Life on the GI Bill

While I was in Wilbur for the summer, we spent some time in Crete, the commercial seat of Saline County, and I ran into the friend who had flown us to National Guard camp. His father owned Crete Mills and he was expected to take over the business. He was not too interested in working for a living and his father indulged him. One such indulgence was a compact sport car just coming into popularity at the time.

He bragged that even though it was small, his car had lots of power. To prove it he bet he could get his car up and over a haystack just outside the mill site. Quite a crowd gathered to see the event and were amazed to see the little vehicle dig in the loose hay, grab hold and move over the top and down the back side.

Our friend was not satisfied, however. He now wanted to bet somebody he could do the same thing by backing all the way over the haystack.

He got someone to take his bet and he turned the car around to back into the pile of hay. He went about half way up when the wheels began to spin but did not take hold. The spinning created friction, which caused combustion, and a resulting fire. Our sport bailed out just before the car caught fire and exploded.

I heard later he went to work for his father and his escapades subsided as he outgrew his penchant for pranks.

A friend from Wahoo, Duane Noble, was returning to school also and we rented an apartment in Lincoln for the fall term. Duane liked to cook so I did the dishes and most of the cleaning (which I will admit was not a great deal). He shopped just like a true homemaker so we ate pretty well and at a reasonable cost. Whenever either of us bought anything for the apartment we put the receipt in a jar. At the end of the month we would add them up. The one paying the least owed the other the difference to even it out. The system worked fine.

My GI Bill allowance of $110 a month pretty well took care of my expenses in that fall of 1954, except for tuition. I borrowed $125 on a life insurance policy for that.