By Darrell McLain
Rene Retha Reynolds. She dislikes nick-names, but she prefers to be called Peggy, a nick-name that was hung on her by her father-in-law. Her earliest memory was in 1918 when she was five years old and the original "Cabbage Patch Doll." Mom was the second oldest of thirteen children, born to Harrison (Cotton) Hyatt and May Folson [Vanhorn] Reynolds. Six girls and seven brothers.
It was two of the brothers that caused her to be in the cabbage patch. Elmer [Bud] and Hubert (Hub), everyone had nick-names, were one and three years younger than mom. They loved to tease her and especially to squeeze and listen to her doll "the Tin Lizzie." Whenever they got on her trail she would head for the cabbage patch to hide. She was so shy and they loved to gang up on her.
This was the doll that she had received the previous Christmas. "The Tin Lizzie" had a painted face, hair, rag body, arms and legs and would cry when squeezed. For as many Christmas' as she remembers and till she reached 16 her parents gave her a doll. Billie was the last and with so many siblings to follow they never survived.
Grandpa was a tenant farmer. Farming was a lousy business following World War I and the early 1920's. Your job depended on how well a farmer did the previous year and what he thought the prospects were for the current year. If the owner had children coming of age then the prospect of a job were even worse. Consequently, almost every March 1, they were required to move.
With each move meant new schools and teachers. All the moves were in the same county, Decatur, in southern Iowa. The schools were all one room buildings, kindergarten through eighth grade. Her older sister, Nadine, was fourteen months older. Nadine started to school when she was almost six and mom's fifth birthday was only five months away. Her folks talked the teacher into letting her start early. Being shy as she was, her cousin Milroy Reynolds became her protector.
Her favorite teacher was Joe McMorris. He had the patience of Jobe and would give each student an opportunity to do their best. In eighth grade, mom was taking a test that would determine the curriculum she would follow in high school. If she passed she would be able to take courses that would train her to be a teacher, one of the few occupations available to women. She never tested well, however, Mr. McMorris knew that she could pass if given the time. At 8 p.m. her parents became concerned. They knew she might be late, but never this late. So those in the family that were able went out looking for her. They found her still in school and just before 9 p.m. she finished and passed the test. When she graduated from high school she received her teaching certificate.
Schools were never close. The only exception to this was when they lived near Jack Oak school and by then she was in high school in Leon, four miles away. When she was twelve years old her cousin Robert Reynolds attended school with her and she was fascinated by him. Immediately after school he would take off running through the pastures and he would run all the way home. His path ran passed their farm house. Watching this a few times, she took off running after him and soon enjoyed running home after school.
With the running it gave her more confidence in herself. In her last year at Jack Oak School she and Chalmer Young represented the school in a spelling contest and won a picture for the school. She often wonders what ever happened to the the picture since the school closed in the 1940's. Mom and Wilma Dunham entered a race together and won first prize at the July 4th picnic. First prize was a watermelon.
Now that she was in high school, she had competed in all sports with her brothers. Generally she could outrun them. This got her ready for high school basketball. Girls basketball was 6 on 6. The court was divided into three sections with two girls from each team playing in each section. They were allowed one dribble and had to pass or shoot. Only in Iowa did this become popular. A set shot was placing the ball with your arms extended and shooting from the knees. Something new was happening in Leon. Mom's team was the first to wear shorts and long stockings. Previously, they had to wear dresses over their shorts. She became a starter as a freshman and continued through her senior year.
Her first boy friend was Gale Bright, who she attended school with at Decatur City. After moving near Jack Oak School the second time and just before high school, the distance became to great and the romance was over. It had to have been five or six miles, but with no phone, car and different schools it just wasn't to be. However, on the bright side, her family was living on what is now US highway 69. This somewhat parallels I-35 now. At this time some of it was even paved. Stephen McLain, my father, lived on a farm 4 1/2 miles south west of Davis City. The farm the Reynolds family lived on was about equal distance between Leon and Davis City. Leon is north east of Davis City. Leon had about 2,500 people and Davis City was about 1/10 of that. When a young stud drove a convertible, Model T, it wasn't much different than it is today. When they stopped it was definitely much safer. Stephen, let me call him dad, happened by one morning on his way to Leon looking for work. He knew mom's brothers so whenever their timing was right they had a ride to school. They all became good friends, but it wasn't until after she graduated that they became attracted to one another.