8-18-18. My dad loved saying his birth date aloud. The cadence, the sound, the alliteration. He would have been 107 this week. Reflecting on his birthday and life, I listened to a 2009 recorded conversation we had. I thought I’d share a bit of this working man’s history with Confined Space readers.
Charles L. Grover (Charlie) was born in Holliston, MA on August 18, 1918, the son of Charles Leonard and Mary (Kelmer) Grover. His mom died in the influenza epidemic of 1918 when Charlie was only 3 months old. His father remarried but died when Charlie was 3 years old, and he was raised by his stepmother, Johanna.
He grew up in Holliston, MA where he graduated from Holliston High School. Following graduation and several local jobs, he entered the U.S. Army and remained on active duty until 1941. He was honorably discharged while serving in the Panama Canal Zone, where he stayed and worked for the Army Signal Corps as a civilian laying electrical cable across the Panama Canal.
With World War II ongoing, he wanted to re-enlist, hoping to join the Airforce as a pilot. He took all the tests and passed, but they wouldn’t take him. No branch of the armed services would – because he didn’t have a draft card. He didn’t have one because the U.S. didn’t register Americans in Panama where he was stationed. So instead, he joined the U.S. Merchant Marines, where he served as a radioman aboard the S.S. Vicksburg, delivering oil to U.S. forces in the Pacific area of operations.
As one of three radio operators on board (they were called “Sparks”), his shift was 4 hours on and 8 hours off. They were not allowed to open the receiver in order to prevent the enemy from detecting their signal. They only listened for distress calls and could transmit only if under attack. Ships had to zigzag every 10 minutes, he said, so the enemy “couldn’t draw a bead on you.” He was paid a $5 a day as a hazard bonus once the ship crossed a certain meridian, closer to the battle zone.
In 1947, Charlie married Elinor Beltrame, my mom, a local Holliston girl, and a registered nurse cadet (read about her here). Their union spanned 64 years.
At the age of 29, he began a 36-year career with Massachusetts Electric Company, working his way up from appliance salesman to Personnel Manager. He worked in Worcester, and lived in Milford, until his retirement in 1983.
From the first year of his marriage, Charlie and Ellie vacationed at the same spot in Moody, ME with their five children. He always said he’d build a home there some year and, upon his retirement, he did exactly that. He also bought a motorcycle, which he enjoyed riding, and went back to work for 10 years at a local lumber yard. He was a member of the Wells Lions Club, where he volunteered at their pancake breakfasts.
Charlie and Ellie loved to travel, and toured Italy, England, Ireland, Greece, Vancouver, Bermuda, St. Martins, and Jamaica. When not travelling, he enjoyed puttering around the house, building birdhouses (one still standing in my yard), and walking along Moody Beach. Long walks every day – often with his camera. He kept an immaculate lawn and always had a bumper crop of tomatoes growing in the garden. An expert cribbage player, he taught each of his children and grandchildren the wonderful game.
As a former radioman, Charlie was an expert in Morse Code. He taught all his children their names and birthdates in Code. So here’s my message to him in honor of his birthday:
/ -.. .- -.– .-.-.- / – …. .- -. -.- / -.– — ..- / ..-. — .-. / -… . .. -. –. / .- / .– .- .-. — –..– / -.-. .- .-. .. -. –. –..– / .- -. -.. / .– — -. -.. . .-. ..-. ..- .-.. / -.. .- -.. .-.-.-
It says: “I miss you every day. Thank you for being a warm, caring, and wonderful dad.”