For the last eight years, I had worked nearly every Saturday and practically every other Sunday. I had worked nearly every Wednesday and Friday night to nine o’clock. I only had a weekend when I took off for the weekend. For the first time, I would have something like a regular weekend. I would not have a weekday off, as I had always taken Thursday off. I would be working a daily Monday-Friday schedule 9-5. I would take the train from Matteson to Van Buren St. and then walk over to LaSalle every morning. Then in the evening, I would have a reverse commute. I could relax on the train and not worry about traffic being a problem at some unusual stop, but simply enjoy the train commute to downtown Chicago. However, it still was about an hour commute. I would look and feel like a business man with my own business. There was a certain pleasure in knowing that I was in charge of my own life and my own earnings. To a certain extent, being a commissioned salesperson and a manager who got 1% for all the furniture sold had prepared me for an up and down income flow. I did not even have any payroll deductions since I was going to leave the money there with the Clearing Firm until I needed it. This seemed like a more relaxed simple way of living. I would drive to the train station in Matteson and get off at downtown Chicago. I could read or do whatever I wanted on the train. I figured out the schedules. I was now a train commuter to downtown Chicago. My home schedule lined up more with Joy and Margaret. This sounded exciting. Have you ever commuted by train?
Options paperwork
Back home in Matteson, IL, I had to prepare a lot of paperwork to be an options trader. First, I had to be a licensed stock broker. I had to take a class, but I did not find it that hard, so that I passed it on the first try. I also had to file my license with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as a licensed broker dealer, including finger printing. I filled out some of the forms in May, before our trip to Missouri in 1979. One was an application for a lease under rule 3.16 as a Market Maker and Floor Broker for Katz, Scher, and Company. I was going to be a Sole Proprietor under Rule 15b 1-2. I also had to fill out a financial statement. My liabilities were $27,900 owed on my house that I valued at $58,000 so the equity in my house was about $30,000. I listed $28,000 in cash and $15,000 in securities with another $25,000 in other assets, so that my net worth was $95,000. I had to fill out a Schedule E for form BD in June, 1979. I was going to be a Market Maker/Floor Broker on the CBOE, leasing with my own capital. I was not going to borrow any money. As a sole proprietor, I would keep my own general ledger, and use only my own capital assets. All the legal required bookkeeping would be done by the Clearing Firm of Katz and Scher. 13a of the BD form said that all records except cash receipts and disbursements, general ledger, confirmations, and financial filings would be maintained by Katz, Scher & Company, Inc, a registered broker-dealer, and be available for the Commission’s inspection upon request at Katz, Scher, & Company, Inc, located at 209 W. Jackson Blvd, Chicago, Illinois, 60606. Katz, Scher & Company would maintain an open account with funds and securities on my behalf. I know this because I have copies of these forms. As I recall, I put about $12,000 in securities in this account that I had from my retirement account from Montgomery Ward. Have you ever been a sole proprietor?
The Missouri Laura Ingalls Museum
Margaret was interested in the Little House on the Prairie author since there was a Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in De Smet, SD, about 80 miles from Dell Rapids, SD. There also was a Laura Ingalls Wilder historic house museum in Mansfield, Missouri. This Rocky Ridge Farm was the home of the author Laura Ingalls Wilder from 1896 until her death in 1957. She began writing the Little House on the Prairie series, while living in Missouri with her husband and daughter. The house, together with the nearby Rock Cottage on the same property, represents one of the few surviving places where she resided. Shortly after her death, the local residents initiated legal steps to acquire the house through the incorporation of a non-profit organization to preserve her legacy. Owned by the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home Association, the house is open to the public for tours. In 1894 Laura and Almanzo Wilder paid $100 down payment on 40 acres of farmland and named their home “Rocky Ridge.” This house is now a museum devoted to Laura and her writings that was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 19, 1970, and was designated a National Historic Landmark on July 17, 1991. The Rock Cottage, located nearby on the same property, was built by their daughter Rose Wilder Lane as a gift to her parents, who lived there from 1928 to 1936. Laura only began to write her stories at the age of 65, aided by her daughter. Have you ever heard of Little House on the Prairie?
Silver Dollar City
We also visited Silver Dollar City, a 61-acre amusement park in Stone County, Missouri, near the city of Branson, on Route 76 on the Indian Point peninsula of Table Rock Lake. Silver Dollar City opened on May 1, 1960, with an 1880s-themed experience. It also had a zoo that Margaret and Joy liked. I think that we drove through the zoo that was kind of unique. I have since found out that there are a lot of drive through zoos in the USA. Silver Dollar City is situated at the site of one of the Ozarks’ oldest attractions, Marvel Cave. This was supposed to be an 1880s Ozark village. The Herschends built the Ozark frontier town on the land surrounding the site of the cave. Silver Dollar City originally was the site of just five shops. The name was inspired by Ozark Jubilee script writer and publicist Don Richardson after the promotional idea of giving visitors silver dollars in change. In its first year, Silver Dollar City drew more than 125,000 people, four times more visitors than the number that toured Marvel Cave. In 1968, the park started charging admission. In 1972 Genevieve Lynch, the last of William Lynch’s daughters, died and she bequeathed the land under Silver Dollar City and Marvel Cave to the College of the Ozarks and Branson Presbyterian Church, but the Herschends continued to operate it. In 1976, the Herschends purchased the Goldrush Junction theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, which they renamed Silver Dollar City Tennessee. In 1986, the Herschends partnered with Dolly Parton and renamed the park Dollywood. Silver Dollar City expanded its entertainment over the years by adding attractions such as a stage coach ride, a narrow-gauge steam railroad, interactive activities, and various thrill rides. The park is also home to resident craftsmen who can be seen practicing their craft and exhibiting and selling their work to park visitors. I remember that we walked around it and that there were a few kiddie rides back then. The Clampett family of CBS-TV’s “The Beverly Hillbillies” decided to pay a visit to Silver Dollar City, but treated as an actual town, rather than a theme park, to start off the 1969–1970 season. Some of the last five episodes of “The Beverly Hillbillies” were eventually shot in the park. On December 5, 2007, ABC’s Good Morning America spotlighted the park’s Christmas festival, “An Old Time Christmas,” and declared it as one of the top five holiday events in the country. Today Silver Dollar City has eleven districts with many rides and theaters. There is only good clean fun, no cursing, chewing, or spitting at the Silver Dollar with root beer served as an alternative to beer. It is quite elaborate compared to what we saw back in 1979. Have you ever heard of Silver Dollar City?
Branson after 1979
After we were there in 1979, there was a great expansion that took place in Branson. The 7,500-seat Swiss Villa Amphitheatre opened southwest of Branson in 1983. In 1987, Boxcar Willie became the first internationally known entertainer to purchase a theater in Branson and have a permanent performance schedule there. In 1989, Shoji Tabuchi opened his first theater in Branson. He then built a new theater on Shepherd of the Hills Expressway in 1990, while Mel Tillis moved into Shoji’s old theater. In 1990-1991 several nationally known stars such as Jim Stafford, Ray Stevens, Mickey Gilley, and Moe Bandy opened their own theaters. Along with these national stars, many home-grown shows also had theaters. The Lowe Family featured their show and hosted nationally known stars like Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, Vern Gosdin, Waylon Jennings, and others. 76 Music Hall, now known as the Grand Country Music Hall, became the first theater to have three different shows a day performing in different time slots. In 1991, local producer and entertainer Bob Nichols opened the first morning show and the following year, Buck Trent became the first nationally known star with a morning show. The increasing number of theaters and other attractions opening in Branson drew the attention of “60 Minutes,” which aired an episode about Branson on December 8, 1991, and called it the “live music capital of the entire universe.” Andy Williams built his theater in Branson, opening in 1992, calling it the Moon River Theatre. The Glen Campbell Goodtime Theatre opened in 1994, starring Glen along with his “Goodtime Band,” daughter Debbie Campbell, the Matthew Dickens Dancers, and comedian ventriloquist Jim Barber. Also headlining their own theaters were Tony Orlando with his Yellow Ribbon Theater, and Bobby Vinton with his Blue Velvet Theater. In 1998, the Acrobats of China arrived in Branson, making them one of the first international shows to call Branson home. They opened their theatre, the New Shanghai Theatre, in 2005. In 2006, Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theatre opened on Route 76. Although Branson has continued to add theaters, the use of social media is now another important factor in putting the spotlight on Branson. Branson’s local attractions now include an Aquarium, a Boardwalk, Hollywood Wax Museum Branson, Wonderworks, Silver Dollar City, White Water, Ripley’s Super Fun Zone, Mount Pleasant Winery, Dolly Parton’s Stampede, helicopter rides, ziplines, cave tours, go-karts, mini golf, and more. Ripley’s Odditorium is housed in a building that has been made to look as if it is cracked wide open by an earthquake or other disaster, while the Titanic Museum is a half-scale replica of the famous ship and iceberg. Due to Branson being known for family-oriented tourism, casino gambling does not exist in this area. Finally, Branson’s Ferris Wheel, moved from Chicago’s Navy Pier in 2016, now provides a scenic view of the Ozarks from 150 feet high. Have you ever been to Branson?
Branson, Missouri
Well, we were right next to Branson, Missouri, in 1979. However, it was not as developed as it later became. This community was named after Reuben Branson, the postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s. The population of Branson in 2020 was 12,638, nearly one-fourth of the Taney County population. Branson has long been a popular destination for vacationers from Missouri and around the country. Many new entertainment theaters along 76 Country Boulevard have increased Branson’s popularity as a tourist destination. Branson was formally incorporated in 1912. In 1894, William Henry Lynch bought Marble Cave and renamed it “Marvel Cave.” He began charging visitors to tour it. Hugo and Mary Herschend leased the cave for 99 years in 1950 and began hosting square dances in it. In 1960, the Herschends opened Silver Dollar City, a re-creation of a frontier town that featured five shops, a church, and a log cabin, with actors that played out the feud between the Hatfield’s and the McCoy’s. Harold Bell Wright published his novel about the Ozarks, The Shepherd of the Hills, in 1907. The novel became an international best seller, making Wright the first millionaire author and established Branson and Southwest Missouri as a tourist destination. The Old Mill Theater began its first outdoor production based on the novel in 1960. The show, known as The Shepherd of the Hills Outdoor Drama, has continued ever since. The historic farm is also the home of Inspiration Tower, the Shepherd of the Hills Adventure Park as well as numerous other shows and attractions. The Harold Bell Wright Museum is located within The World’s Largest Toy Museum complex. Jim Owen, the Mayor of Branson for twelve years built the first theater in 1934 on Commercial Street, originally called “The Hillbilly Theater,” which began to attract people from far and wide to tour the area. 1959 saw the completion of Table Rock Dam on the White River, which created Table Rock Lake. In 1959, the Mabe Brothers started a band that, in 1961, would become the first music show in Branson. Taking their name from the parts they played in the Shepherd of the Hills Outdoor Drama, they became known as the Baldknobber Hillbilly Jamboree. In 1962, Paul Henning, inspired by a Boy Scout camping trip to the Ozarks, created “The Beverly Hillbillies,” which ran as a CBS television sitcom until 1971. The Presley family became the first to move their show, “Presley’s Country Jubilee” to Highway 76 in 1967, followed a year later by the Baldknobbers. Eventually Branson would have more than 50 theaters, most of them located on Highway 76. I think that we saw the country jubilee. We also went out to the Shepherd of the Hills Outdoor show. Somehow, I remember it as a passion play, but I do not think it was. I remember that we had to drive home in the dark. Those Ozark hills in the dark without street lights were a little scary. We also had a good time eating at various places. What do you know about Branson, Missouri?
Lake of the Ozarks
We were going to stay at a lake resort on Lake of the Ozarks that originally was created by the construction of the 2,543-foot-long Bagnell Dam by the Union Electric Company of St. Louis, Missouri, in June of 1979. On May 30, 1931, the lake officially opened to boat traffic. Although the official name is Lake Benton after Senator Thomas Hart Benton, the name did not stick, since it was popularly referred to as Lake of the Ozarks. In 1931, Lake of the Ozarks was the largest man-made lake in the United States and one of the largest in the world, as it quickly became a significant tourist destination. The Lake of the Ozarks is located within the Ozark Mountains, at an elevation of 659 feet above sea level, extending across four Missouri counties. With a population of 4,570, the largest city is Osage Beach, which sits where the lake’s southeastern arm joins the main channel. U.S. Route 54 runs east–west across the reservoir’s southwestern arm and then generally northeast–southwest along its eastern shoreline, crossing the southeastern arm at Osage Beach and the Grand Glaize Bridge. Route 242 connects US 54 to the Village of Four Seasons. In 1946, this land was acquired by the State of Missouri to become Lake of the Ozarks State Park, the largest state park in Missouri, home to Party Cove, a gathering spot for up to 3,000 boats. This park includes 85 miles of shoreline on the lake, with two swimming beaches on imported sand, 12 trails, the Ozark Caverns, and a boat launch. I rented a speed boat and drove Margaret and Joy all around the lake. I thought that Margaret would have a heart attack, while Joy seemed to enjoy the ride. Table Rock Dam is in the area also, about six miles from Branson. We also could go swimming in the lake since there was some sand. They also had a nice restaurant so that we enjoyed our stay there. I have a picture of me driving the motor boat with a tee shirt that said “World’s Greatest Dad.” Have you ever stayed in the Ozarks?
A trip to Ozarks in 1979
After our short trip to St. Louis in June, 1979< we drove out to the Ozarks in southwestern Missouri. The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, are a region in the states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and the extreme southeastern corner of Kansas that cover a significant portion of northern Arkansas and most of the southern half of Missouri, extending from Interstate 40 in central Arkansas to Interstate 70 in central Missouri. These two mountain ranges in the Ozarks cover nearly 47,000 square miles, making it the most extensive highland region between the Appalachians and the Rockies. Formal conservation in the region began when the Ozark National Forest was created by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1908. In 1939, Congress established the Mark Twain National Forest at nine sites in Missouri. In 1976, Congress established the Hercules Glades Wilderness, the first of 13 designated wilderness areas in the Ozarks. Many of the rivers and streams in the Ozarks have had dams built, initially for the dual purpose of flood control and hydropower generation, but now have become major economic drivers through recreational use in places such as Branson, Missouri. Some of the largest lakes created by these dams are on the White River. Additional large lakes in the Ozarks region include Lake of the Ozarks, where we were going. These parks and rivers are a major economic driver for some of these least populated counties in Missouri, attracting up to 1.5 million tourists annually. Most of the Ozark area still has large forest areas, even though they were heavily logged during the early-to-mid-20th century. During the New Deal, the Civilian Conservation Corps employed hundreds of men in the construction of nearly 400 fire lookouts throughout the Ozarks. Tourism is the growth industry of the Ozarks as evidenced by the growth of Branson, Missouri, the entertainment center celebrating traditional Ozark culture. “Ozark” also refers to the distinctive culture, architecture, and dialect shared by the people who live on this plateau area. Early settlers in Missouri were pioneers who came west from the Southern Appalachians at the beginning of the 19th century, followed in the 1840s and 1850s by Irish and German immigrants. Early settlers relied on hunting, fishing, trapping, and foraging to supplement their diets and incomes. Today hunting and fishing for recreation are common activities and an important part of the tourist industry. Print and broadcast media have explored Ozark culture broadly. Several early and influential country-music television and radio programs originated from Springfield, Missouri, in the 1950s and 1960s, including ABC-TV’s Ozark Jubilee. The Clampett clan of “The Beverly Hillbillies” TV show provide a stereotypical depiction of Ozark people. Ozark musicians include Porter Wagoner and old-time fiddler Bob Holt. A major theme park in the area, Silver Dollar City, has commercialized interpretations of traditional Ozark culture. Square dances were an important social avenue throughout the Ozarks into the 20th century. Ozark religion, like that of Appalachia, was predominantly Baptist and Methodist during periods of the early settlement. Have you ever been to the Ozarks?
The St. Louis Cardinals
I think that we went to see a Cardinals game when we were in St. Louis in 1979. I don’t remember much about the game. The St. Louis Cardinals are one of the most successful franchises in Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won 19 National League titles, the most pennants for a NL league franchise in one city, and 11 World Series titles, second to the New York Yankees and the most by any NL franchise. The Cardinals play their home games at Busch Stadium. Previously, the St. Louis Browns played in the American League from 1902 to 1953, before they moved to Baltimore, Maryland, to become the current incarnation of the Baltimore Orioles. I remember the Cardinals as a young kid because my friend Paul Sweda was a big Cardinals fan and loved Stan Musial. I got to meet Musial in the late 1980s, who was a very nice guy. Hall of Fame Joe “Ducky” Medwick (1911-1975), a Cardinal during the Gas House Gang period (1932-1940), was born and raised in Carteret, New Jersey, the son of Hungarian immigrants, who excelled in baseball, basketball, football, and track at Carteret High School. Football coach Knute Rockne wanted Medwick to play football at the University of Notre Dame, but he chose professional baseball instead. Carteret named its High School baseball field after him. Paul Sweda and I would go into New York City to watch the Cardinals or Cubs play the Brooklyn Dodgers or the New York Giants in the summer time. We would take the bus to the Port Authority and then the subway to the ballparks when we were in junior high school. My son-in-law and members of his family are big Cardinal fans. In 1882, entrepreneur Chris von der Ahe purchased the Brown Stockings barnstorming club, and renamed it the St. Louis Browns. They became a charter member of the American Association baseball league. The team won four league championships, qualifying them to play in the era’s professional baseball championship series, a forerunner of the modern World Series. In two of these championships, the Browns met the Chicago White Stockings, now the Chicago Cubs, launching the enduring Cardinals–Cubs rivalry. In 1892, the Browns joined the National League. In 1900, the team was renamed the Cardinals. Two years later, an unrelated St. Louis Browns team joined the American League for fifty years, but moved to Baltimore in 1953. Notable Cardinals achievements include manager/owner Branch Rickey’s invention of the farm system, Rogers Hornsby’s two batting Triple Crowns, Dizzy Dean’s 30-win season in 1934, Stan Musial’s 17 MLB and 29 NL records, Bob Gibson’s 1.12 ERA in 1968, Whitey Herzog’s championships, Mark McGwire’s single-season home run record in 1998, the 2011 championship team’s unprecedented comebacks, and Albert Pujols’ 700th home run. The Cardinals have won 105 or more games in four seasons and won 100 or more nine times. Cardinals players have won 21 league MVPs, four batting Triple Crowns, and three Cy Young Awards. Baseball Hall of Fame inductees include Lou Brock, Dizzy Dean, Bob Gibson, Whitey Herzog, Rogers Hornsby, Tony LaRussa, Joe Medwick, Stan Musial, Enos Slaughter, Branch Rickey, Red Schoendienst, Ozzie Smith, Ted Simmons, Bruce Sutter, and Scott Rolen. The current owner is William DeWitt Jr, who bought the time for $147 million in 1995, that is now worth over $2 billion dollars. The Cardinals are renowned for their strong fan support, despite being in one of the sport’s mid-level markets. They routinely see attendances among the league’s highest, and are consistently among the top three in MLB in local television ratings. The Gussie Busch ownership era from 1953–1989 was what I remember the best, where Budweiser beer and the Cardinals were synonymous. What do you know about the St. Louis Cardinals?
I turn 86 today
May 25, 2025, Happy Birthday to all those who turn 86 today! We were all born on May 25, 1939. Do you know that over 5 million people living in the USA are over the age of 85? We could make up a big city if we all got together. We are among the world elite people, since we are 1% of the world’s population, the oldest 1% of all people living today. I never realized that I was this old. This last year proved that people are getting older, at least politicians are getting older. 80, not 65, seems to be the age when people begin to think that they are old. I started writing this blog when I turned 80, so that is why this blog was born on May 25, 2019. Thus, it is now a mere 6 years old. So far, I got up to age 40 in writing this blog about my life during the past 6 years. At this rate, I should reach age 80 in 6 more years, when I turn 92, but I still would have twelve more years to go. It is fun to look back over the past and try to find out more about the things that I don’t remember. It is amazing that I never planned on a long life. I was happy to wake up each day and accept it as it came. Then suddenly today, I woke up to be 86 years old. I must have done something during those 86 years. Thus, I have not had a hard time writing about it. However, the problem is that most people don’t care what I did for 86 years, because they are too busy living their own 80 plus lives. The only way to live to be 86 is to stay as healthy as you can. Remember that 86 is just a number. I feel as good as I did 10-15 years ago. However, I know that I am more tired at night. I do not move as fast as I did years ago. I still feel pretty good in the morning when I get up. I still move around trying to get three miles of walking a couple of times a week instead of every day. In fact, this past Thursday, I ended up walking over five miles. Yesterday, I walked out to North Avenue Beach, the pond in Lincoln Park, and the Farmer’s Market, about three miles. I enjoy watching the sun rise in the morning over Lake Michigan. I never see or look for the sunset. I prefer the sunrise every morning, since every day is a new beginning. Thus, let your life begin at 86! You are never too young or too old to start something new. If you are breathing, there is still a lot of living to do. How old are you?
Gene Finnegan Remembers Living Eighty Wonderful Years 