Book excerpt: On January 1, 1943, my dad, James K. (Kenneth) Allardice, began keeping a diary in what were called "national diary." These were fairly large diaries (91⁄2" × 71⁄2"), and he faithfully kept a daily accounting of family activities as well as noting important local, national, and international events. In many respects, these diaries resemble newspaper pages. This was due to his early endeavors as a newspaper founder, columnist, editor, and publisher. What you will read in the following pages are just excerpts from the diaries. It was quite a task to choose what to include as the diaries from 1943 to 1963 contain almost 7,300 pages as well as hundreds of clippings and photos. I hope that what follows will give an interesting account of my family growing up together, dealing with the everyday joys and challenges, and what life was like at 611 Main Street, Toms River, New Jersey. The diaries are archived with the Ocean County Historical Society in Toms River, New Jersey. James G. B. Allardice