Uncle Doc

Sometimes troublemakers aren’t really bad guys.  Instead, they are people that push the limits a bit or just like to have some fun even if it makes others a bit uncomfortable at times.  Uncle Doc was one of those people. He made a bit of trouble, didn’t really do any harm, and had a good time doing it.

 

His Name

Born Dewey Cortis McCracken, he became known as “Doc” while going to grammar school.  Why you ask?  Simply, he had a difficult time pronouncing the word “physician.”  From the stories I heard, he pronounced it something like “fiz-i-can.”  The kids teased him about mispronouncing it and somehow he obtained the name “Doc” from the situation.  And, it stuck all his life.

 

Playing Cards

Grandma Nellie (Peelle) McCracken was not big on people playing cards.  She was a bit old-school and religious.  Thus, she thought that playing cards just might be the work of the Devil. And, she sure didn’t like hearing the kids fuss over any game.  She was sure that no matter what, card playing would not bring good things.

 

Well, Uncle Doc, Grandpa Joe’s brother, thought nothing of playing cards.  To him, it was just fun and he wanted to teach the youngest McCracken kids to play.  Grandma tried to convince Grandpa to put a stop to it, but Grandpa said, “Oh, Nell, let them have fun!”

 

Grandpa succeeded in letting the activity continue.  Thus, Uncle Doc taught the younger kids, even Dimple Darling (his name for Kay), to play cards.  Worse yet, he taught them to play the game “Oh, Hell.”  Mercy me!  And, as if to punctuate the situation, he also taught them how to cheat!

 

The kids played cards so much that Dad never wanted to play when he was older.  He said that he had his fill of card playing and that it wasn’t ever fun.  Even though they learned to play, Grandma still expected them to be peaceful about it, which meant that  he always had to let Kay and Don win.  If he didn’t, they would go crying to their mom and he would get in trouble. 

 

I don’t know how good any of the younger kids got at the game.  After all, it is hard to perfect your game if you are always throwing the game or being the recipient of an easy win.  However, Uncle Dewey, Uncle Doc’s namesake and one of Joe and Nellie’s oldest kids, became an excellent “Oh, Hell” player.  He knew all the cards that remained in the deck and could win against the best.  He was really good at playing cards in general and likely learned his card playing skills from Uncle Doc. 

 

Likewise, Howard, another of the older kids, played cards.  In a letter home to the family while he was serving in Italy in WWII, he mentioned playing cards. However, assured his mother that he was not gambling.  So, it seems likely that Uncle Doc’s card playing was passed down to all of Joe and Nellie’s children.

 

His Reputation

While Aunt Ruthe was working at the Western Insurance Company in Ft. Scott, Uncle Doc and her arranged to meet for lunch one day.  When some of her female co-workers learned the name of her lunch date, one of her co-workers quietly cautioned her about going to lunch with him..  The co-worker whispered, “You do know that he is a womanizer, don’t you?”  Ruthe replied, “And, he is also my uncle!”

 

Letters Home

In a letter to Grandpa while Uncle Doc was serving at Camp Roberts in California during WWII, he added a note to Uncle Dewey to not allow his dad (Grandpa Joe) to censor his letters because he was left-handed and he didn’t understand right-handed English.”  Not sure exactly what the difference is between right-handed and left-handed English.  And, what was Dewey going to write that his dad was going to censor?

 

In another letter, Uncle Doc told “Old Maid” O’Ella that he was sorry that he couldn’t make it to a recent pie supper, as he couldn’t get a pass that night.  However, he said that he could now get a pass so they should have the pie supper again so he could attend.   Not exactly practical as I am not sure how he would have gone to Kansas from California just for the evening.

 

The Cliff Hanger

So goes the adventures of Uncle Doc . . .  The question that remains is:  Was he responsible for the “unexpected cousins” that showed up as DNA matches?  He was in the right area at the right time, but he isn’t the only one on the suspect list.  It is a question whose answer we may never know.