After graduating from Burroughs with the Winter Class of 1955, I continued working as an
Information/Intercepting Operator in the North Hollywood office of the telephone company and then
moved to San Antonio, Texas where I married Don, my husband of 48 years, on April 3, 1955, in one
of the Chapels at Lackland Air Force Base. The Chaplain took ill so we were married by Don's friend
and fellow Airman, Ray Douglas, an ordained Baptist Minister from West Texas. We set up
housekeeping on the base and, with the exception of a short stint in the Post Exchange, I remained a
homemaker for the next 22 years. Life on the military base was good, it was like a separate city, and
we had our first child there. Thanks to the Air Force, we also got to go on Temporary Duty back to
UCLA, for Don to complete his Master's Degree in Political Science.
After returning to California in 1958, we lived in Sherman Oaks, Chatsworth and Woodland Hills, while
raising our family. We had four children, the oldest of whom we lost, which was by far the most
painful event in our lives. During the first several years, Don worked his way up to college teaching,
earning his Doctorate at night while teaching school during the day.
We moved to Laramie, Wyoming in 1970 and lived there for the next 28 1/2 years. We joined the
Episcopal Church and sang in the choir. Later I was asked to be the first woman to serve on the
Church Vestry. I was president of the parent teacher association and was also very active in
community singing groups,
|
including the
Laramie Chapter of Sweet Adelines. Our children grew up
and left for other places. Our son is now a family practitioner with Kaiser Permanente in Sacramento,
California; our oldest daughter is an associate professor at the University of Arizona; and our
youngest daughter has her own dance studio in Rapid City, South Dakota. We have four
grandchildren so far, a girl and three boys.
I remained a homemaker and also had the opportunity to work outside of the home when the kids
were in junior high. I found myself at various times a broker-partner in a real estate office with two
other women, coordinator of hazardous materials for the Western Research Institute, secretary for the
Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, supervising telephone operator for the University of
Wyoming, and administrative secretary for the Department of Entomology in the College of
Agriculture. I was able to retire in 1996.
When Don retired as division chair and professor at the University of Wyoming in 1998, we moved to
Sun City Summerlin, in the western foothills of Las Vegas. We have made many new friends and
enjoy exercising, dining out, and visits from family and old friends, some going back to high school
days. I get a great deal of satisfaction performing with the The Summerlin Singers. We have
entertained at various places around Las Vegas. Our greatest joy is visiting our kids and grandkids.
We also think that indeed there was no time like the forties and fifties growing up in the San Fernando
Valley.
|