Phillip Pitzer

Ancestors

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Biography

BIO: PHILLIP HARRISON PITZER: Ninth child and fifth son of Bessie Ann (Hill) Pitzer and James Paul Pitzer was born in his Aunt Minnie Maye (Pitzer) Kerr's home in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, on May 25, 1937. When Phillip was eleven months old his father disappeared while on a cattle buying trip. The family was living on a rented farm north of Coffeyville, Kansas, at that time. Phillip along with his mother and three brothers then spent the next year with his Grandparents, the Odus Grant Hill's on their farm southwest of Nickerson, Kansas.

After one year his mother gathered her family together again and settled at 1000 East First in Hutchinson, Kansas. Phillip remembers that their only substance was provided by the Reno County Welfare and donations from relatives. He recalls that when his mother's brothers would butcher a hog they would share part of it with them. Phillip spent over sixteen years of his life in the same old house at 1000 East First and says he could write a book about his experiences he had there. One of these was the Saturday night baths. His mother would heat the water on an old wood stove and the baths were taken in an old #3 galvanized tub. Phillip being the youngest of the children got to take his bath first and therefore always had clean water to bath in. Sometimes the water just got too dirty before everyone had gotten a bath, so somewhere along the procession someone else was lucky and got clean water.

Phillip is living proof that one does not have to be born with a silver spoon in his mouth to succeed in life. Hard work and determination pay off. He says his work life has been varied and rewarding. He started setting pins in a bowling ally at the age of nine when he was in the third grade. He worked in the evenings from 6 P.M. until Midnight. One week his schedule would be Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The next week he would work Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. He got 5 cents for each line of bowling. On a good night he could make $3.00. One summer he worked at the Carey Park City Swimming Pool. When the State Fair was on he would work at various jobs at the Fair. The summer he was fourteen years old - 1951 - he worked for his Uncle Ralph and Uncle Frank Hill on the farm. One summer he went with a custom combine crew, going up to the Dakota's. When the Baker Hotel opened in Hutchinson, he went to work there as a pots an pans washer. This was in 1954. Within three months he was working in the salad station, making sandwiches and salads. Later he was the evening fry cook.

While working at the Baker Hotel Phillip met Carol Ann O'Hara of Partridge, Kansas. Carol was working as a waitress in the restaurant at the Hotel at the time. Phillip and Carol were married June 19, 1955, in the Partridge Community Church. This was between Phillip's Junior and Senior years of High School. Carol Ann was born September 5, 1935, in Hutchinson, Kansas and had already graduated from the Partridge High School. After Phillip's High School graduation in 1956 he went to work for the Bell System. Working in the Telephone Equipment Maintenance for over 33 years, he was able to take early retirement on December 31, 1990. All the years with the Telephone Company entailed some moving around - starting at Wichita, Kansas he has gone to Eureka, Kansas; Howard, Kansas; Kingman, Kansas; Great Bend, Kansas; Dodge City, Kansas; Kansas City, Missouri; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and finally back to Wichita, Kansas, where they have lived for over 30 years. Carol was employed in Shepler's Western Store, Catalog Department, in Wichita Kansas.

Phillip and Carol lived at 725 Trotter, Maize, Kansas, and are the parents of two children they adopted while living in Great Bend, Kansas.

In 2001, Carol and Phillip built a new home and moved to the O'Hara pond, Partridge, Ks. This pond was built by Carol's grandfather in the 1930's.

Sources

• First-hand information. Entered by Phillip Pitzer at registration.