Presented at the Lion's Club: as the program for the day.

Some of you knew me before...before I had to leave Munday to find a job and before I became Buddy.

I was born here in Munday, mainly to be close to my parents. I just can’t imagine what my early life would have been like without having my parents around. I thank God today that I was fortunate enough to have grown up in a home with both parents around.

I was the eighth child in my family. Three died at child birth. Both my parents were middle age of course when I was born. To me they looked a lot older than the parents of my classmates. That’s because they were. My oldest sister, Bertie Mae was 20 years older than me. Her oldest daughter was only two years younger tham me.

My folks were poor, but in those days it didn’t seem to matter. It didn’t make any difference to us. We did well in school, particpated in everything, especially sports. If it hadn’t been for sports I could have dropped out of school and toughed it out, like so many did in those days.

All said and done, I had a happy childhood growing up here in Munday. I don’t think a child could have had a better place to grow up. Munday was a lively place in those days, with a business in every building in town. There were three drugstores in downtown Munday. Three car dealerships. Two variety stores. Two or three barber shops. Several grocery stores. A couple of gins and several elevators. I don’t know how many service stations, not just a filling station either.

And a depot. I remember when there were railroad tracks dividing the town. At one time there was a doodle bug that traveled from Wichita Falls to Abilene. That was when I was very young.

Stores stayed open late in those days, especially on Saturdays. There would be more people in town on Saturday night than at any other time. There were two picture shows here then: the Roxy and the Roy. English and Spanish.

I could go on and one about what was here and all the things we did as kids. I remember one experience in particular that brings a smile whenever I think of it. I had just bought my first bicycle. I had saved up $10 to buy it. I was riding toward Munday Lumber Company where my dad was working on a job. It used to be behind where Phillips Bait shop is now. I was riding along north of the court house when I had a blowout. It was summer and hot and the guys were playing dominoes on the lawn, just a few feet where I was riding. It was a loud blowout, sounded like a gunshot. And everyone of those guys jumped like they had been shot. Dominoes went everywhere.

We had no idea that things could or would change. Things hadn’t changed in Munday very much in the last 50 years. But these last 50 years have seen unbelievable change.

It’s demoralizing to dwell on the changes that have happened to every small town in America, and to the country itself.

When I left Munday the first time it was to go to college in Abilene. I had been further away from Munday, like to Lubbock and Waco. Like all kids who go away to school, it was an experience to latch on to responsibility. Moma couldn’t get me out-be-bed anymore. I didn’t have her fresh biscuits for breakfast anymore. I had to look after myself for the first time: it’s a cruel world out there.

When I applied to Hardin Simmons I used the only name I had then, Bunny. The form didn’t ask if I was male for female. So when I got to HSU to move in and all they had put me in Behrens Hall. Well, that’s the freshman girls dorm. When I showed up ready to move in they had a problem. Well, it was really my problem, but they were not going to let me move into Behren’s Hall. Well, where am I going to live? They didn’t know and didn’t care, but I was not moving into Behren’s Hall. That chapter in my life was closed as far as they were concerned.

After a year and a half I dropped out to work and save some money. But the United States was involved in an undeclared war in Vietnam and the draft board was recruiting for the Army. When I reached 21 I would be drated into the Army, which meant I would soon be on my way to Vietnam. I joined the Air Force instead.

When I filled out the papers to join I used the only name I had, Bunny. To make sure Bunny had been born the Air Force looked at my birth certificate. I had