Texas State Historical Association - My Texas

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Small World

One fine day I was in the Cut-Rite Saw Shop picking up some saw blades that had been sharpened for me. There was a slight, elderly man in there looking at chain saws. I couldn't stand it and when he walked outside I asked him if he was intending to buy a chain saw to work around his house. He said that he was. I suggested to him that he consider one of the electric saws. They were cheaper, required much less maintenance, and were adequate for the work that he would have to do. He thought that the advice was good and introduced himself as John Wheeler. He then told me that there was some work that had to be done that he was incapable of doing and would I consider coming out to do it. I told him that was what I did for a living, at the time, and I would be glad to come see him.

I ended up working out at his house for two days the first time. His house was at the top of Wildcat Hollow and had one of the finest views of Austin that I have ever seen. The first day he explained when I got there that he would be away all day and that there were three Spanish oaks that framed the windows in a little nook of the house where he and his wife did their reading. He wanted a few limbs trimmed from these trees and had drawn the trees to scale with an "x" on the limbs to be trimmed. It was the one and only time that I have ever trimmed a tree with a road map. If I had known who he was at the time I would have kept the drawing. Unfortunately, I didn't.

I performed all the tasks that he had asked of me, but his wife, Janis, who was a delightful person, had some other ideas. As I would finish one of the additional chores that she asked of me, she would say, "Ah, but Chuck, there's just one more thing." After the fourth "one more thing," I was exhausted from climbing around on the cliffs surrounding the house, and I replied, "No, there's not!" and went home.

The next day I had contracted to do a small amount of work for their neighbors down the hill and I knew that it would not take all day. When I was finishing up I called up the hill and Mr. Wheeler answered. I told him that his wife had needed "one more thing" to be done and I was free to do it if they were willing. He said, "Sure, come on up." While I was picking up my tools to move up the hill I heard him leave. I was a little concerned because I had been cross the day before and might have upset his wife. When I got up there I knocked on the door. She answered the door her usual cheerful self and I secretly breathed a sigh of relief. I hung my head a little and told her, "Ma'am, I want to compliment you on your cooking." She asked, "Whatever do you mean, Chuck?" I lifted my head, smiled, and replied, "Well, when a man comes to eat crow, you make it right palatable." She really laughed at that and reached out and hugged me and said, "I must be in Texas." I answered, "Yes, ma'am, you are."

Later Mr. Wheeler came home and I had finished the work. We started talking about different things. He asked me, "Have you been a tree trimmer all your life?" I told him no, that among other things I had been a stock broker. He then replied, "What a coincidence! I have changed careers myself. I was with the Institute for Advanced Studies at Princeton with Albert Einstein for thirty-eight years. Now I am back to doing what I have loved the most--teaching young people." I then realized that I was talking to Dr. John Wheeler. He had helped develop the theory about black holes in space, had worked on the Manhattan Project, and had been involved in many other projects that have advanced our knowledge of astrophysics.

I went back a few more times to do work for the Wheelers and enjoyed it every time. The most memorable time was after the job was completed. The Wheelers and I were up on their veranda enjoying the view and I asked him, "Dr. Wheeler, this is none of my business and you certainly don't have to answer me if you don't want to, but your mind has been out in the cosmos and I am sure that you have been accused of deep thinking from time to time, and I am curious--do you believe in God?"

His eyes lit up and he replied, "You bet I do! I read the Bible every day because I think that it is a very interesting book. I like the plot." Then Mrs. Wheeler spoke up and said, "Chuck, we are Unitarians. We believe in the fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of man, the leadership of Jesus Christ, and salvation through character. We're the ones that don't believe in miracles."

Dr. Wheeler stood up and cupped his hands as if he was holding a bowl and said wistfully, "Ah, but Chuck, you know this Earth? It's a bloody miracle!"

Chuck McCarthy
Austin, Texas
Published: November 14, 2005