Jim Keul was born March 12, 1944, to Marie (Besh) Keul and Victor Keul in Waterloo, Iowa, although Victor was deployed to Europe with the Army at the time. Marie and Victor met in Rock Rapids, Iowa where she was working as a Public Health Nurse, chasing down communicable diseases, and he worked for the newspaper. After they married he was drafted into the Army at thirty-one, the oldest trainee in his Basic Training Company. Marie moved back with family in Waterloo during Victor’s wartime service

When Victor returned from WWII, the newspapermen running the Rock Rapids paper put him into the Headlight Herald in Tracy. Because he had no money to invest in the business, they offered the position with a “sweat equity” agreement.

Jim’s earliest memories are of living in Tracy.

“We lived above the newspaper business. It was a one-bedroom and then a Murphy bed. That’s where I slept. My dad was more interested in the newspaper than anything else. Because it was so convenient, he could go to work and live down there.”

Jim loved the downtown apartment for all the places a little boy could investigate.

“The theater was right next door where I could do popcorn boxes. I was over there just hanging around. He took a liking to me and asked if I’d like to help. We had a little grassy area next to it and we played ball there. There was an ice cream shop. There was a Chevy garage. Here I was, hanging around and asking the mechanics how they were overhauling cars and they’d buy me treats. (Jim chuckled) So, I thought living above the Headlight downtown was the best.”

But family life interfered with Jim’s idyllic downtown when his brother, Tom, joined the family in 1949 and the family moved.

“When Tom came along I think Marie threatened to divorce Vic if he didn’t get a house. So, they bought a house for $14,000. I’ll never forget that. They were concerned about money, living frugally on Park Street. That was a great deal growing up; ice skating rink, tennis courts, and Tracy was a pretty vibrant town in the early ’50s, so there were a lot of kids around.”

The new neighborhood and attending school enabled Jim to make many friends.

“There were a lot of them right in that neighborhood; Bill Mitchell, Bill Mayer, and John Volley among them. I always wanted to be a farmer, so I spent a lot of time staying out at farms with buddies.”

Jim and his friends had a rich array of summer and winter activities.

“I liked riding my bike to the lake or camping out. We did a lot of swimming in the summer. We built tree forts. We’d go out to Wardell’s bridge and talk to the hobos. It’s about two and a half miles east of Tracy on the railroad line. That was a camping spot for hobos. They took a liking to our house. They’d come and ask for food. Many never came back because Mom always made them mow the lawn.”

Winter brought new activities for Jim and his friends.

“We couldn’t get enough sliding down hills and ice-skating. There was Jackrabbit Hill on the [East] edge of town. That’s all new homes now. The ice skating rink was across the street. I’d go over there and clear the rink [of snow] so I could skate. A bunch of us played hockey there. John Volley would [gather us] and we’d do board games. But mostly I had to be outside from the minute I got up. In fact, it was worth getting lickings because I wouldn’t come in for supper.”

Jim’s folks also expected their boys to work.

“I had a paper route from ten until I graduated. Morning paper routes didn’t interfere with sports when I was in high school. I had to work as a ‘printer’s devil’ from about twelve or fourteen. We’d mow the lawn; shovel the walks; and do the dishes. We did it reluctantly, but we were required to work and do chores.”

Jim explained the job of a “printer’s devil.”

“He melts type down; recasts type; cleans the linotype; cleans the presses; cleans the rollers; [removes] and cleans the ink fountains; puts forms together; and puts them on the press.”

Both of Jim’s parents were of Germany ancestry as Marie’s grandparents emigrated from Germany through Ellis Island and Victor’s forbears also sailed from Germany to the U.S. Jim’s paternal grandparents died young, but he remembers spending time with his maternal grandma and his mom’s family in Waterloo.

“I knew Grandma Besh. I’d just love her to come because she would stick up for me. I was always getting in trouble and I didn’t get spankings when she was around. My mom’s family — we were really connected. We went to Waterloo a lot at Christmas and spent time with them. I would go back there sometimes and stay at my grandma’s house and was well taken care of. (Jim laughed) One of my uncles in Waterloo became extremely wealthy. I’d go down there in the summers. They got me a bike, so I rode it down there. I’d take off all day and ride around.”

Jim’s education led him to college, which then led him to the Army.

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 prairieview pressllc@gmail.com or call the museum at 537-6580.