THOMAS CHARLES PATERNO
Born: August 20, 1937
married
Frances Clay
January 3, 1957
Hernando, Mississippi
divorced May 1969
Children:
Martin Vincent born November 19, 1958
Russell Clay born January 20, 1964
Deborah Arlene born December 12, 1965
married
Evelyn Chitwood
July 27, 1974
Children:
Angela born December 31, 1976
Thomas Charles II born December 10, 1980
THOMAS CHARLES
An Autobiography
(Editor’s Note: This write up was really extensive so I decide to print it verbatim.)
Born (no doubt about that) August 20, 1937, Gotham Hospital, NY. Hearsay, I was an extremely beautiful child, but I won’t dwell on what was evident to everyone anyway. the earliest thing I can remember is putting a hairpin in a wall receptacle when I was about 3. I vaguely remember our babysitter, Fraulein (we said Ferline)…? and I remember living a block or so from a big ball field. The house at 85 Ridge Road is very clear in my mind; I recall the blackouts during the air raid drills and how amazed I was when I discovered that the stars and moon followed me down the street.
I recall moving to 75 Fort Washington Avenue in the City (phone WA-3-6739) and also when the end of the war came and we threw strips of paper from the firew escape. Do you remember the big box we received from relatives one year? Seems we were all excited about it until we opened it on Christmas and it was filled with nothing but food and clothes. A real disappointment for Bob and me because we really didn’t understand the circumstances (And besides they thought that because the box was heavy, it was a set of trains./am)
(Photos of Martin, Russell, and Deborah 1984)
Bob will remember this incident when you and Ed were dancing in the living room and we asked if you could dance to anything. Being the great dancers you were, you said ‘yes,’ and no matter what record we put on, even the Mother Cabrini record, you and Ed danced to it.
Remember those cold mornings when we’d get out of bed and rush to the kitchen where Mom had turned on the gas burners to heat it up? We’d jump up on the chairs because it was warmer near the ceiling and we’d warm up before getting washed and dressed.
Seems like I was goin to a different school every year. St. Catherine’s Academy, St. Rose of Lima, PS 109 (?), and when I lived with Mr. & Mrs. Paul Jones, Graham School, Linton (1943) Military Academy in Bristow, VA. There was PS 169 on 169th Street; PS 187 on 187th Street then back to St. Rose of Lima for 8th Grade and on to Bishop Dubois for four full years of high school (1951-55).
Remember the second day of my freshman class in high school? I came down with polio and I got help from the other kids to keep me up with them until I could go back to school in December. I had a chance to go back to Linton Hall in 1974 and I went back to the house where the nuns live. Seeing five nuns sitting in the yard, I called out, “Any of your sisters go back to 1947?” Several nuns came to the fence and one looked at me carefully and said “Tom Paterno, how are you?” I could have fainted! I must have really made an impression on her…
Prior to going to Linton Hall, I recall my first exposure to, you know, s-e-x. You remember Susie Weil, Marge and Mark Weil’s daughter? We were both nine years old when we were friends. Her Mom would fix snacks for us after school and on more than one occasion I would spend the night at Susie’s house. One evening, Marge asked me, “Do you know how babies come about?” I told her “no.” So that night, plus several others, I found out about the ‘big secret.’ But being the devoted Catholic I was, I did somehow remain a virgin for a few more years! I’m sure you don’t want a little history of my sex life, do you?
The rest of my sex education came from Bob, believe it of not, and from the paper bin in the basement of the apartment house. Bob and I used to go down there regularly and scrummage through the paper and magazines looking for interesting “books.” The best was Erik Fromm’s “The Art of Love.” What an education! We also learned a lot from the little Popeye comic books that Charl and Joe kept hidden in their night stand….When I wanted to get even with you for something I’d say “if you make me do it, I’ll tell all your friend that you bleed every month.” After Mrs. Weil’s talks, at long last I knew what those plain wrapped packages were that I used to pick up for you at the corner drug store!
The first TV: Charl and Joe had that 100-pound, 4″ portable! The only thing I remember seeing on it was the coronation of Queen Elizabeth.
(Photo of Thomas & Evelyn 1984)
When Charl & Joe and Lee and Frank moved to 600 W. 178th Street, I used to ‘hang out’ there often. I joined a gang of guys (defensive type gang), but we usually stayed out of any big trouble. I do recall that trucks that came over from New Jersey loaded with fruit and vegetables that had to stop at the corner of 178th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue, were minus some of their produce as they went off again….We’d then take it up to Lee & Frank’s for safekeeping. There were some great parties – I do remember Lee pouring lots of coffee to sober me up after a party of two (age 15-17).
Back at 75 Ft. Washington Ave. – there were several other incidents that stick out I my mind. You sleep walking….Mom dreaming about someone stealing her jewels..Sayid, who kept those funny, shiny balloons in his room…throwing rocks against our bedroom window from the next building rooftop to walk Bob so he’d let me in (Mom would lock the door)….Mom with her three shrills from her whistle to call us..
Graduated from Bishop Dubois H.S. in June 1955, even though I quit school in March to work full time to help Mom out. The principal learned of my reason for quitting and agreed to let me graduate if I took the finals and passed.
I joined the National Guard in November ’53 (I was 16) and I joined the galley crew. I went to meeting every Monday night from 6 to 10:30; what a drag. During our summer two-week camp in Upstate New York, both cooks got drunk one night and were unable to cook for the battalion. I was elected….and….breakfast was a disaster!
In August ’55, I joined the Navy, went to bootcamp in Bambridge, MD, went to Airman Prep School in Norman, OK, then to Aviation Electronic School in Memphis, TN. A week or so before graduating (Aug. ’56), I met Fran Clay. After graduation, I was transferred to Patrol Squadron Five (VP-5) in Jacksonville, FL. I saw Fran one more time on a weekend pass in November and then again at Christmas leave. We were married in Hernando, Mississippi on January 3, 1957 and Marty was born November 1958.
I got out of th Navy in August 1960, went to Northport, NY and worked for Republic Aviation as an electrician, and then at Grumman Aviation in their experimental lab. I worked on underwater detection equipment and got to ride on the newly developed hydrofoil boat. Five years in the Navy and never got to go out on a boat or ship until I went to work for an aircraft company! Then another layoff and I went to work for Remington Rand school for 24 weeks; transferred to Baltimore, MD, to the computer section of Bethlehem Steel for 3 months before being laid off again. Moved to Orlando, Florida and went to work for Martin Co., as an electrician (summer of ’62). In the fall of ’63, Martin Co., started layoffs, so I became a Reservist on active duty working out of my house as a Navy recruiter (in Orlando). While on active duty, Russell was born. Fortunately, the Navy paid all of the medical expenses. Then, believe it of not, in April ’64, I was laid off from the Navy!
I had already been accepted as a student at the University of Florida, so I started studying. Then Debbie came along in December ’65. In August of __?__ commissioned an ensign in the Naval Reserve and in May 1969, Fran and I were divorced.
[Note: there seem to be some words missing from the last sentence.]
(Photos of Angela and Thomas 1984)
After that I moved all over the place: Marianna, FL; Athens, GA; Tampa and Jacksonville, FL; until I met Evelyn Chitwood in January 1973 (old wedding anniversary). We became engaged in June ’74 (Fran’s birthday) and were married on July 27, 1974.
Now come the best ten years of my life!! In July I was in he pool building business, then a building inspector at Mac Dill AFB, and finally with the VA in Montgomery. Angie was born in December ’76. The VA transferred me to Florida in May 1977, and I was forced to retire in August ’80. I was unemployed until December 8, 1980 when I started with Dave Robinson. Thomas Charles II was born that December, another light in our lives. We moved to DeLand in May ’81, and into our new home in November. Evelyn graduated from the Police Academy, is a terrific wife and mother…and we lived happily ever after.
Martin 1984 
Russell 1984 
Deborah 1984
Angela 1984 
Thomas 1984