Dean Lydell Glasco

BY, Dean L. Glasco

Note: I write this eulogy because it was my job to write a eulogy for my mother after she died. I heard it read at her funeral and it seemed okay to me, but there were several older women attending that were friends of my mother, and they asked why her association with a club they all belonged to was not mentioned. I remembered the club after hearing the ladies talking about its omission. I felt badly as my mother would have liked her membership remembered.

Therefore, I write my own eulogy, and although probably somewhat prejudiced, at least it is about as accurate as possible, at least from my own view point. You are of a “different” age, and for some of this that I write about you will probably laugh. Things change down through the generations. But much remains the same.

I was born Dean Lydell Glasco on February 14 (Valentine’s Day), in 1933. This date was during the “Bank Holiday” when all of the banks were closed during the Great Depression of the 1920’s and 30’s.

I always joked that since no one would accept a check for payment for my birth; my Dad had to pay cash for me.

My parents were James Edward Glasco and Nelle Josephine (Lyster) Glasco and lived in Wichita Kansas. Dad was a realtor and also with a partner, a founder of a Savings and Loan in Wichita. My mother was a full-time housewife, a housewife’s “occupation,” a common practice at that time.

I was born in the room adjacent to the birthing room at Wesley Hospital in Wichita, since David Ainsworth, my later classmate, was being born in the birthing room. (Second place.)

I had an older brother, Donald Glee Glasco, who preceded me in life and in school who was born also in Wichita, Kansas on October 18, 1929. He was intelligent, A Doctor of physiatry, and a big brother to me. He died in the hospital at the age of 85 when one day his heart just stopped.

I grew up in a middle-class home at 3329 East Pine St. in Wichita, Kansas. It

was a lovely place with elm trees which grew touching each other forming a wonderful arch over Pine Street. I can remember all of the kids in the neighborhood who would play together on a summer day until evening. We would play until called home by our parents as it began to get dark. We didn’t have any TV so we played group; games such as “kick the can” until darkness drove us home. That boyhood home of mine was demolished for the expansion of a new parking lot for the hospital in which I was born just a few hundred feet away.

I went to grammar school just a block from my house at Alcott School. It was easy for me to get to and from school on my own. I remember the big windows in the classrooms and all of the light we would get on a sunny day. (A proper light for reading was not provided in that day for the lighting was not designed to the standards of today.)East across the street from our house was a large vacant lot and another vacant lot was on the north side of our house. We dug “caves,” shallow excavations with boards on top covered with dirt. We would crawl into those “caves” and light candles recessed in the dirt walls. Great fun! We grew vegetables in the lot to the north of us called a “Victory Garden” during the Second World War. We had so many green beans that I sold them in the neighborhood for 35 cents a bag.

I graduated from the 8th grade and then went to Robinson Junior High School on Oliver Street a couple of miles east of our house. I had gone to Grammar School by walking since it was very close to home, but now I had to ride my bike to school. (I remember the trip was uphill and rather difficult. Coming home was a joy! The Junior High system had a sports division and having played lots of “back yard” basketball at the goal mounted our garage wall, I went out for basketball. Unfortunately, I was not good enough for the team but was asked if I would be the manager. I accepted that job with pleasure. Manager really meant that you were in charge of towels, (second place) but I enjoyed being a manager and was awarded a “letter” for the effort. Our team won the Junior High City of Wichita Championship.

From a young boy I was always interested in the outdoors, the birds, the trees, and anything to do in the out of doors. Early on I joined the Cub Scouts and as I grew I joined the Boy Scouts. I finished my time in the Boy Scouts as an Eagle Scout, one of my early accomplishments. When I was a boy scout, about 14 or 15 years old, I worked for and received a Boy Scout medal for architecture. That is when I first thought seriously about what my lifetime profession might be. I was so interested in that merit badge that I decided that I would like to be an architect.

After three years at the Junior High (where I first learned a lot about girls) I enrolled in Wichita East High School, a three-year high school. It was a large high school with almost 3,000 students. I was active in student government (as a home room representative and more) and also wanted to be included in the sports program. I went out for football. (This was a sophomore only team that had its own schedule of games.) I was a halfback and got to play in most every game. I remember the first game that I played in. It was the very beginning of the game at the kickoff. I was on the receiving team and watched as the ball came overturning in the air headed straight for me. I deftly caught the ball and started running toward the goal when an opponent hit me … “POW!” Wow! I’d never been hit so hard, and the “wind” was knocked out of me.

So, the next year I went out for the swimming team. I had always enjoyed swimming and I wanted to be on some sort of a team. The coach asked me

what stroke I swam and I answered that I didn’t know. It seems as though the team needed a backstroke, so I turned over on my back and became a back stroker. I won a first place medal at the state finals as a part of the medley relay team. I also was on the high school golf team as we would not have to endure the last hour of class if you were on a sports team.

During high School I was selected to go to “Boy’s State,” a program in which we learned about state government. I ran for Attorney General but was defeated, my first attempt at “politics.” (Second place.)

I graduated from high school, having the honor of being inducted into the National Honor Society.

It seems that I was always on the “edge” socially. My senior year was when I first “fell in love” with a girl named Sally Elder. The girl was pretty (I didn’t date girls that were not pretty) and we dated exclusively. She was a brilliant girl and we liked each other very much. But after high school we went to different colleges and finally lost track of each other.

The next school year I was accepted by the University of Kansas and dutifully enrolled in the Engineering school with the intention of studying to be an architect, a five year course.

A graveside service for Dean will be held Saturday, October 21, 2023 from 11:30 AM to 12:00 PM at Phoenix Memorial Park and Mortuary, 200 West Beardsley Road, Phoenix, AZ 85027.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.phoenixmemorialmortuary.com for the Glasco family.