The following memories are quotes from “Reminiscences of Alfred D. Guion, written in 1960 while he was on a four-months “around the world” freighter trip.
Alfred Duryee Guion
Arla Mary Peabody
With the three years college ordeal behind me and the girl of my choice looking upon me with favor, the future looked promising. Two main objectives were to be achieved. I now had a promising job with a respectable company – St. Nicholas Magazine – and a definite incentive for making good. My job was to solicit advertising for this leading, high-grade children’s magazine. It seemed natural that children in better high-class homes and pedigree pets belonged together, so I proposed starting a “Pet Department” in the magazine. The idea was approved and I was made “Manager”.
Of course nothing but the best in a diamond engagement ring was good enough for my girl, so on June 1st, seated side-by-side alone on the lower deck of an excursion boat then running to and from New York City, I slipped the ring on her finger. It apparently came as no surprise and was evidently quite acceptable. For many years, when circumstances permitted, we celebrated June 1st by taking a boat ride of some sort.
Certificate of Marriage – Alfred Duryee Guion – Arla Mary Peabody
On March 27, 1913, we were married at quite a large wedding at the Church of the Ascension in Mount Vernon, where we had many friends. Two ministers tied the knot – one newly called to the church and a famous author of boys books named Cyrus Townsend Brady, and the other, its former Rector who had been superseded by Doctor Brady and under whose guidance we had grown up in the church, named Rev. Robert P. Kreitler.
We chose Bermuda for our honeymoon and there we spent a delightful two weeks, marred only by an accident Arla had on a bicycle caused by the fact that she was not familiar with the operation of the coaster brake with which the rental machine was equipped, so she did not know how to slow speed at the end of a long downhill grade and chose crashing into a stone wall by the roadside in preference to smashing into a horse-drawn vehicle which was blocking the road. Outside of skinned hands when she was thrown over the handlebars onto the rough stone and a few bruises, no damage resulted, but the bike was pretty badly smashed.
Arla Mary (Peabody) Guion holding Alfred Peabody Guion (my father)
Back home again, we spent the first few days fixing up an apartment I had rented in the Bronx for my bride. With my savings we bought some substantial dining and living room “Craftsman” furniture, some of which is still in use some 47 years later, and there we lived for about a year, little Lad having arrived in the meantime to add to our happiness.
Arla Mary (Peabody) Guion holding Daniel Beck Guion – circa 1917
Both Arla and my mother were very fond of each other, and both being easy to live with, we decided it was better for the new baby to get out of the big city so we moved back with my mother on Dell Avenue. Little Daniel soon joined the clan and for several years things ran along uneventfully.
I will finish out the week with two more segments of The Reminiscences of Alfred Duryee Guion.
Judy Guion
"Greatest Generation" Life Lessons 