High School Stories - Then and Now

There was little diversity in my high school when I attended.  In fact, there was little diversity in Granada Hills itself.  But we did have foreign exchange students - every year it seemed like there were at least two.  I remember this student from Japan, and there was also a girl from Japan.  I believe we had a sister city kind of relationship.

We also had two students from Finland.  I'm not sure what classes they had - they were never in the classes I was in.  

I vaguely remember this incident - it was actually a photo op for something in the local paper - we were probably called to be in it because we were in Girls' League and Student Council - and happened to be home and available that summer day!

When I think about it now, I recall that many of the students at my school were of Italian and Polish descent - and there was a kind of undercurrent of prejudice - but it was mostly the adults you heard it from - not the kids.  I was pretty unaware of what a fellow student's ethnic background was - and didn't much care about it.

There were also a lot of Jewish students.  The San Fernando Valley had large Jewish populations - they still do in fact.  

I wish I had been more aware - I could probably have learned some valuable life lessons.  The Holocaust wasn't that far in the past at that time, and I'm sure there were some powereful stories to be told.

There was a set of twin boys who were Jewish - and really bright and excellent students.  I think they shared valedictorian honors when they graduated.  They went on to high end Ivy-League schools.

Joe and Carl Jacobs.  I think it was Carl who made the cover of Time magazine - a story featuring the tragic loss of bright young soldiers in Vietnam!

The world seems to be coming full circle doesn't it??

A theme post - sort of!!

I keep thinking of "themes" for photo groups.  I have visions of displaying them on the walls - but that's really not going to happen.  So I thought I'd do a little "theme" on Facebook - daily I posted a new "family" photo at different stages in our life with children.

So here's a little recap on Blogger!

 

Here we are with Bonny - at a photo booth at Grand Central in Salt Lake City in 1971.  I think we were too poor for studio shots!

 

This shot is from the Centerville years - a studio shot at ZCMI I think.  I made the dresses that Bonny and I are wearing, and it is 1974.  We now have Bonny and Harry.

 

So now we are here in sunny southern California - and there are three kids - it is 1979.  It took awhile, but Phoebe came on board in 1977!!  This was a photo for a ward directory.

 

We are still in Monrovia - still on Lime Avenue - and it is 1983, and Eliza has joined our ranks.  Olan Mills - vintage work!!

 

For the 1983-84 years, Bernie Steele joined our family.  It was a growing time for all of us - but I think we all helped each other.  It was a studio called Lawrence Studio, and this was a promotional deal at the Mall.

 

Hannah came on board in 1985.  We were now on Primrose Avenue - and still doing Olan Mills.

 

And then Noah came on board in 1987.  This was a photographer who came to the house.  He wasn't too impressive, but the solo shots of Noah he took are my favorite baby pictures of him.

There was a small hiatus while kids grew and Bonny headed off to college - but it was not long before the family continued to grow - with in-laws and grandchildren.

That's another blog post - with a theme of course!!

I have been doing some apron sewing this summer.  I keep having these ideas like, "I want to make aprons for everyone in my book group," or "I want to make aprons for all my sisters-in-law," ad infinitum.

I did get these made for my old high school friends - the ones I met with this weekend.  Doing four or five at a time takes some time - and then often in between I need one apron for someone else and so it goes.

I need to go make one for the coach at Curves who is retiring - the farewell potluck is tomorrow night.  At least I signed up to bring bread - courtesy of Vons it will be - so I can spend my time sewing, not cooking!!

Now I need to figure out how to not get distracted by the book I'm almost finished reading!!

A thousand words indeed!

This month marks several important anniversaries that I intended to pontificate on.  I have too many projects going on - so what I do and say is liable to have a very "scatter-gun" kind of approach.

First of all, this month marks the death of Grandpa Terrill - aka "Pop" - on June 10, 1991.  It's also Father's Day.  And related but not totally related, it's the 46th anniversary of Harry P. Terrill Jr.'s return from his mission to Peru.

Grandpa Terrill died 22 years ago - and many of you don't have extensive memories of him.  I'm sure you treasure the memories you do have of him.  I certainly have a lot, and they are important to me, especially as we age and see things in different lights.

In all my sorting and purging, I came across a VHS tape of Terrill family home movies from 1951 to 1970.  We had it put on a DVD and sat and watched it for FHE this week!  Can I just say it was priceless - and watching Harry's reaction was half the fun??

There is lots of footage of Grandpa Terrill - and it says a lot about him.  (The footage of Harry, Jim, and Frances is pretty special too!)

So here is a photo of the the first Harry Francis Terrill with his wife Alberta Porter and his children Marjorie, Dorothy, Alberta, and Harry P.  We are not sure who the man is  - and someone will be able to sleuth out the make and model of the car.  Pop looks to be 8 or so, so this would be in the 1920's.  The heading in the scrapbook it came from called it an outing.

I think it tells quite a story - don't you?

Dads we know among the brethren!

Though not a dad yet, brother Noah is always up for the niece/nephew connection!

 

Our dad-to-be has been practicing up for a lot of years!!

 

Theo's look of consternation doesn't seem to  phase Matt - one of the most unflappable dads I've every come across!

 

David - the always helpful dad - to his own or other kids!

 

Harry F. - a dad who knows how to have fun, among other skills.

 

Bruce has taught his children well!!

From the moment he became a dad, he's been a great one.  People are always telling us what great kids we have - and the great spouses they have chosen - and a lot of that can be traced to Harry's good example.

Happy Father's Day to all the Terrill family brethren!  We love you and appreciate all you do!

Some important anniversaries!

Not sure why - well, I do know why - but the last week or two has been crazy.  The fun trip to Minnesota put me behind at school - and the last week of school is busy-crazy always.  At any rate, two significant anniversaries - that I am known to note each year - slipped right by me.

June 10, 1967 - the day Harry returned from his mission.  I didn't see him right away - I think a couple of days passed before he called and then drove out to GH.  He invited me to go to the beach.  My mother might have questioned my sanity when I insisted that she go over to Moyne's house in Northridge and borrow her bouffant salon hair dryer - we did not have one in our house - and I had to wash and curl my hair before Harry came - even though we were going to the beach and the sea air would frizz it right up!  But she went and got it!!

All the kids were still in school - so it was relatively calm when he came.  He met everyone in due time - and saw them at their best and worst - and kept  coming back!!

I don't have any photos of that day - or even that summer - the above shot is from that fall at BYU - but I have very vivid memories of the time - and they have not dimmed at all!

June 10, 1991 is the day Pop died.  I don't have photos from that day either, but it remains vivid in my mind.  Pop died in his sleep.  We knew he was through suffering, and we knew we would see him again, but it was still hard to believe that he was no longer with us.

It's been 22 years - a long time indeed.  But we are a forever family.  And grateful indeed for that fact.

Very long ago now!!

If I had graduated in June - like most people do now - I would be getting ready to celebrate my 50th anniversary of graduating from high school.

But  I graduated in January of 1963 - back in the day when LAUSD and other districts graduated students every semester.  I consider it a superior system, but I guess no one else does, because it's been done away with!

Some friends of mine from my high school days are planning an informal potluck this month.  And apparently the June class has something planned for September, and they have invited us.  They also invited us to their 20th celebration, and it was less than satisfactory.  But I may go anyway.

Meanwhile, I am sorting and purging once again - as is my wont in the summer time - and have come across some real treasures.  This isn't

 one of them - but it is a happy note to reflect on - and the photograph was taken by Greg deRoulhac - a school chum of mine that I sometimes refer to.  His full name was Gregoire Blount deRoulhac - always a mouthful - and always gets some attention.

I have no idea where he is or what he is doing.  But now you know he was a real person and not just a name I made up!

Finding the Bluebird of Happiness - one month at a time!

Eliza suggested this book to me.  I took several weeks to read it - it can be read in parts that way - a plus for me, since I can't always deal with non-fiction in long stretches.  I like these kinds of books as an accompaniment for eating lunch or a solo dinner here at home or the SSR time slot at school.

Ms. Rubin has divided her project into monthly installments.  I liked that format.  She also has a blog for this project, and I enjoyed when she shared readers' comments from that.  She had lots of personal examples, and that is another plus in my book.

The concept is a valid one, and many of her ideas resonated with me.  So does the idea of organizing a way to achieve goals in a realistic manner.  I'm not sure I'm going to do it her way - I keep thinking I just "need to get organized" and everything else will fall into place!!

But I do plan to start this summer - today in fact - with de-cluttering the back office!

I know that will make me happy!

Closing the book

August 1985 was a hot and sweltering time.  I was pregnant with Hannah.  We did not have any air conditioning then - at least we didn't - it had been invented!!  And there was a madman on the loose in LA - and he had even struck in Monrovia - over on Alta Vista.

To say we were nervous and frightened is an understatement.  The papers were full of the horrific crimes this man was committing.  Every day brought more disturbing details in the news.  The houses were all yellow.  The victims were all women.  He only struck at night.  He came early and jimmied windows and then let himself in later.

The facts were not always accurate.  All the houses he struck were not yellow.  He had attacked and killed men and children.  He struck when he had the opportunity.  He usually just looked for unlocked doors or windows.

One hot August night, we were lying in bed - all the children were asleep.  We had a fan going, but it did not really cool the house or us for that matter.  Then we heard a noise.  You know how you recognize noises in your house? How you have a squeaky floorboard that everyone knows the location of?

We heard a noise like that.  We both paused - I think I stopped breathing!!  Harry slid out of bed and glided quietly to the phone on the wall.  He dialed 9-1-1 in the dark.  He whispered to the operator that we heard a noise in our house that sounded like someone was in the house.  

She kept him on the line as the police came to our house.  "They are there."  "They are on your front porch."  "Go let them in."  I was terrified!

They came in.  They searched the house thoroughly.  They searched every room and every closet and every cupboard.   The children  - not a one of them - did not wake up!!

We felt a little silly.  Like maybe we had over-reacted.  But the officers said, no, you did exactly what we want every citizen to do when they think something is going on.  You called us.  You didn't grab a gun or a baseball bat to go hunting by yourself.

One officer volunteered that he was pretty sure it was raccoons under the house.  He said that the noise they make bumping the floorboards sounds just like someone walking on the floor.

We slept a little easier that night.  And a few days later, the reign of terror finally came to an end.

Like many criminals, the Night Stalker made enough mistakes to finally get caught.  The photo above shows the neighbors in the area where he was caught signing off on a map that someone posted.  (He was caught by locals who saw him acting strangely after he got off a bus from Arizona.  They were pounding him pretty severely when the police came.  News reports said he was begging the police to get him away from the incensed citizenry!!)

Reading today that he had died while waiting on Death Row, a chapter ended.  For his victims, the chapters will never end.  Many of us don't think often of him - only when someone else is crazy and uncaught and on the loose.

It was a scary, crazy time.  I'm glad it's over.

And after the police came to our house that night, Harry sealed up the entries under our house.  Maybe rats still get in, but the raccoons don't!

A Minnesota Memory in My Mind!!

I have not really blogged this trip in very much order.  The trip was relatively short - on Thursday we got in, on Friday we took two tours and did a lot of driving.  On Saturday we drove to Walnut Grove, and on Sunday we went to church, drove around the city and then flew home.  Bonny was our full-time driver - and did a great job!!  She's always been a great driver - and has always loved driving.  Good thing - because she had to do a lot of it this time!!

  (With a rental car, it became too complicated, owing to our various arrival times, to get anyone but Bonny and me on the car - and I'm a good driver, but not so good in a strange place - everyone knows about my spatial weaknesses - so Bonny got the job.)

I'm having a hard time keeping track of which photos I posted on which blog, Facebook or text message.  So there are duplicate postings no doubt.  At brunch on Friday in Minneapolis - don't let the plastic wrap in back fool you - the cafe was delightful - but there was some construction - I think they are expanding.  It was one of those "let's fix up an old building in a revitalized neighborhood" kind of places.  And the food was top-notch.

Here we are picking up Hannah and Eliza.  Only took a few loops around the airport before they were able to deplane - there had been some technical difficulties with the stairs off the plane.  Bonny and I got some great shots of Fort Snelling in the process though - Fort Snelling where Joe went in the war!

 

After we dropped off Hannah and Eliza on Sunday, we went to Minnehaha Park and falls - a great day for a walk.

 

At the airport on Sunday.

 

Eliza had researched and planned much of what we did - so she was a great navigator and dispenser of interesting facts - ask her about water towers some time!

 

At the Little House displays in Walnut Grove you could play the pump organ if you wanted to.

 

And you could hop on the wagon and take a pretend drive!

 

This plaque marks the spot where the Harts lived when they moved back to Minneapolis after Maud finished high school.  The house and surrounding houses were destroyed to build a park. 

Hannah took a turn on the organ too.

 

Cruisin' and snackin' in the mini-van.

 

Bonny and Phoebe posing in the "outhouse!"  They could hardly keep a straight face!!  We did a significant amount of laughing - always good for the soul!

 

Checking out the layout.

 

Taking a shot of the falls.

 

Enjoying the scenery.

 

I've said it before and will undoubtedly say it again, but I just love hanging out with my girls.  (I love my boys too, but can't quite see them wanting to do a Betsy Tacy trip!!  Which is why we have family events to include everyone - and for many years Harry did backpacking trips with the boys.)

The best thing about having children - boys and girls - is that they grow up to become your friends!

"No more pencils, no more books, no more teacher's cross-eyed looks . . ."

Last day of school today.  I was thinking about how school has played - and continues to play - a major role in my life.  I have been in a school mode for many years of my life - and that doesn't count my kids' school experiences.  I went to public school for 12 years.  I went to college for a B.A. for 5 years.   I did 2 years of graduate school.  I spent about 5 years getting a teaching credential - while I taught school on an emergency credential.  After subbing for 4 years, I have been teaching for 16 years.

When I think about our kids, the years really add up.  6 kids who went through 12 years each of public school.  5 kids with bachelor's degrees at about 4 years each.  3 kids with master's degrees at 2 or 3 years apiece.

Now we are also involved with our grandchildren and their school experiences.  And I haven't even counted Harry's "school years!"

When school is part of your daily life, summer vacation is too!!  That's the plus in the equation.  School is out - this last week was wearing - I had been gone for 2 days,  and there was lots of work that needed to be done before I could sign off and turn in my keys!  But I got the work done - and even left school today at 4 - but school had ended at 11:30, so I had a few hours.  

Every year I plan to use the "packing up" time to sort and purge and streamline things in the classroom.  And every year I reach the point where I just start stuffing things into cupboards!!

So August will find me having to do more sorting than I'd like to.  But until then I will just function in vacation mode!!

(I was noting that for an activity that really consumes a lot of my life, I really don't have very many "school" photos!)

Long ago and very far away it seems!!

Monrovia High School has had a Teacher Honor Guard at their graduation ceremonies for the last few years.  Students are asked to invite teachers who have made a difference in their lives to attend the festivities.  This year a former student chose me.  There was a little reception beforehand, and then we donned robes and marched out ahead of the students.  We sat on the field and were part of the action, up close and personal you might say!!

I generally eschew graduation ceremonies because they seem to all degenerate into rowdiness and other less than enjoyable affairs.  But now I am thinking that it's because I am in the audience.  Being down on the field is a whole other matter!!

The Camarata Singers did a fine job.  The speakers were pretty good.  The band played well.  Only one beach ball was confiscated.  I saw 8 former students of mine graduate.

And I wasn't anywhere near the audience!

(The above photo is of my high school graduation in January of 1963 - that's right folks,  over 50 years ago!!  I am with my Grandpa Clayton and my Grandma Connie.  And she is wearing a hat!)

Let's get this show on the road!

Can I just say that Eliza did a great job researching and arranging tours for us.  We started out Friday morning on a tour of the Lowry Hill area where the Hart family moved after Maud finished high school.

 

Our guide was a well-versed fan of Betsy Tacy - and her restored neighborhood.

 

The apartment building where Joe and Betsy lived after they were married - well, at least the one it was modeled on!

 

With Kathy, our guide.

 

First house Maud and Delos bought.  Maud acknowledged that the Joe and Betsy scenario did not mirror real life - she met Delos long after high school - but she said that she gave Joe all the great qualities she loved in her husband.

 

The bay window Maud talks about after Joe and Betsy get married.

It was lovely and cool and breezy and sunny - they had had a lot of rain before we got there, so we felt pretty lucky.  

There is really something wonderful about absorbing a neighborhood - a time and place that can bring stories alive for you.

More to come!!

A Minneapolis Sunday in June!!

Bonny did some Google searching and found four Frank Lloyd Wright houses in Minneapolis, so we were able to find two of them after church on Sunday.

 

This is the second one.  The girls said, "Be sure to get the boat trailer in the shot!1"

 

We went to the University of Minnesota Institute for Sacrament meeting on Sunday - I'm pretty sure I was the oldest person there!!

 

Starting the good-byes as Hannah and Eliza got ready to board.  There had been a moment of panic when Hannah got a text that their flight had been cancelled.  Robbie, ever the man of the hour, found them another flight - and they were home before the rest of us even got back to the airport!!

Check out the Terrill blog for the back story on all this - I've been doing a lot of explaining - I feel redundant!!

And watch for more photos!!