John Kolstad

My dad was the navy recruiter from 1955-58 in Glasgow and John, my dad and myself would travel to various power boat races in Montana, North Dakota and Canada. I heard once in a movie that children are drawn to the strong and that is how I felt. His personality was so strong and magnetic you just wanted to be around him all the time - kind of a hero figure for me. The photo is me in 1971, a navy chief like my dad.

John (we always called him Johnnie) was 9 years older that I, so when I was 9, he was enlisting in the Air Corps. When he finished his duty, he arrived with an accordian that a fellow soldier had sold to him, Paola Soprani, made in Italy, with 140 bass, 15 tones, and 27 lbs., an upgrade from the little Hohner we had on the farm. About 1958, he sold this to me, and he continued purchasing and playing accordians the rest of his life. I remember he brought back a sword and other items from...