My Father's Hometown

Ottawa, Kansas

A couple of days into our cross country road trip in September 1995 I found out that my father had a mild heart attack back home in Hayward, CA. Saul and I decided that we would come back home to be with my mom and dad during this difficult time and that we would continue our trip once my dad recovered. But Don, my dad, was stubborn and he insisted that we continue on our trip because we planned on stopping in Ottawa, KS., the small town where he grew up with his six brothers and sisters, where he was a state high school football and track & field star, where I visited and stayed with my grandparents as a young girl, and it was important for him that we meet his family.

During our 10 days of being with my family we were with his sister Orpha's family, with his other sister Onieta and her husband Jimmy and with the other members of his family, and we fell into the slower pace of Ottawa. We learned what it was like to sit on the porch bench and talk for hours and hours with Orpha, later reflecting that this time passed while we talked about whatever topics happened to cross our minds, often not even remembering what it was we talked about. We do remember thinking how far away the San Francisco Bay Area was, not in distance but culturally, and so we focused on what common interests we had and what could bond us. We visited Don's school where he went from kindergarten to when he was a high school senior, to the cemetery where his relatives were laid to rest, to the small field that Ray and Randy worked at and where Orpha dutifully brought them their lunch every day, to a Sunday morning community breakfast, and a wonderful and heartfelt family reunion that brought my family together from all parts of Kansas.

When we stayed for a couple of days with my Aunt Onieta and Jimmy she woke us up at 6:30 every morning and treated us to a breakfast from heaven - the plates overflowed with pancakes, eggs, bacon, and hash browns and this meal lasted us the whole day. When they waved goodbye to us we felt a deep sense of regret that we couldn't stay longer. This was family, my dad's family, and they had taken us in as their own.

Sandra Hoover - August 2020