Bertha Downing as told to her son, Dan.

Jim Downing

Bertha, Emerson and Jim Downing

“When Jimmy was born, it was in Mexico’s ABC Hospital. He was delivered by our long-time family doctor, Dr. Castorena. His mother wanted her aunt Peg, who lived in Mexico City, to be there. JoAnn was never very friendly. I remember having a shower for her; all the ladies came, but she would not come downstairs. You three stayed with us for about a month, then went back to your Junior year at RPI.”

“I think that’s the last we ever saw of JoAnn. You got divorced the next year.”

“Your father and I maintained contact with Jimmy through his great grandmother, Hazel Anderson. I remember we visited him at Mrs. Anderson’s tiny apartment in Pontiac. I have some pictures taken of your father and me sitting on her front door steps in June ‘73. Jimmy was 6 years old. Tom [Tillson JoAnn’s father] would send us photos of him every birthday, and I have a bunch when he took Jimmy to Florida in 1974.”

“Later I remember that Tom befriended you and Bonnie, and we invited him to come and spend Christmas of 1973 in Mexico. He never had such a good time as that Christmas with our whole family. He brought lots of presents, and he brought me lots of books. Mrs. Cambon [Gaby’s mother, Dan’s sister Lilly’s first husband] also came from France that Christmas.”

“We took them to a Pastorela [a re-enactment of the birth of Jesus] in Tepozotlan [a little village near Mexico City]. The performance was outdoors, after sunset, played by the shepherds and inn keeper where Mary and Joseph seek shelter. All the players wear colorful Mexican costumes. We all sang, and afterwards they served pozole [a light stew with beef and corn in chicken broth]; this is a typical Mexican Christmas dish.”

“Tom took us all out to dinner at Normandie. Here’s a photo of the whole crowd.”

“That was a long time ago. Long past the time when a spanking or an injection would cure anything.”

Jim all grown up.