R600
Husband: Charles Wendell Wood [Fig. R600a]
Father: David Kemper Wood [R550]
Mother: Eva Houser Wood [R550]
Born: 10/14/1911, in Easton Pa.
Died: 5/13/2006. Buried at Fort Rosecrans Natl. Cemetary, San Diego;
on his tombstone, "Gone Fishing."
First wife: Betty (Shaw) Wood
Married: 1942
Children:
Richard Guy Wood, b. 1/27/1945. A graduate of Cornell Univ., he
became a Doctor of Psychology in Toronto, Ontario
m. 1st Laura Roberts of Syracuse N.Y.
Children,
Daniel Todd (b. 11/3/70) a Vice President of Intel, m. Tar Arbel, a
Prof. of Engineering at McGill Univ. in Montreal, where they
made their home,
ch. Oren b. 2002, Zachery b. 2004
Kate Rebecca (b. 8/31/75), an Attorney in Toronto, m. Morgan
Dennis, son Maximillian Laurence (Max) (b. 7/18/11)
Lisa Michelle (b. 7/5/77) m. Charlie Cunningham (6/14/2009),
son Isaac (b. 9/2011)
m. 2nd Linda Gruson (from U.K.), also a Doctor of Psychology
Children,
Julia Frances (b. 12/18/1983)
Melanie Justine (b. 1/9/1987)
Second wife of Charles Wendell Wood:
Patricia Ann (Harrington) Wood [Fig. R600a]
Married: 1964
Daughter:
Cheryl Lynn Wood, b. 2/12/1969. Cheryl married Robert Clarke Freer of Syracuse N.Y. [Fig. R600a] on July 1 1989. She received her degree in Psychology and Sociology from Point Loma College in San Diego, and she and her husband, who is a graduate of Syracuse University and a Computer Engineer, reside in San Diego, California, but plan to move to the Boston area in April of 1992.” [In 1996, Bob and Cheryl live in Rolling Meadows Ill., near Chicago.]
Charles Wood reports that he “...was born on October 14 1911 in Easton, Pa., son of Eva Houser Wood and David Kemper Wood. He attended Overbrook Elementary School, Cassidy Public School in Philadelphia, and graduated from Lower Merion High School in 1929. This was followed by two years at Temple University and one and one-half years at Temple University Medical School. When forced to leave school because of the depression and the banks failing, Charles started work at Strawbridge & Clothier in Philadelphia as a stock boy in 1933, and subsequently became Head of Stock, Assistant Buyer, Buyer, and eventually Division Merchandise Manager.
“By 1942 World War II had started and Charles enlisted in the Navy and was commissioned as Ensign on December 2 1942. He saw combat in the Pacific Theater, commanding an Underwater Demolition Team. Charles and Betty Shaw of Stewartstown Pa. were married at this time, and a son, Richard Guy Wood, was born on January 27 1945. Charles received an honorable discharge on December 2 1945 and left the Navy with the rank of Lt. Commander.
“Associated Merchandising Corp. of New York City invited Charles to join them after the war, and he became Vice President and Merchandise Manager of Home Furnishings. During this period the family lived in Scarsdale, New York. In 1952 Charles accepted an offer to join The Dayton Company in Minneapolis as General Manager of half the store. During this time, he and Betty were divorced.
“In 1960, Charles accepted an offer to join Montgomery Ward and Company in Chicago as Vice President and General Merchandise Manager of the company. In Chicago, he met and married Patricia Ann Harrington in 1964, and they became parents of a daughter, Cheryl Lynn Wood, born February 12 1969.
“Charles retired from Montgomery Ward in 1970, and the family moved to Solana Beach, California, near San Diego, where they currently reside and Charles actively pursues his hobbies of investing, boating, fishing, and golf.
Charles has recorded these interesting recollections of life at Nimrod Hall in the early twentieth century. “...I can look back and recall many happy boyhood days spent at Nimrod. My Dad sent me there many summers when I was young―around age 6 to 14 or 15, so that would be around 1917 to 1925 or 26. My best estimate of time is the period of eight to ten years before the camp was built. I remember Frank lying in the front yard and telling me of his dreams to build the camp. Frank became my second father during my preteen days, holding no mercy, however, when it came to making me earn my keep. I was the designated bean picker, along with many other duties, such as milking, slopping the hogs, cleaning fireplaces, carrying wood, and of course it was me who held the little pigs between my knees while Frank castrated them with Granddad’s straight razor. We never had a casualty― always used a smear of axle grease in the incision.
“I did love those good meals, with fried chicken and ice cream on Sundays―oh, yes,―it was me who cranked the ice cream maker and rocked the butter maker. Thank goodness I did not have to clean the chickens! (Although I did have to wring their necks!)
“I clearly remember Ernest, the Head Waiter, Dick Long, the cook, Scott, the handy-man [see S154], and Joe Luckett, a hired hand. I will never forget one day when Joe Luckett and I went to the orchard to pick some peaches. Being hungry, I took a bite from a particularly large and red peach, only to find I had a yellow-jacket in my mouth. After spitting out the bee, I was screaming in pain from the sting. Joe Luckett spit out his chew of tobacco and told me to put it in my mouth and ‘chew like hell.’ I did, and lo and behold, it did help!
“One year, I clearly remember a switching Grandma gave me for getting her chickens drunk. One of my many chores was to feed her chickens every day. One morning, I got the bright idea of soaking their feed in a vat of corn liquor Frank and John kept in the barn. That did the trick, and resulted in a good switching from Grandma (before the loss of her leg). It was funny as hell seeing those chickens staggering around the barnyard!
“Over the years, I did get to know your Dad [John Wood, (R560)] quite well―constantly being the butt of many jokes and pranks which John and Frank played on me. Those were courting days for John, Frank, Else, and Ede. I can still see Else and Creigh Tyree spooning on the side porch after the nightly session of square dancing in the parlor, either Else or Ede at the piano. What good times we had! And later, to hear the darkies singing spirituals before a fire in front of their cabins.
“I was always grateful for the chance to make a little money from the fishermen who were guests―George Jennings, Taylors, etc. I would catch and sell hellgrammites for 25 cents a dozen and cat minnows for 75 cents a dozen. [In 1928 Charles, 16, in a letter from Nimrod to his grandmother Emma Wood, who was in a Richmond hospital after having her leg amputated, mentioned ‘...I have a very prosperous week in view, that is financially for I am engaged 3 days to boat some gentlemen. I believe a boatsman’s service is worth 3 iron men per day.’ (S089)]
“Also firmly entrenched in my memory are the countless trips made to Millboro or Clifton Forge at what seemed like breakneck speeds around those hairpin curves on the old dirt roads in an old Model T truck. It was my job to crank it up, get water from the creeks when it got hot, and fill it with gas from a large drum in the barnyard. I also remember it was my job, after a trip when Frank parked the truck, took the keys, and walked away, it would shake a few times and the motor would start again, thus requiring a stall procedure to keep it quiet. It was almost foregone we would have at least one flat on a trip to town. Like a roller coaster, we would come down the mountain with six 300-lb. blocks of ice, with brakes smoking and reverse pedal to the floor. By age 13, Frank had taught me to drive the truck, and I would then make the trips to town for ice or groceries.”