Sunday, January 3, 2010

Rhubarb Pie

Having rhubarb pie over the holidays reminded me of a story that I heard many times growing up. A lady was staying with my mother's family during World War II. I don't know whether she needed a place to stay or was looking after someone at the house, perhaps one of my grandfather's sisters. She wanted to show her thanks for being able to stay there, and so she made them a rhubarb pie. However, in making the pie, she used their whole month's sugar ration.

I don't know too much about it, but I think my grandfather looked after several people during the depression and World War II who had fallen on hard times. During the depression he worked for the Turner Terminal Company in Mobile, which eventually became part of the Alabama State Docks. He said that during the depression he did not take a salary, but would just take what he needed to live on. He was something like Horace Turner's bookkeeper and right hand man.

When Mr. Turner retired, he sold his docks to the Tennessee Coal and Iron Company, which had big operations in Birmingham and needed a to ship through Mobile.

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