Daily Iowegian – 14
October 2011
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Mystic
native’s memoir recounts town, family histories
By
Brooke Sherrard, Daily Iowegian
CENTERVILLE — Last Christmas time, Richard
and Marianne Wakefield presented their family and friends with a special gift:
a book of Richard’s memories about his life and the history of his hometown,
Mystic.
Richard said it took him about six months to
write the book, which he titled “Good Run Almost Done.” Marianne typed it up
and helped rework the prose.
The Wakefields had the book printed at
ArrowQuick Solutions on the Centerville Square. They said they checked the
price at a publishing company but would have had to order 250 copies, with a
much higher per-copy price.
The Wakefields submitted the text and photos
to ArrowQuick Store Manager Sharon Mattly, who placed the photos for them.
Unlike at a publishing company, they can have two or three more copies printed
at any time. They said they have had about 80 copies printed so far.
Richard said one of the most important things
for him about writing the book was writing about Mystic.
“Growing up in Mystic was quite an
experience, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Richard said.
Richard
Wakefield holds a copy of his book
“Good Run Almost Done.”
Wakefield said he
wanted to record his memories
of his life and the history of Mystic,
mainly for his children and grandchildren.
Photo by Brooke Sherrard/Daily Iowegian
of his life and the history of Mystic,
mainly for his children and grandchildren.
Photo by Brooke Sherrard/Daily Iowegian
In the book, Richard intersperses the story
of his life with the history of Mystic. In 1954, the Wakefields left Mystic
when Richard took a job at a grocery store in Newton. For the next quarter
century, they moved around the state for Richard’s career managing grocery
stores. His last remaining relative in Mystic moved away in 1970.
But even though they had left Mystic, in the
book Richard always comes back to what was going on in Mystic during each
period of their lives, including what businesses were opening or closing and
what the population was. In the 1940 census,
when Richard was 9, Mystic’s population was 1,884. By 1990, it had fallen to
545. However, in 2000, the population had risen to 588, the first increase
Richard could remember.
During the same time period, the Wakefields
have witnessed Centerville’s population shrink from about 8,000 to about 5,000.
“It’s hard for small towns now,” Marianne remarked. “There’s no industry going
anywhere.”
In 1976, the Wakefields had the opportunity
to return to the area because of the newly opened Easter’s grocery store at the
Lake Center Mall. Richard said he had several options but chose the new store
in Centerville. So, on their 25th wedding anniversary in 1976, Richard and
Marianne moved into the house in Centerville where they still live today.
“I had several places I could go, but I
wanted to come home,” he said.
Richard said he enjoyed returning to
Centerville because most of the people he had known growing up in Mystic were
still around.
“About all of my classmates’ parents were
alive and around,” he said. “They were old, but they came to the store and
traded.”
Richard said he had little difficulty writing
the book, especially because he had strong memories from his childhood.
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