Being Cool with a Mule

Note from Karen: I'm hoping that others can remember more about Grandpa's Ear.   


Being Cool With a Mule

A farm accident that occurred in June 1931 could have been far worse than it was.  Now it is a part of our history.  Grandpa Gene was 16 years old and had just completed 10th Grade at St. Joseph's School.  The family lived in Auburn and the boys went to the farm every day to work.  Although the Elys and most other farmers had tractors, they still used horses and mules for some tasks. I faintly remember seeing some plows for horses in the back shed at the farm with those far-from-comfy metal seats.  However,  I'm really not sure what type of equipment they actually had in 1931.  Can anyone fill in any more details on this???

For a 5th Grade school assignment on Dec 11, 1953,  I interviewed my dad about his ear.  This yellowed paper was tucked into my baby book (which hadn't been updated since I was 8 months old).  I'm guessing this was a rough draft because there are some spelling errors that Mother would certainly have made me correct and also there isn't a grade on it.  I do remember copying and recopying assignments often!  Nevertheless, most of the facts are included.  I note that he told me the story in a funny, rather than scary, way!  How typical!

       A Big Bite

When my Dad was working in a field, he had a big suprize.  He was working some mules to pull a hay mower.  He was hitching the mules to the mower and was pulling the yoke up and one mule bit off his right ear.  He decided to go down to the  house and get a doctor.  The lady that was there thought she would drive him to town.  She wore out a battery in the car so Dad got out and cranked the car to get it started.  The lady had forgotten to turn the key.  They went into town and Dad was operated on.  They graffed some skin off his shoulder so they they could cover the ear.  When he came out of the operating room, he felt so bad because he didn't get the hay mowed.  I have a Dad with 1 1/2 ears.

Nemaha County Herald June 8, 1931

When Grandpa was coaching High School in Michigan City, IN one day his football players asked him about the ear.  He had a good story ready, perhaps one he and ND friends had jointly authored on one of those long train rides!  The story was that during the ND-Army game in New York, 1937, the Army mule got loose and bit off his ear!  Great story!  So the mule and the ear part were correct, but the rest of the scenario was only slightly altered.  The story eventually made it to the HS newspaper and the coach had to offer a "small correction."

Throughout the years, Grandma tried to make sure Grandpa was always photographed from his left side and the ear doesn't appear in many photos.

Gene Ely, 1952, in Auburn

But here's one, actually the best photo I've run across, and the incredible shirt is just a bonus from the 1950s.  As you can see, the "bite" was just a diagonal off the top back of his ear.  It healed completely and would hardly be called a disfigured ear.  He joked that he'd never be able to wear glasses, but when the time came, that wasn't a problem either.

Ely Family October 1953.  Joe (1 week old)

When Joe was born in Nebraska City in 1953, the attending doctor (probably Dr. Fenstermacher , who had lived in Auburn for several years) came in with a report to the mother.  He said  "I'm glad to tell you the baby has two normal ears."  Mom laughed and said "What?"  He replied, "Your son has not inherited Gene's ear."  She quickly told him that the ear was from a mule accident.  He had known us for quite a few years and had always assumed the ear was a birth defect.

Gene Ely in the Tack Room, 1985.

The only other "ear discussion" I can remember came from our long-time family physician and friend, Dr. Paul Scott, who had assumed that it was a frost-bitten ear, very common in those days, as "real men" didn't cover their ears in winter.   Dr. Scott thought it was just a consequence of the Ely toughness!