Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Robert W. Stewart was born and raised in a castle. His Father was a surveyor and an attorney. They also had a family ranch just below Provo, Utah where they raised premium Arabian horses and had enough land to make it a true Ranch. He was the second to youngest of nine children and sickly, small, thin. . who had trouble eating. He was continually bribed by his favorite pie if he would down the hated mush. He swallowed the mush, waiting patiently for the promised pie. It NEVER materialized. This happened over and over. Sad to say this was a trait he caried over into his own adulthood. He would promise his own children this if they would do that. . and he did not deliver! But he was studious, ended up with two degrees. . would have been three but his medical degree was shortened when he fought with a professor and quit just before graduation. The discussion was over teeth. Dad said your teeth could kill you if not properly maintained. He was right! His other degrees were Aeronautical Engineering and Electrical Engineering. He had a very high I.Q. and was scary smart. Another accomplishment: Robert was the firts pilot to fly solo across the United States. He also won a medal in the Los Angeles Olympics (1932 or 1934?) for diving. He memorized long passages of Keats, Kipling, many other poets which helped keep him awake on long flights across the U.S. He started as a Mail Pilot. . the only land reckonings were railroads and memorable buildings in various cities/towns. He had many close calls in flying. One time he was caught in the mountains, found himself in a dead canyon. . a canyon with no exit. . he came close to the end, pointed his plane's nose upward, went as high as the plane would go until it flipped over and he could then fly out of the canyon towards the entrance! A very scary, but effective maneuver. He was meticulous about what he took into his body and exercising regularly.

Family Rembrances Cont.

My Mother was born and raised in a two room log cabin in Wyo. Ten children were part of this package. . actually thirteen, but three of them died. She vowed that she was never gong to be poor again in her life and from the time she was fifteen. . she was NOT poor! She gave music lessons, opened a music school, had well over a hundred students and with this money she helped put two sisters and one brother on Missions for the Mormon Church. She also paid her way to BYU where she continued to support herself by playing in a music dance band, "Potter, Poulsen and Pate."
She was called on a Mission to the eastern states and in the process took the Book Of Mormon, cut it into installments which were put in CBS radio and they ran for several years. Each installment ended in a cliff hanger which brought a lot of listeners to the program. She was asked to stay an extra year. She met a successful New York banker, became engaged and was speaking in Church when she met my Father who was a hot shot pilot with the military. The banker's engagement dissolved and she took after Robert W. Stewart until she caught him.