WHAT CONSTITUTES SUCCESS?
He didn’t have a college or high school edu-
cation. Fact of the matter he had never pro-
gressed beyond the fifth grade of the public
schools. He didn’t possess wealth! The spend-
ing money he had was earned by the sweat of his
brow either distributing handbills for the mer-
chants, carrying newspapers for this office or
washing windows. He had had no honors
heaped upon his shoulders for athletic records or outstanding feats, which so often place a young
man before the public in a favorable light. As a “socialite” he didn’t rank at all, for his cir-
cumstances had always prevented him from
partcipating in public meetings or “the big
parties of the town.” It is quite probable he
would have gone on through life without ever
becoming a civic leader with “great” achieve-
ments chalked to his credit. Yet his passing was
mourned by every acqaintance and even down
town in the commercial world those who knew
the lad, honored and respected him and news
of his death brought a tear to their eyes and a
good word in his behalf.
For after all, when the “frills” of life are
discarded and the varnish of modern society is
rubbed off, one gets back to the fundamental
things which really “make a man,” namely:
honesty, integrity, respect for associates, a fear
of God and a desire to merit true honest friends
in whom he can trust and who can safely have
implicit confidence in him.
All these attribues, this simple young man
possessed and his every day life exemplified the
teachings of the Golden Rule in a manner which
often caused older folks, far more successful fi-
nancially and socially, to envy hin for the con-
tentment and enjoyment which he derived from
life every day, as he lived it.
The love and respect in which this simple lad
was held was shown by the large crowd of sor-
rowing friends who paid their last respects at
his funeral and in their plain every day way
they showed their bereavement for the boy who
had lived a relatively short life, free from mod-
ern “isms” and stripped of the social veneer on
which most of us build our standing in a com-
munity.
Somehow during every man’s life, he finds
a character or two of this type which seems to
have been permitted to cross his path for the
express purpose of impressing upon him the
fact that the simple ways of life always pay di-
vidends. And after all is said and done, is there
such a thing as success, if you fail to have in
your make-up the pure gold qualities which the
lad of whom we write seemed to have such an
abundance?
______________________________________
"Lake Wales News" June 23rd article about Nolan Martin who died June14, 1938, age 18.
Taken from Doris Martin Welch bio, "My Saga" published in 2007:
A. NOLAN LAVELLE (born March 31, 1920 in Wamego, Kansas)
1920-38: Nolan was born during the “Roaring Twenties”, named because of the way life came roaring back after WW I. Trains raced across the countryside and above and below city streets, autos replaced horses and buggies (roads suited to autos began to be built), airplanes flashed across the sky, and the Modern Age was an age of noise and speed. Clothing styles changed, jazz was popular, the “Charleston” replaced the waltz, silent movies (only black and white) became more popular-what the actors said was flashed on the screen in writing, and sometimes a man sat near the screen playing a piano or organ to “set the mood,” playing sad music for sad scenes, and fast music for storms, fights, and races. Also, “installment” buying was initiated. At home, people began to enjoy a new invention, the radio. The first radio station opened in 1920-the listener needed a high aerial and earphones to pick it up, with people taking turns to hear it. Also, this is the year women gained the right to vote.
Dad’s folks moved to Bartow in September 1920 where his father, mother, and sister Vera all taught school. Since they still had their home and farm on Trilby Road outside Dade City, after school let out for the summer, Dad’s father and brother Laurie went there to check on the place. His father rose early on the morning of June 21, 1921, carried some lumber to mend a fence, and prepared breakfast. He called Laurie and a moment later said he felt ill. Before Laurie could reach him, he fell over dead. At this time, Dad was living in Wauneka, Kansas, working for Western Advertising Co., Grange & Fair Book Department of Wamego. He left immediately for Dade City where he helped arrange his father’s burial and took care of pending business matters. His father (Clarence Harrison Martin, born Sept. 29, 1862 in LaPorte, Indiana) had moved to Kansas with his parents at an early age. He spent most of his life farming, teaching school, and dabbling in real estate.
After Grandfather died, and when Nolan was a baby, Mother and Dad moved from Kansas to Florida. Nolan was sickly as a baby and as he grew older. The doctors knew he had a nervous ailment, but did not know what it was, or how to treat it. When he had seizures, he would lose control of his speech and muscles, run high fevers, and have no appetite. In his early years, he had these often, but as he got older, they became less and less frequent. He also had a learning disability in school and finally, after a seizure at age 14, (being in the 5th grade, along with Merrill who was four years younger), the doctor advised removing him from school-he felt the pressure brought them on. He felt that if Nolan survived that one, he would probably not have any more. Dad, a former schoolteacher with high expectations for all his children, had a hard time dealing with this, but did follow the doctor’s advice. Thus Nolan became mother’s right-hand man, working in the laundry, cooking meals, running errands, etc., and working part-time for the local newspaper company. Nolan loved donuts, so when he got paid, he went by the donut shop and got a bag of donuts for the entire family.
Nolan was really smart about many things-knew what kind of car almost everyone in the town drove, was a fast and hard worker around the house, and was very friendly and polite with Mom’s customers. He was a big tease-while riding us girls on his bike he would make scary moves to hear us yell. I learned to act as if I enjoyed it, so he would not perform these dangerous maneuvers. In the summers we often went huckleberry picking, taking our lunch and making a day of it. Nolan always picked the most berries. We would sell them for 10 cents a quart, 3 cents of which we gave Dad. With leftovers, Mom made delicious shortcake. Nolan had joined the West Side Baptist church and faithfully attended there, riding his bike, alone, to their services. Ramona and Laveda went to the Nazarene church with Mom and Dad, the three boys and I rode our bikes to the First Baptist Church in town.
When Nolan was 18, weighing 180 pounds, he came home after work one Saturday feeling quite ill. He had gotten overheated in the June Florida sun while melting lead for the Lake Wales News. Mother had made his favorite dinner: fish, grits, and cornbread, but he had no appetite. Mother called the doctor, who gave him a sedative, but he spent a bad night. The next day the chiropractor was called, as he had helped pull Nolan through with his last bout. He worked on Nolan, but to no avail. Nolan spent a bad day Monday and that night, since he was delirious and sometimes violent, Dad was sleeping on the floor between his and Nolan’s bedrooms. About 2:00 A.M. I was awakened by Mother’s screams, “Walter, Walter”, and jumped out of bed. Dad was lying on the floor-Mother thought Nolan had killed him as he was hovering over him. I quickly woke Gayln and Merrill. Merrill and I went to two neighbors’ houses to get help. One neighbor was Mildred’s folks, the other her cousin, Pauline White. Pauline and Lorene (Mildred’s sister) came over. I hopped on my bicycle and rode over to Jr’s. (4 blocks away)-Mildred was 4 months into her pregnancy. Jr. got dressed and came right over. Lorene said that when she came into our home, Mother was standing at the telephone dialing randomly. She got her calmed down and to bed and called the doctor. They moved Dad (still unconscious) to another bed. The doctor came, gave Nolan (now guarded by Gayln) a sedative, brought Dad to (he was in his underwear and saw all the neighbors in the house and embarrassingly said, “Where’s my pants?”) At this time, Dad, who worked as a night watchman at the packinghouse, was studying for a test coming up for prospective US postal employees. It seems the all-night job, the studying and pressure at home with Nolan so sick, had all brought him to the brink of exhaustion from which he had fainted. About 3:30, Mother was feeling better, Dad was o.k., Nolan was given a sedative, Gayln continued his watch at Nolan’s door, and we kids finally settled down, though I don’t think I slept much the rest of the night.
The doctor came to the house the next morning and said if Nolan didn’t improve by that afternoon, he was going to admit him to the hospital. Merrill and I were to clean off the table and wash the dishes while Mom and Dad took their routine afternoon nap. Merrill went into the adjoining bathroom and after I cleaned off the table, I glanced into Nolan’s room. I couldn’t see him breathing, so I alerted Merrill. We both roused Dad who took his pulse and could get no heartbeat. He called the doctor who came out and confirmed our fears-Nolan was gone. The hearse came and took him away.
What a nightmare we all went through to realize we no longer had Nolan for a brother. Mother went into shock-the neighbors quickly found out and started helping with the housework, bringing food, etc. That was a sad day-Tuesday, June 14th, 1938. I was 12 and had never seen a dead person before-I just could not believe it. I dreamed of him for years thereafter, dreaming he came back to life, or imagining Mom and Dad were dying, if I could not hear Mom’s snoring or Dad’s groaning in their sleep. I would get up and check on them. I was sorry for the times I had taken Nolan for granted-he was such a hard worker and so goodhearted. After Nolan’s death, my attitude changed. I decided to try to appreciate my family more, show more love, and help as much as I possibly could, to fill Nolan’s shoes, as Mother didn’t know how she would manage her business without him. I worked as much after school as I could, getting the meals together, cleaning the house, helping with the laundry work, etc.
Nolan’s funeral was held at his church with Rev. Herman Collins conducting the service and the Nazarene pastor, Rev. Rogers, assisting. The donut shop sent piles of donuts to our house in memory of their “donut boy”. Mother said that she felt badly losing Nolan, but if any one of the children was to go, she felt he was the only one really ready (this hit home).
Nolan’s obituary in the Lake Wales News stated: “He was recognized by local businessmen as a diligent, faithful and dependable worker, always willing to cooperate, and ever ready to help where he was needed. At different times, he has worked odd jobs for practically every store in town. For about two years, he was delivery boy on the Lake Wales News force, and worked about the shop in other capacities. The entire personnel of the News affectionately regarded him, and his death came as a shock. He had many friends among the young folks…”
Nolan’s insurance took care of his burial, with enough left over to put a new roof on our house, which we needed badly but had no money for. Dr. Barranco, a young new doctor in town, did not charge a dime for his services, saying Nolan was his first patient to lose and he felt so badly that he couldn’t help him.
He didn’t have a college or high school edu-
cation. Fact of the matter he had never pro-
gressed beyond the fifth grade of the public
schools. He didn’t possess wealth! The spend-
ing money he had was earned by the sweat of his
brow either distributing handbills for the mer-
chants, carrying newspapers for this office or
washing windows. He had had no honors
heaped upon his shoulders for athletic records or outstanding feats, which so often place a young
man before the public in a favorable light. As a “socialite” he didn’t rank at all, for his cir-
cumstances had always prevented him from
partcipating in public meetings or “the big
parties of the town.” It is quite probable he
would have gone on through life without ever
becoming a civic leader with “great” achieve-
ments chalked to his credit. Yet his passing was
mourned by every acqaintance and even down
town in the commercial world those who knew
the lad, honored and respected him and news
of his death brought a tear to their eyes and a
good word in his behalf.
For after all, when the “frills” of life are
discarded and the varnish of modern society is
rubbed off, one gets back to the fundamental
things which really “make a man,” namely:
honesty, integrity, respect for associates, a fear
of God and a desire to merit true honest friends
in whom he can trust and who can safely have
implicit confidence in him.
All these attribues, this simple young man
possessed and his every day life exemplified the
teachings of the Golden Rule in a manner which
often caused older folks, far more successful fi-
nancially and socially, to envy hin for the con-
tentment and enjoyment which he derived from
life every day, as he lived it.
The love and respect in which this simple lad
was held was shown by the large crowd of sor-
rowing friends who paid their last respects at
his funeral and in their plain every day way
they showed their bereavement for the boy who
had lived a relatively short life, free from mod-
ern “isms” and stripped of the social veneer on
which most of us build our standing in a com-
munity.
Somehow during every man’s life, he finds
a character or two of this type which seems to
have been permitted to cross his path for the
express purpose of impressing upon him the
fact that the simple ways of life always pay di-
vidends. And after all is said and done, is there
such a thing as success, if you fail to have in
your make-up the pure gold qualities which the
lad of whom we write seemed to have such an
abundance?
______________________________________
"Lake Wales News" June 23rd article about Nolan Martin who died June14, 1938, age 18.
Taken from Doris Martin Welch bio, "My Saga" published in 2007:
A. NOLAN LAVELLE (born March 31, 1920 in Wamego, Kansas)
1920-38: Nolan was born during the “Roaring Twenties”, named because of the way life came roaring back after WW I. Trains raced across the countryside and above and below city streets, autos replaced horses and buggies (roads suited to autos began to be built), airplanes flashed across the sky, and the Modern Age was an age of noise and speed. Clothing styles changed, jazz was popular, the “Charleston” replaced the waltz, silent movies (only black and white) became more popular-what the actors said was flashed on the screen in writing, and sometimes a man sat near the screen playing a piano or organ to “set the mood,” playing sad music for sad scenes, and fast music for storms, fights, and races. Also, “installment” buying was initiated. At home, people began to enjoy a new invention, the radio. The first radio station opened in 1920-the listener needed a high aerial and earphones to pick it up, with people taking turns to hear it. Also, this is the year women gained the right to vote.
Dad’s folks moved to Bartow in September 1920 where his father, mother, and sister Vera all taught school. Since they still had their home and farm on Trilby Road outside Dade City, after school let out for the summer, Dad’s father and brother Laurie went there to check on the place. His father rose early on the morning of June 21, 1921, carried some lumber to mend a fence, and prepared breakfast. He called Laurie and a moment later said he felt ill. Before Laurie could reach him, he fell over dead. At this time, Dad was living in Wauneka, Kansas, working for Western Advertising Co., Grange & Fair Book Department of Wamego. He left immediately for Dade City where he helped arrange his father’s burial and took care of pending business matters. His father (Clarence Harrison Martin, born Sept. 29, 1862 in LaPorte, Indiana) had moved to Kansas with his parents at an early age. He spent most of his life farming, teaching school, and dabbling in real estate.
After Grandfather died, and when Nolan was a baby, Mother and Dad moved from Kansas to Florida. Nolan was sickly as a baby and as he grew older. The doctors knew he had a nervous ailment, but did not know what it was, or how to treat it. When he had seizures, he would lose control of his speech and muscles, run high fevers, and have no appetite. In his early years, he had these often, but as he got older, they became less and less frequent. He also had a learning disability in school and finally, after a seizure at age 14, (being in the 5th grade, along with Merrill who was four years younger), the doctor advised removing him from school-he felt the pressure brought them on. He felt that if Nolan survived that one, he would probably not have any more. Dad, a former schoolteacher with high expectations for all his children, had a hard time dealing with this, but did follow the doctor’s advice. Thus Nolan became mother’s right-hand man, working in the laundry, cooking meals, running errands, etc., and working part-time for the local newspaper company. Nolan loved donuts, so when he got paid, he went by the donut shop and got a bag of donuts for the entire family.
Nolan was really smart about many things-knew what kind of car almost everyone in the town drove, was a fast and hard worker around the house, and was very friendly and polite with Mom’s customers. He was a big tease-while riding us girls on his bike he would make scary moves to hear us yell. I learned to act as if I enjoyed it, so he would not perform these dangerous maneuvers. In the summers we often went huckleberry picking, taking our lunch and making a day of it. Nolan always picked the most berries. We would sell them for 10 cents a quart, 3 cents of which we gave Dad. With leftovers, Mom made delicious shortcake. Nolan had joined the West Side Baptist church and faithfully attended there, riding his bike, alone, to their services. Ramona and Laveda went to the Nazarene church with Mom and Dad, the three boys and I rode our bikes to the First Baptist Church in town.
When Nolan was 18, weighing 180 pounds, he came home after work one Saturday feeling quite ill. He had gotten overheated in the June Florida sun while melting lead for the Lake Wales News. Mother had made his favorite dinner: fish, grits, and cornbread, but he had no appetite. Mother called the doctor, who gave him a sedative, but he spent a bad night. The next day the chiropractor was called, as he had helped pull Nolan through with his last bout. He worked on Nolan, but to no avail. Nolan spent a bad day Monday and that night, since he was delirious and sometimes violent, Dad was sleeping on the floor between his and Nolan’s bedrooms. About 2:00 A.M. I was awakened by Mother’s screams, “Walter, Walter”, and jumped out of bed. Dad was lying on the floor-Mother thought Nolan had killed him as he was hovering over him. I quickly woke Gayln and Merrill. Merrill and I went to two neighbors’ houses to get help. One neighbor was Mildred’s folks, the other her cousin, Pauline White. Pauline and Lorene (Mildred’s sister) came over. I hopped on my bicycle and rode over to Jr’s. (4 blocks away)-Mildred was 4 months into her pregnancy. Jr. got dressed and came right over. Lorene said that when she came into our home, Mother was standing at the telephone dialing randomly. She got her calmed down and to bed and called the doctor. They moved Dad (still unconscious) to another bed. The doctor came, gave Nolan (now guarded by Gayln) a sedative, brought Dad to (he was in his underwear and saw all the neighbors in the house and embarrassingly said, “Where’s my pants?”) At this time, Dad, who worked as a night watchman at the packinghouse, was studying for a test coming up for prospective US postal employees. It seems the all-night job, the studying and pressure at home with Nolan so sick, had all brought him to the brink of exhaustion from which he had fainted. About 3:30, Mother was feeling better, Dad was o.k., Nolan was given a sedative, Gayln continued his watch at Nolan’s door, and we kids finally settled down, though I don’t think I slept much the rest of the night.
The doctor came to the house the next morning and said if Nolan didn’t improve by that afternoon, he was going to admit him to the hospital. Merrill and I were to clean off the table and wash the dishes while Mom and Dad took their routine afternoon nap. Merrill went into the adjoining bathroom and after I cleaned off the table, I glanced into Nolan’s room. I couldn’t see him breathing, so I alerted Merrill. We both roused Dad who took his pulse and could get no heartbeat. He called the doctor who came out and confirmed our fears-Nolan was gone. The hearse came and took him away.
What a nightmare we all went through to realize we no longer had Nolan for a brother. Mother went into shock-the neighbors quickly found out and started helping with the housework, bringing food, etc. That was a sad day-Tuesday, June 14th, 1938. I was 12 and had never seen a dead person before-I just could not believe it. I dreamed of him for years thereafter, dreaming he came back to life, or imagining Mom and Dad were dying, if I could not hear Mom’s snoring or Dad’s groaning in their sleep. I would get up and check on them. I was sorry for the times I had taken Nolan for granted-he was such a hard worker and so goodhearted. After Nolan’s death, my attitude changed. I decided to try to appreciate my family more, show more love, and help as much as I possibly could, to fill Nolan’s shoes, as Mother didn’t know how she would manage her business without him. I worked as much after school as I could, getting the meals together, cleaning the house, helping with the laundry work, etc.
Nolan’s funeral was held at his church with Rev. Herman Collins conducting the service and the Nazarene pastor, Rev. Rogers, assisting. The donut shop sent piles of donuts to our house in memory of their “donut boy”. Mother said that she felt badly losing Nolan, but if any one of the children was to go, she felt he was the only one really ready (this hit home).
Nolan’s obituary in the Lake Wales News stated: “He was recognized by local businessmen as a diligent, faithful and dependable worker, always willing to cooperate, and ever ready to help where he was needed. At different times, he has worked odd jobs for practically every store in town. For about two years, he was delivery boy on the Lake Wales News force, and worked about the shop in other capacities. The entire personnel of the News affectionately regarded him, and his death came as a shock. He had many friends among the young folks…”
Nolan’s insurance took care of his burial, with enough left over to put a new roof on our house, which we needed badly but had no money for. Dr. Barranco, a young new doctor in town, did not charge a dime for his services, saying Nolan was his first patient to lose and he felt so badly that he couldn’t help him.
WHAT CONSTITUTES SUCCESS?
He didn’t have a college or high school edu-
cation. Fact of the matter he had never pro-
gressed beyond the fifth grade of the public
schools. He didn’t possess wealth! The spend-
ing money he had was earned by the sweat of his
brow either distributing handbills for the mer-
chants, carrying newspapers for this office or
washing windows. He had had no honors
heaped upon his shoulders for athletic records or outstanding feats, which so often place a young
man before the public in a favorable light. As a “socialite” he didn’t rank at all, for his cir-
cumstances had always prevented him from
partcipating in public meetings or “the big
parties of the town.” It is quite probable he
would have gone on through life without ever
becoming a civic leader with “great” achieve-
ments chalked to his credit. Yet his passing was
mourned by every acqaintance and even down
town in the commercial world those who knew
the lad, honored and respected him and news
of his death brought a tear to their eyes and a
good word in his behalf.
For after all, when the “frills” of life are
discarded and the varnish of modern society is
rubbed off, one gets back to the fundamental
things which really “make a man,” namely:
honesty, integrity, respect for associates, a fear
of God and a desire to merit true honest friends
in whom he can trust and who can safely have
implicit confidence in him.
All these attribues, this simple young man
possessed and his every day life exemplified the
teachings of the Golden Rule in a manner which
often caused older folks, far more successful fi-
nancially and socially, to envy hin for the con-
tentment and enjoyment which he derived from
life every day, as he lived it.
The love and respect in which this simple lad
was held was shown by the large crowd of sor-
rowing friends who paid their last respects at
his funeral and in their plain every day way
they showed their bereavement for the boy who
had lived a relatively short life, free from mod-
ern “isms” and stripped of the social veneer on
which most of us build our standing in a com-
munity.
Somehow during every man’s life, he finds
a character or two of this type which seems to
have been permitted to cross his path for the
express purpose of impressing upon him the
fact that the simple ways of life always pay di-
vidends. And after all is said and done, is there
such a thing as success, if you fail to have in
your make-up the pure gold qualities which the
lad of whom we write seemed to have such an
abundance?
______________________________________
"Lake Wales News" June 23rd article about Nolan Martin who died June14, 1938, age 18.
Taken from Doris Martin Welch bio, "My Saga" published in 2007:
A. NOLAN LAVELLE (born March 31, 1920 in Wamego, Kansas)
1920-38: Nolan was born during the “Roaring Twenties”, named because of the way life came roaring back after WW I. Trains raced across the countryside and above and below city streets, autos replaced horses and buggies (roads suited to autos began to be built), airplanes flashed across the sky, and the Modern Age was an age of noise and speed. Clothing styles changed, jazz was popular, the “Charleston” replaced the waltz, silent movies (only black and white) became more popular-what the actors said was flashed on the screen in writing, and sometimes a man sat near the screen playing a piano or organ to “set the mood,” playing sad music for sad scenes, and fast music for storms, fights, and races. Also, “installment” buying was initiated. At home, people began to enjoy a new invention, the radio. The first radio station opened in 1920-the listener needed a high aerial and earphones to pick it up, with people taking turns to hear it. Also, this is the year women gained the right to vote.
Dad’s folks moved to Bartow in September 1920 where his father, mother, and sister Vera all taught school. Since they still had their home and farm on Trilby Road outside Dade City, after school let out for the summer, Dad’s father and brother Laurie went there to check on the place. His father rose early on the morning of June 21, 1921, carried some lumber to mend a fence, and prepared breakfast. He called Laurie and a moment later said he felt ill. Before Laurie could reach him, he fell over dead. At this time, Dad was living in Wauneka, Kansas, working for Western Advertising Co., Grange & Fair Book Department of Wamego. He left immediately for Dade City where he helped arrange his father’s burial and took care of pending business matters. His father (Clarence Harrison Martin, born Sept. 29, 1862 in LaPorte, Indiana) had moved to Kansas with his parents at an early age. He spent most of his life farming, teaching school, and dabbling in real estate.
After Grandfather died, and when Nolan was a baby, Mother and Dad moved from Kansas to Florida. Nolan was sickly as a baby and as he grew older. The doctors knew he had a nervous ailment, but did not know what it was, or how to treat it. When he had seizures, he would lose control of his speech and muscles, run high fevers, and have no appetite. In his early years, he had these often, but as he got older, they became less and less frequent. He also had a learning disability in school and finally, after a seizure at age 14, (being in the 5th grade, along with Merrill who was four years younger), the doctor advised removing him from school-he felt the pressure brought them on. He felt that if Nolan survived that one, he would probably not have any more. Dad, a former schoolteacher with high expectations for all his children, had a hard time dealing with this, but did follow the doctor’s advice. Thus Nolan became mother’s right-hand man, working in the laundry, cooking meals, running errands, etc., and working part-time for the local newspaper company. Nolan loved donuts, so when he got paid, he went by the donut shop and got a bag of donuts for the entire family.
Nolan was really smart about many things-knew what kind of car almost everyone in the town drove, was a fast and hard worker around the house, and was very friendly and polite with Mom’s customers. He was a big tease-while riding us girls on his bike he would make scary moves to hear us yell. I learned to act as if I enjoyed it, so he would not perform these dangerous maneuvers. In the summers we often went huckleberry picking, taking our lunch and making a day of it. Nolan always picked the most berries. We would sell them for 10 cents a quart, 3 cents of which we gave Dad. With leftovers, Mom made delicious shortcake. Nolan had joined the West Side Baptist church and faithfully attended there, riding his bike, alone, to their services. Ramona and Laveda went to the Nazarene church with Mom and Dad, the three boys and I rode our bikes to the First Baptist Church in town.
When Nolan was 18, weighing 180 pounds, he came home after work one Saturday feeling quite ill. He had gotten overheated in the June Florida sun while melting lead for the Lake Wales News. Mother had made his favorite dinner: fish, grits, and cornbread, but he had no appetite. Mother called the doctor, who gave him a sedative, but he spent a bad night. The next day the chiropractor was called, as he had helped pull Nolan through with his last bout. He worked on Nolan, but to no avail. Nolan spent a bad day Monday and that night, since he was delirious and sometimes violent, Dad was sleeping on the floor between his and Nolan’s bedrooms. About 2:00 A.M. I was awakened by Mother’s screams, “Walter, Walter”, and jumped out of bed. Dad was lying on the floor-Mother thought Nolan had killed him as he was hovering over him. I quickly woke Gayln and Merrill. Merrill and I went to two neighbors’ houses to get help. One neighbor was Mildred’s folks, the other her cousin, Pauline White. Pauline and Lorene (Mildred’s sister) came over. I hopped on my bicycle and rode over to Jr’s. (4 blocks away)-Mildred was 4 months into her pregnancy. Jr. got dressed and came right over. Lorene said that when she came into our home, Mother was standing at the telephone dialing randomly. She got her calmed down and to bed and called the doctor. They moved Dad (still unconscious) to another bed. The doctor came, gave Nolan (now guarded by Gayln) a sedative, brought Dad to (he was in his underwear and saw all the neighbors in the house and embarrassingly said, “Where’s my pants?”) At this time, Dad, who worked as a night watchman at the packinghouse, was studying for a test coming up for prospective US postal employees. It seems the all-night job, the studying and pressure at home with Nolan so sick, had all brought him to the brink of exhaustion from which he had fainted. About 3:30, Mother was feeling better, Dad was o.k., Nolan was given a sedative, Gayln continued his watch at Nolan’s door, and we kids finally settled down, though I don’t think I slept much the rest of the night.
The doctor came to the house the next morning and said if Nolan didn’t improve by that afternoon, he was going to admit him to the hospital. Merrill and I were to clean off the table and wash the dishes while Mom and Dad took their routine afternoon nap. Merrill went into the adjoining bathroom and after I cleaned off the table, I glanced into Nolan’s room. I couldn’t see him breathing, so I alerted Merrill. We both roused Dad who took his pulse and could get no heartbeat. He called the doctor who came out and confirmed our fears-Nolan was gone. The hearse came and took him away.
What a nightmare we all went through to realize we no longer had Nolan for a brother. Mother went into shock-the neighbors quickly found out and started helping with the housework, bringing food, etc. That was a sad day-Tuesday, June 14th, 1938. I was 12 and had never seen a dead person before-I just could not believe it. I dreamed of him for years thereafter, dreaming he came back to life, or imagining Mom and Dad were dying, if I could not hear Mom’s snoring or Dad’s groaning in their sleep. I would get up and check on them. I was sorry for the times I had taken Nolan for granted-he was such a hard worker and so goodhearted. After Nolan’s death, my attitude changed. I decided to try to appreciate my family more, show more love, and help as much as I possibly could, to fill Nolan’s shoes, as Mother didn’t know how she would manage her business without him. I worked as much after school as I could, getting the meals together, cleaning the house, helping with the laundry work, etc.
Nolan’s funeral was held at his church with Rev. Herman Collins conducting the service and the Nazarene pastor, Rev. Rogers, assisting. The donut shop sent piles of donuts to our house in memory of their “donut boy”. Mother said that she felt badly losing Nolan, but if any one of the children was to go, she felt he was the only one really ready (this hit home).
Nolan’s obituary in the Lake Wales News stated: “He was recognized by local businessmen as a diligent, faithful and dependable worker, always willing to cooperate, and ever ready to help where he was needed. At different times, he has worked odd jobs for practically every store in town. For about two years, he was delivery boy on the Lake Wales News force, and worked about the shop in other capacities. The entire personnel of the News affectionately regarded him, and his death came as a shock. He had many friends among the young folks…”
Nolan’s insurance took care of his burial, with enough left over to put a new roof on our house, which we needed badly but had no money for. Dr. Barranco, a young new doctor in town, did not charge a dime for his services, saying Nolan was his first patient to lose and he felt so badly that he couldn’t help him.
He didn’t have a college or high school edu-
cation. Fact of the matter he had never pro-
gressed beyond the fifth grade of the public
schools. He didn’t possess wealth! The spend-
ing money he had was earned by the sweat of his
brow either distributing handbills for the mer-
chants, carrying newspapers for this office or
washing windows. He had had no honors
heaped upon his shoulders for athletic records or outstanding feats, which so often place a young
man before the public in a favorable light. As a “socialite” he didn’t rank at all, for his cir-
cumstances had always prevented him from
partcipating in public meetings or “the big
parties of the town.” It is quite probable he
would have gone on through life without ever
becoming a civic leader with “great” achieve-
ments chalked to his credit. Yet his passing was
mourned by every acqaintance and even down
town in the commercial world those who knew
the lad, honored and respected him and news
of his death brought a tear to their eyes and a
good word in his behalf.
For after all, when the “frills” of life are
discarded and the varnish of modern society is
rubbed off, one gets back to the fundamental
things which really “make a man,” namely:
honesty, integrity, respect for associates, a fear
of God and a desire to merit true honest friends
in whom he can trust and who can safely have
implicit confidence in him.
All these attribues, this simple young man
possessed and his every day life exemplified the
teachings of the Golden Rule in a manner which
often caused older folks, far more successful fi-
nancially and socially, to envy hin for the con-
tentment and enjoyment which he derived from
life every day, as he lived it.
The love and respect in which this simple lad
was held was shown by the large crowd of sor-
rowing friends who paid their last respects at
his funeral and in their plain every day way
they showed their bereavement for the boy who
had lived a relatively short life, free from mod-
ern “isms” and stripped of the social veneer on
which most of us build our standing in a com-
munity.
Somehow during every man’s life, he finds
a character or two of this type which seems to
have been permitted to cross his path for the
express purpose of impressing upon him the
fact that the simple ways of life always pay di-
vidends. And after all is said and done, is there
such a thing as success, if you fail to have in
your make-up the pure gold qualities which the
lad of whom we write seemed to have such an
abundance?
______________________________________
"Lake Wales News" June 23rd article about Nolan Martin who died June14, 1938, age 18.
Taken from Doris Martin Welch bio, "My Saga" published in 2007:
A. NOLAN LAVELLE (born March 31, 1920 in Wamego, Kansas)
1920-38: Nolan was born during the “Roaring Twenties”, named because of the way life came roaring back after WW I. Trains raced across the countryside and above and below city streets, autos replaced horses and buggies (roads suited to autos began to be built), airplanes flashed across the sky, and the Modern Age was an age of noise and speed. Clothing styles changed, jazz was popular, the “Charleston” replaced the waltz, silent movies (only black and white) became more popular-what the actors said was flashed on the screen in writing, and sometimes a man sat near the screen playing a piano or organ to “set the mood,” playing sad music for sad scenes, and fast music for storms, fights, and races. Also, “installment” buying was initiated. At home, people began to enjoy a new invention, the radio. The first radio station opened in 1920-the listener needed a high aerial and earphones to pick it up, with people taking turns to hear it. Also, this is the year women gained the right to vote.
Dad’s folks moved to Bartow in September 1920 where his father, mother, and sister Vera all taught school. Since they still had their home and farm on Trilby Road outside Dade City, after school let out for the summer, Dad’s father and brother Laurie went there to check on the place. His father rose early on the morning of June 21, 1921, carried some lumber to mend a fence, and prepared breakfast. He called Laurie and a moment later said he felt ill. Before Laurie could reach him, he fell over dead. At this time, Dad was living in Wauneka, Kansas, working for Western Advertising Co., Grange & Fair Book Department of Wamego. He left immediately for Dade City where he helped arrange his father’s burial and took care of pending business matters. His father (Clarence Harrison Martin, born Sept. 29, 1862 in LaPorte, Indiana) had moved to Kansas with his parents at an early age. He spent most of his life farming, teaching school, and dabbling in real estate.
After Grandfather died, and when Nolan was a baby, Mother and Dad moved from Kansas to Florida. Nolan was sickly as a baby and as he grew older. The doctors knew he had a nervous ailment, but did not know what it was, or how to treat it. When he had seizures, he would lose control of his speech and muscles, run high fevers, and have no appetite. In his early years, he had these often, but as he got older, they became less and less frequent. He also had a learning disability in school and finally, after a seizure at age 14, (being in the 5th grade, along with Merrill who was four years younger), the doctor advised removing him from school-he felt the pressure brought them on. He felt that if Nolan survived that one, he would probably not have any more. Dad, a former schoolteacher with high expectations for all his children, had a hard time dealing with this, but did follow the doctor’s advice. Thus Nolan became mother’s right-hand man, working in the laundry, cooking meals, running errands, etc., and working part-time for the local newspaper company. Nolan loved donuts, so when he got paid, he went by the donut shop and got a bag of donuts for the entire family.
Nolan was really smart about many things-knew what kind of car almost everyone in the town drove, was a fast and hard worker around the house, and was very friendly and polite with Mom’s customers. He was a big tease-while riding us girls on his bike he would make scary moves to hear us yell. I learned to act as if I enjoyed it, so he would not perform these dangerous maneuvers. In the summers we often went huckleberry picking, taking our lunch and making a day of it. Nolan always picked the most berries. We would sell them for 10 cents a quart, 3 cents of which we gave Dad. With leftovers, Mom made delicious shortcake. Nolan had joined the West Side Baptist church and faithfully attended there, riding his bike, alone, to their services. Ramona and Laveda went to the Nazarene church with Mom and Dad, the three boys and I rode our bikes to the First Baptist Church in town.
When Nolan was 18, weighing 180 pounds, he came home after work one Saturday feeling quite ill. He had gotten overheated in the June Florida sun while melting lead for the Lake Wales News. Mother had made his favorite dinner: fish, grits, and cornbread, but he had no appetite. Mother called the doctor, who gave him a sedative, but he spent a bad night. The next day the chiropractor was called, as he had helped pull Nolan through with his last bout. He worked on Nolan, but to no avail. Nolan spent a bad day Monday and that night, since he was delirious and sometimes violent, Dad was sleeping on the floor between his and Nolan’s bedrooms. About 2:00 A.M. I was awakened by Mother’s screams, “Walter, Walter”, and jumped out of bed. Dad was lying on the floor-Mother thought Nolan had killed him as he was hovering over him. I quickly woke Gayln and Merrill. Merrill and I went to two neighbors’ houses to get help. One neighbor was Mildred’s folks, the other her cousin, Pauline White. Pauline and Lorene (Mildred’s sister) came over. I hopped on my bicycle and rode over to Jr’s. (4 blocks away)-Mildred was 4 months into her pregnancy. Jr. got dressed and came right over. Lorene said that when she came into our home, Mother was standing at the telephone dialing randomly. She got her calmed down and to bed and called the doctor. They moved Dad (still unconscious) to another bed. The doctor came, gave Nolan (now guarded by Gayln) a sedative, brought Dad to (he was in his underwear and saw all the neighbors in the house and embarrassingly said, “Where’s my pants?”) At this time, Dad, who worked as a night watchman at the packinghouse, was studying for a test coming up for prospective US postal employees. It seems the all-night job, the studying and pressure at home with Nolan so sick, had all brought him to the brink of exhaustion from which he had fainted. About 3:30, Mother was feeling better, Dad was o.k., Nolan was given a sedative, Gayln continued his watch at Nolan’s door, and we kids finally settled down, though I don’t think I slept much the rest of the night.
The doctor came to the house the next morning and said if Nolan didn’t improve by that afternoon, he was going to admit him to the hospital. Merrill and I were to clean off the table and wash the dishes while Mom and Dad took their routine afternoon nap. Merrill went into the adjoining bathroom and after I cleaned off the table, I glanced into Nolan’s room. I couldn’t see him breathing, so I alerted Merrill. We both roused Dad who took his pulse and could get no heartbeat. He called the doctor who came out and confirmed our fears-Nolan was gone. The hearse came and took him away.
What a nightmare we all went through to realize we no longer had Nolan for a brother. Mother went into shock-the neighbors quickly found out and started helping with the housework, bringing food, etc. That was a sad day-Tuesday, June 14th, 1938. I was 12 and had never seen a dead person before-I just could not believe it. I dreamed of him for years thereafter, dreaming he came back to life, or imagining Mom and Dad were dying, if I could not hear Mom’s snoring or Dad’s groaning in their sleep. I would get up and check on them. I was sorry for the times I had taken Nolan for granted-he was such a hard worker and so goodhearted. After Nolan’s death, my attitude changed. I decided to try to appreciate my family more, show more love, and help as much as I possibly could, to fill Nolan’s shoes, as Mother didn’t know how she would manage her business without him. I worked as much after school as I could, getting the meals together, cleaning the house, helping with the laundry work, etc.
Nolan’s funeral was held at his church with Rev. Herman Collins conducting the service and the Nazarene pastor, Rev. Rogers, assisting. The donut shop sent piles of donuts to our house in memory of their “donut boy”. Mother said that she felt badly losing Nolan, but if any one of the children was to go, she felt he was the only one really ready (this hit home).
Nolan’s obituary in the Lake Wales News stated: “He was recognized by local businessmen as a diligent, faithful and dependable worker, always willing to cooperate, and ever ready to help where he was needed. At different times, he has worked odd jobs for practically every store in town. For about two years, he was delivery boy on the Lake Wales News force, and worked about the shop in other capacities. The entire personnel of the News affectionately regarded him, and his death came as a shock. He had many friends among the young folks…”
Nolan’s insurance took care of his burial, with enough left over to put a new roof on our house, which we needed badly but had no money for. Dr. Barranco, a young new doctor in town, did not charge a dime for his services, saying Nolan was his first patient to lose and he felt so badly that he couldn’t help him.
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