Strippers, Hoers & Heroes

Ruben and Lillian (Martin) Corgill were my parents. Ruben was born in 1890. Lillian was born in 1898. Their lives spanned a time period from "horse and buggy" days to the jet age and space exploration. However, the way they lived didn't change very much as the modern world was evolving around them. Throughout their productive years, they stuck to the old ways of surviving by being self-sufficient in a rural, agricultural environment. Their roots had not prepared them for "getting by" in other ways. Even in the 1950s, they were still manually doing farm work when machines had replaced people and horses all around them. So many times, one day ended with no clear conviction that the next one wouldn't bring problems beyond their capabilities. How they managed to survive from day to day and year to year on the meager fruits of their labors and raise a family in the process is an outstanding example in human integrity and industry. They survived, though, and held their heads high to the end. Theirs is a story worth telling.