"I may not agree with what you say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it." I grew up thinking that that quote was authored by my maternal grandfather, Albert E. Salmons. My mother greatly revered her father, was always quoting something he said, and that quote, originally by Voltaire, was the one she referred to the most. Some other sayings that she attributed to him included: "To avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing and be nothing", "If you're looking for friends without any faults, you won't have any friends", and "The pendulum will swing one way and then it will swing back."
If it hadn't been for Mom's accounts, I would have only known Poppop Salmons as a jolly, fun-loving grandfather with a distinct laugh, "Uh, Uh, Uh!" I remember him taking my cousin PJ and I, when we were about four, on a walk down some type of a long, grassy mountain to see "the water". Part of the way down, we came upon a place where there was a clearing in which there was a huge slide - bigger than I had ever seen. I remember running toward that slide with Poppop laughing, "Uh, Uh, Uh!" I don't think we ever got to "the water". When I was seven, he took me over to the five and dime in Mansfield to get each of us a three dip ice cream cone. I could only make it through one and one half dips before I had my fill.
However, Poppop was more than a jolly grandfather. He had been a skilled craftsman, a supervisor, a writer, a philosopher and a very wise and principled man. Today I remember him on the day of his birth. Poppop was born on August 8, 1899. Yes - 1899! It seemed as though he was born to ring in the 20th century and to help guide it on it's way.
Poppop was one of five children born to James Albert Salmons and Amy Barrett Salmons. He had a brother, Walter. He had two older sisters, Ada and Emily, and a younger sister, Florence. I remember those ladies in their elderly years, referred to by everyone as "the aunts". They sat in the back of every family gathering that occurred when I was a child. I know little about their youth. The only story that was passed down was about Poppop working hard to buy his mother a broach. When he gave it to her, she actually scolded him for spending too much money on something that wasn't necessary. He never knew how much it meant to her until years later, when he found it among her most treasured belongings.
Poppop didn't get married until he was 32 years old, when he fell in love with Nana, who was only 17! Nana and Poppop had five children. On Sundays, Poppop would take his family for an afternoon drive in one of those old-time cars. All five children would be standing up in the backseat, excitedly waiting for him to hit the next bump so they would all be knocked down. Once a week Poppop would delight his children by bringing home ice cream. The children would jubilantly spread newspapers out in front of themselves so they wouldn't spill ice cream on anything. When grandchildren started coming along, Poppop pretended to have a money tree in his front yard. He would somehow attach coins and dollar bills to the tree and the children would pick them off. Before there was television, Poppop entertained himself by listening to a radical preacher on the radio. Poppop would sit next to the radio while the preacher was ranting and raving, laughing like crazy, as though it was a comedy show.
Poppop worked in the tool and die industry, where he started his own business. The business was later passed down to his sons and later to their sons (and daughters). Poppop supervised many men over the years. He also wrote articles for some type of magazine or column. The articles were about leadership. Mom said that his articles talked about how important it is for managers to treat their workers well, to respect and value them. He practiced what he preached on the job. Mom said that he used to take all their wet boots and put them by the fireplace to dry. He was the kind of leader that Jesus described in the gospels - a servant leader.
Poppop was an eternal optimist with a great sense of humor, but his life was not all fun and games. Nothing at that time prepared someone to live with a spouse who would suddenly get depressed for no reason and then try to kill herself. No one back then understood Bipolar Disorder, or how to properly treat it.
After Nana passed away in 1974, Poppop was quick to explore what the world had to offer to a retired bachelor in his golden years. He frequently got dressed up and went out dancing. He developed a relationship with a woman named Rena. He discovered the Egg McMuffin and decided that it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. He would often take his three daughters out for lunch and embarrass them by loudly exclaiming, "I'm sitting here with the three most beautiful women in the whole place!"
There was a huge celebration at my house on Poppop's 80th birthday, and we were glad we had it because Poppop passed away only a few months later. He probably would have lived much longer if it had not been for a botched surgery to address an anuerysm that resulted in a lawsuit that his children won.
Countless are the ways that life had changed in the time that Poppop walked the earth, and since his departure from it. However, his legacy of wisdom, kindness and laughter is a timeless heirloom. It is as valuable today as it was on the day of his birth.
Happy Heavenly Birthday, Poppop! Today we celebrate your life, and tonight we're gonna party like it's 1899!!!
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