Chapter 1 - Cecil and Myrtle

In 1922 Cecil was working at the Baltimore Bank. It was a steady job and promised a good financial future. He had already earned a Law Degree at the Kansas City Law School. His confidence in the economy assured him that he could begin making some diversified investments. He bought stock in an over-the-counter tablet called Azma-Tab that promised to bring relief to asthma sufferers. He invested in a radio store that sold state-of-the-art radio consoles. He also purchased a lot in Armour Hills, one of the residential areas included in the development of the J. C. Nichols Company. It was on this lot that he and his father designed and built the home at 115 East 65th Terrace in 1923.

Myrtle, during this time, was also employed. In business school she learned to operate the Stenotype Machine. This machine enabled her to translate speech into shorthand symbols. The symbols could be transcribed on a typewriter into a business letter.For many years this machine was used as the only way to transcribe speech in the Congress and the Courts. This light-weight machine could be worn strapped around the waist of the operator. This allowed her to move about the room so she could get close enough to the speaker to get an accurate account of what was being said. Myrtle used using this machine when she worked as a stenographer for the Fred Harvey Restaurant in Kansas City. This was considered a prestigious and profitable occupation for a young woman.

Myrtle also had an interest in photography. She owned a 1923 Eastman Kodak camera and took pictures wherever she went. Flash and color photography were not available on cameras in those days but sunlight or brightly lighted indoor space produced sufficient light for black and white pictures. Prints that were taken ninety years ago are still as sharp as the day they were taken. They provide a record that helps me tell this story.

Myrtle’s Engagement Picture and her Wedding Picture

THEIR MARRIAGE Cecil and Myrtle met through friends. Hilda had been Myrtle’s friend since high school. She was dating a young man named George who also worked at the Baltimore Bank. The four young people became close friends and soon Cecil and Myrtle began to see each other regularly. After George and Hilda married it was only a short time before Cecil and Myrtle planned their wedding. The four friends chose to include each other as attendants in their separate weddings. The ladies acted as the Maid of Honor and the gentlemen as Best Man. Myrtle and Cecil were married in June of 1923.

While on their honeymoon they met a couple named Bertha and Will Reynolds. They stayed in touch with them through the years. When I was born, my parents sent them an announcement of my birth. It turned out that Will and I had the same birthday, December 22. After that and for many years my family received a box of Christmas cookies and sometimes a birthday gift for me. When I was sixteen I traveled by Greyhound bus to their home in Cleveland, Ohio. This was our first meeting and they made sure that it was a trip I would never forget. We went to a Philharmonic Concert, took a boat trip on Lake Erie and watched a baseball game between the Cleveland Indians and the New York Yankees. Since I knew little about baseball Uncle Will told me how the game was played. He also told me that the batter for the New York Yankees was very famous. His name was Joe DiMaggio.