Curtis-Bentley

Chapter II College and Away From Home (September 1961-65)

1. I applied to Bowling Green State University, Kent State University and Mount Union College (Dad’s, Aunt Helen Curtis Haines’ and Sally Ann Haines Reigle’s alma mater). Having been accepted at all 3, I chose to attend BGSU. Dad took me to the summer orientation session, sight unseen by either of us. We stayed in the freshman women’s dorm for two nights and only remember how fast everyone walked on campus and Dad’s complains to me about needing to pickup the pace or get left behind. Also, he had a tuff time finding the urinals in the rest rooms down the hall. I guess he did not get the word about the dorm being for women only.

1. Mom and Aunt Helen drove me to BGSU for the start of school in September 6, 1961. It was Aunt Helen’s family car and it took about 3 hours for the 3 of us to go west on the Ohio Turnpike almost across the state. I had 1 two-suitor hand-me-down really beat-up leather suitcase, 1 canvas val-pack (USN WWII issue) and my golf clubs. We had a 9 hole on-campus course. 

1. My 2-man room was it the freshman dorm, but we had 2 bunk beds and 3 other roommates. Donald “Dee” Israel, good friend from Alliance, Robert Crowell and ??????, both from Solon, Ohio were my roommates for the first semester. Dee moved to room with a friend, ?????, flunked out and the 2 Bob’s pledged different fraternities (OX and DU) and finished the year together.

1. My sophomore, junior and senior years at BG were spent on campus living in the OX house (owned by BGSU) and working in the kitchen for my board. This was nice since I only had to walk down the steps to get to work. One drawback was the chore of having to please my fraternity brothers when serving food, busing tables and washing dishes. That problem was minimized my senior year, since my only job was running the dishwasher and scrubbing the big pots.

The house was nice but more like a mini-dorm than a free standing building as all of the other smaller houses on campus. It was part of a U-shaped quadrangle with 4, 3 story connected houses on each side and an upper classman dorm on the end.  There was no drinking of alcohol on state property, so we never had parties in the house except during spring and fall fraternity rush which were very dry. Our hose mother, Miss Lillian Kuck, lived in a small apartment in the house and kept a close watch on all of 52 brothers (125 total) that lived in the house. 
 My OX little brothers are as follows to my recollection. I pledged spring’62:1) Tom Dalton fall ‘622) Doug Mower spring ‘633) Ray Trybus fall ‘635) Billy Belt spring ’64None fall ’64 or spring ’65 for me. They all went ATO or Sig. My fault!Any changes from you? Not real sure about you (Mike Hemmert). Who was your big brother?Petie?   

1. Mom, Dad and Tom come to BGSU for “Theta Chi (OX) Parents Weekend” my fall sophomore year. I can’t remember too much about the event other Tom and I were fooling around and his tooth cap got knocked off and everyone was mad at me for causing the problem. I had a date for the weekend events and I think her name was, Dana (Eddie, Clair and ????. I met her and her 3 other roommates our freshman year and dated all of them at one time or another both years. I think we went to downtown Bowling Green to have drinks at “Meade’s Café” where the local drunks and OX’s hung out. Mama Meade loved the OX’s and hired many of the brothers to tend bar and close-up for her at night. 
2. It was the classic downtown, main street, locals only, long straight dark wood front and back bar that served mostly shots and draft beers with 2 pool tables in the back room and wooden booths from front to back. No other fraternity guys ever came into Meade’s and we rarely went anywhere else either. A few of the basketball black guys (Nate Thurmond, Wavey Junior, Elijah Chapman) and Howard Komise USMC, would come in for rum and cokes. Getting served by my fraternity brothers and Dyber, Don and Mama Meade from 18 to 21, made things a bit easier when trying to get your under-aged date a mixed drink. 

1. Mom and Dad come to BGSU for unexpected on time graduation on June 6, 1965. After four years of studying as a biology major and business minor I had exactly enough credits and GPA to graduate with my class. Seniors were not required to take finals for the first time in school history, so Bob Derbyshire and I went to Put-in-Bay, Ohio on South Bass Island in Lake Eire on Bob’s Harley-Davidson for a few days waiting on commencement. I really didn’t officially know if I was to walk until we ran into one of my graduate assistants on the island and he informed me that I was on the list. That is when I called my parents and told them the good news. They drove to Bowling Green and watched me walk across the stage in Anderson Arena on campus. My girlfriend and pin mate, who was a sophomore, Terri Lynn Sembach, from Fort Lauderdale, Florida and later Johnstown, Pennsylvania was with my parents in the audience. She had stayed on campus for me and I took her to Johnstown from Alliance a few days after we got home.

I spent the summer painting houses again and worrying about my soon to be new 1A draft status. At the end of the summer I enrolled in Kent State University for post-graduate courses in business administration. It was too late to register for classes on the main campus in Kent, Ohio, where my brother, Tom was enrolled as freshman. He was married to Trevia Cassidy and they had a 2 year old son, named Thomas Steven Curtis. My plan was to commute with Tom and his buddys to school. But that did not work out as classes were closed out, so I had to enroll in night classes at the KSU branch in Canton, Ohio and borrow my mother’s car to commute 3 nights a week for the first quarter.
The next two quarters were spent on the main campus at KSU taking business administration courses during the day and commuting with Tom for a month or so until I save enough money from my first real job as a grinder at the Transue & Williams Steel Forgings Company. Dad helped me get this job because he knew the President from the Alliance Country Club to buy a car. I worked the 3 to 11 pm shift, at an hourly piece rate, had to join the Shipbuilders and Boilermakers National Union’s local group and carried my dinner in a brown bag until I was ahead enough financially to go across the street to the “Busy Bee” restaurant for dinner with some of the guys. 
It was hard and dirty work for the high school drop-outs in town, but most of the men were much older and were supporting families on these wages and were really nice to me since I could work as hard as they did and never have to be carried. Most all grinding of flash from steel forgings jobs were done as teams of two so you had to keep up with your buddy since your piece count was divided by two and you were paid accordingly. Each job had a union set quota and that became the standard for that job. The guys knew after awhile that I had graduated from college already and was going to school during the day and try to figure out what to do about the military draft when the spring quarter ended. A few of the guys thought I should run for a union steward position and get an exemption from service since we had so many government contracts awarded to the company.
  So, living at home, paying no board and only $42 per month car payment for my brand new 1967 VW two door blue car made it easy for me to have plenty of money to spend. I worked this job at night and commuted to school in the morning an hour each way in order to stay out of the military since Vietnam was really starting to build up now in 1966.

1. Mom connects me with area American Red Cross co-worker, who is a Reserve Naval Air Pilot, takes me to the Naval Air Station, Grosse Point, MI to take the aptitude and physical to become a Naval Aviator. I talked to the Marine recruiter, after scoring a point too low and only passing the eye exam to become a backseat jet radar operator.

1. Mom and Dad come to Marine Headquarters, in Quantico, VA for my OCS graduation March 15, 1967as a 2^nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps.

1. Mom has my Marine Corps 8×10 photo in dress blues placed behind the bar at their favorite restaurant in Alliance, OH. The main bartender, Joe Ferrlotti was my main special caddy job until mid-high school. So he and the owner agreed to this until I came home from Vietnam.

Came home on LSD Comstock (flag ship) and 2 other D’s with 3^rd Marines Battalion flags as acting EXO and Embarkation Officer with a few of my short time officers and troops. This was part of Nixon’s big pull out plan I think. All show as we found out later. 
Sailed out of Dong Ha in Northern I Corps with short 24 hour refuel off White Beach in Okinawa. Some officers went ashore in the Captains launch to visit some old haunts from my Embark School days and almost missed the ship movement the next morning. An old Navy WO4 from the Comstock who I hooked up with for my 2^nd time around town saved my ass
We put in at a shallow port at Camp Pendleton 32 days later in the middle of the night and not a dam soul around except some Navy black shoes to show us where to put all the shit in the boats and where to go sleep. No band, beer or broads!
I had 3 month left after a short Christmas leave and my new EXO at Pendleton would not let me get out early to start my MBA program in December at ECU. So I got El Toro orders for 3 months with no car and flew home March 20? and got married 4-4-70.
Guy was in the wedding party. Should have been my best man, but my younger brother did the job much more sober, but with much less flamboyance. 
Was that your O-course record time I faced the 1^st day thru probable the toughest thing I ever had to do in my life? That 1^st 7 foot bar and the rope on the 8 foot wall about killed me. I had NO upper body strength at that time and not much more now.

Houses in Alliance

Lived with grandparents Edward (Ned) and Ruth Ann (Summers) Hartzell on Freedom Avenue from birth until Dad came home from WWII mid-1945.Parents rented home on Milton Avenue near Alliance C.C for about 1 year.Parents rented second home on Freedom Avenue near my eventual grade school Freedom Grade School for about 1 year. First memory of falling down outside steps on tricycle and all bloody and swinging on closed porch horse to record of zippy do da day watching kids go to and from school805 South Linden Avenue remodel job of grandparents Telford (Ford) Noble and Martha Jean (Kerr) Curtiss home on many years. Dawson was born in upstairs bedroom.
First memory of playing in house was in closet on my bedroom with silver car and truck.

Walking to grade school

School boy and girl safety patrol and Washington DC non trip
Jr hi dances at YMCA and YWCA
Playing basketball for 7^th and 8^th and 9^th grade teams but never starting.
Football manage with Dee Israel for 3 years.
Going out for football with Dee for about 3 or 4 days in 8^th grade before season starts and finding it not our cup of tea and continued to be managers
Riding bike to Bob Montello’s house and walking the rest of the way to school everyday and then walking back to his house after school or practice and riding bike on home rain, shine or snow and no matter how cool it got. There was no bus service for city kids in those days. Only the farm kids had bus service if desired.
Walking to hi school and/or being picked up by upper-classmen who lived up the street and had cars. Walked home for lunch each day since we did not have a school cafeteria and no place to eat if you carried your lunch. Mon did not work, so she was at home and would always fix me a sandwich and soup. I would watch Andy of Mayberry most days for some Barney Fife laughs.

Always had a girlfriend and hung out at the high school Friday and Saturday night dances held in the old gymnasium which was named “The Hanger” as we were the Alliance High School Aviators.

1. My 4th birthday party was organized by Mom at the BPOE (Elks Club) pavilion with small riding horses for the kids to ride. Great photos and Dad was not remembered but I’m sure he was responsible for booking the Elks and grounds for the party..

1. 10th birthday party organized by Mom at the ACC pool with Norm McCloud (YMCA youth leader, high school teacher and later my high school class advisor) and some other kids. I can remember the day event and the picnic that was spread out on a table in the back area of the pool grounds.

1. Swimming outings with Mom and brother Tom and others at local lakes and ponds for admission before we joined ACC during the summer of ’51 when 8-9 years old. 

1. Joined YMCA with urging of Mom at age of 8 and she enrolled me in a Learn to Swim program with the Y at the local Children’s Home in Alliance because the Y indoor pool and gym was not built yet. Never learned to swim that week since I was afraid of the water. Climbed the outer fence with neighbor kid and walked 5 miles home on the highway on final test day and was in a lot of trouble when Mom found out what I had do.

1. More swimming outings with Mom and Tom at the ACC pool and baby pool area until I learned to swim. I do not think my mother could swim real well and that is why she was always taking us swimming each summer from about 7 to 9 years old. Very late for even then.

1. Mom signed me up for YMCA summer camp when I was 9-10 years old. It was an OK experience but was not allowed in the row boats or canoes because I could not swim well enough to pass the camp test. So when she picked me up at the end of the week she was not to happy with me since I had not progressed much further in swimming.

1. My Mother did not work so my schooling was a huge thing for her to direct. She would read to me every day and I always had a stack of books in my room. At around 4-5 years old we moved into our remodeled home at 805 South Linden Avenue and about then Mom enrolled me in a pre-school nursery program. I was picked up each day and attended this school at a place that I have a dim recollection of being in someone’s basement with not much light and a bunch of kids.

1. Mom walked me to kindergarten each day and met me some where close to school since we lived only 5 city blocks from South Freedom Grade School on Freedom Avenue. There were school boy patrols on 2 of the cornors so she need to walk with me 3 blocks. She never had a car until her father died when I was in college, so she walked everywhere, including me to school in all kinds of Ohio weather.

Mom takes Tom and me to Fort Lauderdale, FL in 1952 to visit Grandma Ruth Anne Summers Hartzell and Edward “Ned” Hazelton Hartzell at the Sunset Colony trailer park on Broward Boulevard. Dad drove us to the Pittsburg Airport for a direct flight to Miami on probably Allegany Airlines that eventually became US Air in the ‘80s. They had sold their house and car in Alliance, Ohio and bought a lot and trailer in Sunset Colony around 1950. This was their retirement with social security and a pension from The Morgan Engineering Company in Alliance plus any profits from house sale and savings to cover their living expenses. Grandma did not work and maybe never did to my knowledge.
12)      We stayed about 2 weeks and went a few places with the help of friends in Sunset Colony. We went to Fort Lauderdale beach, Miami, Parrot Jungle, maybe some of the northern keys, an attraction with huge sea turtles in marina holding pens, local shuffleboard courts and all around the trailer park. We got into trouble with some of the neighbors when we collected their newspapers and brought them back to the house. There was no way to take them back to their proper owners since we had no idea of where we got them. This was a very bad thing and we stayed on the wrong side of every one for most of the stay when at the house. All in all this trip was a big deal for me and the family, since most of my school friends a had never been outside of Alliance, much less out of state and all the way to Florida.  

1. Joining Boy Scout of America mom’s idea but she would let me decide on what troop to join and when to go to weekly meetings. Joined Troop #106 that was sponsor by the 1^st United Presbyterian Church that was located on Arch Avenue about 2 blocks from home. The church had a good and active troop and the church had  a gymnasium with a full basketball court. We were always allowed to play before and after the meeting. Mon paid for summer scout camp Camp Tuscazore in Zore, Ohio on the Zore River for the first couple years but I think years 4 and 5 were paid by me since it was my choice to go and most all of my buddies had already dropped out.    

1. Mom Started playing golf, caddying for Dad and swimming on the ACC swim team in the summer after 6th grade. Dad joined the Alliance Country Club with the support of Dr. Bob King, his life long friend. Dad had played some golf while in college and before going into the military service, but only at public courses and with friends. His was self taught and shot around 90 to 100 and had some no name clubs that were about 20 years old and old oval brown leather bag. He up graded his clubs soon after joining and started playing weekends with a steady group of 4 guys and in a short time, got his game to the low 80’s and 10 handicap. 

Mom, on the other hand, had never played golf, so she started playing right-handed, at dad’s advice, even though she was left-handed. She got a used set of Patty Berg woods and irons, but with 2,3,4,6,8,2w,4w missing. Her bag was an oval red plaid and putter was a 2 faced upright given to her by Bob King. She loved the game but had a tuff time making good contact and getting any power into her shots. Therefore she really never got out of  the 60’s and 50’s for 9 holes and didn’t really move to the next level of playing around 100 and wanting to play 18 holes with the other women in that group. 
Mom wanted me to swim with the ACC Swim Team so that I would stay in shape for the winter YMCA season and get to know some of the other kids, besides the golfer guys (Terry Tolerton, Bruce Wagner, Kurt Wolters, Bud Morgan, Hugh Morgan, Jim LaFountain) and one girl, Carrie Hollis. The swim team trained all summer and meets were with other country clubs in the area. I practiced only a few mornings each week and therefore didn’t lower my times much and can’t remember going to many away meets over the 3 years that I was on the team. I swam all the strokes at one time or another, trying to find a way into to ribbon and trophy category, with the least amount of practice. Mom and Dad never made me go to practice or games or meets or matches for any of teams that I played on over the years. It was all up to me to decide to go and how I was going to get there. 98% of the time I would ride my 3 speed bike to all of the events or walk to some one’s house to catch a ride with their parents.   

1. Started playing Hot Stove Little League baseball for 3 years. My first team was class B division since most all of us had never played the game before. I wanted to be a pitcher but only knew how to pitch from a stretch position. So it was not long before I was in the outfield (CF). we got to the championship game and won but later had to forfeit since our main pitcher and hitter was too old.

Next year I played on a team where we got full uniforms and player A Division level. Played 2^nd base now but we lost most all of our games. We had poor fielders, no hitting and the managers kid played 1^st base and could not catch.
Next year I played for a better team that won 50% of our games and agained played 2^nd base and batted 2^nd. Walked a lot and hit enough to have a better than 300 average. Had a lot of fun this year as many of the guys on the team were good friends from the YMCA and school. 

1. Swimming on the YMCA and ACC  swim teams for 3 years each. Swam on the 1^st YMCA boys swim team right after the indoor pool was built ’58-’59. I swam all freestyle and tried some back since not many guys wanted to do that stroke. We had many guys on the Y team from my end of town and a few from the more affluent side. We would travel around to all the surrounding towns with Y pools and teams. I would sometimes finish 3^rd or 4^th in dual meets. Did learn to swim all strokes and became pretty good for not practicing much on my own. ACC team was much more competitive and some of those guys went on and swam in high school and college.  

1. Saved  all my grass mowing, leaf raking, snow shoveling and caddying earnings to purchase my 1^st brand new 3 speed skinny wheel  Schwinn bike at the local Alliance bike shop when in about 5^th grade. Always had older guys wanting to take it for a spin since it was new, had gears, and would go faster than all the other traditional bikes. Many times I would not want this to happen but would have to go along with the guy or get beat up. The bike got me all over town including the Y, ACC, school, scouts and all friends houses in Alliance. I never was unable to make an activity because of not having a ride. We only had 1 car in the family and that was my fathers company car he used for sales travel and was out of town every week for everyday of the week. By the time I left Stanton Junior High School the bike was pretty beat up with no brake wires, so no brakes since guys would always cut your wires to get their kicks, no fenders, no lights or generator to power lights, and no kick stand or handle grips. This became one very dangerous, cold and exciting mode of transportation. By the time I started Alliance High School in 10^th grade in 1958, I could and did walk most places in town and by 11^th grade some of my friends were driving so rides were available.   

1. Building and putting up basketball backboard and rim on garage roof with Dad and the court was an inclined cement driveway. Out of bounds was the yard on left, ally on the right and the street in the back court. Many a garage window was broken over the years from air balls. We played games with the neighbor kids for 9 months for many years into high school.

1. Playing Gray-Y basketball at the YMCA in 5^th and 6^th grade was one of the high spots for me in sports while in grade school. I think mom never saw me play since your mother never with to any sports games unless you were a moms boy. This included basketball, baseball, swimming, golf and all other activities.

1. Mom always supported all of my sporting endeavors but never watched a game that I can remember, maybe some baseball games, swimming meets and scouts awards nights. She never had a car to get around town and would always need a ride from someone if she were to get to any of her activities or Tom’s or mine. Dad never encouraged me to play sports since that was how he made his way to college by playing basketball. He realized it was only a fleeting moment in your life and you would be much better off studying and working to prepare yourself for life after school. I guess he was right, since I never had the drive to practice a lot and was not real good at any sport.

1. Mom was always home to fix my lunch while in school from K thru 12. Not many guys or girls around my age had that kind of home life. I walked to grade school, rode my bike to Stanton Junior School and walked or got picked up by buddies up the street to Alliance High School. There were no school cafeterias then and since I could make it in time, I always came home for lunch, no matter the weather. Very hard for me to believe today that I did that. I guess if mom were not at home to fix my lunch, we would have been not as close then and maybe that is why I was so anxious to go away to college. I think she and dad knew that was the case and therefore they never had a question about my choice to go to Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. Did apply to Kent State University (TDC, TAC alma mater’s) and Mount Union College (DTC, HCH, SAH alma mater’s) and was accepted to both. Dad said that if I picked MUC, I may have to repay his old debt that he left on the books from his graduation in ’33. He also attended KSU for post-graduate courses in industrial arts some time in the 30’s before he went to WW II in ’43. He taught school and coached women’s basketball sometime after graduation in Fowler, Ohio at Fowler High School. Parents were married in’35 and moved to Fowler then, I guess this is close right.  

1. Mom always taught me to be very respectful of girls and adults. As far as the boys were concerned, I looked out for the underdog if possible. All of my girlfriends were introduced to my mother and father and I always looked for that approving eye from mom. She really never had any complains about my girlfriends and consequently I always treated them and all other women with respect.

1. Mom and Dad drove for AHS All-night Graduation Party that began right after graduation at the Alliance High School auditorium on June 6, 1961. Parent cars were parked outside the school and all students were to ride with parents for the first leg of the all-night experience with another couple of your choice. We were hosted by the Elks Club for some kind of dinner at the outside pavilion, the ACC for a pool party, the local Mount Union movie theater for feature film and finally breakfast at someplace I can’t remember. Some people would drop in and out of the activities and try to sneak some beers and alcohol drinks, but this was highly discouraged and not allowed in the cars of the graduates parent’s cars. All and all we (Darlene Hite ’61) had a good time together. 

1. She had been my girl friend from early in the fall of our senior year. We had been in the 5^th grade together at South Freedom Grade School, but I had very little recollection of her from those days, other than being very forward and extremely aggressive and very much a tomboy with a sensual look. We got reacquainted at a party after a football game in the early fall. Darlene and her best friend Patty ?????, from 2 doors up Arch Street, or 3 blocks from my house, spent their Sophomore and Junior years dating upper classmen football players and then college freshmen scholarship football guys. Having a high school girlfriend was un-cool for college sophomores, so they both needed to find a way back to their our classmates and a way to become accepted again with the group that they laughed at the past two years.

1. I was one of the lucky guys to be picked and since I didn’t have anything else going on at the time, I was in love with Darlene. This lasted until the summer and she met the drummer of a rock and roll band, at an Ohio vacation spot on Lake Eire name Geneva-On-The-Lake. That was the end of Darlene for a few years until they were divorced and we spent some time together one evening at a friends party in Alliance while I was home from college that summer. I did happen to be home from college my freshman fall semester to attend with my parents, her wedding in Alliance. I really do not remember anything about the wedding except how beautiful and different the inside of the Catholic church than from my Presbyterian church.

1. We have seen each other at a couple high school reunions and she is living with her third husband Rochester, NY and I think had two daughters. 4th in SC now after seeing Darlene at the 50^th year reunion at Elks and ACC on August 5 and 6, 2011.

Alliance High School Golf Teams (1958-59, 1959-60 & 1960-61).           Page 1.
Note: Probably the best-unqualified three (3) seasons of team and individual competition in the history of the AHS golf program.  The 1959-60 team, which undoubtedly would have been the best, could potentially and did shoot four (4) low 70’s scores in one (1) round of competition and could and did routinely totally blank the opposition teams of any points in match play. Home matches were played at the Sleepy Hollow Golf Course, since the Mt. Union College team used the Alliance Country Club as their home course.

1. Bruce Wagner, 12, Alliance CC, USAFA/Purdue U.
2. Jimmy Bertrum, 11, Sleepy Hollow GC, Mt Union College
3. Kurt Wolters, 11, Alliance CC, U. of Denver/Miami of Ohio
4. Buddy Morgan, 10, Alliance CC, Mt Union College
5. Bob Curtis, 10, Alliance CC, Bowling Green

Coach, Barry Vogeli, Mt Union College 
We won District Tournament and competed at State Tournament in Columbus, OH on OSU Campus Scarlet & Gray GC’s. 

1. Terry Tolerton, 12, Alliance CC, Mt Union College
2. Jimmy Bertrum, 12, Sleepy Hollow GC, Mt Union College
3. Kurt Wolters, 11, Alliance CC, U. of Denver/Miami of Ohio
4. Hugh Morgan, 10, Alliance CC, Hiram College
5. Buddy Morgan, 11, Alliance CC, Mt Union College

Coach, Ray Red Ruffin (football coach). Mr. Vogeli was on a teaching sabbatical. 
They won District Tournament and competed at State Tournament in Columbus, OH on OSU Campus Scarlet & Gray GC’s. Did really well. May have finish in top 3 places as a team. With one or more challenging as top medalist over 3 rounds of golf. 

1. Hugh Morgan, 11, Alliance CC, Hiram College
2. Buddy Morgan, 12 Alliance CC, Mt Union College
3. Bob Curtis, 12, Alliance CC, Bowling Green
4. Mike Dietz,, 10, Sleepy Hollow GC, Kent St.
5. Bruce Hartzell, 12, Tanenhoff GC, MSU

       Coach, Barry Vogeli, Mt Union College 
We competed in District Tournament. Hugh Morgan was medalist and competed at State Tournament in Columbus, OH on OSU Campus Scarlet & Gray GC’s.

Alliance High School Golf Teams (1958-59, 1959-60 & 1960-61).           Page 2.Author’s notes:                                                  
During my sophomore season, I qualified to play about half of the matches as the fourth man and did fairly well. But during district and state tournament Buddy Morgan rightfully played as our fourth man. Only 4 golfers played matches and metal play and 5 men traveled to away golf meetings during this period. Therefore knowing I was only the 6^th best golfer in AHS, I did not compete for a position on the team my junior year. Bad decision, because I never got much better!
I grew-up with most of these great fun loving guys playing golf and caddying at the Alliance CC and a few became good friends during those years and later. We did a lot of crazy and stupid things together, but there was a common bond created at the “club”. I guess that was why those teams were so good. Guys with privilege, that didn’t want to let the others down.
Buddy and Hughy Morgan, who were cousins, and I, while still in junior high school, slept-out on our parent’s ACC golf course one summer night in a wooden rain shelter on #11 fairway. We built a small fire in the shelter on the wooden floor to keep warm and tell stories around. The floor caught fire and much water was needed from a near-by creek to contain the damage. No one ever found out who did it! 
Senior Bruce Wagner showed me a putting grip in 1959 that I still use today, 50+ years later. He also taught me about the Student Blotter Service he operated at Purdue and I started one at Bowling Green and ran it successfully for 6 semesters. Those valuable tips proved to be so helpful in many ways.
Kurt Wolters put, a OX brother, Scotty Hugo and me up, in his off-campus apartment above the downtown bike shop in Oxford, OH during a football game road trip to watch BG play Miami of Ohio my sophomore year. A very generous and good guy!
And, I was a very small part of all this great AHS golf history.

Born August 6, 1943 11:00 PM (Wartime) in Alliance, Ohio to June 1961
Robert P. Curtis (08-06-1943-Present)
1) Ohio 26 yrs. (1943-1966 & BGSU/KSU)
2) New Jersey 20 yrs. (1976-1996)*
3) Florida    9 yrs. (1967 for 6 mos. @ BANOS USMC & 2004-2013)
4) Pennsylvania   8 yrs. (1996-2004)*
5) Kansas   4 yrs. (1972-1976)
6) Georgia    2 yrs.  (1967 for 3 mos. @ RIO USMC & 1970-1972 @ GSU)*
7) RSVN   11 mos. (1968-1969 @ 3rd MT BN, 3rd MAR DIV USMC)**
8) Virginia     7 mos.(1967 for 3 mos. @ OCS & 1968 for 4 mos. @ TBS USMC)*   
9) California   5 mos. (1969 Camp Pendleton & 1970 NAS El Toro USMC)
10) North Carolina 2 mos. (1968 New Bern USMC)*    
Other) EU, Caribbean, Mexico, Pacific Crossing & Canada   7 mos. (1968-Present)**
* Total Years Spent In Original 13 Colonies = 31 of 70 yrs. 
** Total Time Spent Outside Of CONUS = 1 1/2 yrs. 

11-3-15 Entries by BC Texting with Marine Capt. Chas Stevens ’67 BGSU OXMustered out of El Toro 3-15-70. Spent 3 mos there w no car after returning from Vietnam on LSD’s (3) full of equipment and a few enlisted Marines, 1 Major and 1st Lt (me) for 30 days with 3rd Marine Div. 3rd MT Btln and much more stuff. Embark Officer (me) too!Dropped Div/Btln flags in Okinawa and pulled into Camp Pendleton at 0 dark thirty Dec. 15, 1969. No one there except a Marine Captain! Total top secret? Flew home for Christmas and back to get OUT! What a 3 yr oddessy! Got personal Navy Commendation decoration w combat V and some other stuff. Too funny!Got dropped after 3rd down with 3/4 completion from RIO flt school (F4 backseat) at NAS Glynco in spring of ’68. Back to Quanitco for summer TBS as a 1st Lt! Hot Hot! And on to New Bern NC for MT school! Shit bird MOS. Off to Vietnam as Company Commander 3rd Mar Div, 3rd MT BN B Company. Northern I Corps south of DMZ way west, Vandegrift Combat Base (old LZ Stud). Fun&Games supporting 3rd & 9th Marine grunts! 125 guys in B Company. We got everybody as last in country in 1968-69. Pulled out Nov ’69 for Navy LSD boats (3) in Dong Ha Harbor for Okinawa & Camp Pendleton. I was on flag ship USS Comstock with Major. We stood watches with the black-shoes officers on the bridge. Very mundane duty. 30 f’en days. 

Question from Meg on why her grandparents, Annette and Dawson Curtis, didn’t have children sooner?

Well my guess is he messed around on her in HS (both ’29s) and in MUC ’33 and 2 more years till ’35. I think it was a double wedding with sister Helen & Ross Haines (?)and Helen forcing the issue. Ask Sally! Middle of depression NO $$ on either side, funky teaching/coaching job in Fowler, OH and probably still messing around. WWII comes up in ’42 so a job/career change back to Alliance and a kid (me RPC) could solve draft problem NOT! Volunteers for Navy OCS at Princeton University at age about 31-32 and ships out right after 8/6/43 and returns 3/3/46 (?) and TDC born 1-1-47. I got pages of stories on our history in mac. 

Started with Browns vs Falcons game R ? Griffith III 2 Td’s passes in 1st half, out to Red’s steak house great and Thursday night in Cleveland at downtown Renaissance Marriott. Very cool old Clevelander Hotel.  Breakfast with BGSU ΘΧ pledge brother attorney in Cleveland. Late lunch at Alliance Neighborhood Inn bar! Friday Elks Pavillion gathering was fun for Billie & me, since newly divorced brother Tom joined us and cousin Pam (Sally’s 2nd daughter) & new husband Jeff joined us also. Some folks from other classes showed, but stayed apart, mostly sitting it out. Our class looked good but gray, and spent most of time walking around drinking and having loud group discussions. Too many shut-ins. Big Friday night OUT!!! Boxes of pizzas and open bar with booze. Very dangerous!! Cash bar so no idea about that tab??? No one was smoking!!! Alliance Holiday inn express for us!! Wow! Lots of cable guys ckd in too!! Beer party in parking lot. Passed on that one!!

Billie, Tom and I golfed Saturday am /pm at ACC as Chuck’s guests. 4th time in 20 years for that.  He and Davia playing in club tourney in front of us a couple holes. Both looked good on the course up close. Chuck stayed for beers with us. Fun! Davia NO! Jerk! Neither came Saturday night. Not happy about being in Sebring and not ACC! Other lame excuses too! And Davia prepaid!!!

5 couples stayed at Sebring Mansion! (Built 1900 old Sebring pottery $$$s named FL town too!) 100$ discount. Wop wop!! breakfast in dinning room Sunday am. Bourne Israel DUNCAN Furcolow Curtis and wives. Saturday PM About 100 paid. Charlie prepaid and no show. 60-40 split. Much fun!!! 3 man band good on level 4 ballroom . Oldies some. Had lots of talks with old buds. Bob Williams &Jenny  Deilh, Gail & husband Lee rattler, Ron & Janice Corbi,  Ellery savage!!! Dee & Cheryl RICK Doug Furcolow and some talk w their wives who we knew from other reunions, mansion owner ???, a real hoot (new Louisville OH cheese $$$s per Dee., ($5M and counting so far and not finished after 10 years) & of course Bob the bartender, Bob Montella, Jack brown Hugh Wilson many others Janet Ansley & Doug??? Saw Louise??. Big bar tab on the room! Cash is better. You don’t know the $$$?? Off to Toronto vs Indians game at 1pm. Late lunch in glassed in stadium club. Very nice, great game. Out at 6p to Orlando.  Frountier sucks!!

I like many others, I paid 100% of my BGSU expenses (8 semester). Pledged ΘΧ Gamma Mu Chapter my second semester freshman year. I had no car, lived in Rodgers dorm first year, eat in Commons Dining Hall and moved to ΘΧ house for last 3 years and worked in our kitchen for my board. Moved after graduation on June 5, 1965 to hometown parents and childhood home My college work experience consisted of working on house kitchen crew 6 semesters, old gym basket room 2 freshman semesters and built and ran “Student Blotter Service” for 6 semesters by selling ad space on the printed (both sides) blotter (24” x 36”). On time graduation (’65), some say I graduated “On Warning”, no debt, still no car, no job, Army draft notice in the mail and my Junior ΔΓ pin mate of 2 years is now going out with an undergraduate ΑΤΩ, who she married! How does that grab you?

Enrolled full-time, full-load at KSU for 3 quarters (’65-’66) to hold off military draft and joined Transue & Williams, Inc. (steel forging company) in home town Alliance, OH (Jan ’66) as a “union” steel forging grinder (think “Flash Dance” movie)! Commuted to KSU in the morning with brother Tom, worked 3 to 11pm shift and lived at home and moved to an apartment and finally bought a brand new ’67 VW bug! No money for enrollment at East Carolina College’s MBA School Spring acceptance for Sept. ’66. Soon draft notice arrived and volunteered for USMC OCS in Jan. ’67 Class in Quantico, VA., after many USN/USMC training schools received orders for South Vietnam (’68-’69), as Company Commander, Northern I Corps. Mustered out of USMC a Captain,  and immediately married a career US Foreign Service Ambassador’s daughter (’70) and after 3 months of honeymoon in much of Europe, enrolled in GSU MBA Program, Atlanta, GA (’72),  First real job out of GSU Business School (’72) was with Pfizer Labs as sales representative in Salina, KS and promoted to Hospital Sales Representative in Wichita, KS and on to Pfizer World Headquarters in NYC as a Marketing Manager after 4 years in the field. Missy born in Salina and Mandy in Wichita! Built a house in each town!!! Why there? Pfizer & my DM loved to hire former military officers. Great start with no money in bank!! Only in KS! Pfizer, Inc. North Jersey Coast train commute to NYC hdqrs mktg (’72-’81), Many healthcare companies’ marketing & sales VP/Director positions in Northeast and “out” to Fla (’04). Lots and lots of great times, stories, 2 wives and it was “one hell of a party” (see “Lonesome Dove” Augustus McCray quote). Hope to see you soon. Warmest regards, Bob

Kids et al. 

I began this writing project with the intention of it being a tribute to my mother. This idea came from a Christian couple’s weekend that Billie and I spent together earlier this year (2008) in St. Augustine, Florida. One of the references spoke of how rewarding this type of written exercise is to anyone needing a way to remember the great things that your mother did for you and of course your family.

After working on an outline of memorial events and trying to describe them, I first found that my father was intertwined it the memories much more than I had realized and the good times were many more than I had ever envisioned. So, I then started including all my memories and telling each story as best as I could remember with all the family members, not just Mom, talked about as a complete event or activity. I also have found that this is more about my life and how my parents, brother, Tom, wives, children and grandchildren, extended family and close friends have played their individual roles in making me the person that I was and am today. So, here we go with a revised version of a long and mostly boring story of my life and its high lights and some low lights.