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A Trip to Remember - 1958
by Andy J. Semotiuk
It was Grady Jim Robinson who first alerted me to the power of childhood
stories. He pointed out that as we grow older we become more and more
aware of our differences: you are black and I am white, you are female and
I am male, you
are old and I am young, you are rich and I am poor, you are liberal and I
am conservative....and so on. But there is one place where we all were the
same...our childhood. We all share in that childhood heritage....when we
were all young, innocent, vulnerable, excited about life and new things.
We can all relate back to those days. And that is why childhood stories
affect us so deeply...they bring us back to those times that we so vividly
remember. Take the following story as an example....
Things sure are different today than they were when I was a child.
Well, take the cell phone for example. Everyone seems to have one these
days. Back when I was a child of course they didn't have cell phones. Back
then the rage was a transistor radio. Even though everyone on the block
wanted one,
few could afford them.
Looking back to those times it's unbelievable what technological advances
we have made. Today I fly back and forth to Canada by airplane every few
weeks. Back then planes were too expensive - we travel by train or by bus.
I remember one train trip we took in 1958. I was 10 years old then.
1958 was a big year in my life. Early in 1958 my father died. My mother
and I spent the rest of that year adjusting to life without my father. It
wasn't easy but by the end of that year my mother decided it was time for
us to get away for a while. She decided to pack us up and take us on a
train trip to New
York.
The trip would take three days and two nights. We would have to travel
clear across Canada on the Canadian National Railroad to Toronto and then
catch the Amtrak from Toronto to New York.
I can't tell you how exciting it was for me to see the big long train at
the station. I loved the porters standing with their freshly pressed white
shirts and dark blue uniforms. I could hardly wait to hear the conductor
shout out "All Aboard" and see the porters scramble to get on board and
close up the doors to their cars. Slowly the train made its way along the
track. Then it fell into its natural rhythm as the wheels rolled down the
track - te te te te...te te te te...te te te te....te te te te.
I spent the next two days walking up and down the train - exploring the
various cars. There were three classes of passengers on this train. The
first class had private compartments. The second class, where we were, had
bunk bed sleeping arrangements. The third class consisted of just seats. I
loved to watch the porters preparing the sleeping compartments for the
passengers. It was fascinating. But the most fun was to go to the
restaurant car where they served
drinks and sandwiches.
Back then we didn't have electronic game boys to entertain us. So we
played games like checkers snakes and ladders. I soon made friends on
board and we passed the time deeply engaged in these games.
When we arrived in Toronto we transferred over to the Amtrack Silver Liner
train. This was my first impression of America. It was big, it was sleek,
it was shiny it was, it was fast, it was clean, and it was silver - and I
loved it!
On that train I met two black boys and we passed the time away together.
It was the first time I ever met anyone who was black. We passed the time
away playing games like Xs and Os, completing the squares, and my
favorite: battleship. We loved watching the conductor go down the cars
yelling out "tickets please" and then clipping each one with his hole
puncher....chk chk...chk chk.
We arrived in New York at Grand Central station. This was a huge building
- so big that I remember the announcements used to echo through the
building. Announcing, announcing announcing the arrival, arrival arrival
of the Amtrak train from Boston, Boston, Boston - the deep voice boomed
through the building.
We caught a taxi and went to one of the nearest hotels, the Tudor hotel.
It is still there on 42nd street near 2nd avenue. I remember my mother
bargaining with the desk clerk over the price of our room, then the
bellman closing the according gate as we entered the elevator and
operating the manual controls to take us up to the 22nd floor. It was a
huge building for a little guy from Edmonton...as were all the skyscrapers
in New York.
Over the course of the next few days we walked all over New York City. We
went to the top of the Empire State building, we traveled the subways, we
ate in restaurants. One of my favorite restaurants was the Horn and Hardot
automat restaurants. There they presented food in little compartments with
windows in them. For example, a compartment might have a piece of apple
pie on a plate. You would choose the food you wanted, pay by inserting
coins into the slot and
take what you purchased to the table to eat it. I was fascinated by all
the food options and the mechanization involved. I regret they no longer
have those restaurants in New York.
While staying in the hotel one day I decided to try my new
invention....making a round cylinder out of a piece of paper that could
house water and then serve as a water bomb. I filled the ball with water
and opened the window at the stairway. I waited for the appropriate moment
and then dropped the water bomb 20 flights just missing a man who was
passing by. Boy was he mad. He looked up and just caught me looking down
at him. I ran to our room and closed the door. I heard the elevator come
up with the bell man and the other man looking for me. Somehow I survived
without getting found out.
One of the highlights of our visit was seeing Broadway and Times Square.
Anyone who has been on Broadway will know about the electronic stores
there. The windows in those stores were filled with transistor radios.
Well I resolved right then and there to persuade my mother it was time to
buy me a transistor radio. And that Christmas, on December 24th, 1958, my
mother finally bought me what I had been asking for - a brand new light
blue colored transistor radio.
One of the happiest moments of my life came shortly after that purchase.
It was on New Year's eve 1958 going into 1959. I remember sitting in the
hotel room, my mother reading on her bed, me across the room listening to
my new radio on mine. As we approached midnight in the distance I could
hear the
excitement of the roaring crowd in Times Square as it faintly entered
through out hotel window. At the same time, I listened to the celebrations
live on my transistor radio. It's a moment I will always cherish.
But there is another reason why stories like this one affect listeners the
way they do. The reason is because most childhood stories have been sealed
away in our memories by powerful emotions that accompanied the events
involved.
When we relate childhood stories we unlock those emotions and they in turn
touch our audiences like no words ever could. That is because emotions are
the currency of the most effective communication. All of us again, black
or while, female or male, old or young, etc...understand and are touched
by emotion.
So, to conclude, let me urge you to incorporate more stories,
particularly childhood stories in your future presentations. You will be
more effective and your audiences will be glad.
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