It was the Cold War revving up to new heights in Centralville, USA, and elsewhere
on the planet. The Soviets had exploded their first H-Bomb in 1955, just a few
years after their successful 1949 tests of the A-Bomb. Some people in the West
including Washington, D.C. were worried.
SAC, the Strategic Air Command, was on constant alert on a 24/7 basis including
Christmas and New Year’s Day, flying their B-36 and new B-52 bombers in the
skies above our shores, in Europe and near the Soviet Union’s borders as a
constant reminder that a fiery, nuclear hell might just be around the corner.
Civil Defense radio and TV warnings regularly advised the listening public that, in
the case of a very bright flash in the sky, to immediately find shelter behind the
thick, high density (brick, cinder block or poured concrete) walls of specific
buildings labeled as civil defense centers in Lowell’s downtown area.
Every one of these shelter locations was marked by a large CD sign on its
entrance. There, a person might find water, food, bedding, a few old magazines
and companionship for a brief period, a few days, perhaps. And, with any kind of
luck at all, the local winds might carry the radiation fallout away from the city.
But all human plans are loaded with loopholes. Ours was no exception.
What to do if you were a mother of several young children living, without a car, in
Dracut, Chelmsford or Tewksbury? This seemed to be an important question with
no real answer from the authorities.
To say the least, it was an unusual time period for my brother to be planning a
future business like Colonial Auto Body on Perry Street in Lowell or for me to be
searching for a career in research and development somewhere in the area like
the Cambridge Air Force Research Center in Bedford, Massachusetts.
The challenges were big ones. But, clearly, brother Bob had a more practical set of plans in his head than I ever did at the time. I was fascinated by the theory and expanse of science, but he already was using the tools of present day technology to get a project done. The
guys at the Strategic Ar Command, SAC, could have used a guy like that, right away.
Just as I was ready to plunge into science, math and engineering at Lowell Tech
in the fall of 1957, he was starting his high school years at Lowell High while
already deeply committed to working with the daily tools needed in the auto
repair business. Tom Moran, a local car repair guy, had an auto shop at the corner of Aiken and Dalton streets, in Lowell that quickly became my brother’s favorite auto learning center.
Our individual preparations for these lifetime career directions could not have
been more different in content or in associated learning modes. In addition to
dealing with the needs of customers, his work involved the daily use of electromechanical
and pneumatic machinery and tools required in the car business.
Included in this array were hand-tools such as hammers, pliers, screwdrivers,
vice grips, levers, torque wrenches, hydraulic lifts, scales, etc. plus electrical
equipment like motors, DC and AC, switches, transformers, compressors,
solenoids, RLC circuits and more.
He was using solenoid switches, just when I was still trying to understand Lentz’s
Law and the operation of a bimetallic thermal-switch. But, curiously, we were both
learning about the important role of present-day science and technology in how
the country was proceeding into the future.
Today, looking back, it feels good to know that we were both on a similar path but
following different approaches, his being much more practical than mine.
In passing, it might be worthwhile to recall that our male relatives such as uncles
Georges, Gerry, Albert and our dad, Alex, had but limited experience, it seems,
with hand tools or being all around handymen.
But, I do recall that, in his tool kit, my father had one screwdriver, a pair of pliers, a claw hammer and a neat hand-cranked drill for boring holes in wood, which I thoroughly enjoyed using. He also had a fancy, large drill for boring large holes in lumber.
Maybe, if mechanical arts or trade school training had been available, dad might
have lead a more rewarding work life? Also, his home life might have been more
pleasant and secure.
To be continued