Ward E Maginity aka Trader Horn, One Eyed Jack

Dad died with his truck and trailer loaded and in line at the Copemish Flea Market Auction line, Sunday morning, in his sleep. He was only sixty-six years old.

We would have lost him thirteen years sooner had he not had the open heart surgery over in Milwaulke, Wisconsin. It was a miracle. From a man who couldn't even get up out of his chair without a series of heart attacks to a man who could ride his bike around the triangle (Hoadley, Wallaker, M 115) just a few short weeks after surgery.

On the left:Virgil, Marguerite, Ralph, Ward, Jean. On the right, Ward, his mother Effie, and Jean.

When Dad was little, his parents had troubles. I have not heard much nice things about my grandfather, Willard Maginity. But one of the worse things I had heard about him, in my childhood, was how he didn't help save Dad’s eye by paying for treatment.

Dad’s glass eye was not much of a handicap to him, though. You couldn’t even tell which one it was unless you really paid attention. (It was the right eye. I had to look it up. I truly could not remember.)

               Dad was in the CCC’s up in Kalkaska, Michigan, and he always held that time of his life in high esteem. The CCC’s was established to help returning World War 1 soldiers and young listless men to find work. Hard work, work that you can see the results with, does wonders for a person’s spirit. The style of life was similar to the military. In fact, old military uniforms were used for the workers. They fought fires, planted tress, and raised a ruckus in the local towns. Dad was golden gloves boxer at his camp.

The merchant marine booklet. The photograph is from CCC camp

               I found the booklet for when Dad entered the Merchant Marines. There are no stamps or any indication that he completed any voyages. A reason for that could have been the start of World War II.

 How did Dad get into the army? Well, it was like this: They were processing the men as quickly as they could. This combined with a little slight of hand allowed him to get in. When Dad got to the eye exam, they told him cover your eye and read this chart. So, he covered his right eye with his right hand. They then told him to cover his other eye and read the chart. He covered his right eye with his left hand. And he got in.

He was found out later on. I like the story about the bar fight with a sargent where Dad took a punch to eye, the right one of course, and the glass eye got broken. This was a myth. Apparently, a wrong  turn to the right did him in when he ran into a post and broke his eye. He must have been found out just shortly before he was to ship out to Germany-I found a post card to his mother that talked about going over. (I don't know where it is now or else it would be included here.)

On his draft card, I discovered that he had listed having an artificial right eye and a scar on his wrist. How did they miss that? If the information would have been on computers they may have caught it before he got in. As it was, they got a pretty good cook and a hard working nurse out of the bargin.

             
When Dad got discharged from the army, he received training and worked for Harry Dreznek Ford Dealership in Beulah.

This was the beginning of Dad becoming a salesman. He next worked at Walter L Heath's in Benzonia and for the Beulah Boat Shot under two owners. After his heart got so bad, he was unable to work and made his money buying and selling. He was learning how to be an auctioneer.

Dad met and married my Mom, Ruth Johnson in 1950. She probably hated this photo. They had good and bad years and four kids.

Dad also drove race cars. 

Sure do miss him.