Soon it was time to leave for BYU and Mona drove me to Los Angeles, stopping to visit San Juan Capistrano Mission on the way, where I got a ride to Provo with mother's old friend Donna Lindsey. Donna's daughter Carmen, a year younger than me, was also starting out as a freshman. She took us to Provo via the Grand Canyon; the first time I had ever seen it.
I stayed at Knight Hall, on 800 North and University, a beautiful building. The house mother asked me if I liked people from distant places and I replied that I did. She gave me roommates from Vernal and Preston, Idaho! I didn't think those places were very distant. In some ways I was very mature and in others, not at all, especially socially. One of the ex-Argentine missionaries asked me for a date for Sunday Sacrament Meeting. I accepted and another one said he would pick me up for Sacrament Meeting! I didn't know how to gracefully tell him I had a date so said nothing. He wound up taking all of us, my other date and roommates included, to church in his car. He did ask me out again, without the rest!
I was quite homesick at first but did enjoy my year at BYU. I hadn't been to many football games, a few at South Gate High, and they were fun though BYU had a very poor team. We did better in basketball; our team won the NIT championship that year. I loved singing in the Concert Choir with Crawford Gates as the conductor. He was still single then and some girl friends and I organized the SCGCK Club (Save Crawford Gates for the Celestial Kingdom). Someone else received that blessing, not one of us. One had to audition for this choir and it about scared me to death, I had
never done it before; I sang second alto in it. We sang Bach's "Magnificat," Bruckner's "Te Deum", and Borodin's "Polovetzian Dances", among other neat things; I loved singing in that choir, I felt challenged. The BYU choirs sang for two sessions of General Conference. What a thrill to sing in the Tabernacle! After the sessions I walked up to Pres. McKay and shook his hand and asked when he was sending my parents home. A little presumptuous, I think.
My first class in the morning, two days a week, was volleyball in the Women's Gym, on University Ave. Then I would hike, and I mean hike, to the Social Hall at the other end of the campus for Concert Choir, arriving a little out of breath. I took Sociology, and Psychology, maybe not the same term, and Shakespeare. I later I could have taken archaeology instead of Sociology. Too bad! I also had a Book of Mormon class that I really enjoyed and an advanced English class. I had been told I would be in dumbbell English but I scored high enough to be in the advanced class! I also took Spanish. I took an exam in Spanish and earned 25 credits with a grade of A to add to my transcript.
I loved the mountains in Provo. I had never lived around mountains before and it was a treat to see them and the fall colors as they changed. I had never really lived around snow either so that was fun too. I felt the same as some Hawaiian girls who had never seen snow but I didn't run around laughing and giggling in the first snowfall of the year like they did.
I had a lot of fun with my cousin LaMar Williams, a few years older than I; he had been a missionary in Uruguay. We went to dances and had a great time. One dance was rather fancy and a bank was having an open house in downtown Provo giving away Vanda orchids to the women visitors. We went in several times until I obtained enough to make a corsage for the dance.
About mid-way in my freshman year I moved out of Knight Hall and into an apartment with some other girls. It was sort of medieval at the dorm. One had to be in by 10:30 p.m. on week nights and 12 or 1:00 on weekends and fill out a slip each time. We would stay out every night until 10:29 whether we wanted to or not because of that rule. I enjoyed the apartment more.
I spent the summer in San Diego and worked in the stock room of J.C. Penney Co., where Mona's husband Byron was the manager, and saved my money for school. Mona and Mona Lue went to Hawaii for a visit and I kept house for Byron and Kay. Mona and Byron started having arguments and trouble between them so it was not too pleasant part of the time. They divorced not too long afterwards. I enjoyed going to Mexican movies that summer, going downtown or to the arts cinema close to the house. I saw one, with Pedro Armendariz and Maria Felix, about five times.
I spent a week keeping house for Uncle Don and Aunt Virginia's three boys in Downey and enjoyed it very much. I discovered the classical music station at that time, KFAC, and listened to it all the time.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Return to the U.S. 1950
I sailed in April of 1950, with a group of returning missionaries; my cousin, Russell Janson, was one of them. I was eighteen at the time. I remember putting the milk bottles out for the last time. It had been job to put them out at night for the milkman when he came in the morning; it gave me a sad feeling. The Mission Choir, many members and, of course, my family came to see me off. It was hard to say goodbye.
My roommate on board was a member girl from Argentina traveling to the States to marry a returned missionary. Another woman shared our cabin and we had some conflicts. She would go to bed early and we would stay up late. I remember one night when I started to wash my hair late at night and that really upset her. The girl and I were probably not as thoughtful as we could have been. There were also some Argentine missionaries returning so we had quite a group. It was a fun trip and the missionaries took good care of me. We swam in the pool and danced; they were allowed to do so on the way home. We stopped at Santos, taking a side trip to Sâo Paulo, Rio, Trinidad and landed in New York. We also had a costume ball and my roommate and I dressed as pirate girls. The trip took about twenty-three days.
From New York, three of the missionaries and I traveled by train to Detroit where one of them picked up a car for his brother and we drove it to Salt Lake City. There the missionaries had an interview with Bro. Merrill of the Council of the Twelve. On our trip across the States we all took turns paying for things and one of the missionaries still owes me $20! From SLC Russell and I took a bus to Phoenix where his family lived, Aunt Etta and Uncle Alma, and I stayed with my Uncle O.C. and his wife Martha. I then went on to San Diego, where I spent the summer with my Aunt Mona.
I loved to be around Mona; she was and is the most fun person to be with, more fun than kids my own age. I also got to visit Aunt Bessie's ranch in northern California, near Grass Valley. Mona, Mona Lue, and I went with Bessie for a visit and I loved the area. My cousin, George Smith, worked there, along with another fellow. George took me square dancing several times and we had a blast.
Later, I went back to the ranch to stay and look out for my cousin Mark Smith, he was about eight or nine. We rode horses, swam in a deep pool in the river, and learned how to saddle a horse and milk a cow. I did all the cooking for Mark, George, the hired hand, and me. While sitting on a porch, I tried to shoot a rifle and the kick knocked me over. I also helped to round up some cattle for branding. We didn't gallop around but walked the horses very slowly; a contrast to what is seen in cowboy movies.
One Sunday, I went with George and Mark to the County Fair where some of the ranch animals had been entered. I went to a dance at the fair but didn't feel very good about it. The next Sunday I had George drive me to Stake Conference and was happier with myself.
One day I received a letter from my Mom and she was upset that Bessie had left me at the ranch with the men, though one was my cousin. She told me to get back to San Diego and Mona so I left Mark there and had George drive me to the bus station. It took all day and night to get to downtown Los Angeles, arriving very early in the morning. I had left my guitar at Bessie's house and wanted it with me so I took a bus out to South Gate, walked to the house, and entered it without waking Bessie and Jay. I left a note and picked up my guitar, walked back to the bus station and went on down to San Diego. Bessie was mad that I hadn't awakened her and she drove all the way down to San Diego to talk to me and find out why I had left so quickly. She also paid me some money for taking care of Mark. I couldn't tell her Mom had told me to leave so I just told her I needed the time to get ready to go to school; which was also true.
My roommate on board was a member girl from Argentina traveling to the States to marry a returned missionary. Another woman shared our cabin and we had some conflicts. She would go to bed early and we would stay up late. I remember one night when I started to wash my hair late at night and that really upset her. The girl and I were probably not as thoughtful as we could have been. There were also some Argentine missionaries returning so we had quite a group. It was a fun trip and the missionaries took good care of me. We swam in the pool and danced; they were allowed to do so on the way home. We stopped at Santos, taking a side trip to Sâo Paulo, Rio, Trinidad and landed in New York. We also had a costume ball and my roommate and I dressed as pirate girls. The trip took about twenty-three days.
From New York, three of the missionaries and I traveled by train to Detroit where one of them picked up a car for his brother and we drove it to Salt Lake City. There the missionaries had an interview with Bro. Merrill of the Council of the Twelve. On our trip across the States we all took turns paying for things and one of the missionaries still owes me $20! From SLC Russell and I took a bus to Phoenix where his family lived, Aunt Etta and Uncle Alma, and I stayed with my Uncle O.C. and his wife Martha. I then went on to San Diego, where I spent the summer with my Aunt Mona.
I loved to be around Mona; she was and is the most fun person to be with, more fun than kids my own age. I also got to visit Aunt Bessie's ranch in northern California, near Grass Valley. Mona, Mona Lue, and I went with Bessie for a visit and I loved the area. My cousin, George Smith, worked there, along with another fellow. George took me square dancing several times and we had a blast.
Later, I went back to the ranch to stay and look out for my cousin Mark Smith, he was about eight or nine. We rode horses, swam in a deep pool in the river, and learned how to saddle a horse and milk a cow. I did all the cooking for Mark, George, the hired hand, and me. While sitting on a porch, I tried to shoot a rifle and the kick knocked me over. I also helped to round up some cattle for branding. We didn't gallop around but walked the horses very slowly; a contrast to what is seen in cowboy movies.
One Sunday, I went with George and Mark to the County Fair where some of the ranch animals had been entered. I went to a dance at the fair but didn't feel very good about it. The next Sunday I had George drive me to Stake Conference and was happier with myself.
One day I received a letter from my Mom and she was upset that Bessie had left me at the ranch with the men, though one was my cousin. She told me to get back to San Diego and Mona so I left Mark there and had George drive me to the bus station. It took all day and night to get to downtown Los Angeles, arriving very early in the morning. I had left my guitar at Bessie's house and wanted it with me so I took a bus out to South Gate, walked to the house, and entered it without waking Bessie and Jay. I left a note and picked up my guitar, walked back to the bus station and went on down to San Diego. Bessie was mad that I hadn't awakened her and she drove all the way down to San Diego to talk to me and find out why I had left so quickly. She also paid me some money for taking care of Mark. I couldn't tell her Mom had told me to leave so I just told her I needed the time to get ready to go to school; which was also true.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Life in the Uruguayan Mission, 1947-1950
It was good to get back to Montevideo. Gina, Fred, Nancy, and I went back to Crandon and it was as though we had never left. Some of our old uniforms, which we had donated to the school, were still around so we had them to wear again. We couldn’t wear makeup with the uniforms and I looked about 12 years old, not 16! We had a lovely home for a Mission Home but the sheets and towels, shipped from the States did not come for several months so our beds were bare. Mom and Dad just bought the minimum because the articles were expected daily. Gina and I shared a room and Fred and Nancy another. Mom and Dad had a private bathroom with shower, which was nice for them. We had another bedroom which was used for visitors and sick missionaries.
The first elders were two that were transferred from the Argentine Mission. One was an Argentine member, Juan Sciorra, and the other my cousin Curt Janson. He was a very good friend and taught me to chord a guitar. My parents gave me a guitar for my seventeenth birthday. Soon more missionaries arrived; the first three were Bill Farnsworth, Preston Bushman, and Bill Jones, followed by many more. We felt a little closer to the earliest ones. The Mission Home was always bustling with activity. Most meetings during the week were held there, as well as choir practice. The office was downstairs so Dad was always close at hand for any problems.
In Montevideo I had many wonderful experiences, most of them relating to the opening of the Mission. I was branch organist in three branches and helped start five Primaries. Gina and I went to different branches for Sunday School and Church so we could play and teach the children's classes. The branch I worked in the longest was Arroyo Seco. I went to two primaries a week where I also played and taught. For a long time I went to two different branches each Sunday, playing for both. It sounds like I played very well but the truth is that there were only certain hymns I could play and usually had to practice them. Gina played better than I. We had small, portable pump organs in every "local" or rented home that had a living room big enough to use as a meeting hall. The organs were all styles and sizes. Gina had one that slowly moved away from her as she played. Between verses she had to pull it back towards her. Another one had bellows coming out of the top that looked like wings flapping; it reminded me of a bat.
There were fun beach "campamentos" or camp outs, dances, and picnics in the park with volleyball games. It was a marvelous three years.
We had some special visitors while in Montevideo. First, Elder Stephen L. Richards, of the Quorum of the Twelve, and his wife were touring the South American Missions and stayed several days at the Mission Home. Evenings were spent with our family and the office missionaries listening to them. They were both very interesting. Sis. Richards told us the joke about a little boy in a department store who was making a nuisance of himself and wouldn’t get off a rocking horse. The clerk told the mother not to worry, that their child psychologist would handle the situation. The man leaned over and whispered in the little boy’s ear and he immediately got off the horse, took his mother’s hand and they exited the store. The clerk asked the psychologist what he had said and he replied "Get off that horse or I’ll break your damn little neck!"
Elder Richards told about their wedding day. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple and he had a buggy ready to take them to the southern part of the city. Sis. Richards very kindly offered a ride to a little old lady so the three rode together. He didn’t appreciate it at all!
Another special visitor was Dr. Gerrit de Jong. He had been teaching in Brazil and had his daughter Carma with him. What impressed me about him was his musical ability. We all went to the Pocitos branch and the congregation was already singing the opening hymn but with no organist. He walked right over to the organ and started accommpany the hymn. He became the Head of the Music Dept. at BYU and the De Jong Concert hall is named for him.
The trio we had started in Venezuela really came into its own in Uruguay. Dad was a firm believer in using music to interest people in the church. My Mom worked with Gina and me; Gina sang soprano and, if we just picked the harmony, I sang second and Mom alto. If the music was printed I sang alto and Mom second. She can sing anything and pick harmony to any tune; I've never known anyone to do it as well as she. She would let me sing the harmony I heard and she'd take what was left.
There were many opportunities to sing. We sang in church, for concerts, and even on the radio. We had a weekly fifteen minute program and our trio alternated performances with the Mission quartet. Once Dad made a small mistake in announcing us as a "feminine quartet" instead of "trio" and for some reason that got me to laughing. I couldn't stop and they had to take us off the air. My whole family was disgusted with me but I later learned it happened to them too after I left Uruguay; that made me feel better. Our accompanist was Elder McMurdie, a very talented person who could play by ear as well as read notes. I also sang in the Mission Choir and sat between Freddy and Jimmy Gibbons. He was about twelve; the son of a missionary couple from Arizona. Freddy was about ten and I helped them with the alto part.
The trio and quartet, with Elders Maughan McMurdie, who sang as well as played; Glen Slight and Dallas Keller, who sang solos as well as being in the quartet; and Roy Fitzell, who had been a professional dancer, put on concerts in theaters in quite a few cities and towns throughout Uruguay. One I remember well was a concert in the city of "Treinta y Tres" (33), that's its name. There was a beautiful concert grand piano on the stage. After the concert we went to the little village of "Isla Patrulla" a very rural place. We rode horses and had a great "asado" or barbeque.
Another fun experience was a time we rode horses along the beach in Carrasco; Gina, some other girls, and myself. Someone's horse started to run away and I, that great devourer of western novels, had to show how brave I was. I quickly got my horse to run alongside the runaway and grabbed the reins, pulling it to a stop. I really felt brave and a true western girl.
My baby sister Mary was born December 25, 1948. It was so fun to have a baby around again and I learned so much. Sometimes the folks went on trips and left her in my care. I've always been glad to have had that experience.
On December 3, 1948, I graduated from Crandon Institute. With all my traveling around and repeating and skipping grades, I graduated six months ahead of my original class in South Gate, California! Mom made my white formal and it was very lovely. The American Ambassador, Ellis Briggs, handed out the diplomas and I was the only one he called by first name as he knew my father. The next year I returned for a year of secretarial training and that has served me well in many ways. We studied shorthand in English and Spanish, plus typing and office procedures. At the end of the year we had the opportunity of working for two weeks in the offices of local businesses for practical experience. I worked one week at Moore-McCormack Shipping Lines and one at Pan American Airlines.
After finishing my secretarial course at Crandon I felt it was time to leave Uruguay and go back to the States; I planned to go to BYU. It was a hard decision, to leave my family, but I felt it was the right thing to do. I was almost 19 at this time.
The first elders were two that were transferred from the Argentine Mission. One was an Argentine member, Juan Sciorra, and the other my cousin Curt Janson. He was a very good friend and taught me to chord a guitar. My parents gave me a guitar for my seventeenth birthday. Soon more missionaries arrived; the first three were Bill Farnsworth, Preston Bushman, and Bill Jones, followed by many more. We felt a little closer to the earliest ones. The Mission Home was always bustling with activity. Most meetings during the week were held there, as well as choir practice. The office was downstairs so Dad was always close at hand for any problems.
In Montevideo I had many wonderful experiences, most of them relating to the opening of the Mission. I was branch organist in three branches and helped start five Primaries. Gina and I went to different branches for Sunday School and Church so we could play and teach the children's classes. The branch I worked in the longest was Arroyo Seco. I went to two primaries a week where I also played and taught. For a long time I went to two different branches each Sunday, playing for both. It sounds like I played very well but the truth is that there were only certain hymns I could play and usually had to practice them. Gina played better than I. We had small, portable pump organs in every "local" or rented home that had a living room big enough to use as a meeting hall. The organs were all styles and sizes. Gina had one that slowly moved away from her as she played. Between verses she had to pull it back towards her. Another one had bellows coming out of the top that looked like wings flapping; it reminded me of a bat.
There were fun beach "campamentos" or camp outs, dances, and picnics in the park with volleyball games. It was a marvelous three years.
We had some special visitors while in Montevideo. First, Elder Stephen L. Richards, of the Quorum of the Twelve, and his wife were touring the South American Missions and stayed several days at the Mission Home. Evenings were spent with our family and the office missionaries listening to them. They were both very interesting. Sis. Richards told us the joke about a little boy in a department store who was making a nuisance of himself and wouldn’t get off a rocking horse. The clerk told the mother not to worry, that their child psychologist would handle the situation. The man leaned over and whispered in the little boy’s ear and he immediately got off the horse, took his mother’s hand and they exited the store. The clerk asked the psychologist what he had said and he replied "Get off that horse or I’ll break your damn little neck!"
Elder Richards told about their wedding day. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple and he had a buggy ready to take them to the southern part of the city. Sis. Richards very kindly offered a ride to a little old lady so the three rode together. He didn’t appreciate it at all!
Another special visitor was Dr. Gerrit de Jong. He had been teaching in Brazil and had his daughter Carma with him. What impressed me about him was his musical ability. We all went to the Pocitos branch and the congregation was already singing the opening hymn but with no organist. He walked right over to the organ and started accommpany the hymn. He became the Head of the Music Dept. at BYU and the De Jong Concert hall is named for him.
The trio we had started in Venezuela really came into its own in Uruguay. Dad was a firm believer in using music to interest people in the church. My Mom worked with Gina and me; Gina sang soprano and, if we just picked the harmony, I sang second and Mom alto. If the music was printed I sang alto and Mom second. She can sing anything and pick harmony to any tune; I've never known anyone to do it as well as she. She would let me sing the harmony I heard and she'd take what was left.
There were many opportunities to sing. We sang in church, for concerts, and even on the radio. We had a weekly fifteen minute program and our trio alternated performances with the Mission quartet. Once Dad made a small mistake in announcing us as a "feminine quartet" instead of "trio" and for some reason that got me to laughing. I couldn't stop and they had to take us off the air. My whole family was disgusted with me but I later learned it happened to them too after I left Uruguay; that made me feel better. Our accompanist was Elder McMurdie, a very talented person who could play by ear as well as read notes. I also sang in the Mission Choir and sat between Freddy and Jimmy Gibbons. He was about twelve; the son of a missionary couple from Arizona. Freddy was about ten and I helped them with the alto part.
The trio and quartet, with Elders Maughan McMurdie, who sang as well as played; Glen Slight and Dallas Keller, who sang solos as well as being in the quartet; and Roy Fitzell, who had been a professional dancer, put on concerts in theaters in quite a few cities and towns throughout Uruguay. One I remember well was a concert in the city of "Treinta y Tres" (33), that's its name. There was a beautiful concert grand piano on the stage. After the concert we went to the little village of "Isla Patrulla" a very rural place. We rode horses and had a great "asado" or barbeque.
Another fun experience was a time we rode horses along the beach in Carrasco; Gina, some other girls, and myself. Someone's horse started to run away and I, that great devourer of western novels, had to show how brave I was. I quickly got my horse to run alongside the runaway and grabbed the reins, pulling it to a stop. I really felt brave and a true western girl.
My baby sister Mary was born December 25, 1948. It was so fun to have a baby around again and I learned so much. Sometimes the folks went on trips and left her in my care. I've always been glad to have had that experience.
On December 3, 1948, I graduated from Crandon Institute. With all my traveling around and repeating and skipping grades, I graduated six months ahead of my original class in South Gate, California! Mom made my white formal and it was very lovely. The American Ambassador, Ellis Briggs, handed out the diplomas and I was the only one he called by first name as he knew my father. The next year I returned for a year of secretarial training and that has served me well in many ways. We studied shorthand in English and Spanish, plus typing and office procedures. At the end of the year we had the opportunity of working for two weeks in the offices of local businesses for practical experience. I worked one week at Moore-McCormack Shipping Lines and one at Pan American Airlines.
After finishing my secretarial course at Crandon I felt it was time to leave Uruguay and go back to the States; I planned to go to BYU. It was a hard decision, to leave my family, but I felt it was the right thing to do. I was almost 19 at this time.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Trip from South Gate, CA to Montevideo, Uruguay 1947
In about May of 1947, my parents were called to open the Uruguayan Mission. My parents had to report to Salt Lake City so we planned a fun trip there with my aunt Mona, her kids Kay and Mona Lue, and Mona's friend Verda, in one car and my family in another, plus a girl from Uruguay, Alice Banks. She had been my Dad's secretary when he worked for the government and had come up for a visit then planned to return with us. She was the niece of Mrs. Ros, our favorite Crandon teacher. We camped every night, sometimes it was by the side of the road, and visited Sequoia, Yosemite, and Yellowstone. At one point, in Idaho, we were so dirty that we put on our bathing suits then washed in a stream. We took our soap in with us and scrubbed! We arrived in Salt Lake City a few days before the centennial celebration. We went to see "Promised Valley" by Crawford Gates on opening night and saw the parade on the 23rd of July but had to leave and so missed the one on the 24th. I was present when my parents were set apart by President J. Reuben Clark, Jr. and David O. McKay, counselors in the First Presidency.
We said goodbye to Mona, and her family, and other relatives and drove rather hurriedly across the nation, sleeping in motels and guest rooms until we came to New York City. We stayed at the McAlpin Hotel, and ate at a little drug store across the street from it. We had a glorious time wandering around the city looking at everything and seeing many movies. The hotel was in the same block as the Empire State Building and, of course, we went to the top. We also ate at Schrafts Cafeteria and I would order filet of sole because I liked the tartar sauce. We were about a week in New York; there was a strike on, that's the reason for the long stay. We then had to take the train to Philadelphia to get a ship. What a ship! The California Express was a small Norwegian one with accommodations for about twelve passengers; our group made up seven of them.
We weren't supposed to sail until the next day so we all went to a movie that evening. When we got back the ship was leaning against the wharf with the smokestack against the warehouse! The ship had been loaded incorrectly or something. They did get it righted but the ship had a list for about a week of the voyage. Gina, Alice, and I ate at the Captain's table and the rest of the family at a smaller one. Gina sat at the end and the silverware was always sliding down onto her lap. One didn't have to tilt the soup bowl, it had a permanent lean to it. Being a Norwegian vessel, we ate a lot of sea food, in every shape or form. There was a shortage of fresh water so we showered in sea water.
Gina had a cabin to herself and Alice and I shared one. We were all shown around the ship and I even got to steer it, by myself, for about fifteen minutes. It was fun holding the wheel and trying to keep the compass in the right place. We played a lot of Rook and other card games to pass the time in the evenings. I was now 16.
The last night on board was a very rough one. The seas were very stormy and my father, never a good sailor in rough weather, didn't even make it to dinner. After eating, Freddy and Nancy went down and Mom stayed with them; weather never affected her. Gina got soaked by a big wave and decided to call it a night and Alice followed suit. One by one everyone disappeared until only the Chief Mate, one other passenger, and myself were left playing Parcheesi. I was very proud that I wasn't affected by the violent movement. We landed in Buenos Aires, spent the night in a hotel and then took the night boat across the river to Uruguay. Sam Skousen, one of my Dad's former Argentine missionaries, was stationed in Paraguay as the Air Attache, but was in Montevideo visiting when we returned and we had good times with him. He taught us a game, "Oh Heck", which was a lot of fun.
We said goodbye to Mona, and her family, and other relatives and drove rather hurriedly across the nation, sleeping in motels and guest rooms until we came to New York City. We stayed at the McAlpin Hotel, and ate at a little drug store across the street from it. We had a glorious time wandering around the city looking at everything and seeing many movies. The hotel was in the same block as the Empire State Building and, of course, we went to the top. We also ate at Schrafts Cafeteria and I would order filet of sole because I liked the tartar sauce. We were about a week in New York; there was a strike on, that's the reason for the long stay. We then had to take the train to Philadelphia to get a ship. What a ship! The California Express was a small Norwegian one with accommodations for about twelve passengers; our group made up seven of them.
We weren't supposed to sail until the next day so we all went to a movie that evening. When we got back the ship was leaning against the wharf with the smokestack against the warehouse! The ship had been loaded incorrectly or something. They did get it righted but the ship had a list for about a week of the voyage. Gina, Alice, and I ate at the Captain's table and the rest of the family at a smaller one. Gina sat at the end and the silverware was always sliding down onto her lap. One didn't have to tilt the soup bowl, it had a permanent lean to it. Being a Norwegian vessel, we ate a lot of sea food, in every shape or form. There was a shortage of fresh water so we showered in sea water.
Gina had a cabin to herself and Alice and I shared one. We were all shown around the ship and I even got to steer it, by myself, for about fifteen minutes. It was fun holding the wheel and trying to keep the compass in the right place. We played a lot of Rook and other card games to pass the time in the evenings. I was now 16.
The last night on board was a very rough one. The seas were very stormy and my father, never a good sailor in rough weather, didn't even make it to dinner. After eating, Freddy and Nancy went down and Mom stayed with them; weather never affected her. Gina got soaked by a big wave and decided to call it a night and Alice followed suit. One by one everyone disappeared until only the Chief Mate, one other passenger, and myself were left playing Parcheesi. I was very proud that I wasn't affected by the violent movement. We landed in Buenos Aires, spent the night in a hotel and then took the night boat across the river to Uruguay. Sam Skousen, one of my Dad's former Argentine missionaries, was stationed in Paraguay as the Air Attache, but was in Montevideo visiting when we returned and we had good times with him. He taught us a game, "Oh Heck", which was a lot of fun.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Life in South Gate, California, 1946-47
After returning to the States from Uruguay, we stayed a while with my Aunt Bessie in South Gate, California, then moved into our home on Dorothy Ave, also in South Gate. I attended South Gate Junior High, attending from January until graduating from ninth grade in June of 1946 and then had one year at South Gate Senior High. What a contrast to Crandon! We didn’t wear uniforms and there were boys in our class! From 7th on up in Crandon, boys went to the equivalent of the Uruguayan school system and we followed the American system.
Nancy and I shared a room and Gina and Freddy shared another. I would take the kids to the movies on Saturdays; we saw a lot of westerns. I really loved them and Freddy did too. I had a little
boot on a chain that I wore on my Levi's and would let him borrow it sometimes. One of Freddy's problems when young was that he would get sick when he went to the movies. Nancy would put newspapers down by his bed for when he got sick. I don't know why he didn't use a bowl. When Nancy was little, she would hold my fingers over her eyes making a gap between two of them and when a scary part came she would close up the gap. This was one of the few times Gina and I weren't good friends, I guess I was too involved with girls my own age; Joyce Slack was my best friend. I had my 15th and 16th birthdays here.
I enjoyed going to Mutual; my first experience with the full program of the Church. I sang in the stake choir and Jay Welch, who directed the Tab Choir for a while, was our director. In my Junior year of Mutual, I represented the ward as the Princess at the Stake Junior Ball. My escort was Don Guynn; I had had a crush on him so this was quite a thrilling experience. I think he gave me my first kiss. I have seen him several times in later years; no thrill!
Dad was the Stake M Men leader and when he took the Stake M Men and Gleaners on a temple excursion to St. George, I got to go too. I was baptized for the dead about five times. We also went on a side trip and visited Boulder Dam, now Hoover Dam.
One fun experience was serving the tables at a banquet for the High Priest and their partners. There was a dance afterwards I danced with several of the High Priests and enjoyed it very much.
Every once-in-a-while we would drive down to San Diego and visit Mona, my favorite aunt. Her husband Byron was a Pennys Manager and before we returned home on Sunday evening, he would take us to the store, which was closed, and let us shop. It was nice having the store to ourselves. It seems like it was always foggy on the drive home as the highway went along the ocean. I enjoyed the drive but I’m sure it was harrowing for my Dad.
Nancy and I shared a room and Gina and Freddy shared another. I would take the kids to the movies on Saturdays; we saw a lot of westerns. I really loved them and Freddy did too. I had a little
boot on a chain that I wore on my Levi's and would let him borrow it sometimes. One of Freddy's problems when young was that he would get sick when he went to the movies. Nancy would put newspapers down by his bed for when he got sick. I don't know why he didn't use a bowl. When Nancy was little, she would hold my fingers over her eyes making a gap between two of them and when a scary part came she would close up the gap. This was one of the few times Gina and I weren't good friends, I guess I was too involved with girls my own age; Joyce Slack was my best friend. I had my 15th and 16th birthdays here.
I enjoyed going to Mutual; my first experience with the full program of the Church. I sang in the stake choir and Jay Welch, who directed the Tab Choir for a while, was our director. In my Junior year of Mutual, I represented the ward as the Princess at the Stake Junior Ball. My escort was Don Guynn; I had had a crush on him so this was quite a thrilling experience. I think he gave me my first kiss. I have seen him several times in later years; no thrill!
Dad was the Stake M Men leader and when he took the Stake M Men and Gleaners on a temple excursion to St. George, I got to go too. I was baptized for the dead about five times. We also went on a side trip and visited Boulder Dam, now Hoover Dam.
One fun experience was serving the tables at a banquet for the High Priest and their partners. There was a dance afterwards I danced with several of the High Priests and enjoyed it very much.
Every once-in-a-while we would drive down to San Diego and visit Mona, my favorite aunt. Her husband Byron was a Pennys Manager and before we returned home on Sunday evening, he would take us to the store, which was closed, and let us shop. It was nice having the store to ourselves. It seems like it was always foggy on the drive home as the highway went along the ocean. I enjoyed the drive but I’m sure it was harrowing for my Dad.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Trip from Montevideo to the U.S., 1945
Towards the end of 1945, when WW II was over, Dad resigned and we prepared to return to the U.S. He thought it time for his family to return to the States, to be with family and experience the full program of the church. We had been gone seven years, not counting the months in Nogales, AZ.
Freddy broke out with chicken pox just before we left. The doctor thought it would be a couple of weeks before the rest of us would get it so we went on to Buenos Aires to catch the boat. But only after a day or two the rest of us started scratching and breaking out. My parents tried to get us on board but the captain wouldn't allow it, he was afraid his crew would all get sick, so we had to stay at the Mission Home with President and Sister Young. They were serving as Mission Presidents a second time in Argentina. Their son Carlitos, now a young man, was serving as a missionary. There were two others: Elders Fletcher Memmot and Harvey Call, from the colonies in Old Mexico. What a blow to my fourteen-year-old pride to come down with chicken pox! I was literally covered while Nancy had about one. Greta gave up her bedroom which was turned into a sick room for the four children and there we stayed. Carlitos gave me a book to read but I was so embarrassed to be seen all covered with scabs that I almost didn't accept it. The smell of rubbing alcohol brings back those memories.
By the time we were well another ship was available to take us home; this was the S.S. Cuba Victory, a Merchant Marine ship. The war had just recently ended but the ship still had her guns, with two Navy men assigned to take care of them. The sailors were very nice to us, always treating us to candy and gum. They taught Gina and me to play cards; one of the games was called "Coon Can". All of us children had a wonderful time but I know my parents worried a lot about us, especially little Nancy. I even worried about her! We found her once, sitting on the edge of the ship with her legs dangling down; she could have so easily slipped through to the water below. There was a race horse on board which we liked to visit. It was in a stall on one of the decks. The whole family stayed in one cabin; it had been the gunner's quarters and had many bunks in it. All the crew was from the South except one; he was from Iowa, and he was the only one that talked like we did.
Christmas found us off the island of Trinidad. We had bought presents ahead of time and the folks had purchased a very small artificial tree in Brazil. The electricians rigged some colored lights over the tree for us. Instead of hanging up stockings we had pillowcases and the sailors filled them with gum and Life Savers. Mom and Dad went to the galley and baked a cake, a very large cake, I don’t know how many times my Dad multiplied the recipe. Everyone thought it was great. Many of the sailors complimented Mom on it and said they had saved an extra piece to eat on watch that night. The cooks on board were not very good so the cake was a very special treat for the crew. Gina and I went swimming over the side of the ship with the folks after they decided it was safe. The sailors had been swimming all day and, since no barracuda and sharks had appeared, they thought it all right. Freddy and Nancy had to watch.
We landed in New Orleans the morning of January 31, 1945, New Year's Eve, and the family caught a train for the west that night with Dad going to Washington D.C. to finish up his work. It was a good thing that it was New Year’s Eve as the town was crowded with people for the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day and everything would have been booked up with people going home on Jan. 1st.
Freddy broke out with chicken pox just before we left. The doctor thought it would be a couple of weeks before the rest of us would get it so we went on to Buenos Aires to catch the boat. But only after a day or two the rest of us started scratching and breaking out. My parents tried to get us on board but the captain wouldn't allow it, he was afraid his crew would all get sick, so we had to stay at the Mission Home with President and Sister Young. They were serving as Mission Presidents a second time in Argentina. Their son Carlitos, now a young man, was serving as a missionary. There were two others: Elders Fletcher Memmot and Harvey Call, from the colonies in Old Mexico. What a blow to my fourteen-year-old pride to come down with chicken pox! I was literally covered while Nancy had about one. Greta gave up her bedroom which was turned into a sick room for the four children and there we stayed. Carlitos gave me a book to read but I was so embarrassed to be seen all covered with scabs that I almost didn't accept it. The smell of rubbing alcohol brings back those memories.
By the time we were well another ship was available to take us home; this was the S.S. Cuba Victory, a Merchant Marine ship. The war had just recently ended but the ship still had her guns, with two Navy men assigned to take care of them. The sailors were very nice to us, always treating us to candy and gum. They taught Gina and me to play cards; one of the games was called "Coon Can". All of us children had a wonderful time but I know my parents worried a lot about us, especially little Nancy. I even worried about her! We found her once, sitting on the edge of the ship with her legs dangling down; she could have so easily slipped through to the water below. There was a race horse on board which we liked to visit. It was in a stall on one of the decks. The whole family stayed in one cabin; it had been the gunner's quarters and had many bunks in it. All the crew was from the South except one; he was from Iowa, and he was the only one that talked like we did.
Christmas found us off the island of Trinidad. We had bought presents ahead of time and the folks had purchased a very small artificial tree in Brazil. The electricians rigged some colored lights over the tree for us. Instead of hanging up stockings we had pillowcases and the sailors filled them with gum and Life Savers. Mom and Dad went to the galley and baked a cake, a very large cake, I don’t know how many times my Dad multiplied the recipe. Everyone thought it was great. Many of the sailors complimented Mom on it and said they had saved an extra piece to eat on watch that night. The cooks on board were not very good so the cake was a very special treat for the crew. Gina and I went swimming over the side of the ship with the folks after they decided it was safe. The sailors had been swimming all day and, since no barracuda and sharks had appeared, they thought it all right. Freddy and Nancy had to watch.
We landed in New Orleans the morning of January 31, 1945, New Year's Eve, and the family caught a train for the west that night with Dad going to Washington D.C. to finish up his work. It was a good thing that it was New Year’s Eve as the town was crowded with people for the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day and everything would have been booked up with people going home on Jan. 1st.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Life in Montevideo, Uruguay, 1943-1945
We lived in Montevideo, Uruguay; it was towards the end of 1943. Our first home was in a pension or boarding house across the street from Pocitos beach. We ate our meals at a restaurant across the street and I ordered flan, a type of very sweet custard, for dessert every day. We then moved into a house on Cololó street where Mom almost immediately fell sick with typhoid fever. She was completely worn out with first taking care of Nancy with tropical dysentery and then the hard trip from Venezuela. There was an epidemic in the city. She was in the hospital for five weeks and was very sick part of this time. In fact, there are three weeks of which she has no memory. Dad gave her five blood transfusions. She was so sick she couldn’t even say her prayers. She asked Dad to pray for her, her prayers not him praying for her. She was not with us for Christmas but the wife of the American Ambassador, William Dawson, and some other official’s wife remembered us and sent us presents. I received "A Christmas Carol" by Dickens which I still have.
Dad had an Argentine girl whom we had known from our Mission days, Teresa Brandi, come over and stay with us while Mom was in the hospital. She taught us songs from Spain, her parents had been born there, and we danced a lot. Then she caught typhoid fever but she was not as sick as Mom had been.
Nancy was in my charge at this time. I would sing to her when I put her to bed in the evenings; her two favorite songs were "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" and "Happy Birthday". Before morning came she would be in bed with me. She was about 18 months old. Gina and I would sing a lot at night too before we went to sleep. I was 12 and she was 9 years old.
Lis, a mulatto, was our maid for the two years we lived in Montevideo and she was very good to us. She called Nancy "Nelci". We had boarders also during our stay: James Graves, whom my parents had known in the U.S., and Glen Brewer, one of their former Argentine missionaries. He taught me how to dance.
The folks had some very nice parties at our house and Gina and I got to participate. A room was cleared for dances and we learned them all: the tango, rhumba, conga, milonga, samba, waltz and foxtrot, etc. I can remember dancing with the chief of party, a Dr. Lucchesi, the chief-of-party. When he danced with me, I had to hold up his hand. It got very heavy. I was 12 and 14 years of age here. One Halloween party I'll never forget; Mom had arranged a tunnel for people to crawl up to get into the house. It was like an obstacle course and we thought this the most fun ever.
Gina and I went to Crandon Institute, a private American School. We wore uniforms that consisted of a navy blue pleated wool skirt, a white, short-sleeved middy blouse for warm weather and a long-sleeved navy blue middy for cold. We wore a black sailor tie, also coats and sweaters were navy blue; our shoes were black and socks white. We were allowed no make-up, which didn't bother me at the age of twelve but did when I later returned to Crandon at age sixteen.
I was in the sixth and seventh grades at Crandon and look back on those years with pleasure. There was a more relaxed atmosphere there than in Buenos Aires where you had to speak only Spanish in the morning and only English in the afternoon. At Crandon, a class would be taught in English one year and in Spanish the next; Math, for an example. One year we started the chemistry class in English and then that teacher quit and we had to have the class in Spanish but our book was in English! I discovered a girl in my class who was the daughter of the teacher I had had in the fourth grade in Argentina, Mrs. Wood. I hadn't really cared for that teacher, very strict, but her daughter, Gladys, became one of my best friends. My sixth grade teacher was Mrs. Ros, an American who had gone to Uruguay when just a young girl. She had lived so long among the English that she had acquired an English accent. She had beautiful, long red hair. When Gina had her as a teacher, she became one of her favorites too. The school was a three-story brick building with classrooms on all floors as well as in the basement. It had a gym and an auditorium too.
It was in Montevideo that I discovered ballet. My parents took me to see the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo several times and I was enchanted. They let me take ballet lessons and I was in seventh heaven. I danced the part of an angel, a medieval angel, in a dance recital.
Dad checked out books from the Artigas-Washington library for me and introduced me to Ben Hur, a favorite for years. My Dad introduced me to many good books; I'll always be grateful for this. I still loved Zane Grey too; every time the folks went on a trip to Buenos Aires they would bring back one of his books for me. I had quite a collection.
We held Primary, Sunday School, and Sacrament Meeting in our home and Dad taught the kid's class on Sunday. Mom led the singing and Dad was the Branch President the two years we were there. The young men who worked in the embassy or other government offices also attended. One Sunday, My Dad and another ex-Argentine missionary were to bless the Sacrament but got the giggles. Mom was very put out! Mom taught Dad the tenor part of the hymn "Secret Prayer", the only one he ever learned but he could sing it during singing time in Sunday School. Dad loved music but was not a singer. He was the trio’s greatest "hincha" supporter.
Our second home was three stories high, with a grand piano in the living room. My bedroom, all to myself, was on the third floor and my window overlooked the sidewalk. I had a supply of small pebbles on my window ledge, and on warm summer nights I would drop them on people walking by. My walls were decorated with pictures of couples in love, embracing or kissing, mostly from ads from Community Silver stating "Back Home for Keeps" showing servicemen back from the war greeting their girlfriends. One time, Pres. & Sis. Young and Carlitos, who were serving in Argentina again came to visit. Carlitos had my room and I was embarrassed for him to see the pictures. I was 14.
Gina and Freddy shared a room next to mine and Nancy had her own room on the same floor as the folks. Freddy started Kindergarten and Gina and I would get him ready in his little green short-pants suit; kindergarten children didn't have to wear the uniform. We would plaster his hair down with Gomina, a kind of hair dressing, which gave it a slightly pink tinge and made his hair as hard as cement. Whenever I gave Nancy her bath, I would drape her in the huge bath towels that came with the house and pretend she was Arabian or one of the Hebrew children. Gina and I took piano lessons; that was the last time for me.
We went to the beach a lot in the summer, going with our neighbors. The lady, Mrs. Nery, had a theory: one swam immediately upon arriving at the beach, then changed into a dry bathing suit under a draped a towel, then swam one more time just before going home. We weren't used to such rigid rules at the beach, besides we only had one bathing suit. We did try to follow her rules as much as possible. Her daughter's name was Jennifer Ann Patricia Nery. the mother English, the father Uruguayan.
We went to a lot of movies in Montevideo, Gina and I, It was our favorite thing to do. Occasionally we would go to a theater that just showed short subjects and news reels. The whole program took only about an hour. We rode the bus everywhere we went. One time I took Freddy and Gina to the dentist and they got on a crowded bus or street car, I can't remember which, but I didn't make it on. I yelled at them to get off at the next stop then ran to catch up with them. It was frightening to have them go without me.
Towards the end of 1945, when the war was over, Dad resigned and we prepared to return to the U.S. He thought it time for his family to return to the States, to be with family and experience the full program of the church. We had been gone seven years, not counting the months in Nogales, AZ.
Dad had an Argentine girl whom we had known from our Mission days, Teresa Brandi, come over and stay with us while Mom was in the hospital. She taught us songs from Spain, her parents had been born there, and we danced a lot. Then she caught typhoid fever but she was not as sick as Mom had been.
Nancy was in my charge at this time. I would sing to her when I put her to bed in the evenings; her two favorite songs were "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" and "Happy Birthday". Before morning came she would be in bed with me. She was about 18 months old. Gina and I would sing a lot at night too before we went to sleep. I was 12 and she was 9 years old.
Lis, a mulatto, was our maid for the two years we lived in Montevideo and she was very good to us. She called Nancy "Nelci". We had boarders also during our stay: James Graves, whom my parents had known in the U.S., and Glen Brewer, one of their former Argentine missionaries. He taught me how to dance.
The folks had some very nice parties at our house and Gina and I got to participate. A room was cleared for dances and we learned them all: the tango, rhumba, conga, milonga, samba, waltz and foxtrot, etc. I can remember dancing with the chief of party, a Dr. Lucchesi, the chief-of-party. When he danced with me, I had to hold up his hand. It got very heavy. I was 12 and 14 years of age here. One Halloween party I'll never forget; Mom had arranged a tunnel for people to crawl up to get into the house. It was like an obstacle course and we thought this the most fun ever.
Gina and I went to Crandon Institute, a private American School. We wore uniforms that consisted of a navy blue pleated wool skirt, a white, short-sleeved middy blouse for warm weather and a long-sleeved navy blue middy for cold. We wore a black sailor tie, also coats and sweaters were navy blue; our shoes were black and socks white. We were allowed no make-up, which didn't bother me at the age of twelve but did when I later returned to Crandon at age sixteen.
I was in the sixth and seventh grades at Crandon and look back on those years with pleasure. There was a more relaxed atmosphere there than in Buenos Aires where you had to speak only Spanish in the morning and only English in the afternoon. At Crandon, a class would be taught in English one year and in Spanish the next; Math, for an example. One year we started the chemistry class in English and then that teacher quit and we had to have the class in Spanish but our book was in English! I discovered a girl in my class who was the daughter of the teacher I had had in the fourth grade in Argentina, Mrs. Wood. I hadn't really cared for that teacher, very strict, but her daughter, Gladys, became one of my best friends. My sixth grade teacher was Mrs. Ros, an American who had gone to Uruguay when just a young girl. She had lived so long among the English that she had acquired an English accent. She had beautiful, long red hair. When Gina had her as a teacher, she became one of her favorites too. The school was a three-story brick building with classrooms on all floors as well as in the basement. It had a gym and an auditorium too.
It was in Montevideo that I discovered ballet. My parents took me to see the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo several times and I was enchanted. They let me take ballet lessons and I was in seventh heaven. I danced the part of an angel, a medieval angel, in a dance recital.
Dad checked out books from the Artigas-Washington library for me and introduced me to Ben Hur, a favorite for years. My Dad introduced me to many good books; I'll always be grateful for this. I still loved Zane Grey too; every time the folks went on a trip to Buenos Aires they would bring back one of his books for me. I had quite a collection.
We held Primary, Sunday School, and Sacrament Meeting in our home and Dad taught the kid's class on Sunday. Mom led the singing and Dad was the Branch President the two years we were there. The young men who worked in the embassy or other government offices also attended. One Sunday, My Dad and another ex-Argentine missionary were to bless the Sacrament but got the giggles. Mom was very put out! Mom taught Dad the tenor part of the hymn "Secret Prayer", the only one he ever learned but he could sing it during singing time in Sunday School. Dad loved music but was not a singer. He was the trio’s greatest "hincha" supporter.
Our second home was three stories high, with a grand piano in the living room. My bedroom, all to myself, was on the third floor and my window overlooked the sidewalk. I had a supply of small pebbles on my window ledge, and on warm summer nights I would drop them on people walking by. My walls were decorated with pictures of couples in love, embracing or kissing, mostly from ads from Community Silver stating "Back Home for Keeps" showing servicemen back from the war greeting their girlfriends. One time, Pres. & Sis. Young and Carlitos, who were serving in Argentina again came to visit. Carlitos had my room and I was embarrassed for him to see the pictures. I was 14.
Gina and Freddy shared a room next to mine and Nancy had her own room on the same floor as the folks. Freddy started Kindergarten and Gina and I would get him ready in his little green short-pants suit; kindergarten children didn't have to wear the uniform. We would plaster his hair down with Gomina, a kind of hair dressing, which gave it a slightly pink tinge and made his hair as hard as cement. Whenever I gave Nancy her bath, I would drape her in the huge bath towels that came with the house and pretend she was Arabian or one of the Hebrew children. Gina and I took piano lessons; that was the last time for me.
We went to the beach a lot in the summer, going with our neighbors. The lady, Mrs. Nery, had a theory: one swam immediately upon arriving at the beach, then changed into a dry bathing suit under a draped a towel, then swam one more time just before going home. We weren't used to such rigid rules at the beach, besides we only had one bathing suit. We did try to follow her rules as much as possible. Her daughter's name was Jennifer Ann Patricia Nery. the mother English, the father Uruguayan.
We went to a lot of movies in Montevideo, Gina and I, It was our favorite thing to do. Occasionally we would go to a theater that just showed short subjects and news reels. The whole program took only about an hour. We rode the bus everywhere we went. One time I took Freddy and Gina to the dentist and they got on a crowded bus or street car, I can't remember which, but I didn't make it on. I yelled at them to get off at the next stop then ran to catch up with them. It was frightening to have them go without me.
Towards the end of 1945, when the war was over, Dad resigned and we prepared to return to the U.S. He thought it time for his family to return to the States, to be with family and experience the full program of the church. We had been gone seven years, not counting the months in Nogales, AZ.
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