Traverse City Record-Eagle

Terry Wooten: Elders Project

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January 3, 2011

Lifelines: A sweet poetry duet

By TERRY WOOTEN Local columnist

Someone forgot to push the record button.

It was the first taped interview with Betty Bowden at Kingsley Middle School.

Mistakes happen when you're teaching kids how to record oral histories.

The next winter, the 21st Century site coordinator and I took three eighth-grade girls over to the Bowdens' home on a snowy day after school.

Betty had cheese, crackers and cider ready.

Her husband, Phil, joined us. The conversation and cassette tapes rolled. To this day that interview remains my favorite of all Elders Projects.

One of the girls, Kristina Woodworth, chose to write Betty's romance poems. I wrote Phil's side of the story.

It ended up a sweet little poetry duet. Kristina and the other two girls are now seniors. Betty and Phil are still "just kidding" around.

Phil "Pretty as a Rainbow Trout"

I remember her

when she was in grade school,

but we didn't know each other.

Then we became friends

in the same school.

We got started

at a dance in Summit.

I wasn't nervous

when I first asked her to dance,

and she wasn't either.

I drove a Chevy.

Dad was a mail carrier

and always had good cars.

I got to drive all the time.

While Betty was in college,

I went downstate

to Detroit and Pontiac

trying to get a job.

They'd ask me my age and say,

"We can't do it …"

There was a draft coming

so I volunteered.

Betty "Phil"

I always thought Phil was cute,

and he drove a nice car.

Our family had old broken down cars

you had to push to start.

Phil dressed well

with clothes from the store.

My clothes were homemade.

He was a cut above

the rest of the fellows,

and he was kind.

My younger sister was dating a guy

from Summit at the same time.

It was two boys from Summit

and two girls from the farm,

and there were dance halls.

One night Phil and Bob

had some whiskey.

Jean and I got hold of it

and poured it on the ground.

Phil says it's a wonder

he's still with me today.

-- Kristina Woodworth

Phil "Home Leave"

When the bad news of Pearl Harbor came

I was stationed at Fort Knox

and had three months to go.

I knew

I was in for the war.

I was home on furlough

and my leave was up.

Betty said, "Well, let's get married."

I said, "Okay."

So we did

on January 10, 1942

at a preacher's house in Cadillac.

I was twenty four and she was twenty.

Next day

I had to go back to Fort Knox.

There was a blizzard on the tenth,

and we had to get all the way home.

We spent our wedding night

at my folks,

snowed in.

Next morning

we walked out to Kingsley

for me to catch a bus.

Betty "Just Kidding"

I was home from teaching school (in Evart),

on Christmas vacation.

Phil was home on furlough.

Bob, Phil and I were just riding

around the forests.

Bob said, "Phil, I heard that

you can get married in three days."

You didn't have to wait

the week waiting period.

So I said to Phil,

"Let's get married."

He said, "Okay."

We were just kidding.

Three days later we were married.

I had a corsage of yellow roses,

and a new dress

I'd shortened that morning.

It's been (sixty eight) years.

When did we stop kidding?

-- Kristina Woodworth

Phil "AWOL"

I saw Betty one more time

when I came home AWOL.

I didn't get into trouble.

We were getting ready to ship out

and they didn't have time

to do anything.

We trained in Ireland for three months,

then went across the Irish Sea

to England.

Stayed in England two weeks,

and Scotland two weeks,

then sailed for North Africa.

Betty "Heartbroken"

We saw each other once more.

Phil came home AWOL

from Fort Knox towards spring.

He was sent

to Fort Dix. (New Jersey)

I was hoping school would get out

so I could see him…

but he sailed off the day school ended.

He didn't get home again

for two and a half years.

-- Kristina Woodworth

Poet Bard Terry Wooten has been performing and conducting writing workshops in schools for 27 years. He is the creator of Stone Circle. Learn more about him at www.terry-wooten.com.

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