BEGINNINGS & GRADE SCHOOL

 

MR. LUCKY or THE LUCKY LAWYER

{Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.}

 

September 25th: Many exciting events occurred on this date, e.g.:

Columbus sails with 17 ships on 2nd voyage to America; Chubby Checker's "Twist," hits #1; Sandra Day O'Connor sworn in as 1st female supreme court justice; Michael Douglas & Catherine Zeta-Jones birthdates; BUT, perhaps the most propitious event of all will be the birth of Lantz Welch in 1932.

 

My father, Philip, born in 1900, had a 7^th grade education, having to forgo school to quit in order to help support his family. My mother, Evelyn, born in 1904, a member of a Swedish immigrant farm family, grew up in S. Dakota, 1 of 8 siblings. She completed high school.

 

My sister Jody attended college.

 

Women never worked outside the home, but during WW II war years, my mother obtained a job at a war plant and once getting a taste of freedom, worked the rest of her adult life. She operated an employment agency aptly named, Welch & Associates. She always expected the best of everybody and usually got it.

 

My father was a frustrated and underpaid white collar worker all his life who worked for Sinclair Oil Corp.

 

I have been told by many that I have inherited my optimistic enthusiasm from my mother:

(Evelyn in her 70's)

and my intellect from my father:

 

I could not have asked for better more loving parents. When I became a trial lawyer they attended all my closing arguments and gave my back a pat when I took a frequent whipping.

 

 

FIRST N.D.E.

 

I came across this pic of me fishing at age 8 that reminded me of my first N.D.E. [Near Death Experience] of 7 that occurred at age 4. The story was told to me of an incident that happened when my dad & I were fishing in Gull Lake, Minn.

I was using a miniature rod & reel I hooked a huge Northern Pike that turned out to be larger than I. My thumb got caught in the reel spool and as I was being pulled into the lake, my dad had the quickness to grab one of my ankles or I would not be writing of this experience. I can't find the picture that shows me standing on a dock next to the fish that was taller than Little Lantz.

I also discovered my lucky #, 4, at that time. I put a nickel into a horse racing machine on #4 & kept betting it until I had a sack full of nickels. I then went down to the lake & started skipping them across the water until my mom stopped me. Those nickels were worth about $1.00 each and these were post depression years.

 

 

GRADE SCHOOL

 

My aggressive nature peeked out at an early age when I tried to kiss the little girl on the next mat at naptime in kindergarten. My parents were called. I had the same proclivities in the 2^nd grade when I tried the same activities with the prettiest girl in our class at a birthday outing at the Oak Park Theater at 40^th & Prospect. She ran home crying. I took a whipping.

I demonstrated the business side of my life at age 9 when I became a pin boy at the Oak Park bowling alley at 39^th & Prospect. I was the youngest & smallest ever employed. Most were teenagers who could pick up 3 pins at a time, while I could only manage two. This was a disadvantage since the locals usually tried to roll the second ball in order to hit the boys in the pit for a good laugh. Amazingly, I figured out a way to rarely get hit. Tips were rolled down the gutter & I always garnered the biggest take.

 

In the adjoining pool hall I learned the game of pool at age 9 by standing on a Coca-Cola case.

 

My work ethic persisted, and while in grade school I worked at: Smith Drugs as a bicycle delivery boy/Abe's Super Market delivering groceries/snow shoveling/yard care etc. I never needed an allowance.

 

S. B. Ladd Grade School was uneventful aside from the fact that I had to repeat the fifth grade because of disciplinary problems. This created an additional problem, because I was now thrown into the new school system requiring the eighth grade.

 

Several events stand out during my grade school years:

 

THEIVING: I stole an item from Kresge's Dime Store. My parents discovered it & knew I lacked the money to buy it. I confessed. My father made me don my Cub Scout uniform & took me to face the manager to return the item and apologize for the theft. I never stole anything again in my life.

 

BOY SCOUTS: I got past Tender Foot on three occasions, but was busted back for various reasons, so I quit the program.

 

CHURCH CHOIR: I was a boy soprano and told that I had a beautiful voice, so I hung in there and even received a cross for not missing a Sunday for over a year. My voice changed, so I then dropped out of the choir.