Let's go back to Sept 1956 when postage stamps were .03, gasoline was .30 a gallon. Loaf of bread was .18 and the minimum age was 1.00 an hour . Our country was 10 years out of the second world war .. Employment was good , spirits were high and the economy was ready to roll... Your saying, what's this got to do with anything... That's the year my mother dropped me off at a little military school in the middle of nowhere West Virginia....

When I first met my chubby little clarinet playing roomate he had already moved into the room and he advised me that he had the bottom bunk and mine was the top.. I noticed the radiator was closer to the bottom bunk . That was ok cause while he was hugging the radiator at night to keep warm I was looking out the window to see what was going on.

We were so alike , I liked country and pop music , he liked jazz... I liked a fresh airy room, he liked shades over the windows and windows closed.. I popped out of bed in the morning and he was still in the sack... he studied every night and got good grades , I played around and spent
2 extra years there... We never got too excited when it came to room inspections because that meant work... good thing he was first sergeant of our company cause our room never got inspected.

We got allowances each week .. mine was 4 dollars , I think he got the same... That 4 bucks got us lunch at Clingmans market downtown Lewisburg and the movies on Saturday, nite, sodas, candy bars, and smokes for the week. Life was simple , no TV... no car to drive , no text, internet... no nasty facebook .etc.. How did we ever survive without all of todays luxuries ? Simple, we listened to records, the local radio station, wrote letters back home, went downtown to the movies and sandwich shop or just stayed in the barracks and relaxed.

One Homecoming weekend we decided to have an early morning party before the corps of cadets got out of the sack for reville formation. Our menu was simple, sodas, candy, cookies and anything else we could find to eat. Oh and don't forget the Hormel sausages eaten straight out of the can.. We all ( 10 or so) got together quietly in the Band room and had ourselves a good time, not knowing that we were reported for the illegal gathering and all of us lost our stripes. Duane had the most stripes to loose as he was the Co. first sgt, I was a sgt first class.

Over the last 10 years we talked by phone almost every morning as I drove to work... He always answered the phone" Good Morning Roomie". Our conversations consisted of computer problems, music festivals and old times at the "Brier". One thing we both agreed upon was that if either one of us hit the Lotto, we would build a military school back in Lewisburg , W.Va . Of course that never happened but it was fun dreaming..

Many happy memories , many good times , I'm glad Duane Parsons and I crossed paths.

Happy Trails Roomie
Bink Wilson '61