The Houck family consisted of Mr. William Houck, born in Berwick, two towns up the river. He grew up in a well to do family, his father had been the Superintendent of Berwick schools. He grew up in the Great Depression but did not know all of the hardships due to his father's position. From the few things he related, it seems had a "wild" youth with a motorcycle and cigarettes and such. Then "The Great War", WW II came and he enlisted. He served from the African landing, through Sicily, the Italian campaign, and then with Patton's army up through the middle of Europe and into Germany. These years totally changed him. He came home, attended Penn State, met and married Elnora Unger. He served time as an Agriculture agent, then a prison guard, and finally became a teacher. He was teaching at the Milton High School, a town about 20 miles away from Danville when I came to Danville.
Mrs. Elnora Unger Houck was a unique person. She was born one of 19 children on a small subsistence farm about 12 miles from Danville. Most of her siblings did not reach adulthood due to lack of money, medical care and other ills of the Great Depression. She told of wearing clothes made of potatoes sacks and walking all the way to town with her brothers and sisters to go to school. She had lost most of her hearing due to a disease, (rubella?) when she was a young child. So, she had this terrible handicap, but she was very smart and hardworking. She would get a scholarship to attend Bloomsburg College and became a teacher. She once worked at a small one room school that had grades 1 through 8 and she had to teach all of them! Needless to say, she had had a very tough and challenging life.
They were both of Germanic background. Strict, cold, harsh, noncommunicative, stern, quiet, and very religious. The family attended the First Baptist Church several blocks down the streets. This was to prove to be my saving "grace" in more ways than one!
They did not hug, praise, discuss anything at the table, or seem to have any intimacy with each other. Oh boy, this was going to be hard.
Susan was two years older than me, in the 3rd grade and Donald was 5 years ahead, in the 5th grade when I arrived in December 1958.
They lived on a large corner lot at the corner of Water Street and Cedar Street. It was about a quarter acre and most of the land was a very large garden that Mr. Houck maintained with great expertise and knowledge. We always had fresh vegetables in the spring and summer and fall.
Then there was Tabby, a beautiful calico cat that lived under the porch. She was not allowed into the house but kept the mice in fear around the garden! Tabby became my one true friend, confidant, and counselor!
Needless to say, the first years were chaotic and trouble-filled. I was a wild child, with no discipline, no education to speak of, no cultural understanding of either regular Korean society or, certainly not, this new American culture and this strict, harsh, cold family. The mixing did not go too well. I wanted and was desperately in need of hugs, nurturing, affirmations, help, guidance, and instruction. What I got was the Germanic coldness, the quiet, the do it yourself attitude, and high expectations form behavior which was not enunciated or clear. I was expected to fit in and did not. I was expected to be quiet, obedient, and do what I was supposed to. Except, I didn't know - what the expectations were, what my role was supposed to be, and how I was to act, talk, and behave. I learned as quickly as I could.
But there were several visits to the woodshed, literally. The house was heated by a giant wood burning stove that brought heated air from the furnace in the basement through a hole in the middle of the living room floor. In later years Mr. Houck personally installed a coal-fired, hot water heating system. He was a very skilled handyman and craftsman. But, near the furnace was a large woodpile, so indeed, I was taken down there several times to visit the woodshed.
Once, in total frustration and anger, I began to yell at Mrs. Houck in Korean. I vented my frustration and loss and desires. I wanted to be accepted, loved, hugged and affirmed that I was a member of the family, not just a house boy who did all the chores, washed the dishes, cleaned and waxed the kitchen floor, dusted the house and worked in the garden. I did not see their children do these things!
It turned out to be a big moment. When Mr. Houck came home, he took me to the woodshed and beat the heck out of my bottom with a big piece of wood. My bottom was bloody for several days. He clearly stated that "if you ever speak Korean again, you are going back to Korea and the orphanage"! This was a seminal moment. I made a decision then to never ever to speak Korean or even to think in Korean. I decided that I did not want to go back to the orphanage and the hunger, the pains, and the horrors of being an orphan. This would come back to haunt me much later as the psychological block would strongly block my attempts to relearn the Korean language.
And life went on.
I learned the language as quickly as I could. At this time Mrs. Houck nephew Carl was living at home with us in the spare room downstairs while he was finishing his teaching degree at Bloomsburg University. He became my tutor and mentor and spent much time teaching me to read. I would say his gentleness and kindness was a very strong influence on my life at that time. I learned to love to read and I read voraciously. When I did get my library card, I became a library lizard and spent hours and hours in the library, reading anything and everything. I loved the science books and the novels of adventure like "Treasure Island", "Kim", and Ryurd Kipling became my favorite author for a while.
Schooling began in January 1959. I went to school with Susan. We walked to school, me for the first time in my life to a formal school. I had new clothes which were itchy, a new pair of shoes that hurt and pinched, and new companions whom I did not understand, nor could they understand me. I was totally lost! The rest of first grade was a blur. I learned to read and count and do math mostly at home with Carl. I do not have fond memories of my first-grade teacher because of the way she made me feel unwelcome and unwanted in her class.
My second-grade teacher was Miss Barber and I do remember her kindness and gentleness. Third grade was a blur, and then things came to a head in 4th grade. I was making many transitions and adjustments. This was my fourth year in America and I thought I was making good adjustments. But, I was, in modern terms, ADHD and had difficulty sitting still, concentrating, and so on. Also, there were still several mean classmates and they exercised their options to bully and exclude me. So, one day I totally lost it and yelled out in class, threw things in frustration. My wonderful teacher, Mrs. Cohen called for help from Mrs. Eifert, the 5th-grade teacher, and Mr. Long, the 6th-grade teacher, and the school principal. They got me settled, calmed and then began the remediation and help phase. These three wonderful people saved my academic career. They could have thrown me away and sent me home, but they took time to counsel and help me. I am so ever thankful for these three Angels!
I was naturalized in fourth grade and it was a big event at school. Again, I appeared in the news as an orphan who became an American. This was a very important step and would be crucial in a few years.
Middle school years were full of the usual "coming of age" angst and frustrations and questions. Mine was a bit more complicated with the fact that I excelled in school work, but sucked horribly at the social part. I had no friends, I did not have a core support group, and was mostly a loner. Guess these years defined who I was to become.
High school was not much better. I continued to deliver the Danville News after school until the 10 grade when I got a job at Weis Markets.
No dates, no social hours, no visits to friends houses, if I would have had friends! Just me.
Then in the 12th-grade life took some big turns. I was accepted to the Naval Academy, which in 1969 was a very big honor. Once I obtained my admission to this prestigious school, I asked my "parens" for permission to get my driver's license. To non-Jewish males, turning 16 and getting your license is definitely one of the big "coming of age" moments. I was now 17 and waited until after the USNA admission was confirmed.
They said, "NO, we don't trust you"!!!
Really? The Danville News carrier of the year, Employee of the Month several times at Weis, Young Citizen of the Year, President of the Honor Society, of the Engineering Society, appointment and admission to the Naval Academy, near the top of my class, and never, ever been in any trouble at school or in town. Now I get this "we don't trust you!"!!!??
WTF!!!!!
So, I began my rebellion. I began my growth and changes into young adulthood.
I studied even less. Even got my first C ever in school.
I was invited out with my soon to be lifelong friend Barry Karchner and others in their small group. We would get into Barry's car, pool our resources and go to a nearby town and get a case of beer. Then we went to this nice quiet place by a creek and drank and talked. First several times I got drunk quickly and fell asleep. I was not a good drinker!!!
I also met a very cute young lady. I didn't drive, remember? So, I would walk to her house and she and her family would invite me inside and we spent the evening playing card and board games and such. We "dated" this way for a while. She was a year older and was attending Bloomsburg University. But, once I went away to USNA, the relationship quickly cooled and was done.
So, graduation came in May 1969. I was on the main stage with the honor students. I was given the certificate for admission to the Naval Academy. Several of the parents were more proud of me than even Mr. and Mrs. Houck seem to be that night.
And soon, after a short break, I was on my way to the United States Naval Academy.
Another chapter, another set of stories!
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