[speaker001:] OK, this is my second interview with Larry Wentz, my father. He is also living in Lincolnton, WV, but he's originally from, but, um, I mean , he's living in Lincolnton, NC, sorry but he's originally from Buckhannon, WV. OK. Dad, um, what was it like growing up in Buckhannon for you?
[speaker002:] Buckhannon was uh, uh, a very small and close-knit town. Uh, what I enjoyed the most growing up was, uh, was the college campus. It's the home of West Virginia Wesleyan College and that was my playground, that was my own, the place where I spent so much of my childhood playtime and, uh, running through the different buildings and structures of the campus. Uh, having a free reign, going and coming as I pleased almost, because my grandfather was the Dean of the College. And, and everybody knew me so nobody really tried uh, to uh corral me, so I was sort of free to go and do what I wanted, you know when the buildings were open. And uh, just uh, using that campus as a playground to, um, have war games and, and do all kinds of adventurous, uh, you know, hide and seek times and things like that with my friends; a lot of roller skating, a lot of raking leaves in the fall and to making leaf houses and all kinds of things like that is uh, very memorable.
[speaker001:] OK Um, Dad, what was it, the, what were some, what are some of the main things that you remember about your grandfather who was Dean of Wesleyan? I think his name was Grandfather Schoolcrafts Grandfather Schoolcraft. Sorry.
[speaker002:] Um, some of the things that I remember is a small office that, uh, we would go into a lot. He had one of those old-fashioned, uh, recorder machines that, uh, had a cone on it where the needle would imprint your voice onto a cylinder cone. I don't know the technical name for the machine now. But, uh, I would always hide is his closet a lot in his office, you know, or maybe he put me in there for disciplinary reasons. I don't know, I just remember being in there a lot. Um, he had about two or three secretaries, and um, they were always nice, and, um, it was just a fun thing to see his name on the door and to know that he was an important man, but he was also my grandfather.
[speaker001:] OK, Thank you. Um, do you feel that Buckhannon is a place that you will ever want to return to live in the future? And, why or why not, or why did you like living in Lincolnton, NC so much?
[speaker002:] As far as Buckhannon being a place I would want to retire in or retire back to, uh, I don't see that in the future to me. Uh, not that it's not a nice town, there are a lot of good memories and so forth there. It's more of a place in my life now that I like to visit, um, I don't see the change in it that I do in NC. As far as WV compared to NC, I don't see the change, um, and maybe the change is something that I enjoy and, uh, that's why I sort of tend to think that if current change, intend to think I'll be retiring, um, in, um, NC or TN. Someplace like that, that is more south. But, I enjoy WV and I enjoy going back and meeting friends and uh, stirring up memories.
[speaker001:] OK, um we're certainly not doing anything for promoting tourism for WV today. But uh, with my last two interviews, but I digress, anyway. [] Dad, Dad, um, do you remember going to Audra State Park a lot when you were a younger teenager, and if so, what kinds of things would you do there, including snake hunting, drinking of alcohol, etc?
[speaker002:] Jess, I never hunted snakes because I don't like snakes. Uh, we did see them in the water occasionally and screamed and yelled and ran, you know. There was the occasional bottle of alcohol consumed, in the water, on the water, around the water, um. I'm glad those days are gone, way gone. But, uh, Audra State Park was a fun place, we would get on our bicycles and in our teenage years before we could drive and that was a good 10-11 miles over hill and dale to get there and we would definitely ride our bikes there and spend the day, even walk, uh hitch hike, and walk the railroad tracks which cut the distance down considerably, just to, uh, spend a day in the water and, uh, hunting, uh, you know, exploring, and uh, just enjoying seeing new people and different people you never saw before.
[speaker001:] OK, um, , do you remember any ghost stories or scary stories, from uh, around the area of Buckhannon? Or Audra? Or Sago?
[speaker002:] Or come up with a different question. No I don't remember any scary stories, because I don't believe in scary stories. And there weren't any really, except headless farmers that would come out at midnight on certain days of the year and throw potatoes at you! If you were walking the road at night.
[speaker001:] Yes, I think that's a favorite for lots of folks around the country. Um, oh, I, um asked Linda the same question because we are getting ready to move into the year 2000, a new century. Dad, what is your fav, what is your favorite movie of the century and why? Linda's was The Sound of Music.
[speaker002:] Put that on pause. My favorite movie of the century-
[speaker001:] Well, a few of them, two or three.
[speaker002:] Would be, From Here to Eternity. Uh, I did like Creature from the Black Lagoon when I was a child. That was one of the scariest movies I ever saw. And The Mummy, because that was a good one too. I liked Frankenstein. I liked the Werewolf. My mother made me see all these scary things that's why I'm warped and hairy today.
[speaker001:] What is a favorite movie since the age of 30 or above?
[speaker002:] Um, my favorite movie uh, since the age of 30, I sure do like The Wizard of Oz, before I was ten. Since the age of 30 I guess it would have to be Fiddler on the Roof, I love that movie. I also enjoy um, Scarlet Pimpernel and Hook. And Black Beauty.
[speaker001:] OK. We all understand why you like um, Scarlet Pimpernel because it was such an intriguing story of revolutionary proportions, but why do you identify so much with the Jewish plight portrayed in Fiddler on the Roof?
[speaker002:] Um, well my favorite part was the two staircases, one going up and one coming down, or there were three actually, one going nowhere, in between.
[speaker001:] Dad, come on, you're making no sense at all.
[speaker002:] I know I'm at the no sense time of this interview. I don't make any sense now. What do you want me to say?
[speaker001:] []
[speaker002:] Fiddler on the Roof, I like the story, I like the fact that-
[speaker001:] []
[speaker002:] Oh yeah, I like old what's his face's voice, I like to sing like he does. I like the song, I like his beard, I like his prayer shawl. And um, I like the fact that, um, it's a wonderful story about the some of the traditions, some of the type of holocausts that some of the Jewish people had to go through living in that country and at that period of time and, um, just, uh, just, uh something in my heart, that, uh, maybe Jewish roots from centuries back or something that, uh, tends to make me feel the way I do about the movie. Um, being um, Jewish born again myself, I have that tendency to uh, know about the plight of the Jews and sympathize with them.
[speaker001:] OK, thank you. Um Dad, we're getting close to Christmas and the media has had such a fun time the last few weeks talking about shopping on the Internet. In this new age of technology with e-mails, websites, um, downloading this and that, do you feel overwhelmed with those kinds of terms? Um do you feel like you are able to get on a computer and understand it? Or does it sort of scare you?
[speaker002:] It sort of scares me, I am so confused. That's all I can say, that was a horrible question.
[speaker001:] Linda, did you think that was a horrible question?
[speaker003:] No.
[speaker002:] I thought it was. I mean-
[speaker001:] Do you like computers? I mean you're going to, you are opening a new business-
[speaker002:] I am computer illiterate, so I don't have a like or dislike for them because I don't know what they can do for me.
[speaker001:] You're getting a new retail business started and-
[speaker002:] And someday I'll like computers.
[speaker001:] Some people sell a lot more on the Internet. Do you think that with this business, um, you're going to have to learn how to do it-
[speaker002:] Sure.
[speaker001:] And become acquainted with the-
[speaker002:] Sure.
[speaker001:] Internet, where you can sell your tree water. That is water from the made from the maple.
[speaker002:] Squeezed from the might maple. Squeezed we are talking hand squeezed. Milked from the tree.
[speaker001:] It's a one of a kind folks. Anyway-
[speaker002:] My hands hurt.
[speaker001:] Straight from WV. So there's one good thing about WV we can talk about-
[speaker002:] We got strong hands. Milking them trees.
[speaker001:] Okey-dokey. Um, we-
[speaker002:] How much did you say you were going to pay me for this?
[speaker001:] You're not getting paid, Dad. OK, um, what, uh, what is your favorite show of the century and why?
[speaker002:] My favorite show of the century-
[speaker001:] A lot of people say Seinfeld, what do you think about that?
[speaker002:] No, I like Archie Bunker All in the Family, with Edith. That's my favorite time of growing up. I can remember it very well. In fact I was humming the tune today. [] I'm not a bigot. But I enjoyed the TV series.
[speaker001:] OK.
[speaker002:] []
[speaker001:] I'm sitting looking at my kitten Cordelia, who I've named after a popular character in a TV show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Um what do you think about the rise of occult, occultic matters or TV shows, movies about the occult. Why do you think they're becoming so trendy in recent years?
[speaker002:] Uh, I feel that man basically is a spiritual being first and he is always trying to get to the root problems of his personality and his surroundings. God creates in the spirit, creates in the natural and, uh, man does the same, and man's trying to find his creativity of the spiritual realm and I feel he's just, um, the day and age is getting closer and closer to end times, as far as I believe, the word of God says, and so the days are drawing closer to where man will be harboring more and more blackness in his heart, it will prevail. And, uh, man will be trying to find, uh, you know, the cause of life, so I don't know. It's just, um, it's a deep subject to talk about, a very broad subject to talk about, but being spiritual beings, I guess the shortest way of saying it. Man's fantasy and tendency is to go into the occult, into black magic and the dark side because that's where he dwells and that's where his heart is, uh, settled in right now and until you know the Lord and know the true meaning of life and your purpose you're always searching in the dark side for the, the meaning of reality and the meaning of life, always trying to find out about the future. I remember when I was kid, I was always trying to, uh, find out about the future because of the fear that it brings. But, uh, by knowing the Lord those fears are all removed.
[speaker001:] OK, and also we think goodness for Buffy that we have her to fight back against these evil people. Especially the vampires and demons. Now-
[speaker002:] []
[speaker001:] Um one last question Dad, um , what is your favorite time of year and why? Do you like spring or summer or winter or fall and why?
[speaker002:] What's my fifth choice? Hum, my favorite time of year is summer. I enjoy spring and I enjoy fall, but summer is the best. I'm a summer person. I love warm weather, I love the colors that summer brings. And uh, life, I just enjoy everything is alive and at its peak in the summertime. And, um, my favorite time of the year because, uh, as a kid I really enjoyed myself more during the summer I wasn't a, uh, person that got into sports so it wasn't like a fall thing or a spring type mentality but, uh, or winter sports, so um, I just enjoy summer.
[speaker001:] OK, I lied and said that was my last question. I have a few more actually. Um. -
[speaker002:] Repent!
[speaker001:] I asked Linda what she, if she could remember meeting you in junior high and why she fell in love with you. Can you give me some feedback on your first encounter with Linda Stonicker in junior high or high school?
[speaker002:] My first encounter with her was by phone, when I called her up to ask her out for my friend Tom, because Tom was a chicken. He was a dweeb. And so I call her up knowing that she probably wouldn't go out with him, hoping she wouldn't. But, and she didn't hallelujah! And so I asked her out and she said, "Yes!" And that was my first encounter. My second encounter was kissing her rosy lips.
[speaker003:] Larry!
[speaker002:] Oh forget it, I got overwhelmed by my first encounter.
[speaker001:] OK, and also one last question and Dad I promise this is the last one. What do you think about my husband Bob? Since he's not here to defend himself.
[speaker002:] What do I think about Bob? Well, for the last year, year and half, everybody I've ever met that we've talked to about Jessica and Bob, I've right from the start said that Bob was the one I would have picked out for my daughter for a husband. Of all the jerks that she ever paraded through my living room, or some of them wouldn't even parade through my living room, they just would stay in the car because they knew better. Um, he had to be the, um, best looking, the most appealing for her. Um, his character he's blooming, but, uh, I always say that to my friends that he would have been the one I'd pick and I'm happy and very glad that I have him for a son- in-law.
[speaker001:] OK, and we're sure that he appreciates that. Um, once again that was an interview with my father, Larry Wentz who is originally from Buckhannon, WV and now resides in Lincolnton, NC.