I stepped off the bus in August 1957 to start a new life in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Looking up the street I noticed signs of Bars and Hock Shops. Glancing in the opposite direction I noted establishments of the same order. I walked into the Bus Station to wait for my ride out to Geiger Trailer Park.
I had brought with me my typewriter, some household goods including a new set of Wearever Cookware, towels and dishes, and a good amount of hope. Although I had expected the town to be more spectacular, where I could continue working as a writer in a local TV station, I decided to hold off on passing harsh judgment until later. Little did I know there were no local TV stations in Jacksonville, North Carolina and my typewriter would be used for poetry instead of continuity copy.
Sgt. Furgason arrived with a friend who owned a car. After loading my boxes and luggage, the three of us proceeded out the Highway which led to the New River Air Facility where Sgt. Furgason’s MACS-7 Outfit was stationed.
The Mobile Home Park was made up of Silverstream Trailers clustered around wash houses with a Community Center as a central meeting area and Post Office. The Trailers were either the eight-foot wide by nineteen feet long versions or a larger one with bunk beds.
Our home for the next four years was the model that measured eight feet by nineteen feet long. The bathroom measured six feet long by five feet wide.
After D.J. was born, he slept in a bassinet at the foot of the bed in the rear of the mobile home. After he grew out of it he slept on the sofa in the front room. By turning up the fold-out couch and facing it against the wall, it made a bed to keep a toddler safe and controlled. A small gas heater stood just inside the front door across from which was the frig and sink. A small table and two chairs were on the other side of the door toward the front of the home.
Sgt. Furgason received orders to go on a Med Cruise before D.J. was born so I busied myself making baby clothes. A neighbor told me about a store near the bus station. Walking half a mile out to the highway, I caught a Trailways Bus heading for the downtown Station and then found the one Department Store in downtown Jacksonville that carried material.
I bought enough flannel material to make gowns by hand in pastel yellow and green. I brought home enough white Batiste to sew a Baptismal Gown and Slip adding lace and white ribbon.
In between making small gowns, I went for Doctor’s visits to the Camp LeJeune Naval Hospital by taking that Trailways Bus into town and transferring to a Base Bus at the Jacksonville Station. Having been a high school bus person for years in Louisville, Kentucky, using a Bus was quite manageable even if it did take all day for the trip.
During those sewing days along came Father Wellein knocking on my front door. I had listed “artist” on the parish ledger, Father Wellein took one look at me, being almost nine months with child, and said, “I don’t think you can do what I need.” Father Wellein left that day but he would return to my life four children later at Holy Spirit Parish. We would be living out Piney Green Road on Daly Street but those were far enough in my future that I need not worry about facing so I closed the door just relieved that day to be sewing baby gowns and not painting a highway billboard.
The tiny bathroom turned out to be my smallest art studio. I worked there at night as neither the bedroom or front room could be used after the Furgason fellows were fast asleep. The pastel head of Jesus was the first work I created as Christmas gifts for relatives. The second-year was a head of Mary. The third and fourth years were black and white silhouettes of a Nativity and Shephard’s scene. I used enamel on oilcloth because there were no art supply stores in Jacksonvile.
When the Geiger Community Center held an art and crafts contest, I entered two categories and came home with Best In Show and First Place Ribbons along with cash awards for each division. Matching black suits that I had sewn for myself, the head of the household, and young D.J. caught the judges’ eyes along with a set of small Nativity figures that I had sculpted.
I made the suits so we would have something nice to wear when we went up to Louisville for Christmas leave.
The Nativity set was sculpted because the Geiger Base Chapel did not have a set and I felt very bad about a Church without s Nativity set for Christmas. In my world, a Nativity set was necessary. There might not be room in a Bethlehem Inn but in my mind, that Chapel needed a Baby Jesus and Baby Jesus needed a crib.
Jacksonville, North Carolina in those days was not known for having a Crafts Store so the only materials for my endeavor turned out to be Playdough from the PX toy section. I considered myself lucky to have that available and began shaping round toothpicks for my set of tools. A few kitchen items were enlisted to fill my collection of miniature sculpting products.
After Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, two shepherds and two sheep were sculpted and painted, I affixed them to a panel and turned my sights on duplicating the project for our little home.
It was good practice and I enjoyed knowing I could sculpt whatever I wanted.I would have better tools and materials later in life but those early days taught me that I could do many things with simple items like toothpicks and kitchen products.I suppose that is when I began to scrutinize what was destined for a garbage can and place that something instead in a storage bin for “later use”. Works for me!