Three treasures from my dad....

As we start to organize and clean things out (there are a few "untouchables" that won't be looked till he is long gone) I was given three books from my dad's past..

His dad (my grandpa) was born in Kansas in 1899 to a father who was the local sheriff in WaKeeney  Kansas..My great grandfather was the sheriff of Trego County..  Both my grandpa and great grandpa served in the Kansas Guard, Company A, 19th battalion. Both were honorably discharged. 

It was in Kansas where my grandpa became a journeyman electrician. When his first marriage ended he headed off to Arizona and was living the good life until being laid off in the Great Depression. While in Phoenix Arizona he fell in love and on August 8th 1929 he remarried the person that became my grandma.. 

While working one day my grandpa had a horrific accident.. The doctors didn't think he would walk again without tremendous pain.. During the recovery process he set up camp on the Tonto Creek. It was here that he taught he son's and daughter the love of the outdoors. 

Although the family had always been Quakers, they became members of the Central United Methodist Church in Phoenix Arizona.. That church became extraordinarily important to the family over the years..  

Sadly my grandfathers mental health started to deteriorate. After a long hospitalization my grandparents got a divorce. My grandfather then moved up to Happy Camp California. It was here he bacame Master of the Local Grange and Chaplain of the American Legion. He passed away at the young age of 59.  A quote from the eulogy "Here is a man who alway had time to lend someone a hand when they needed it".

Two of these books were presents to my dad from his dad. One is The Far Country and the other is The Fame Unknown.. Both have handwriting from his dad. The other book, you can barely read is a bible given to my dad in 1945 at the age of 9 from Central United Methodist Church.. Precious and priceless family treasures...