3 Chapter Three: Returning to Door County
While the family had been away, they had been renting out their little run-down home for some passive income. Now, “back then there were no contracts,” so when the Van Vorous family returned, the family that had been staying there had to move out right in the middle of winter. Before the Van Vorous’s moved back in, however, the father of the renting family went through the whole house cutting the wires. While the house had already had no running water or plumbing, it now had no electricity either.
So they moved back into a house with no electricity and no plumbing, and Hudson had no job. Hudson’s father had recently passed away as well, leaving Hudson and his family a bit of money. That money was gone after six months of drinking at bars, most of it being spent on an extravagant funeral for Doug’s grandfather Wilfred. The only source of income they had left was a radio repair business that Wilfred had set up for Hudson–Van’s Radio Repair. It didn’t support them, though, and Hudson rarely worked and when he did he spent most of the money at the bar. Hudson lived by, and tried to teach his children to live by, a very carefree mindset. He would tell his children that everything was fine, to not worry, and to enjoy spending money when they had it.
Doug on his father’s mindset – 9 seconds
With their father bringing in little to no income, or even putting a negative dent in the family’s money, the kids had to pick up jobs to support the family. His brother Gale got a job bussing tables at the CNC Club–a bar in Fish Creek–while Doug started working on his maternal relatives’ farm. Their older brother had already moved out and was trying to become a rock star down in Milwaukee. Their sister Sandra, however, ran away at 16. While he’s not entirely sure why, Doug guesses that she could not longer take their poor living conditions. They had no running water she could use to wash herself or her hair, and the water they did have had to be carried in barrels. They only had a wood-burning stove for cooking and heating the house, as they were without electricity for a long while. Sandra worked every summer, and as soon as she had enough money she bought a car and moved to Milwaukee. Once she got there, she got married right away and had a baby.
Doug on his sister leaving – 5 seconds
When Doug’s brother Gail turned 18, he was no longer allowed the luxury of living at home. His father Hudson kicked him out of the house, saying “we’re not feeding you anymore, you got to go.” So Gale married a woman twenty years older than him, who already had two kids. He became a produce trucker, and worked hard to try and keep his new family out of the poverty he had grown up in.
Doug worked on the farm until he was 12, at which point he started caddying at the golf course. Now golf, at the time, was a rich man’s sport and caddying introduced Doug to the culture of the wealthy. Mr. Gordon, who ran the shop and diner at the golf course, saw how hard Doug worked as a caddy. The next year, when Doug came back to work again, Mr. Gordon offered him a different job instead–washing dishes. At 13, Doug was working 6 am to 11 pm, seven days a week. As compensation for taking up his entire day, however, he got to stay in the Gordon’s guesthouse while he was working. Compared to a house with no running water or electricity, the guesthouse seemed a paradise.
Doug on the guesthouse – 13 seconds
Doug recalls every summer working at the golf course and staying in the guesthouse was like being in heaven for him, even if all he did was work. Mr. Gordon became a mentor figure to Doug. Mr. Gordon, Doug recalls, was quite the character. In the first world war, he was a doctor in the German army. After Hitler came around, however, he left Germany and went to South America, where he met his wife, who was from Sweeden. The two later moved to Door County because of the German and Swedish immigrant communities there. After helping invent the Toni Home Permanent, he retired with a fortune, eventually running the golf course.
While the summers were good, the winters were a return to poverty. One Thanksgiving, the family had next to nothing to eat. The Catholic priest in the area, Father Savaard, showed up with a big basket of food–turkey, stuffing, cranberry salad, and the like–and they were able to have a true Thanksgiving dinner. Father Savaard and Doug’s father got to talking after that, and eventually, the family joined the Catholic Church. Doug’s father Hudson had already gone through Baptism and Confirmation through the Episcopalian church, Doug and his mother had to go through RCIA. Doug was very curious and asked Father Savarrd lots of questions about the Catholic religion. Father Savaard was able to answer all of Doug’s questions in a way that satisfied him, and Doug felt himself grow to truly convert to Catholicism. He fondly remembers driving himself and his mother to Church every Sunday.
Doug on his conversion – 7 seconds
Becuase of his conversion to Catholicism, Doug actually came more to learn about the Baptist religion. Both Mrs. Gordon and a friend of his at school–Linda Foxhaven–were both strong Baptists. While typically, Baptists strongly dislike and avoid Catholics, the two of them were already friendly with him, and rather than avoiding him it led to more faith-based discussion than before. Right after graduating high school, Doug enlisted to join the Marie Corps. When Mrs. Gordon learned of this, she approached Doug with a Catholic Bible and the advice to read it and never go to Tijuana. While a typical Baptist would never do something like that, the Gordon’s cared deeply for Doug and respected his religious choices.