“We ALL will be remembering DENNY,Jr., Tomorrow”

Jan 23rd “We ALL will be remembering DENNY,Jr., Tomorrow”

“Remembering our BABY-SISTER… EVE KAREN McClarren”

This PHOTO of “Eve KAREN ” with big brother, “DENNY” on the left in the photo and big brother “TOMMY” on the right.

I am taking this PHOTO on a very COLD day … that day was pre-arranged by a social worker, Mrs. Fearebacker working in the Civil Courts Building and in charge of cases of where children from the same family are placed in living arrangements… to where they can have the Courts collect from the Father of the Family… sufficient money for their weekly care.

The Courts would not collect this money from the father and send to the mother… so that the children and mother could live together…they would rather separate a family to where the children never get a chance to know and live with their own family…. but forever … remain strangers… for their entire life!

So… to pretend that the Social Workers are doing something constructive toward unity to be developed in this family and after many phone calls and letters … of which my Mother sent to the Civil Court office… for a family meeting to where we would all be able to meet in one place… just for a “visit” with our little sister “KAREN” … because none of us had any real hands on communication… with the others… and would never ever really get to know our very own blood relatives… as the way things were going!

This is the way that the “Social Worker” decided that we would all meet and have a very good and enjoyable time together.

The foster parents of and for our little sister, “Eve Karen”… were a Mr. Oscar and LaVerne Gonzales living in Robinson, Missouri and we three older children, living in the Orphanage and our Mother living in North St. Louis will all take whatever “BUS” transportation at that time… that was available and meet inside the “Civil Courts Building” at a certain time … and this would be only for a limited time of one hour VISIT… and it was on one of the coldest days… to hit in the downtown St.Louis area.

WE all had to find our own ways to get to the “Civil Courts Building” in the downtown Saint LOUIS area… as you can tell by looking at the background… You know right where this area is.

After this meeting, we left… and the report for the file that the social worker and the Gonzales concocted was deplorable…as they sat there not saying anything taking notes about what we said and did… and according to them… we did not do anything right… nor said the correct things… that they thought we should have said… they must deal with people in prisons where you may be seen… but NOT heard from!

“KAREN with big brother, DENNY … on his GRADUATION DAY” “1953” … This PHOTO is taken in front of the “German St. Vincent Orphanage Gymnasium” … 7401 Florissant Road, Normandy, Missouri.

We were in line to get on the “FERRIS WHEEL” one of the attractions on the grounds of the “ORPHANAGE” to attract lots of Visitors to and for this “Graduation-Picnic occasion.”

“If only this Photo would have been in color… You could see the terrific super and fantastic shade of “RED HAIR” and those freckles that DENNY has.”

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“This is with MOM and the three of us… February 1946 as our baby sister, “EVE KAREN Francisca McClarren” was born on the 16th… and when “MOM and DAD” took our sister to the “HOLY NAME CHURCH” to be baptized… and were asked what the baby’s NAME will be… he was told “EVE KAREN” … the Priest said … “there is not a “SAINT EVE KAREN” … DO you have a DOG?” … “I need a “SAINT’s NAME” ….So as not to hold up the ceremony… “MOM remembered that a “Francisca CABRINI” was in the NEWS … as just having been canonized a “SAINT” … so that is “HOW” our sister “KAREN” received her long and full name.

This was an “IRISH PRIEST” and his “IRISH brogue” was so strong … you could hardly understand what he was saying as the word “DOG” really sounded like “DOGUE!”

“This is “KAREN” with DADDY…. and of course the three of us – DENNY – ME – TOMMY … in the area where the “APPLE” trees were growing… every so often one of us kids… would run down and get a handful of ‘apples’ for friends but… for some of the kids… they could not eat the green “apples” they would get… a good case of the “runs” to the bathroom.”

That “SAILOR” outfit that “TOMMY” is wearing is the same “outfit” that “DENNY” wore on his solo trip to “OHIO” when he was only “four years old” … I did write about that trip a couple of times earlier… and posted the news-paper clipping along… giving all of the particulars of the long “trip” that little DENNY took … all by himself … when “DADDY” had to go to “CALIFORNIA” to work on the “NAVY SHIPS” during WWII … just some the exciting things that the “McClarren” children did during those “hard” times… and we all have lived a long enough time to tell about it!

“Just some of the memories of our little sister, EVE KAREN” … just good to have a few old PHOTOS … for a “BACK-up” otherwise… no one would believe… half of the good old days… when we were in the bad and hard times of a “WAR” and what “AMERICANS” all did to help our “COUNTRY” WIN… but we “ALL” just did that which we could… and we always felt good… for what we were able to do.!” D.V.