I’m not completely certain, but I imagine this is Bernard McClain’s high school graduation photo. He was not quite sixteen when he graduated.
Those of my readers who were scandalized at the thought of Uncle Barney wearing overalls (I say this with tongue in cheek) may find this image more in tune with your expectations. ;–)
A handsome photo of him.
As his daughter Judy wrote in a comment to a previous post here, regarding his having graduated so young:
“He told us that one of his many cousins tried to talk him into going to Linfield College, but he was too bashful—and not ready for that big step. He spent two more years on the farm [wearing overalls, no doubt]—but took organ lessons from a teacher in Albany. Then he made the move to Portland and business college.”
I don’t know whether I’m alone in this, but “bashful” just isn’t an adjective that comes to mind when I think of Uncle Barney. It is very much to his credit that overcame that and developed the leadership abilities that so characterized his life later.
Thank you for this, Lloyd!
I’ve seen the picture, not sure I have a copy. And I would support the thought that it was his high school graduation. I loved the comments about overalls! I think I have a picture of him wearing overalls shoveling snow in front of our house in the 40’s, but that is mighty rare!
Belatedly, I have some questions about recent pictures of the Hammell family. I’m not sure of the birth order of the three siblings – and do you know the age difference among them?
Good question, Judy. I don’t think I have covered that anywhere in this blog. Rather than answer the question here, though, I have added a comment to this post (← click or tap), where the information will be easier to find in the future. I hope that’s OK.
If you have additional questions, don’t hesitate to ask. I can’t promise I have answers, but I’ll try.
A handsome photo of a handsome fellow.
No, he certainly didn’t seem bashful to me.
He was always thoughtful.