Father's Day

            Here are a couple short memories from my past; I will try not make them too boring.

               My dad was named George Alfred Ford.  When he became ill and could not work he had to get a birth certificate for his retirement. (He worked at the Cement Plant for 43 years.) When he received the birth certificate he found that his middle name was Albert not Alfred. The doctor had completed the certificate 2 days after he was born and put the wrong name on the certificate.  He was told he could go before a judge and get it changed. Dad took it in stride saying, “Albert is as good as Alfred”.

               I never heard my dad use a curse word.  If he was working on something and it wasn’t going right, he would say, “contrary outfit”. If it got real bad he would just stop what he was doing and get a cup of coffee. After the coffee he would go back to the project. 

               I was told that he was not always patient and easy going. I talked to a man that knew my dad when they were kids. He told me that my dad would rather fight than eat.  He went on the say that my dad beat him up every day on the way home from school.

               My dad had bright red hair as a young person. Dad was a true Irishmen, some say there is a Ford temper, and I would guess that is where it came from. 

               Occasionally, I would help him and he was always telling me, “Let the tool do the work”. In other words if you was using a tool don’t force it, just let the tool do the work. That was good advice that I use today.

               My dad was religious; he was a democrat, and a union man. 

               Dad died too young, he was 62.

Don Ford