Irving Reedy's Stories
In 1941, Buford and I went to Detroit to stay with Ed and Ruth Reedy, and to seek our fortune in the big city. There was not any work in Central Florida, and Buford had a family to support. I had never seen anything like that city in all my life. We were just awestruck! Buford and I got out and headed out from Ruth's house on Beniteau . We were on Jefferson Avenue one day and we hadn't learned about traffic lights. Jefferson Avenue is about 10 lanes of traffic each way. We came up to this intersection and all the cars were stopped very nicely, so Buford and I headed across. The traffic light changed, and in Detroit when the traffic light changes, rubber is burned. Buford looked like a deer, running and jumping between cars and brakes were screeching and people were cussing---so we learned the hard way about traffic lights. You look at that little green light up there, and that's when you walk.

Another little thing about shortness - you couldn't see Shirley when she was standing the podium. I was in basic training in Greenville, Mississippi, flying a BT-13 - a basic trainer. I was taxiing out one day and I called the tower for take-off taxiing instructions. I was talking to him when he finally said - "BT-118 - I see an empty BT taxiing down field. Stand up and wave your arms if you are the one that did it."

I have another little story on Louise Reedy. Lou had a brand new International Harvester Scout of which she was very proud. One day she was out on 42 going to town, and being a Southern Lady in a time when someone was in trouble, you helped them. You stopped to change a tire or whatever they needed done. Lou stopped and here was this big, 20-year-old Cadillac -- Tom calls them land barges - and there was a very much over-fed lady in this Cadillac. Lou asked if she needed help. She said yes, that her engine had died. Lou was going to tow her into Altoona to the garage so she hooked her brand new International Harvester Scout onto this Cadillac with a chain and they headed down the road about 35 or 40 miles an hour. Nobody had thought about the fact that there was no steering or brakes on this car with the engine not running. They were tooteling along and Lou came to a place where she had to make a quick stop. She put on the brakes, and this lady managed to swing around her, then swung past her, and hit the end of the chain and flipped her car over. Lou didn't help her any more.