| WHAT’S IN A NAME?
When I was born my older sister couldn’t pronounce my given name of Calhoun. So, she said I would be her little “Buddy”, and the name pretty much stuck, although years later as I was wearing hand me down clothes from my two older brothers, Mom would often refer to me as “Bum” for the way I sometimes looked in those clothes. Being a bit small in stature, those larger clothes I couldn't wait to wear of my "Big Brothers" did sag a good bit over the shoulders and below the ankles. In grammar school I was know as Calhoun by all of the teachers and classmates. When I started High School I registered as “Buddy” and went a full year with that name before the Principal stopped me in the hallway and asked me, “Buddy, do you know a Calhoun Casper Benton?” I had been caught as the records had finally caught up with me. Still I went by the name “Buddy” the rest of my days in high school. Of course at graduation I was listed by the real “given name” except in the graduation skit I was “Buddy”. When I joined the Navy I, of course, had to go by my last name so the given names were pretty much in the background. I was called Buddy by those in Company 91 – 53. That is all except the Chief who was our Company Commander … he had various names aside from the Benton at times as he did with most all of us. Chief Cleary really was a fair leader, but he expected the best from us all. Anyway I got use to being called Benton while in Boot Camp. When I reported aboard ship I continued to be called Benton until I got to know everyone and started getting mail as “Buddy”. Pretty soon I was know as “Buddy” by those close to me and Benton by others. When Gabe Correa came aboard a few months after I did and we got to be good friends he gave me another nick name derived from the fact I was a “Southern Boy”. He started calling me “Gov’nor Budderball” and that seemed to stick with those around us in engineering. So it went from Benton, to Buddy, to Gov’nor. Most all had a handle of some sort and I gained that one. I still have a ball cap with it embroidered on the front along with the Electricians Emblem. This was obtained in Japan during my first tour there in 1955. Now 50 years later, I’m back to being called Buddy by family and friends, and Calhoun in business. I’d hate to re-fight all the fights I had over that name Calhoun. You can imagine what kinds of names kids could derive from it … cow this and cow that. Fighting words!! And would you believe I named my first son the same name I fought tooth and toenail about? Well, I did! Go figger!! Snohomish (the county) County History The Definition of Snohomish "Indians named rivers and areas after their own tribes. The dominant tribe in this county was the Snohomish, the Indians spelling it 'Sdoh-doh-hohbsh.' Although many historians debate the meaning or claim it had none, Chief William Shelton, last of the hereditary Snohomish chiefs, said it meant lowland people. Other students of Indian lore say it might mean 'a style of union among them' of 'the braves'. Other sources claim the name means 'Sleeping Waters'. Still other spellings have given Sdohobich." (Looks like the ship made out with the name it got when it could have received some of the Indian versions instead) |
| A Brief History of Snohomish County, Washington
By David Cameron League of Snohomish County Heritage Organizations Physical Features Snohomish County is one of the fastest growing communities in the United States. Covering 2,098 square miles, the county ranges from the crest of the Cascade Mountains (including 10,436-foot Glacier Peak) to Puget Sound. Though it encompasses an area greater than either the states of Rhode Island or Delaware, most of the county’s development and residents can be found along the narrow, westernmost Puget Sound lowlands. Two major river systems rise in the mountains and run west through rich agricultural valleys to the sound. In the north and center, the Stillaguamish River, with its North and South Fork tributaries, dominates the landscape. To the south, the Snohomish River is formed from the Skykomish and the Snoqualmie rivers, with the Pilchuck and Sultan Rivers as additional significant tributaries. Native Americans The major rivers were named for the Native American people who lived along their banks and used them for transportation. The native people had a highly developed culture based on fishing for salmon, and hunting and gathering in the densely forested land. Early Explorers Europeans first sighted these shores in June, 1792, when Captain George Vancouver landed near the present site of Everett to claim the Pacific Northwest for Great Britain. Vancouver was also responsible for naming much of Western Washington, including Puget Sound, Port Gardner Bay at Everett, and Port Susan Bay at Stanwood. Lt. Charles Wilkes of the U.S. Navy later explored and mapped this area in 1841. Snohomish County was carved out of Island County on January 20, 1861 and grew slowly during the territorial years of 1853 to 1889. During this period settlements were founded at Mukilteo, the Tulalip Indian Reservation, Snohomish, Lowell (now part of Everett), Tualco (near Monroe), Stanwood and Edmonds. Early Growth The Great Northern Railway brought a major boom down the Skykomish Valley to the new industrial city of Everett in the early 1890s. A nationwide depression in 1893 put an end to this period of prosperity but was followed by recovery to steadier growth based on timber and farming. After World War II, growth quickened in the southwestern part of the county, as Seattle influenced creation of the suburban cities of Lynnwood, Brier, Mountlake Terrace, and Woodway. The city of Mill Creek was Industrial Growth In the late 1960's construction of the Boeing Company's 747 plant at Snohomish County’s Paine Field near Everett and the later development of high technology industries along north Interstate 405 corridor and north toward Lake Stevens and Marysville brought population increases in those areas. During the last 30 years of the 20th Century, the older economic mainstays of farming, logging, lumber, and paper production began long declines which affected the economies and lifestyles of many of the county’s natural-resourcebased communities. The people of Snohomish County faced significant changes and challenges as they adapted to a long period of population and economic growth. Population, Economic Expansion Continues During the 1990s, Snohomish County population grew by 30%. The County is consistently rated one of the fastest growing major counties in the United States. The sustained growth in the 1990s of regional technology industries, the construction of a United States Naval Station Everett, and the major expansion of the Boeing plant to accommodate the 747, 767 and 777 lines all contributed to the county’s continued prosperity. The county's population as of 2001 was 618,600. |
| "Artillery is the King of battle: the King cannot
swim, however, which is why we need you guys." (USMC artillary specialist to a group of Navy officers in an Amphib ious Warfare Indoc course.) |
| Any ship can be a minesweeper at least . . . . once. |
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| Check out the Newspaper "Herald" and the Snohomish County News |
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