Gramp Pitman
And the University of Forest Glen
I was reading a story about Red Skeleton and how he’d lied on official documents to go to work earlier in life when his Mother needed help. It reminded me of a story about Gramp Pitman. Seen here with his second wife, Erma.
Before marrying Erma, He’d married Stella “Sam” Hurlburt, a sister to my Grand Father, in the family who adopted me at a year old. I was born to, and adopted within, the Hurlburt family. It was a second marriage for both Elmer and Erma after burring their spouses many years prior. They embraced a romance developed later in life.
The story is about Elmer in his early years, the same Elmer Pitman who some may remember from Port Maitland, Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia. As was the fashion of the day, young Elmer lied about his age to better Serve!
It was Wartime and to Serve, Elmer wanted to Signup for WWI. When questioned about being old enough to, he was asked what School He’d gone to? He replied, “The University of Forest Glen”. They didn’t have Fact Checkers in those days, nor Puters either! So, it was taken that He’d Graduated from The University of Forest Glen!
I believe there may have been a one room school house there for Grade School, but Forest Glen, Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia certainly never had a University! Elmer had a good imagination and a quick mind, even in his later years! He also had a very loving and caring Heart, and wanted only to Better Serve His Country and Community. As did many!
Elmer actually served in both WWI and WWII and learned enough German to be able to understand that language. Thus during WWII he was put in charge of the Prisoners.
It was men like Red Skeleton who was Drafted in March 1944, and shipped overseas to serve with an Army entertainment unit as a private, and Elmer, who who Graduated from the University of Forest Glen, that helped preserve the World we grew up in and the help secure the freedoms and pleasures we had over the past several decades.
I can’t help wonder what these men would think of the World of Comedy we live in today!?