George McKeever, 1976-08-04, Interview - MP3 Recording

Segment Synopsis: Kendrick flood (1900) caused by breaking of dyke in train wreck.

Segment Synopsis: Kendrick fire (1904). Tents for meals and materials to
rebuild. The fire destroyed their hack at the blacksmith shop.
Watching the fire from a bluff. It started from sawdust on a
saloon floor. Extent of destruction. Almost all businessmen
rebuilt.

Segment Synopsis: He became interested in dentistry from his best friend in the
Navy. He enlisted rather than be drafted, and was stationed at
Pearl Harbor.

Segment Synopsis: Dental training at the University of Oregon Dental College. Two
women dental students. Working his way through at the beanery:
students who worked all passed their exams, while many of the
others failed. He also delivered newspapers, and took care
of the furnace for his room; his wife worked at Meier and
Frank. How they met. A Chinese student whose father was
a rich importer. He drove a milk delivery truck in the summer.

Segment Synopsis: The Chinese cook at the St. Elmo Hotel. The kids threw
rocks on his tin roof, and he gave them Chinese candy at
Christmastime.

Segment Synopsis: Jean Chinaman and his produce business. High water table in
Kendrick. His civic activities in Kendrick.

Segment Synopsis: History of his dental office. Except for position of the
patient, dentistry is virtually the same as it was fifty years
ago. A local blacksmith who practiced dentistry. Bovill
dentist's dirty office.

Segment Synopsis: Masonic activities - the honor of being chosen. Masonic social
gatherings. Prestige of membership.

Segment Synopsis: Baseball rivalry was very popular. Fourth of July.

Segment Synopsis: Moonshiners vs. gumshoes. He transported moonshine for
a family to get paid for his dental work. A trip to the Ozarks.

Segment Synopsis: Trade for dental work - a dozen live chickens. Trustworthiness
of people for credit. In a farming community people ate well
in the depression. His wife agreed to live in a small town for
five years only:advantages of a small town.

Segment Synopsis: There was less tooth decay then than now, because there was
little sweet food and coarser grained foods. People seldom
brushed their teeth.

Segment Synopsis: Decline of food quality. People were healthier; when they got
really sick they died. Decayed teeth were extracted, and there
was little bridge work. People could stand pain and often
didn't want Novocaine. Men used a row boat to get to the local
whorehouse during the flood. Poor diet caused gum disease
and made tooth-pulling easier. Early dentures - they were
called "bundle racks".

Segment Synopsis: Styles. Grandfather. Good handwriting.

Segment Synopsis: Dental work for Nez Perce - he spoke some Nez Perce, and
treated them just as his other patients. His wife doesn't like
his misuse of English. He never saw the Klan, but heard there
were pocket membership cards; Klan developed from Birth
of a Nation.

Segment Synopsis: His veterinarian friend Van, who filed horses' teeth. They
tried to help Van's son, who became a drug addict and finally
committed suicide. Van didn't have a license because he didn't
take a third year of school. He was a heavy drinker. As a child
he got laudanum for stomach aches.

Segment Synopsis: Frank B. Robinson's operation. He and other college students
in Moscow formed a house to cut costs.

Segment Synopsis: He couldn't afford fraternity living at Moscow. Most people
were poor. Low cost of food.

Segment Synopsis: Mother's hard work at home. Chores at home for the children.
Youth's Companion was the only magazine at home; the
twice weekly Spokesman-Review was the only paper. His
parents wanted the children to grow up away from town and its
bad influences. Cutting hay on their hillside. He had to work
after a pitchfork went through his hand. Working in onions
for 35 cents a day.

Segment Synopsis: Money was no consideration for him in entering dentistry.
Dentistry was a better than average living. Gifts from patients
Long days and no vacations. Watering his yard.