Father Flanagan

Dad brought Boy's Town to 499 in relation to discipline. I remember when John and I were not behaving well, Dad would threaten to call Father Flanagan and if that didn't work he would fake a telephone call, "Hello Father Flanagan... this is Mr. Finnigan calling... John and Paul are not behaving and I would like you to come over and bring your spanking machine. (Pause)  Thank you Father and we will watch for you to arrive. Good bye.

Dad would send us to our bedroom and soon we would hear the doorbell ring and Dad would open the front door and Dad loudly say, Oh Father thank you for coming and I see you brought your spanking machine. Father would answer in a different voice that sounded a lot like Dad, "yes Mr Finnigan, I just need to test the spanking machine to make sure it gives a hard spanking. Dad voice answered, "you can plug it in right here!" Then we heard a loud noise that sounded a lot like our vacuum cleaner and when it stopped Dad would yell up the stair well, "Father is here with his spanking machine and I will give you one more chance to be good".  

"If you promise I will tell Father he can leave." John and I would promise to be good and ask Dad thanks Father for coming and says good bye. The front door slams hard to make sure everyone in the house heard it.  John and I always wondered why we heard all the older boys laughing after Father left.  And so it went for year after year until we were too old for the trick and it was time for us to learn how Dad's belt felt on our back sides!

I believe that Dad's interest and contributions to Boy's town were originally made as a backup plan in case he could not support the family.  His hope was that his boys would be accepted for residency. But I was aware that Dad was still contributing to Boy's Town when I left for college. After he moved to Santa Clara Dad found Hanna Boys Center while touring the wine country in his Austin Healey.  While going through his desk, we found a ledger that showed contributions for the entire time he lived at 924 Tamarack. Shortly thereafter, I took up where Dad left off and have, except for lean years, contributed to the HBC Guardian Angel program ever since. At the beginning of the Voicemail program, I prayed that the program would succeed and promised my continued support of the HBC! 

Exodus from 499

The exodus from 499 started when Jim joined the US Army Air Corp in 1942.  Jim had completed 2 years at Canisius College and qualified for Offices Candidate School and was enrolled in flight training in Pensacola Fla.  Jim was type rated as an engineer on the B29 Super fortress and stationed on the island of Guam in the Pacific Theatre. Jim would serve there until the snd of the war, circling above the Tokyo during the signing of he peace treaty. Jim married his childhood sweetheart from Buffalo Betty Surra and they raised  a daughter Timi.   Jim spent a career as a Flight Safety officer, advisor the the Royal Korean Air Force during the Korean war and assigned duty at Elmendorf Airbase in Anchorage and Lackland Airbase in San Antonio where he retired.  Betty died prematurely when an escaping criminal driving a stolon police car crashed into her car stopped on an off ramp.  Betty had been honored by President Carter for her work on a Foster Grandparents program. 

Jerry was the next to leave, joining the US Navy V12 program where he was enrolled at the University of California at Berkeley receiving a BS in Engineering.  Jerry was commissioned a Lt. Commander and assigned to active duty aboard a battleship in the the China Sea where he served until the war ended.  The exodus continues at regular intervals until Paul left for San Jose State in 1952.  On the day that Dad took Paul to the airport he wrote in his diary "Well he's gone!", expressing the finality... the end of an era... all the boys are gone!

In the years that after Jim's departure, Charlie traveled the country by car, train and air, to provide support to each of the boys in their educational and military endeavors.  To Colorado to visit Jim at Lowery AFB, to California to visit Jerry at UC Berkeley, to Annapolis to visit Bob. 'Dad attended all the boys graduations, weddings and even the arrival of grandchildren.