Malcolm Watson

Study your math.

Malcolm Watson

My name is Malcolm Watson. I was born back in April of 1927. I grew up on a farm during the depression. We were fortunate to have cows and chickens and deer in the woods. We picked blueberries and sold timber to the local mill when we needed money.

During the Depression you just worked with and helped your neighbors. It was called a barter system there was no money handled.

My oldest sister’s name is Jane. When she was 17 years old she taught school in a one-room schoolhouse. We road the bus to school. In the winter we’d have to call from way out in the country and say, “The bus is broken down again! You’ll have to send out another bus to pick up the kids.”

When you turned 18 during World War II you were called to serve the country. When I graduated from high school there were 17 of the boys from our class who were already in uniform serving their country.

My brother served in the European theatre. I served in the Navy. I was in the Philippines. Being in the Navy if they were shooting at me they were shooting at the whole ship. My brother risked his life several times for his buddies because he was in the front lines.

In one sea battle a big invasion army was heading for Australia. Our Navy sunk most of that invasion. The people in Australia realized the Americans had saved their country.

The government invested money in me. I went to college on the G. I. bill. I met my wife, Esther Harwood, at the University. There was a lottery to get seat assignments at the football stadium. So my wife, who was your school nurse at Valley View, said we won each other in the lottery. When we got our tickets to go to the football game there I was this Irish lumberjack sitting next to a beautiful Norwegian girl from the prairies of North Dakota.

She was getting her advanced degree in Nursing. I was getting my degree in Civil Engineering. After we married I went to work for Columbia Heights as an engineer. I served for 20 years as the city manager of Columbia Heights.

I laid out the streets like 49th avenue and put in the sewers. We use to have terrible floods, so we built a drainage system that prevents that from happening today. Whatever I’ve done and wherever I’ve went I’ve tried to remain active. I still teach the Old Testament from creation through Christ.