The other significant thing which happened during the “BYU years” was on Aug 28, 1970, baby number two came into our lives. David Altman Hoag was born. As I explained before, I got to name the boys. David is named after David O McKay who was the prophet of the church when I joined, although he had passed on by the time our David was born. David was a real popular name during the 60’s and early 70’s because of that very reason.
David was very special, even if he doesn’t think so today. For one thing, he was the first of my children that I got to see born. I don’t remember much of it, but I know I was let into the birthing room and got to witness the birth. Also, he was the only one of my five children that I had to pay for. We were going to school, on leave from IBM and when you are on leave, you don’t have medical insurance. So, we had to pay the doctor and hospital bill ourselves. We may have gotten an student discount for being poor, I don’t know, but no insurance.
This is from Karen:
So many memories keep popping up. I just remember we made a dry run to Utah Valley Hospital before David was born so we’d get it right when I went into labor. Then waiting until after midnight (after my water broke) to go to the delivery room so we didn’t have to pay an extra day in the hospital!
And there had been an epidemic (with many babies dying) not many years before at the hospital so no visitors could come visit after the birth except immediate family. Also it took us a year to pay off David. Just before we went to your first real job (after graduating BYU) in NJ I went in to make the last payment on him (he was the only baby we had w/o insurance). The gal in the doctor’s office said when I thanked her for being patient with our payments, “What, did you want us to take him back!?” I plan to enlarge upon these memories.
Thanks to Karen for that I hope we hear more from her.
Dad