In 1945, while Dad was in the US Army, one of his business partners looted the safe and disappeared into mexico. Dad came back to a whooping tax bill from the IRS and no money. It took ten years, but he paid every penny. He also had setbacks in 1949 and 1953, one of them the aforementioned flood, which wiped out a lumberyard. He never had to file for bankruptcy, but he made out with what was left and made it do. He never left a bill unpaid, no matter how hard the times. He was half Mexican, half Anglo, but never traded on his ethnic background.

I said things got better for him. Here is one way to trace it.

I rode a school bus to school.

The middle sister (3 years behind) drove a 7 year old car. (one kid in college - me)

The youngest (8 years behind) drove a new Mustang.

But it got better because he worked at it.