It was absolutely the coolest job for a teen to have at the time. As a crew member of the S.S.Admiral, you were being paid to be in attendance at the biggest weekend party in the area. Oh sure, the work was hard; having to get all the supplies from the delivery trucks on the levee up to the fourth deck by hand truck and freight elevator, then getting everything prepared beforehand, and then staying to clean up after everyone else left, but the payoff was pretty awesome. You were a part of one of St. Louis’s greatest and most remembered attractions.

I was lucky enough to have a couple of good friends that worked on the boat, and they were able to help me get the job. It was like an initiation into a special club, the crew of the S.S.Admiral. And as with all clubs that were…