Gerald W. Smith Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield

Gerald W. Smith , 61
convention in Galesburg that day and a big pwade. I went down the
or three times and the worn who ran the place was
parades, and I couldn't find anybody there. I was
went back to see Professor Witford, who said, 'Well,
I'll tell you about. Therefs a man by the nam of Mr.
He's an elderly man, a widower and a real estate man.
large house out on the north side of Galesburg and he's
man to live with him, take care of his house and the
But he's not always the easiest m to work with."
Then he told re of the young m that worked there two years. MY. Morey
thowt a pat deal of the young man who happeried to be the son-in-law of
the dean of the colleg. Then, he said, next year he had four boys, after
which he gave up in disgust. He said, "If you and I@. Morey can get along
it '11 be a pod job. He said, "If you want to see him, go see him." So, I
went over to Mr. brey's offlce and saw him and he said, 'Well, afger lunch
you corn back and 1'11 take you out and show you qy little cottage &d we '11
look at It." So in the afternoon we went out to see his place and his little
cottage was a sixteen room house, (laughter) in which he was living alone
as a widower. I took the job and in my freshman year. I was to take care
of the house and prepw the breakfast, That way I had i-qy room and
breakfast provided for. I had to do something about the other mails sore
other way. So I entered Knox that way.
I scouted about for other jobs, odd jobs to buy noon and evening mals.
At about Thanksgivingtim I found this matter of scouting around for these
extra jobs a bit of a burden. By that time Mr. Morey and I were getting
along-and by the way, I was there all four years; a rich experience--so,
I said to Mr. Morey , "You how, Mr. krey, you've st this big house, "--and
he liked for me to take care of his cavl and the driving--I sad, "You've
got plenty of work here and I'd just as soon do mre work. Would it be
all ri&t with you if I did mre work and had rq~ evening ma1 here?" I said,
'II'd be willing to cook it wself if you dl1 bqy the food." He said, 'Well,
Sonny ," by that tim he was calling me Sonny, (lau@s) he said, "That ' s a
good idea, I get tired eating out, 1'11 eat with you." So for the rest of
qy fl-eshman year I p~pared the mming and the evening mals and took care
of the house and we lived together. At the end of ny fieshrran year he asked
m if I was coming back and I said, "I would like to, but I would like a
new armngement,ll +'And what is that?" And I said, Well in addition to
noon and evening mals at home, I would like to eat lunch at the dormitory
at the college. I'd like for you to pw for it. " (la&s) So, he agreed
to it, so the rest of rry college days I regulwly ate noon ma1 in that
comn dining mom.
By the way, you had to have permission to live off the campus, but during
four years then I emed board and room. But by and large by living
with Nr. Morey and keeping house and cooking for him and looking after the
house we became fast friends. At that time he was getting up clase to re7
tiremnt . He had one sister who lived in Galesburg. He had a daughter
and husband and a @andchild--who was born the first year I lived with
him--who lived in Peoria. The man over there was a lawyer. That was his
total family, so- I became a part of the family, you see, and I'm sure that