My Past Lives

From: Thomas R Bailey (siggma@trbailey.net)
Story type: Past Life Experience
Location: Mboona:Madsen
Source: Form Submission
Date submitted: Fri Oct 12 12:24:16 2007

I remember living in Jersey City back in the 1920’s through the 1940’s. I died in a plane crash over the English Channel just before the US joined WWII. I lived with my parents, a sister and I remember a very good childhood friend who lived nearby. We went to school together until I graduated High School. I went to a school in Weehawken NJ where I graduated. My son’s graduation reminded me of the cap and gown we wore. White and Red, the school colors.

I recall it as the “Liberty” school on Liberty Street. I think it’s gone now. Liberty ave runs between Jersey City and Weehawken. The street is still there but I suspect the school is gone now. I recall being able to walk to school. I thought this (link to Weekawken High) may be where I went to school and graduated but now I think otherwise. It could have been the temporary HS I recall while the new building was under construction. I went to Weehawken because I was finished with HS graduation requirements as a freshman in HS. They wanted me to go there because it had a more challenging program and I could graduate early. My mother reminded me that social development is more important than books so I stayed in school for the last three years as a student instructor.

It’s called Weehawken High School, 53 Liberty Place, Weehawken NJ. I recall it being about 1.5 miles from our home in Jersey City but this school was built in 1940, after I graduated in abt 1939. It was a lot different back then and the memories are confused by age differences, perceptions, current events, and other issues. I’m also confused about dates. It’s still possible that I did graduate in 1940 but I know WWII had not included the US when I was shot down over the English channel and I also taught geometry to students in Chula Vista CA before being recruited into the Air Force and sent, surreptitiously to the UK. I was taking barometric pressure readings in the back of an old WWI RAF bomber. My captain was in the co-pilot seat with a stopwatch saying “Mark” ever 30 seconds so we knew when to write down the information. His name was Captain Stewart…

I also remember my Mother who loved her small upright piano in the dining room, and my aunt who lived in Philadelphia. I specifically recall two events. One was a Thanksgiving dinner at her house. Her son lived with her at the time. We all ate upstairs because there wasn’t enough room in the dining room. The house had a long hallway that was more than big enough for the dozen or so of us to sit together. I also recall my nephew and myself in a car that had been “Hot Rodded”. I don’t know exactly how it was hot rodded but I do recall it had been modified some way to make it faster. And I think it was… I don’t recall the fast car part but I do recall being with my nephew sitting at a stop light talking about hot rodding cars.

Missing Pictures on my site

These are pictures of a car I remember my Father owning when I lived in Jersey City in the 1930’s. I think it was the middle version. It’s a 38 Packard-8 with suicide doors. I don’t recall the exact model but I do remember driving in one of these things from Jersey City to Philadelphia where my aunt lived.

I also recall my father owning a Ford Model A Flatbed truck. It looks similar to this:

Missing picture of a model A truck

only it was painted flat black. It had an electric starter installed that we hardly ever used. It was really easy to crank start. It has a lever on the steering column to set the timing back so it won’t bite you when you crank it. We used it to haul things for people and it was kept in tip top shape. Please see my home site for more information. www.trbailey.net/trb/2007/07/a-past-life-memory-to-get-us-started