A Post about Becky’s Dad
The American Dream — by Becky Wynne
Sharon keeps after me to write a blog post. I’m not a writer. What do you write about? I’m told you should write about things you know – well, I do know a little about real estate. Not really sure how to turn that into something interesting for readers. So, I’ll write about my dad instead.
Ray Felts – that’s my dad. We all just helped him celebrate his 80th birthday in August. Wow – can you even imagine all that has happened over the past 80 years? I was curious so I “Googled it” and found a few interesting facts: In 1933 the unemployment rate was at 25.2%! Boy – and we think we have it bad! The Great Depression was still going strong in our country and 1 in 4 people were unemployed. Not really sure why they called it the “Great Depression” because from what I understand – it really wasn’t great at all. If you did have a job – your average annual income was $1,550. And this is my favorite part…average cost of a new home was $5,750 – 80 years later it’s $186,300! A few more fun facts – gas was .10 per gal, bread was .7 a loaf, and a can of Campbells soup was .10. The latest movie to hit the silver screen was King Kong (the original) and some funny looking little dude named Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany – not sure anyone really cared about that at the time. Construction had just begun on the Golden Gate Bridge and in real estate news – FDR had just gotten Congress to pass the Home Owner Refinancing Act as part of “The New Deal”. This is fun, isn’t it?
But seriously, do you think any of our generation or younger could even imagine what life was like for our parents or grandparents? MOST people during that time really knew poverty and hardship. But before you start feeling sorry for them – listen, what they went through made them strong and self-sufficient. My dad’s generation is the backbone of our country. They are the reason why generations since have NOT had to suffer the way they did. When things were tough, they rolled up their sleeves and did WHAT EVER IT TOOK to feed their families and pay their bills. My dad was very poor as a child but he was smart and a hard worker. He did what all young men of the time did; he signed up and fought for his country. Then he came home and raised a family in the post-war booming economy. I never remember him sitting around complaining about life – he was always working. 80 years have gone by—and now his home is paid for, he raised 3 great kids, he spent 51 years with his loving wife, he can enjoy his “toys” (motorcycle, boat, motorhome, etc.) and his security. Despite everything he survived to live out the American Dream.
Now the question is…does the American Dream still exist? Well, that might have to be another blog subject.
Side note: Ray had knee replacement surgery in September. We wish him well!