William Augustus Curwick was born in December 1950 in the new Weiner Memorial Hospital in Marshall, the eldest of five children born to Winifred and James Curwick. Bill’s siblings included his sister, Sherry, 11 months younger than him; brother, James Jr, who was 5 years younger; his sister, Dawn, who was 7 years younger; and brother, Jack, who was 10 years junior to Bill. The Curwicks lived in Marshall, where Bill’s dad worked as a foreman for road construction contractors and his mom waitressed at Mike’s Café and the Corner Bar.

Bill chuckled when he explained his parents’ roles in the family.

“Mom was the boss. She ran the household because most of the year Dad was never around. During deep winter, he would be home all the time. But starting in early March he would be at the shop, helping get the equipment ready for the summer. At the end of their work year, it’d take another month or two to get the equipment cleaned up and in storage. If Mom couldn’t handle a situation, it was always, “Wait ’til your dad gets home!” (Bill laughed) Dad wasn’t a big disciplinarian, so we didn’t worry about Dad too much. Mom could be a stern disciplinarian, although, it seemed like I had more freedom than the rest. I could be gone for two or three days in the summer and my mother never worried about me. But if any of the others went out for more than a day, she was on the phone trying to find out where they were. I never asked her why, but it made me an independent person. I think that’s been a big part of my personality. I don’t mind stepping outside the norm and not conforming to rules.”

Bill explained that his Mom ensured the family attended services at Holy Redeemer Parish just about every week and that the Curwick kids pulled their weight around the house.

“We had to make our beds and clean our rooms. We had to help with dishes and there was a rotating schedule for that as you got old enough to help. We’d help once in a while with vacuuming the carpet and sweeping the floors.”

Bill stepped forward to handle additional chores.

“I enjoyed mowing the grass, so I did a lot of mowing. I don’t think any of my brothers or sisters ever did, but I think that’s because I enjoyed it. I started out with a reel mower, which really wasn’t that much fun, but it got the job done. When we got a power mower I couldn’t believe how easy (Bill chuckled) the lawn care became.”

The Curwicks lived on North 6th Street, not far from the Redwood River, which offered adventures for young Bill.

“The river was probably about 250 feet from our back door. My friends and I spent lots of time up and down the river out to Skunk Hollow. We’d shoot birds; start a fire; clean the birds; cook them; and eat them while we were out there. There was a little stand of sweet corn up towards Skunk Hollow. We always raided that for corn to go with our birds.”

Bill’s paternal grandma lived in Lynd, about seven miles distant, and her home became a destination for another form of adventure for Bill and his sister.

“In the summer, my sister Sherry and I would sometimes hop a freight train in Marshall and ride it to Lynd. Right above (Grandma’s) house in Lynd there was a grassy opening where you could jump off the train and not have to worry about running into trees. We’d walk down the hill to Grandma’s and then go to Camden and spend the day. We’d come back; Grandma would call Mom; and Mom would come get us. We’d catch hell for jumping the train (Bill laughed), but it didn’t stop us from doing it.”

He explained the mechanics of hopping a freight train ride.

“It was easy because they were always going so slow. We didn’t ride in a boxcar. We just got on the back end of a car; stood there and waited until we got to where we wanted to be; and bailed out. They were moving a little faster when they were going by Grandma’s; but it was easy to bail out if you didn’t mind having to roll in the grass and dirt a little bit.”

Camden State Park was a regular summer destination for the whole family.

“As a family we went to Camden frequently. Dad would take us to Camden; drop us off at the swimming hole; and then go back and visit with Grandma and her second husband. They’d come back after a couple hours and the whole family would spend an hour or two there. Mom would fire up one of the fire pits and we’d have hot dogs and go home. I always thought it was a fun time because if I wasn’t swimming, I was climbing the hills around the pool. In the wintertime we’d go out there tobogganing down that one hillside.”

Marshall’s winters sometimes offered unique adventures for Bill, his siblings, and friends.

“I remember some tremendously snowy winters where we had snow drifts in front of the house that were ten feet tall. Usually, we just dug tunnels into them and played like that.”

As you have likely noticed, Bill was a free-spirited character from a young age. This did not always align well with teachers’ expectations when he began making his way through public school.

©2024 William D. Palmer.