The following was written by my late wife Elaine. She wrote a long book, a diary really, from which this is one passage:
A Brand-new Career at Age 50
My six years of piano teaching in the studio were busy and fun; I believe I met half the people of Union while I taught there. But piano teaching isn’t lucrative, and income is zero during bad weather or sickness (mine or the student’s).
The building was an excellent investment, and we all enjoyed its fringe benefits like meeting friends there, etc. I jumped on an opportunity when Lottie W., a friend, came into the studio one day and told me she would be retiring in June from her Monroe County Homebound Teacher job, and suggested I consider applying for the job which would be open in the fall. It required a general certification in Education, which I already had, but I would need to take six more courses to qualify for Special Education certification, one course per semester, commuting one evening a week to Beckley, West Virginia.
People are often hired on the written promise that they will fulfill all requirements after they’re hired, and that’s what I decided to do. And I did drive back and forth to Beckley for a lot of the classes, but was lucky that about half the required courses were taught much closer to home.
I went to the Monroe County Superintendent of Schools (we already knew each other) and told him I was interested in the job. A younger person I knew, who came here during the hippy influx, also applied for the job. Since I was 50, and assumed that any superintendent would be more interested in a younger person for this job, I told him I could get a four wheel-drive truck so that I’d always be able to go out, in any weather, whenever schools were open.
Meanwhile, a teacher’s union representative recommended me to Mr. Via, and at the same time, Dave put in a word for me with all the school board people he knew, including his veterinarian, and told them that he was always at home and could help me out anytime with fixing flat tires or other emergencies.
It all turned out that I was offered the job, and I accepted; Lottie retired in June, and my first day on the job was the first day of school in September.
My vehicle for traveling was a jazzy little Nissan pickup truck, mostly tan, with a large “44” painted on each side, and stripes. Lately, 2001, I’ve been seeing an identical truck in the neighborhood, which I think is the very same truck I drove then. Sometime I’m going to stop and see who owns it and tell them that’s my truck. Ha.
To be continued…
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About the Author: RD Blakeslee is a nonagenarian in West Virginia who built his net worth by only investing in that which can be enjoyed during acquisition and throughout life, as opposed to papers in a drawer, like stocks and bonds. You can read more about him here.
Photos: Courtesy of the Blakeslee Family
Grandfather did, indeed, “rescue” Grandmother several times when mishaps occurred during her visits into the hinterlands of the county.