I was anticipating the reunion as I understood that the Gruner relatives from Detroit would be attending. I was especially pleased because that meant that I’d be able to hang out with my favorite cousin, Jim Johnson (G-75-6). He was the son of Helen Gruner Johnson (G-75) and Bill Johnson. Jim was a red haired, freckled youngster who was everyone’s favorite. He was a few months older than I and since we were small children we’d taken to one another. Once, when we were four years old, our mothers made us matching white pique outfits trimmed in blue bias tape. (We really strutted around the reunion that year!) His outfit was a one -piece shorts outfit and mine was a sleeveless dress.

Later, in our teens, I visited in Dearborn and Jim was played the piano. He asked me to name my favorite song. Without any hesitation I said “Louise.” (The great Maurice Chevalier hit.) Jim grinned and said “Have you heard it played like this?” He proceeded to play that song in several different tempos. Gosh, he was talented.

But back to the 1940 reunion. I was ten and Jim was eleven. The reunion was great. After we ate the fabulous food and enjoyed the Miller’s Ice Cream, furnished by Gladys Gruner [Miller] (G-23-3), it was time to assemble for the group photograph.

After the picture I looked for Jim. He came up the path and that puzzled me. I said “How did you get away from the group so fast?” He told me he wasn’t in the picture and I started fussing “Why not?!”
“Well,” said Jim, ‘When I was standing around wondering where I should go in order to be near my parents, the photographer told me ‘Get out of here, kid!!’ So I went.”

I was aghast. NOT BE IN THE GRUNER PICTURE?
“Why didn’t you raise a fuss?” I asked

“Heck, I didn’t want to be in the picture, anyway,” Jim responded.

So the 1940 reunion picture is without one of the greatest guys in the world in it. The late, great James Richard Johnson. (1929-1982.)
What a shame!