The Name Game

My Dad and Peger, "The Flyer" (photo by Jennifer Henderson)

My dad always called people by their nicknames. In fact, he liked using nicknames so much that he made sure his own children had them starting on the day we were born. He made an agreement with mom that she could choose any names she wanted and he would go along with them, with the stipulation that the names could all be shortened to three letters. That’s how we ended up with Joseph (Joe), Robert (Bob), Nancy (Nan), Susan (Sue), and Janelle (Jan).

One of dad’s best friends, Carl Peger, whom Dad called The Flyer, was also known around town as simply Peger. Even his wife, Phyllis, called him Peger, and since her last name was Peger, it seemed logical to my six-year-old self that his name must be Peger Peger. I still remember that hot Sunday afternoon in July of 1970 when Peger Peger came over to help dad install a large AC unit in our dining room wall. Once it was up and running and the house started cooling down, mom baked a Texas Cake. This was a quite a treat, as she normally would have never baked on a hot day like that. After the guys finished up, mom invited Phyllis to come over and there we all were, sitting at the dining room table with the AC humming away, enjoying freshly baked Texas cake in July. The stifling heat and humidity had disappeared, the house was nice and cool, and I was living my best life while the adults chatted away. I’m not even sure how it came up in the conversation, but someone mentioned the name Carl and I remember asking who Carl was. The next thing I knew, everyone was laughing hysterically. That’s how it was revealed to me that Peger's name was actually Carl. I was shocked and I could hardly believe it. He didn’t even look like a Carl to me. I never learned the story of why Peger was known as The Flyer, although it was possibly related to him riding a motorcycle.

Dad and Coldtrail

And then there’s “Coldtrail.” No one seems to know the true story about how Darrell Pitchford earned that nickname. Whatever it was, it really stuck because not once in my life did I hear my dad or hardly anyone else call him Darrell -- it was always Coldtrail. I recently asked the three Pitchford girls about this and even they were unable to provide solid answers. Although Dena suggested, “why don’t you ask him LOL,” I don’t think I will pursue this and it will likely forever remain a mystery.

I can think of many men in Raymond who were known by nicknames when I was growing up, and it occurs to me that in some cases, I still don’t even know what their real names were. The three Hough brothers, Robert, Raymond, and John were known as Robert A., Jiggs, and Hough the Plumber. Then there was Raymond Daisy Held, and Skeeter and Tuffy held. Bob Poggenpohl was Poggy. Verne Pinkston was known as Nip and his brother, Glen, was known as Buck. There was Slats Eickhoff, Sonny Goby, Coxsey Poggenpohl, Harold Fat Wagahoff, Sheek Rhine, Leon Stub Martin, Pidge Etter, Cecil Cec Pitchford, and Tic House.

And today, there’s the ones who are still around town like Wayne Angle who has always been Dingle. There’s Terry the Barber and Chip House. The Mayor, Denny Held, has always been Pup. And there’s Mike Stumpy Masten, Danny Bob Dozer Hough, Allen Big Al Poggenpohl, Bob Wags Wagahoff, Adrien Bubba Pennock, and probably many more that I can’t recall at this particular moment. It would be fun to be reminded about more and learn about the stories of how everyone’s nicknames originated.