I found myself reminiscing about Thanksgivings past when I ate Tacos in Dallas while working as the Scenic Designer on A Christmas Carol at the Dallas Theater Center, or the year in Dallas we had one of those crazy sleet storms where the roads turn into a sheet of ice. I drafted a many of Nutcrackers for Zack Brown on 7th Avenue in Park Slope Brooklyn. Oh and how can I forget the HUGE production at Madison Square Garden, A Christmas Carol, the Musical where I worked with the top talent of Associates and Assistants in New York at the time. Tony Walton sat next to me on the right and on my left was a surround for an I-Beam inside that moaned and groaned as the wind moved the building during storms or windy days. YIKES! It seems that these shows kept us oh so busy when the Broadway Assisting jobs ended and we needed to make it through to the next season when Broadway awakened for the Spring Season.
But the one Thanksgiving I kept thinking of was my freshman year of college, 1975. The weekend before the Tuesday night when the heavens dumped tons of snow when we were sleeping, created a bit of a travel challenge for Joe (my Brother), Mike Mallory and Jackie. If you live in Missouri you got to understand that if you have this really unprecedented unseasonal weather you are gonna pay for it very soon. That weekend was like Early Fall late Spring Temperatures in Springfield, Missouri. It was crazy! I was wearing T-Shirts most of the day. If I had shorts I would have put them on.
But little did we know that around the corner was this huge storm building in the southwest and it was about to unload. Now I did not watch the weather or really pay attention; too busy studying, trying to catch up after being in our first Fall Production, The Skin of Our Teeth. I believe that I had a big test in Music Appreciation that Ken Kallmeyer, my roommate at the time (pre Dave), and I focused on studying for the exam. I am sure I was trying to make up ground in my "Freshman Cruddies" Classes (we studied Western Civilization through Literature and History, throw in a bit of Philosophy Voila!). I had about 15 credit hours that semester along with a big dose of working in the Scenic Shop. Needless to say I was very not aware of any harsh weather coming and nor was Joe or Mike. WE planned to leave for Independence Missouri after the last class on Thursday and drive the 3 hours home up Missouri Highway 13 to 50 West, to 291 North, then Highway 40 to our neighborhood turnoff next to Funhouse Pizza. EASY PEAZY! NOT!!!
The Funny thing is the campus started to get less and less populated with the usual weekenders going home. BUT, they never came back on Monday for classes. Then on Monday we noticed that the Dining Hall was lacking students for dinner and the parking lots had emptied again. WE never thought anything about it. WE had a full schedule of classes and by gosh WE were students and WE were going to be in attendance. I think really to make up for AWL the time we missed while working on the production. Normally the 8 and 9 o'clock classes were going to take a hit--time to catch some Z's professor. Dave and I used to joke about meeting at Breakfast AWL the time, but hardly ever made it. When we did make it maybe a dozen times in AWL those years, we would sit there and talk about the Girls who came in and discuss if she would go out with us. In most chances, as they say in Brooklyn, Fuhgeddaboudit!
Tuesday Morning the campus was a ghost town and we still had no idea what was going on--DUH, rocket scientists in the making. WE go to bed that night only to wake up to about 18--21" of snow on the ground and a good base of ice under that snow blanket. Classes were either cancelled or it was just not an option and it was still snowing. Panic set in and Joe who was the mastermind of this Holiday Vacation getaway was getting nervous. There was no way his car was going to make it to Independence with the U.S. Baldie Tires he had on his 1962 Chevy Impala. So I believe we drove in Mike's car, and of course we would chip in for gas, if a station was open on the way. I think that was what we did, I cannot imagine driving Joe's car, but we have done dumber things. "Sir what would you like to drive today? '62 Impala on Ice or a vehicle with tread? I will take the tread any day and it is a Michigan licensed car born to drive on snow, so that makes it better--oh with Bicentennial Plates--HuzzaH!
What was a 3 hour drive turned into a 5-6 hour Batan March to get home. The roads were so not plowed in spots and if they were they exposed the ice. WE were lucky to go faster than 40 miles an hour if you were feeling lucky and had experience driving Sprint Cars on Dirt in the turns. Just sliding AWL over the place. PLUS, you had to watch out for the other knuckleheads on the road who thought they were Road Warriors. I believe who ever drove, it was like Mad Max, hell bent on getting from point A to point B. WE called my Parents to let them know where WE were; BTW NO mobile phones Bro, it was a phone booth at a gas station and it cost I think 25¢ plus your reversed the charges so you didn't get charged on your end. If your Parents did not accept the call then, well you are out of luck. Of course Joe and I had code words to say to the operator to let my parents know to call us back if they knew the number of the phone booth, like BreechTheater and our residence hall floor phone booth. Many a time I have worked in Breech Theater as a Student and later Instructor and the phone rang and rang in the lobby and I would go answer it and it was my DAD. That is if I could hear it ringing over the very loud music I would play in the Theater while working.
The snow stopped falling and the sun came out partially when we got to Warrensburg. it was a welcome sight, so we knew we were about 50-60 minutes (normal minutes) from home. The roads were a bit better, but you still had to be cautious. We finally pulled up to the house on Pleasant Avenue South, got out and why I knocked on the door or rang the bell I don't know. maybe I thought I did not live there anymore, but that is what I did. Mom and Dad greeted us and Mom said to me first thing--"Are you glad to be home?" And I said, "I am God Damn glad to be home!" She looked at Dad and then me and I thought, oh no I am in BIG trouble. She said, "Well I can see that you are learning something in college." Very shaded with her "typical tough love" and full of sarcasm. But I was GLAD TO BE Home. It was a fun weekend and by the time Saturday rolled around the snow and roads had almost cleared and on Sunday WE would make the Trek back down to Southwest Missouri to the Queen City of the Ozarks.
Thank you Mom and Dad for AWL those GREAT Holidays with Family and Tradition.
Oh, and sorry we AWL ate you out of house and home that weekend--starving students.
