Budd Davisson has left a mark on many Americans through his lifetime! I appreciate American People like this. You don’t see Moms Apple Pie stories like this anymore.
I appreciate that, no end. I'm proud of having that kind of up bringing. I'd love to live there if I wasn't solar powered. In speaking with the governor who stopped by our car before starting the parade, I've seen my last snow flake. He admitted to thinking about getting an AZ warm place himself.
Budd, Great and touching narrative. I guess Thomas Wolfe was mistaken? The survival of the Midwestern Small Town is something that gives me hope for the future of the United States. These are tiny green houses, in which the strongest, hardiest and most substantive of our country are grown. Hope to see you at Oshkosh, next week!
The plains states are loaded with small towns that are, or have, finding their way. Seward is a stand out example of that and has been very affluent since the 1800s. Always some sort of industry. Hughes Brothers which makes towers/poles for power transmission is, as it always has, going gang busters. Founded in 1921. However, I don't know of any towns in the area with the wonderful small town atmosphere that's as strong as it is in Seward. It just feels good to be driving down highway 34 that becomes the Main Street in Seward.
That's why I drove county roads as much as possible during the trip. It's the only way to travel, especially in a Mustang convertible. Route 34 and 24 are now two more new friends.
Budd, I actually spent a couple of days trying to figure out how I could afford to make the trip up there for that, but just couldn't swing it. I would have given anything to have been there! I did keep up on it through the new and even a couple of posts I found on FB. What a tremendous, maybe more appropriate, stupendous, experience. I was raised in a country store.......in a small building, we packed in a surprising variety of hardware, groceries, livestock feed, even a saddle or two, chainsaws, and what would now be known as a deli. During lunch, 6 days a week, my Mom and I made sandwiches for customers, as we kept the best lunch meats and cheese that we could find. We were 10 miles from town, and anyone working in the area, drove in for lunch, year around. Plus we had people drive in from Oklahoma, and all over Arkansas and Southern Missouri, to buy bacon, sausage, lunch meats and other items we found from time to time. I loved that store, but sure got tired of it by the time I went to college! That is where I developed my promotional skills, and gift for gab! So we have quite a bit in common from that respect! So glad you and the family had such a wonderful and successful time!
I saw news about your family's time capsule, but the family name was not in the article. I finally got around to reading your post today, and was surprised to see that it was your parents who buried it.
Your family has done an excellent job in preserving and opening the time capsule. My only surprise was that the Chevrolet Vega was not rusted out, like many of them did in subsequent years, even in the mild Southern California climate where I grew up. I'm wondering what will become of it.
I have met you several times at the Copperstate and Oshkosh fly-ins, and corresponded with you about your excellent articles in Sport Aviation. I knew that you were from Nebraska, but I didn't realize that I used to spend my Summers during the 1950s just a little over 100 miles east of you, in the Red Oak, Iowa area. My mother, born in 1903, grew up on a farm just South of there, close to Essex Iowa, where she went to high school.
I used to spend my Summers either with my grandparents in Red Oak, or working with my cousins on my uncle's farm, east of there. I was the city kid, so I was delegated to run ahead and open and close the gates we passed through. My cousins were driving trucks and tractors well before they were teenagers.
I learned to drive on my uncle's John Deere tractors, that had hand clutches and throttles. I stopped at a historical farm equipment show in Davis California, and those tractors are now in the antique category, even though they actually had electric starters, unlike the earlier ones that were started by spinning the large flywheel on the side.
I still have a few relatives that live in the area. Since the 1950 census, Red Oak has decreased its population by about 18% from about 6,500 to about 5,400 now.
Another country kid! The fact the Vega survived so well surprised all of us. It has a little rust at the front edge of the hood but that's it. Even the interior is untouched. If dad had put a Corvette in there instead of the Vega, even though '75 isn't a prime year for 'Vettes, a zero mile one would be worth a few pennies. In talking to the NE governor just before the parade began, I told him I'd love to be living in Seward but I've seen my last snow flake and nothing could force me out of Phoenix. He said he was already looking for a place in AZ for when he retires. One of Nebraska's biggest exports is Nebraskans. Winter gets old. Sun doesn't.
Nothing like growing up in a small town. Even in the suburbs of the fifties, there was a small town feel. Two grade schools, one junior high and one high school. Mostly the kids went to the Baptist church or the Methodist church, a movie theater where everyone went on Saturday afternoon when you were kids and Friday night when you got into Junior High and High School to se Rock Around the Clock, Rebel Without a Cause, or the latest Elvis movie. One drugstore, one Dairy Queen and a couple of gas stations. Really rocking when we finally got a skating rink and few years later, a bowling alley.
Everybody’s parents knew everyone’s kids, where they were, what they were doing and who they were doing it with. No drugs, maybe a beer on Friday night for the wild kids. We knew how to do stuff. We pooled our dads tools to work on our cars, built our own club houses out of old packing crates and when something was broken, we could take it apart and usually figure out how to fix it, rather than just ordering a new one from Walmart. Lots of modern things to love (air conditioning, with my bum shoulder power steering and I guess the world’s knowledge at my fingertips through the internet), but do I miss a lot about “the old days”? I guess I’d have to say “Yes.”. Thanks for the kick start. Didn’t mean for this to be so long, but, as Bob Hope used to sing, “Thanks for the memories.”.
What a great read! (That's also what I think every time I've read something you wrote, going all the way back to when I was a kid.) Looking forward to checking out the links provided.
We met in 2018 and have been friends ever since. I learned a lot during our Pitts training and the talks we had during our week-long stay. You've always been honest with me; letting me know when I'm doing something right and when I'm doing something wrong. When you asked my permission to share my photo of the Vega, you probably didn't realize you had just given me the most important compliment on my photography that I've ever received in my life. An endorsement from Budd Davisson is huge, and I will value that forever.
My stats from the trip: 6 days; 1903 miles driven; 784 photos and phone video clips taken; 34 time lapse road trip video clips captured (55.1GB!); visited Antique Airfield (IA27), The Durham Museum and the SAC Aerospace Museum. It will take a long time to produce YouTube content on this spectacular trip; when I'm done you will get links.
In closing, I'd just like to say that the Davisson clan is an impressive group of good people. I wish I'd gotten to meet more of the family while I was there, but I'm grateful you've shared so much information about them with us and I consider our friendship one of my life's true honors.
Wonderful story Budd. The two lane road drive into town reminds me of the tour of North Dakota Pat Fagan, Kevin Deutscher and I did in our Bearhawks, right after Covid let up. 89 airports in ten days, saw nary an airplane, pattern altitude from airport to airport over some beautiful country like you describe. Thankful to be an American! the trip reinforced my faith in our people!
This is the america i remember and love. Brought tears to.my eyes. Living in europe for almost 40 years i long for.my home in rural.illinois although its not so rural.these days!
I don't know many of the photos in the piece I sent you opened but, even if they did, they were all focused on the Capsule event. I have some of our downtown area that is so typically small town America it looks like a movie set. I'll send those to you directly.
Wonderful photographs of your tribe, Budd! Truly the face(s) of America. God bless you all…
When you look at the many colors my own family represents, I keep thinking "Diversity, thy name is Davisson." I love it.
That's what I mean when I say your family is "good people". That's how I personally define the term.
👍🇺🇸👍🇺🇸👍🇺🇸👍🇺🇸👍🇺🇸
Budd Davisson has left a mark on many Americans through his lifetime! I appreciate American People like this. You don’t see Moms Apple Pie stories like this anymore.
Respectfully
Joe Bill Moad
Oklahoma
I appreciate that, no end. I'm proud of having that kind of up bringing. I'd love to live there if I wasn't solar powered. In speaking with the governor who stopped by our car before starting the parade, I've seen my last snow flake. He admitted to thinking about getting an AZ warm place himself.
I love you man! What a great story. It told of the heart and soul of we the people.
As I was driving into town on the two-lane I have to admit to choking up just a little knowing I was back in the honest to God homeland.
You made my eyes leak, my friend....write the darn book..!!
Sorry. A lot of that going around these days. :-)
Budd, Great and touching narrative. I guess Thomas Wolfe was mistaken? The survival of the Midwestern Small Town is something that gives me hope for the future of the United States. These are tiny green houses, in which the strongest, hardiest and most substantive of our country are grown. Hope to see you at Oshkosh, next week!
The plains states are loaded with small towns that are, or have, finding their way. Seward is a stand out example of that and has been very affluent since the 1800s. Always some sort of industry. Hughes Brothers which makes towers/poles for power transmission is, as it always has, going gang busters. Founded in 1921. However, I don't know of any towns in the area with the wonderful small town atmosphere that's as strong as it is in Seward. It just feels good to be driving down highway 34 that becomes the Main Street in Seward.
That's why I drove county roads as much as possible during the trip. It's the only way to travel, especially in a Mustang convertible. Route 34 and 24 are now two more new friends.
You just said that to make me jealous and you succeeded.
You shouldn't be jealous... but envious is ok. I already envy a lot about your life. ;)
Budd, I actually spent a couple of days trying to figure out how I could afford to make the trip up there for that, but just couldn't swing it. I would have given anything to have been there! I did keep up on it through the new and even a couple of posts I found on FB. What a tremendous, maybe more appropriate, stupendous, experience. I was raised in a country store.......in a small building, we packed in a surprising variety of hardware, groceries, livestock feed, even a saddle or two, chainsaws, and what would now be known as a deli. During lunch, 6 days a week, my Mom and I made sandwiches for customers, as we kept the best lunch meats and cheese that we could find. We were 10 miles from town, and anyone working in the area, drove in for lunch, year around. Plus we had people drive in from Oklahoma, and all over Arkansas and Southern Missouri, to buy bacon, sausage, lunch meats and other items we found from time to time. I loved that store, but sure got tired of it by the time I went to college! That is where I developed my promotional skills, and gift for gab! So we have quite a bit in common from that respect! So glad you and the family had such a wonderful and successful time!
One of the best parts of it was exposing my grand children who are LA and NJ based to REAL people and real America. They loved it!
I saw news about your family's time capsule, but the family name was not in the article. I finally got around to reading your post today, and was surprised to see that it was your parents who buried it.
Your family has done an excellent job in preserving and opening the time capsule. My only surprise was that the Chevrolet Vega was not rusted out, like many of them did in subsequent years, even in the mild Southern California climate where I grew up. I'm wondering what will become of it.
I have met you several times at the Copperstate and Oshkosh fly-ins, and corresponded with you about your excellent articles in Sport Aviation. I knew that you were from Nebraska, but I didn't realize that I used to spend my Summers during the 1950s just a little over 100 miles east of you, in the Red Oak, Iowa area. My mother, born in 1903, grew up on a farm just South of there, close to Essex Iowa, where she went to high school.
I used to spend my Summers either with my grandparents in Red Oak, or working with my cousins on my uncle's farm, east of there. I was the city kid, so I was delegated to run ahead and open and close the gates we passed through. My cousins were driving trucks and tractors well before they were teenagers.
I learned to drive on my uncle's John Deere tractors, that had hand clutches and throttles. I stopped at a historical farm equipment show in Davis California, and those tractors are now in the antique category, even though they actually had electric starters, unlike the earlier ones that were started by spinning the large flywheel on the side.
I still have a few relatives that live in the area. Since the 1950 census, Red Oak has decreased its population by about 18% from about 6,500 to about 5,400 now.
Another country kid! The fact the Vega survived so well surprised all of us. It has a little rust at the front edge of the hood but that's it. Even the interior is untouched. If dad had put a Corvette in there instead of the Vega, even though '75 isn't a prime year for 'Vettes, a zero mile one would be worth a few pennies. In talking to the NE governor just before the parade began, I told him I'd love to be living in Seward but I've seen my last snow flake and nothing could force me out of Phoenix. He said he was already looking for a place in AZ for when he retires. One of Nebraska's biggest exports is Nebraskans. Winter gets old. Sun doesn't.
Nothing like growing up in a small town. Even in the suburbs of the fifties, there was a small town feel. Two grade schools, one junior high and one high school. Mostly the kids went to the Baptist church or the Methodist church, a movie theater where everyone went on Saturday afternoon when you were kids and Friday night when you got into Junior High and High School to se Rock Around the Clock, Rebel Without a Cause, or the latest Elvis movie. One drugstore, one Dairy Queen and a couple of gas stations. Really rocking when we finally got a skating rink and few years later, a bowling alley.
Everybody’s parents knew everyone’s kids, where they were, what they were doing and who they were doing it with. No drugs, maybe a beer on Friday night for the wild kids. We knew how to do stuff. We pooled our dads tools to work on our cars, built our own club houses out of old packing crates and when something was broken, we could take it apart and usually figure out how to fix it, rather than just ordering a new one from Walmart. Lots of modern things to love (air conditioning, with my bum shoulder power steering and I guess the world’s knowledge at my fingertips through the internet), but do I miss a lot about “the old days”? I guess I’d have to say “Yes.”. Thanks for the kick start. Didn’t mean for this to be so long, but, as Bob Hope used to sing, “Thanks for the memories.”.
You just hit on the reason we've been friends for so long!
What a great story! I’m buying the book, get on it! Why are you the only one scowling in all the pictures!😂
I'm not scowling. That's a Budd Smile. The default position of my face is a semi-frown. Can't do anything about it. But,I'm smiling inside!
Awesome family. Thanks for sharing this story of a real life Mayberry.
You're welcome but try not to think of me as Barney.
Hahaha haha.
What a great read! (That's also what I think every time I've read something you wrote, going all the way back to when I was a kid.) Looking forward to checking out the links provided.
We met in 2018 and have been friends ever since. I learned a lot during our Pitts training and the talks we had during our week-long stay. You've always been honest with me; letting me know when I'm doing something right and when I'm doing something wrong. When you asked my permission to share my photo of the Vega, you probably didn't realize you had just given me the most important compliment on my photography that I've ever received in my life. An endorsement from Budd Davisson is huge, and I will value that forever.
My stats from the trip: 6 days; 1903 miles driven; 784 photos and phone video clips taken; 34 time lapse road trip video clips captured (55.1GB!); visited Antique Airfield (IA27), The Durham Museum and the SAC Aerospace Museum. It will take a long time to produce YouTube content on this spectacular trip; when I'm done you will get links.
In closing, I'd just like to say that the Davisson clan is an impressive group of good people. I wish I'd gotten to meet more of the family while I was there, but I'm grateful you've shared so much information about them with us and I consider our friendship one of my life's true honors.
Friendship doesn't go just one way. I'm super happy I can call you friend. That doesn't happen off.
Next time you head out that way you have stop a Harold Warp's House of Yesterday in Linden, NE. It's a museum and antique town. Very interesting!
Wonderful, so happy you got to experience this touching and meaningful event. Saw it in the news!
I didn't see any of the news coverage, but a lot of folks did. My dad would flip out knowing that.
What a terrific story! Hearty congratulations to you and your entire family!
You'll never know how proud I am of all of them.
Wonderful story Budd. The two lane road drive into town reminds me of the tour of North Dakota Pat Fagan, Kevin Deutscher and I did in our Bearhawks, right after Covid let up. 89 airports in ten days, saw nary an airplane, pattern altitude from airport to airport over some beautiful country like you describe. Thankful to be an American! the trip reinforced my faith in our people!
Take care, Scott & May Beth
This is the america i remember and love. Brought tears to.my eyes. Living in europe for almost 40 years i long for.my home in rural.illinois although its not so rural.these days!
I don't know many of the photos in the piece I sent you opened but, even if they did, they were all focused on the Capsule event. I have some of our downtown area that is so typically small town America it looks like a movie set. I'll send those to you directly.
Glad you enjoyed it.