I lived in Oviedo, FL from 1950-1954 during which I
was between 6 & 9 years old. It is
almost inconceivable today, but then I had the run of the town. There was virtually nowhere that I could not
go alone or with friends. One of my
cherished memories is learning how to tell time leaning between the legs of a
railroad engineer as he was seated on a bench in front of the drug store. He taught me on a gold railroad watch. He also would take me to see the inside of
the train where he shoveled coal into the furnace beneath the boiler. When he let me stand near the entrance to his
work area, I felt privileged beyond belief. This experience of trust included people
acquainted with my family. The Ulrey’s
lived down the road, and had rabbits in cages in their back yard. They also had TV. A particular show one evening was a suspense
thriller. As the camera panned a
darkened room, a phone in the room rang loudly.
I was startled and jumped. This
was my first introduction to the power of that media. Saturdays were a special treat as on radio we
tuned in Big Jon and Sparkie
and westerns including the The Lone
Ranger. The years in Oviedo
taught me to trust in people. Now when I
hold the view that most people operate to the best of their ability within
their given lights, I credit much of this to my Oviedo experience. It is also from this perspective that I can
appreciate the unspeakable horror when the trust of a child is violated by extreme
selfishness and abuse.
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