I am the wife of Francis A. (Matty) Matson about whom this story is written. The information came from Francis himself and from his mother, brothers and sisters, plus, those events of which I became a part af ter our marriage on March 14, 1930. I like to think that I am Matty's most prized "possession" but his four children are a close second. Therefore, I dedicate this story to Bill, Max, Hugh and Joelyn, whom their Dad loves very much.

Velma F. Matson

February 14, 1987

The Prophecy

a story of

Francis A. Matson

Shortly before the turn of the century a diminutive foreign-born Swedish girl who was working as a domestic in the home of wealthy people in New York, visited the parlor of a fortune teller. So impressed was she with the seer's prophetic words that the y stayed with her all her life and somehow unconsciously, she tried to make those words come true. This was the clairvoyant's prophecy "Your first-born son will be a great violin player, he will be rich and he will travel extensively."

In due time, this little Swedish girl, Matilda Johnson, went to White Cloud, Michigan where she became the bride of William Matson, a widower with three children, two girls - Ellen and Esther and a boy, Oscar. Again, in due time-, Matilda's own first-b orn, a son was born on December 21, 1905. The midwife who attended Tillie at the child's birth was a staunch Irish Catholic. Between the two women, the baby was named Francis Axel Theodore Matson. Francis was the choice of the midwife for St. Francis of A ssissi, Axel was a throwback to Tillie's

Scandanavian ancestry and Theodore was for Tillie's favorite United States president, Theodore Roosevelt.

For the first fifteen months of his life, little Francis was spoiled and coddled by the older members of his family and especially by Ellen, who loved to care for him, dress him up and put ribbons in his hair. When he was fifteen months of age, Fra ncis's mother gave birth to a little girl - Evelyn- who was to be her only daughter. Subsequently, two more sons - Herbert and William arrived. When William was born, Francis was only five years old, so it is easy to see that very little spoiling and codd ling was done during that time.

When Francis started to Kindergarten, he was unable to speak English, as only Swedish had been spoken in the home. Naturally, this was not an easy situation, but his first teacher, Miss Nettie Branch, who later became one of his high school teachers to ok him "under her wing" and as he was an apt learner, he was able to keep up with his class. Several of his Kindergarten classmates remained with him throughout grade school and high school and became the nucleus of a tight-knit group of friends.

By the time Francis was six years old, he was left fatherless by the passing of his father. This left the family in dire straits. Apparently, all of father's wages had been used to support his growing family and Tillie had used the money she had saved in New York for a down payment on a larger house. Shortly after the father died, Ellen, Esther and Oscar were "farmed out" to work for other people and Tillie began to take in washings to support her remaining brood of four. At an early age Francis was pr essed into service as a helper. With a little red wagon, he gathered pine knots in the woods at the edge of town and picked up coal from along the railroad tracks to help heat the water for his mother's washings. That same little red wagon was cleaned up to become the vehicle that picked up and delivered the laundry. Tillie was a hard worker, so most of her customers, being pleased with her work, became staunch friends and did what they could to help the family. One customer, however, was very "tight-fist ed" even though he had money. One day, Francis delivered the washing to him. The customer asked, "How much is it?" Francis answered, "Sixty cents". The customer said, "Your mother usually charges fifty cents and as I haven't the change, I'll pay your moth er later". He did and she charged him fifty cents. Francis was roundly scolded by his mother, who asked, "Why did you say sixty cents?" Francis replied, "You work too cheaply for him and anyway I needed a dime for some candy". Needless to say, he charged his mother's prices after that even if she did work too cheaply.

Vivid in Francis's memory throughout his whole life were several little incidents caused directly or indirectly by the poverty of the family and the lack of a father. He remembered that older boys in the Swedish neighborhood called him "Ninny" an absol utely abhorred word. That is, they did until Brother Oscar fought a couple of them over it and as Francis said, "cleaned their clocks".

As mother was busy, Francis did spend much time on the streets and hung around the stores, hoping to get a nickel or a dime for running an errand. Businessmen liked him and were good to him, but perhaps he did become a bit of a nuisance. Sometimes, the y made him the butt of their jokes by sending him on errands to get a "left-handed monkey wrench" or the "key to the center pole" and other such things. However, when he came back, thinking he had been unsuccessful, the much desired nickel or dime was usu ally forthcoming.

Tillie very seldom had time to go to church, but she was insistent on getting her children to Sunday School. However, once in a while, the pressures of earning a living prevented her from getting them ready. On one such occasion, Francis was playing ne ar the path that went by his home. A Mr. Walter Fuller (an eccentric bachelor) came by and said "Why aren't you in Sunday School?" Francis answered, "Ma didn't have time to patch my clothes." The next day, a neighbor who clerked in Wilson's Grocery and Dr y Goods Store came to the house and said, "Francis, you are supposed to go to Wilson's Store." He did and was completely outfitted with new clothes - underwear, socks, shoes, shirt, suit and hat - all paid for by Mr. Fuller.

The Swedish Church played a big part in Francis's younger life and vivid were his memories of it. The Christmas programs at the church were always very special. The church was decorated in the best Swedish tradition. The whole program was in the Swedis h language. Swedish carols were sung and each child, dressed in his best "bib and tucker", stood in front of a decorated archway as he spoke his recitation in his native tongue. Afterwards, each child received a box of candy and nuts and sometimes people brought other gifts to be given out. One such Christmas night program was always remembered by Francis. He very much wanted a pair of ice skates and had made his wishes known at the hardware store where he spent much time. After he had done some errands, Mr. Ben Adams, one of the storeowners, promised that there would be a pair of ice skates for him under the Swedish Church Christmas tree. Christmas night and the program finally arrived and Francis stood in front of the decorated archway and spoke his Swe dish "piece" but for him the program dragged on and on. At last, it was over! He received his box of candy and nuts, others received gifts, the last gift was passed out, but there were no skates for him. What a disappointment and not much sleep for him th at night! Early the next morning, he was waiting for the hardware store to open. "All is well that ends well" as Mr. Adams promptly got the skates and made one little boy very happy. The promise had simply slipped from the mind of the busy storekeeper.

Francis's birthday was on December 21st. Ma was always busy but if there was available time and money, she was exceptionally busy at this time preparing traditional Christmas foods, such as Swedish limpa bread, lutefisk, molasses "drikka" and others. S o, Francis never remembered having a birthday cake until after he was married. The only birthday gift, he remembered receiving, as a child was a tiny toy locomotive for which Sister Ellen had somehow saved a dime.

Tillie, by dint of hard work, was able "to keep body and soul together", but often it was by using hand-me-down's which she remade and mended and by "stretching" good plain food. One day, she sent Francis to the store for ten cents worth of pork steak. Meat was cheap then, but ten cents still didn't buy much. She could, however, dice and fry it and make gravy to cover the potatoes or bread, which she served for dinner. The proprietor of the store derided Francis, saying, "Ten cents worth of pork steak - that's not enough to load a shotgun". The humiliation stuck in Francis's mind always.

A music teacher, Lottie Wurzburg by name, came from Grand Rapids to White Cloud on the train to give piano lessons at the homes of her students. One day, as-she was going from one home to another she was eating an orange when she passed the Matson hous e. Francis followed along behind her, picked up the orange peelings from the dirt path and ate them.

Oranges were quite a luxury and were usually thought of as a Christmas treat. Christmas Day found the Matson children anxiously awaiting the town dray, which was sent out to deliver food packages from Wilson's Grocery Store. In such packages, along wit h good plain nutritious food were usually found an orange for each child of the family as well as candy and nuts. The town dray was also a source of fun for Francis. In the wintertime, he loved to catch a sleigh ride on it and in the summer time he follow ed along behind as ice was being delivered. Sucking a piece of ice on a hot summer day was considered a treat.

Even with all the hard work, Francis's mother retained her good looks and attractive figure. Therefore, she had no trouble attracting eligible men even though her busy schedule did not allow much time for such foolishness. One such suitor was a bachelo r farmer from Paris, Michigan. Because of the long distance from each other, this courtship did not take up much time and nothing ever came from it. However, it did affect Francis's life! Mr. Lusby offered to take Francis to his farm when school was out i n the spring and keep him all summer. Thinking that it would be one less mouth to feed, Tillie allowed Francis to go. This sounds as if it could have been a lonely life for a child of nine or ten years of age, but those two summers were remembered with pl easure. Francis remembered Mr. Lusby's famous "pork cake", helping with the chores and haying, the old swimming hole on the farm, making make-believe roads, trips by wagon into Paris and Big Rapids and getting to drive the horses occasionally. And last, b ut certainly not least, he remembered the five dollar bill that Mr. Lusby gave him when he took him home at the end of summer vacation. No matter that he had to spend it for school clothes and supplies - he was just happy to have a five-dollar bill, which he had earned.

Tillie had always enjoyed music and dancing and this love she imparted to Francis. As a small boy, he was allowed to go to the city hall on dance nights to sit and listen to the music and watch the dancing. Just before midnight, Tillie could be seen wa lking the dirt paths of White Cloud with lantern in hand to escort Francis home from the dance. Francis never missed a concert played by the Erickson Family Band or other music played at the grandstand in the park. Remembering that the fortune teller had said that her son would be a great violin player, Tillie had Francis begin taking lessons on the violin from Mr. Walter Fuller, the same man who had bought clothes for the child so he could attend Sunday School. But whether Mr. Fuller was a poor teacher o r whether Francis was an inept student of the violin is not known - at any rate, violin lessons and violin playing were soon neglected and that part of the prophecy never came true. However, remembering that the soothsayer had also said that her first bor n son would travel extensively and become a rich man, Tillie decided that education was the key to both of these goals, so she constantly reminded Francis that he must have an education. Day after day, she drilled this into him, saying in Swedish or in br oken English, "Francis, you must have an education."

When Francis was eleven years of age, his mother married Emil Johnson, a Finn-Swede whose parents lived on a farm east of White Cloud. At first, Emil worked in the woods as a lumberjack in the Cadillac area. By the time he paid his own expenses and hel ped his elderly parents, he had very little left for Tillie, so she kept on with her washings. Besides, she was still making payments on her mortgage. (As long as she lived, she never shared the title of this house with anyone else). Later, Emil obtained work on the railroad and had a steady income, but by this time two more babies, Engwald and Robert, had been added to the family, so the struggle to make a decent living went on.

Francis attended school only about a block from his home. Considering all circumstances, he did well in school. Elementary grades and Grammar School (7th and 8th grades) were uneventful except that he had the Misses Elsie and Nora Mast as teachers - ea ch for two years. The Mast sisters were good teachers, but stern disciplinarians. Miss Elsie tore all the buttons off his shirt once, as she reprimanded him for some misdemeanor. He said, "I'll tell my ma on you." She answered, "Good! And just tell her to send needle and thread and I'll sew on the buttons". Ma wasn't told exactly what happened until long afterward. After that, he had a healthy respect for the Misses Mast and was even prone to brag about his "four years before the Mast". Sometime during hi s Grammar School days, his classmates dubbed him Matty, a nickname that was used from then on by almost everyone except family.

Emil did not share Tillie's respect and love for education, so when Francis had received his eighth grade diploma, Emil said it was time for the boy to get out of the house and make his own living. Tempers flared but Tillie was adamant, finally saying to Emil, "Francis is going to have a high school education. You were the last one to come to this house - if anyone has to leave, you will be the first one out." Although Emil never shared her ideas about education, he never brought it up again and all he r children except Engwald received a high school diploma. In Emil's defense, it must be said that a high school education at that time was the exception rather than the rule.

Village high schools of the time were necessarily small, but White Cloud High School was exceptionally so. The class of 1924 (Francis's class) made its mark on that high school. It is not known how large this class was when its students were enrolled a s freshmen, but ten seniors were graduated - eight girls and two boys. As was already mentioned, this was a close-knit class. Its members stuck together through "thick and thin." While they were never really bad, the other classes all looked askance at th e class of 1924. Somehow, this class always dominated the other classes, crashed their parties and influenced the teachers.

In such a small school, most students had to be involved in order to carry on the activities. Matty, as an aggressive high school pupil, was involved in most activities - the class plays, the glee club, other clubs, parties, etc. He was very active in athletics and was a good participant in spite of his small stature. Basketball, baseball, track and football were the main sports of the time. White Cloud had no gymnasium, so there really was no organized basketball, but it was played to some extent in a couple of buildings in town and of course, Matty played. In baseball, he was the pitcher, catcher, shortstop, or filled in wherever needed. In track, he earned ribbons as a dash man. In football, with his shoulder pads fashioned from horse collars, he wa s a formidable foe in spite of his size. He seemed to try to make up in determination what he lacked in brawn.

Being a gregarious lad, he never lacked for friends. While in high school, he belonged to a group called "The Big Four." This group built a shack near the White River and while their activities stayed just within the law, they were many times accused o f wrongdoing and were on occasion investigated by school personnel and law officers. Neither did Matty lack for lady friends, although in most instances, the relationships were platonic. He was on "best friends" basis with all the girls in his class, but did not date any of them, preferring girls of neighboring towns for dating. An older heavy-set young woman taught him to dance and took him to dances. She must have been a good teacher, as he became adept at this pastime, even to the "Charleston", a vigor ous dance of the twenties. Throughout his life, music and dancing were always important. One exception to his relationship with girls was Miss Mildred Barnes who was a niece of C.E. Wilson and lived in the Wilson home. She was his steady girl friend for a long time while they both were in high school. Matty's mother was unhappy about this situation as she felt that Mildred was born with a "silver spoon" in her mouth and did not know how to work, so would not be able to advance his cause toward extensive t ravel and becoming rich.

Besides all this activity, he still found time to earn his own spending money and he bought his own clothes. He took many odd jobs, but work of a longer duration was at LeMire's Drug Store, the White Cloud Canning Company and the Pickle Factory. One su mmer, his brother Oscar helped him obtain employment at Continental Motors in Muskegon. At the end of that summer, he had paid his own expenses, saved enough to buy a cow for his mother and still had spending money for the coming school year. He was also able to maintain good grades in school. History was his favorite subject and his history teacher who had also been his kindergarten teacher once gave him 100% on a test. She claimed that she had never before done this, but that the paper was so perfect, s he was unable to find even a misspelled word.

His high school days as a whole were enjoyable, but there were also some low spots. There was, of course, the constant rivalry between him and his stepfather. During his sophomore year, he also became very ill with a kidney ailment, diagnosed at the ti me as Bright's Disease. He had to have special equipment and care and Tillie rose to the occasion and pulled him through. In spite of his work, there were times when money was short. One of these times came at the end of his senior year. In those days, th e class did not wear caps and gowns to graduate, but everyone were expected to have a new suit or a new dress for Commencement. Alas! There was no money for Matty's graduation suit. Neither was there money for graduation pictures. A quick SOS to an Uncle Fred (Tillie's brother) up in the north woods near Cadillac brought the needed cash to purchase the suit, but he did not get the pictures. So, on June 11, 1924, Matty and his nine classmates, resplendent in their new suits or white dresses sat on the plat form of the Seventh Day Baptist Church and walked across the stage to receive their diplomas. It was a happy occasion, but had its sad undertones as they realized that their close association was ending. For Tillie, it was a milestone! No one in that audi ence was prouder than she, for Francis had indeed received a high school education.

To her, the possession of a high school diploma was the epitome of success and as her Francis had earned one, she was willing now that he should go out on his own. However, she held firm in trying to attain the same success for the rest of her children and Emil never objected again.

The summer of his graduation (1924) Matty was enticed by the promise of big money in Chicago to go to that city. Swedish friends, Arthur Green and Oscar Gustin, painted such a rosy picture that Matty agreed to go to Chicago with them after one of their visits to their parents' homes in White Cloud. None of them possessed a car at that time, so their mode of transportation to the Windy City was by steamboat across Lake Michigan from Muskegon to Chicago. That first crossing for Matty was a rugged one as a big storm came up. Matty was one of the very few passengers who did not become seasick so he found himself attending to the needs of others. Eventually, the long trip ended and his two friends obtained a room for him with a Mr. and Mrs. William Kintz wh ere they stayed. (In subsequent years, the Kintzes became an influence for the good in the lives of Matty, Evelyn and Herbert.)

His friends were unable to provide a job for him, so he began making the rounds of the personnel offices of many companies. When he was asked, "What can you do?" he replied, "I can do anything." Sorry to say they did not want someone who could do anyth ing - they wanted someone who could do something specific. At last, someone told him what to say and do and he was hired by Chicago Vitreous Enamel Company as a "dipper's helper." This company sprayed, dipped and baked enamel on stoves, refrigerators and other products. Perhaps, it was because of a common Scandanavian background that Matty's employer took a special liking to him and before long had him doing many kinds of work throughout the plant. Matty worked long hours mostly on the night shift, so he was working when the Chicago night-life was in full swing. An occasional weekend dance at one of the very popular dance halls of the time was his only diversion. As a consequence, he saved his money and in two years time had enough to buy a Model T tourin g car and still have $600.00, a goodly sum for those days. He, who had been instilled with the importance of education by his mother, decided to go to college. When his employer heard of this decision, he was very unhappy and thought Matty was ungrateful, because he said he had been grooming him to take charge of bigger things in the company. But Matty had made up his mind and in the fall of 1926 he enrolled at Western Michigan Teachers College (later to become Western Michigan University) in Kalamazoo.

A dapper young man of about

twenty-one years of age

Preceding this, however, he was instrumental in getting his sister Evelyn to Chicago. She graduated from high school in 1925 and almost immediately, Matty took her to Chicago and helped her obtain work at Sears Roebuck and Company. Jobs did not come ea sily, but Matty paid for Evelyn's board and room at Mrs. Kintz's until she became established. Evelyn remained at the Kintzes until her marriage in 1936 and worked at Sears Roebuck for fifteen years.

So, with his Model T car and his $600.00, Matty went to Western Michigan Teachers College in the fall of 1926. There were no dormitories at that time, so, along with Lloyd Fry and Marshall Bird of White Cloud, rooms were rented on Lovell Street just do wn the hill from the main college buildings. In fact, he went to college there when students had to use the "tram" to get up the hill. Six hundred dollars seemed like a lot of money then, but Matty knew he had to use it wisely to make it last as long as p ossible. He took a job washing dishes at the Y.W.C.A. to earn his meals, running back and forth from classes to work and vice versa. The cook at the Y.W.C.A. took a liking to him and often gave him leftover food for him to take home, which he shared with his friends. He also obtained work at the college, like parking cars for athletic events and dances and sometimes selling tickets for these events. Having a car on campus at that time, enhanced his standing with other students, who also helped with the co st of the gasoline.

Matty's love for history of all ages was a detriment to him in college, as he chose too many history classes and not enough of the basics and apparently he had very little counseling. He enjoyed college and did well in his classes, but was not in line for a degree.

After three terms at Western, he went back to Chicago for the summer. He did not go back to Chicago Vitreous Enamel Company, but soon found employment at Edison Electric Company doing the same kind of work. His brother Herbert graduated from high schoo l that year (1927) and was persuaded by his older brother to come to Chicago. Matty paid Herbert's room and board at the Kintzes and also helped Herb to get his teeth fixed before Herb, too, obtained work at Edison Electric Company. The brothers became qu ite adept at spraying the enamel.

Matty still had some money left and one year of college whetted his appetite for more learning, so he returned to Western in the fall of 1927 and attended two more terms before his money was depleted.

In 1928 and 1929, he worked at Edison Electric in the winter and went to White Cloud during the summer months, where he worked at the Nelson and Moore Garage. Shortly after he arrived home in 1929, he became interested in a young rural schoolteacher - Velma Fowler. His brother, Bill, who was graduating that year as salutatorian of the 1929 high school class, especially encouraged this interest. Unfortunately, Bill died quite suddenly of blood poisoning and pneumonia and Matty was devastated. He had suc h high hopes for Bill, who was bright, clever, fun-loving and well-liked and who also had been accepted at Michigan State Agricultural College (later Michigan State University) to pursue a career in surveying.

However, the courtship of Matty and Velma did progress throughout the summer and early fall. As summer work at Nelson and Moore Garage declined, Matty decided he must go back to Chicago to make the big money, but not before he had given a diamond to Ve lma. He left for Chicago and was able to get his old job back, even though that was the fall of the big stock market crash. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder", so it was not long before Matty and Velma decided to get married. Matty came home to get mar ried on Thursday evening, March 13th, they were married Friday evening, March 14th, 1930, Matty went back to Chicago on Sunday and they were both back to work on Monday. No big wedding was held and there was no honeymoon. But they did save money and when Matty came home from Chicago for the summer in early May, they were able to purchase their first house and pay cash for it. That summer Matty worked for the Selin Lumber Company who assisted in remodeling the house as part payment for his services as the purchase of the house took all their cash. While the work on the house was being done, Matty and Velma lived at Diamond Lake in a cottage owned by his half-sister, Ellen.

Matty had not planned to go back to Chicago to work, but the country was in the throes of The Great Depression, the work with Selins was seasonal and absolutely no jobs were to be found around White Cloud. So, he again went to Chicago to work during th e 1930-31 winter. Wages were much lower and overtime was a thing of the past, so not much money was made. That was his last sojourn in Chicago, but even though he never worked there again, it is interesting to note that he had convinced Evelyn, Herbert, O scar and Ellen that Chicago was a good place to be and all of them except Herbert remained there.

There were no steady jobs to be had in White Cloud that summer. Only occasionally, did he get a day's work at the Newaygo County Road Commission and that was at thirty cents per hour. The struggle "was on" to keep "body and soul" together. No task was too menial for Matty. He cut wood, he washed windows and cars for a haircut, he raised a garden, he kept a cow, a pig and chickens, he cut hay with a scythe along the roadways and many other such jobs. The car had to be sold and they were without transpor tation. Meals were quite limited as far as variety was concerned and leaned toward foods containing garden produce, milk and eggs. A lot of macaroni and tomatoes were eaten macaroni was cheap, Matty raised the tomatoes, but it wasn't goulash as goulash ne eds meat and hamburger was ten cents a pound. And they did not have the ten cents.

A son, William Francis was born on February 24, 1932 and another son, Max Edgar was born on February 6, 1933. There were doctor and hospital bills to pay and two babies to feed. The moral support of friends and relatives was appreciated, but other folk s were also in dire straits and "in the same boat." Perseverance paid off and survive The Great Depression, they did!

During this period of time, Matty had much spare time on his hands and because of this became a protege of Harry W. Sawyer, the Newaygo County Democratic Chairman and a politician of national, state and local fame. Matty had first voted in a presidenti al election in 1928 and had cast his vote for Herbert Hoover, a Republican. But after "sitting at the feet" of Mr. Sawyer and listening to his stories and strategies, he became a staunch Democrat and supported the party with time and money throughout the rest of his life. However, in the early Depression Days, Democrats in Newaygo County could almost be counted on the fingers of one's hands. With the election of 1932 and Franklin D. Roosevelt's plans to bring back prosperity, all that was changed. Many ne w agencies were created and Matty was in line for some of these political "plums." Some of these were very important positions and carried much prestige. But the jobs changed constantly as an agency failed, or completed its usefulness and government jobs were usually more prestigious than salary-laden. So, in the next several years, Matty changed jobs often, but gained valuable knowledge and experience and made enough money to keep his family in comfortable circumstances.

As was previously noted, 1930-31-32 and part of 1933 were especially depressed years - both for the country as a whole and for Matty. Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected in November of 1932 and did not take office until January of 1933. It took some time for him to put his programs into action. In the summer of 1933, Matty still had no work, so it was decided that Velma would go back to teaching and Matty would care for Bill and Max and do the housework. Velma's salary that year was only $30.00 per month , but she began teaching in September of 1933. This arrangement lasted for about two months. One day as Matty was bathing Bill and Max, there was a knock upon the door. Matty opened the door and there stood an old friend - a Mr. Moote who had been one of Matty's mother's customers of Matty's childhood days. Mr. Moote said, "Please come quickly to the courthouse. I think I have a job for you." Bill and Max were dried off quickly and Grandma Matson was dispatched to look after them while Matty ran to the co urthouse. There, he met with Mr. Moote, some members of the County Democratic Committee and a Mr. Guy Williams of the United States Employment Services (U.S.E.S.). He was able to meet the qualifications necessary and was hired as branch manager of the U.S .E.S. Velma was under contract, so she continued teaching only until the year was finished, during which time her aunt baby-sat for Bill and Max.

It wasn't long before the U.S.E.S. office in Newaygo County was closed and Matty was out of a job, but now he had "his foot in the door" and was eligible when the Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) needed someone in charge of timekeepers for local pr ojects. This job lasted about a year before most P.W.A. projects in the county were finished. Early in 1935, Matty became a caseworker with the Newaygo County Welfare Department. While he was working here another son - Hugh Rexford - was born. That winter (1935-36), Velma was not well and Matty had all he could do to keep up with his job and the increasing work load at home. At first, Bill and Max were taken to Grandma Fowler's farm to stay and later Hugh and Velma were taken there too. As she did not imp rove, she was taken to the hospital where she underwent surgery for an abscessed kidney. At that time, antibiotics and other medical advances were unheard of, so she was not expected to live. This was a very traumatic time for Matty. Finally, Velma did im prove and was released from the hospital, but it was a long time until the family was reunited and back in their own home again.

As Matty had always lived a frugal life, he felt that the welfare program was too much "give away" and made people dependent upon the government, so it was difficult for him to hand out all the free food, commodities and money which the Welfare Departm ent required and on occasion was asked by his superiors to revise his decisions. Therefore, he was happy when the Michigan State Highway Department opened a branch garage in Newaygo and he could apply for the position of office clerk. He was hired and as Murray D. VanWaggoner was State Highway Commissioner with definite Democratic Party affiliations, Matty engaged in a round of Party activities. This position was definitely a political "plum" which he lost when the boss wanted it for a personal friend, wh o was able to pull harder on the Party "strings."

Once again, Mr. Sawyer came to the rescue. Through him and his good friend Frank Burns (Muskegon County Democratic Party Chairman then) Matty was provided a position with the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) with an office in the Muskegon City Ha ll. He had charge of all timekeepers of recreational projects in Western Michigan from the Indiana border to the Straits of Mackinac. This job entailed a lot of driving from one project to another, as well as office hours on certain days in Muskegon. He w as required to maintain a room in that city, so he was home with Velma and the boys only on week ends except when he could coordinate his project visitations with an evening at home. This was about 1938. Times were getting better and there was less need f or governmental help, so one by one, the W.P.A. recreational projects were closed down. When there finally was no more need for the position, Matty was transferred into the Grand Rapids office where he represented the Health Claims Department, investigati ng injuries and medical claims for the same area.

In 1939, World War II broke out in Europe. The United States was manufacturing and selling war materials to the Allies. On Dec. 7th, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and the United States was drawn into the confl ict. War plants sprang up or were converted from existing factories, and men were drafted into the military service. There was no need for W.P.A. jobs now. The Grand Rapids office was closed out and early in 1942, once more Matty was without work. He was now the father of four children as a daughter, Joelyn Lynn was born on May 18, 1941. He certainly did not want to go into the military service and factory work in the war plants was not appealing. In the early summer of 1942, there was an opening in the W hite Cloud post office for a substitute clerk. The pay was not comparable to that of war plant employees and he was to get only six hours of work per day, but it was work he liked and he accepted the job.

As was said, many people were engaged in the war effort, so schoolteachers were in short supply. As a result, Velma was induced to teach a rural school. School teachers' salaries were low, but working together Matty and Velma were able to "make do." Th eir work hours fitted together in such a way as to give them maximum time with their children although they did hire full time help until Joelyn was in school. The cow and chickens that were kept, the garden that was grown and other means of resourcefulne ss helped then to live comfortably. On occasion, Matty was chided about his salary by his friends in the high paying war industries, but he "stuck it out" and in later years was glad that he did.

It is interesting to note that in 1943, Matty did receive his "greetings" from Uncle Sam to enter the military service. He contacted his Draft Board, informing them that he had four children and would soon reach his thirty-eighth birthday (the cut-off year for draftees at that time). He was told to disregard the notice, as he had too many dependents and was becoming too old.

Three years in the White Cloud Post office brought no promotion, no raise in pay nor more paid hours per day, even though on many days he stayed until the work was done, no matter what time he finished. During that time, he had been involved in all pha ses of work in a small post office. Early in 1945, one of the regular clerks in the Newaygo Post office wanted to take an available rural route, so there would be an opening in the office. The necessary paper work and personal contacts were made and Matty began working in the Newaygo Post office on May 1, 1945. He was now a regular clerk with a full-time salary. At first, he commuted from White Cloud to Newaygo, but on July 13, 1945, the family was moved to the latter city and settled into a house on Bart on Street, which had been bought.

Although the move to Newaygo turned out to be a good one for the whole family, it was not an easy move to make. After all, Matty was born and raised in White Cloud. Velma had spent most of her life in and around there. Bill and Max were in Junior High School, Hugh was a fifth grader and Joelyn was a preschooler. The boys were not anxious to leave their friends. Joelyn was, perhaps, the least affected. It must be said, though, that Newaygo welcomed the Matsons with "open arms" and the family quickly bec ame assimilated into the life of the community. Matty, being a gregarious type of person, became involved in many kinds of activities. He and Velma joined the Congregational Church (as later did all of their children), they became P.T.A. members and Band Booster parents and were active in the many projects of these organizations. As the children became active in school affairs, Matty and Velma seldom missed an extra-curricular event. Their home was always open to visitors and from the time they moved to N ewaygo until the last Matson offspring graduated from college, many young people congregated there, ate there, and slept there.

Matty was a good husband and father. His and Velma's temperaments were quite opposite, but complemented each other, so they were able to work out the problems of running a household and raising a family. As a father, he sometimes appeared quite stern b ut actually disciplining was not something he liked and preferred to leave that task to Velma. He always wanted the best for his children but he also expected a great deal from them. Matty's offspring were taught to work and were expected to take outside jobs as they became old enough or competent enough to handle such jobs. They were also taught to use their money wisely and to save some whenever it was possible. It was said that Matson "kids" had everything, but this, of course, was not true and much pl anning and work went into the acquisition of the priorities they set for themselves. Food, clothing, shelter, and all the extras for a family of six took organization. (Matty insisted that his family dress well - in fact, his boys had to wear dress pants to school when most of their friends wore denims - and they had to press their own pants too, as there was no "wash and wear" in those days.)

Sports were big in the Matson family and besides going to all local and county events, yearly plans usually included a Michigan State University basketball game, a Tiger baseball game and other such events. The family was highly organized from its dail y routine to the arrangement of details for these bigger outings.

As the family grew, expenses became greater and included in these was money to take college courses. Matty never missed a chance to earn or save a little money. He grew a big garden and sometimes sold strawberries and raspberries. Even when in college and at home for a weekend, the boys were often called upon to help get a "jag" of wood, which helped with the heating expenses. Only after the college graduation of Bill in 1954, Max in 1955, Velma in 1956, Hugh in 1957 and Joelyn in 1963 did things begin to get easier. By this time also, the Matson children were all married and Matty and Velma were alone. As no one was too far away, weekly "gatherings of the clan" were not uncommon.

From the beginning of his life in Newaygo, Matty was an active citizen in his "adoptive" hometown. In fact, he was somewhat of a "joiner." He became a member of the Congregational Church, the Parent Teachers Association and the Band Boosters as was pre viously mentioned. Besides these, he was a member of the Oddfellow and Masonic lodges and the Lions Club and was not just a dues-paying member of any of them. He served these groups in several official capacities and became known as quite a fund-raiser. A s an example: He was treasurer of the Congregational Church for many years and helped with yearly fund-raising and was a member of the committee to buy the lots for the new church and parsonage. He also served on the parsonage building committee. The proj ect which he later remembered and of which he was most proud was the building of the lighted Athletic Field. A small group of people organized a non-profit coloration and sold shares to provide the money. He was treasurer of this group and spent hour afte r hour soliciting the help of the townspeople for this project. Of all the people he contacted, there were only two that he was unable to convince that they should contribute. One of these later did, but one never could see the advantages of a lighted Ath letic Field. This was a big undertaking for the small town, but finally the money was raised, twenty-six acres of ground was acquired, lights were installed and in 1949, Matty was happy to see his own boys play on this field. For several years after this, he and his co-workers maintained the field, sold the tickets, etc. Finally, in the early 1960's when a new High School building was needed, the school district bought the acreage and Matty who was still treasurer of the corporation had the pleasure of "p aying off" the many shareholders.

Another interest of Matty's was travel, but because of his earlier responsibilities, he was unable to do a lot of it in his early years. Up until his marriage, he had only gotten away from White Cloud as far as Chicago. It was not until about 1937 that he and Velma were able to leave the boys with Grandad and Grandma Fowler (Velma's parents) and go on a belated honeymoon camping trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. For several years, camping, in both Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas with the f amily was all that could be managed. Memorable camping trips during that time were the ones with Grandad, Grandma, Bill, Hazel and Kay Fowler in 1947 and the one with the George Campbell family about 1946. Another camping trip much talked about was in 194 9 with just Matty, Velma, Hugh, Joelyn and Bob Senecal.

In the summer of 1950, Matty, Velma and Joelyn took a trip to Washington, D.C. and down the Blue Ridge Mountains to Ashville, North Carolina and the boys stayed at home, working at their summer jobs and playing baseball.

In 1951, Joelyn was left with Uncle Bill and Aunt Hazel and Matty and Velma along with Grandad and Grandma Fowler traveled to Yellowstone National Park. They rented cabins - crude forerunners of the modern-day motels and cooked their own meals in the c abins or on a campstove out-of-doors. A twenty-one foot Pacemaker house trailer was bought in 1952, in which Grandad, Grandma, Joelyn, Velma and Matty went all the way to the West Coast which trip included a side trip to Yellowstone. From 1953 to 1975, Ma tty and Velma traveled alone, except on occasion when joined by others who supplied their own cars and/or rigs. From 1951-1975, they traveled West every year except one (1974, when Matty had a total hip implant) and on all those trips except one, they "to uched base" with Yellowstone for a few days - twenty-three times in all. During this time, they crisscrossed the West many times and visited every state West of the Mississippi River. They also had occasions to cross the borders and spent some time in Can ada and Mexico. In 1953 and 1954, they took a tent, but slept in the car in which Matty had made a bed. From 1951 to 1978, there were a series of travel trailers - a total of eight. The kinds and approximate dates were Pacemaker 1952, Trotwood-1955 - 1958 , Holly-1958 - 1962and Barth-1962 - 1965. In the late 1960 and early 1970's, they traveled in style (so it is said) with two Air stream trailers, first acquiring a twenty-two footer and later a twenty nine footer which was sold in 1971 because of retireme nt, the buying of a cottage on Blue Lake and the purchase of a mobile home in Florida. However in 1972, an Ambassador was bought and kept only two years until a larger Fleetwood was purchased in 1975. This was kept until 1977. During the ownership of all these trailers, Matty became known as quite an expert on their care and use and was often sought after for advice. In May of 1978, a twenty-one foot Motorhome was bought and kept until 1982. Matty drove this vehicle very little as he suffered a series of light strokes in 1978. However, this did not prevent his enjoyment of several trips in it. Matty and Velma became charter members of the Grand Valley Travelers and the Happy Wanderers Travel Trailer Clubs of the Midwest and during their Air stream ownersh ip years they joined the Wally Byam group. This also demanded a lot of traveling in Michigan primarily, but they also attended several Air stream International rallies.

The above mentioned traveling was mostly camping within the original forty-eight states. More traveling in the United States began during Christmas vacation of 1957-58 when the first of their treks was made to Florida. From then on until 1972, no year missed a visit to that state either at Christmas or Easter time and in some years two trips were made. Florida was thoroughly explored during that time. Christmas 1959 found them in New Orleans with tickets to the Cotton Bowl game. The 1962 summer trip wa s quite special because it included a stay at the Seattle World's Fair and the Rain Forest of the Olympia National Park. The 1962-63 Christmas vacation with extra time was an exciting Southwestern United States trip which was concluded at San Francisco wi th celebrating New Year's Eve at Trader Vic's and included short junkets into Mexico at Jaurez and Mexicali and a day-long walking tour through Carlsbad Caverns. In 1964, instead of traveling

westward, the New York World's Fair was their main destination. This was without a house trailer, so they stayed in motels. Even though, they had made no advance reservations, luck was with them and they spent a week in the New York City area after whi ch they traveled northward through the New England states and into Canada, camping and staying at motels. On that trip, The Tidal Bore of New Brunswick provided a never-to-be forgotten experience.

Matty had always wanted to go to Alaska and in 1965 plans were finalized for the seven weeks tour to that state. Even though, they owned a house trailer at the time, they decided to camp. The back seat of the car was "gutted," a bed was made and all th e camping equipment including a tent was again put into use. Travel up the Alcan Highway was rugged but satisfying and they were able to travel up to and cross the Arctic Circle by car. At Fairbanks, the car was left at the airport and Matty and Velma fle w on the Wein Alaska Airlines to Nome and Kotzebue for a delightful time in Eskimo country. On the way home, they enjoyed the ferry boat ride down the Inside Passage from Haines City to Prince Rupert. They loved the Alaska trip and immediately made some p lans to go back in 1967. However, before that year rolled around, their son Max had gone to South Korea as principal of Seoul American High School. He painted such "rosy pictures" of the attractions of South Korea that the Alaskan trip was "put on hold" a nd Matty and Velma made other plans - this time a long overseas trip to the Far East. South Korea was captivating and two weeks were spent there. The rest of the two-month's vacation was spent in Japan, The Philippines, Hongkong, a stop in Okinawa and took in Hawaii and San Francisco on the return home. A second overseas trip was taken in 1969 when Matty and Velma joined thirty-three others on a Western Michigan University Alumni tour to Europe. England, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerla nd, Italy, Vatican City, San Marina and France were visited and included all the tourist attractions that could comfortably be included in an eighteen-day tour. In 1973 (after retirement to Florida in the wintertime), a Caribbean Cruise was taken mainly t o the Bahama Islands. No attempt has been made to point out all the sights, sounds and highlights of the above trips, but sufficeth to say, the prophecy about Matty's traveling extensively had come true.

Between 1945 and 1969, Matty was a regular clerk in the Newaygo Post Office and spent his off-duty hours in the many ways as told about above. In the late 1960s, he developed much leg and back trouble. It pained him to walk, so he compensated with a li mp. Much as he had enjoyed his postal work, he decided, in 1969 to retire. (It is remembered that even at his retirement party, he was in much pain.) But energy such as he had always had was not to be held down, so with his new leisure time, frequent doct or visits and medication, he led a very active life. Velma was still working and Matty became a great help to her doing most of the housework, the errands and many other things. He was still much interested in traveling so it was not unusual to see him wa iting at the school for her on Friday afternoon with the trailer in tow, ready to take off for the weekend. So, in effect, from 1969 to 1972, Matty was a "househusband" long before that term was commonly used.

On one of their many vacation trips to Florida, Matty and Velma found a place there where they thought they would like to retire. After much serious thought and consideration, a 12' x 60' mobile home was bought and located in Windmill Village Mobil" Ho me Park in Punta Gorda, Florida. This was in early January of 1971.

In his early retirement, Matty became obsessed with the idea of owning lake or water property. Long searches were made for a home on a nearby lake or river. In October of 1971, such a place was found on Blue Lake near Brohman and was purchased. This ma de them three pieces of property and Velma was still working, so they could not make good use of all of them. But, not for long Velma retired at the end of the 1971-72 school year and the Newaygo home was sold in May before school was out for the summer.< /P>

Then began four years of living at the lake in the summer and in Florida in the winter. Matty threw himself into this new way of living with his old zest for life, even though he did not always feel well.

The Florida property had an excellent location - on a little man-made lake with direct access to the Gulf of Mexico. It was also only three doors from the recreation hall, the swimming pool and the shuffleboard courts. Matty had a dock built and bought a boat. He bicycled every day, spending much time visiting along the way, so that he became acquainted with everyone. The park was new and was in the process of organizing its recreational activities. He became a part of all this, especially loving the d ances, the dinners and the parties and working on the committees that planned and executed the same. He enjoyed company, so he and Velma did a lot of entertaining. In later years, when his health was failing, the Park filled up, making many more hands to do the committee work, which a few had done at first, so he gradually slowed down his activities. However, he still did not want to miss a dance, a dinner or a party. He would try to dance, even if it was only once around the hall with much support from V elma. He continued to ride the bicycle and visit along the way until his doctor told him to stay off the bicycle.

During the first couple of summers at Blue Lake, he was just as active. The property consisted of a very comfortable, cute and well-arranged year round cottage and a two and one-half stall garage, set upon about three acres of ground. The biggest share of the area was mowed - with push mowers. The close-cropped lawn and the many trees made a beautiful panoramic scene as one overlooked the lake from the front of the cottage. The dock, two rowboats, a paddleboat, nearby woods, wildlife, etc., made the pl ace an ideal recreation site. Lots of company came for a couple of summers. Then, as the newness wore off and company began to dwindle, Matty and Velma found themselves driving back to Newaygo more and more for diversion. He finally said that he was not e njoying the place - it was too isolated. It was put up for sale and a search was begun in Newaygo for a house. The cottage did not sell quickly, nor was a house in Newaygo found soon, but the desired Newaygo house was found first. It was in the fall of 19 75 just before Matty and Velma were ready to go to Florida. It was bought and again the Matsons owned three pieces of property. Upon arriving home from Florida in the spring of 1976, they moved to Newaygo within a month, although the cottage still had no t sold. A day or two each week was spent at the cottage, mowing the huge lawn and keeping the place in good order until it finally sold, later in the summer.

Matty and Velma resumed activities in Newaygo, although at a limited pace because by this time Matty's health which had been failing since his retirement in 1969 was getting worse. Throughout his life, he had more than his share of serious illnesses an d surgeries. Mentioned earlier was his kidney ailment diagnosed as Bright's Disease about 1920. In 1938 he had an appendectomy, in 1957 removal of polyps from the colon (which was checked annually for many years), in 1967 a bout with kidney stones, but no surgery. As was mentioned, he was suffering with back and leg problems at the time of his retirement in 1969. He always had been a nervous and high-strung person, but by this time he was much more nervous and could get upset over even minor things. At th e time of his retirement, he had nine grandchildren, as well as his four children and their spouses. One of his joys was to have the whole family together often, but now he could take only "so much" and after that he usually secreted himself in his Airstr eam trailer. In 1974, he had a total hip implant by the world-renowned bone surgeon, Dr. Alfred Swanson, which relieved him from the back and leg pain. He recovered nicely and was able to make one last trip to Yellowstone National Park in September of 197 5. However, his illnesses were not over. In 1976, his general condition worsened and after many doctors and specialists had seen him and subjected him to ear exams, tests, C.A.T. Scans, myelograms, etc., it was discovered that he had a spur on the backbon e which was pressing on his spinal cord, for which he again underwent surgery. In 1977, he again had kidney stones, but passed them and there was no surgery. Early in 1978, he suffered a series of light strokes or transient ischomic attacks (T.I.A.s). He recuperated well from these and was left with no paralysis. In 1979, there was surgery for a double hernia. Another bout with kidney stones was suffered in 1980. One side of the double hernia surgery of 1979 had not held and in 1981, he had another single hernia operation. The 1982 check-up for polyps revealed that he needed prostate surgery, which was done. In 1983, three-fourths of his stomach was removed because of a malignancy. In 1986, his testicles were removed because of a malignancy of the prostat e gland.

Naturally, with all these illnesses and surgeries, his general health was not good and he was slowly giving up some of the activities he loved so well. But he refused to give up entirely and clung to some of them. After his ministrokes in 1978, he did not drive a car. But at that time, he so very much wanted a Mini-Motor Home that one was bought and Velma did the driving. Several trips to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and many shorter weekend trips were made before selling it in 1982. He continued on e of his other hobbies gardening - with Velma's help until 1985. They continued to go to Florida in the wintertime with Velma doing the driving until the fall of 1986. At that time, his doctor thought it unwise for Matty to make the trip. Each surgery and each illness had taken its toll upon him both physically and mentally, so he was too tired, too weak and too confused to cope with such a trip, either by automobile or by airplane. As much as he enjoyed Florida, he accepted this very well, thinking he co uld do many things and go the places he wanted to go.

Instead of this he slept fourteen to sixteen hours a day and spent most of the rest of his time reminiscing and listening to music.

Throughout his life he maintained his love for music and dancing, a love which was imparted to him by his mother. As a small boy, he just listened. When he was in High School, older fellows with cars took him to dances. An older girl, Marceil Schurger, took him under her wing and taught him to dance. His first purchase of furniture was a nice console radio - a beautiful piece of furniture, but bought so he could listen to music even before he was married. About the only recreation in which he indulged while working in Chicago was dancing. He and Velma went to dances during their courtship and after marriage and children, the "big treat of the week" was the Saturday night dance. It was during the Big Depression and it was not always possible to go becau se of a lack of money, but they always tried to save a dollar for the dance - fifty cents for the ticket and fifty cents for the baby sitter. As soon as they were old enough, he insisted that each one of his children take at least one year of piano lesson s. A piano in the home was a "must" not only for lessons, but for the family "hymn sings" on many an evening. He encouraged his children to take up other instruments and the two older boys did play in the High School band. He always thought Velma was capa ble of playing a musical instrument and even after retirement insisted on buying her a Melodica and later an electric organ. During the 1940's 50s and 60s, dances were not popular in Newaygo County, but Matty and Velma were usually there, if one was held. After retirement and the Florida winter sojourns, they were into dancing again. Even after his total hip implant of 1974, Matty danced and continued to do so, as long as his health permitted. Later, he enjoyed his music on records, tapes, the radio and t elevision.

Perhaps, it was a throwback to his childhood days - the time when he only had one small train as a toy - but possessions always meant a lot to him. He wanted things he could call his own, not only material things, but humans as well. With him, it was m y wife, my sons, my daughter, my grandchildren, my relatives and my friends. As to material things, he bought the best he could afford and then took good care of them. He married during the Great Depression, so possessions did not come easily, but he plan ned wisely for my home, my car, etc. As soon as he could, he traded for a new car every two years and kept it in excellent condition. When one of his sons was in the second grade and the class was discussing hobbies, he said, "My Dad's hobby is washing hi s car." There was always a waiting list for his second-hand cars. The same intensive care was given to his boats, his house trailers, his motor home and other material possessions he acquired over the years. He also lived vicariously through the accomplis hments of his family, feeling that his sons' athletic prowess, his wife's and children's good grades, college degrees, recognitions, etc. were really an extension of him.

If raising a family of four children did not leave much for wants after needs were taken care of, neither did it leave much for savings. However, Matty was never averse to taking on an additional job, or doing something to save money. Early in his post office days, he began for himself a payroll savings plan, having money deducted from his salary for savings bonds. Thus, began the nucleus of a "nest egg" which grew slowly at first, but faster as the children grew up, graduated from college and were on t heir own. A period of "dabbling" in the stock market helped the cause, but he was never a good gambler and soon gave up that. However, the savings continued to grow.

There were events in his life of which he was extremely proud. One such event was his and Velma's fiftieth wedding anniversary. He was so gratified to have his children, grandchildren, relatives and friends there and found it hard to believe that the t wo hundred fifty nine persons who signed the guest book that day had come to pay their respects to him and Velma. And greetings were received from many more who were unable to come.

If heroes, angels and beauty are in the eyes and mind of the beholder, Matty has many times been a hero, an angel and a beautiful person. But there were times when he was none of these because of the "Mood Swings" to which he was subjected all his life . He lived a life of contradictions - was either "way up to the top of things" or "way down in the dumps" - there was no "in-between" with Matty. Sometimes, the pendulum from one extreme to the other swung slowly, at other times it could swing very fast. He was forever grateful to those who had been kind to him and yet he never forgot the bad things he thought people did. He was thrifty to the point of being stingy, but could be generous to a fault. He was a "workaholic" (work came first) yet when the rig ht time presented itself, he could play just as hard. He forgave much, but also held grudges. In some ways, he was very fastidious, in others quite crude. He was usually defensive, but could sometimes capitulate easily. Although he respected the rights of women, he was in some ways Chauvinistic. At times he imposed his will upon others, but often sought out guidance. He had a good sense of humor and could be very funny, but did not tolerate well the rights of others to be so. His was truly a Dr. Jekyll - Mr. Hyde personality.

Thus ends the story of the washerwoman's son and of the little woman who tried to make the fortuneteller's prophecy come true. Remember the prophecy was that her oldest son would be a great violin player, that he would travel extensively and that he wo uld become rich? Francis never did become a great violin player, but he did travel extensively. Did he become rich? One might ask "Rich, as compared to what?" or "Rich, by whose standards?" Certainly be became rich as compared to his childhood days and he became very rich by his mother's standards. In his own mind, richness was subject to many things besides money. In his eighty-first year, he was watching a television program about the American Dream. He was asked, "What does the American Dream me an to you}' He replied, "Just what I already have - a good wife, a nice home and all the other blessings that God has bestowed upon me." Rich? - a moot question, but successful - Yes! He made a good living for himself and family, saved enough to retire in comfort and instilled his mother's desire for an education into his own four children. His greatest regret as he grew older, was that his mother had not lived long enough to see his progress and that of her grandchildren. But as he often said, "She knows ."