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Note: When Opal and Myrl were born at the beginning of the 20th century, Americans were optimistic. Times were prosperous. America was the world's most affluent country. Access to electricity, automobiles and indoor plumbing was not widespread, but people knew that it was just a matter of time until they would be available to all. For every American, there was "possibility." Anything was possible. This was the place of the self-made man--the American Dream. With prosperity and possibility came jobs. Still largely a rural society, Americans increasingly moved to the city looking for work. They had a strong work ethic and a strong belief in the possibilities of the future. The advance of technology included phonographs, light bulbs, telephones, typewriters, diesel fuel, and machine guns. Architectural wonders appeared in the larger cities. In 1900, a train could carry you the same distance in six days that a covered wagon took six months to cover. Transcontinental travel was easy for almost everyone. Henry Ford's first model-T automobiles appeared and his assembly-line technology made it possible for more people to own them. In 1900 there were only about 8,000 cars and 10 miles of paved roads in the whole country. Americans found themselves increasingly involved in world affairs. Both the Philippines conflict and the Boxer Rebellion in China had many Americans pondering the wisdom of such military actions. Throughout the early 1900's the U.S. continued to struggle with issues of women's suffrage and civil rights. With an emerging middle class, time-saving technologies and more leisure time, Americans enjoyed a variety of pastimes. Vaudeville and theater came on the scene. The idea of "motion pictures" was dazzling to Americans in 1900. Outdoor concerts were available almost everywhere, and almost every small town had its band-stand in the middle of the town square. The music of John Philip Sousa and Scott Joplin was popular. Sheet music was sold all across the land, and everyone who had a piano was caught up in the sounds of the popular music. Such technologies amazed 1900 America the way today's new wonders cause marvel in us. With everything computerized and instant communications around the globe, genetic research, space travel, we all wonder what the future holds. Being born into a century of such big changes in their way of life, Myrl and Opal had a front seat and participated in the changes--sometimes with relish, sometimes with trepidation. They went from their rural farm upbringing to life in the big city of Chicago. They participated in learning about, acquiring and happily using the new-fangled things that always seemed to be just around the corner. They went from horse-drawn carriages to space travel. From the self-sufficient farms to city life where each person contributes only a small part of his labors directly to his family's daily needs. From labor around the clock just for survival to leisure time for community, friends and hobbies.
Myrl was raised on a farm near Wilmathsville in Adair County, Missouri. He attended school in a one-room schoolhouse, Pleasant Hill, located on the property of his grandfather, Craig Atwell Dotson. The Ammerman family lived adjacent to the Dotson farm. Myrl completed sixth grade. Myrl's father ran a general store nearby. He committed suicide due to bankruptcy, when Myrl was six years old. His mother died when he was nine, from an infection--family stories say it was Tuberculosis. He and his two brothers, Dewey and Mayo were raised by his maternal grandparents, Craig and Sarah Jane Dotson on their farm in Wilmathsville. Myrl and Opal lived with Grandma Dotson for the first thirteen months of their marriage, and then they moved into Kirksville, where Myrl worked in the shoe factory. He began having foot trouble, and left that job--returning to farming. He worked on a farm in Iowa for a while, and Opal remained behind in Kirksville. In 1926, they moved to Chicago, to join Myrl's brother, Dewey, who was already established there and working for the Santa Fe railroad. Myrl also got a job on the railroad, where he worked until his retirement in 1962. He worked as a car inspector, and also went out with the "wrecking crew" when there was a train accident--this crew used big cranes and flat cars to pick up the pieces of the broken trains. He really seemed to enjoy these emergency outings. They lived at 63rd & Union when they first moved to Chicago. This was the street where the "L" (elevated train) ran. Opal remembers being so close to the tracks that she could see the individual people in the cars. They had a boarding house. Myrl took the Trolley to 63rd and Ashland Avenue, where he worked. This was their residence until about 1937, when they bought a house in Chicago Ridge. It was a two story house, and they fixed it up so that there were two "apartments"--one up and one down. They lived in one half and rented the other. Because he he worked for the railroad, we had free passes to ride the train. Many times we traveled by train to Missouri to visit grandma and grandpa Ferguson and other relatives. We traveled to Colorado a few times on the Denver, Rio-Grande Western railroad. Dad's sister, Ines and her family lived in Salida. I remember when the train went through the Royal Gorge, it stopped so everyone could get out and see the suspension bridge high above. Especially during the fuel and gasoline shortages in World War II, we made many trips in this way. It was a small compensation for the fact that, during WWII, Myrl was "frozen" in his job. In other words, his work was deemed critical, and he was not allowed to leave it. While others went to high-paying defense jobs, he never got the financial boost that they did. Making ends meet was always a struggle. In the evenings, he worked part-time at Harnew's Service Station Oak Lawn, Illinois pumping gas. He always was very social, and liked being "one of the boys". He turned down opportunities for advancement for this reason. (frustrating the heck out of Opal) Myrl was very handy and could build and/or fix almost anything. He always had a project going. After his retirement from the railroad in 1962, he and Opal moved back to Missouri and their roots. He took a job on the Kirksville police force as a "meter man"--giving out parking tickets. The opportunity for so much public contact was just what he needed. He loved meeting and talking with all the folks who hung out around "the square" where the Courthouse was located. This was the high point of his life. He was very proud of wearing his uniform. He joined the Lions Club in Brashear, where they bought a home. Another social outlet. He had progressive problems with emphysema, and finally was not able to take the heat and humidity of Missouri summers and the cold winters. Myrl and Opal moved to Phoenix in about 1970. After moving to Arizona, Myrl really felt good. He enjoyed living in and walking through the desert. He liked the cactus forests and the wildlife. No matter where he lived, he had many friends. He never met a person he didn't like, and could strike up an easy conversation with anyone. A few of Myrl and Opal's closest friends from Missouri also moved to Phoenix and they were able to continue with their long term relationships. They were both very happy with their post-retirement lives in Arizona. Myrl and Opal were active in the churches in all the localities where they lived. She was usually a deaconess, and he an elder. They both loved to be around friends and family, and were famous for their potluck dinners and card parties. They moved to Denver, after Myrl had suffered a series of small strokes, to be near their daughter, Sandra. He remained active until just a few months before his death. Even when he couldn't get out much anymore, he would go to the community room at the apartment and just sit around drinking coffee and "shooting the bull". He knew everyone who lived there.
He was hospitalized after a seizure, fell in the hospital and broke a hip, and ultimately died of aspiration pneumonia--probably after having another seizure.
He will always be remembered for his friendly nature. He loved to sing-especially barbershop harmonies. He was the Bass. He whistled when he was happy (most of the time). His favorite hymn was "In The Garden". His favorite parting line was "Don't take any wooden nickels".
He was a simple person but loved by all who knew him.
Myrl was named as an heir of Albert H. Ammerman, uncle of his deceased father. Albert died in 1933. At that time, Myrl was living in Chicago, Illinois.
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