Church & South. Ralph became a committeeman for Boy Scout Troop 10 at the church and got, Ralph, Jr. interested in Scouting. He encouraged Frank, as soon as he was the proper age, to join a Cub Scout Pack. Ralph and Gladys became active members of Potter County Philharmonic and other local cultural associations. Ralph became a Rotarian and Gladys joined several social clubs, as a matter of fact the entire family became involved in the life of the community.

As time went by Ralph's work took him all over Western Texas, all of New Mexico and parts of Colorado and Arizona. He earned the goodwill and friendship of many influential people in those four states. Traveling, as he did, gave him the opportunity to visit many interesting, picturesque and historic places; and, he often took his sons and Gladys along with him if he had the chance. He loved to camp, fish and hunt; and whenever he could he tried to get some of those activities in. He took his family to Mexico in 1939, driving all the way from Amarillo to Mexico City down the Pan American Highway. He had the greatest respect for the Mexican People and I can remember well his admonition to Frank and me the day we visited the Museum at Chapultepec Palace: looking at the American battle flag that had been captured by the Mexicans and which was on display there, he said, "boys, that's our flag you see there. But we could not take it home, no matter how we might like to... it belongs to the Mexicans now; they took it from us in battle. You know the flag stands for everything our country believes to be right... today these people are our good friends and we have come here for a visit to their country. We must behave ourselves and respect their law and conduct ourselves in such a way that they will want us to be their friends. "

Throughout his life Ralph demonstrated his great respect for people of every race, creed or belief. While he never compromised his own, he did always respect the belief, politics or religion of the other man. And if Dad told you he would be there, he was; he could be depended upon. When you had his support you sensed it and wanted more than anything to show him that you were deserving of it. During the years in Amarillo, as I was growing up, Dad taught me that work is good, that love is an absolute necessity if a family is to stick together, and that responsibility and honor go hand in hand. He took me with him on several of his business trips; and, he always introduced me to his friends and allowed me to observe what and how they did everything. In 1939 on a trip to Western New Mexico and Eastern Arizona we spent the night in a Motel in Grants, New Mexico. At breakfast that morning, Dad looked across the table and said to me, his 15 year old son, "Did you see the headlines in the morning paper? Germany has marched into Poland. Son, I'm not a prophet, but I am going to predict that you will be in one of our Armed Services and fighting against Germany." Of course three years later that became true.

Jim Stone Will, my youngest brother, was born in December of 1940. There were three boys in the family now, and Mom and Dad were proud of all of us.

Ralph worked hard in his job with The Farm Security Administration in Amarillo and it paid off in 1941, when he was asked to take over as Director of the organization down in Puerto Rico and The Virgin Islands. He made a trip there in the spring of that year, liked what he saw, discussed it with Mom, who was very supportive in anything he wanted to do, and accepted the challenge. Up until that time it was assumed that I would most likely go to my Dad's Alma Mater when I graduated from High School and was ready for College. Now however, when I learned that there was a fine University in Puerto Rico, I begged to go with the family and enroll at that institution. That was most certainly agreeable with both my parents and that's how I became a student at UPR in September that year.