November 25, 1949, in a rickety old house on Lick Creek, a child’s cries disturb the chilly night. This birth was not like the others, Grandma Cook had delivered the others, but this baby was big and Daddy had to go get the Doctor. The Doctor’s name was Carter he made the long trip up the hollow to deliver me into the world. I would be the last of the children to be born at home. Daddy couldn’t take a chance on losing Mommy. Daddy named me Ruth Ann, after two of his old girlfriends. I don’t think that Mommy liked that idea much, but Daddy thought it hilarious. My birthday was just another day in the life of John and Nola Preston. They already had three girls, Stella Marie born August 14, 1945, Norma Lee, born January 16, 1947 and Lois Jean, born December 26, 1947, and I was just another girl. Daddy wanted so much to have a boy, not that he didn’t love us, Daddy and Mommy wanted both boys and girls. Mommy was a small, thin woman. At the time she gave birth to me, she weighed less than one hundred thirty pounds and was five foot two.
Daddy was tall and thin, six foot two and was one hundred eighty pounds. When Daddy was born, Grandma had named him John, but Grandpa’s sister, Magdalene Justice, filled out the birth record naming him, Bascom Preston, Jr. No one knew of the deception until Daddy was old enough to join the Army, they could find no record of a John Preston. It was then that “Aunt Mag” revealed her secret. This, of course, made Grandma and Daddy mad and the Social Security people thought that Daddy was trying to defraud the government. This was quickly straightened out by the government by forgetting any money paid in by Daddy to Social Security over the last five years. Daddy had to start from scratch, new name, new number. At work his name was Bascom Preston, Jr, but all his friends and family called him John.