Autobiography

Chapter I - Birth to age five
Last update: January 11, 2008 7:51 PM

The Early Years

WAELDER, TX

I was born on Wednesday, October 3, 1957, at about 6:10 a.m.. Of course, I don’t remember that, but apparently it is true. Mom was living in Waelder, TX, at the time. I was told that a midwife was called when Mom went into labor, but she had a flat tire (or some such) on the way to deliver me. But my grandmother, Mable Florence Helen (Dabbs) Watts was there for her daughter. So “Nana” delivered me into this world. And so my story begins. In fact, this day would strongly affect my life over 45 years later!

My biological father was Alvin Elroy Terrell, but my mother was married to Frank Everett Lewis upon my birth. My mother wanted me to be named "David Wayne Lewis." However, she was not able to fend for herself, having just given birth to me, and my grandmother (Néhna) decided to have my name put down as "Bradford Lee Terrell." My mother accepted the first part of my name, but she refused to call me "Terrell." Instead, I was called "Lewis" all of my life and would not confirm my "Terrell" heritage until I was 26 years old!

WASHINGTON & OREGON

I am told that Mom was “separated” from Dad (Frank E. Lewis) when I was born, but that they got back together with him a few months, or maybe a year or so after I was born. They moved to the Northwest and lived in Washington and/or Oregon for a while. I have no memory of this time, but I do have pictures of myself during those days. As I grew up, I often heard references to those days, especially of living and working on “James & Bea’s” ranch. I think I was around 2 or 3 years old when we left there.

While living in Oregon, in 1958/59, Mom and Dad visited the Portland Oregon Zoo and bought me a $1 share of stock in the Railway System that did wind its way throughout the establishment. I still have my official sticker (as seen at left), but I don't think the investment was of much value...

Me and Daddy - I was about one year old - download this pic to enlarge it...

COLDWATER, KS

Later (around age 3 maybe?) ... we lived in Coldwater, Kansas. Or maybe that was before... because I don't think Darlene was born yet. We were living here when was first stung by an ant. I remember that because it was very traumatic to me.

Comments to a friend made on April 22, 2004, regarding memories of my young life in Coldwater, KS:

I was about 3 years old, but stil have many vague memories from when I lived in Coldwater (approx 1960).

Everytime I hear the nursery rhyme "Little boy Blue" I am reminded of that time.

I remember my father came home one day from work and was telling my mother about someone at work being fired and that he was worried they might fire him too. I envisioned them literally setting the person on fire and was so scare they would burn up my Daddy too! (I remember that very clearly...)

One day while living in Coldwater, my mother showed me one of those "punching bags"... the blow up kind. You hit it and it rocks back & forth... (remember those?). Well.. I did not understand. I thought that if you hit it that it would attack you and hit you back. I was terrified of them for years! LOL!

Also, while living in Coldwater, our neighbors owned many chickens and I remember learning the how gravity and a vacuum could work together to create a watering mechanism to provide water to the chickens. The jar was filled with water and turn up-side-down in a dish... the water would not over-flow. I was amazed...

... and one day I remember going for a ride with my elder neighbors. I remember their ancient vehicle. Something from the late 1940's or early 1950's I assume.

Then... there was a time when I was out playing and I discovered that ants could sting & bite viciously! I ran home screaming and I remember diving under a barbed-wire fence ....

... and we had a sandbox... the classic example of the suburban playground....

There are more memories, but I will not bore you with them. It's amazing I can remember so much from that time (including Christmas, vanilla ice-cream snow, Santa Clause, Coal, pliers...) ... This was before my sister, Darlene, was born. She is now 43 years old!

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK

I remember bits & pieces from when I was very young (as we all do). I remember (most vaguely) when I was 3 years old and my first sister, Darlene, was born. We lived in Oklahoma City in a hotel. One had to go down the hall to use a communal bathroom (I clearly remember that). I can remember Darlene in her crib with tiny mittens on her hands (to protect her from scratching herself incessantly). I vaguely remember Aunt Marlene being there too. I have a memory from this time of making faces at Mom and making her very mad. I think I got a spanking for that. I have another memory of spinning round ‘n round to make myself dizzy, and then throwing up as a result!

Me and my sister, Darlene....

ALVA, OK

I remember later (again, vaguely) living in Alva, OK. (see webcam picture) Roy Kenneth Terrell (my older brother) lived with us for a while here. Of course, they always told me he was my uncle, and it would be many years before I learned that he was actually my full blood brother. They had strong hang-ups about such things back then. Oh well. I have a couple of pictures from those days too.

My belovéd mother ...

An animated "morph" of me...

This was an experiment I did back in 1996 using "DigiMorph." This is me from first grade to fifth grade...

DRIFTWOOD, OK

We then moved to Driftwood, OK. I am not 100% sure... I was so young and it was so long ago. But I am sure we lived in Driftwood when my second sister, Calisa Marlene, was born. I remember we had some friends who lived down the road (they had one of those new "TV" things... we used to go to their house to watch it). I have a few pictures from when we lived there too. When Mom went to the hospital to give birth to Calisa, we stayed over at Goober's (yep! I kid you not! That was his name!!), the guy with the TV. I remember when she came home from the hospital. I was at their house then at about 5 years old, when Mom came in. She was wearing a shiny gold/tan dress with a pleated skirt. She was so beautiful then (in my memory), when dark black hair and ruby red lips. She was carrying her new little baby and it was a very "happy" time to my memory. I remember my first time to see my new little sister... and she was so UGLY!! Red, wrinkled and OMG!!... is this my sister? ... ICK! But... she got better. She got over the ugly baby look and started to do neat things like eating dirt and ladybugs! Well...it seemed neat at the time. Darlene was getting too old to do anything neat except running around naked. She got over that too I've noticed. That's probably for the best.

As I write these memories today, Calisa is 39 years old. She has made these comments about her birth as she learned it from Mom:

“It was a very bad winter night when Daddy loaded Mom into a truck (possibly a cattle truck only without the trailer) and headed to Alva to have me. As they were leaving Marlene said, or did, something to Mom and she said she yelled out of the truck, “Just for that, I am naming this baby after you!” Until that moment I was supposed to be named Calais Maureen. I, then, became Calais Marlene. The hospital switched the last 3 letters and I, instead, became Calisa Marlene. That is why we named Calais this name. It was my way of naming her after Mom in a way. Giving her grand daughter the name she had originally chosen for me.”

-- Calisa Marlene Selfridge

Aunt Marlene came to live with us during those days. I don't remember it too well, but I have a mental image of her when she lived there with us too. She was only 16 then. I mainly remember when we moved from Driftwood and headed out to El Campo, TX. Marlene and I had to squeeze into the small space in the back of the car, an old Buick. There wasn’t much room… just a “crawl space.”

EL CAMPO, TX

We only lived in El Campo for a short time. I remember losing my first tooth there... I can sort of remember it. I do remember that Mom was a waitress at “The El Campo Restaurant No. 1”. Little did I know that I would work there myself just 6 years later! I also remember that we lived there when Darlene got hit by a swing and cut her forehead. It was a bad cut and she had to be taken to the emergency room. She still has the scar to this day.