Note: Spoiler Alert – for those who have not read South on Summit.
Already read the book? Learn more about the story and characters through these story extensions!
Niamh
Note: Spoiler Alert – for those who have not read South on Summit.
“Mother, you want me to do what?”
“But you are so good and your grandparents would be so proud Niamh.”
“The other kids will make fun of me mother. It’s hard enough being part of the symphony when they know my mother is in charge of everything. And how will Mr. Frantz react when you ask him? He’s not going to have a choice. You’re the boss.”
“Well darling, you should know that it was his idea. He’s heard you play your harmonica and came up with the idea. I already assured him you would be happy to do it. He dropped off the sheet music for your part.”
Niamh examined the handwritten page and looked up with puzzlement. “First movement of Beethoven’s Fifth? With my harp? Really? Know why you should never iron a four-leaf clover mother? You don’t want to press your luck.”
Shannon laughed. “Where did you learn that one?”
“There’s a group of Irish girls I hang with at school. They have some real funny ones they use on our teachers, except for Mrs. Jones. She has no sense of humor.”
“Look Niamh. We are so fortunate to have each other. When we lost your father in that accident, I worried more about you than myself. You were his star, his purpose. He was so proud of you. And we are so lucky that your grandmother Niamh left her estate to manage and serve the children of the community. I was so honored that they asked me to be in charge. Think about it, you are playing in the youth symphony she started. She too had tragedy in her life but used her love to help others. I am told that she spent a lot of time on the back patio, reflecting. Why don’t you take your harmonica out there, and practice?”
“Well, I understand, and I wouldn’t want to disappoint Mr. Frantz. He is such a good conductor and nice man. And remember what Grandpa Trysten said, it’s a harp.”
Niamh made her way to the patio and as autumn leaves fell from the triple trunk birch trees, she thought about her Irish grandfather and began to play the arrangement. She stopped and thought some more, looking around the beautiful home that was her namesake’s. I’ll do it for her and Grandpa Trysten, she contemplated. A big gust of wind waved the trees, shaking more leaves down, some landing near her feet. Yes, they’re here. They approve.
The performance was held at the College of Wooster, and Shannon advertised it as a fundraiser for the Children’s Foundation. It brought out a large crowd of donors along with parents and families of the performers. Mr. Frantz was dressed in his tuxedo and directed the youth symphony through warmups. Now it was time for introductions.
“Ladies and gentlemen, and families of our talented youth. We are doing something special this evening. I recently overheard one of our members playing her harmonica, or excuse me, she insists we use the proper term, harp. She has kept her secret talent hidden from us, but with luck, I heard her playing an Irish tune outside the front of the Children’s Institute that her mother operates. Yes, please give a welcome to our harp player, Niamh Remington as she plays her version of the first movement of Beethoven’s Number Five.”
Shannon stood in the wings of the curtain and watched her daughter play her harp with magnificent clarity and beauty. She thought about the mother she never met, and the father who loved her in his final days. She felt their presence and smiled at her young daughter as she finished, receiving a standing ovation. Souls never die, she thought. They’re always with us.
Lieutenant O’Toole
Note: Spoiler Alert – for those who have not read South on Summit.
“Bill Barkley reporting for duty sir.”
“Bill, welcome to Chicago. I was hoping you could make it. And this must by your bride?”
“Yes sir, Mary Louise. We built our house on Summit, just like I planned.”
“You’re more beautiful than the pictures Bill showed me. And it looks like the magic of a new house did the trick. When are you due?”
“May, and this guy’s been a real mess. He went into a trance when I told him.”
“Well, train him to call me Sean, not sir. Have you met Fiona?”
“Not yet, we got here late.”
Lieutenant took Mary Lou’s hand and I followed behind. When we found Fiona, I got a big smile. She was just like he said he imagined, a red head with striking green eyes and a big smile. “Wow, sir, she’s gorgeous.”
“Sir?” Fiona asked.
“We’ll have to get him a few drinks to drop that and call me Sean,” laughed O’Toole.
“Fiona, Sean was my boss during the war. He looked out for me all the time.”
Mary Lou gave her a hug. “Where are you going for the honeymoon?”
“We rented a cottage on Lake Geneva, very beautiful there.”
“Bill, let’s let the ladies chat while we hit the bar. You can catch me up on the lumber business.”
We walked through the outdoor patio of the hotel to the bar. I ordered a beer and Sean had his usual Jameson. “Did you build that house you talked about, where was it?”
“Buffalo Grove. And it’s a good thing I bought the lot early on. The prices are going through the roof. I’m taking out a mortgage to put up a two story off McHenry Road. The whole area is under construction Bill. And I’m in management training with Jewel Grocery. I am going to work with their supply chain folks, sound familiar?”
“Sure does. Kind of doing the same at our lumber company. With all the home building going on, it is getting tough to compete for lumber supplies. I’m on the phone all of the time.”
“Ever hear from any of our guys?”
“None except for Butch. Sad story. He visited and was really struggling with post war issues. You know he was part of an outfit that liberated one of the death camps. It finally got to him and he ended it all, not too long ago.”
“Damn. I really liked Butch. I guess he saw a lot, especially in Anzio. We were lucky Bill. Let’s have another and tip one for old Butcher.”
“Here’s to Butch, and here’s to you getting on with starting a family.”
“A whole house full,” laughed O’Toole. “They’re calling me. Time for the wedding couple to cut the rug.”
“Don’t step on her toes.”
“She’s already experienced that. We had to take dance lessons. I was more terrified than those Luftwaffe raids we went through. If I don’t see you, safe journey back to Ohio. It was great seeing you.”
I stepped back and saluted. He laughed, returned it, and headed to the dance floor.
Anna
Note: Spoiler Alert – for those who have not read South on Summit.
“Where is my wife, my daughter?”
Hans was barely recognizable to the old neighborhood woman. She looked confused as she examined his face. He looked like many of the post war men who wondered from town to town, looking for family.
“Hans Bakker, is that you?”
“Yes, Mevrouw Smit, it is I. Please, where are they?”
“Come inside my son, I will make us some coffee.”
Hans felt a knot is his stomach, expecting bad news, but wanted to hang onto hope for a few more moments. He followed her into her kitchen and took a seat at the table. “I was forced to fight for them. When I was captured by the Americans it was a relief. I was shot in the leg and hid from the SS who killed their own wounded.”
“You have lost a lot of weight. I remember you as a husky man. Did they starve you?”
“We ran short of food and the Waffen-SS looked down on us. You could never complain or show any sign of weakness. That would get you shot.”
“Here, have some of this. It will perk you up. She sat down and reached over to put her hand on his. Dear Hans, I must tell you that your wife is gone. When the Americans came through and liberated us, we were overjoyed. Everyone sang and celebrated in the streets. I will never forget that day. I still have an orange flag that I waived at them.”
“What happened? Where is my Anna, is she alive?”
“Yes, let me explain. After the Americans marched through, the British followed and we celebrated them as well. They stayed a long time. I think they were waiting for the rest of their tanks to catch up. Anyhow, the evening after they left, the Germans bombed us terribly. Your apartment building was destroyed and many were killed. The men listened for voices in the rubble and someone heard your little Anna. It took hours to get to her and she had a broken leg and arm. We watched them pull her out. She was clutching a doll and asking for her mother.”
“Is she well? Did she recover? Oh, my precious girl.”
“Eventually they found your wife. They didn’t allow Anna to see her body as it was in awful condition. We buried her, along with many others in the church cemetery. I will show you when you are ready. But now Anna. She was in the hospital for several weeks. We all took turns visiting her, especially the Van den Berg’s. They have a daughter who is Anna’s age. They took her in and have treated her like family. I enjoy watching her in the street, playing with other children. They come by here after school, and knock on my door, looking for gingerbread.”
Hans put down his cup. “I must see her now, please.”
“She’s in school. Be patient. She might not even recognize you. Let’s see if she comes by. In the meantime, I will make you something to eat and you can take a rest. You look tired.”
Hans placed the plate of food on the nightstand and quickly dozed off. When he heard a gentle knock on the front door, he shot up. He raced to the front of the house, nearly knocking over Mevrouw Smit. He took a deep breath and slowly cracked open the large old door. A pretty girl with big brown eyes looked up at her. She had flowers in her hand. “Is Mevrouw Smit home? I have some flowers to give her?”
Hans fell to his knees, startling the little girl. “Anna, are you my Anna?”
Anna’s eyes widened. She looked up to see Mevrouw Smit standing behind him, shaking her head with tears. “Papa? Are you my papa?”
Hans reached out and pulled her into his arms. They cried and laughed in unison. Mevrouw Smit reached into her apron for a handkerchief and wiped her tears. “Yes. My meisje, your father has come home.”
Hans closed the door and picked Anna up in his arms, heading to the living room couch. He kept her in his lap and listened to her tell about everything in her life.
“See my ring father? An American soldier gave me this and told me that you would come home someday. I kept it on the whole time, knowing it would bring you back. He has a daughter too and looked sad, like you must have been sad missing me. So, I gave him one of my dolls to look after him until he returned home.”
“Yes my sweet angel, you and your mama were always in my thoughts. Your ring brought me back to you. I hope he made it back to his daughter as well.”
Real or Not Real?
Note: Spoiler Alert – for those who have not read South on Summit.
Was there a real baseball field and clubhouse at the lumber mill?
Yes, for many years, the Hartzler family allowed kids to play on their property on Mill Street in Smithville. And for those who are horrified that there were BB gun wars, there were no reported injuries other than sore spots of impact.
Was the murder of Drysten’s father a real event?
No, pure fiction. But some of the inserted events and locations were accurate, not all taking place during the story’s timeline. There was a circus that came to Smithville. Mary Lou and Dan’s fictional ice cream meeting was set at a real location during those years. Isalys was a popular place in Wooster featuring Mountaintop and Rainbow as their top selling cones. And folks who traveled Akron, Ohio during those years would clearly remember the smell coming from the Goodyear and Firestone rubber plants.
Were the 101st Airborne Troopers the elite forces of the U.S. military?
Yes, along with the brave men of the 82nd, they were the high valued soldiers of the war. Their incredible stories of bravery have been well documented by movies, biographies, written accounts and dozens of recorded interviews that are available to the public on streaming channels such as YouTube. While their opinions and accounts of the events vary, the central stories are accurate, inspiring and historical. Trysten’s involvement is fictional and loosely based around the members of the 101st and their numerous acts of heroism. His post war struggles were unfortunately experienced by many veterans, past and present.
Was there a real Smucker farm, where the family business began?
Yes, Jerome (J.M. Smucker) was born in a log cabin on the southwest section 15 of Green Township (Smithville). He and his siblings were kept busy by making apple butter from trees planted by Johnny Appleseed on their next farm, located on the northeast section. Jerome attended the Smithville Academy for two years before buying a cider mill in Orrville in 1897 and the rest is history.
Did young girls like Niamh get sent away when getting pregnant and did some get sterilized?
Yes, having an underage daughter get pregnant was considered a highly embarrassing event and viewed as unacceptable by society. Many church funded charities operated homes where unwed mothers could live through the time of birth. This allowed families to quietly send their daughters away thus saving face in the community. These locations also facilitated the adoption of the children. And yes, in several cases, young girls were subjected to forced sterilization, either per parents, or coercion of marginalized populations, particularly of black, latino, and indigenous people. Families of wealth and influence were quite capable of punishing their daughters and avoiding any repeated pregnancies, as unethical as this sounds.
Did someone really try to blow up the Akron rubber plants during WWII?
No, but there was plenty of industrial espionage going on in the U.S. The most famous was the Duquesne Spy Ring, a group of 33 Nazi sympathizers that were arrested by the FBI in an elaborate plan to spy on U.S. industrial plants and pass them on to Germany. They were sentenced to serve a total of 300 years in prison.
Rolf (Frederick Mueller) is caught with evidence that he was one of many English-speaking Nazi’s who dressed in American uniforms during the Battle of the Bulge? Did this really happen?
Yes, Operation Greif was a plan authorized by Hitler and developed by Otto Skorzeny to use English-speaking Nazi soldiers to dress in American uniforms and infiltrate the lines during the beginning of the Bulge. Their deceptions included turning road signs, giving false directions to U.S. troops, and setting charges on a bridge. They wore colored scarves so they could distinguish each other as they moved about. Many were caught and executed. Others who learned of the captures changed back into their German uniforms.
