Well, it all started with the ‘Hardy Boys’ at City Hall

There have probably been a few times when you have spotted one of my columns in the Reporter-herald, and figured “what the heck, I’ve got 20 seconds, I’ll speed through it — before I go to the obits.”

Sometimes I wish I could write one as quick as it can be read.

But, take heart, I’ve read a few things I wish I hadn’t, but the feeling passes.

I obtained my first library card when we moved to Douglas, Alaska, (a town of about 750 folks) and the room in the City Hall that was used for City Council meetings added some shelves for donated books. I read a bunch of them.

I loved the “Hardy Boys” books, featuring two sons of a famous detective, Fenton Hardy, Frank and Joe, and their pal, the chubby, Chet. I had only a couple of their books of my own, but my buddy, Ray Hermann and his brothers had a sizable collection. I borrowed many of them, and I remember cuddling up in an old WWII sleeping bag liner on our bed (older brother Lowell and I shared) and reading the hours away.

When I joined the Cub Scouts, we had a couple of meetings in the town “library” and while there I would gather up a few books. And Douglas Public School (an institution with a total of 125 students from first through 12th grade) had a library I helped myself to.

I guess you could say I loved to read.

When we moved to Payson, Utah in my seventh grade year, our junior high school (with about 350 students from seventh to ninth grade) had a nice library, and I read just about everything they had in their collection that appealed to me.

It was my good fortune that Payson had a real public library, with thousands of books, and a librarian, Mrs. Page, who seemed the quintessential librarian of the time; glasses, gray hair in a bun with a pencil stuck in it, The pencil had a tiny date stamp, so she could stamp the book and checkout card with it.

Mrs. Page wasn’t big on smiling, and seemed to me that I was one who funded much of the costs of the institution, what with the exorbitant late fees (two cents a day after 14 days checked out).

I read lots of books there, and one convenience was how near the library was to Rowe’s Bakery, where I worked my first job, so when I left work I could pick up a couple of books to read when I got home.

One book I loved was “Alone,” written by Admiral Richard Byrd, who as a sailor and scientist, attempted to winter in Antarctica, during the mid 1930s. I remembered the illustrations by Lincoln Rockwell, and the fact that the book was printed in blue ink. I love true adventure books, and some 30 years later, I was able to buy an original copy of the book, and I still have it.

In high school I attended English class taught by a next door neighbor of ours, Ed Cutler. Ed was a nice guy and I was one of his favorite students — I had to be a favorite. I took his sophomore English class each year for three years.

I hated the subject, and by the time I was into my third year of the same class I merely took along a book that interested me and read that until the bell rang, ending the day’s class.

One day I came in, sat down at my desk and pulled out my book, when Ed noticed it and asked: “Mr. Mcclellan, what are you reading today?”

Actually, I even remember what I was reading — ”The Caine Mutiny” by Herman Wouk. You know, I still love the book.

My enjoyment of reading no doubt influenced my writing, and I still love to read, and even enjoy writing these columns for you.