1964-1976
It was here that I "grew up" and in this house I have my fondest memories. Of all the places I've lived this is probably
my favorite. The house itself has evolved a great deal. It was white, with the stone facing extending up to the bottom of
the bedroom windows and across the house. "It looks like a pair of bib overalls," my Uncle Ray said when he came to give a
bid for aluminum siding. All but the stone facing in the porch was removed and avocado green aluminum siding (and black shutters)
was installed. Since we've moved away, recent owners have changed the siding to gray, and put a massive wooden deck in the
back yard. (It looked nicer when we owned it! <wink>)
I could fill volumes with memories of this place, so I'll try to be as selective as possible!
Television Memories: Our first color TV. Favorite TV shows growing up: COMBAT!; Dragnet;
Mission Impossible; Get Smart; Man from U.N.C.L.E; Batman; Star Trek; Sonny & Cher; Laugh-In. (The latter two probably
as much because of hormones as for entertainment! haha) After school it was Bob Shreve, and old Bowery Boys movies.
Mr. Wilson: Our somewhat friendly "ghost." There were strange things which happened in
this house, which we attributed to Mr. Wilson (a former owner of the house who supposed died there.) Music playing but no
radio or TV on. Things disappearing then reappearing after we searched frantically for them. Strange noises (probably from
the pipes) in my closet. Strange shiny spots that seemed to move from night to night on the ceiling. But the most terrifying
of all was the loud footsteps one night, which seemed to come from the porch roof in front of my mom's bedroom. I lost my
climbing tree over that. But the police arrived in matter of minutes, and then the noise stopped. but no evidence could be
found of any person.
Best Friends: Debbie Roeder & Billy Hitchcock (both of whom lived on Moss) were
my best friends during my late childhood/early teen years. until with both I had a falling out. Though we would reconcile,
we never regained that same spark of friendship we had before. Steve Buschhaus became my life-long best friend through Scouts
during this time.
Greatest Grief: It was in 1966, just two years after we moved into the house that my step-father,
Dick Berling died of a massive heart-attack. Though Mom would marry again, Dick is the one I look to as my Dad. He had
but three years in my life, yet his influence has lasted a lifetime.
Education: While living in this house I graduated from Deer Park High School, and
entered college at Oral Roberts University. Originally I had planned to attend the University of Utah to pursue a career in
pharmacy, but switched to ORU when I felt the call into ministry.
Antics: Let's see: how about the 3 foot deep hole I dug in the backyard thinking I could eventually
reach China? (Didn't take long to grow bored with that endeavor!)
Or jumping off the roof of the garage?
Or chopping down the mulberry tree and just barely missing the neighbor's garage when it fell. (Honestly, I was very
well-intentioned, wanting to help out my Mom who was intending to take the tree down anyway. Somehow my Mom and the neighbor
weren't so convinced of my good intentions.)
Or the night Billy and I got drunk while sleeping out in the backyard? He had a friend who had a friend who got us a
5th of Whiskey. It was a lot of fun... until the next morning.
Or my friend Paul Koch and I feeding Patty half a bag of Halloween candy? She really loved it! And Paul and
I had her doing all kinds of neat tricks. Then she got sick on the carpet. Here. And there. And over there. And in that spot.
And here again. And there again. And that night Mom had a group of ladies coming over to the house. And she had just had the
carpets cleaned a few days before.
Or climbing the old pine tree that stood at the corner of our front porch? I loved climbing that tree to the very top
where I could feel it swaying in the wind. The view was wonderful from up there! But thanks to Mr. Wilson the tree came down
one day. But I still feel the thrill of those climbs.
I better stop. I'm getting carried away with recollections. But I think you get the idea of why this was my favorite
home. We lived here until after my Junior year of college. I'd been living in Tulsa most of the year for 3 years. But
during my Junior year, Mom and step-father Art Schille, built a new home on the western side of Cincinnati. So when I
came home in 1976 for the summer it was to a new house.
