Milton Martin

 

Just a day or so ago a storm named Milton was raging in Florida.

When I thought of its name I thought of an old friend named Milton.  Milton Martin.  There is a Milton Martin car dealership of Gainesville, Georgia, but I don’t think it is the same Milton.

We moved from Manget Street to Richard Street in about 1954.  I was in the 8^th Grade. 

A block away was The Boston Homes.   The Boston Homes was a rental project.  It was on a side of  hill.

Richard Street went to the “4 Lane” aka “41 Highway”.

I made friends with people who lived in The Boston Homes.   Two of my new friends were Milton Martin and Gene Brown. 

Milton and I had the same sense of humor and seemed to catch on to the other’s wit. 

As I said Richard Street ran into the 4-Lane, across the 4-Lane was a thick patch of woods.  About 4 of us built a little cabin, or “Hide Out” in the thick, which would later be the area the amusement park White Water would be.  I remember one time, after the Hideout was built we stocked it with girly magazines.  The girls wore low-cuts.  Some of our younger friends could not understand why you coud not tilt the picture sideways and peep down their low-cuts.

Milton and I had a silent game going on that only we understood.  We pretended we were making a movie of all our friends, without their knowledge.  When one was doing something stupid one of us would make a buzzing noise like a movie camera might make… only us two caught on.

Almost next door to Milton was a young man named Crowe.  I think he lived with his parents.  He worked at WFOM FM Radio.  Later years I think he was one of the top officers of the  radio station.

I think Acworth Beach opened in 1954 or ’55.  On Easter that time my sister Frances, who had her drivers’ license decided to go to Acworth Beach and lie on the beach to get sun.  Milton and I decided to go with her.  We did very little beach or swimming time, but instead walked around the beach park.  Not far away we saw a bunch of row boats turned upside down on the ground.  There was a “Boats for rent” sign.  I think we were their only customers that Easter Morning.  We rowed across the lake to the other side.  We discovered there were a lot of little tributaries coming into the lake.  We rowed up and down the little water paths, seeing trees hanging overhead and so.  It was awesome. 

What we did not realized until hours later we were sun-cooked.  We were red as lobsters.  And the next day at school I was in pain, I could hardly move.  In time I peeled.  But some near 70 years later parts of my body exposed to the sun that day are darker and you can definite see my bathing suit lines.

Milton was a couple years older than I.  I remember when he became eligible he joined the Air Force.  I remember the night before his physical examination he ate plenty of bananas.  He was afraid he underweight to join the military.

It must have worked. 

Away he went, I don’t think he returned.