vee-air" My Dad used to get tickled when Mark would run out on to Eidson field, falling all over himself while hollering, "I'm Whoolian Ha-vee-air!"

Well the name Julian Javier stuck with my brother Mark. Dad nicknamed him "Julio" and later shortened it to "Who". He gave Mark a shirt with the name "WHO" lettered on the back. The nickname stayed with him through school and league sports. Family friends even came to call Mark, "WHO".

I wonder if anyone in Lebanon would still walk into Central Bank today and ask, "How are you WHO?" -30-

Bottom of the First: Riverton

On the east edge of Riverton was the local baseball field. The field was shared by teams and players of all ages, Little League, the Local Semi-Pro team, Club events like the J.C.'s vs A.C.'s and the Local carnival. The dimensions were those of a regular big league field. The outfield wall was about 8-10 feet high and painted green. For Little League games a temporary fence was placed in the outfield, more suitable for our age. Behind home plate were covered bleachers, bench seats, all gray boards with a screen backstop, maybe chicken wire, that occasionally allowed a foul ball to come through.
Little League games were held during the week and the Semi-pro team ruled on the weekends. I asked my Dad what semi-pro meant and his explanation was they weren't paid but they did receive some type of pay so they weren't amateur's. They also had regular jobs during the week. Home games usually drew a big crowd, for a small town. Men hung out, watched the game, drank beer. Kids would play around the area, watch a little bit, or collect pop/beer bottles and turn them in at the concession stand for a nickel. (per load, not per bottle). However, it was a summer pastime in town to find soda bottles and turn them in at the local grocery stores for 2 cents apiece. Usually it was a trade of soda bottles for candy. No, we didn't get rich.
Mainly I just remember going to the games but there are a few memories that stand out. The Riverton team had one pretty decent pitcher that reportedly some big league scouts were interested in. Rumor was the Cardinals were one of those teams. Another memory involves preparing the field for play. There had been a game on saturday and rain overnight threatened to postpone/cancel sundays game. The field was wet with puddles of mud/water around 3rd base and home. Sand was brought in to help condition the infield and kerosene was poured on those wet spots to burn them dry. A lot of effort went in to preparing the field and the game started late, but it was played.
Dad played for the J.C.'s in the JC's vs. AC's games. They were slow pitch softball and always fun to watch. Many of the men involved were friends of Dads or people you saw in the community at church, high school basketball games, grocery store, etc.
One other memory of baseball in Riverton involved collecting team pins from Kitty Clover (?) potato chips. If you collected all 20 team pins you could redeem them for a baseball. This was back in the day of two leagues, American and National, no divisions. Here goes with a list. How many do you remember? Where did they move to? Can you name the "expansion" teams from that list? Can you name the expansion teams since that time in 1962-63? Have fun.

American League:

1. New York Yankees
2. Boston Red Sox
3. Baltimore Orioles
4. Cleveland Indians
5. Kansas City Athletics
6. Los Angeles Angels
7. Minnesota Twins
8. Chicago White Sox
9. Minnesota Twins
10. Detroit Tigers

National League:

1. New York Mets
2. Philadelphia Phillies
3. Milwaukee Braves
4. St. Louis Cardinals
5. Cinncinati Reds
6. Houston Colt 45's
7. Los Angeles Dodgers
8. San Francisco Giants
9. Washington Senators
10. Chicago Cubs

-30-

First Inning: Riverton, Illinois

The picture shows me and my brothers Gregg, Gary and Scott in the backyard of our home in Riverton, Illinois. Riverton was a great place to grow up as a kid. Before I tell about "baseball stuff" I probably need to tell why Riverton was such a great place to live, at least from my perspective.

Riverton (current pop. 2,900) is east of Springfield about 6 miles. The town was laid out in a square shape. The major streets were the perimeter of the square. We lived on Main street. At the end of the block was the Fire station with its siren that sounded daily at 8:00 a.m, noon, 5:00 p.m and 10:00 at night as well as for any fires that needed the Volunteer Fire Department. Across the street from the fire station was the Post Office and in the next block west was a hardware store and a building that served as a community center. Two blocks to the east was the Elementary school. Within a two block radius of our house were at least 4 of the local churches and a local barber shop. We were in the middle of town. Two grocery stores were located within a half mile of our house. From our backyard we could see the railroad tracks that ran through town. The big deal was to see how many cabooses there would be at the end of the train. The baseball field was located on the east edge of town less than a mile away. Almost anyplace in town could be reached by an eight year old on a bicycle.

The town had an Italian heritage and many of the names in the community reflected that. Our neighbors, June & Adolph Pasquali, Greggs friend, Jimmy Rosetti, my 5th grade teacher (and our landlady) Mrs. Finale and the only team mate from my baseball team I can remember, Vic Pambianco.

Springfield/Riverton was in the heart of Lincoln Country and 1962-63 was part of the Centennial Era. But this area was also half-way between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs. People in Springfield/Riverton had a strong leaning toward the Cardinals. During this time the Cardinals were pretty hot and involved in pennant races. Stan Musial was a big name along with Ray Sadecki, Ken Boyer and Dick Groat to name a few. A transistor radio was a pretty hot commodity late in the summer. Me, I was Dodger fan. Why? Well, they did have a good team with players like Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Jim Lefebvre, Johnny Rosboro. I would listen to the Cardinals games hoping to hear them play the Dodgers.

In Riverton I played on my first little league team, the Dodgers. My Dad was assistant coach to one of his friends, Tony. At age nine I was one of the younger members of a team loaded with lots of 12 year olds. I think the only reason I was on the team was because Dad was a coach and there were only 4 teams in the league for ages 8-12. The 12 year olds on our team were really good and we won a lot of games if not all of them. I only got to play when our team was way ahead in the late innings and many times people were telling me to strike out on purpose so we could get the game in before the town curfew of 10:00. They didn't have to tell me to strike out on purpose, I could do it on my own, thank you very much.

In the next post I'll tell more about baseball in Riverton, especially our Semi-pro team. -30-

BASEBALL: First Pitch

Tuesday May 19, what a perfect night for baseball. Great weather and a Royals 6-5 win over the Cleveland Indians in the bottom of the ninth. What an exciting ending. When I stop and think, I'm reminded that Baseball has always been part of the Campbell family. My brothers and I played ball and all of my Dads grandchildren have too. This blog posting will begin a series of baseball stories involving everyone in our family.

My first memories of baseball begin with going to Grandpa & Grandma Bears house on Saturday afternoons. Grandpa Bear, my Dad, and anyone else there watched baseball on television. It may have been called "The Game of the Week" but I'm not sure. I do remember the announcers were Dizzy Dean and Pee Wee Reese. (old baseball fans know who they were) Their sponsor was Falstaff Beer or "Schlitz, the beer that made Milwaukee famous". Occasionally Dizzy Dean would break out into a rendition of "The Wabash Cannonball", something my Dad would do when he announced at Little League baseball games in Lebanon.

In Hutchinson, Kansas my Dad and I made a trip to the local junk yard/trash dump to take some of our stuff to dump. Dad found and we brought home a box of baseball cards someone had thrown away. Man, what those things would be worth today. Also, in Hutchinson Dad played on a local softball team. I don't remember if it was fast pitch or slow pitch. Games were usually at night and I don't remember going to that many games. Dad would take me with him to some of his practices to watch, shag missed balls during warm-up/catch and fouls balls hit out of play. Someone else on the team brought their younger sister, about 12 yrs old and we would share the duties. Dad played catcher and some on first base. In Riverton Dad played in softball games between the local JC's (his team, the Junior Chamber of Commerce) and AC's (Athletic Club).

Dad had his greatest moments coaching teams my brothers or I played on. These stories of Dad coaching, my brothers play, family trips to St. Louis, neighborhood pickup games and other family baseball stories will be a lot of fun to share with you in the following blog posts. "PLAY BALL!" -30-

Boxing: Round 3

Even though I did not see my Dad box, he remained a fan of the sport throughout his life. I can remember a couple of incidents that bear testimony. Growing up in Springfield I remember the Friday Night Fights broadcast on television. They were sponsored by Gillette and I still remember the theme song. You are probably familiar with the tune also. All I recall is Friday night fights, on television, in black and white and Dad watched it. Cassius Clay, later Mohammed Ali, came on the boxing scene in the early 1960's. When he fought Sonny Liston for the heavy weight title in 1962 or 63 we lived in Riverton, Illinois. We listened to the boxing match on radio. Title fights in those days, if televised, were closed circuit and shown in theatres or other venues. One had to purchase a ticket to attend and prices were pretty steep and only offered in limited markets. It wasn't until the mid to late 70's that I can remember seeing a heavyweight title fight live on television. One that stands out is Leon Spinks defeating Ali for the World heavyweight title. Within a short time there was a re-match, Ali won the title back and soon thereafter retired. As a side note, LaDonna, Matt, Susan and I took a vacation trip to New Mexico in 1999 and saw Mohammed Ali as the honored guest at the Taos Pueblo Indian Pow-wow. Matthew and Susan recognized who he was and were excited to see him.
When we moved to Lebanon, Dad took my brothers and I to a boxing match at the Shrine Mosque in Springfield, MO. Dad was excited at the attempt to bring professional boxing to Springfield. There were a few good matches and some that were pretty one-sided. In one match a boxer had his mouthpiece knocked out and Dad said he "took a fall" and was only in it to collect his "purse". If there were more matches, I don't know. We only went the one time.
Some years later when I was away in college, Dad and some other people in Lebanon attempted to start a boxing club in Lebanon. Some boys from Lebanon were recruited to box a Club from Springfield (?) My brother Scott was one of the boxers. An article was written in the Lebanon Daily Paper about my Dad and Ralph Collins, whom he worked with at Central Bank. It seems the two of them had been in boxing matches together. Not that they boxed each other, but their two clubs boxed against each other. Somewhere in my collection of "stuff" I have that article.
I don't know if Dad was a fan of Ali or not, but I know Dad was a fan of boxing. Ali created an interest and popularity for the sport of boxing that has diminished in the past years. My Dad gave me an understanding and appreciation of the sport even though I was never able to fight my way out of a "paper" bag. -30-

Boxing: Round 2

Before I begin the next round of "boxing" I need to take care of a few housekeeping items. First of all, the picture posted previously did not match the article quoted. The picture with the article was not as good as the one posted. In that picture my dad is third from the left and Uncle Don is third from the right. Also, at the time of posting blogsI may not have an appropriate picture to go with the article. Should I find one I will add it to a post. You may want to check "old" posts to see if any pictures have been added. I hope you are enjoying "The Old Peanut Bag".

At the age of three we lived in Springfield, Missouri on Della Street. I do remember playing with boxing trophies that Dad had won. Great toys for a three year old. Since we lived in Springfield Dad would still go visit the 449 Club, see what was going on and give some pointers to young club members. It seems I remember the 449 Club was on Boonville street, south of Commercial and possibly across the street from Pippin (?) Jr. High. Whether this is accurate or not I don't know. This location seems to stand out because on some occassions Dad would take my cousin Mike Walsh and I with him. (Mike is Aunt Anita's son and one day younger than I) We would watch older boys hit punching bags, jump rope, shadow box and occassionaly get in the ring and spar with one another. A pair of children's size boxing gloves appeared at home (birthday? Easter? Christmas?) and Dad began to teach Mike and I some boxing basics. We learned how to make a fist, hold our hands up, jab and punch. We got so good with our skills that one night, Mike and I were in the ring of the 449 Club in a boxing match. The boys at the club had a good time watching us "mix it up" especially when we chased each other around the ring. In all the action, Mike was knocked down, hit the mat and started to cry. Dad picked him up and raised both of our hands as winners.
From time to time at home Mike and I would try to "recreate" the moment for aunts, uncles, Grandpa & Grandma Bear in our living room on Della. They too enjoyed the part where we chased each other in circles. -30-

Golden Gloves

The information contained in this entry is some that I have wanted to share for a long time. However, my knowledge of Dad's boxing is pretty limited. I remember playing with some of Dads trophies when I was small, seeing some pictures in a scrapbook, going with Dad to the Springfield Boy's Club when I was 3-4 when he would watch some of the kids work out. Dad also talked about his boxing experience but I don't recall a lot of details. He was also a big fan of boxing when I was growing up, especially Cassius Clay/Mohammed Ali.

I have Aunt Colean and Grandma Rita to thank for most of the material I'll present. Aunt Colean sent me some pictures and information from Uncle Don's boxing notebook. Thanks for the help and here goes.....ding, ding! Round One

My Dad and his oldest brother Don boxed for the 449 Club in Springfield, Missouri. Uncle Don boxed in the 160 lb. novice class and Dad boxed in the 135 lb. novice class. From what I remember seeing in articles they had matches against boxing clubs from other towns. Locally their matches were held at the Shrine Mosque, which is located east of the square on St. Louis street. The "Campbell Brothers" were prominent in their class in 1949 and 1950. Their biggest accomplishment being the first boxers from Springfield to win at The Star's Golden Gloves tournament of Champions at Kansas City. Dad always said he was the first since his match was before uncle Don's. From what I know about boxing matches like this the lower weight classes went first with the heavyweight class being last. The headlines with picture from a newspaper article reads: CAMPBELL BROTHERS WIN GLOVES CROWNS.

The article from 1949: "These are the five amateur boxers who carried the Springfield Newspapers' colors into last night's windup action at the Star's Golden Gloves tournament of champions at Kansas City, and two of them emerged with titles. It marks the first time Springfield has had winners at Kansas City. The fighters standing , are Charles Jones, Don Mobley, Donald Campbell, winner in the 160-pound novice class, Charles Ferry and Jimmy Campbell, winner in the 135 pound novice class. The boys were coached and trained at Kansas City by Bob Lee, left, and W.E. Ary, kneeling."

Aunt Colean writes in her letter, "When they won the Golden Gloves they were honored with a luncheon by the Lions club. C.E. Russel, who owned the club, bought each of them a new suit. Don wore his to get married."

Eventually Dad and Uncle Don went to college on boxing scholarships. Uncle Don went to SMS for a year and Dad went to Poteau Junior College (now Carl Albert Community College) in Poteau, Oklahoma.

It was interesting to note in the articles and pictures from Aunt Colean that Dad was listed as Jim Campbell, James Campbell, Jimmy Campbell and Jimmie Campbell. Mom told me you could tell where people knew Dad from by what they called him. Hmmm, seems like I can identify with that.

More rounds of boxing memories will follow, but this is a start. -30-

Time Out: Jennifer Takes a Stand

A very important event took place 30 years ago this Sunday. Jennifer Campbell Hughes was born. In honor of her birthday I will share with you a "new" Jennifer story I'll title "Jennifer Takes a Stand".

It was the night of the Raytown South Middle School Orchestra Concert. All of the Orchestras from middle school would be playing, including the 4th Grade Orchestra. Jennifer was a proud member of this group, came home after school and informed me that she needed a music stand. With so many students/groups performing the school did not have enough music stands for everyone. So, Jennifer and I went to School Music Service, across the street from FBC Raytown, to get her a music stand. Our budget would not allow for a sturdy, expensive Manhasset stand so we looked at the inexpensive wire stands. Jennifer made a selection and we returned home to prepare for the concert.

Miss Holiday, the Orchestra teacher, introduced the 4th Grade Orchestra and they played their first selection. We noticed that some of the students were standing. After the applause, Miss Holiday told us that students who had memorized the song were allowed to stand since they didn't need to look at the music. As the concert progressed we noticed that Jennifer continued to stand and by the time 4th Grade Orchestra was finished, Jennifer had stood for every song. She had the whole concert memorized. Did she need a music stand? You bet! Happy Birthday Jennifer. -30-

The Campbell Place, Part 2

One of the decisions in writing this blog is whether or not to write chronologically or topically. Since I'm writing about the farm, this would probably be the time to write about the years my Dad owned the farm. After Grandpa Campbell (Walt) died my Dad and Mom bought the farm. I'm not sure exactly when it was but it was after your mom and I were married.
While I was in college Dad began a venture of raising cattle. He raised Herefords which are the red cow with a white face. He began with five cows and kept them on land he rented from Frank Wright. The Wright's had lived on land behind our house, about 5 acres. They had moved out west of Lebanon but still owned the land. Today the Nazarene Church is on that property. When I was home from college Dad would call from work about 3:00 in the afternoon and want me or one of my brothers to look out the back window and see if the cows were in sight. It was kind of funny, cause he used to call us at home before he got the cows and ask how we were. Over time Dad moved the cattle to another piece of property north of Lebanon, I'm not sure why, but by then his "herd" was a little larger. He had also acquired a pickup truck with "bald" tires. I remember once that Dad drove around the field in winter while one of my brothers threw hay out the truck while I jumped up and down in the bed of the truck to give added traction so we wouldn't get stuck in the snow. Eventually he and mom bought the farm in Strafford from Grandma Campbell but she could stay there at the house if she wanted. Dad had the old barn torn down and replaced it. Seems like he kept a tractor and other farm things in it. I remember going with him one saturday in winter to check on the cows, visit Grandma and in general check on the farm. There was snow/ice in the farmyard and it seems like we spent most of our time getting the "bald" pickup truck out of the snow/ice. I think Dad finally ended up with a herd of about 20-30 cows.
-30-

The Campbell Place

I guess if you've never been to Grandpa & Grandma Campbell's farm, you're probably not sure exactly where it is or how to get there. It depends on what age you might be and what direction you were coming from. Dad, Mom and I lived in Springfield after Dad finished his service in the Marine Corps. That would make it about 1954. Our house was on Della Street that was one block north of Kearney and about 4 blocks north of Grandpa and Grandma Bear who lived on the corner of Missouri and Turner street. When going to the farm we would travel on Route 66 from Springfield, heading west on Kearney, to Strafford. In those days, Interstate 44 was in the process of being built but not yet complete. From Strafford we headed north on highway 125 until we came to what is now E Farm Road 80. I don't remember the name from back then, but remember a farm house on the right hand corner that told me this was the road. We headed east about a mile until we came to Uncle Bob and Aunt Wilmas house on the left and the Jim Dishman residence on the right side of the road opposite the lane to "the farm". The lane was about a 1/4 mile long and anyone at the house could see us coming. Dogs would bark, cousins would run out to the farmyard where cars were parked; all in all it was quite a welcome. To the east of my Grandparents farm was the farm of Uncle Bill and Aunt Lottie. Uncle Bill was Grandma's brother. Occasionally they would come for sunday gatherings but were less frequent when Aunt Lottie wasn't feeling well. If you continued east on the farm road it made a "T" with N Farm Road 243. A left turn took you to Mr. & Mrs. Rule's farm. This was a place that Dad had lived with his family when growing up. We went there once or twice and Dad showed me a rock in the front yard where he and Aunt Wilma had chiseled their initials.
Remember, Dad always said they had lived in every house in Strafford. Well, there weren't many houses in Strafford in the mid 50's, but I do remember Hokinson's General Store. Dad had gone to school with J.D. Hokinson (son) so we had occassion to visit there a little longer when we went to get any needed groceries. It was a big, old white building with a large porch, wooden floors inside and not very well lit.
When growing up Dad said he shared a bed with his two older brother, Donald and Ronald. Being the youngest brother Dad had to sleep in the middle of the bed in summer time. In the winter he slept on the outside. Of course Dad talked about walking to school but then most children from that generation did. When you look at the picture of Daisy and Dolly you notice my Dad and his brothers. Dad is in the back sitting on the white horse, Dolly. Uncle Don is in front with the dog and Uncle Ron is on Daisy.
At family gatherings on the farm everyone would refer to farms, homes, etc as "The old Dishman place" (example) It was a way everyone knew the place being talked about. Maybe someone new had bought the farm in the last 5 or 10 years and Campbell family members who had moved away still knew it as the Dishman place even though the Dishman's no longer lived there. I remember how funny I thought that was. To the best of my knowledge "the farm" is still there. A new house has replaced the one Grandpa and Grandma lived in. The old barns and out buildings are also gone, but I wonder if there are any oldtimers around Strafford who refer to it as "The Campbell" place?

Family Tree: Part 1

Walter and Maggie Campbell were the parents of seven children, one of which was my dad, James Glenn Campbell. The Senior part of his name was added when I was born as Junior. Grandpa, or Walter Barb Campbell, lived from October 23, 1895 until May 9, 1975. Grandma, Mary Magadalene West Campbell, was born July 28, 1899 and lived until December 1, 1985. She went by the name Maggie and I always thought it was short for Margaret. It wasn't until after her death and I visited her grave I discovered her real name. They are both buried in a church cemetery north of Strafford, Missouri on highway 125, just south of Fair Grove.
James Glenn Campbell was born July 24, 1931 and died August 13, 1978. Dad commented once about his middle name being Glenn. Both of his Grandfathers had the name James Franklin, Campbell and West. He was the fifth of seven children. His brothers and sisters in order are Virginia McNabb, Ailene Gray, Donald Campbell, Ronald Campbell, my Dad, Wilma Bumgarner and Barbara Westerhouse. My own children would know more about Uncle Don since he is the father of my cousin Mike. Mike and his family would come through Missouri on their way from South Dakota to visit his mom, Aunt Colean in Georgia. I think on some occassions Grandma Campbell got to be around Jennifer and Susan attended a family reunion back in 2001. Of the brothers and sisters only Aunt Virginia, Aunt Ailene and Aunt "Bobby" are still alive.
My Grandparents lived on a farm about 5 miles north of Strafford. It is the only place I knew them to live even though Dad commented they had lived in every house in Strafford. When I was a young child we lived in Springfield and Sunday afternoons were spent at the farm along with any aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. who came to visit. Grandma held court in the kitchen fixing sunday dinners that stir wonderful memories of home cooking; fried chicken, corn-on-the- cob, okra, tomatoes, rolls, blackberry cobbler and sweet tea. Grandpa always cut his corn off the cob and mixed it with sorghum and butter. After dinner cousins would play outside, men would sit under the tree, (Grandpa talked about swapping knives) and the women would clean up in the kitchen. Memories of the farm bring to mind the story of Daisy and Dolly. Daisy and Dolly were Grandpa's team of horses. Daisy was a white, almost gray horse and Dolly was black. Grandpa would always check on them while we were there. He would stand at the gate of the farm pasture and call them up. "Whooop Da-zee! Whooop Dol-lee!" Many times they were at the far end of the pasture or even in the "back-forty". His voice would resonate through the woods and in no time at all his team of horses would slowly work their way toward the barn and Grandpa. He would sometimes brush them, maybe feed them something special and tend to any scars they might have as a result of the harness rubbing their coats. Many times my cousins and I would try to imitate Grandpa's voice but the horses never paid any attention to us.
Over time Grandpa eventually traded Daisy and Dolly for a team of mules. They didn't have specific names but Grandpa would still call them up hollering "Whuuuup Mules!" Grandpa was proud of his horses and proud of his mules. I don't recall seeing him work with them that much since we were mainly around on Sunday, but he did hitch up the mules one time to take us grandchildren for a wagon ride.
When Grandpa died in 1975 Grandma had to get rid of the mules. There was no way she could take care of them. I remember Dad telling me how much it hurt Grandma and that she cried a lot when the mules were taken away. It seems those mules had been Grandpa's prize posession. -30-

Gotta Start Somewhere

In the summer of 1978 I was attending summer school at the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO. LaDonna and I were living in Linn, MO at the time and both of us were teaching school, me at Linn R-2 and LaDonna at the local Catholic School. Sometime near the end of June we found out that we might be expecting our first child. At that time there were no home pregnanacy tests, etc. So one day on my drive to summer school I carried and delivered a urine specimen to a medical lab in Jefferson City. Needless to say I felt a little awkward: "No Officer, I haven't been drinking,". I delivered it to the Lab and by the time I returned home that afternoon I found out that we were indeed parents to be.
As prospective parents of the first grandchild on both sides of the family we decided not to announce our news right away and be "fussed over" for a lengthy amount of time. We decided to announce our news on LaDonna's birthday, Aug. 19, when we met my parents for a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game.
Early in August LaDonna and I served as Counselors at Dixon Baptist Association Youth Camp. Our emphasis for the week was the youth musical "Tell It Like It Is". I was the music director and we had a pretty good choir of about 30, with some drama and a musical combo of piano, guitar and drums. It was a great week, a fun performance and a good crowd attended, especially being out in the middle of nowhere.
We returned home to Linn on friday night and on Saturday my dad called to say that Mom had gone to Hot Springs, Arkansas to check on her mom (Grandma Bear). Grandma had gone to visit my aunt Anita in Hot Springs and was taken to the hospital for an anurism. Dad invited us to the annual Central Bank picnic that was being held at the Lake of the Ozarks on Sunday. We visited a little and I said that after a week of youth camp we would probably stay home and rest. We would see them next Saturday in Lebanon to go to the baseball game. On Sunday afternoon I was at a meeting at Church when LaDonna called, told Pastor Richard Hurtgen, who told me that my Dad had died. To make a long story short, we went to Lebanon, family, visitation, funeral, etc. On Saturday we told my Mom we were expecting , she would soon be a grandma and went to St. Louis for the baseball game.
The expectation of a grandchild gave mom something to look forward to and that was good. What made it even better is the fact Jennifer Suzanne Campbell was born March 1. (My moms birthday is March 5) My mom and dad always wanted a girl but had five boys, so mom got a grandaughter. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him" Romans 8:28
-30-

Why This Title?

Okay, this is the second try and this. I'll get it down eventually. So, maybe you're asking why title my blog "The Old Peanut Bag". Several years ago I typed an article via e-mail by this title reporting on Matthew's baseball games at Raytown South High School. It was a way to inform family and friends of games outcomes, especially relating to Matthews activities and performances in the game. By his senior year the article had taken on a different feel, reporting about the team and its accomplishments in addition to what Matthew was doing as part of the team.
In writing this blog I hope to cover some new ground. Primarily it will be an opportunity to share information about my Dad with my three children; Jennifer, Susan, Matthew and their families. The story will begin in 1979 and work its way back in time. Hopefully I will be able to stay regular with it and share with you lots of information, good stories and yes, humor.
Jim/James/Grandpa -30-