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Continued: M.C. Dale had an ideal childhood until his father passed away unexpectedly when M.C. was only 11 years old. He acknowledged that after his father's death, he was "spoiled" by prosperous relatives. As a young teenager he often made camping trips into Mexico by horseback. At the age of 16, M. C. took the train to Detroit, paid cash for a new Ford Model T, and drove it home over Indian paths and wagon trails. This Model T was the first car in Winters, Texas. At the age of 18 M.C. was obligated to attend the Abilene Christian College, since it had been founded in part by a bequest in his father's will. The compulsory prayers and Bible studies turned M. C. against organized religion and he became a militant atheist for the rest of his life. When M. C. was about 21 he traveled to Germany to continue his studies at the University of Heidelberg. He said he had been taught German by his mother and maternal uncles, and that he lived with cousins in Germany. The cousins must have been distant ones, since M.C.'s closest relative born in Germany was his great-great-great-great grandfather. M. C. remained in Europe for several years after finishing his studies, and it is not certain what he was doing during this period, other than indulging his life-long love for travelling. But when he returned to the U.S. just before the onset of World War II, M.C. was exempted from military service and placed under surveillance as a possible German spy. During World War II, M.C. decided to try to operate a German-style dance hall and beer garden in San Angelo. He rented a large hall, imported popular bands from the east coast, and called his dance hall "The Hangar." This business venture was tremendously successful. People travelled from all over the Southwest to hear popular dance bands such as Benny Goodman and the Bing Crosby Trio. M.C. sold the business a year later for a large sum. The proceeds of this sale, together with income from family farmlands, enabled M.C. to retire at the age of 40. At this point M.C moved to San Francisco, CA where he lived for about 20 years, before returning to Texas for the rest of his life. M.C. was very tall, about 6' 4", and slender. He had red hair when young and fair skin. His appearance was distinctive. He always wore a mustache, three piece suits, and a hat. His accent was more German than Texan. He was kind, but not affectionate; intelligent and well-read, but not intellectual; and frugal, but not stingy. M.C.'s lifelong hobbies were photography and travelling. As a youngster he learned how to operate large cameras on tripods, develop film, and make prints. Later on, M.C. belonged to the prestigious Camera Club of San Francisco, and exhibited his work in competitions with Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, sometimes winning first place. M.C. enjoyed excellent health and precise mental functioning throughout his long life. He never saw a dentist, and kept 20-20 vision and perfect hearing until the end. He attributed his good health to proper nutrition and exercise. Photo of M.C. with his mother Carrie Bright, at M.C.'s father's funeral, Winters, TX, 1916: http://img328.imageshack.us/img328/3161/mcdale5th.jpg
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