Victory in Europe

On this day in 1945, I was 8 years old. I was staying with my grandparents Noah and Sarah May and their daughter, my Aunt Anna, at 655 Maxwelton Court in Lexington, Kentucky. Their three-story, brick home was across from the University of Kentucky, where my grandfather was a professor of engineering.

In the parlor on the tall wooden cabinet Zenith radio, we all listened with great anticipation while the news announcer informed us that Nazi Germany had surrendered and the war in Europe was over. The surrender had become official at 11:01 pm, European time, on 8 May. As I recall, it was late afternoon when we heard the formal news. Such a cause for celebration!

Unfortunately, my Aunt Edith's husband, my Uncle Jimmy, was a Marine still fighting the Japanese in the South Pacific. My Uncle Bill, Aunt Anna's husband, was a SeaBee stationed in the Aleutian Islands across from Japan, so all was not concluded.

Nevertheless, our home crowd decided to join in the festivities, load up the big Buick and drive to downtown Lexington. We went up Limestone and then to East Main Street, where we were lucky to find a parking space in front of the Kentucky Movie Theatre and settle in to watch the whooping and hollering.

There were no fireworks—none were made during wartime—but apparently, there was plenty of Kentucky whiskey. The happy crowd of revelers was dancing and singing and celebrating and hugging and kissing. A good time was had by all, and it was a special and memorable delight for an 8-year-old who had despised the bad Nazis.