Lester John King

Lester was born to William and Frances King on May 27th, 1910.  He was raised on his parent's farm.  He attended the rural school in Scott Township known as Center School simply because it was located in the center of the township.  He later attended Brooklyn High School and graduated with the class of 1928.  It had only been a few years at that time that farm girls and boys went on to high school.  Transportation and roads were the main deterrents.  Few boys at that time had cars of their own and if a family had a car, it was never more than one. Very few of the roads at that time were graveled and there was no equipment for clearing them of snow.  Lester and a neighbor boy, who was also in his class, traveled on horseback to and from school the first couple years into high school.  Later, they shared a old Model T Ford.  It was also during his first year of going to high school that boys graduated from short to long trousers.  When not in school, he helped his father with the farming.  At that time there were few tractors or other power machinery in use on farms.  All the field work was done with horses.  Very few farm homes had electricity, running water, bathrooms, furnaces or radios.  It is amazing how all the young people growing up then seemed to be so happy and contented (not like us spoiled brats- eh Grandma?) Their main forms of amusement were swimming in the 'old swimming hole' in English River, fishing, going to the country dances, playing in the neighborhood baseball games and family or neighborhood picnics.  Anything you did not need much transportation.

Lester

Lester's mother