Texas Author Henry Skupin Recalls Fond Memories of Growing Up on a Farm

His compelling memoir takes readers on a journey back to the time when farming was a way of life, country roads were dirt and few rural homes had electricity or telephones. Henry and his older brother were both born at home in one of those houses that used lanterns for light, wood stoves for cooking and an out house for a bathroom.

Houston, Texas, USA – WEBWIRE – Monday, May 21, 2018

A memoir recommended for readers who are interested in Texas farm history during the time when it was becoming mechanized.

The Memoirs are titled “Growing Up On The Farm: History in my Lifetime In Rosebud, Texas In the 1940’s and 1950’s As remembered by the Author” (iUniverse, 2007).

A slender, easy-to-read book that is written in an engaging conversational style, the memoir chronicles the author’s childhood and family life on a farm outside of Rosebud, Texas, a city of about 1,400 people balancing small town charm with the family farm development.

The author shares an anecdote surrounding the only vacation his family took, which affirms the fact that farmers rarely take vacations. It was a trip to Yellowstone Park with two other farm families and it did not go as planned. One the other boys on the trip got sick in Raton, NM and had to stay at a hospital for a few days. So the trip ended at Pike’s Peak.

With regard to that road trip, the author informs readers that cars were not dependable in those days. Cruise control had not been invented yet and cars did not have power steering or power brakes not to mention A/C, which made driving long distances more demanding and much less comfortable. As there were few places to eat, the families took lunch makiig material along with them and stopped under a tree to make sandwiches. Those were the times.

Farm life had lots to do with animals. The family slaughtered hogs, plucked chickens by hand, milked the cows, and kept a few dogs as pets. After the boys were grown and gone, his parents moved into town. A pet dog disappeared one day and his father found him on the gravel road a couple of miles out of town headed for the farm. “You can take the dog out of the farm but you can’t take the farm out of the dog,” his father remarked.

“Growing Up On The Farm” would not be complete without the mention of parents, especially about their role in the author and his 2 brothers’ upbringing. Their parents taught them to be ethical, confident, and independent, and to value strong family ties and take pride in their work.

His mother completed high school . But his father dropped out of school after the 6^th grade to help support his family and his four younger siblings. Henry and his brothers acknowledge that they got their math and engineering skills from their father. Their parents made sure that all three boys would go to college, paying for their education and even providing each of them a car.

“Growing Up On The Farm” is for anyone who is interested in what childhood on the farm was like. Look for this book at the upcoming New York Rights Fair 2018 on May 30 through June 1, 2018, at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Manhattan, New York City.

Copies are available at Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Growing-Up-Farm-Lifetime-remembered/dp/0595440479/)

Growing Up On The Farm: History in my Lifetime In Rosebud, Texas In the 1940’s and 1950’s As remembered by the Author
Written by Henry Skupin
Published by iUniverse
Published date: September 6, 2007
Paperback price: $15.84

About the Author

Henry was born in 1942 to share cropping parents iwho farmed with mules in central Texas. Soon thereafter they moved to a farm his Dad was able to buy, where he was raised. About the time of buying his own farm, his Dad also bought his first tractor. Henry graduated from Texas A&M and worked for Texaco developing seismic software in Houston, New Orleans, and Tulsa until his retirement. He is married, has two children and five grandchildren.