At twelve, I decided delivering newspapers had to be easier than mowing lawns and shoveling snow. My brief career delivering the free Community News in Ferguson proved otherwise—especially after I discovered a storm sewer near the beginning of my route.
There was a time when school lunch meant lunch ladies, compartment trays, tiny milk cartons, metal lunchboxes, and whatever happened to be on the menu that day. From my Roy Rogers lunchbox at Central School to spending part of Mom’s lunch money on warm French bread—and the rest on candy—this is what lunchtime was really like growing up in Ferguson.
A kid, a spool of industrial twine, and a kite so high a jet at Lambert clipped the line. Dad grabbed the binoculars—we gave chase.
Growing up in Ferguson, Missouri, the Penhale family lived right next door. Then, through an incredible series of accidents, all four family members ended up with their arms in slings at the same time—an oddity that reportedly caught the attention of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! But looking back, that may have been the least remarkable thing about this family.