1 Apr 1951 Jahr - John McBride

Beschreibung:

In 1951, Kansas City, Kansas, experienced a major flood due to torrential rains. A young man named John McBride witnessed firsthand the destruction. He responded by facing challenges that helped prepare him for the future. The following is his story.

When the flood happened, there was water everywhere. The river came through and covered houses and businesses in low lying areas. People had to relocate. My father helped me get a job with the H.D. Lee Company located at 20th & Wyandotte in Kansas City, Missouri. The company manufactured jean clothing. They had a warehouse in the Fairfax district that underwent much damage. All of the clothes were wet and needed transporting to various area laundromats and cleaners. Truck drivers were required to haul the damaged goods to those locations. Many men refused to work. They didn't want any contact with the contaminated goods. I had to get a typhoid shot like the other workers that remained on the job. I told my boss, "Mrs. Birch, I can drive that big truck to transport those clothes." She didn't know; I had never driven a big tractor truck or seen the inside of one. In desperation, she gave me the keys. She said, ‘You be careful with that truck!’ I went to where it was parked, started it up, and put it in gear. I headed out unto a straight road to practice driving for about 30 minutes.

Finally, I drove to the warehouse. I needed to back the truck into the dock and failed horribly. I pulled up and back three times. The dock guys were getting upset and started complaining. On
the fourth, I pulled right up to the dock, and immediately they began to load. Soon I was making pick-ups and drop-offs all over town. I later became a clothing cutter making $45 a week.

I worked for H.D. Lee all summer until school began. I was able to buy myself a nice 38 Pontiac with the gear shift on the steering wheel. That job challenged and prepared me for life. I felt like I could accomplish anything. I held several productive positions at other businesses, working myself through the ranks.

In 1968, I started working for TWA. I drove a great distance daily and would race guys during the stretch. They would often get pulled over and ticketed by the police. I would slow down beforehand because I knew where the officers parked. Back then, I was pretty mischievous.

While at TWA, I met a lot of people, including movie actors. I was even an extra in a feature film. I made a good salary and took care of my family. I retired from that place in 1998.

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