After the Fire

      More Letters From Paradise
           After the Fire
The fire must have happened sometime during the war.   Ferris Institute, founded by Woodbridge N.Ferris,(sp.?) was a pharmacy college.   It was located in the city of Big Rapids, Michigan.    The old brick building lay in ruin, but not far distant, the single-story yellow brick building was spared. This was I think, the alumni building.

My friends and I were bent on investigating the ruins, and see what treasures we might find.   After sifting through the ashes, we returned home with our glorious plunder.  There were large beakers, small beakers, both florence and erlenmyer flasks, ring stands, and bunsen burners without hoses.   We had struck paydirt.  Our Gilbert chemistry sets were fully augmented with our new equipment.  But, alas no retorts.

Following the fire several wood barracks were built to house the college.   The new and first G.I. Bill was made available to all returning servicemen and women.  They received checks from the government for going to school.  It was the opportunity to earn a college education.  Those returning G.I.'s attended Ferris Institute in barracks.   How ironic it must have seemed to them.
These new students were housed around the city in various homes.  They were known as "Pin Heads," by the local kids. Why?  Who knows?  My father was one of those students.

My parents had an old house at the corner of the Methodist Church and Rogers Funeral Home. Probably again due to the G.I. Bill.

We had two servicemen staying with us.  They  lived upstairs in a couple of rooms, and slept on surplus Army bunks.   They took their meals out.  There were a couple of restaurants a block away in town.  I think one was called the "Coffee Cup," and the other was a Greek owned restaurant called "Sellas Restaurant."

At our house on Friday nights my mother would invite the boys upstairs to come down for some cake or  pie, and coffee.   It was one big "Bull session."   Stories were swapped about their experiences during the war.  This was also when I heard some of my first dirty jokes.   I wish I could remember some of their war stories.  The jokes have been recycled I'm sure.

These G.I.'s were responsible for bringing some of the big bands of the time to our city.   Jimmy Dorsey, Ray Anthony, Billy May  and their orchestras played at Ferris, as well as at the high school.   I remember seeing the large busses they arrived in, and we danced to their music.

My mother had a degree from Adrian College, and had taught school during the war.  She was proud that she taught some college classes in those barracks.

Once, some time ago, I visited Big Rapids, and found that Ferris Institute is now a sprawling state university.   But this was what it was like just after the war.

           Aloha
           Grant