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Bob McGaffin

Cars in Our Lives - The Early Years (1937–1953)

Cars in Our Lives - The Early Years (1937–1953)

From riding the running boards into the garage to mastering the tricky art of the manual choke on a cold morning, the family's grey Plymouths carried more than passengers — they carried a whole era of childhood adventure.

General 1930s Thoughts - School Days

General 1930s Thoughts - School Days

From ‘The Adventures of The McGaffin’s As We Remember Them’ — a family memoir begun July 17, 2003.

1935 - Ruth as a Small Child

1935 - Ruth as a Small Child

When Dad and Uncle Helmer finished wallpapering the house, little Ruth saw only one thing: a giant coloring book — and she had a purple crayon ready.

Home Delivery in the 1930s

Home Delivery in the 1930s

When the Birdseye truck rolled through the neighborhood, you'd hear it before you saw it — a whistle mimicking a Bob White bird, calling families out to browse frozen goods from the curb.

Born in Brooklyn - The 1930s Begin

Born in Brooklyn - The 1930s Begin

A newborn sleeps in a dresser drawer in a Flatbush Avenue apartment — and six weeks later, a coworker's advice sends the young family across the river to a tiny cluster of homes in Gillette, New Jersey.

Joan’s Story - Hub Osterhus

Joan’s Story - Hub Osterhus

Born in a snowbound Wisconsin home, little Joan Osterhus was nicknamed "Yoeen" by her grandfather Thor — who thought it a terrible name simply because he couldn't pronounce it.

Joan’s Houses - A Tour Through the Years

Joan’s Houses - A Tour Through the Years

From curlers on Saturday nights to standing over floor registers for warmth, the Osterhus sisters' weekly routines in their Washington Street house paint a vivid picture of small-town life in the 1930s.

On to America

On to America

A delayed ship and dwindling funds scrapped the family's California plans — but a chance sighting of a Bell Labs sign from the deck, and an Irish attendant's kindness at Ellis Island, set a whole new course in motion.

Grandad as a Boy in Mossel Bay

Grandad as a Boy in Mossel Bay

From ‘The Adventures of The McGaffin’s As We Remember Them’ — a family memoir begun July 17, 2003.

Shelagh Ellen Kavanagh - The Pre-Years

Shelagh Ellen Kavanagh - The Pre-Years

Born in 1903 Cape Town, Shelagh Ellen Kavanagh was nicknamed "Patty" by her Irish father — and it stuck for life. One of seven children, she grew up climbing Table Mountain and playing tennis before leaving the city and her beloved sister Nonny behind.

The McGaffin Family Origins

The McGaffin Family Origins

From Scotland to Northern Ireland to London, the McGaffin family kept moving — until Peter McConky McGaffin, widowed and raising several children alone, took a headmaster post in Mossel Bay and planted the family's roots in South Africa for good.

Bob’s Life

Bob’s Life

A boy named Ralph Charles entered the world in Mossel Bay on the first day of a new century, born to an Irish headmaster and his English wife at the southern tip of Africa.