Ray Fox was born Feb. 22, 1945 to Jeanette and Ray Peter Fox in Adrian. The family included older brothers, David and James. Ray’s father’s intermittent work history meant the family moved frequently.

Ray’s earliest memories include a rural Wisconsin home where the boys took turns walking to a nearby farm for a bucket of milk. He also remembered early elementary years in Wells, Minnesota when his dad worked at a lumber yard in Minnesota Lake.

The Fox’s moved to Ghent in 1953, the year Ray began third grade. Ray’s dad worked at Galenter Lumber in Marshall, while his mom took care of the home and raised her kids, then including Ray’s sisters, Judy, Mary, and Susan.

Their home in Ghent was a small, two-story house with an outside pump for water. Ray remembered that the main floor fuel oil heater was unable to heat the second floor through a single floor grate. Ray laughed recalling that cold second floor.

“One winter a cat peed on the floor upstairs and it froze. Mom never wanted to talk about that or believe it happened. We wore jackets to bed upstairs.”

But kids are adaptable and usually focus on ways to have fun. Ray remembered fishing during those years.

“We used to go to Three Mile Creek and fish for bullheads, suckers, and snapping turtles. There was a guy in town who’d pay a dollar for any snapping turtle we caught.”

Bicycling was also popular. Ray recalled one particular biking activity.

“Ghent had a Rolle Bolle center. Sometimes we’d set up a racetrack there with our bikes and we thought we were going really fast. Nobody ever told us not to do it, so we did it.”

Ray also recalled winter fun.

“We had a [friend’s] parent that had a toboggan. He’d tie a rope to his car and pull us until the toboggan wore out from crossing gravel. Another guy with a son took us ice fishing.”

That same parent introduced Ray to a field sport he grew to love. He explained, “He’d take us along when he’d go road hunting for pheasants. I was basically a bird dog.”

The Fox’s were a Catholic, church-going family, so their children attended St. Eloi’s Parish School in Ghent. Ray enjoyed school there where each classroom hosted two grades and all the teachers were nuns.

The Fox family moved to Marshall in 1957. That fall Ray enrolled in Seventh grade at Central Catholic High School. The family moved to another home on Pine Street, part of a new addition on the town’s east end.

Ray explained how living there fed his interest in hunting.

“Pine Street was on the edge of town then. I could scare up pheasants just walking out to the Marshall Cemetery. There’s one house that has a lot of my BBs in it. A rooster got up on my way home. I got it, but I got that house as well. Fortunately, nobody was home at the time,” he recalled, chuckling.

Ray worked different jobs during those years.

“I delivered papers. I worked at a grocery store — Super Value. Sometimes we’d pick rock for farmers in the spring. We’d go into the farmhouse at noon and it was all you can eat, but eat what you take.”

Those years led to friendships with boys like Jim Almich and Brian Hoffman who also attended Central High School and shared his love of hunting and fishing. Ray described their pursuit of both field sports

“When I was older and got a license, I went hunting and fishing all the time. We’d go to School Grove and catch bullheads. Dead Coon was another lake we’d fish. During high school, I always had a shotgun in my car (in season) or I would bring it to school and store it in my locker, if I was riding with a friend. We always got our limit with pheasants and I think we knew about every duck hunting slough around here.”

Studying in high school was not as high on Ray’s priorities as hunting and fishing, but he recalled one teacher who left an impression.

“She was a nun. She always encouraged me. I was in all the school plays because of her. I was probably a better student because of her. She also motivated me to attend college.”

Ray played football as one of the Central High Queensmen, competing in a Catholic High School athletic conference.

“I played guard and linebacker. Our senior year we were the only (CCHS) team to win the conference football title. We had a really great athlete who carried us – Greg Lenz. I spent a lot of time with him”

Ray graduated from Central High School in 1963. He enrolled at St. Cloud State College, but made poor choices freshman year.

“I wasn’t a very good student. If I attended class, I didn’t do any homework. I did just enough to get by.”

He transferred to the University of North Dakota, but continued to be a mediocre student. Frustrated by his lack of direction, he decided to drop out.

“I knew after I got through with college I was going to be drafted, so I thought I’ll just quit and get drafted sooner. I got my draft notice in September or October to report to Basic Training in January of 1968.

Life accelerated quickly for Ray in January 1968.

The Lyon County Museum is organizing an exhibit about the impact of the Vietnam War on Lyon County. If you would like to share Vietnam experiences or help with the exhibit, please contact me at prairieviewpressllc@gmail.com or call the museum at 537-6580.