Where Is My 1957 RCA??

Growing up in the Ice Household was an exercise in minimalism. We were limited in disposable cash and resources. In other words - "We wuz broke!" But the creative ability of Mom & Dad meant that we did not identify ouselves as being poor. They were able to distill maximum results from a small investment.

Mom fed us on hamburger gravy and biscuits (or rice)when funds were especially limited. But Dad possessed a special ability to revive broken, or worn-out things. thus, we were able to enjoy technological comforts without spending much on sophisticated devices.

While in my early teens, I watched TV programs on a Philco console set from the 1950's. (At the time, it was a 20-year old castaway.) Later, we inherited a red RCA as I progressed through High School. If only I had known that the relic was a period-piece of consequence, I might have tried to preserve it for future days! But this was not the case. We inherited the unit from a friend at church, Jack Murphy. (He had a collection of such used junk in his barn.)

If my memory is correct, this is the device I was watching when word was announced that John Lennon had been killed in New York City. (December, 1980.) The RCA served us well, until Dad's repair work could no longer sustain its useful nature. Once the TV died for good, it was discarded with the trash. In that yonder time, we did not understand how valuable it would become.

Now, Internet research has images of the red RCA fresh in my mind. I yearn to gaze into that murky screen again... but the set, like my childhood, is gone forever. Still, I can remember, and reflect. Once upon a time, life was simple, and we were happy with the patched-together rubbish of an earlier age!

Rod

A Postscript: I later bought my first real typewriter from Mr. Murphy, a 1950's Royal office typewriter. Fully manual, the machine was a beast! But it got me started as a professional writer, in 1982. The antique sold for $10.00 and it remains in my personal collection.