As I searched my memory bank for the years 1950 to 1953, it became obvious that these years were jammed packed with events, experiences and decisions, which were important to me in many ways. Yes, it is only four years in my life, but these four years include my final semester in junior high, all three years of high school and the first semester of college. If you reflect back to your teen years, I am sure you will remember how busy those years were and how important they were in helping shape who you are today. No, you did not stop growing after these years, your growth continues throughout life, but these years form the base from which you grow and mature. This growing and maturing process allows you to correct mistakes made during these formative years. However, one essay cannot adequately cover all my experiences during these years. Thus, a second essay will be necessary to complete my story for this time period. An attempt will be made to keep things in chronological order, but it is not guaranteed.
Suddenly, in 1950, a decision was reached as to “what I want to be when I grow up!” I decided that my goal was to become a professional baseball player, preferably a Major League player. I did not reach this decision just because I began playing American Legion baseball. Although playing American Legion baseball was a factor, this decision was based to a large extent on extended family members. To understand this decision, another regression in time is necessary to the spring of 1948. Mom’s Second Cousin Jack Graham was playing for the San Diego Padres in 1948. The Padres belonged to the Pacific Coast AAA Minor League, and I met Jack in a chance encounter and Jack and his mother, Louise, entered the life of the Price family. This initial meeting and our families' relationships will be fully discussed in an essay on baseball. Jack entering my life, plus being selected on the American Legion team, forms the basis of my decision to become a professional baseball player. It was in a Ninth Grade Social Studies class; I made this future life’s decision while studying career opportunities. From this point on, baseball became my passion, and Jack became a major influence in my life. This passion included all things baseball, which meant playing catch with Dad in the backyard, reading the Sporting News, reading the Baseball Almanac, reading the Sports page, watching games on TV and listening to radio baseball broadcasts.
Baseball radio broadcasts were for Pacific Coast League (PCL) teams in the Los Angeles area and selected major league games. These local PCL teams were the Los Angeles Angels and the Hollywood Stars. Although the Angels and Stars games were also on TV, I listened to games on the radio, because we did not have a television until about 1951. Radio broadcast of major league games were unique. Until 1958 all major league teams were in cities east of the Mississippi River. Because all these teams were in the East, there was no local radio broadcast. All major league radio broadcast were recreated. A recreated baseball game was time delayed broadcast of a game by a local sports announcer. The game was time delayed because the announcer had to read a teletype ticker tape, which provided what was happening in the game, and this tape was probably a minimum of 5 minutes behind the action. The announcer added comments as though he was at the game and could see what was happening. There was a tape of crowd noise playing, which was increased in volume for hits and good defensive plays. The announcer would simulate a hit ball by striking a wood block with another piece of wood. These recreated games were quite realistic, and it took a while to discover it was not a live broadcast. Once we had a television, I watched major league games on Saturday Game of the Week. My baseball passion carried on to high school and beyond.
My last easy mentioned I chose to attend Woodrow Wilson High School. Wilson was located in East Long Beach about four miles from downtown at Tenth Street and Ximeno Avenue. Our house was over five miles from Wilson. This distance meant walking or biking to school was out of the question. We were a one car family, and Dad used it for going to work, and Los Alamitos Naval Air Station was the opposite direction from Wilson. Thus, the only alternative was to ride a public bus. A booklet of bus tickets were purchased, and the tickets were placed in the fare box when you boarded the bus. This ticket was available only to students and was about 1/2 the full fare, or 10 cents. I rode these buses all three years of attendance at Wilson, with a few exceptions.
An elevated satellite view shows the current Wilson campus. Basically, the main part of the school appears as I remember it. However, there appears to be more building than I remember on campus. The block to the right of the main campus is totally different . I remember only four tennis courts, not eight. My recollections that there were bungalows next to the tennis courts, not a large building. Also on this block opposite the football field is what appears to be a practice field. This field was not there during my attendance. The athletic field occupy the same part of the campus as when I was there. The baseball field is to the left of the football field, bleachers and track. The building marked with a red splotch was condemned and could not be occupied.
Woodrow Wilson High School, Elevated View
A recent photo of Woodrow Wilson High School shows the entrance to the main building. This building’s appearance looks just the same as when I attended on my first day of school.
Woodrow Wilson High School
Woodrow Wilson High School was constructed in 1925 as the second high school in Long Beach. The school was opened for classes in 1926. However, this main building does not appear as it did when constructed in1925. This main building originally had a Campanile, or tower. An original photo of Wilson shortly after it was built shows this Campanile. The tall building at the right was the Auditorium where school assemblies were held. In March 1933 an earthquake hit Long Beach damaging the Campanile and to most of the school’s buildings. The Campanile base can be seen in the recent photo just to the left of the entrance arches.
Woodrow Wilson High School, circa 1926
This old photo shows the damage to the Campanile, which is in the process of being demolished and taken down.
Earthquake Damaged Campanile, Spring 1933
Fortunately, the earthquake struck late in the day, 5:54 PM, so classes were not in progress. In fact, Jack Graham and the baseball team were playing in Santa Ana when the earthquake struck. Following the earthquake, school buildings were declared unsafe and could not be occupied. When school resumed, classes were held either outside or in tents for the remainder of the school year. During good weather classes were held out of doors throughout the school campus. It appears the most popular area for classes was in an area designated The Quad. The following photo shows multiple classes being held in this popular area of the campus. Looking at these photos it is very hard to imagine holding classes in these conditions. In a sense it is just like a very large one-room school house, except there are several teachers. Keeping the students attention would have been a real challenge, I am sure. A class clown could disrupt more than just one class but also those nearby. I cannot believe this situation would be workable in the present day environment. I am not sure it would have worked during my time at Wilson.
Classes In The Quad, Spring 1933
Weather conditions in the spring of 1933 did no always allow classes to be held outside as shown in the photo. Based on other photos taken during this time, these photos clearly indicate rainstorms had an impact on where classes were held. Tents were erected in open areas of the campus, but space around the tents was rather swampy. Planks were laid down to provide walkways over the muddy ground. It appears that the 1933 spring was a rather wet one, or the photo was taken immediately after a rainstorm. This photo shows classroom tents and planks laid down to keep feet dry by spanning the puddles.
My Sophomore year at Wilson, 1950-51, was celebrated as the school’s Silver Anniversary. Our school annual, Campanile, had a silver colored cover that year. Photos of Wilson in 1926 and those following the earthquake were in this anniversary annual.
Tents and Planks, Spring 1933
Eventually most of the buildings were declared safe for occupancy and the 1933-34 school year returned to normal operations. However, even in 1950 there was still one building that was condemned and sat empty for my entire three years at Wilson. This building was marked with the red splotch in the elevated view of Wilson. This building has been renovated, or rebuilt, and is now in operation. It should be noted that the gym was destroyed in the earthquake and was finally rebuilt and finished for the 1950-51 school year. Hence, during my first year at Wilson, our basketball team was able to play on its own court for the first time in 17 years!
After finding the Silver Anniversary Campanile, I thought including the old photos showing the original Campanile and the effects of the 1933 earthquake were important. Certainly, the one condemned building and a new gym after 17 years, made an impression that reminded me of the 1933 earthquake. There were family stories of this earthquake, and Jack Graham was attending Wilson at the time. All these memories were with me during my time at Wilson and were a vivid part of my high school experience.
Including these old photos of life at Wilson after the earthquake provides a window into the character of this generation. At the time the nation’s economy was entering the Great Depression, then their education is totally turned on its head. Their school is a disaster, but teachers and students continue with the learning process. The photo of tents and planks highlights the adverse conditions these students endured. Adapting to these adverse situations prepared them to overcome tremendous obstacles, enter World War II and became part of The Greatest Generation! I wonder if today’s generation of teenagers could endure such conditions. I even wonder whether my generation would have dealt with such adversity.
When Woodrow Wilson was opened in 1926 its students were from the East Long Beach area. During World War II and into the years after the war, a building boom north of Wilson meant a larger area from which to draw students. When I entered Wilson as a Sophomore in September 1950 there were about 1,700 total students, with Sophomores totaling almost 600 students. Without a doubt, the Wilson campus, and the number of students, was the largest I had experienced since starting school. Nevertheless, I experienced a similar situation that occurred whenever starting at a new school. I felt lost with so many new faces, and familiar ones hard to find. I was assigned to a Home Room class that consisted of almost no one I knew from Lakewood Junior High. I did not know any of the boys and perhaps only one or two girls. My two closest friends, Jack Coolidge and Paul Norcross, were in different Home Rooms and were not in any of my classes. I only saw them at lunch or briefly between classes. Making matters worse, I was assigned a locker that was not anywhere near any of my classes. However, Paul Norcross came to the rescue with a locker centrally convenient for both of us. Actually, the locker had been assigned to Ted Pepoy, Paul’s friend. The three of us shared this locker all three years. Sharing this locker with Ted and Paul also allowed us to meet briefly at various times during the day. Since I was a Sophomore, most of the players I knew from the American Legion team were Juniors or Seniors, and they were seldom seen either, except if their lunch period was the same as mine.
I will not ask you to find me in my Sophomore Home Room photo. Actually, this photo is for two Home Rooms and not mine exclusively. I am in the back row, the eighth one from the right. Standing to my right is Robin Reed and next to Robin is Bill Price. Robin and Bill were on school athletic teams, and we became friends over the years at Wilson. Robin was a wrestler and a shot putter. Bill played water polo and was on the swim team. There was also a Ted Price in my Home Room, but he is not in the photo. My hair style was a Flat Top, which meant it was long on the sides, brushed back, while the center was cut short like a butch. It appears weird in the photo, it looks like I have horns but was one of the common styles of the day. For the next 27 years I wore Flat Tops or Crew Cuts until I could no longer find a barber that could cut the Crew Cut correctly Unfortunately, I do not have my school annuals from 1952 and 1953. I am sure they are in the dust bin of history somewhere.
Sophomore Home Room, 1950
In addition to everyone in my Home Room being strangers, I do not remember knowing anyone in any of my other classes. It seemed that every class was full of strangers. It was difficult to become acquainted with classmates during class because once a class ended, I was off to my next class of strangers. Of course, Physical Education (PE) classes were different, because playing sports required interaction with other boys. As a result, I was able to develop friendships with previously unknown boys. In general, these friendships were only in PE and did not extend to other classes but provided new lunch opportunities. There were two classes my Sophomore year where I would have benefitted to have someone to study with; these classes were French and Plane Geometry.
There were no foreign language classes at Lakewood Junior High, and I had been encouraged to enroll in a foreign language in high school. Who encouraged me is unclear, but I do not believe it was either Mom or Dad. So, in my Sophomore year I enrolled in a first year class in French. My reason for selecting French has been long forgotten, but French was certainly a naive choice. Fortunately for me, my teacher was probably either naive or in-experienced. Miss Loftness was from Luxembourg, and this was her first year teaching in America. Perhaps since French was her first language and English a second language, she was very tolerant with my struggling to learn French. Miss Loftness is shown in a photo with the other Wilson Foreign Language teachers.
Mr. Robinson, Mrs. Dougherty, Miss Loftness, Mr. Ochoa
I just could not wrap my brain around the French language. French was the first course I had taken that was a complete mystery. I had no idea what were the essential elements required to learn a foreign language. The fundamental problem stemmed from the fact I did not understand English as a language. Yes, I had English classes, knew how to diagram sentences, possessed a fair vocabulary and could write coherent reports. Yet, I was ignorant of the English language. Basically, it was a matter of not seeing the forest for the trees. It was not until my Senior year that I finally saw the forest! Besides not understanding English, proper French pronunciation was a mystery to me. Each alphabet letter possessed a specific sound, but spelling conventions either hid some letters, while others became silent. I did not easily grasp these conventions; it was all very confusing. I had no concept of verb conjugating, the essence of any language. Needless to say, I was completely confused from the beginning. Finally, I and no friends taking French; Mom and Dad could not help, and I did not attempt to study with anyone in the class. I received a C grade both semesters because I had a reasonable French-English vocabulary. I attributed this vocabulary knowledge to my memory, not a real understanding of the language. After complaining to Paul Norcross about French, he suggested Spanish with a certain teacher for my Junior year. After the experience with French, I decided to change my foreign language study and change to Spanish. If I had known where my life would take me I would have continued with the study of French or German. German would have been appropriated for my engineering career; French would have been an asset for my later bike tours in France. Enrolling in Plane Geometry was a good decision, but it was not recognized at the time.
I had first year Algebra in the Ninth Grade at Lakewood Junior High and decided to continue studying higher mathematics. I rather suspect this decision was encouraged by Dad, but it the decision may have been solely mine. Dad studied advanced math courses at night school, and I may have decided to follow his math studies. So, I enrolled in Plane Geometry, which was taught by Mrs. McBurnie. Her class was seventh period, the last period of the day. Plane Geometry required a totally different approach to math than I had experienced so far. This difference required a completely different form of reasoning than algebra required. There were Theorems and Corollaries that required a Proof. Each Proof was achieved by asserting a step by step of true statements. For some Proofs there was more than one series of true statements that were correct. Because there were more than one approach to proving a Theorem or Corollary, you had to learn to think in a logical manner. I believe learning this process is essential for any topic, not just mathematics. As a consequence, Plane Geometry was a challenge for me. However, once I determined what was required, the course became very interesting. Mrs. McBurnie allowed some class time to work on problems, which allowed me to consult with other students. This class time was helpful, plus Dad helped me with homework. When the second semester started I encountered a new problem.
When I signed up for the second semester classes, I made a BIG MISTAKE that fouled up both Plane Geometry and playing baseball. Baseball was a second semester sport, and the really smart people switched their PE class to seventh period. Well, I failed to make the switch, and I was still in the Plane geometry for seventh Period. Why didn’t I make the switch? I am not really sure, but I did not talk with the baseball coach during the first semester. Not talking to the coach was definitely the problem. Because of this goof, I had to go to baseball practice after seventh period, which was a detriment to playing baseball, because I lost about an hour of practice time. When there were away games I had to have Mr.s McBurnie sign a permission slip to miss her class. By not switching my schedule of classes, both had an impact on both math and baseball; what a way to learn a lesson. Mrs. McBurnie was understanding about my skipping class for baseball. I believe she was an excellent teacher. She is shown in a photo with other Wilson math teachers. I do not have to identify all the other teachers because she is the only woman.
Mrs. McBurnie
Unfortunately, I did not continue taking math classes. As a result, Trigonometry, Advanced Algebra and Spherical Trigonometry were not taken and were delayed until college. I am not sure why math studies were not continued, but, at this time, no decision had been made about the direction of my life and college. Another huge mistake by not looking ahead, but I still had professional baseball on my mind.
Playing baseball my Sophomore year was one of disappointment on several levels. Of course not switching my PE class to seventh period was a major mistake that affected the entire baseball year. I made no attempt to tryout for the Varsity team but went straight to the Junior Varsity (JV) team. It was rare that a Sophomore made Varsity, except when there was a player with exceptional baseball talent, and I was not in that category. There was only one baseball diamond/field at Wilson, and it was reserved for the Varsity practice and games. The practice field for the JV was on the Northeast corner of tenth Street and Park Avenue in a large softball sports facility. This field was home for the fabled Long Beach Nitehwaks fast pitch softball team. This facility was a huge grassless field that contained four softball/baseball diamonds. Basically, the field was like one large dirt infield covered with brick dust. The field was very hard, and, if you missed a ground ball, it easily rolled for 400 feet. This Sophomore baseball year is rather nondescript, and I do not remember much abut this year. I do remember that during the first few practices, Coach Hunt commented that he considered me a hitter not an outfielder. His opinion was based on the fact that on the first day, I misjudged a couple fly balls. In my opinion, his assessment was backwards. I do not remember playing in any games. Because I was not in the Seventh Period class, I was not included in the JV Baseball photo taken for the Campanile. The kindest thing that can be said for my JV baseball experience is that it was a bust. My baseball misfortunes continued into the summer and the American legion team. High School athletic rules forbid playing for other teams until the school season was concluded. Thus, it was not possible to begin American Legion baseball until sometime in early June. At that time the American legion team began working out. When the team roster was selected, I was not on the team. American Legion rules stated no player age 18 or greater could be selected for a team. To ensure this rule was satisfied, birth certificates had to be submitted to the team manager. It was rumored that one of the players submitted an altered, or fake, birth certificate showing he was 17 years old. I have no idea if the rumor was true or not, but since the Coach George Caster asked me to continue practicing with the team and play when possible, the rumor may have been valid. Despite this set back, I did not want to give up playing baseball and continued with the team as Coach Caster requested.
Perhaps one could say my Sophomore year at Wilson was also a bust, but there was one highlight for the year that started in my Social Studies class. The emphasis in the Sophomore Social Studies was on world history. We were introduced to the societies ofAncient Greece and the Roman Empire, which were all new to me, which provided an interest into the study of history. Besides World History, this class included an introduction to Driver’s Education. While there was no hands-on Driver Education, we were provided with the California Vehicle Code pamphlet. This pamphlet allowed me to study in preparation for obtaining my Learner’s Permit when I turned 15 1/2 years old on February 14, 1951. I passed the test with a perfect score and could begin learning to drive. After all, I would be 16 years old in 6 months and what could be more prized for any red blooded male than obtaining your Driver’s License. Dad became my driver instructor and to the best of my recollection my first lessons were on dirt roads in the Foothills of Corona. Dad wanted me to learn the basics without any other cars around. Plus, I had to learn the proper skill of using a manual transmission without giving everyone whip lash. Dad’s instruction worked to perfection so that within a week of turning 16 years old, I passed my driver’s test. In fact, the Driving Inspector gave Dad a thumbs up sign when we returned from my driving test. Now, I had wheels - whenever Dad let me borrow the car. I considered my driving skills as very good when Mom commented she thought I was better driver than Dad. Something I never mentioned to him.
After acquiring my driver’s license, it seemed the summer of 1951 was over, and it was time to start my Junior year. Having learned some important lessons in my Sophomore year, changes were made in my course curriculum that made my Junior year better than the previous one. While the Social Studies and English classes were nondescript in terms of content and the occurrence of any significant events. Those courses that were memorable included Spanish, Physiology, PE and JV Baseball.
I believe my Sophomore year at Wilson is an excellent window into the essence of my character. When I encounter an unfamiliar environment, I withdraw from this new unknown by isolating myself from the situation. Basically, I turn into myself and avoid contact with others as much as possible. Making new friends is very hard for me to do, and this fact is very obvious during my Sophomore year. I did not make any new friends in any of my classes, even in those classes that were a challenge. Another aspect of this withdrawal is evident since I did not seek information about changing PE classes and playing baseball at Wilson. Yes, you can say that these are the characteristics of a shy person. I believe this characteristic was the result of so many moves, new schools, limited playmates and no siblings for my first eight years of life. Plus, during these early years, Mom and Dad could have been overprotective. To a great extent I have overcome these character flaws, but, as for any behavior characteristic, there is still a trace of it, which can come forward at any time. I still find it difficult to make new friends, because revealing yourself to strangers is a hurdle I find trouble getting over. I just do not make instant friends; but if we have a common interest, developing a relationship becomes much easier.
Based on my experience with French and Paul Norcross’ recommendation, I enrolled in Mr. Glover’s Spanish I class. Wow, what a difference this change made in the study of a foreign language. I totally understood what I was doing. There were two main reasons for this change. First, pronunciation of Spanish was easy and spelling was a snap. Yes, there were Spanish phrases that had unusual translation to English, but that is the nature of foreign languages. Second, Mr. Glover was a really cool guy! Mr. Glover was in his early thirties (a guess), wore a crew cut and was very informal. Each summer vacation, he lived in Mexico City. As a consequence, his approach to teaching Spanish included stories of his summers, which provided insights into the language. Mr. Glover was alway upbeat, and his class was very relaxed. In fact, Mr. Glover’s class was one that I hated when the bell rang and the class was over and finished. A photo of Mr. Glover shows him with other Social Study teachers. He taught Social Studies for Senior students. Mr. Glover on the right end of the front row. Notice, Mr. Glover is the only teacher that is not wearing a tie.
Mr. Glover, Spanish Teacher
Physiology was the other major class taken in my Junior year that was very interesting. While there is no recollection as to why I took the class, the subject was fascinating. Physiology is the study of the human body. What I learned in this class, I have retained throughout my life, and some of those things are still useful today. Plus, some of the class’ information influenced decisions made about life. Knowledge about various parts of the human body are extremely helpful in understanding your doctor’s diagnosis and treatment. We learned about the skeleton, circulatory system, digestive system, the sensory systems and the functions for almost all of the muscles. Although reading about these various body functions would have been boring, but Mr. Shallenberger was a great teacher. His lectures added information in a manner that made study of Physiology extremely interesting and understandable. His lectures on the effects of alcohol, marijuana and other drugs were informative and sobering. Learning how alcohol affects reaction time, while marijuana distorts the perception of space and time had a profound effect on me in a couple of ways. Since baseball requires eye-hand coordination and near instantaneous reaction time, I knew these substances were not for me. Plus, I could not understand why impairing your thought processes was a “fun” thing to do. A photo of the Science teachers has Mr. Shallenberger in the middle of the back row. He is wearing a dark tie that appears to have white polka dots. Some 20 years after taking his class in Physiology a woman in our department commented how Mr. Shallenberger had a huge impact on her life.
Mr. Shallenberger, Physiology, Middle of Back Row
You probably wonder why Physical Education (PE) was a memorable class in my Junior year. During the first semester of my Junior year the PE coach was Mr. Patterson, the Varsity Basketball Coach. Mr. Patterson was the best PE coach I had while at Wilson. He watched all the PE games we played and was always present during the period. His presence was unique, since usually the PE coach would take roll and left you to your own devices. I remember a compliment he gave me for a block during flag football. During the second half of the semester our class began playing basketball. We played full court basketball, on the short court, with five players on a team. One day Mr. Patterson approached me near the end of the period to say he wanted me to come out for the basketball team. He had noticed something in my basketball skills that he believed would be an asset to the school teams. He invited me to participate in basketball drills being conducted after school. As a consequence, I went to the first two or three after school sessions, where I was introduced to Coach Hunt (last year’s JV baseball coach), the B Team Basketball Coach. At the time the B Teams were for those boys with smaller height and weight measurements. Because I was an underweight shrimp I would probably have played on the B Team. However, I discovered the basketball season overlapped with the baseball season. Since I did not want to miss one day of baseball the decision was made to forego playing basketball. I have regretted this decision ever since. I played pick-up basketball into my thirties and know that I would have been successful at school basketball. Perhaps even more successful than playing baseball. After quitting the basketball class, it was time to begin playing baseball.
However, before baseball season started, I had my first high school date. I had known Lanelle Jackson for about 3 years, I met her while at Lakewood Junior High. I met her through her brother Bob “Tex” Jackson. Tex was my age and Lanelle was about a year younger and one grade behind me. Lanelle and Tex lived on the way home from school, which afforded many opportunities to become well acquainted with each other. Lanelle was attractive and we enjoyed talking whenever we met. Our friendship continued into high school, but was somewhat casual. Sometime, probably while collecting for newspaper delivery, we net near her house. During the course of the conservation I mentioned acquiring my driver’s license and being able to drive the family car. She asked about the car make, and when I told her it was a 1941 Ford, she said that was her favorite car make. Now I may have been naive and shy, but I was not stupid. I asked Lanelle to attend a Wilson basketball game, to which she agreed. In actuality, my date with Lanelle was a double date with Milo Kellogg who dated Lanelle’s best friend. How this double date occurred I have no recollection. Unfortunately, the double date did not go well. Milo met another girl at the basketball game and promised we would take her home. Well, this “pick-up” was an insult to Lanelle and her friend, which meant the rest of the evening after the game was all down hill. I made the mistake of letting Milo ruin the date, but did not have the foresight to tell him we could not take this other girl home. I subsequently asked Lanelle to a movie, but she was baby sitting that particular night. I am not really sure why I did not try further dates with Lanelle. Thus, ended my dating experience during my Junior year.
My Junior year baseball experience was totally different from baseball in my Sophomore year. These differences were a result in a number of changes at school and my approach to batting. Since I am naturally right-handed, batting was always from the right side of the plate. After attending a sports lecture I made the decision to bat left-handed. I asked Jack Graham’s opinion about hitting left-handed and his respond was, “If you can keep from being hit by a pitch, it would be okay.” At this point, I began practicing batting left-handed, and when baseball started at Wilson, I had switched to hitting left-handed. Besides changing my batting approach, Jack Graham told me to “go out” for the Varsity team, to which I objected. I did not believe my baseball skills were at the Varsity level. Jack was insistent, so I approached the Varsity Coach, Cliff Meyer, and informed him I wanted to try for his team. I knew several of the Varsity players, because I had played with them for a couple of years with the American Legion team and other teams we played for after the Legion season ended. After a week practicing with the Varsity Coach Meyer told me to report to the Junior Varsity.
The Junior Varsity had a new coach when I arrived at the practice field across Park Avenue. The new coach was Skip Rowland, who had just been hired after “retiring” from his Minor League baseball career. In addition to the new coach, there were a whole new set of players, mostly Sophomores. As it turned out these Sophomores joined my American Legion team after school was out, and we played together several years. Coach Rowland was an excellent coach and really taught us to play baseball well. I was still learning to bat left-handed, and I improved considerably during the year. While I played in most of the JV games, I was not first string. Even though I was not a starter, this baseball year was enjoyable on several levels. Coach Rowland taught us to think at all times during a game and taught me to drag bunt while encouraging me during games. Playing baseball was fun this year, and I made several new friends on this team. Some of these friends were Bob Thompson, Chig Hoerner, Bob Schuler, Jim Pagliaroni and Milt Wilhite. Bob Schuler and Jim Pagliaroni became professional baseball players. Of these friends, Milt Wilhite became one of my best friends through high school and for several years. How did the team do this year? I am not sure, but I believe we won most of our games. The team was very good and there was promise for the next year. Before the JV season ended I learned a family secret that had never been mentioned by either Mom or Dad.
Once the JV schedule was completed, school was out and the summer of 1952 began. This summer was a summer of leisure. I had quit my paper route before the baseball season began at Wilson. My summer was devoted to playing baseball, going to the beach and mostly being a lazy teenager. However, this summer did not start out well. The first day of summer vacation, Milo and I hitchhiked to Huntington Beach for a day on the beach. We spent all day on the beach in our swimming trunks without wearing any type shirt. For me, the result was a severe sunburn; I mean a severe sunburn. That night after dinner Mom offered to put some baby oil on my back. As soon as she touched my back with the oil, I passed out momentarily and fell to the floor. Mom asked, “What’s wrong?” I said, “I was just fooling around,," not wanting to admit I had passed out. How bad was the sunburn? Every-time I moved my back and legs would let me know they were burned, and eventually my entire back blistered and the blisters broke a couple of weeks later. At the time I was more concerned about playing baseball with the sunburn. Milo and I went to Huntington Beach on Friday and my American Legion game was scheduled for two days later on Sunday. My baseball uniform was 100% wool and my concern was the uniform would itch and irritate the sunburn. As usual, we played a double header, but the sunburn did not turn out to be a factor in the way I played. Before receiving the sunburn, I discovered something of a family secret.
As mentioned previously, playing American Legion Baseball was limited to those boys under 18 years of age. Thus, my birth certificate had to be submitted to the Manager for submission with the team roster. To my knowledge, the previous years my folks submitted the birth certificate to the team manager. This year I was given the birth certificate to hand to the team manager. As a curious teenager, I looked over the document to verify my birthdate and discovered what could only be called a family secret. If not a secret, it was a subject never mentioned out loud. What caught my eye was the very last line on the certificate. Line Item #30 read: Number of children of this mother (At the time of this birth including this child) 2. The line continues: (a) Born alive and living 1 (b) born alive but now dead 0 (c) Stillborn 1. Holy Cow! Mom had a baby before me that was stillborn. I was shocked to make this discovery and had no idea what to say or do. For what ever reason, I decided not to say anything, and kept the discovery to myself. Somehow I suspected the mention of a stillborn baby was a very unhappy memory and nothing would be gained by mentioning the subject. My birth certificate is shown with red circles around the numerals in (a) and (c).
Royal’s Birth Certificate
I have kept this stillborn secret, not even telling Berta until sometime in the last few years. I informed Cousin Carol las year while writing the Blog. I cannot recollect telling anyone else in the family about this unmentioned subject. Now all will know the secret. Then there are times, I wish I had asked about it. However, I am pretty sure not asking was the right approach based on Mom’s reaction when I mentioned knowledge of Granddad Price’s suicide. After Dad had passed, I mentioned knowing about the suicide, Mom broke into tears and started crying. Her reaction was a clear indication that his suicide was a family secret. I believe her reaction certainly is a good indication that the stillborn child was also a family secret not to be discussed. By September 1952 the sunburn had been forgotten, and the family secret buried deep in my memory; I began my Senior year at Wilson, which began a brand new chapter in my life. In a sense, this new chapter began while practicing baseball.
Most of the JV Baseball Team joined the American Legion team and several of us would practice together during the week or on weekends. Bob Thompson, Chig Hoerner and Milt Wilhite all lived in the Bixby Knolls area of Long beach. I would ride a bus or hitchhike to Milt’s house for practices at an Elementary school near his house. Could you imagine in today’s environment, picking up a hitchhiking teenager carrying a baseball bat? There did not seem to be a problem in my day. Well, one day just before school started Milt and I were practicing by ourselves, when Milt, asked, “If you could get the family car would you be interested in a double date?” There was a Sophomore at Jordan High School he wanted to date. Milt had a cousin, a Senior at Jordan, who would be my blind date. Milt’s “plan” was to attend a Jordan football game against Compton High School. I told him it sounded okay, but I had to ask Dad to borrow the car. Dad said okay, so the double date was on.
Milt’s heartthrob was Mary Lou. His cousin was Beverly Ann Wilhite. Both Mary Lou and Beverly were in a Mariner’s Senior Girl Scout Troop and were friends. When the big night arrived, I picked Milt up first. My folk’s car was a 1950 four door Ford. Then we went to Mary Lou’s house. Milt went to the door, met Mary Lou’s parents and he walked her to the car. Milt opened the rear door for Mary Lou. After she was in the rear seat, Milt shut the door and got back into the front seat with me! Next, he introduced me to Mary Lou. Milt’s action started our double date off on a very strange note. Milt directed me to Beverly’s house and said he would get Beverly. When Milt and Beverly came to the car, he opened the rear door for her also, closed the door after she was inside and returned to the front seat again. After introducing Beverly to me, we started for Compton High School.
After we arrived at the football stadium and we were walking to the ticket booth, Beverly, asked me, “Why was Mary Lou in the back seat and Milt was in the front seat?” I told her what happened when Milt brought Mary Lou to the car. After the game was over, Beverly and I were walking together somewhat ahead of Milt and Mary Lou. Beverly said, “Let’s walk fast and get to the car first so Milt and Mary Lou have to sit together in the back seat.” Walking fast, we arrived at the car first because I opened the door for Beverly, and she got in the front seat. Now Milt had to sit with Mary Lou in the back seat. My only memory of the rest of the evening was we took the girls home and I took Milt home. Milt never dated Mary Lou again. I am not sure that decision was Milt’s or Mary Lou’s. While the blind date for me was uneventful, Beverly and I began dating throughout our Senior year and continued dating into our college days.
While my blind date started my Senior year on a different course, the year at Wilson was not that much different from my Junior year. My class load was not overwhelming, but in retrospect somewhat easy. I took only two major classes; Second Year Spanish and Physics. Mom recommended I take Typing, which turned out to be a benefit throughout my adult life, especially when personal computers came into common use. Although I was aware Dad and Mom wanted me to attend college, I did not take many college preparatory classes. I am sure part of the reason for not taking these type classes involved not knowing what I wanted to do in life, other than play baseball. Dad and Mom, especially Dad, knew the importance of an education. But neither had gone to college and they seemed to be unaware what was entailed for college preparation. In fact, I do not remember having any discussions with them about what occupation interested me. Thus, my Senior year classes were not oriented to any specific occupation.
Although I enjoyed Physics, the class was not too exciting. I did not have any difficulty with the subject and received a B Grade both semesters. There did not seem to be anything memorable that happened to me in class, nor were there any memorable students in the class. I just draw a complete blank about the class. I do not even remember the teacher’s name. Spanish class was more memorable. Best I can remember is that Mrs. Dougherty was the teacher. A photo above shows her next to Miss Loftness with the other Language teachers. It was in this class that I finally grasped the English language. I did not have difficulty with Spanish and learning about verb conjugations, for example, the various verb tenses such as present, future, past and so on, I began to understand English as a language. I have always said, “I learned English in a Spanish class.” I firmly believe that if I had this type understanding of the English language, my experience with French would have been a better one. It was in this class I had a desk next to Jon Meyer, the son of the Varsity baseball coach. Jon was also the star quarterback of the B Football Team. Besides sharing the same Spanish class, we each shared a common teenage affliction—-acne. Acne had plagued me for most of my teenage years, first starting while in Junior High. I was constantly “popping pimples” that left scaring on my face. Jon’s acne was worse than mine, and his face was severely pock marked. I was very self conscious about my acne, but knowing a star quarterback who also had the same problem helped me to be less self conscious.
I had two Social Studies teachers in my Senior year. The first semester was Mr. Glover, last year’s Spanish teacher. Mr. Glover’s demeanor was the same as in Spanish, relaxed and interesting. He continued to tell stores about spending his summers in Mexico City. I learned he had been a tank commander in World War II and had been wounded. Topics covered in his class were varied and covered many subjects. I remember taking a Kuder Test to determine what type occupation would be best suited to your interests and capabilities. I do not remember the test results, but I was disappointed that the results were so general and vague. My Social Studies class the second semester was taught by a woman whose name I do not remember. However, there are two things she taught me that have been useful throughout my life. She talked about the old saying, “Practice makes perfect.” She indicated while there is truth to the phrase, it is only true if you practice the correct way. In other words, if you practice the wrong thing you will not become perfect. The second thing she taught was by a simple demonstration. We were asked to fold a piece of paper being sure to fold it crooked, and crease the fold. Next, we were to re-fold the paper so that it was folded with the edges matching, then re-crease the paper. We were told to consider the fold as a habit, or behavior. The first crooked crease was an old habit, while the new crease was the changed new habit. When you unfold the last “good habit” crease, the original “bad habit” crease could still be seen. Basically, even though you correct a behavior, the old behavior is still present and can be repeated if not careful. I have carried this simple demonstration with me ever since as a reminder that I may correct something, it is always possible to fall back into old habits. My final semester at Wilson was probably the easiest one for all three years. It was the easiest because besides Physics and Spanish I enrolled in a second semester of typing, Study Hall and, of course, baseball.
Baseball practice began in February with the entire last year’s JV team moving up to play Varsity. Coach Cliff Meyer was my third baseball coach in three years at Wilson. Coach Meyer was baseball knowledgeable and was very good in teaching batting techniques. The best photo of Coach Meyer shows him with Frank Followell and Bud Daley. Frank and Bud were the CIF Co-Players of the year in 1950. Frank was signed by the Boston Braves (Atlanta Braves). Bud was signed by the Cleveland Indians and went on to be a relief pitcher for the New York Yankees. Frank injured his arm, quitting baseball. I had batting practice against Bud a couple of times. It was common for former Wilson graduates that played professional baseball to attend our practices. Jack Graham attended several practices in 1953.
Coach Cliff Meyer, Frank Followell, Bud Daley
Despite the positive note when baseball practice started, the year turned out to be a disappointment for me. I had played two years of JV baseball and, as a Senior, could not be cut from the team. Players from the previous year’s JV team were Juniors and I remember one other Senior from last year’s varsity, Bill Bouley. However, two Seniors came out for the team who had not played previously. One was Russ Tyler, Wilson’s star of the basketball team and an excellent athlete. The other new Senior was Dick McCurdy, rumored to be a transfer from a school district outside Long Beach. Russ Tyler did not begin working out with the team until the basketball season was completed. When Coach Meyer handed out the Varsity uniforms, I received only the baseball pants. Russ and Dick received uniform tops with numerals on the back. In essence, I was not a regular member of the team. While I did get to play in some games, I had to borrow a uniform top from one of the other players. This player that gave up his uniform top had already played and had been removed from the game. As a consequence, I did not play in many games. Thus, my Senior year was a rather bitter disappointment. I did not resent Russ Tyler receiving a full uniform and playing, because he was a good ball player. However, I did harbor resentment about Dick McCurdy because in my estimation he was not a good ball player. I never did understand Coach Meyer’s favoring him ahead of me. I do not remember Coach Meyer talking to me about the situation, and to my detriment I never ask him why Dick was placed in front of me. Quitting baseball never entered my mind, even though I did feel unjustly treated.
As graduation approached, there were two events Seniors considered important events. First, was Senior Ditch Day. Senior Ditch Day was the day seniors skipped all classes and participated in an activity as a class. Our Ditch Day was a cruise to Santa Catalina Island to spend the day. Since most of my friends were Juniors, I attended Ditch Day with Paul Norcross and Ted Pepoy. For me the best part of the day was the boat ride to and from the island. On the island we took a glass bottom boat ride to observe some of the sea life around the island. I was a tight wad and did not want to spend money to rent bikes or buy souvenirs. The second event was the Senior Prom.
Since Beverly Wilhite and I had been dating all year, I asked her to attend Wilson’s Senior Prom. Beverly did not want to miss the Senior Prom at Jordan High School. Fortunately, the Wilson and Jordan Senior Proms were not held on the same night. As a result we attended both. These Proms were the first school dances I had ever attended and were somewhat traumatic since I did not know how to dance. Beverly knew how to dance and was helpful. I did not step on her toes too many times. The school year ended with graduation.
For several years, actually it seemed like forever, Dad talked about the importance of Earning a Sheepskin. Earning a Sheepskin was Dad’s definition for earning a diploma, or degree. Sheepskin refers to the parchment the diploma is printed on, the parchment comes from a sheepskin. How, or where, Dad learned this definition for Earning a Sheepskin, I have now idea. Dad believed you could not get a good job without graduating from high school and having a diploma to prove it. His view was that even if you were only going to pump gas, the diploma would ensure you got the job, and would keep the job. Dad’s belief, that the diploma was essential to getting a job, stemmed from his life’s experiences growing up in Kansas, Colorado and settling in California. Mom and especially Dad were very proud when I graduated with the high school diploma. In June 1953 I graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School along with 724 other Wilson students. I graduated at 17 years of age, my graduation photo shows me in my very first suit and wearing a tie. This photo was in the 1953 Campanile.
Royal’s Senior Photo, Age 17
The suit was dark blue and cost less than $50. Actually, I wore this suit to both Senior Proms before the Graduation ceremony. In fact, this suit was my only one for several years.
Before concluding my time at Wilson, the topic of ads needs mentioning. Keeping up with the latest teenage fads is a major consideration for high school students. Following the “correct” fad has significant impact on your social standing, who are your friends and what groups accept you. At times, not conforming to the current fad can be cruel to some, regardless of the reason for not following the latest “in thing.” I was usually lagging in keeping up with the current fad. In all likelihood, I was probably one or two fads behind the “hottest” one. When a new fad arrived, I usually considered whether it was comfortable for me or was down right stupid. I never went for the stupid, comfortable was always the choice. Faded blue denims (forerunner to Dockers) replaced Levi’s, but I refused to accept them while at Wilson. It was not until I reached college that denims became standard fare for me. For some groups, especially the fraternities, slacks were the fashion. Cost of slacks were too pricey for me. A really stupid fad associated with wearing slacks was to put your hands in the front pockets and lift them above the belt line. There was one fad that was acceptable to me; wearing argyle socks in a manner that made them always visible. Basically, my Levis were worn high above the shoe tops, revealing the socks. To ensure the socks did not ride down, I wore garters to hold them up. Before you ask, I did not wear a garter belt! These graters were worn on your calf, thereby were not visible. Can you imagine teenagers wearing an accessory only Senior Citizens wore at the time? Mom knitted some argyle socks for me that were very flashy. My favorite pair was a pair of dark blue socks with white Angora diamonds. These Angora argyles were the best on campus, at least, in my opinion. I did accept the fad of wearing “wing tipped” shoes made by Jarman. I wore this style shoe for several years. At the time, Keds were the only tennis shoe available for either sports or casual wear. When I wore tennis shoes it was usually on the weekends and while attending PE classes. Keds were a “high top” tennis shoe, and when they introduce a low cut tennis shoe, I adopted them for all sports and weekend wear. These shoes were my staple for all things casual until the late 1970s when better athletic shoes became available.
I knew Mom and Dad expected me to go to college. I believe we were not knowledgeable of what was required for going to college. I had not applied to any college or university. In fact, I believe we did not really understand the difference between universities and community colleges. At some point we decided I should start at Long Beach City College (LBCC), since it was so close to home. In addition, the cost of attending LBCC was very minimal; college costs were probably a major factor in selecting LBCC. LBCC was within walking distance from home. So, I was back to walking to school since I had no car, and the walk was less than 3/4 mile. A map showing the route I walked to reach the college.
Walking Route to Long Beach City College
After sending my Wilson transcripts to Long Beach City College, I made an appointment with a counselor to select classes. One of the counselor’s first questions was, “What do you want to do or select for a major?” Uh oh, I was in trouble, because I really had no idea what I wanted to do. By now, I knew my desire to be a professional baseball player was not a viable choice. I had been informed that a Mr. Hughes, a baseball scout, had a place for me on a Class D team. I knew full well that Class D was the bottom of the barrel for professional baseball and playing at that level was a dead end. As a result, I told the counselor “Uh Engineering, ——-I guess.” I have no idea why Engineering was selected, but I suspect it was because I considered Dad an Engineer, even though he had no degree. I did have scientific interests, because Dad and I had conversations about various science subjects. Hope everyone is not disappointed how I chose a college major. I had not given any serious thought about “ what I wanted to do when I grew up," hence the quick snap choice. As it turned out, I believe it was the best choice for me. I have no regrets about selecting Engineering as a major. Eventually, my major became Physics, but that is another story for a later essay about my college years. However, there is one college story I believe needs to be told at this time.
All first year students had to take a class that could be considered an Introduction to College course. My only memory of this class is we took an Occupation Test. Results of the test gave you three occupations that suited your interests and capabilities. My three occupations in alphabetic order were: Airline Pilot, Farmer, and Veterinarian. These occupations were a total surprise to me. I have often wondered whether selecting different answers on a few questions would have changed the results Only two of these occupations really suited me. I have no idea how Farmer was selected, because I had no background in farming other than listening to Dad, Granddad and our neighbors, the Cherrys. I always wanted to fly, while a medical career taking care of animals would have met my scientific interests. However, these occupations did not provide sufficient impetus to changing from an Engineering major.
These four years from my last semester in Junior High through my first semester in college were filled with many activities both in school and outside school. This essay has covered only those activities that occurred while attending school. There were other activities in the 1950 to 1953 time frame that occurred outside of school, which also were important to the growing up process and other life experiences. My intention is to expand on these experiences in the next essay and to summarize the impact this time period had on me as I entered young adulthood.
