Page 14 - Ambassdor Delano Lewis Sample

Well, thank you for sharing that. Can you talk briefly just

about your dad?

Yes. My dad was a very special guy. Reserved. He didn't talk a
great deal. He grew up in Kansas City, Kansas, which is a town in
th
southern Kansas not far from Wichita. He had an 11 grade
education. He had one brother, a mom, and a dad. He worked
very hard in his early years and didn't finish high school. He
married my mother, who was a high school graduate, and she was

from a family of 12. They married, and I came along in 1938.
Then, around 1940 or 1941, they moved to Kansas City,
Kansas, and he got his first real job, I would say, as a porter on
the Santa Fe Railroad. It was called a Chair Car Attendant, and it

was an incredible job. At that time, it was like a day porter: he
would make runs from Kansas City to Chicago, Kansas City to
Newton, or to Emporia, Kansas—short runs, one day out, one

day back. He was gone for a day or two, sometimes a week at a
time. It was a great salary, a great career for him. He stayed 37
years on the Santa Fe.

Wow.

He brought his check home. I can't say that we wanted for
anything. I had a very good upbringing as an only child because

my dad was a strong provider. He believed in the work ethic. I
can clearly remember him putting on his uniform and shining his
shoes. They were always busy. He was proud to go out there and
be a porter on the railroad. He loved his job, and he loved

working with the public. So, I got a good sense of hard work. I
got a good sense of being on time, doing your job, understanding
your job, and being a breadwinner. All of that came from my

father. In many ways, he was a great role model, for sure.

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