Saturday, February 27, 2010

Sepia Saturday (with a little tint thrown in)

This photo is of my great aunt Belva and her children Vera Young and A. M. Yep, his name was A. M. and no, the initials didn't stand for anything. I've always wondered why anyone would name their child initials...what did they call him as a baby? His father's name was Albert Martin so I suppose he was named/initialed after his dad "Uncle Doctor." A. M. entered the navy when WWII broke out. His ship was torpedoed either leaving or shortly after it left New York harbor. He was among those that were never found. My uncles, who are all dead now, knew more of the specifics than my mother about this. She was a child at the time.

Aunt Belva died long before I was born, but "Aunt" Vera Young was a favorite visitor for us when I was growing up. She graduated from Auburn University and remained fiercely loyal to her alma mater all her life. In 1959, she moved from Alabama to Hawaii to become the home management and home furnishings specialist for the Cooperative Extension Service at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu.

It was fun and games whenever she returned home. Her visits usually lasted a month or more. Friends in Honolulu always gave her 5 to 10 orchid leis upon her departure. Upon her arrival at the Birmingham airport, she would take them off and put a lei around each of our necks and while greeting us with many Alohas. Aloha means hello as well as goodbye for those of you who didn't know. Many times she brought boxes of birds of paradise stems and orchids sprays as well. She also brought us exotic souvenirs and Hawaiian material to make dresses and shirts. I still have a couple of the hula dolls. Aunt Vera Young was a people person who loved to tell stories and be the center of attention, which we were glad to give her. I have many fond memories of her.

See more Sepia Saturday entries here.

23 comments:

  1. Was A.M. born in the morning? What a quirky name!
    Lovely memories to have of your aunt and her visits from Hawaii. That must have been quite a greeting at the airport!

    I can see some of your features in your great aunt Belva, steviewren.

    Kat

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  2. I love this photo and especially the added tint.
    A.M. truly a funny name with no proper name like Andrew Michael attached...must of been in honor of his father. Hmmmmm.

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  3. Rachel resembles Vera! Wonderful tinted photo! And Vera had quite an interesting job and life!

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  4. Great picture. What year is it from, 1930?

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  5. Great picture. What year is it from, 1930?

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  6. Love the gentle colors, Aunt Vera sounds like the best sort of aunt but I'm haunted by A.M.'s sad handsome face.

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  7. It's the memories that count, yes? And great tinted photo :)

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  8. I adore your tinted photo, so beautiful and loved reading your story.
    Debby

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  9. I can see shades of your family in Vera's lovely face.

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  10. Great memories of a very loving aunt. I'm glad you have this picture. Photos have a way of bringing back those easy laid back days. :) The Bach

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  11. Hawaii must have been magical in those days. I lived there in the 70s and worked for a guy who'd been a photographer back in the
    40s. He had great photos of Duke Kahamoku and his huge surfboard, Hilo Hattie, and lovely unidentified hula girls. You were fortunate to have such a fun aunty. Enjoyed your post!

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  12. So very interesting Stevie! Your Uncle's ship must have left NY harbort and was in the Atlantic when it went down ..so sad!

    I see red hair runs in your family!

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  13. A nice 'coloured' photo Steviewren. Its nice to have happy memories of aged relatives, and photos to remember them by. Thanks for sharing. - Dave

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  14. A lovely photo, and an interesting story. I like the colored photos, and I love the expressions on their faces. A.M.'s story is sad, he looks so full of promise in the photo. Aunt Vera must have been great to know. Thanks for sharing.

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  15. I've always loved the name Vera. She sounds like so much fun!

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  16. How unusual. I've never heard of anyone being christened with initials instead of a name. I wonder if A.M. had trouble with it during his short life. It's a lovely hand coloured photograph.

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  17. I love the photo - the tinting dates it so well but somehow makes the photo as well. And I love the story as well and the insight it gives us into your aunt's life.

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  18. Very interesting photograph. Do you think it was coloured in after it was developed?
    I find it so intriguing to read someone elses story of the past, in words and pictures.
    Have a lovely Sunday,
    xo
    Zuzana

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  19. A sad story about A.M., & an odd name certainly. I also love the old tinted photos!

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  20. beautiful picture and story, I love the color tint on it.
    one of our sons only has the Initial J for his middle name - his daddy and I could not agree on a middle name so he is just Robert J, with a J that does not stand for anything.

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  21. I love photos like this and love the stories behind them.

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