We were riding around the lake and parked somewhere up the
East Lake Road on December 7, 1941 when we heard on the radio that
Pearl Harbor had been attacked.
Sometime during 1941 I went to Rochester to find another car and found
a 1936 Pontiac that looked almost new for $450. My old car was using a
lot of oil and I had it parked in front of the used car lot. When the
dealer was checking out my car for trade in value, I was hoping he
would not start it up because when you did so the smoke was so thick
you'd hardly see the car! I was lucky and made a deal. I had to drive
back to Canandaigua for the money and once again to Rochester to close
the deal. Just on that one trip I had to add four quarts of oil. Good
thing it lasted the trip as the Pontiac was a real nice car.
In the fall of 1941 we had very little work and it was time for me to
find work somewhere else. I had been called by Uncle Sam, had my
physical and reported to the draft board. I was classified 4-F due to
flat feet and a hernia (which I still have and was never bothered by).
I wanted to be in service somewhere and so I went to Rochester and
tried to join the Marines or the Navy. I even tried to get into the
ambulance corps. With my 4-F status I couldn't get into anything. I
borrowed $10 from my father and applied at about ten places in
Rochester. This was the only time in my life that I borrowed money
except for when I bought a car or house.
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