Thoughts on the Life of a Man: The First 90 Years

by Arlington Adkins, Arline Chase, et. al.

Memoirs of Arlington Hooper Adkins, his family and friends, cover his first 90 years of life, the death of his father when he was nine, hard times during the Great Depression, and his love of hydroplane racing during the 1940s and ’50s, engines and speed—as well as family memories of WWII, and on to the present.

ISBN: 1-59431-163-3 Biography/Memoirs

Perfect Binding: 8x10 Paper 254 pages. Illustrated. Large Print

Cover: Maggie Dix



Mama and the Motorcycle

Arline remembers

One of my first memories was when we lived in the little house and Dad had a motorcycle. Mama was afraid of it and wouldn’t ride on it for love or money.

She walked every day to her job in the can shop of the Phillips Packing Company.

Once when she was walking home, Dad breezed by with a blonde someone riding behind him.

Mama might refuse to ride, but she made up her mind he wasn’t going to ride someone else around while she walked home. It took quite a lot to make my Mama mad, but boy when she finally got mad, she was all the way MAD!

She was furious when she got to the house and I remember, she went straight for the woodpile and the ax.

I was very small, but I recall seeing her grab that ax and attack the motorcycle’s tires with a will.

Granny was holding me back and yelling for her to stop, but she let that motorcyle have it with all her might. Since they were rubber and pretty solid rubber back then, the ax just bounced off the tires.

It flew up and almost hit her in the head. Then it caught in the clothesline and whirled around.

I was some scared, I can tell you.

"Margaret! Stop that! Arlie's going to kill you, when he finds out," Granny yelled.

Daddy heard the commotion and came outside. He took the ax away from Mama, and gave her a hug.

Then I knew everything would be all right.

And that’s how Dad sold his motorcycle and bought our first family car with the money.