Slides: Along Came Caryl

1955: Caryl Busby (age 19) at Letchworth Sate Park, New York.

Before Ed and I met in person, I asked him if he looked more like his father or his mother.  He had to think about it for a minute, and then he said he thought he looked more like his mom.

1955: Caryl Busby (age 20) at the old Genesee Valley Canal Lock.

When I met his mom a month or so later, I tried to see the resemblance, but I just couldn't see it.  When she showed me photographs of her late husband, it was clear that Ed looked absolutely nothing like his dad, but I didn't think he favored his mother much, either.

December 1955: Caryl Busby (age 20) as a bridesmaid

at a Christmas wedding.

However, once I began scanning all these slides and saw Caryl's sweet, young face on my computer screen, I began to see that Ed did indeed have his mother's beautiful smile, her warm brown eyes, and the full shape of her face. 

Not sure when this was taken.  Ed remembers this photo of his mom

being the front of a night light in his home for many years.

Since the boxes and boxes of slides we found belonged to Ed's dad, beginning long before he got married, we don't have many pictures of Ed's mom in her youth, and we have none from her childhood.  To me, this is a great loss, and I hope we can remedy it someday. 

Spring 1956: Caryl Busby, age 20, with daffodils.

Luckily, when Eddie Sr. met Kay Busby (Kay was Caryl's nickname in those days), he found a new favorite subject for his camera.  She was a lovely young woman, but she was even more beautiful as seen through the lens of the young man who fell in love with her.  These first 6 pictures of Caryl ("Kay") were all taken by Eddie Sr.

1957: Happily engaged Caryl Busby, age 21.

1957: Engaged couple Eddie Sr. (age 20) and Caryl (age 21)

with Eddie's friend Frank (on the right).

Eddie Reynolds Sr. and Caryl Busby met during the fall 1954 semester of their first year at Alfred University.  She worked on the school newspaper and sang in the Alfred Choir.  She was also seeing another guy.  I believe she said he was another choir member.

1955: One of the earliest pictures of Kay and Eddie together

(Caryl age 19 and Eddie Sr. age 18), playing Scrabble.

Notice Kay is wearing Eddie's class ring around her neck.

Eddie Sr. was unfazed.  Remember, this was a young man who was used to getting what he wanted.  So Kay would try to spend time with her young suitor, but Eddie Sr. always seemed to be right there, close at hand, catching her attention.  In the end, he stole her heart away from the other man.  By January 1955, Eddie and Kay were an item. 

1956: Kay and Eddie (ages 20 and 19) attending a formal

dinner/dance together at Alfred University in Alfred, New York.

I love how modest her dress is, unlike many other girls at this event.

Kay was 13 months older than Eddie, but she says it didn't take her long to get past that.  They enjoyed completing college together.  Eddie Sr. earned his Associate degree in Agricultural Engineering while Kay earned her degree as a Laboratory Technician.

1956: Eddie and Kay (ages 19 and 20) attending a formal

dinner/dance together at Alfred University in Alfred, New York.

Eddie was 6'2" and Caryl claims she was 5'2".  Maybe.

Eddie and Kay had a very long engagement, due to the fact that Caryl's family insisted she had to graduate from college first and then work for awhile to repay them for putting her through college.  Caryl's mom also warned her that it would be a mistake to marry a handsome blond man like Eddie Sr.  According to Caryl's mom, a blond man couldn't be faithful because he would always be tempted by the many women who would throw themselves at him.

In the end, Caryl followed her heart and true love won out.  But that's a story for another day.