There is much that is very pleasant and refreshing about country life, especially in the summer. I remember getting the vegetables from the garden and helping prepare them; gathering the eggs; riding our horse Dewey; Donovan holding me up on his bicycle and running along beside me so that I could learn to ride on the dirt roads; going to Chautauqua at Hamilton and camping on the park grounds; riding home on top of a wagon load of apples from my grandfather's orchard in the fall; looking forward to Aunt Mabel's coming each Spring after her school was out. She taught in the School for the Deaf in Faribault, Minnesota, and spent most of her summers with us while we lived in Illinois.
For it was in the country home located three miles north of Elvaston, Illinois, that I was born, March 16, 1908, daughter of Ruby Alice and Herbert Lynn Campbell. There I lived with my parents and three brothers the first eleven years and nine months of my life. As I helped my mother with the various chores around the house, among some of the verses she taught me were "The Twenty-Third Psalm", "Wynken, Blinkin, and Nod", "My Shadow", and the song, "When You Come to the End of a Perfect Day", by Carrie Jacobs Bond to be sung at the church for some special occasion for children. During the summer I attended Catechism class and joined the Elvaston Presbyterian Church with my brothers, the following fall.
On the farm there were the endless processions of cats and kittens which were always getting under foot as we walked to the cellar. Much of my leisure moments were spent in the hayloft watching the baby kittens. I could hardly wait for them to open their eyes. Then they began to grow cuter and more playful day by day. Mother grew so tired of the new batches of kittens that were always under our feet whenever we stepped out the back door that she decided with Donovan's help to drown a few of the newly-born after I was on my way to town. I, having heard their plan, returned, thus giving the kittens a momentary reprieve.
There was a big tom cat that was a favorite. He would allow me to dress him in doll clothes and wheel him around in the doll buggy. Much of the time I played by myself, as my brothers had other interests and work to do around the farm. However, there were many moments of fun provided by Donovan who was next to me in age. Whenever my parents would leave me in his care, he would keep me entertained. On one occasion during the winter when the snow was falling and the day was especially cold, he and I were driving to the little country school. In order to protect me from the bitter cold, he had me put my head in his lap and covered me with a lap robe.
The experience of living in the country is one I shall always be glad of having had, also the privilege of attending the little country school. There were only four others in my grade - Margaret Behnke, Euvon Hyndman, Milo Thomas, Raymond Seigfritz. Our teacher, Lyda Hosford, was more to us than an ordinary teacher, taking a really personal interest in each one of her students. Two different times she took Margaret Behnke and me into Carthage with her for the afternoon. This special attention socially was much enjoyed. The Halloween party which she gave in her home for the school was an outstanding event, where we bobbed for apples and played a running game (Blackman) outdoors in the moonlight.
My father had to build a platform under my desk for me as my feet could not reach the floor. Father also built on the school grounds a shed in which to stable the horse which we drove to school. My attendance at the country school was only two and one-half years. My brothers after finishing the eighth grade there, attended High School in Elvaston. It was decided that I, too, should make the change to the Elvaston School.
In December, 1918, my older brother, Ronald, died of pneumonia, and so our family circle experienced its first loss. My father was quite ill at the time, and a change in climate became necessary. In June of 1920 we moved to Arizona for the one school year, living in Glendale. My father had regained his health by the next spring. When school was out we left Arizona, touring California before coming to Oklahoma City to make our home. My parents bought a house at 2031 West 16th.
My schooling in Oklahoma City was spent one year in Hawthorne Grade School, Class in Junior and Senior High and Oklahoma City University.
In High School I became a member of the Jr. McDowell Fine Arts Club, and a social club called K. E. Y.
I taught a Sunday-school class in the Primary Department of the First Presbyterian Church several years, and sang in the choir for a short time.
While in Oklahoma City University, I became a member of the Phi Delta Sorority which was a local group and was president of the group one year. It was during one of the summer rush parties that I, at the wheel, with a group of rushees in the car, had an accident on our way to a party. A man backing out of his driveway did not see us and backed into the side of our car, causing one of the girls to have stitches taken in her forehead. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt.
During my college years two trips to Illinois were made in the summer, driving Mrs. Sarah Hoover's car for her. She was visiting her sister, Mrs. Hurst Chapman, who lived in the same community as my relatives.
The second summer I attended Carthage College, taking English Literature and staying in the home of Aunt Aurelia and Uncle Paul Marshall in Carthage. This was a most pleasant summer, and one I shall always remember.
I graduated from Oklahoma City University in 1930 with a B. A. degree, majoring in Education, and received a Life Certificate to teach in the State of Oklahoma. My interest was in Kindergarten, and the following fall started my teaching career in the Oklahoma City School System. After two years of apprentice teaching, which was the requirement, I should have had a kindergarten of my own to manage, but because of the Oklahoma City School System was in a bad financial condition, there were no new teachers hired and I was given the fifth grade to teach at Gatewood School, without having had any experience in grade work at all. The second semester, I was given the fourth grade which I found to be easier to teach. This may have been due to the difference in the class group, and, too, a semester of experience helped.
The next fall, the Kindergarten teacher at Gatewood married. I was given her place and was very happy to have such a lovely Kindergarten in which to teach. I taught in this school until January 21, 1939, when I married William Macklin Osborn, who is the cousin of Josephine, my brother Franklin's wife.
One of the memorable trips made during the summer was the one Mother and I made in 1934 to Colorado. We stopped en route in Argonia, Kansas, to see Mother's cousin Ralph Karnahan and his family. Then on to Colorado Springs. Mother and I stayed at Mrs. Edmunson's house renting a bedroom and using the cooking facilities which were provided in the basement of her home. A Mr. and Mrs. Campbell from Bolling Green, Missouri, were also staying there, and we made a trip with them through Phantom Canyon - Mr. Campbell driving our car, as his was a coupe. Mrs. Campbell wore a hearing aid and on one occasion when the battery had run down, Mr. Campbell was having to raise his voice in order for Mrs. Campbell to hear him. Mother happened at the same time to ask me something just as Mr. Campbell had finished speaking to Mrs. Campbell in a loud voice. I turned and unconsciously answered Mother in a loud voice, much to her amazement and my embarrassment. We both were almost convulsed and made a hasty exit to our car, leaving Mr. Campbell looking very much puzzled as to why we were laughing.
From Colorado Springs we drove to Denver, visiting Anna Hastings and making some side trips from there with Anna's niece and family. From Denver, on to Loveland, Colorado, to visit Mother's Mother's sister, Aunt Maggie Anderson. This was the object of our trip to Colorado. Aunt Maggie was quite old and suffered from Arthritis. She was living with her son and his wife, Frank and Elsie Anderson. We also visited another son, Edgar Anderson, in Ft. Collins.
Mother and I spent a week in Estes Park renting Mrs. Robert Anderson's cottage. This was a pretty and most comfortable cottage but many steps to climb in order to reach it. This cottage overlooked the Big Thompson stream and one could hear the water rushing over the rocks. We enjoyed our stay there very much. We had a deaf neighbor who was a lip reader. She had traveled extensively and was a most interesting person. Mother and I also made a trip to Grand Lake with the Frank Andersons'.
The only incident that I remember on our return trip to Oklahoma City was caused by a Model T driver deciding to cut across the road just as I was passing him, causing me to go out into the shallow ditch to escape being hit. There wasn't an intersection there, but an abandoned looking filling station.
Part of another memorable summer was spent in Muskogee, Oklahoma, in the home of my brother Franklin and his wife, Josephine, while I tried to gain some experience working in the Doctor's offices at Fite Clinic where Franklin practiced Dermatology. I did gain some experience as an aid but did not use it in getting a summer position, as was the object of the training. I remember this as a most pleasant summer being in my brother's home. Another summer spent in their company was the summer in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where Franklin attended a course in the Medical School of the University of Michigan and I attended a course in Education in the Laboratory School of the University. Summer school attendance was required by the Board of Education every third or fourth summer.
While in Ann Arbor, Josephine, Franklin, James and I made some trips to Windsor, Ontario, to visit Aunt Mabel and Uncle Roderick. On one occasion we all made a boat trip across Lake Erie to Put-in-Bay, a resort island located on the Ohio State side of the Lake.
Another interesting trip was made one summer with some friends from Oklahoma City by way of Washington, D. C., through New York and Canada. This trip allowed me four days in Washington with Donovan, Georgia, and Donna. Donovan took time off from his work with the Government to show me around Washington and Mount Vernon.
One other trip east was made the summer of 1938 with my friends from Oklahoma City, Mrs. Harmon and her daughter, Mary. This trip was made with the Harmon's as far as Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I took the train for New York City - Franklin was in New York City studying for the National Board of Dermatology. He met me at the station and carried my very heavy bag from the bus to his apartment. I stayed a few days there with him, seeing New York City in the daytime by myself. In the evening, Franklin, I, and his gentlemen friends who had the apartment next to his did many things together. Among the delightful experiences was the evening spent in the Dr. Larry Miller home on Long Island - they drove us to Jones Beach in the evening. Other places seen and visited while there were Coney Island, The Statue of Liberty, a Chinese restaurant where the Chinese about us were using chopsticks expertly, the Hudson River where we watched the boats go by while having dinner in the dining room of the Presbyterian Hospital where Franklin was doing some of his special work. He and I left New York City by train to go to Washington D. C., where I stayed a few days with Donovan, Georgia, and Donna and to meet the Harmon's with whom I drove back to Oklahoma City. Franklin continued on to Fort Worth by train for a vacation with his family from whom he had been separated a year while studying in New York.
While in Washington, Georgia, Donna, and I made a boat trip to Marshall Island. Another time the whole family went bicycling around the area where the famous Cherry trees border the park.
That same summer in 1938, after arriving home I received an invitation to visit Bill Osborn and his mother in Midland, Texas. This I did, going to Fort Worth to ride out to Midland with Bill's aunt and his cousins, Mrs. F. L. Jack, Mary Abbie, Ora Lou, and my niece and nephew, James and Gail Campbell. While visiting in their home Bill decided he would like to show me Carlsbad Cavern. That was the most important trip I have ever made, for it was then that we became engaged, August 13, 1938.
We were married the following January 21, 1939 in the First Presbyterian Church of Oklahoma City, with the following friends and relatives being in our wedding party:
My father accompanied me down the aisle to the altar. The one disappointment was that my brothers could not be present nor any of Donovan's family. It was especially nice to have Aunt Mabel from Windsor, Ontario, come to the wedding, along with Aunt Aurelia, Aunt Geraldine, Uncle Fred and Aunt Edna from Illinois. Aunt Aurelia has written a story of the trip to Dorothy and William's wedding telling of the many funny incidents that happened. One of the incidents she did not tell about, for it was yet to happen to us on our trip to Midland from New Orleans where we had gone for our wedding trip. Our car broke down completely, so that we had to leave it and finish our trip by bus to our first home, having much baggage. The bus driver was kind enough to drive us from one station to another when we had to transfer to another bus.
On January 1, 1941, Mary Lynn, our first child was born. She was the first baby born in Midland in the New Year, and received recognition as such by being the recipient of many gifts from the merchants in town. Mary Lynn was named for my husband's mother and my father.
On May 4, 1943, Alice Annette, our second child was born, being named for my mother and Aunt Mabel, who also was named for her mother and My Mother's mother.
November 30, 1945, Dorothy Carol, our third daughter, was born. The three girls were born in Western Clinic Hospital, which was then located on Colorado Street between Illinois and Ohio Streets. It is now an office building. Dr. Waldo Legget was our Doctor at that time.
Mother came to stay with me when each child was born. When Carol was born, my father came, too, as Mother had been ill. It was a real pleasure having Mother with me and I cherish many happy memories of those times.
There were other occasions when Mother and Dad came to stay with the children, so that Bill and I could have a vacation, and the last time was in 1955 when I went to the hospital for surgery. One of the other occasions was in 1954 so that I could accompany my husband to New York where he was to be in a Management School for two weeks. This gave me a wonderful visit with Donovan, Georgia, Margo, and Donna and her husband on Long Island.
The second great loss in our family circle occurred September 27, 1957, when Mother's life on this earth was finished. How happy I am for her that she is at rest, but how very much I miss her - words cannot describe. How wonderfully brave and courageous my father has been in meeting the loss of his beloved of fifty-seven years.
How very grateful I am for the fine Christian heritage that is mine as exhibited in the daily lives of my parents. I remember the family devotionals in the evenings, as a child. Later, as we grew older and were away from home, my father's family devotional consisted of reading the scripture at the breakfast table and a prayer. We were always in constant attendance at the Church services wherever we lived. My father, from the time he was a young man, has been an elder in the Presbyterian Church, as are my brothers and my husband.
At the time of this writing, July 2, 1958, I am a very busy housewife, enjoying the interests of my husband and three teen-age daughters.
The stories of our lives were published in 1958. Dad was interested in sending copies to many of our relatives. I am not sure many were interested.
Many things have happened since. Our daughter was married to Robert Payne Barham September 29, 1962. James had graduated with a Ph.D. in June 1960, and had accepted a position in the R and D department of Fairchild Camera and Electronics and moved to Mountain View, California.
In October, Josephine, James and I started on a trip around the world. A World Medical Meeting in New Delhi, India was the purpose of the trip.
In 1963, we moved to 2333 Winton Terrace, where we continue to live.
In June 1972, I had a coronary occlusion but with only a little muscle damage. In January, 1972, I had completely retired from the practice of Dermatology.
The Barhams now, January 1st, 1980, live in Dallas at 3624 Colgate, where Robert Sr. is Vice President of Mercantile Bank, in charge of Corporate Planning. They have three children: Carol Lynn, born December 13, 1963; Robert Hugh, born March 5, 1966; and Richard Franklin, born February 19, 1969. They are all busy with their educations.
James Franklin, Jr. is with Fairchild Test Systems Group and is Applications Engineering Manager, Analog Test Systems. He was married to Josephine Kompanek on December 26, 1967. They have no children.
Josephine and I continue to live and maintain our house as our healths are fair considering our ages. We enjoy our church, which is the First Presbyterian, our friends, our hobbies and our children.
signed, Franklin Campbell
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