ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL NEW ARRIVAL

As it always has, fortunately winter was followed by spring and summer. Spring in Connecticut is a wonderful time. Trees are showing new growth and flowers are peeking out of the ground, almost like saying "is it safe to come out and bloom", and when they do, it's a riot of color and aroma.

Hartford was a nice city. Our District Sales office was located there in the Bond Hotel. Our District Manager, Holt Shipman, reported to the Boston regional office. We usually had one or two meetings a year in Boston. I was enjoying working at Bradley Field Airport, and Hip Lloyd was certainly a good boss to work for, but I couldn't see myself as a ticket or operations' agent for the rest of my life. For now, it was fine, and with a new baby on the way, I was looking forward to staying put for some time. Eastern was growing and we were adding extra flights. It was a busy time… And time was flying.

It was on September 1^st. 1954, that we had our new arrival when Helen brought forth a second beautiful baby girl, Karen Ann Kitchener. We now had Kathy and Karen. I was amazed that both girls were always so content. They rarely cried or were sick; they were just the best babies anyone could have. Karen was blue eyed and very blond like her mother, she was not quite as big as Kathy was, and it was apparent that she was going to be a tall young lady. Kathy was almost two years old and took great interest in Karen. She was happy to have a baby sister and was looking forward to play with her when they got older. Kathy even at that age was a very caring child.

It was at that time that District Manager Holt Shipman asked me to come down to his office in Hartford for a meeting. Holt told me that they were going to expand the District Office and were planning to add an Outside Sales Representative. Holt wanted to know if I would be interested in applying for the position. The job would entail calling on all the travel agents in the district and all the major commercial establishments in an effort to get them to use Eastern Airlines when they travelled. Holt told me that he had already spoken to Hip Lloyd and Hip was in accord with offering me the interview.

I had had a little bit of experience in outside sales while in Miami. I spent a few days with the outside representatives calling on agents and hotel concierges. The airlines didn't have many outside sales people in those days. The only one that I knew in Connecticut was a man worked for United Air Lines. In any event, I was ready to learn more and told Holt that I would welcome the opportunity to interview for the job.

A few weeks later Al Terrell, the Regional Manager from Boston came down to Hartford to interview me. I had met Al in Boston during our regional meetings.I believe it made the interview a little easier. I spent about an hour or so talking with Al and answering his questions. It helped that I had the Management Training experience in Miami, as well as having worked in all the different departments. I will always remember the ending of the interview when Al said: "Ray, you've got the job. Congratulations" As I got up to leave, Al said: Let me get your hat. I said thank you, but I didn't have one. I was told that when I left the office I was to buy a hat and never go out without it. (I don't think many people wear a hat today. Jack Kennedy changed the style when he went hatless.). In any event I bought a hat and became a District Sales Representative, working out of the Hartford office. Hip Lloyd offered his congratulations and told me that he would always be available for assistance if needed. In Many ways, the Connecticut Eastern Air Line employees were very much a family.

It was about that time that Helen told me the good news that Kathy and Karen were going to get a new baby sister or brother.

 

Hartford, Connecticut

Eastern Air Lines served two cities in Connecticut, New Haven and Hartford. The Hartford's airport was Bradley Field, located at Windsor Locks, which was midway between Hartford and Springfield, Massachusetts. Several other airlines also served Bradley Field. Eastern's Airport Manager was Hip Lloyd. During my interview with him I found that he needed someone who could handle flight operations as well as the ticket counter and the reservation office. I had considerable experience in all these functions and could fill the post very well. We set an approximate date for my transfer and I was on my way back to Miami to give Helen the good news. The "approximate" date was due to the fact that I had to sell the house in Miami, plus the fact that I would stay in Miami until the busy season was over. Mr. Lloyd was happy to be getting someone with so much experience and he was alright with the wait.

Helen seemed happy that we were going to be in Connecticut. Her family's home was in Little Falls, New York, which was about a day's drive from Hartford. She had graduated from the State Teachers College in Syracuse and still had a sister in the area. In the mean time I had to sell the house in Miami. I also had to sell the convertible we had purchased, and get a more suitable car for the north. My mother came for a visit and so did my Dad, fortunately not at the same time. It was a hectic time, especially with a new baby. Fortunately, again, Kathy was an easy baby to care for. She was always happy and loved to be held and played with.

The house sold and we had to rent a place for a couple of months. I wasn't so lucky with the car, so I decided to just keep it and trade it in once we were up North. We didn't have a large amount furniture and belongings, therefore I decided to rent a "U-haul" I had a trailer hitch installed and we were just about ready to roll.

Transfer date arrived. Thanks to some Eastern "Sky Caps" who helped me load the furniture in the trailer and we were on our way. I picked the most direct route without thinking about the trailer I was towing. The most direct route took us through the Appalachian Mountains. Going up the mountains was pretty slow going, the trailer was very heavy. Unfortunately, what goes up must come down, and it was much faster than I wanted to go. The trailer was swaying and I was praying, by the time we reached the bottom, I had burned out the brakes, and Helen, holding Kathy was not a happy camper with my route choice. Neither was I. We found a hotel and stayed overnight while they put in new brake pads. It was two days later when my wife started speaking to me again.

The plan was to drive to Fairfield, New York, which is just outside Little Falls, where Helen and Kathy would stay with Helen's father and mother. I would leave the trailer there, drive to Windsor Locks, find a place to live, and then bring Helen and Kathy to their new home. Sounded good, but things don't always work that smoothly. When I got to Bradley Field, Hip Lloyd wanted me to start work immediately. I found a room that I could rent near the airport and started work the very next day.

It was great to be back at work; however, I just could not find a suitable rental house or apartment. I found an area of new homes that were being built very close to the airport. After consultation with Helen, I decided that the best thing to do was buy one of the newly built homes. I was pretty sure that I would be stationed in Connecticut for a long time to come. We purchased a home on Darien Drive, in Windsor Locks. Over my weekend days off, I drove up to Fairfield and picked up Helen, Kathy, and the furniture and we drove to the new house. At last the family could settle in.

Connecticut is a very nice state, especially the Northern part. From where we lived it was only about a 30 minute drive to either South, to Hartford or North, to Springfield. We arrived in the late spring and it was nice not to have to endure the summer heat of south Florida. When not at work, I was working around the house. I seeded the new lawn, built a rail fence around the property, and did all the chores of a new home owner. Kathy was growing very fast and the summer was going fast too. We celebrated Punky's first birthday on November 11, 1953. It was shortly after the New Year, that I received the good news that Kathy was going to have a new brother or sister.

Winter had arrived and so did the snow. Winter flight operations work was alright in the office, but standing out in the snow directing aircraft to the loading area or climbing up on a special scaffold to spray glycol on the wings and tail so ice wouldn't form, were jobs that the operations staff often tossed a coin to see who got that nasty winter task.

This was also the first time that I had to shovel snow from the drive way. Now I knew why all those people came to Florida in the winter. I kind of missed those whispering palms.