Finding a Life, 1945- 1947

1945 - 1947 brought two monumental moments into Al's life. Having returned from the war, he sought to reestablish himself in Saginaw and in his family life. Though he had found work, a job, he did not have a career, something he believed he could spend his life at. This was important to him. Further, though Al and Winnie were together, they wanted a family. She came from a large family of 12 children, with relatives had had similar large families, or even larger. Al, who came from a single child atmosphere, had been around large families, having been raised with his uncle and extended family during his early childhood.

When Al had first come home from the service, he had trouble finding any work at all. He finally accepted the first job offered to him, that of an accountant. He hated it, as he found it boring. He received a paycheck which put food on the table and kept the rent paid, but he was miserable. To make it worse, Winnie no longer worked and, as it would develop, never would again. For for those first months, he was just plain unhappy. He wanted something different. He was looking.

He ran into a fellow named Joe Schmerheim, who owned an electrical contracting firm, Schmerheim Electric. With the economy really taking hold and a strong demand for housing,a construction boom was on. Joe was looking for more men all the time and he was willing to train them. He extended an offer to Al. He'd sponsor him into the union apprenticeship program and put him on the payroll. Schmerheim, at the time, was one of the biggest contractors around. The money was better than Al was getting. There were opportunities to move up, a skilled trade to be learned and he and the owner were on friendly terms. Al accepted.

Al took to the work naturally. He breezed through his apprenticeship. Along the way, he made a couple discoveries. He was a very gifted electrician and he absorbed the trade's skills readily. Additionally, with his strong work ethic, Joe was willing to move him up and make him a foreman.

In the summer of 1946, Winnie informed Al she was pregnant and the due date was going to be in March. Both of them were overjoyed with the prospects. They were 28 and 29 at the time and life seemed pretty decent. Al finally had a career, doing something he found out he really loved doing and now they were going to have a child. As the months progressed, the pregnancy moved along without any trouble.

On the morning of March 24, 1947, Winnie was ready. She was in hard labor and it was time to go to St. Mary's Hospital. The only impediment to the plan was that there was a major blizzard raging and the city was snow-bound. No vehicles were moving, including ambulances. The only way they could get to the hospital was by way of sleds, which was what they ended up using that early morning.

The trip was extremely slow but the doctor and the nurses were waiting and ready when they finally arrived. The delivery was easy and Al and Winnie had their first child, a son, Charles Albert Galford, named after Al, as healthy and as perfect a baby as can be hoped for and can be expected.