Summary of Robert Coram's Boyd

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 Erie, Pennsylvania, is a hard town, a blue-collar town, and a grubby and decrepit town. It has more in common with its fellow Great Lakes rust-belt towns of Buffalo and Cleveland than it has with Pennsylvania cities.

#2 When John Richard Boyd was born in 1927, his parents shared the front bedroom with him. His sister Marion had her own room. The third bedroom was shared by the boys, Bill and Gerry.

#3 When Hubert died, his wife, Elsie, began selling cakes and Christmas cards to support the family. She also began conducting telephone solicitations for advertisements that went inside program booklets for banquets.

#4 Elsie turned poverty into a cardinal virtue in her household. She taught her children that they had principles and integrity that were often lacking in those with money and social position. She hammered into John that as long as he held on to his sense of what was right, and as long as his integrity was inviolate, he was superior to those who had only rank or money.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: May 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822521780

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Insights on Robert Coram's Boyd

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

Erie, Pennsylvania, is a hard town, a blue-collar town, and a grubby and decrepit town. It has more in common with its fellow Great Lakes rust-belt towns of Buffalo and Cleveland than it has with Pennsylvania cities.

#2

When John Richard Boyd was born in 1927, his parents shared the front bedroom with him. His sister Marion had her own room. The third bedroom was shared by the boys, Bill and Gerry.

#3

When Hubert died, his wife, Elsie, began selling cakes and Christmas cards to support the family. She also began conducting telephone solicitations for advertisements that went inside program booklets for banquets.

#4

Elsie turned poverty into a cardinal virtue in her household. She taught her children that they had principles and integrity that were often lacking in those with money and social position. She hammered into John that as long as he held on to his sense of what was right, and as long as his integrity was inviolate, he was superior to those who had only rank or money.

#5

Elsie was not willing to tolerate any offense to her children. She was willing to sever relationships and institutions that offended her. She had no money for the church, so she severed her relationship with the Presbyterians and withdrew John from Sunday School.

#6

Ann’s disease dominated the Boyd household. Elsie wanted to take her to the nearby Zem Zem Shriners Hospital, but the hospital rarely admitted Catholic children. Instead, she went to a neighbor who was a Mason and asked him to plead Ann’s case.

#7

In 1933, the Depression had Erie firmly in its grasp. Half of the workers in the town who had jobs in 1929 were now out of work. The ten banks in Erie closed and four would not reopen.

#8

When John was in the fifth grade, he had a rare experience that sealed his interest in aviation. Elsie had gone to high school with the half-sister of Jack Eckerd, an Erie man who founded a national chain of drug stores. Eckerd owned a small airplane and once, when he came back to Erie, offered John a ride.

#9

John’s favorite story was about entering high school on September 2, 1942. He took a series of tests, which showed he had an IQ of only ninety. When offered the chance to retake the test, he refused. The test gave John what he later said was a great tactical advantage in dealing with bureaucrats: they always underestimated him.

#10

Lifeguarding at the Peninsula was one of the most prestigious summer jobs for young men in Erie. Only about twenty boys were chosen, and they had to be outstanding in every area. Pettinato hired boys who were receptive to his ideas and beliefs.

#11

John’s brother, Bill, was a schizophrenic man who died in 1944 after striking his mother. The family told everyone that he had a heart murmur, which prevented him from serving in the war. The truth was that he was institutionalized because of mental illness.

#12

John’s family went through a lot of pain during his high school years, and he experienced the glory of being a superior athlete. He rarely dated in high school, and his friends called him J. B.

#13

Boyd’s first war was in Japan, where he was a swimming instructor. He was charged with leading a revolt against the Army, but he turned the court-martial into a referendum on officer leadership and responsibility. The charges were dropped.

#14

After his return from Japan, Boyd grew an inch and gained weight. His discharge papers show that he now stood 6’1 and weighed 180 pounds. He was eligible for the GI Bill, which provided him with a college education.

#15

When summer came, Boyd returned to his job at the Peninsula, now as assistant chief lifeguard. He spent much of his time