When his mother died, the family met to decide where Thurman should live, and their discussion included the possibility of Father Flanagan's home in Omaha, which he thought would be great. One of his cousins and an uncle, who worked for the railroad "and knew everybody in town," brought him to York. With its boulevard, trees, and flowers, York seemed like "the greatest place there ever was."

As a minority, Thurman was an object of curiosity in his fourth grade class and at school. His Kansas City school had not prepared him for the higher level of schoolwork in York. He struggled in math and English, but liked science and geography.

Most of all, he loved growing up in York. His uncle gave him a bicycle, and in the summer he rode his bike with friends, went swimming in the sandpit west of town, and "just had a real good time."

He had his share of tussles and had to endure racial insults and discrimination. For a while he carried "a rock around with me" in case he ran into troublemakers.

Thurman lied about his age to get into the military. The service opened a world of national and international travel for him. While stationed in Louisiana, he met and married a woman of French Creole heritage, and they had two sons. His Air Force career lasted 20 years.

After retiring from the Air Force in 1966, he returned to York and worked at a variety of jobs, including for an ordinance plant near Grand Island, as a supervisor at Sperry-New Holland , and for the city. Even though he was working full-time at another job, he started farming in 1972. He raised crops and hogs and cattle until he sold the farm in 1984. He also started writing and has published two books – thrillers entitled, Death Squad Connection and Rip and Run.

Written by Bill Ganzel, the Ganzel Group. First written and published in 2003.