While this account is primarily from my own memory banks, some of the information has been provided by my brother, Russell Dale Appleby, my aunt, Dorothy Wagnon Kolbert, and my uncle, Clyde Franklin William Wagnon, and some gleanings from genealogical information from other sources, most notably a cousin, Della Nash.
This effort is being undertaken to document some of the experiences I have had over the early years of my life, so that my children will have a reason for some of the audacious actions that I have taken. Not so much for forgiveness, but to recognize that we are all part of our environment, as much as genetics.
Genetics have given me a reasonable amount of intelligence, though not as much as others in my family. For example, my Mother when she took a test to establish intelligence quotient, normally called I.Q., she scored a fantastic 180, but the testers had written on the report NG, and my Mother thought that it meant No Good, instead of the true meaning of Near Genius. Recognizing the naivete of my Mother at this stage, perhaps explains some of her actions later in life. Her sister, Aunt Dorothy, graduated from high school at age 15 (and I thought I was good when I graduated at 17).
My brother seems to have gained the most from this genetic background, as he clearly excelled in school way beyond what I did, which is why you will read some of his recollections instead of mine, as his memory is usually better than mine. Even though I attained an MS and he only a BS, that is due to other circumstances in life, rather than intelligence.
My Mother wanted to be a chemist, but was told that women did not go into that field, so she acquiesced and became a teacher. She invariable did as the men in her life told her to do, whether in her best interests or not. This can be seen in the many instances throughout my early childhood, and even beyond. She was especially docile in regards to the men in her immediate family.
As you will see, my uncle Hugh Andrew Wagnon was a dominant male in her early life. Later on, her younger brother, Clyde became an important voice guiding her into areas that may not have been in her best interests. And Clyde being a super salesman was very good at directing her to his benefit. Even into his 90s, Clyde was still in the sales mode. And even into his 100th birthday, as I write this in 2020.
My hope is that my grandchildren will know a bit more about their elder generations than I did about mine.