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  This team of matched grays was typical of the horses Dad raised. It was the first team I ever drove. The lad in the picture is Ernie. Dad started his sons at an early age. We were driving teams in the field as young as eight, and he always worked along beside us with another team.
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  The three Metzger boys, taken in 1914. This was Lawrence's and my first store made suit. Mumsie made most of our clothes before this time. Ernie eventually inherited them. I never ask him how he felt about this.
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  MY BROTHERS LAWRENCE & ERNEST I was born April 1, 1907, and on October 25, 1908 Lawrence came into this world, and we were close enough in age for us to have many common experiences. Ernest was born November 27, 1912, more than five years later, and although he went to the same one room grade school and the same high school, our activities and interests seldom were the same. We lived a mile and three quarters from school, and occasionally Dad would take us if it were too cold or stormy to walk, but most of the time we walked. It was common for a child, when six years of age to begin school, but our parents delayed my start until Lawrence and I could go together. Our first day of school was in September 1914, and I was then past seven but Lawrence hadn't yet reached his sixth birthday. School seemed to be difficult for Lawrence, I remember his being exhausted when we reached home at night. After our chores were done, and supper over, we had an hour of home work to do, but he had a difficult time staying awake long enough to finish his work. Lawrence graduated from High School, and graduated from Colorado University at Fort Collins, as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, (DVM). It was not until he became a Veterinarian, that his illness was diagnosed, and he did it himself. He had suffered with Undulant Fever from early childhood. Lawrence had a very successful practice in Northern Colorado, for over 40 years, he was active on the Colorado Sate Board of Examiners, for many years. Lawrence and Eileen were married in 1938 and lived in Boulder. We saw them often when we lived in Longmont from 1945 to 1955. I feel some times as if I must be a member of another generation from that of Ernie. He was five and one-half years younger than I, but other than having the same parents, our interests and activities were seldom the same. I graduated from high school in 1924, Lawrence in 1927 and Ernie in 1931. In 1927 I entered the University of Nebraska, and Verna and I were married in 1928. With the exceptions of short visits, I never returned to Crawford. Ernie later graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan, attended seminary, and became a Navy Chaplain. He served 30 years and retired with the rank of Captain. He and Melva were married in 1940. Verna and I visited them when his assignments were in the United States, and we keep in touch regularly thru the Metzger Robin letter and by telephone, but the closest we were to them overseas was when we flew over Germany in 1955 on our way to Turkey.
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  Living conditions were difficult for Mumsie, she had to pump and carry all the water that was needed for cooking and washing. Food could be kept cool only in a cave, but it was hard to keep things from spoiling. She was afraid to let Lawrence and me get very far from the house when we were small, for fear of snakes. Dad raised horses, and sold many matched teams for farm work. I have a series of books that are dated in the early 1900's that give instructions for training horses. I learned to read these books at a very early age, and by the time I was 8, Dad would let me drive a team in the field if he was close by. I drove my first 4 horse team when I was 12 years old. When Dad bought the second car, which was another Model T Ford, the folks made a trip to Crab Orchard. I was 14 years old, and they left me to take care of the ranch. They were gone three weeks, which seemed endless to me. Dad had converted the old car to a pickup, by cutting the back seat off and building a truck bed. I used the pickup to haul feed and supplies on the ranch, and to Crawford, to pickup groceries and mail. Bessie Born 1886 Died 1973 Fred Born 1872 Died 1960 Married August 12, 1905
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  008.001

  Bessie Born 1886 Died 1973 Fred Born 1872 Died 1960 Married August 12, 1905
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  She told stories of helping the dog kill a rattle- snake, and of chasing a coyote from the yard with a broom. I once heard her say that homesickness was a real sickness for her. I always felt closer to my Mother than I did to my Father. I could always talk to her when I had problems. I like to think that I inherited her ability as a peacemaker and a sympathetic listener. I will always remember a statement she made to me, when I was critical of some one. "Just remember that the faults you see in others, may be your own." FRED AND BESSIE METZGER Fred and Bessie were married in Johnson, County, Nebraska, Aug. 12, 1905. They came to Crawford in March of 1907. Fred had his homestead permit, but found a place to buy, that was about 5 miles north west of Crawford. A family by the name of Wolff had taken this property as a homestead, but relinquished his rights to the Metzgers. The 640 acres had a log barn, a frame house, and three small sheds. There are pictures in the family, showing this property without a single tree. As a boy I remember that snow could sift thru the cracks, and windows, and cover my bed when ever there was a blizzard. There was no indoor plumbing; an outdoor toilet, 50 yards from the house served in all kinds of weather. Water had to be carried from the well which was close to the house, and the windmill kept the tanks filled with water for the livestock. As a small boy I never felt that we were poor, or that there was anything unusual about our existence, but as I look back, I can see that this was a very difficult time for Fred and Bessie. Dad did not become a naturalized citizen until several years after World War I. He came to the United States with his family when he was 8 years old. He delayed in becoming a U.S.citizen [sic], and it caused him embarrassment with his neighbors, who considered him a "German". He always did his work on the farm extremely well, it was his life. When he planted corn, it had to be in straight rows. He was an economist the world will never hear of; he never bought anything he could not pay for with cash. When his neighbors lost their farms during the depression, he would say, "They are trying to get big too fast." My mother went by the name of "Mumsie" for years. We called her Mama, and I disliked that so much that I was the first to call her "Mumsie", and Dad went along with it, and from that time she was no longer "Mama".
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  I do not remember Dad going to a doctor, his health seemed always to be good. He died at the age of 88, from prostate complications. Fred Metzger was a conservative person when it came to finances. He kept a perfect set of books, and was treasurer for the school. I suppose he could be called a workaholic, it was not uncommon for him to say on Monday morning at the breakfast table, "This is Monday, tomorrow is Tuesday, the next day is Wednesday, the week is half gone and nothing done yet." I grew up with the feeling that I always must be doing something productive, and I suppose that this is why I am also a workaholic. Fred's father was an officer in the German Army, under the Kaiser. He came to America because he didn't want his own sons to have to serve in the army. He was an alcoholic, and Dad would have to go to the bar, late at night, and bring him home drunk. It made such an impression on him that he swore never to take a drink, and as far as I know, he never did, nor did he smoke. When I was very young, he promised me a gold watch when I reached the age of 21, if I did not drink or smoke. I received the gold watch, as did my two brothers. In later years we all slipped a little, I like a glass of wine or beer once in a while, and both my brothers smoked at one time. BESSIE GRACE PLATT Bessie Grace Platt was born March 15, 1986 [sic], on a farm north east of Crab Orchard, Nebraska. She was the middle daughter in a family of five girls. James and Sarah Platt, her parents, lived on the farm until the family was grown, and then moved into Crab Orchard, where Jim Platt ran a a grocery store. My early memory of my grandparents, were visits to Crab Orchard at Christmas time when I was not more than 5 or 6 years old. My mother was a quiet, patient lady. Life must have been difficult for her, she came from a family that was very close. She married at the age of 19 and two years later moved to a homestead in Western Nebraska, a wind swept, flat plains country, very unlike the area in Eastern Nebraska where she grew up. The closest neighbor was more than a mile away, and not even in sight, and since I was born only a month after they arrived, it would have been difficult for her to visit anyone.
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  MY PARENTS GUSTAV FRIEDRICH METZGER On November 19, 1872, Gottlob & Louise Metzger of Herrenberg, Germany, announced the birth of a son. They named him Gustav Friedrich Metzger. This son was the third child in the family of 7 girls and 3 boys. In 1880 the family emigrated to the United States. The third son went by the name of Fritz for much of his life. Fritz was also known by his neighbors and friends as Fred G. Metzger, Fred Metzger became my father, and was to set an example of honesty, thrift and integrity that I have tried to live up to. The Metzger family settled in Eastern Nebraska at Tecumseh. They were farmers, and Fred, being the oldest son, was given responsibility at a very early age. He worked more than he went to school when he was young, and did not go beyond the fourth grade, but he was a good student and read a great deal, seldom a day would pass that he didn't read from the Bible. He took several magazines dealing with agriculture, animal breeding, and horse training. He was usually up to date on events in his community and the United States. I never really felt close to my father. He was a sensitive person, but showed very little emotion. I saw him cry only once, and that was when he received the news of his father's death on July 20, 1913. We all went to the funeral, which meant a train ride across Nebraska. Lawrence, my brother, was four years old and I was six. I remember the house where my grandparents lived, and I can still see the two sleek black horses hitched to the black hearse that took the body to the cemetery. I remember Dad as being very strict. I suppose that he spanked me at some time, but I do not remember receiving a spanking. I do remember, that he would slap my hand at the dinner table, if I reached for something, he would just say, "Someone will pass it to you." I never heard him speak an unkind word to my mother. I have heard him say that his wife would not have to work in the field, and then have to do her house work. That meant nothing to me at the time, but I now realize that he came from a society where field work was expected of women. Dad was an impressive person, standing 6 feet tall, and weighing 225 lbs; in recent years he led with his belt buckle when he walked down the street. He remained on the ranch until he was past 70, and missed very few days of work.
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  CONTENTS My Parents 1 Government To Private 48 My Brothers 3 Safflower 49 Country School 4 Howard Finch 50 One Room School 6 Turkey 1955 51 Prairie Fire 7 Orientation 52 Odessa 9 First Day In Izmir 53 Food 10 Ishan Candas 54 Eggs 11 What Is An Advisor 55 Red Shirt 12 Small Equipment 56 No Cash 12 English To Turkish 59 Trans. To School 13 Hotels in Turkey 60 Pest Control 14 Elmali 61 High School 15 Izmir Hotel 62 Deep Snow 16 Turkey To Jordan 63 Pumps & Windmills 17 Amerikan Kiz Koleji 63 Early Winter 18 East Ghor Canal 64 Filling Ice House 19 The Volkswagon Bug 65 Drinking Water 20 Tadmore 66 Rattlesnakes 21 Nepal 68 Harvest time 22 Jordan To Nebraska 69 Husking Corn 24 Shoes 71 Fort Robinson 25 I E S C 72 Trains 26 Man On White Horse 73 Model T Ford 29 Nebr. to Cal 74 Leaving Home 30 Music 75 Ray Magnuson 31 Rotary 76 Wedding Day 33 Turkey 1982 78 Depression 35 Turkey Revisited 79 Barbed Wire 36 Changed Odors 80 Dry Pants 37 Communications 80 Where Does It Come 38 Reunion 81 Sumner 39 Belief 82 Putting Up Hay 40 Know What You Want 83 Hay Sweep 41 It Works 84 Saddle Horses 42 It Works Again 85 Livestock Sales 43 Flood Control 86 Leaving The Ranch 44 Vintage House 87 University 1932 44 Alcalde 87 CCC Camp Days 45 Finale 88 Superintendent CCC 47
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  FOREWORD This is a record of events in my life, that were written over a period of 6 years, 1988 to 1994. It began with a writing class sponsored by the Santa Rosa Junior College. When the college dropped the course, the class persuaded Rebacca Latimer, a published author, to be our instructor. Her suggestions, and interest in Turkey have been major contributions to this story. An attempt has been made to keep events in sequence, but some events and places that were part of my early life, have also been apart of later years. The early dates have been taken from school records from 1914 to 1924. Records that Verna kept, and those from the period while on the ranch, covers 1928 thru 1932. Project reports and travel orders while with the CCC camp and Soil Conservation Service are for the period from 1934 to 1944. Farm Management and Insurance records, while living in Gering Nebraska and Longmont Colorado, are from 1945 to 1955. Our assignment overseas from 1955 to 1967 was with the Agency For International Development, (USAID). Verna's letters to the family, the scrap books she kept and our passports, supply the dates for this period. The years from 1967 to 1976, spent at Scottsbluff, Nebraska, were semi-retirement. I renewed my Insurance and real estate licenses and worked part time. In 1976 we moved to Sonoma, California. I passed California examinations for licenses I had in Nebraska and Colorado, but spent most of my time as a volunteer with the Chamber of Commerce and community projects. An assignment in Cali, Colombia, with the International Executive Service Corp. (I E S C) was among the volunteer activities. Our return trip to Turkey in 1982, gave us an opportunity to renew friendships with my two "Counterparts", Naki Uner and Atif Atilla, and Verna met two of her former students, who were teaching at the school where she taught. Included also, among the writings, are glimpses of my thoughts on life in general, and the philosophy by which I have lived.
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  Metzger Memories This story is dedicated to the Lady that has influenced my life since I first met her in 1925. VERNA PIELSTICK METZGER She has traveled the route with me, thru the difficult years of depression and to many lands. She gave up a profession of her own, to raise a family of four. She has kept diaries and other records that have made this story possible. She has always said, "You can do it." JIM METZGER September 1, 1994 Sonoma, California.
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  JIM METZGER September 1, 1994 Sonoma, California.
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  Metzger Memories
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  Metzger Memories