Something to Be Proud Of (1951)

[Music] how do you do I'm very grateful for this opportunity to thank all of you for the wonderful support you've given us here at the home the purpose of this film is to give you a visual report of just what that support has been able to accomplish one way to present such a report would be to show you the various buildings and quote you all of the financial data but you don't judge an operation on how pretty the buildings are or how much money it has in the bank personally I form my opinions on the product that an organization produces well in our case we've produced hundreds of different products each one A different individual boy or girl and we're pretty proud of them all today I'd like to show you just one of the products of the home and incidentally let's get something straight I'm not an actor I'm really Charles Adams and the boy you're going to meet is really a boy from the home and the story you're going to see is his real story this particular boy came to the home at the age of eight his name is Frank B let's get the story right from him he's over at the guest house right now getting ready for his wedding [Music] I wouldn't worry too much Frank if I were you at a wedding the bride is supposed to be the pretty one sure is hot why not leave that off for a while Pat's father just called as they leaving town you still got a good 15 minutes what's that gosh more guests well you can't say your friends didn't turn out for your execution certainly the weather man didn't let you down well Patty will be glad she was hoping for a nice day and all the flowers and the grass is so green and everyone has been so swell to both of us this has been your home Frank it's been more than a home home it's been my whole life as I remember the first day you came here you wanted no part of sure didn't my brother and I got in that night and took off the next morning we had heard so much about orphans asylums and institutions that we just took off with a few things that we' brought with us we didn't even stay for breakfast and before I got very far I got hungry but all we had with to eat was a piece of a candy bar we hid every time a car passed afraid it might be you [Music] [Music] hello boys but we never expected that you would circle around and wait for us that was before we learned how you could always figure out what any of us were going to do [Music] after you took us back you tried to explain that this was not an orphan's asylum it was a home we'd live in a regular house with other children and have a house Mother we'd go to a regular school and eating Rapids and we'd have plenty of chances to play and have fun and later on there would be an opportunity to work and earn money too you also pointed out that even the homes we came from had rules you had to have rules when a lot of people lived together but the thing that really made us stay was when you offered to make us a bargain and if we tried it out for a couple of weeks and we still didn't like it then you'd take us back to Kentucky yourself it was a deal you fixed us up with a lot of new clothes and you let let us pick out what we wanted and then you took us to our first home which was the old farmhouse because some of the new Cottages hadn't been finished yet later on after a couple of weeks we ended up in the Wisconsin Cottage and Mrs Miller became our housemother I know it's silly to pretend that anyone can take the place of a mother's love but Miss Miller sure came pretty close to it it wasn't hard to fall into the routine it was just like being at home I made my bed in the morning and after breakfast we had our morning chores and then into eating Rapids to school and we'd forgotten all about the bargain we made until long after the two weeks were up coffee Mr Adams cups always wor your weakness Frank you say that again right from the very first time I started drying dishes here it was normally a girl's job but Mrs Miller made it up to us by giving us dessert leftovers that is if we didn't break any of the dishes if that happened we lost out on the [Music] extras and so it went School playing at home on rainy days but most of the time out on the playground with other kids my size there was always someone there to keep us out of trouble or to help us someone who knew what to do no matter what happened and from the start we all learned to help and stand by each other and it was the same way at home dinner was always the big meal of the day and everybody helped at our house we took turns saying grace I guess no one was ever sure whose turn it was except Mrs Miller I remember the first time that it was my turn and I can still remember how it goes dear father we thank thee for the food and the blessings and the care given us each day in thy name amen it was a pretty good childhood and we didn't miss very [Music] much as I grew up there was always something to do in addition to the regular Gardens at the home the boys could rent ground and raise things and later we could sell the things that we raised and in that way earn ear a little extra spending money but that doesn't mean we were goody goodies [Music] either why do watermelons taste so much better when you sneak them [Music] n [Music] where you going Frank right back up to bed with all the good food and exercise the physical checkups never bothered most of us as the years passed I grew and grew and grew and grew and while I was growing up the home was growing too more buildings better equipment the lady's auxiliary added a new Wing to the hospital and furnished it with the best a new operating room and an iron lung of Our Own in case of an emergency when I was in high school one of my chores was to help deliver the groceries each of the Cottages is named for the state department that built it and their delivery boxes are plainly marked and you can be sure I took special care of Wisconsin Cottage [Music] with our own modern Dairy there was always enough milk for everyone and all that food wasn't just selected by guests but from a carefully prepared diet sent over by the hospital this job helped me to learn how each dollar could be stretched so that there would be more food for every mou the other fellas had other chores such as cutting the grass while I was helping with the delivery [Music] but there was plenty of time for sports and the field and equipment that the cies gave us was the best obtainable I went out for the team and I'll never forget the first big game I got [Music] into are I home ball team was rated right up at the top of its League here we were one run behind the last of the ninth and one out we pleaded for Bob to get that big hit but he didn't two out and it was do or die for the next man up what a spot for a pin [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] boy was I scared [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh Casey At The Bat that was me but you did come back in next year and win a lot of games for us you know it's a shame Mr Adams it had to go by so fast High School the other sports rainy day gett togethers and the community center the girls were busy too learning how to cook and make a home they were also given a chance to develop special talents and Mrs Adams encouraged them to think about careers she was always ready to help them with information and advice the clothing store had been enlarged too and its stock was much more varied Mrs Adams and Mrs Nicholas helped the girls advising them on what to select for the smaller children the house mother came along and helped them pick out their clothes what I liked about it was that there were plenty of different styles by the time that I had finished the 11th grade the war started getting close to home I guess we all knew that we'd have to go pretty soon [Music] that night I had it out with myself there was no use pretending that maybe it would pass me by it was something that I knew my dad had gone through it was something that everyone who had given me a place to live and grow up had faced too it's a pretty wonderful country well just look at the opportunities that it's given me and when it needs you and calls on you to do your part the only thing to do is do your part and try to do it with a smile before I knew it it was time to say goodbye that last morning at home boy that was something have you heard the station wagon yet no I haven't I think you still have time for a cup of coffee all right don't Frank everything will be all right who am I trying to kid I'm scared [Music] stiff finish your coffee Frank you still have time I'll get you a piece of [Music] pie oh Frank keep the pie Miss smiller I guess I couldn't have eaten it anyway [Music] and then like millions of others I was in I soon began to appreciate the healthy life I had been living and I started to see some of the advantages of my bringing up I had learned respect for authority I found I knew a lot more about getting along with people than I had [Music] realized I had a little trouble at first getting my sea legs but as far as combat was concerned I guess I didn't do any more or any less than a lot of other guys [Music] [Music] [Music] and then one day the sea was quiet and so were the guns and I came home boy it was good to be back and there was something I had to talk about right away well Frank it's good to see you it's good to be back believe me what are you going to do now after seeing the world well first I want to go to college I was over at albian and they say that I can go there on my GI Bill but what I wanted to talk to you about is maybe the possibility of working at the home parttime you don't have to come here like an outsider looking for a job you know that well I hoped it would be that way but after all I'm growing up now and I should be able to stand on my own feet you will stand on your own feet all in good time and as far as the VFW and the home are concerned they're here to help you until you're self-supporting we just arranged for a scholarship for herb Sherman through the department of Pennsylvania perhaps we could help you in some way like oh no I won't need that my GI Bill will take care of that all right fine move right back in here we'll find things for you to do if you need any financial help we can arrange that too is a fund from which you can borrow for as long as 8 years there won't be any interest to pay either thanks a lot Mr Adams don't thank me thank the stamp and Poppy bars so it worked out fine I went to college what I had learned in the Navy enable me to pass my entrance exams without a high school diploma my schedule worked out so that I went to school 3 days and worked at the home 4 days teaching life saving I had a lot of other different jobs too on Sundays I'd drive one of the buses into church Catholics to the Catholic church and Protestants to the Protestant churches and sometimes if there were visitors I'd show them around the home the new Nursery built by the lady's auxiliary was one of the high points for them [Music] and the real tiny ones really did something to them just as they always did to me meanwhile the staff at the home was growing too George SE for another one of the boys who had grown up here and had been in the AA Air Force was back after an outstanding job with the Veterans Administration and a private engineering firm George became assistant to the director of the home and some of the disciplinary problems now fell to [Music] him report card below passing that meant study hall instead of doing his homework at his Cottage he had to go to the library where he could be given extra help I put in a little time there myself when I was a kid around the end of my sophomore year at albian I had a new problem oh Frank you gave me a start I must be getting there for something how about some chili for a starving worker you don't look starving to me well I am had four rough classes today and besides you've got to help me get back in condition for the dance tonight all right just one B would you like some coffee too never refusing all ready for the dance tonight sure thing got my suit out of the cleaners today a nice new white shirt ordered the flowers and flowers this must be a serious date real serious this is going to be the date Pat well who else well she looks like an awfully sweet girl but I hoped you would finish college after all you still have two more years to go well that's what I wanted to talk to you about Miss Miller I do want to finish college but I can't let someone this wonderful get away from me and I thought maybe you could help me good Heavens you don't want me to propose to the girl gosh no but it's it's the serious things I want to tell them to you and have you tell me whether they're the right things to say or not well I had a talk with Mr Adams this morning and smiller do you know what I want to do I think so is it that you want to stay right here and make a career out of helping others as they grow up how did you know you've been very happy here since you came from the Navy you're proud of this place you love it and I think you'd be very happy with a career like that well what is Pat going to think she's known such fellows as bankers and engineers and I just don't know if I try to keep quiet about another day I'll bust so tonight at the dance maybe we'll leave a little early right after the big walls then maybe I'll sort of suggest that we take the long way [Music] home I think I know the spot where I'm going to stop and then well first I'm going to tell her how much I love her what she means to me but before I let her answer I want to make sure that she knows what she's getting in for I'm going to tell her about the kind of Life she'd have with me working at the home maybe you should also tell her why the home means so much to you yes I'll tell her that but will she understand well Frank if she really loves you that's all that will really matter to [Music] her G I sure hope it works out that way it will Frank I'm sure it will I sure hope so well Frank miss m was right it did work out that way it sure did let's get going they're here all ready come on hurry up okay okay Mr Adams thanks thanks a lot for everything come on let's go okay okay well that gives you an idea of the kind of a product that this Factory turns out though Frank is a little modest he graduated from college in the upper part of his class he's been a commander of the local County Council of the BFW and when he gets back from his honeymoon he'll be joining our staff here but remember Frank is only one of our products in the years that the home has been operating there have been hundreds of boys and girls who have grown into fine men and women men and women who have have become fine American citizens say we better get going or we'll miss the [Music] wedding dear friends we are gathered here in the I know Mrs Miller is awful proud of what she was able to do to bring Frank through to this state Patricia Lucille Smallwood in holy matrimony which is an honorable estate in and Mrs Adams and I are proud too of what we were able to do to help him grow into the kind of a man he is and all of you in the VFW in the military art of the Cy and especially in the latest auxiliary you can be proud too because whatever you did it was all a necessary part of making this day possible and as you continue to help it's going to make more days like this possible for the boys and girls who are coming after Frank [Music] [Music] yes we all have something to be proud of [Music]