Seasons Under the Sun

Boxing’s Joe Louis and Baseball’s Babe Ruth

As we huddle around television sets or laptop computers to watch and cheer on the skilled athletes from all across the globe participating in the 2024 Summer Olympics, we are amazed. Did you know when and where the first Olympic Games were held? No? Well, let me tell you.

The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896. 241 athletes from 14 countries participated. Over a century later, such infamous US athletes as Simone Biles, Michael Phelps, Carl Lewis, Jesse Owens, Mark Spitz, Katie Ledecky, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Jim Thorpe, and the list goes on, were awarded gold, silver, or bronze medals for their excellent athleticism.

Two infamous athletes, although not Olympic winners, are referenced in Seasons Under the Sun. One is Joe Louis, a boxing legend, and the other, Babe Ruth, a name synonymous with baseball. I would like to take this time to expound on their careers and contributions to their sport.

In the first chapter, Paddy or Patrick, teases his older brother Clayton about imitating his baseball hero, Babe Ruth. George Herman Ruth, Jr., was born in Baltimore February 6, 1895. Having watched Ruth play less than an hour, Jack Dunn, the owner of the Baltimore Orioles was so impressed, he offered Ruth a contract. Ruth was only 19 and to complete the contract, Jack Dunn became Ruth’s legal guardian. The Oriole players referred to him as “Jack’s newest babe.” Babe Ruth’s name and career began. Also, nicknamed the Bambino and the Sultan of Swing. Babe Ruth’s contract was later sold to the Boston Red Sox. Babe was a left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. Ruth’s batting displayed great power, hitting 29 homeruns in 1919, so he was moved to the outfield to be on the batting lineup on a daily basis. On December 26, 1919, Babe was sold to the New York Yankees. In 1920, he bested his homerun record by 54 homeruns and continued to break his own high homerun record in 1921 with 59. The Yankees had never won a title of any kind, but with Babe Ruth, Earle Combs, Mark Koening, Lou Gehrig, Bob Meusel, and Tony Lazzeri, the NY Yankees captured seven pennants and won four World Series Titles. When the Yankees moved to their new stadium in 1923, it was appropriately dubbed “The House that Ruth Built.”

On June 13, 1948, Babe’s jersey #3 was retired by the Yankees. Ruth lost his battle with cancer on August 16, 1948. Babe Ruth remains the greatest figure in major league baseball and one of the icons in American history.

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Another iconic athlete is mentioned in chapter four when seven-year-old Eddie is explaining to his dad why he and his best friend got into a fight over who was portraying “the Brown Bomber.” Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914-April 12, 1981) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934-1951. Louis is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential boxers of all time. In fact, after Louis died, former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali stated, “Whatever I said before, I don’t mean it, ’cause Joe Louis was the greatest.”

Barrow was born in Chambers County, Alabama, in a ramshackle dwelling and was the seventh of eight children. In 1926, the Louis family moved to Detroit, Michigan, after being frightened by a gang from the Ku Klux Klan. Joe attended a vocational school to learn to build cabinets but took time to attend a youth recreation center. His mother wanted him to play the violin. But his love was boxing, and it is rumored Joe carried his boxing gloves inside the violin case.

Joe made his debut at the age of 17. Before the fight began, the barely literate Louis wrote his name so large on the contract that there was not space enough for his last name. Thus, he became known simply as “Joe Louis” for the remainder of his career. Louis reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1937 to 1949. Louis has won the most world heavyweight title fights in history.

One of Louis’s other passions was the game of golf. Louis was invited to play as an amateur in the San Diego Open in 1952. The PGA of America was reluctant to let him play as their bylaws held strictly to Caucasians only. Louis’s celebrity status pushed the PGA toward removing that particular bylaw. The PGA’s constitution was not formally amended until 1961, paving the way for the first generation of African American professional golfers.

Joe Louis died of cardiac arrest in 1981. President Ronald Reagan waived the eligibility rules for burial at Arlington National Cemetery. Louis was buried there with full military honors.

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Whether you are an athlete yourself or just like to applaud the accomplishments of others, there is much to be said for the spirit of competition and teamwork. As of this writing, the US Olympic teams have been awarded 30 medals…5 gold, 13 silver, and 12 bronze. Go USA!

July 31, 2024

Leave a Comment for a Free E-Book

July 9, 2024

Afternoon,

I have exciting news for you! Interested in a free e-book of Seasons Under the Sun? Again, I repeat “free!”

Be among the first ten to leave a comment on this post and I will send you a book-stub to be exchanged through Westbow Press for a free e-book. Now is your chance to download my second book and read for yourself about the Bailey family. As you know Seasons Under the Sun follows the Bailey family members from the end of the Great War through WWII. Get acquainted with the characters. Which one do you most associate with? Do their hardships or joyous daily life reflect in any way to yours?

As the summer heat and humidity bear down on us, the thought of a refreshing drink comes to mind…a soft beverage poured over a tall glass of ice. Do you know the history behind Dr Pepper or Root Beer or Coca-Cola? Well, I’m going to tell you.

A little tid-bit of history:

Dr Pepper is the oldest manufacturer of soft drink concentrates and syrups in the United States. The beverage is indeed a true Texan as it originated in Waco, Texas, in 1855. Was invented by Charles Alderton, a young pharmacist, at Morrison’s Old Corner Drug Store in Waco. Over the years the drink has been referred to as “The King of Beverages,” “Old Doc,” “10-2-4” and the “Friendly-Picker-Upper.” In 1950, the period was dropped from Dr. The Dr Pepper Museum is still operational as of this posting and filled with history and memorabilia of everything “Dr Pepper.” So, when you’re in Waco visiting the Magnolia Market, drop by the museum as well.

in 1875, Charles Elmer Hires introduced Hires Root Beer as an alternative to booze. Initially, he used dry packages his consumers needed to prepare the beverage at home. The plan was to name the product Hires Root Tea with sassafras root as the primary ingredient. The original beverage was a sweet, bitter syrup that developed into a cordial over time. The coal miners from Pennsylvania preferred stronger tasting beverages so Mr. Hires altered the recipe to be more appealing for them. The ‘Root Beer’ label was born in 1876 before the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. The root beer market flourished during the Prohibition era in the United States since people who enjoyed drinking couldn’t buy standard beer. Many root beer brands appeared in the 1900s including A&W Root Beer, one perhaps more familiar to you.

Coca-Cola was also invented by a pharmacist named Dr. John S. Pemberton and first introduced on May 8, 1886. As prohibition legislation had been passed in Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Pemberton removed the alcohol from his Pemberton’s French Wine Coca recipe. Originally, the recipe was sold as a patent medicine in soda fountain stores with the claim to remedy ailments such as heartburn, nausea, and headaches. Dr. Pemberton’s bookkeeper, Frank M. Robinson, is credited with designing the trademarked logo and naming the beverage “Coca-Cola.” A fun fact…from 1886 to 1959, the price of Coca-Cola was fixed at five cents. On August 3, 1990, the original World of Coca-Cola dedicated to the heritage of The Coca-Cola Company was established in Atlanta, Georgia.

I have not toured the World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta but have visited the Dr Pepper Museum in Waco. All of this talk about soft drinks has made me thirsty. Do you have a favorite?

Remember! Be among the first 10 to leave a comment on this post and receive a book-stub to exchange for a free e-book of Seasons Under the Sun!

What are you waiting for?

What’s In a Name?

Recently I was asked how I kept up with all the many characters in my books. Believe me, that was not an easy task. Having ten members in the immediate Bailey family plus other family members, friends and secondary characters, I had to write their names in a notebook I kept during the writing process. I also recorded the color of hair and eyes for each character to help remind me whenever a description was needed. I created an excel spreadsheet with the names and ages of each main character to determine their age in a particular year.

My spiral notebook as well as my laptop are valuable resources to me. My ideas for each decade and each character were recorded in the notebook. I utilized Microsoft Word to record website addresses to refer back to for current events, technology, fashion, automobiles, music, books, etc., for each decade. I purchased a couple of books with information about the 40s and WWII.

How did I name each character? Finding just the perfect name reminded me of naming my own two children. My husband and I didn’t want to choose a name that someone we knew had named their child. Naming a child is so important as that name is the child’s identity…something no one else may claim.

When naming my characters, I began with a compilation of the Sullivan family ancestry that one of my cousins researched years ago before anscestry.com was a thing and when only paper and a typewriter were used to record the researched results. This helped determine common names used in the 1880s and 1900s. Names I liked and used and others I avoided entirely…such as Moses, Ulysses, and Enoch. I used the internet to search for popular boys’ and girls’ names used in each decade…English names as well as Spanish and Japanese names. Not only did I choose a proper name for each character, but I also chose a middle name.

Did I name any of my characters after family members or people I knew? Yes, I did. I chose the name Lynnette for William’s girlfriend in Seasons Under the Sun. Lynnette was a little girl my mother babysat in our home for six years. I always loved Netty’s nickname. In the chapter “Flee From Self-Pity 1945,” the reader is introduced to Lt. Glen Lewis. Glen is my father-in-law’s and my son’s middle names. Lewis is my husband’s middle name. The name Polly, one of the Bailey grandchildren, is my mother’s name. As a reminder, you may find the Bailey family listed in the introduction of each book.

I have heard some say they hate their proper name. Some prefer their nickname instead. Others change how they’re addressed completely. I have always been called by nickname. Being called by my proper name sounds foreign somehow. So, what’s your name? Does it have a special meaning? Are you named after someone famous? In the Bible, Hebrew names described a specific moral character or had special significance. Jesus’ name in Hebrew means “God Saves,” Abraham means “Father of Nations,” David means “Beloved.” The Apostle Peter’s name in Greek means “Rock.”

So, other than being a proper noun, what’s in a name? If your name described one of your best qualities, what might that be? That answer may take some thought. It certainly will for me.

Why Oak Hill?

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

Good afternoon from Austin.

If you’ve read my first book, Heart of Texas, you may have wondered why I chose Oak Hill, Texas, for the setting of the story and why a limestone house for the Baileys to reside. I have lived in Austin for 20 years and wanted a location in the Hill Country for my story. Since I drive through Oak Hill often and am a patron of many of its shops and restaurants, I began to research the community. Oak Hill is rich in history. I’ll share a bit of what I’ve learned.

Oak Hill, a community of neighborhoods in southwest Austin, was originally known as Live Oak Springs. Oak Hill and the area we now know as Travis County were still part of Mexico. The land was awarded to William Cannon by the Mexican government in 1835. Poor settlers attracted by the abundance of wood, water, and game began to settle in the area making a living by cutting cedar, building stone walls and fences, and making charcoal and moonshine. In 1870, one of the settlers, W.K. Beckett, owned an area of pecan and live oak trees called “The Grove” or “The Beckett Grove” located alongside Williamson Creek. This was the last stop for cattle drives heading through Austin. In 1881 plans were made to build a new capitol building in Austin using white limestone to resemble the one in Washington D.C. Beckett leased 1,000 acres of the Beckett Grove to be used as a quarry. He also built a narrow-gauge railroad from the quarry to the capitol grounds to carry the limestone. Due to the cost and labor issues, 100 convicts were sent to the quarry in 1885 to supply the workforce. This area around the quarry was called “Convict Hill.” After the Texas State Capitol was completed, quarry operations shut down. The general store was rebuilt of stone in 1898 and today houses the Austin Pizza Garden on US 290. By 1904, Oak Hill’s population was in excess of 200 people. Nearly a century later, Oak Hill was absorbed into Austin’s city limits. Interestingly enough, three streets in the area bear names from Oak Hill’s history…William Cannon Drive, Beckett Road, and Convict Hill Road.

Too much history? I hope not. Maybe you learned something you didn’t know about Oak Hill.

Why a limestone house?
My idea for the limestone house was drawn from a beautiful, 12,000 sq. ft. limestone house in San Antonio where my husband and I stayed on two occasions. The Terrell Castle is located on East Grayson across the street from Fort Sam Houston. When we were there, it was a bed-and-breakfast operated by two sisters. Now, the Lambermont is used for weddings and special event venues. The house built of white limestone was commissioned in 1894 by Edwin Holland Terrell. Terrell, the ambassador to Belgium under President Benjamin Harrison, fell in love with French architecture and castles. Upon returning to the States, he commissioned the house design similar to a castle for his wife and their six children. My memory of the house will always be my first glance of its grandeur, the large porches, the many bedrooms and fireplaces, and the exquisite staircase.

Until next time….

Questions You Might Ask

Monday, April 29, 2024

What a beautiful, sunny day after a rainy weekend. Hope your day, wherever you are, will be a bright one. It’s been several days since my last post and during that time, you may have thought of questions to ask me.

Such as…how did you decide on the titles of your books?

Naming my first book, Heart of Texas, was an easy decision. The story takes place in Oak Hill near Austin. Austin is located in Central Texas and as it houses the Capitol, is the heart of government in Texas. The Franklin Baileys, a large family of ten, is a close-knit, God-fearing group whose hearts are drawn to each other, to their friends, and to God. The limestone house in which the Baileys live is the narrator of the story and is a central character as well.

Seasons Under the Sun took a little longer to decide upon its title. Using a different format to tell this story, I devoted a chapter to each character allowing him or her to tell their own story. Each milestone or rite of passage we encounter during our lifetime could be considered a season or an appointed time of life. That thought triggered the Biblical passage King Solomon wrote about a time for everything, a season under the sun. You may be familiar with that passage found in Ecclesiastes Chapter 3. The first four verses from the New International Version read:

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.

Another question might be: Have you always wanted to write?

The answer is simply…no….I didn’t think about writing as I was growing up nor take creative writing in school nor even think one day I would become an author. I have always loved to read, but my interest in writing began in 2007 when I applied to the Institute of Children’s Literature to take a self-paced course learning how to write children’s books. I must interject that when I was in the 6th grade, my father insisted my brother, sister, and I practice our penmanship during the summer by writing a page a day. We could copy material from the newspaper or a magazine. We were tasked with filling one page of notebook paper. I became bored copying other resources, so I began to write my own stories. Sometimes my story would be two pages…front and back. So, I suppose my love for storytelling began as a child. One of my last assignments with Children’s Institute was to expand the number of words in a short story and begin a chapter book. I chose an historical piece from the 1880s and through the research and composition process fell in love with historical fiction storytelling.

If you have other questions for me, please leave a comment at the bottom of this post. Your email and name are required. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose other than communicating with me. Hope to hear from you soon.

One more thing…if you do not see a comment section beneath the last blog, click on Welcome to My Blog, to see the comment form.

April 24, 2024

As I sip on my coffee this morning, I wanted to tell you a little bit more about myself and my book Seasons Under the Sun.

Recently a friend asked if the ideas for my books were written from personal experience or just from my imagination. The answer, of course, is both. I drew from my past experiences for some of the situations my characters encountered and upon the emotions they displayed.  Then my imagination took over from there. During my research of actual historical events from the two decades Seasons Under the Sun covers, if I wanted to include a certain account, I determined which of my characters would tell that story.  I learned so much about the late 30s and the 40s. I tried to incorporate as many historical events as possible into my stories. Within the stories, I also wanted to highlight how important and crucial faith is in our daily lives.

My purpose for this blog is two-fold. I want to share what I’ve learned while researching the current events, fashions, and technology in each decade and to also have the opportunity to hear from you. After reading Heart of Texas and its sequel, Seasons Under the Sun, please reach out and let me know your thoughts. Who’s your favorite character and why?

I’ll be checking back in soon and will answer any questions you have for me.

All my best,

Debbie

 

Welcome to my blog!

Welcome. My name is Debbie K Medlin, author of Seasons Under the Sun. I’m so happy to have you as a visitor to my blog about Seasons Under the Sun. This project is very special to me, and I hope to share some of that excitement with you here.

I’ll be using this blog to interact with you about Seasons Under the Sun, expanding on some of the topics in it and posting on some of the ideas related to my book. This is a great place for you to get to know me, and I’m looking forward to getting to know you, too. What did you think of Seasons Under the Sun? What questions do you have for me? How do you relate to my book?

I’ll be returning here frequently with new posts and responses to feedback from you. Until next time, tell me a little bit about yourself.