When the monthly bank statement came in the mail, without opening the envelope, Dad would predict whether our spending had exceeded our budget, or not.

Remember in the old Johnny Carson T.V. show where he would come out with a ridiculous cape and head turban, and Ed McMann would hand him envelopes which Johnny would pretend to divine the answer before the question? Well, we were doing this at our house years earlier.

Even for me in Junior High School, I could explain why Dad was able to predict our spending. In those days, the U.S. Post Office charge .03 for the first ounce of first-class mail. So, if all our checks were $5.00, or under, then if our monthly expenses were within bounds then a .03 stamp would be sufficient. If our expenses were greater then it would take more postage.

While I never went to the bank with Dad, I knew he had a good relationship with Mr. Yetter, the banker. In several past incidences when he bought cattle, that would have required a loan of several hundred or even thousands of dollars. In the several cattle deals, I don’t think we ever came out ahead and made a profit.
When I graduate from High School and was working on a drilling rig as a ‘roughneck’ I would send as much money home as I could. I only kept enough to my rent and for food. Dad put my money in his account.

So, when September rolled around, we packed me off to Texas A. & M. Dad went with me around to register, be issued uniforms, and such. While I never felt intimidated, or stressed, I could see that it did stress Dad!

After all this, we packed up all my clothes and they carried them back home. From here on, I would live and go to classes in uniforms. When we had finished everything and my family was ready to go back home, Dad handed me his check book and said, “Be as careful as you can!” I know he had planned at the bank to cover my expenses if there wasn’t enough in our account.

Only after several years when I was out of the Air Force and working, Dad told me that the banker had asked him if he thought I might be interested in coming to work at the bank. Dad never mentioned it to me at the time, but he told the banker he didn’t think I was interested.

However, I know my career was followed with interest because there weren’t that many who were Saint Jo high school graduates that ever went to college or were commissioned. Just Sayin…RJS