Digger at Work

So, I'm trying to guess the chronological order of the photos based on Digger's rank (if visible) and amount of hair loss. Sometimes, there is a date on the photo, too.

Major. Watch on right arm. No info on photo.

No info. I don't recognize the sofa fabric, so I don't think this was taken at home.

This photo is labeled: Hallowe'en, Kanko Hotel. What is that costume supposed to be? When the American forces moved into Japan after the war, the took over some of the buildings. The Kanko Hotel was converted to an Officers Club. We used to go there on Sundays. We would eat dinner and then all the kids would drag their chairs up to the front of the dance floor. They would show cartoons and a movie. This is where dad performed the rabbit-jumping-up-your-arm that he made from a cloth napkin. We played "Letter B," a game where you'd get a ight punch on the arm for saying words with the letter B in them. Patty got her arm stuck through the back of the chair and caused a huge commotion as many people assisted in trying to get it out. They almost sawed through the chair. Patty also had bubble gum thrown into her hair by some other kid. Dad gave Greg and me a dollar worth of nickels and set us up at the slot machines. We ate frog legs. He made us learn to use chopsticks on a bowl of salted peanuts. For money we used the Japanese currency, yen, when dealing with Japanese, but to shop at the American places there was a certain kind of script and you got it at the Kanko Hotel. Can't remember the exact name. Vendors would come and this is where mom got some of her pearls.

Cute Dixie cup with paper handles..what is that speaker by the phone for? No info on this picture.

No info. Dad hard at work in his shades and check out the old typewriter.

Sep, 1966 In the Air Force they say, "Don't shoot 'em, Chanute 'em." This was dad's last assignment, Chanute AFB, Illinois.

September, 1966. The watch has moved. This casual uniform was called 1505s. In 1967 Dad retired and moved the family to Tempe, AZ.

Digger's First Cars

When I was born, Mom and Dad lived in this house. According to Google Earth, it is still there. The address is 111 Wright Street, Sumter, SC. If you look at the left side, you can see their car in front of the garage. These three photos are dated 3/2/46.This may be the first car dad ever owned. I have no idea what it is. Anybody? So it just came to me. A DeSoto? I looked it up and here's a photo of a 38 DeSoto. The grill isn't exactly the same, but everything else looks good to me.April, 1950: Easter in Montgomery, Alabama. Mom and I are sitting in our 1949 Lincoln Cosmopolitan. Black. Two door model. This car went on a ship to Japan where it was a huge hit with the Japanese. When we lived in in the Japanese house, Dad used to cram it full of little kids and drive them around. (We lived across the street from an orphanage, so there was no shortage of little kids.) I also have memories of driving down really skinny streets and there being concern over whether or not the car would fit. Sometimes we had to back up and go on another road.

I sat behind Mom, and Greg sat behind Digger. I think I remember Mom saying she learned to drive in this car. It had the amazing feature of automatic windows. I remember Dad l.o.v.e.d this car!
Because Dad grew up in the Bronx, he didn't need to have a car. The subway would take him anywhere he wanted to go. Mom talked about him learning to drive in Utah. Tthe first time they drove by a farm with cows he had to get out of the car to go look at it. He was so excited to see a cow in real life. (The Bronx is a bovine-free zone.)

Jefferson Memorial

When we lived in Falls Church, Virgina, we did a bit of sightseeing. Mom would pack lunches of peanut butter sandwiches and carrot sticks, we'd all pile in the two-toned (yellow and white) Ford station wagon (with a Thunderbird engine, dad always added) and head for the mall. No, not the shopping mall, THE MALL in Washington D.C., where the Smithsonian museum is located.

(Verso: Jefferson Memorial, Jan 1960)

I did not like these trips. It was cold. The parents were tense. Somebody (Greg) was always getting in trouble. We had to look at a lot of boring stuff in cases. (Okay there were a FEW interesting things.)

And I had to wear a hat that made me look like Olive Oyl.

Flight Suit and Shades

Dad looked like this a lot. I liked his flight suit and in true Digger fashion, he demonstrated the functions of the many pockets and pouches for Greg and me often.

This picture is tagged: Jacksonville, North Carolina, 24 Apr 53.

When we first moved to the area, we lived at Topsail Beach. We had an apartment on the second floor of a duplex. Sand everywhere--no lawn. From the bedroom Greg and I shared, you could see dolphins jumping in the ocean. We stayed there for about 6 months, I think, and then moved to a small house.

That is where the Magic Box became part of our lives. It was a small white box. Dad would bring it down from the shelf every few days, say, "Alla Gazam Gazay-bo" and tap the box. Inside would be a piece of gum, candy, or a penny. The ice cream truck would come down our street every day at the same time. If we saved up the pennies until we had five, we could buy a Popsicle. I remember getting little squares of Chiclets gum and Life Saver candies.

Terry Davitt's Wedding

From left to right: Digger, Greg, Terry, Moose (our best man,) Mike, Terry Rauh, Mike Rauh (Mike's sister's boys,) Pat's hair bow, G'ma Hansen (Erika Hansen), Rick, MaryJane.

Who is that girl?

....from Uncle Bob:
I believe the picture was taken on the roof of the apartment house - most pictures of shots were taken on the apartment house roofs - it had an open space and then most pictures had to be taken in direct sunlight. Dennis has a picture in his office at home which shows the four of us taken on the roof. Will get a copy. The girl I do not know. I know there was three sisters living in the next apartment house which were in the same grade as Ralph and Joe. There is some graduation (from grammar school) pictures of them in a group shot. It could be one of them. I looked at the knickers - it was the custom then to wear knickers until you reached a certain age - then you got long pants - I don't know the age - I thought Ralph was older from the looks of the picture. Was that a collar he had on - or was it a lobster bib!!

Daisy and Alpha Digger

Story, anyone?

Daisy Stories

I do remember Digger every evening at cocktail hour, with a bourbon and water in his left hand and Daisy's soggy chewed up rusty red ball in his right hand, out in the middle of the street throwing it for Daisy....until it was too dark or Mom called "vas coe". Daisy was particular about her ball. So when the current one disintegrated, Digger would get a new one, cut off all the outside skin and soak it and mash it to make it acceptable. It was a lucky day when one was found in the alley on one of Marnie's alley walks with Daisy. Already broken in.

And then there was the time that he was up on the roof checking out the air conditioner and he turned around and Daisy had climbed up the ladder! After that whenever a cat had been in the backyard he encouraged her to follow the smells all around and usually the cat ended up in the tree by the patio. And out came the ladder and he let her climb up it to follow the smells. Unfortunately, like Winnie the Pooh, she was better at climbing up than climbing down.

And this picture showed her with her original hair cut. Fluffy white all over. That white hair needed daily brushing (Mom's evening job in front of the TV). And frequent washing by Dad. Followed by her cowering up on the yellow metal table (that Terry now owns) with Digger drying her hair with a hair dryer. Later in life they switched to a lower maintenance saluki cut.

Daisy had the run of the neighborhood. If she wasn't at home for an extended time Digger would go next door to find her in the basement visiting with Jack and Mary.

And the games. Just like in Japan. Digger liked to orchestrate them all. Chase in the house. Daisy chasing Rick and Steve (and Greg?) around and around the hallways. Whose shorts did she rip the rear end out of as she jumped and snapped? Or hide and seek. We would all hide in closets and behinds doors and then Digger would send Daisy around to find us. She always did.

He loved to teach her tricks too. The usual - play dead, roll over, sit, stay, etc. But then more complicated ones too. Cho dai - give me your paw (opposite from shake) - go on a trip. And all this for the soggy dinner kibble that she hadn't eaten from her bowl.

He loved her and she just adored him.

Tupperware Time with Michael

Mike Davitt and Digger having a picnic.

Digger and Derek

The stories that are fun to hear are the memories the grandchildren have of being with Digger. And, after all they were the only ones in the family who actually called him Digger, right?
So this looks like Halloween with Derek. Dad has on the same shirt, but Derek doesn't. And it looks like he's "helping" to scoop some candy back in the bag....?

War College, 1961 - 1962

Dad was selected to attend the War College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama. A photographer arrived shortly after the furniture did and took this picture for the yearbook. That's Greg, Terry, Mom/MaryJane, Rick, Steve, Digger, Pat.

Montgomery was in racial turmoil during this time. The Freedom Riders arrived in Montgomery in May of 1961.

With dad at War College, he was privy to some of the plans the Air Force had for dealing with the Cuban Missile Crisis. He talked with me about emergency evacuation of the family in the event that the Russians didn't stand down. It was a tense time.

Digger's next assignment was to the NATO forces in Ramstein AB, Germany. Housing for us wasn't available, so we moved to another rental house for the next 6 months (Steve won an ice cream-making machine and Rick imagined he climbed a phone pole at this address.) Dad went to Germany without us. We followed in December.

New Years Day, Japan

January 1, 1956It was the custom in the Air Force in those days, to call on your commanding officer on the first day of the year. The commander basically held an open house and you would make your call any time during the prescribed hours. There was always a silver tray by door for calling cards. Sometimes people had the trays made from the engraving plates from their wedding invitations.
This picture is taken in front of our quarters in Castle Heights. You can see the number and "Lt Col R. G. Davitt" on the sign to the left of the door. I think I took the picture with my Box Brownie. Mom was wearing a green knit suit. Check out her handbag--the top trim is made from real tortoise shell.

Nagoya, Japan 55 - 57

Quarters 406-B, Castle Heights, Nagoya, Japan
Jan 1954 - Apr 1957

We lived in a U.S. Air Force housing area called Castle Heights in Nagoya, Japan. Our building was very long--4 families lived there--and the neighbors would all get together in the back in the evenings. They would cook steak and burgers on the Japanese hibachi and roast marshmallows. In this picture, Digger is dispensing a treat to a neighbor. I don't know her name. You can see the hibachi of the late 50s look nothing like those of today. The posts are the clotheslines. Check out the swanky lawn lounger.

Digger led the neighborhood kids in games several times a week. Kick the Can, Hide and Go Seek, Mother May I, Red Light-Green Light, Dodge Ball, Red Rover and Slow Bike Races are some that I remember.

Before housing was available, Mom, Dad, Greg, Patty and I lived in "Private Rental"--a Japanese couple rented out half of their home to us. 60 1-Chome, Yamanaka-Cho, Showa-Ku, Nagoya-Ken, Japan, was our address from Jan 54 - Jan 55. Digger made Greg and me memorize it so we could recite it to taxi drivers.