The life of Theodore Joseph Kaizer

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The life of Theodore Joseph Kaizer

• Interviewed by
• Rebecca Acosta

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Fun facts

• Birth date August 29, 1927
• Birth place Bakersfield, CA
• Had 4 sisters and was the youngest.
• Hes lived most of his life in Bakersfield except
  for the time he lived on a navy ship in the armed
  forces.
• Being on a ship is like being in jail with a
  chance of drowning.

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Early Childhood

• Great Depression a lot of poor folks
• His dads income- 90 a month
• School Ted was left handed. Teachers tried to
  make him right handed because everybody had to be
  right handed.
• Many children came to school without shoes.
• He always had enough to eat
• Ted won 2 ducks at a carnival and kept them.
  After a while, they became dinner.
• Teacher gave him a goat and became his pet
  Nebbie. The goat met the same fate as the
  ducks.
• I wouldnt taste it. I wouldnt eat my friend.

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• First Job At 8 yrs old was mowing lawns in the
  summer
• Pay 50 cents - 1
• Other jobs
• Cleaning the chicken yard for .10
• Theater Mickey mouse show, cartoons, movies
• What to buy?
• A milkshake for .09 at Ernies
• A mug of root beer for .05

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• Childhood hero Cowboys from the movies
• Hobbies as a child Stamp collecting, collecting
  coins, and building model airplanes
• Hobbies now collecting music, refinishing
  furniture

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What to do for fun???

• Rode a bike
• Played football in the streets
• Listen to radio programs
• Dick Tracy, Orphan Annie, Jack Armstrong
• He ate a lot of wheat cereal that sponsored Dick
  Tracy in order to get Tracy stuff

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Dating

• Start? When he found out the girls werent boys.
• He bought a car at 16 for 50 ( Model A Ford
  1931) but he usually borrowed his dads car for a
  date
• Boys asked girls and boys paid for everything!
• Went to the movies or dancing after a game

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Major events? W.W.II

• Scrap drives
• Rationed food- Meatless Tuesdays
• Ted was a messenger in high school. He and other
  boys would look out for planes (air raids?)

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The world has changed

• Speed air travel jets
• Electronics computers, cell phones (which he
  will never ever own), cassettes
• Television (watch a movie for free)
• Family Hardly a family anymore. Everyone always
  goes their own ways.
• Crummy air- too many people with asthma
• As a child he only knew 1 kid with asthma

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As an older adult

• Advice
• Take care of your health
• Eat a descent breakfast
• If you get started in school, dont stop
• Bad things need to happen so something good will
  come later

• Worst thing about it is being old
• Best thing about it is The older I get, the more
  things I remember if they happened or not.
• Wouldnt want to go over his life again
• Very Happy!!

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Fin