Growing Up In A New Century

5 December 1913 - 13 April 2008
A Tribute

Growing Up in a New Century

Growing Up

Love and Marriage

A Father at War

Home Again

Life and Times

Harry with Randolph, Franklin and William

William Melvin Hamerdinger was born 5 December 1913 at 606 G Street, S.E. Washington, D.C. He was the third son of Harry and Etta Hamerdinger. Franklin was born May 13, 1909 and died August 15, 1992. Randolph was born August 14, 1911 and died September 21, 1982.

After Bill was born Etta became sick with Hodgkin's Disease and they all when to live with her mother, Frances Mae Thompson Raitz. Etta died on March 16, 1919. She was 32 years old.

The family was broken up. Franklin and Randolph went to love with Etta's sister, Edith Thompson Lusby and Bill went to love with his other aunts and uncle, Geneva and Alice and his Uncle Marion on D Street Southeast. Harry paid for all three boys' upkeep. Bill would not see much of his brothers until after the war, though.

Etta Viola Hamerdinger

Etta Viola Hamerdinger

Harry made a good living as a plumber at the Washington Navy Yard. He was one U.S. Government plumber that was legit! Today Steve has many of Harry's old tools.

Of course, Harry Hamerdinger was the wellspring of the famous Hamerdinger "persistence." A favorite story was when he was released from the hospital following a heart attack with strict orders to rest. However, there was a tree stump in the front yard of the house that needed to be dug out and Harry was determined to do it. Hazel hide the shovels but that didn't stop him. He took a garden trowel and began digging. When the garden trowel was hidden, he took a table spoon from the kitchen and went right back outside. By this time, poor Hazel was beside herself. She called the doctor and in between guffaws, the he told her to, "Let him dig... it's less stress on him and certainly less on on you!" And sure enough, he dug the stump out.

Harry Randolph Hamerdinger

Bill would stay with is aunts until he was a teenager. There were several boy his age living around there and they often played baseball in a small lot at 10th and D streets.

In the fall they would play touch football in the park at Pennsylvania Avenue and 9th Street. He went to public schools nearby and stayed through 2 1/2 years at McKinley High School, then he dropped out and went to work

After leaving his aunts Bill went to live at 1006 D. Street, S.E. He went to work as a soda jerk at the "Tea Room" at Woodward and Lothrup on 10th and F Street NW. When they closed that room, he went across the street to the People's Drug Store and continued his soda jerk work in the "Sports Room."

Later he would work as a Western Union Messenger out of the Union Station.

Bill attended Grace Baptist Church on Minnesota Avenue Southeast.

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