Samuel James Gilmer (1882 - 1971)

Everyone who knew my dad will remember his smile, his quiet ways and also his car driving. Making the change from horses to fast moving cars was not easy for him. He loved to drive, but never did really master the art.

The battery, the brakes and the starter on his first Ford were always a problem. Dad would whip up Main Street (in Consort) and swing around to park in front of the Co-op. Three men were walking on the sidewalk one day when we arrived and they jumped back towards the front of the building in exaggerated fright. The sidewalk was raised there and Dad could get the car stopped if the brakes were poor. It was also the best place to park when the battery was low or the starter didn't work. I'll never forget the harrowing coast down Main Street in the dark of night to start the car. There were so many things to do before we reached the right-angle turn at the bottom of the hill. Lights on, switch on, clutch in, shift into the right gear -- we all hoped that no one would be foolish enough to back out or try to cross the street during this tension-filled exodus. We were all keyed up and it would be a terrible let-down if Dan had forgotten to turn on the switch. The most intense check of all these points seemed to occur just before the right-angle turn, but we got around that corner safely every time. Mother clung tenaciously to the knob of the window crank and finally tore it off one day. I was always torn between looking and not looking, but she always watched. Her silence on almost all occasions showed great forbearance.

The cold weather was the worst time of all. Nothing on the car seemed to work. Bob dragged that car many a mile with the horses to get it started. When it finally came to life, Dan would floor the gas pedal and the plume of smoke was something to behold. It was in gear on one of these occasions and he shot down the yard and tore out Mother's garden fence. He wrenched the wheel to the right and was heading for disaster when Bob managed to turn off the ignition. It wasn't the best beginning for a ten-mile trip to town.

All the ribbing and teasing Dad endured during his driving career did not dampen his enthusiasm and he seemed to take it all in good spirit. He led a charmed life and survived all the near-disasters. We, too, survived and are still here to tell the tale.