"Everybody was short of help. People would help each other out a lot... I remember it vividly because I was put on a tractor when I was about 11 years old. My dad and a neighbor owned a combine together. In those day, you pulled them with a tractor. They couldn't find anybody to drive the tractor. So, I was very small for my age, but they put me on there. And I'd put in long hours with them just because nobody else was available, you know. There just wasn't any help out there."
Question: "And how did you feel about being put on a tractor?"
"Oh, I was proud. I was proud of it. That was a thrill... I'm sure that I caused them some problems because I wasn't big enough to really do the job. But it was a matter of necessity.
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