Recipes for Living Charles and Jerry Phillips

Geraldine (Jerry) was the oldest of six children born to Rollie and Bernice Dale. Jerry's great grandfather, on her mother's side, was born in 1828 and served in the Civil War. He was wounded and returned home; but, when he had recovered, he returned to the service. After the war, he farmed near Derby.

Great-grandpa John Preston was born in New Jersey, the youngest of five children born to Thomas and Elanor Preston. When he was young, John moved with his parents to Knox County, Illinois, and later married Martha Ann Snuggs, who had been born in 1840. She had come to America from England and brought with her a jewelry box that is now at least 150 years old. Charles' and Jerry's youngest daughter, Mary, has it as well as a gold watch on a chain from the same owner. On it are the initials, MAP, which are the same as Mary's and the reason she has been given those items and a crystal punch bowl. All have become precious keepsakes.

John and Martha moved to Lucas County, Iowa, and established their first homestead, built a home and farmed 80 acres of land. When John's brother came home from the Civil War, he lived with them and went into business as a blacksmith. John and Martha were unable to have children and, in 1874, adopted Ida Sargent when she was four-years-old. Ida became Jerry's grandmother. She died in 1963 at the age of93. Jerry's grandfather, H.B. (Herbert) Murray, fought in the Spanish American War and died in 1941. He farmed in Tuskeego, a village west of Lamoni.

John Preston lost $10,000 in the Chariton bank, when the bank president absconded with the money. The banker later took his life. John got fed up with all this and moved to Tuskeego. It was at that time a thriving community with enough activity to warrant a report of their activities in the Leon paper. There was a store, a depot, and two churches, of which the Baptist is still standing, although showing years of neglect. John built a 15-room duplex with his family living on one side and Ida and her family on the other. Paul and Ada Griffith of Lamoni bought it, modernized it and it is a beautiful structure, still standing. ·

Jerry's other grandmother, Harriet (nicknamed Hattie), was born in Massachusetts in 1859, and died on the "home place" near Leon in 1954. Her father was H.B. Brothers. He was born in Canada in 1834. His parents worked in a cotton factory at the close of the Civil War. He composed and taught band music and became a merchant in Grand River. Grandfather John A Dale was born in Hamilton County, Indiana, in 1852, and died on the "home place". Harriet and John Dale were the parents of eight children: Homer, Rollie (Jerry's father), Henry, Pearl, Gladys, Ada, Madge, and Florence, who died when she was a baby. Homer was in World War I, as was Rollie. Homer died of pneumonia in France. His mother, Jerry's grandmother, was a Gold Star mother and given a trip to France to visit Homer's grave. Rollie, Jerry's father, was in the medical corps.

Jerry's parents were married in 1921. Even though World War I had ended in 1918, the memory was still strong in peoples' minds and her father served for a time in the military before he became a fireman with the railroad. Next oldest to Jerry, five years younger, is her sister, Beverly. Her home is in St. Joseph, Missouri. Next was a brother, John, who like his father was employed by the railroad. He lived in Chicago and was an engineer on commuter trains. During that time he narrowly escaped death. The original schedule would have put him on one of the trains which collided with another and many people were killed. He became a traveling engineer with the railroad. Trains had speed limits, particularly at bad curves, and his job was to monitor their compliance. He had a whistle that he carried with him and on one occasion he used it on a highway to the surprise of a speeding trucker. John now is retired and lives in Slater, Missouri.

Next in line is Donald who lives in Garden Grove, Iowa; Rodman (Rod) in Des Moines; and Dennis, the "baby", is also in Garden Grove. It took a long time for Dennis to realize that Jerry was his sister because she was grown and moved from home by the time he was born. Both Dennis and Donald drove for Jimmy Dean Meat Company when they had a plant in Osceola. Now Dennis has his own tractor and trucks for hire. Jerry remarked that anyone who eats or has coffee at Family Table in Osceola possibly has met Donald because he is often there and doesn't regard anyone as a stranger.

In 1934 Jerry's parents moved to Garden Grove. Her father had a mechanic's shop as well as doing custom work; i.e., going to farms to work on machinery that needed attention. Dennis joined him, after serving in the Navy at the time of the Viet Nam conflict, and going to a mechanic's school in Omaha. At that time there was not a restaurant in Garden Grove so Jerry's mother cooked for teachers and her daughters helped. Jerry said, "I suppose that is where I learned to cook." At the present time their daughter, Mary, is compiling a cookbook called Mama’s Cookin’ for which Jerry already has numerous requests.

Jerry went to high school at Garden Grove, which is now Mormon Trail During her high school years, she met Charles.

Charles is of Irish descent and was born in 1921, in Oakland, Iowa, which is near Council Bluffs. His siblings were born about two years apart and the order of birth are: Roberta, Charles, Lloyd, Geary, Elva (Downing), and Vada (Wickliff ) of Newton. Except for Vada, they all live around Osceola. Roberta and Lloyd are now deceased "as are most of the people my age," Charles said. "I went to a rodeo one time during which they honored the deceased. I was shocked to realize how many my age have long since been gone. I don't worry about it. I figure that when He is ready for me, He'll come get me."

Even though Charles' father had a high school education, he did not allow his sons to go past the 8th grade in country school Granted, they lived about seven miles out of town and it would have taken many hours in the day to walk to the high school and back, but the girls were permitted to go by boarding in town. Charles admits, "I've always kind of held it against my dad."

In those days March 1st was considered "moving day" and farm renters moved nearly every year. In 1936 the family left Pottawattamie County and moved to Clarke, to a farm about seven miles southeast of Osceola. Most memorable from those years were the snow of '36 and ice the following year. It was so cold and seemed to snow every day until it was over fences everywhere and drifted higher where it was affected by wind. It was packed so firmly that it supported horses and wagons that drove over the top of it. This was the only mode of transportation. Snow plows tried to clear highways but finally the WPA (Works Project Administration, a government agency set up as part of President Roosevelt's New Deal) had to scoop snow ahead of the plows. "We don't have snows like that anymore."

The next year was nearly as bad when there was sleet that formed a sheet of ice and froze for weeks. "It was lots of fun for kids but not so much for the farmers who had to contend with it." In those years Charles worked away from home. He worked for Emil Sampson, father of Wilma Kentner and her sisters, for $2.00 a week plus board and room, and was glad to have a job. He also worked for Emory Steele, Everett Mateer, and Ben Cochran (Lola Hunt's father) during which time he met Jerry.

Jerry's friend, Hazel Rumley Christensen, had a date with a fellow who didn't have a car. Charles met that requirement. His first car was a Chevy that he bought for $55 from "Slats" Simpson who worked for Lewis Chevrolet in Osceola. He traded for a fancier one that had free wheeling. This meant that, even though it was illegal, it could be disengaged for going down hill and thus save on gas. The car he had at the time he and Jerry started dating was a De Soto.

Their dating continued. Charles jokes that Jerry filled a qualification-he was looking for a girl with naturally curly hair because of all the money he could save on permanents. He tells that the final decision was made when he received a letter from Jerry telling him to come over at such and such a time and they would get married. When Jerry claimed no memory of that, he volunteered to get the letter but didn't do it.

Whether or not there is any substance to that story, they were married on September 20, 1942. It was in spite of Jerry's mother's disapproval because Charles had been drafted and was due to go into the service. They were married in Jerry's parents' home, which, she recalls, had 14 rooms. Just inside the front door was an open staircase that wound to the second story and she and her father walked down the stairs. One of them tripped and frightened them to death, imagining how it would look to have them both tumbling down in full view of their guests; but it didn't happen.

Kathryn Condit was Jerry's maid of honor and Charles' best man was his younger brother, Geary. There were about 40 guests. It was a Sunday morning and they celebrated with a brunch that probably included chicken salad sandwiches, ice cream and cake. They had a one-day honeymoon in Des Moines before Charles left for his term in the military.

Charles became a mechanic in the Army Air Force. He passed through Camp Dodge and received his training at Wichita Falls, Texas; Patterson, New Jersey; and Salt Lake City, before going to Long Beach, California. From there he was sent to India.

This Iowa farm boy was put aboard an old luxury liner converted for use in transporting servicemen. The upper deck had been boarded up and was the quarters for 7,000 who were in the military. There were an additional 2,000 passengers. The seas were extremely rough and, during one storm, the ship rolled enough that with each wave it dipped water then dumped it as it rolled back. Many of the men became extremely seasick and three of the men disappeared.

They had only two meals a day and by the time they arrived at their first stop at Tasmania, a small island off the coast of Australia, they were extremely hungry. Charles and a buddy took the street car to the end of the line, intending to walk back. On the way a couple came out of a house and asked if they would like to come in for tea. They accepted and were served a five course dinner. During their visit the couple told them how much the people from that area hate the British. They have some justification because this is where England sent their prisoners. The couple told them about a time when two ships docked there filled with African-Americans, who called themselves American Indians.

Charles wonders how much heavier the ship was by the time they put out to sea again because the servicemen had bought all the food they could take with them. There was nothing on the island left to be served but cheese sandwiches. The route of the ship was around Australia and at the lower point, Perth, they were given an escort. They zigzagged from then on to avoid submarines.

They landed on the coast of India and for the next three years were given an experience that seems unreal. For anyone who has not been to India, it is hard to imagine the dirt, the poverty, and the deprivation of rights which are taken for granted in America. For anyone who has been there, the sights, sounds and smells will not be forgotten. The men had an immediate introduction to the country on their two-week trip across to Bombay, on to Karachi, and from there to Tezzpur, which is near the coast of China. Part of the trip was on a river boat and rats ran over them all night. They were then put aboard a British train.

There was no dining-car. The men became so hungry that they went to great lengths to have something to eat. Whenever they had an opportunity to get off the train, they had dried biscuits, a pot of tea and sardines. Charles is allergic to fish so didn't eat. At crossing stops, Indian people came with boiled eggs and fruit. All in all, they had some interesting experiences with eggs. There was a time when Charles and a buddy ate three dozen at one sitting. On another occasion the fellows bought a dozen eggs and looked forward to a treat of fried eggs. They poured oil into a pan, started to break the eggs only to discover they had been boiled. They shelled, sliced, fried, and ate them anyway.

One day they found someone with a duck and decided to boil it. "We boiled it and boiled it but never could get it tender enough to eat. I don't know how old that duck was, but the broth was sure good. These things seem funny now but not then." They were to discover various peculiarities in foodstuffs; i.e., the butter wouldn't melt and the sugar wouldn't dissolve.

India was under the jurisdiction of England until 1945 and suffered much because of that. American servicemen did not think much of the lend-lease system under which the English got American rations for their servicemen while the Americans got the English rations. The English kept American cigarettes and sold Americans the Indian ones. Those were thin, short, brown ones. Hardly interchangeable!

Other differences the men were forced to adjust to: Beggars of all ages were and still are everywhere. Service people such as barbers and dentists do not have offices but mats laid on the ground. They and their customers or patients squat on the mats for service. Charles' buddy had an Elgin watch that quit running. They took it to such a spot and asked if it could be fixed. The man found the problem, a broken main spring, assured them that he could fix it and did. He charged them 30¢ and the last Charles knew, it was still running.

There were no burial rites such as we know them. Children who died under a certain age were thrown into a river where their bodies were eaten by enormous turtles, about 6' across. Older children's and adult bodies were laid on a brush pile of wood chosen according to their station in life. The stench was beyond description.

It needs to be acknowledged that Indian people are intelligent and caring. It is hard to realize the effects of not having had self-rule for centuries of time and having the country continually drained of all its wealth. Some of what Charles saw made him marvel at their ingenuity. He has souvenirs of carvings. He brought home some carved small elephants and remembers what happened when some of the officers wanted to buy larger ones. Poor communication resulted in natives listening to their request and, in their eagerness to comply, returning days later with three live elephants. In Charles' words, "We had quite a time getting rid of those!"

There is every religion in India and evidence thereof in shrines and temples. The fellows became aware of the requirement to honor the gods by removing their shoes upon entering a temple. They did sightseeing when they had opportunity. Two sites they visited were the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort. In the latter case, Charles saw what he calls the world's first air conditioning. They dug a huge well, 16' across the top with a double wall and steps down to the water. An airflow was transported to and cooled the palace.

The Taj Mahal was begun in 1631 and completed in 1648. The Shah, Jahan, was married to Mumtaz Mahal who died giving birth to her 14th child. He was away on a campaign and was so devastated when he discovered her death that he built this shrine which became one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The intricate carving is still there, but English people pried the precious stones out of the walls and replaced them with fake ones. The real gems are now in the possession of the royal family in England, a part of the crown jewels.

At the camp were other peculiarities to contend with. There were huge bats, some with a 4' wing span. They clustered in banyan trees during the days and in the evening came out. They flew in a perfectly straight line and would go over the barracks until the men began to find sport in shooting them with sling shots. The bats learned to break rank just before going over the barracks and then get into their line again when they were out of range.

There was no hot water and the men had locals do their laundry. This was done in a stream, the clothes laid on rocks and beaten with other rocks. They were pressed with irons that had charcoal in the top to keep them hot. Whatever kind of ink they used to mark laundry would be hard to tell. Charles and several others were so allergic to it that they had to be hospitalized.

A little boy did errands for the six fellows in the barracks and they thought of pooling their money to send him to college but he told them it would be no use. He could only do whatever his father had done. There was no chance of his ever rising above the caste into which he had been born. His anticipated salary would be similar to that of his father, about $30 a month.

Their participation in the war was delivery of supplies to China, specifically gasoline; but often the fog was so thick that they couldn't land and had to fly it back. Their route took them over the Himalayan mountains, one range being so high that it was called "the hump". Even though he was a mechanic, Charles had to go along as aerial engineer. The pilots had been trained for take off and landing but knew nothing about the instruments. While the planes were on the ground, the mechanics had the responsibility of servicing them. The camp also experienced enemy attacks. From time to time they would have to take to a trench to avoid the bombs.

Charles was discharged in November, 1945, and started farming with Ben and Lettie Cochran, Lola Cochran Hunt's parents, whom he considers family. When the Cochrans moved to Murray, he went into partnership with Charles Twombley and later bought land near Weldon. He and Jerry farmed 440 acres in what they call general farming-crops of hay, corn, beans and oats-and livestock: cows, sheep, hogs, and, after several years, a riding horse. They had a team of horses, Dick and Jerry, before tractors came into being.

They took advantage of what Charles had learned was available and ordered an army building that was to come in sections from Mississippi. "Army snafu" is not an unusual phrase and, accordingly, the building was shipped in pieces and they got parts of two different houses. Of course, another party, who had placed a similar order, had the same problem. But the shrewdness of the transaction was that for the basic structure of their home they paid $275. As the family grew to include three children, they added on to the south side of the house. The children were born two years apart: Linda in June, 1947; Ivan in February, 1949; and Mary in April, 1951. Jerry would like to have delayed Mary's birth a half hour in which case she would have been born on Jerry's birthday. As it was, she was born on the birthday of Charles' brother Geary's daughter. Linda and Ivan went to country school, and then to Weldon, where Mary started in third grade.

Charles remembers that he and Jerry were rather strict parents. "It doesn't hurt at all to use physical means to get the kids' attention. Things people get by with now could have been prevented by the plum switch I used." He referred to an incident after Jerry had begun working and he was in charge. The children had been warned that they were never to go to the pond, but one day they didn't answer when he called to them. He could see them at the pond, got into the car and went after them. They saw him coming, scrambled over a fence and started for the house. But Charles had found the plum switch and followed, switching them all the way.

In the early 60's the Phillips were so poor that they began looking for outside employment to increase their income. Charles talked about going to Greenland, where carpenters were being paid high wages. Instead of that, Jerry applied for work at Clarke County Hospital. She had worked for Dr. Harken in his private hospital while Charles was in the service. She had on-the job training experience with Miss O'Neil and Mrs. See.

In mid-century, the private hospitals in Osceola ceased to exist, with doctors Dean, Harken and Stray coming to and beyond retirement age. The "Doc Dean house" and Dr. Harken's hospital are still standing, now serving other purposes. A new facility, the Clarke County Hospital, was built in 1953, consisting of one wing with approximately 30 beds on one floor. It provided for everything to be done-surgeries, deliveries, and general treatment. There was confidence in local doctors and patients were not sent to Des Moines. There were fewer regulations and the present protection from malpractice suits was not a concern.

Jerry started working part-time at Clarke County Hospital after the death of Grace Hylton. She worked the 11:00 p.m.-7:00a.m. shift in order to be home when the children were there. She worked those hours for 10 years and for the last four, 7:00 to 3:00. When she was ready to retire, she agreed to work part-time but the first call was for her to work over the Thanksgiving holiday. Mary was coming home and Jerry decided that her preference was spending time with Mary, so she told the caller to forget it.

When Jerry had started the hospital job, the children were small but grown by the time she quit. Each one had gone to Weldon to school until the 6th grade, had come to Osceola and graduated from Clarke Community Schools.

Linda went to work for O'Bryan factory at Leon, worked several years for Furnas Electric Company in Osceola and is presently working at the Federal Reserve Bank in Minneapolis. She will have been there two years in November, 1999. She has two sons-Tracey, whose family lives in Missouri; and Stacy, who lives in Osceola.

Ivan went into the Navy after graduating from high school. He was a fireman on a destroyer and their home port was Subic Bay in the Philippines. After his ten years of service, he and his wife settled in California. She was originally from the Philippines and there are many pieces of art and craft work from there in the Phillips' home. Ivan's home is in a suburb of Los Angeles, the little town of Arleta. He has been employed in the maintenance department of Burbank Studios for 20 years and additionally has had his own cleaning business for 15 years.

Mary Ann was the happy-go-lucky one and still is. She didn't have to work for her lessons and, when she graduated, she tossed down her books and said, "See, Dad. I didn't need all that." She went to Minneapolis Humboldt Institute with the goal of becoming a flight attendant, but chose another career later. She worked at WCCO television and then went to work for the Federal Reserve Bank where she has been for 25 years. The employees are well taken care of. Their benefits are excellent and because of her tenure this year she will be allowed five weeks of vacation. In the fore part of June (1999) she will come to Osceola to get Charles and Jerry to take them home with her for three weeks. They are really looking forward to this.

Charles and Jerry have had the wonderful experience of celebrating both their 40th and 50th anniversaries. Their 40th occurred while they were still on their acreage and the 50th after they had moved to 1015 Park Lane, their present home. For each occasion they have books containing letters, lists of donors of gifts, and pictures of the many friends and family members who gathered.

Since 1943 Jerry has had a pen pal, Betty, in England. One of the girls Jerry worked with at Dr. Harken's hospital had her name and it sounded nice, so they began writing. Betty had lost her husband in 1992, but her daughter thought she should come for the Phillips' 50th anniversary and she did. She and Jerry had been corresponding for 49 years at that time. Mary had written several television stations and Channel 13 came with a camera crew to take pictures. Betty was here about a month, met the whole family and Charles and Jerry took her lots of places throughout Iowa. It was a great experience.

During the years, however, health problems have developed for both of them. Charles has had five little strokes which have resulted in his being weak. He has a heart valve leakage but the doctor says the condition is not serious enough to suggest surgery. He has an eye problem about which his ophthalmologist said he could do nothing more, but Dr. Hoadley discovered that he has an eyelid inflammation, blepharitis. Charles was formerly active in VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) and American Legion but presently is homebound.

Throughout her life, Jerry has had 12 surgeries-tonsils, appendix, gall bladder, a hysterectomy and surgery for cancer. The latter developed in 1973 and the radiation treatment caused her to be burned internally. She continues to live with consequences of that. In 1990 and 1994, she had knee replacements and, in 1997, still from results of radiation, she was in the hospital for 10 weeks followed by nine weeks of home care. Jerry still drives, however, and is active in Federated Women's Club, United Methodist Women (UMW), Sarah Rebekah Lodge and Past Noble Grand, and once a month goes to Nifty Needle Club.

Ruth Lauser wrote the following poem on the occasion of their 50th anniversary:

This is dedicated to Charles and Jerry:
In 1942 they decided to marry
In 50 years I'm sure they had some strife
But with love and patience they made a good life.

They started dating in their teens
When money was tight but not the jeans,
A dollar would fill a large grocery sack
And now all it does is pay the tax.

They were meant to meet as their first date was blind
A year and a half later Charles decided its time
To ask Jerry to tie the knot
The year you know---Garden Grove was the spot.

Life wasn't easy during the war
Charles left to serve the Air Corps.
He made it home in forty-five
To a farm in Lacelle where they both reside.

Linda, Ivan and Mary Ann brought them joy
Also two grandchildren---both of them boys
Charles farmed and Jerry was a nurse
And I'm sure many times their roles were reversed.

I may not have Jerry a friend anymore
When I reveal how loudly she snores
If Charles has a fault I heard no complaint
So I just assume he must be a saint.

They both have sisters and brothers
And Jerry has a wonderful mother.
Jerry can cook a meal fit for a king
And Charles can repair almost anything.

In '84 they decided it time
To move to a house they bought in the pines
They give so much more than they take
And I, among many, think they are great.

In our midst we have a guest
Who is here by special request
She came from England to help celebrate
Hopefully when she leaves, she will think Iowa great.

Now I know this poem is no Thoreau
But I am related I want you to know
But I'm sure poor Henry would be so ashamed
That to help this poem I used his name.

A big salute to Charles and Jerry
For the 50 years they've been happily married
Your children, family and friends by the score
Wish you Happy Anniversary and many more.