MY BROTHER RALPH

My brother Ralph was 6 years older than I was. He was the best big brother. He was a good babysitter because he taught me to drive a car and to shoot a gun (just a rifle).He liked to do mechanical and experimental types of things. He never had any interest in hunting but he did like practicing with the rifle (not really a lethal weapon depending on how it is used and aimed). At a time when radios were just beginning to come in he was building them. He had the big bedroom upstairs on Chester Street which was actually the enire L to the house and it had a huge closet in it and then outside his door there was another huge storage closet. He must have had 5 million Scientific American magazines and any other scientific or making things types of magazines. He had a lot of friends who would come over and they would go upstairs to his room to build things. I think my parents were very free about letting him have friends over and to do things.

Ralph wanted to go to the military academy. He got a recommendation from a senator but he did not pass the necessary examination. He went to a military prep school (something on the Hudson) and then went to UNH. He and Ruth were in college at the same time.

I remeber that he always had an automobile and even had a job chauferring Mrs. Barnett. He would take her anywhere she wanted. She was a Christian Scientist and he would drive her down to Boston to church. He would do that on Sunday so he had an excuse not to go to church. He was in a way required to be at my mother's beck and call to drive her around. Ralph taught me to drive and a bicycle. To teach me to ride a bicycle he took me to the top of a hill and put me on a bike and pushed me down the hill. I rode a bicycle very well after that.

Sometimes we thought that my father was pretty tough on Ralph. And he would bawl him out if he didn't do what he was supposed to.