John C Stoskopf

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Living in a Permanent Place in the Heart

"Looking back, we were really very privileged to live in that thin slice of history where we changed how man looks at himself, and what he might become and where he might go.

- Neil Armstrong (2001)

1965 - Dad's new Ford Mercury Monterey

1965- Another little family vacation, this time along the AuSable River on the east side of lower Michigan.

Shown here, the River Queen.

1965- AuSable River Ride (How I spent my Summer Vacation!)

1965- AuSable River Ride - Partly the reason I'm showing all this is that from this time on we began to do less and less traveling, which may perhaps fed my enjoyment in the memories of it.

1965 - DINOSAUR!!

What more needs to be said? Dinosaurs in Michigan!! I know from here on out I never got over them.

There's myself, David & Shirley and friend.

1965 - Maybe nothing so special to show here but it reminds me of how Michigan was a very nice place to grow up in.

1965 - That was a fun day, taking a tour of Kellogg's in Battle Creek, MI with David, myself & Shirley.

(Good morning, Good morning!)

1965 - Myself at home but ready to roll!



1965 - Me and my brother Dave at Uncle Bill's new home in Belleville, MI



Sister Shirley at Easter, 1966



Me too. (Easter 1966)



1966 - Cousins Tim, Bill & Chris Johnson visiting us with the Johnson family.



1966 - Cousin Timothy Johnson & me at Grandma Martha's home having a card game.

This was a time when I could really enjoy playing cards, absent of that brutal competiveness that takes all the fun away.



1966 - David & Shirley being dropped off at Camp Michi-Lu-Ca (sponsored by our Lutheran Church) in Northern Michigan with myself standing by to see them off.

I never felt bad later on when I didn't go to camp myself. Instead I always wished I could have gone with them. Once again though I was too young. Always too young.

I tried making up for it though by pretending I was at camp when we got home. Sometimes I'd even sleep outside in the patio at night behind Mom & Dad's bedroom.

I didn't lose out too badly. When they went again next year, I got to go and see "You Only Live Twice" the next James Bond movie with Mom and Dad. When Dave & Shirley found out about it upon their return I got to see it again with them!



July 28, 1966 - My birthday. Me and Dave here.

(I learned to tell time on that clock behind us.)



July 28, 1966 - A little later that evening Shirley presented me with a cupcake I think she made.

Note: Check out the refillable butane gas candles we had on the table next to us. I think my dad got the idea from my Uncle Gordon.

Also notice the fan. I don't think we had air conditioning yet in the house. When we did get it, boy that was a big deal.



August 1966 - Cousin Joanne Johnson at home in Galesburg, IL



August 1966 - At The Johnson home with me, Mom and Cousin Timmy holding pets.



August 1966 - Cousin Tim & his Go-Kart



Just as it was labeled back in 1966- "Mom's New Hair Style!"



Halloween 1966 - Shirley and me getting ready for "Trick or Treat".

Yep, I love clowns. Good clowns, bad clowns, smart clowns, sad clowns. (Think: Bozo, Joker, Stewart, Chaney.)



July 28, 1967 - Johnny's got his duck.

Around this time I got into wanting a duck. When my dad was a kid, he wanted a little pig. Well, I wanted a duck and Grandma Martha went and took one of Grandpa Gordon's bird decoys, painted it, and gave it to me for my seventh birthday.

It took me some time to learn where she got it from. It's facinating for me to think how different my life would have been had Grandpa lived. Sure would have loved to go hunting with him. Anyway, I loved that duck!



Summer 1967 - Ready for a wonderful dinner at home with family.

At the far left I can see my mother's hands. Going left-to-right and around the table is my brother David, Cousin Bill, me, Cousin Tim, Uncle Paul, Aunt Betty, Cousin Joanne, Grandma Martha, Cousin Chris and in the foreground is sister Shirley.

We're not really missing a lot of Dad here because about all, if not all of these photos were taken by him. I really have him to thank for preserving so much of this story, our story.



February 1968 - The Theme is Birthdays!!

Myself with Dave on his birthday.



1968 - Shirley and friend Nancy Roberson playing Monopoly. I became close friends with her brother Tom.



1968 - Mom's 40th Birthday at Grandma Martha's home.



1968 - Shirley

(I took some liberties with the reproduction of these photos that Dad took of us.)



1968 - Dave



1968 - John (Note, we believe that rocking chair is one that belonged to Jessie Thornberg Findahl handed down to Grandpa Gordon and Grandma Martha.)

My shirt reminds me a bit like something worn on the TV show "Lost In Space". As it was such a popular show during the 1960s I'd like to think it influenced someone in the clothing industry. I was quite thrilled to get a comment from actor Bill Mumy about it. After pointing the photo out to him on Facebook his reply came back: "Styling!".



1968 - Shirley's Birthday party!



1968 - I only recall the names of Nancy & Cindy sitting to the right of Shirley



1968 - I wanted these photos because they are so wonderfully innocent!

Having fun at the party in our basement.



1968 - My birthday!

I loved this bike and really thought it was cool and unique with its motor-bike-like front end. At the same time I'd get uneasy because it was different looking than any other bikes the kids were riding. (Especially as a kid you always want to be like everyone else. In the end, however, I'm glad a nice picture of it survives.)



1968 - Dad took this photo of us along the Lake Michigan shore (as with most of these pictures) using a Poloroid Camera.

I can't imagine exactly what went wrong with it because I don't see how he could have done a double exposure, but I've always liked it and took great liberties now manipulating its look even further.

Hey, it's the Sixties, "Man!"



1968 - While visiting a Deer Park in Northern Michigan.

(Although not traveling as far away in the years previously, we still did family trips just nearer to home.

Our trailer had been sold by now and as luck would have it, the buyer happened to be someone my Dad knew from back when he was a boy scout. I believe his wife loved it too and they were looking forward to future travels so the trailer found a happy home.)



1968 - The entrance to Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio.



1968 - Cedar Point

These are the last of the slide pictures Dad took. There's not a lot to show but these are important to me because Cedar Point is just 'The Ultimate Amusement Park'.



1968 - Cedar Point

At the time, for my second try at The Blue Streak Roller Coaster, I found myself 'stuck' in the front seat. I'll never forget the really sick feeling I had in my stomach, I was so scared!

Today, The Blue Streak is scary mostly because of its age.



1968 - On a lark, we decided to drive from Cedar Point that night to Niagra Falls.



1968 - Niagra Falls

We arrived about 3AM and Dad asked a policeman, "Where are the Falls?" to which the reply was, "They are that way, but you can't see them!"



1968 - Niagra Falls

There was no place to stay so we parked the car and all tried to get some rest before sunrise. I still remember being cramped in-between Dad on one side and Mom on the other in the front seat unable to move my legs properly for hours.

It was all worth it. No one was around when the sun came up to a beautiful sight for us.



1969 - Shirley & Mom



1969 - Shirley & David's Confirmation



1969 - Shirley at home



1969 - Our first dog, the original Pal

We wound up having many different types of animals for pets. There were birds, fish, even a monkey at one time. As with many people who try to take on a dog, our Pal didn't stay with us too long but did become an inspiration for getting my current dog "Pal", which will be a keeper!



1969 - I was glad to know that when we did give him up, we got a note from the Humane Society saying Pal did get a good home.



1969 - One more trip to Northern Michigan visiting this time, "The Call of the Wild".



1969 - Bitten by the photography bug, I took our box camera along on a school trip to the Detroit Zoo. I don't know how it stacks up today, but during these times I believe it was considered quite an impressive place.



1969 - Of all of my first venture into photography, I share these two pictures.



1969 - This one Shirley took of me before the trip. The biggest memory from it all was of losing that jacket!



1970 - Splashing into the next decade while at our Cousin's home.


1971-72: A photo taken in our Science Class at school. "Show & Tell" time, with me talking about some rare coins. (Maybe the discussion was about their composition?) I always enjoyed Science, by the way.

This was at Horace Mann Elementary and I'd joined the Safety Patrol by this time. My close friend Wayne Welkenback had been one for some time and now I finally made that leap.



1971 - This was my second try at photography taken on a class trip to Greenfield Village in Dearborn, MI


1971 - The thing of importance to me here is seeing the two Civil War soldiers together. I seem to recall one was a Union Solder and the other Confederate.

There's so much that attracts me to Greenfield Village (going back in time) but I've always had a connection with that Civil War period in particular and I've never known exactly why.

When I saw "The Civil War" by Ken Burns on PBS so many years later, it just captivated me. For the first time I felt a direct connection to it.

If we don't know of our past, we don't fully know ourselves.


1971 - My first color photographs from the same trip.

I like trains.


1971 - at Greenfield Village, Dearborn, MI


1971 - I remember reading somewhere that Greenfield Village was like a funeral home. A place where Henry Ford collected all the artifacts that he could taken from a world he helped bring to an end. Probably a bit cynical but yet an interesting point of view.


1971-72: John, Shirley & Dave


I always felt I ruined this picture with my tilted head. Nonetheless it's one of our last pictures with the three of us together.


Christmas 1971 - David showing his new clock radio.



Christmas 1971 - Cousin Janice and my sister Shirley rocking to some tunes at Christmas.



New Years Eve 1971 - This is Brian Garcia with my brother Dave in our basement at home.

I became close friends with Brian's brother Blaine.



Labor Day 1972 - Cousin Debbie with the cool motor scooter we all had rides on during our Holiday visit.


Labor Day 1972 - Cousin Jim, Dad, Mom, Aunt Edith, Uncle Bill, Cousin Billy & Uncle Gordon



Labor Day 1972 - Cousin Bill Stoscup



Labor Day 1972 - My cousin Jim giving Shirley a ride



Labor Day 1972 - Uncle Gordon inspecting a possible engine problem.



Labor Day 1972 - Uncle Bill & Mom


Late 1972 - Me at home with our second dog Tammy. Again, we didn't really know how to raise a dog and unfortunately Tammy wasn't with us very long either.



1972 - Susan Towns with her dog. I liked Susan and got to know her through the relationship her older sister had with my sister. Her family soon moved to Lansing, Michigan and being only about 12 years old, especially in those days, it wasn't the easiest to remain in touch.



Early 1973 - I did make one trip, however, and took this picture of Susan in Lansing, MI



Christmas 1972 - Uncle Gordon, Cousin Deb & Aunt Edith



1972-73: My friend Blaine Garcia playing around with brother David's guitar in our bedroom at home.



June 11, 1973 - Graduating from the Seventh Grade and from Mann Elementary School.

This is Mr. Frank Kasper our Art Teacher. One thing I'll never forget that he told us which would define a pivotal moment later in my life. I was a juror on a US District Court case and what I remembered were the words: You as a juror are the most powerful person in that court room.

Pretty neat that of all my teachers from these early years a picture of him survives.



June 11, 1973 - Last day of school out on 'the corner' with a few children waiting to be allowed to cross the street by us Safety Boys.

Shown is Blaine Garcia with his arm around Wendy, I think was her name. He's standing next to the oldest photo I have of Wayne Welkenback who by this time I'd already known for eight years and still remain very close to this day.

If there was anyone whom I could say would be there for me in life, it is Wayne. Even today, he comes through for me once more.



June 11, 1973 - There I am and I'll be doggone if I can't remember my fellow Safety Boy next to me at this time! Ken seems to come to mind.



June 11, 1973 - Another photo from graduation day.

Front row: David Lawler, Dennis ?, ?, Jim Gutierrez (holding a picture of TV Horror Host "The Ghoul")

Back row: Wayne Welkenback, Danny Childers



Summer 1973 - Me and friend.



Summer 1973 - Myself over at Blaine's house ready to take a swim.



Summer 1973 - Blaine enjoying the pool in his backyard.



1973 - One more time.

My final photo of our family which was submitted for use in the Church member directory.

David, Dad (Robert), myself, Mom (Marge), Shirley



1973 - Enjoying the day in the pool during that Summer so long ago, I couldn't have known I was soon to make a really big jump into the deep end of life....