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Jack Sears
Some of FM's most unforgettable characters imo - some by way of stories told to me by classmates and family, and some from personal contact - here is my preliminary, unranked list:
Dick Specht - KXGI radio "A little chit chat across the backyard fence"
Eddie Richards - entrepreneur who was said to boast at parties in the late 1950's he could write a good check for a million dollars any time he wanted.
Roy Earl - confirmed bachelor who hung out at the 800 block Ave G drug store next to the Fox theater at the soda fountain drinking gallons of custom ordered cherry cokes. He was a huge gun collector. I helped Roy sight in most of his hunting rifles. Did a lot of random target shooting at the range out on Chalk Ridge Road. A lot of 30 ca & 9mm stuff: Enfields, M-1's, Mausers, rabbit pistols ( .50 caliber shot pistol), .45 caliber1911's. I became quite a good shot even though I wore Coke bottle glasses since the 3rd grade. In the Army, I shot a perfect score earning the highest (Expert) qualification designation for an M-14 rifle with iron sights. My sergeant was shocked because of my dweeb looking glasses.
Buck (don't remember last name) - TV repairman and Hawaiian guitar player. I bought a Hallicrafters Sky Buddy shortwave receiver from Buck & paid him 50 cents a week for a couple of months. He helped me earn a ham radio license.
Rommel (don't remember real name) - taxidermist, gun collector, who claimed to be a cousin of WWII German Field Marshal Erwin "Desert Fox" Rommel. He had framed family pictures of the Desert Fox, wife & kids plus other people not recognized in his house that looked authentic. His gun collection included several licensed fully automatic and fully functional machine guns taken as WWII military trophies from the Japanese and German. Rommel told me he was frequently visited by the Feds to make sure they were still in his possession. I gave him the ground hog I plugged with Roy Earle's scoped .222 Swift. Over 300 yards & a no exit head shot perfect for trophy mounting. The only living creatures I ever hunted were groundhogs because the farmers liked to see the pesky rodents gone from their crop fields and they were really difficult to eradicate. They would sun by their holes, & having really really good hearing they would instantly dive back in their holes when spooked by the slightest distant noise.
The Schlapp Family - old old FM family from German & members of the local German Bund? The enormous red brick house up on Ave C always looked foreboding to me, like out of a horror movie. I thinkJohnson told me he talked to one of the family members.
A mysterious recluse living in the woods out by Chalk Ridge Road? Johnson & Sheridan buddies were probably pulling my leg, but, I think I believed them. Probably not true.
Digger O'Dell - master boat salesman as seen on TV
Glasgow Tailors - Charlie Zimmerman & Doyle Hoyer - what phrase did they always use to greet us? Button down collar shirts, penny loafers, and those chinos with the non-functioning little belt on the back, London Fog trench coat. Doyle had a band before he got in to the clothing business. Saxaphone player I think. Charlie became a stockbroker I think.
Barber shop on 800 block Ave G a few doors towards the Fox down from Dana Bushongs. Can't remember the names of the 2 barbers.
RN Johnson II - City/County Atty - who was said to have famously uttered words to the effect of "...put those rotten pillars of society in jail....." over the phone to the police while questioning the highly suspicious gang of Roberts, Sears, RN Johnson III and Jim Winke after being stopped in Roberts' Corvair with dealer plates, late at night, the same night the country club was robbed. Various oaths and utterances coming from inside the car, some possibly directed at the police probably led them to wonder what the heck we were up to late at night, thus the visit to the police station & phone call to RNJ II. A bit of a sweat because in the car we had a bag of coins from the gambling games we ran at a huge bash at Winke's house earlier that night, band and everything. I don't think the police saw the bag & if they had, we might have had more explaining to do. Absolved & released of course, but those words will never be forgotten lol.
Leo B. Winke - Progas owner, Jim Winke's Dad & my God-Father (I converted when I was 17). After Leo's brother's funeral (R.B's Dad), Jim and I went back to his house to chill & listen to some music. Leo became quite pissed about the music, stormed in to the room, picked up the stereo & threw it through a window out on to the grass. Only time I ever saw Leo get mad. Leo's other Brother "Dub" ran an anhydrous ammonia fertilizer business, among other things. Working for Dub one Summer,(it was company policy for Dub to buy everyone's lunch), at the lunch counter, I noticed a wad of money poking out of his shirt pocket. I said, "Dub, that money looks like it can fall out pretty easily. He replied, nah, that is my office, I always carefully watch my office, because at the end of the day that's how I know if I made any money or not.
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We just had this a week ago. So, this winter may go down in history for us SE Iowans. Mainly, because we got lots of winter ahead of us yet. Makes me want to hop a plane to Florida or Arizona! I know Sharon is probably happy she is there.
