College Years: 1953 to 1969

Upon graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School in June 1953, I had made the decision to attend college.  Exactly how, when and why this decision was made has been lost to history.  I suspect my folks mentioned college with the desire that I would attend.  I surely do not remember either Mom or Dad saying, “You are going to college regardless of what you think.”  Whether we discussed it or there was some outside influence, the decision seemed to emerge over time so that by the time I graduated from Woodrow Wilson, college was planned into my future.  No matter how I felt about college, I always had the belief that my folks expected me to attend college.  One thing I know for sure, is that I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up.  Whether the professional baseball goal still existed, I am not sure.  Perhaps it still existed, but it was fading despite the fact I was still playing baseball.  At some point my folks and I decided I should attend Long Beach City College (LBCC), a junior college (community college today).  I cannot remember specific reasons for selecting LBCC, but the factors surrounding this decision may shed some light into “why” this selection was made.

Dad and Mom had not attended college after graduating from high school at the advanced age of 21, as chronicled in the essays My Parents: Different Journeys to California and My Parents: Before 1935.  Dad’s education experience beyond high school was limited to taking night classes in drafting, math and perhaps surveying.  Also, I seem to remember Mom had taken classes in stenography and possibly court reporting.  Hence, I believe they may not have been fully knowledgeable about what college required in terms of prerequisites, grades and costs.  It is possible my folks were better informed about college than I knew, and it is unfair to claim they were not college savvy.  I certainly contributed to the situation, because I did not seek out any college information or talk to any high school counselors about college, and I had not applied anywhere.  In fact, I am not sure we really understood the difference between four year universities and junior colleges.  I believe, as a family, our lack of experience about college impacted the preparation and planning for an advance education.  At some point we decided I should start at LBCC, primarily because it was close to home and the tuition was very minimal.  College costs were a major factor in selecting LBCC, along with the fact the campus was within walking distance from home.  It is clear that going to college was not well planned out.  In a sense, it is amazing we did not plan better given that continuing my education was our goal.  Looking back at the way we approached college, it is a miracle I received a college education at all.  This miracle will unfold before your eyes as my numskull mistakes are revealed and unforeseen events occur.

I am quite sure we decided about enrolling at LBCC before graduation from Woodrow Wilson.  My memory is extremely fuzzy about how I learned what was required to register for classes.  I have a faint recollection that I obtained a LBCC catalog, which provided the required information.  Then again it could be that the information was provided by Beverly Wilhite, since she was also planning to attend LBCC.  Beverly and I had dated steadily during our high school senior year, and our relationship had become serious.  As a result,we were planning to attend LBCC together.  Maybe like Thomas Jefferson, my head and heart were mixed up and caused my fuzzy memory.  Whatever the case, my head prevailed, I learned the registration requirements, I had my transcripts sent from Wilson to LBCC and made a counselor appointment to select classes.  Since I had never seen a counselor at Wilson, I had no idea what to expect when meeting him.  Being totally unprepared on what to expect when entering his office, his first question was, “What do you want to do or select as a major?”  This question unnerved me because I had no idea.  No one had ever ask me “What do you want to do when I grow up," nor had I ever given it a thought.  Other than baseball I had no passion, or interest, in any subject or profession. 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 that Class D was the bottom of the barrel for professional baseball and playing at that level was a dead end. I was a naive 18 year old without the slightest clue, or idea, or plan for the future.  Panic stricken by the counselor’s question, I sat quiet for a few moments with wild thoughts racing through my brain.  Finally I said, “Uh Engineering, ——-I guess.”  Why Engineering?  I do not remember ever having any discussion with my folks, on what to study in college.  There was no real known reason to select this major, but I suspect it was because I considered Dad an Engineer.  Dad and I had discussed various science topics, and had read some science related books.  I had not given any serious thought about selecting a major or what to study, 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.

After telling the counselor Engineering was my first choice for a major, he opened my folder to look at the transcripts.  Based on my high school courses I had taken, he listed the courses I needed to take in the first two semesters of study.  Before I could start college level Engineering classes, I had to take high school level courses in chemistry, drafting and math.  Now the folly of not planning for college, especially in Engineering, became evident.  I learned the hard way what happens when you do not plan for the future.  Even after consulting a college counselor, mistakes in future course selection would come back to haunt me.  One of these mistakes was acting on the counselor’s recommendation.  I asked what English was required and he replied, “You only have to take one semester of English.”  His answer was music to my ears, because I did not like English.  To my chagrin the importance of English composition was not discovered until years later.  Once I discovered he was wrong, I never consulted a counselor again throughout my college days, and relied only on the California college graduation requirements listed in the college catalog.

Beverly did not have any issue selecting a major and had selected an Education major.  She had been influenced by her mom, Faye Wilhite, to become a school teacher.  Mrs. Wilhite had always wanted to be a school teacher, but did not have the opportunity.  Because she did not realize her dream, she decided her daughter should fulfill her dream.  Since our majors were so totally different, we only shared one class during our time at LBCC.  That class was American History, which we did not take until at least our second or third semester.  In fact, our schedules were so totally different we did not see each other much during school hours.  Our meetings were more like two ships passing in the night.

The closeness of LBCC to home was one of the primary reasons it was chosen.  Since we were a one car family (very common then) and I could not afford one, I walked to school, a walk of about 3/4 mile each way.  For reference, a map of my walking route to LBCC is shown in the essay High School Years: 1950 to 1953.  Usually I walked to and from school, but for an 8 AM class Dad would drop me off on his way to work around 7 AM.  For some reason, I never rode my bike to school.  I suspect because it would be difficult to carry a loose leaf notebook and text books (backpacks were not available).  Although my memory is fuzzy, I remember occasionally driving our family car to school.  On these occasions Dad rode with co-workers to work.  However, I would venture to say this did not happen until my second year at school.  While Beverly lived in North Long Beach (about five miles to LBCC), getting to school was much easier.  She was able to get a ride with her best friend, Shirley Goldsmith, since she had a car.  When Shirley did not have classes, Beverly was able to ride public buses.  Beverly’s folks had two cars, but I do not remember if either her Mom or Dad gave her a ride to school.

It is necessary to take a small diversion and introduce everyone to Shirley Goldsmith’s car.  Shirley’s car was a Studebaker, a car that went out of production before most of you were born.  Studebaker started in 1858 making wagons for farmers, miners and the military.  Studebaker entered the car business in 1902 with electric vehicles and 1904 with gasoline vehicles.  Studebaker cars were known for quality and reliability.  During World War II the auto industry was devoted to manufacturing war materiel (tanks, trucks, jeeps, etc.), and no cars were manufactured for the public until about 1946.  Studebaker’s 1947 models were of an innovative design that caused considerable comment.  Shirley’s car was a 1947 Studebaker Starlight Couple.  A photo of this coupe illustrates the wrap-around rear window that was so unique.  In fact, Shirley’s car was also maroon in color.  One of the most common comments about this Studebaker was, “You did not know which end is the front?” or “Which way is it going?”.

1947 Studebaker Starlight Coupe

To complete the Studebaker story, the company went out of business in 1967 due to financial difficulties.  However, the post WW II designs introduced many auto design features that became common with all car makes by 1949 or 1950.

My first semester at LBCC was devoted to high school level courses that were required before taking college level courses.  These high school courses were Chemistry, Algebra 2 and Trigonometry.  In addition to these courses, there was an Introduction to College course required for all first semester students.  This last course was where I learned that my interests and aptitude suited me to be an Airline Pilot, a Veterinarian or a Farmer, quite a variation in professions.  At this point I had decided to become an Engineer and those other professions held no interest for me.  The math courses were easy, but math had never been a problem.  Chemistry was a different matter since it was a real challenge, even though it was a high school level course.  Although I earned a B grade, I was unsure whether I really understood the basics.  Because I had to take several high school level courses, my first semester load consisted of only 14 units, subsequent semesters the course load was 15 to 17 units.  Attending college was not that much different from high school except most classes were only two or three days a week.  In a way it seemed easier because there were large time breaks between classes.  However, starting college seemed as though life had not changed, at least in respect to starting at a new school.  I did not know anyone, except Beverly and Shirley.

With the exception of Chemistry 51, there was no one in any class that I knew from Wilson.  The only person in Chemistry 51U dud jibe was Norma Butterfield, who I had known since Douglas MacArthur.  All my best men friends were still in high school, so basically everyone was a stranger.  In 1953 very few women, if any, enrolled in engineering courses, so most engineering related classes were all male students.  Although my engineering classes were predominantly all male, most of these students were five to ten years older than me.  A lot of these older fellows were ex-GIs attending college on the GI Bill.  These ex-GIs were veterans of either World War II or the Korean War.  Several of these veterans were married and had families.  As such, good grades for them were essential to keeping their GI Bill benefits.  Their quest for good grades made for a very competitive academic environment, which was new to me. It was my first experience with people that were highly motivated to succeed.  In a way, I dreaded having these fellows in my classes, because it meant getting behind in my studying and homework was not an option.  However, I do believe this competitive environment made me a better student and ultimately benefited me.  

I met one of these veterans in a math class, I believe, and we became good friends.  Don McGuire was a veteran of the Korea War attending LBCC on the GI Bill.  Don was married and the father of three sons.  Our friendship continued throughout college and after we began working in the defense industry.  Don and his family will appear throughout this essay and some future essays.  We shared several classes and studied together at his place.  Don and his family lived in a trailer when we studied together.  Don and his family introduced me to bowling.  We remained friends for the next 20 years until he died unexpectedly in 1973.

After completing most of the high school “make-up” courses in the first semester, college level courses dominated the spring semester.  While I can list all the courses taken at LBCC, for the most part I do not remember when they occurred.  I am quite positive the courses taken this semester included Chemistry 1A, Mechanics (Physics), Solid Geometry and Mechanical Drawing (drafting).  It was this semester when I developed a hatred of Chemistry.  After finishing this course I vowed never to take another chemistry course.  Of course this meant I was foregoing a lucrative career at Dow Chemical.  Mechanical Drawing was one of my favorite classes.  The class required you have a set of drawing instruments, which Dad had an extra set and let me use.  Dad also taught me tricks of the draftsman trade that made the class very easy.  The class required visualization of the different views of an object.  Visualization was one of my strengths, which made the course an easy A.  The only downside to the class was the text book which was about three inches thick, very heavy and had to be taken to each class.  Since I had taken physics at Wilson, I began college level physics courses without intro level courses like in chemistry.  Initially Mechanics was a struggle despite taking physics at Wilson High School.  I struggled because of the dependence on math concepts that I was still learning to use.  Use of trigonometry functions and logarithms were essential in calculating answers to problems assigned for homework, quizzes and tests.  Solving these problems could only be accomplished by having a means for determining values for trigonometric and logarithmic functions.  Finding values for these math functions could be found with a book of math tables or by using a slide rule.  I am sure that anyone born after the early 1970s never knew slide rules existed, much less ever saw one.  The hand held electronic calculator became widely available in the early 1970s and slide rule use plummeted, which doomed it to the dust bin of history.  So for young whippersnapper readers, I will take a brief detour to describe a slide rule and its use.

In a technical sense, a slide rule is a mechanical analog computer.  The slide rule is used primarily for multiplication and division and is not used for addition and subtraction.  It also is used for roots, logarithms and trigonometry functions.  A typical scientific slide rule consists of three strips of wood covered with plastic.  These strips are of equal length with the top and bottom strips locked together.  The third strip is located between these interlocked strips and can be moved as needed.  Hence, a slide rule is sometimes referred to as a “slip stick”.  There is a moveable glass cursor that fits over the slide rule and has a very fine black line.  The slide rule strips are etched with several scale types.  Multiplication and division of numbers is accomplished by using two logarithmic scales located on the lower strip and the moveable center strip.  Other scales provide values for trigonometry and logarithm functions.  Performing calculations required keeping track of the location of the decimal point, which required concentration and a good memory.  A slide rule allowed a faster means for reaching an answer than using the math tables.

Fortunately, Dad had both a set of math tables and a slide rule I could use.  Besides learning to use the math tables and slide rule, I learned the English and Metric systems of measurement and converting between the two systems became second nature.  A slide rule was the quickest and easiest way to calculate answers, especially for tests.  There was a fellow from Wilson that I knew, Bill Price, who used math tables exclusively, even on tests.  I was always amazed when Bill finished tests before me, and he usually received the highest test score.  Dad’s slide rule was an older model than was available when I started Mechanics.  This slide rule used angles in degrees and minutes.  The problem was angles were being determined in tenths of a degree.  Converting minutes to tenths of a degree was not hard but was time consuming, which was not helpful on tests.  So a slide rule with decimal degrees was purchased.  A photo of shows this slide rule and its case that I used throughout college and initially at work.  Contrary to some typical engineering students, I did not dangle it from my belt, enter a quick draw contest and I NEVER used a pocket protector for pens or pencils. 

K&E Slide Rule and Case, Circa 1954

As the summer of 1954 approached, there were two concerns that needed addressing.  First, an advance math course was required prior to taking calculus.  So, I enrolled in an Analytic Geometry class during the summer session.  Today this class is more than likely called Pre-Calculus.   The class was only six weeks in duration but met three nights a week for three hours each night.  The class was in downtown Long Beach at Long Beach Poly High School.  Second, a job for the summer was a necessity.  A neighbor of Beverly’s folks arranged for Milt Wilhite and I to work at Fluor Corporations’ weld shop in Los Angeles.  How I passed this class while working this job, I am not sure.

Milt and I were given temporary union apprenticeships to work in the shop.  The weld shop was in the Los Angeles City limits, which required we drive into the city every day of the week.  I do not remember whether this job was in the summer of 1954 or 1953.  Whichever summer it was, Milt and I traded off driving each week.  Milt drove an old car of his father’s, but since I had no car, I am not sure what car I drove.  I believe those weeks I drove the family car, Dad rode to work with Ernie, a sailor at the Los Alamitos Naval Air Station.  While the pay was good, the job for me was not too exciting.  My lead welder was an older fellow that used me as a “go for”.  Milt was assigned to a younger welder that allowed him to try welding and used an acetylene torch.  It was almost the end of the summer before I had a chance to use the acetylene torch.  While my welder knew my name, the fork lift operator did not.  This fellow called me Earl, I believe, he misinterpreted Royal when we were introduced.  I attempted to correct him, but after a couple times he still called me Earl.  At this point, I just answered to Earl.

During this same summer Beverly had a job t working at the Lakewood Village Theatre.  This theatre was the same one I had attended with my folks the night of being stopped by the police.  Beverly worked at the snack bar selling candy, drinks and popcorn.  She worked the evening shifts, and I would stop by the theatre to take her home.  I knew the manager from my Lakewood Junior High days, and he allowed me into the lobby without buying a ticket.  His name is long forgotten, but nevertheless I did not care for him.  Unfortunately, Beverly believed he was okay, which upset me considerably and eventually turned to jealousy.  It took some time to overcome this negative feeling.  As the summer progressed, I would go early to pick up Beverly, buy a snack from her and then watch the movie or just the cost of snack.  Knowing someone like Beverly who at a movie theater has benefits!  There were times when Beverly finished early and she would join me to watch the movie.  

Although I had selected engineering as a major when enrolling at LBCC in 1953, I had no idea what type of engineering specialty to pursue.  When it came time to enroll for the fall semester of the 1954-1955 school year, I had decided to become a Civil Engineer.  Dad’s work for the Navy was essentially a Civil Engineering job, and so his work influenced this decision.  Based on this decision to major in civil engineering I decided to continue with a second course of mechanical drawing and also enrolled in a surveying class.  I continued the physics classes with Electricity and Magnetism and began advanced mathematics with Differential Calculus.  Best I can remember, Beverly and I took an American History class that semester.  All these courses were interesting with Mechanical Drawing, Surveying and the Physics classes being the most interesting. I have mental images of four of the instructors, but, only two whose name come to mind.  Calculus was Mr. Black and Surveying was Mr. Sam Peters.  There were only two advanced math teachers at LBCC and Mr. Black was considered the toughest.  In my opinion, Mr. Black was an excellent teacher who did a very thorough job of teaching Differential Calculus and did not seem to tough to me.  Mr. SamPeters was a character, who made surveying fun and entertaining.  For me, Surveying was the most fun class because we were able to spend time outdoors for a field class.

Surveying class had two lectures a week and one field class a week.  Each field class was devoted to some aspect of surveying such as use of the level, tape measure, and transit.  Our first field class was spent learning to step off distance by learning to take a stride that measured three feet in length.  As a result, I have used this technique many times over the years to estimate distances.  It is surprising how close a short distance can be estimated fairly accurately.  Once we began using the surveying equipment, a surveying log book had to be maintained.  Keeping the log book taught two important aspects of data keeping that were applicable, not only in surveying, but in all aspects of engineering.  These two aspects were legibility and accuracy.  If you cannot understand what is written, it is next to impossible to calculate answers.  If your data is inaccurate, answers will be in error.  These field classes also taught us the proper and safe handling of the surveying equipment.  If any piece of equipment was broken, we would be charged for repair or replacement.  Mr. Peters always told us that we had to protect the equipment with our body.  His favorite saying was, “Go down with the instrument!”, and he was deadly serious.

Near the completion of the fall semester it was enrollment time for the spring semester.  At that time I still wanted to study Civil Engineering, because I enrolled in the second semester of Surveying.  However, it is entirely possible I took the second semester of Surveying because it was enjoyable.  Then there is the possibility, I envisioned becoming a surveyor.  These various reasons for taking Surveying 2 are mentioned, because, at some point a decision was made during the spring semester to become an Electrical Engineer.  What prompted me to make this change has long been forgotten and could have been nothing but a whim.  I do not recall considering trade-offs to arrive at the decision.  It could be another example of immaturity and indecision as to what I wanted to do in life.  The other classes enrolled in for the spring semester included Integral Calculus, Differential Equations, Optics and Light (Physics) and Psychology (I think).  

Oops, I almost forgot that LBCC required students to take Physical Education (PE) classes.  I believe PE classes were required only for students under the age of 21, because GI vets were exempt from the requirement.  My PE classes included basketball, baseball, touch football, tennis and golf.  Baseball class was taken while trying out for the school team, which if you remember I was dropped from the team.  Tennis and golf were new sports to attempt and were enjoyable.  The golf class almost earned my one and only failing grade.  Beverly was also taking golf, although she was in a different class than mine.  The instructor gave us the option of coming to class or playing golf and turning in a scorecard to prove you had played.  So, one day Beverly and I played the Long Beach Recreational Park’s nine hole golf course.  While I enjoyed playing goal,f going to the class was a drag.  Consequently, I had the starter at the golf course sign several scorecards this one time we played.  So, I skipped some classes, filled out some scorecards and turned them into the instructor.  The instructor was not fooled and told me to attend the rest of the classes or he would fail me.  I went back to class and hit lots of golf balls.  I was either not smart enough or I was just another in a long line of students trying the same scam.

As the summer of 1955 approached I knew that the Fluor apprentice job would not be available, but I needed a summer job.  I decided to try and obtain a draftsman’s job at Douglas Aircraft Company that was only about a mile from home.  What prompted this decision could have been a classified ad, or Dad’s suggestion or a comment by someone else.  Taking some of my Mechanical Drawing plates with me, I applied at Douglas just before the end of the semester.  I was hired as a draftsman at the lowest grade possible.  After finals I started in the Douglas Engineering Department in the Tracing Unit.  Beverly returned to her job at the Lakewood Village Theatre this summer also.  As I did the previous summer I would pick her up after her shift and take her home.  

Whether before the semester’s end or after I began working at Douglas, I bought my first car for the huge sum of $75.  I bought a 1941 Ford Coupe from a private party, I think.  The car was 14 years old and seemed to be in good shape.  The radio worked just fine!  A photo of a typical 1941 Ford Coupe very similar to the one purchased is shown.  Mine was a pale Sky Blue but without whitewall tires.  Now I had my own wheels, I discarded my bike and was in seventh heaven! 

1941 Ford Coupe

The Tracing Unit consisted of about six draftsmen with a supervisor and assistant supervisor.  Arlen was the supervisor and an ex-Marine.  Jewell was the assistant supervisor and her job was the unit’s primary drawing checker.  At the time, most Engineering drawings were large vellum drawings of up to six or eight feet in length with a width of about three feet.  Each drawing represented some portion of an aircraft being built and assembled in the factory.  As an aircraft’s design progressed, changes to the drawing were made.  These changes eventually compromised the physical drawing, and a new drawing was needed.  Thus, it was the Tracing Unit’s job to create these new drawings.  We started with a new vellum, placed it over the original drawing and created this new drawing by tracing, hence the name Tracing Unit!  Draftsman’s skills were not really necessary to work in the Tracing Unit.  All you needed were pencils, a pencil sharpener, triangles, templets and a very big eraser.  Tracing a drawing was definitely a boring job, but it paid about $3 an hour (a good wage at the time).  After finishing the tracing of a drawing a blueline print of your drawing was obtained and given to Jewell, or another drawing checker.  The checker would red line your print and you had to incorporate the red line mistakes.  My first tracing received lots of red marks.  It was easier to miss a line or dimension, etc., than you might think.  After completing about two or three drawings I was given a more involved process of creating a new drawing.  Sometimes during the design process, rather than modify the drawing an Engineering Order (EO) was generated on an 8 1/2 X 11 form.  This EO modified the drawing and an EO copy was stapled to the drawing’s print.  The new drawing not only had to be traced, but the EO had to be incorporated into the new drawing.  Creating this new drawing was more challenging.  

I became good friends with a couple of other fellows in the unit.  Tom Uecker was married and expecting his first child.  Harry Price was a graduate from Poly High School in Long Beach.  We had lots of interesting discussions while tracing, which probably resulted in missing lines, notes or dimensions.  Arlen was an ex-Marine who participated in the Inchon landing during the Korean War.  When I asked if he had shot anyone, he replied, “Yes, it was a very strange feeling to shoot another human being, even if he was the enemy.”  The best I can remember, Jewell was not married.  When one of the Engineering Groups needed a draftsman, Arlen was contacted first before attempting to hire someone through Personnel.  Tom Uecker was selected by one of these Engineering Groups before the summer ended.  Basically it was Arlen’s decision which of the unit’s members that was the best fit for the particular Engineering Group’s needs.

The summer of 1955 was a very eventful one that altered the direction of my life.  I had my own car and had obtained an engineering job on my own.  Beverly and I had been dating continually for the past two years, we had met each other’s folks, and I had met both sets of her Grandparents.  About a month or so after starting at Douglas, I asked Beverly to marry me, to which she said, “Yes.”  For reasons that escape me, we decide to marry this summer before the 1955-1956 school year started.  Why the rush to marry this summer, I have no recollection. It goes without saying our folks were stunned.  I too would be stunned, if I were in their shoes.  We were the first child in each family to attend college, and they were afraid we would not finish.  We must have been adamant about marrying, because our folks did not interfere in any way despite their concerns.  We promised our folks to finish college, and vowed not to have children until we both finished school.  Our plan was for me to work and return to college in the 1956-1957 school year.  Beverly was going to continue at Long Beach State College for the fall semester after we married.

It came as a shock to Beverly when I told her she had to learn to drive before beginning school.  Beverly had never had any driving lessons, so I started teaching her.  My 1941 Ford Coupe did not have an automatic transmission, which meant she had to learn to use a clutch and manual shifting.  My lessons were not going well with her, and my Dad saved our budding marriage by taking over and teaching her to drive and especially how to parallel park.  She passed her driving test without any trouble and actually was a good driver.  

We were married on August 28, 1955, in the North Long Beach Methodist Church by Reverend Roy C. Mason.  Bruce Llewellyn was my best man.  Best I can remember, Milt Wilhite was in my wedding party, but who else was in it is long forgotten.  I really wanted Milo Kellogg to be bBest man, but he was in the Army and stationed in South Korea at the time.  Beverly’s maid of honor was Shirley Goldsmith and her other girlfriends were bridesmaids.  Since school was to start after Labor Day and I had no vacation time, our honeymoon was very short.  We drove up to Morro Bay to spend a couple of days, a very short honeymoon.  The only photo I have of the wedding day is one taken after the wedding reception at the Wilhite’s house as we were leaving on our honeymoon.  You will notice our car is not my coupe.  Dad gave us his 1950 Ford four door sedan for a wedding present.  He took my coupe as a trade-in and bought a pickup truck.  He did not believe the coupe was in good shape and would be expensive to maintain.  Dad was a much better judge of a car’s condition than I was then, or even now.

Beverly and Royal Price, August 28, 1955

Looking back on this period of our life, an obvious question arises, “What in the devil were we thinking, getting married before finishing college?”  We were clearly jeopardizing our future, because the risks were quite high we would not finish college.  I do not believe we recognized the extent of these risks.  We had very little money, and my job did not pay much.  In fact, Beverly had more money in the bank than I did when we married.  I often said, “I married her for the money!”  To start we had less than $200 in the bank and did not fully grasp the cost of living on our own.  Nor did we have a real grasp of college expenses or how we were going to pay them.  We were single minded about obtaining a college degree on our own without anyone’s assistance.  We vowed under no circumstances would we ask our folks for money, even for college.  Marrying also carried a risk of making a mistake and Beverly becoming pregnant.  Our mindset was “failure was not an option,” and these risks were ignored.  Our attitude toward these risks was somewhat like that of Rear Admiral David Farragut in the Battle of Mobile Bay during the Civil War, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!”

After our honeymoon, I returned to the Tracing Unit, and Beverly started her junior year at Long Beach State College.  Beverly would drop me off at Douglas in the morning and continue on to school, then pick me up each evening after work.  We found a cheap apartment in the Bixby Knolls area for $50 a month.  It was a dump, but the price was right.  I was working 43 hours a week which gave us a  take home pay of about $120 a week.  To build up our college fund we saved about $50 to $75 a week of this paycheck, which left just enough for our other expenses.  Our budget was very tight hoping to save enough so we both could attend college full time. Whether this goal was achievable is not clear because of questions about our plan details. Prior to marrying, my plan was to transfer from LBCC to the University of California (Berkeley).  If I only worked one year, did we plan on Beverly transferring to Berkeley also?  Or was I going to work until she earned her degree and then I would quit work and transfer to Berkeley?  Whatever our plan was concerning attendance at Berkeley was very dependent on our financial situation.  In other words, could we save enough money?  However, our situation changed dramatically before our first anniversary.  To discover what changed our plans so drastically, just continue reading.

While we experienced a number of changes in our first year of marriage, the chronological order of occurrence is rather foggy.  Specific dates are known for other events, when the others occurred is only a guess.  The order of when these changes occurred has been reconstructed despite the fog in my brain.  Beverly changed her major from Education to Sociology before the spring semester at Long Beach State College.  Since Beverly’s mother wanted her to be a teacher, she worried about her mother’s reaction.  It is possible she did not tell her mother immediately.  By changing her major she added another semester to earn her degree.  After this change of major, it was my turn for a change at Douglas.

Early in the spring I received a transfer for the Tracing Unit to the Power Plant Group.  This transfer included a raise that increased my take-home pay.  More importantly than increased wages was the contact with working engineers.  To my knowledge these engineers had degrees in mechanical engineering.  Some of the engineers had drafting responsibilities, while others had analysis responsibilities and some combined both disciplines.  Judd Marsden was the Power Plant Group supervisor who assigned me to Ed Sculley.  Other engineers in the group were Bill Beverley a “good ole boy” from the Deep South, Art (Cohrs contemplating retirement and living off his stock market investments, and Jan (pronounced Yawn) Kuelen a draftsman from Holland.  There are mental images of others in the group but no names can be recalled.  Working in this group, I benefited in the engineering sense and it also broadened by knowledge of other subjects.

My support to Jim involved preparing Engineering Orders (EOs) for the engine assemblies that were his responsibility.  Although I was still classified as a draftsman, I did very little drafting.  What drafting I did was very minor and accomplished on a spare drafting machine on an unoccupied drawing board.  Besides preparing EOs, I went to the assembly lines to check on status of various issues for Ed.  Working for Ed must have been mundane, because I cannot seem to remember anything specific for that time.  However, Jan Kuelen proved to be the most interesting from a couple of standpoints.

Jan was in his early 20s and lived in Holland during World War II.  His family lived on the Zuider See in the northwestern part of Holland.  Jan’s father was a member of the resistance and helped downed Allied airman escape from the Nazis.  Jan attended school in Holland and had to learn at least three languages for nearby European countries, which for me was an amazing accomplishment.  Besides his World War II stories, Jan was a very good chess player.  Dad had introduced me to chess, but I was a novice compared to Jan.  I watched Jan play during our lunch hour and learned great tactics.  I played Jan only a few times and lost, but his mentoring was valuable.  Jan and I used to play a fellow named Joe.  Joe was like a bull in a China Shop and never looked beyond his immediate move.  Joe was not a challenge, and we usually won nine of ten matches.  Our lunches were memorable, but the real highlights while working at Douglas occurred when planes we were building took off.

The aircraft being manufactured in 1956 were the C-133 CargoMaster, the B-66 Destroyer, RB-66 Destroyer a reconnaissance version, and the A3D Skywarrior a Navy version with folding wings to enable storage on an aircraft carrier.  Besides theses aircraft, the C-124 GlobeMaster II was at the plant for maintenance or upgrades.  The C-133 was a large four engine cargo plane that had not been delivered to the Air Force when I started work at Douglas.  The B-66 was a twin jet engine light tactical bomber that was in production at the time.  When a B-66 was ready for delivery it was flown to its destination.  The longest runway at the Long Beach Airport ran northwest to southeast, but was too short for a normal takeoff by a B-66.  To enable a B-66 to use this runway Jet Assist Take Off (JATO) bottles attached to the rear portion of the fuselage.  Basically, JATO bottles are small rocket engines that were fired to provide extra thrust enabling takeoff on the short runway.  A photo shows the B-66 Destroyer. 

B-66 Destroyer

A story about the B-66 must be told to highlight the brilliance of engineering design.  The plane carried a crew of three and the initial design provided for each crew member to be ejected through a hatch above each crew seat.  Rocket sled tests revealed that this design was flawed, test dummies were continually decapitated.  A re-design was undertaken to solve the ejection issue by blowing off the top of the cabin before the crew could be ejected.   This re-design was approved after sled tests were successful.  To aid the crew in the ejection procedure a step by step instruction panel was mounted in the cabin.  These instructions read as follows:  Step 1 Move seat into ejection position, Step 2 Blow cabin top, Step 3. Wait 5 Seconds before pulling seat ejection lever.  However, this instruction panel was mounted on the part of the cabin top that was blown off.  Hopefully, the crew had adequate instructions about the procedure and would not rely on it, because the instructions went with the cabin top when blown.  This story circulated within Engineering, but as to its validity, I am not sure.

I witnessed the first flight of the C-133 while at working at Douglas.  The C-133 used the same runway used by the B-66.  To the best of my recollection, JATO bottles were not used to assist the takeoff.  A photo of the C-133 CargoMaster is shown below.  Photos of the B-66 and C-133 bring back lots of memories from my time at Douglas.

C-133 CargoMaster 

Sometime in late spring we moved to an apartment on Carson Street that was midway between LBCC and my folk’s house.  My I believe the reason for the move was that it was closer to work and Long Beach State College.  Not only was this new apartment’s location better, the first apartment was rather dismal and my increased wages permitted a slightly higher rent.  Sometime after we moved into the Carson Street apartment Granddad Graham became ill.  His condition worsened, and he was admitted to a hospital in the Wilmington area.  Shortly after being admitted, his organs began to shut down, and he passed away on June 9, 1956.  Unfortunately I never had a chance to see him in the hospital before his passing.  It was in the next couple of months that our college plans were drastically changed.

Originally my plan was to transfer to the University of California to study Electrical Engineering.  The Engineering Department at the University had limited enrollment, and an entrance test was required.  Sometime before the Spring Semester ended I took the test and waited for my scores, only to learn that my score was not high enough to permit transferring to the University.  Once again I had not planned well, I had not applied to other schools, and it now was too late.  Now I had no idea what alternatives were available and was totally unsure about what to do, when our lives were changed by two unforeseen events that changed the entire direction of our lives.

To our total surprise Granddad Graham had a life insurance policy that listed me as the sole beneficiary.  As a result I received a check for $5,000 (about $44,000 today) sometime after his death.  We now had the available cash for both of us to attend college full time, but I had no idea what college to attend.  Recently while talking with Berta I learned that Mom was unhappy that Granddad had not included Berta as a beneficiary also.  I never knew Mom was upset about me being the only beneficiary.  Until hearing this information, it never crossed my mind at any time that Berta was not included as a beneficiary.  This latest information has been upsetting, because sharing the benefit with Berta never occurred to me.  It is like I was only thinking of myself and no one else.  I am sure my thoughts were more about being able to return to college full time rather than sharing.  Years later, I now wonder if Granddad named me beneficiary before Berta was born, then forgot to add her later.  Granddad was not a stupid man and his memory was not diminished, and not adding Berta may well have been a conscious decision.  I know Berta had the feeling he did not like her, for whatever reason.  After learning about Mom being upset concerning the insurance, I believe Berta’s feelings about Granddad may have been correct.  It is sad when a grandchild does not feel loved by a grandparent, especially when they lived in the same house.

My friend Don McGuire and I had remained in contact after I started working at Douglas.  I informed Don my test score was too low for entrance to the University of California (UC) and asked what his plan was for continuing college.  Don told me he was going to attend Long Beach State College (LBSC) to study Physics.  The Physics Department was just starting and he was impressed with the department head.  He suggested I call and talk with him.  I called Dr. George Appleton and inquired about their Physics program, and told him my plan was to study Electrical Engineering.  Dr. Appleton explained there was an Electronics Option in the department, and was equivalent to studying Electrical Engineering.  Based on this information, I decided to attend Long Beach State College to study Physics with the Electronics Option.  Acceptance to LBSC was almost immediate after my application was submitted and transcripts forwarded.  Although I was disappointed about not going to UC the change was really the best outcome.  Now Beverly and I would be attending the same school, and she could continue her studies uninterrupted.  I also learned by reviewing graduation requirements that two semesters of English were required.  So I took a summer session in English 2 at LBCC before starting at LBSC.  Taking this class before starting at LBSC allowed me to enter as a junior leaving two years of school to earn a Bachelor’s Degree.

Upon being accepted to LBSC, I wanted to work through August before quitting.  When I told Judd Marsden, my supervisor, andEd Sculley, the engineer to whom I was assigned, their responses were totally different.  Mr. Marsden recommended that I make an application for a Leave of Absence for education reasons.  He indicated that a Leave of Absence would allow me to work at Douglas during school breaks without re-hiring.  He also promised me a position whenever I wanted to return.  Ed was also glad that I was going to resume my education and agreed about the Leave of Absence.  However, he was disappointed with the decision to study Physics.  In his view a Physics degree meant that the only job opportunity was as a teacher.  He believed there were few jobs for Physicists other than in academia.  I explained about the Electronics Option, but he really did not change his opinion.  A Leave of Absence was granted and I checked out the last of August.  The Leave of Absence was maintained throughout 1959, which allowed me to work in the Power Plant Unit during each school break.

It should be noted that all of the events starting with my transfer to the Power Plant Group to enrolling at LBSC are a total blur as to which event happened when.  In the long run it does not really matter, because the end result of returning to college full time was the r goal all along.  Our marriage had placed our education in jeopardy, and now it was a matter of not failing to take advantage of the opportunity.  Life had taken many turns since graduating from high school, and there were unseen events in the future that would alter plans even further.  Looking back over the decades it is amazing how unforeseen events can dramatically alter your life’s path The summers of 1955 and 1956 were just the beginning of an interesting start on life’s journey.

I received my first surprise when preparing to enroll for the 1956 Fall Semester at Long Beach State College.  It was required to obtain a Physics class program approved by the Physics Department Head.   Dr. George Appleton suggested limiting my Physics classes and to enroll in classes that would satisfy as many of the graduation requirements.  He indicated the first semester would be a difficult, plus this approach would allow for a more concentrated program in subsequent semesters.  Dr. Appleton seemed serious about this first semester, and classes for the Electronics Option were not offered until the second semester.  I was somewhat disappointed about the approved classes, but it quickly became obvious his recommendation was good advice.  The Physics courses he approved were Mechanics, Electric Circuits and Applied Mathematics for Physicists.  Added to these Physics classes were Philosophy of Religion and Speech.  This first semester was very memorable for a number of reasons, because certain events were seared into my memory.  While there are memories from the remaining semesters, this first one set the tone for the others.  

The two non-Physics courses were not especially interesting, but both provided a diversion from the other courses.  This diversion was sometimes helpful and at other times a drag.  Philosophy of Religion was exceedingly boring, and the reading was even worse.  I remembered an instructor at LBCC said: “You need a philosophy of life.”  Well, this philosophy course was too “deep” for me.  Reading the “great” minds of philosophy, especially on religion, was difficult to comprehend.  I could find not any relationship between what I had read in the Bible and the philosopher’s thoughts.  At the semester’s end, I am not really sure what I learned.  What  I had learned in the Speech class was also nebulous, but there was one memorable event that occurred.  We were required to give one speech before the class.  After the speech, the class members were to provide a critique of your performance.  I selected for my presentation a portion of Abraham Lincoln’s “House Divided” speech.  I spent considerable time going over the speech and devising a means to insert pauses between the words.  Beverly was very helpful in deciding where these pauses made sense.  After deciding where to pause. I practiced the speech several times.  Being slightly nervous, I presented the speech as had been practiced over a dozen times.  Comments were positive from the other students and the professor.  However, one girl provided the best compliment possible.  She said, “I actually believed you were delivering the speech as it had been delivered by Abraham Lincoln!”  The Physics courses were a horse of different color——black!

It is an understatement to say that these three Physics courses were a challenge.  Since the Physics Department was just getting started on campus, the professors were determined to establish a reputation for outstanding academics.  Since the department was new, class sizes were small, averaging about 12 to 15 students per class.  Higher Mathematics for Physicists was taught by Dr. George Appleton, with about 15 students when the course began.  The first test was a wake-up call when I scored only 76.  The test was marked as a “C,” and the high score was only a couple points higher.  I was shocked at this score because my strength was in math.  Dr. Appleton was disappointed with the class and commented that no one had sought any help, and that his door was always open if there were questions on the material.  I heeded Dr. Appleton’s comment and sought his advice several times.  The low grade on this test was overcome on the final by having the highest score and earning a “B” grade for the semester.  It was a new experience to seek help from the professor and was a well learned lesson.  By semester’s end the class, all but about seven students had dropped out of the class.  My Korea War vet friend Don McGuire was among the dropouts.  Don struggled until about mid-way through the semester before dropping the class.

Mechanics was taught by Dr. Cramer Schultz, whose demeanor was entirely different from Dr. Appleton’s.  Dr. Schultz was more casual than Dr. Appleton but just as good an instructor.  Dr. Appleton was a high energy Type A personality, while Dr. Schultz was more a Type B.  Physically they were also opposites.  Dr. Appleton was of small stature while Dr. Schultz had a large frame and was tall (over six feet).  Results from Dr. Schultz’s first exam was similar to Dr. Appleton’s first test.  Again the scores were not outstanding and dread set in when he entered the classroom after the test.  His first comment to us said it all: “I have the distinct impression I’ve been flogging a dead mule!”  Class size fell just like  the math class.  However, by now the lesson had been learned about seeking help.  It was extremely impressive to be able to walk into the professor’s office and ask questions.  All the professors were more than happy to explain and help you understand the subject and without making you feel like a dummy.  Class sizes were small and with the professors so accessible it made for an amazing learning environment.  In fact, it was almost as though we had private tutors.  This type learning environment could not have been any better for acquiring an advanced education.

The Electric Circuits class was also a struggle.  This class was taught by Dr. Fredrickson.  He was a boring instructor; he was dry and not very animated.  I struggled with the problems but visiting his office was of no help.  He just had a difficult time explaining what he knew very well, or I was not smart enough to understand his explanations.  While I earned a “B” grade for the semester, I began to wonder if the Electronics Option suited me.  My favorite professor was Dr. Charles Roberts.  From what I remember, Dr. Roberts taught Electricity and Magnetism in the Spring Semester of 1957.  Of all of the professors, Dr. Roberts was the closest to a “regular guy” and the easiest to talk with.  His explanations were at your level when answering your questions.  Dr.  Roberts became my favorite professor, followed closely by Dr. Appleton.  There is a very faint memory the Optics was taught by a Mr. Hutchinson, the only non-PhD and primarily taught the Electronic Option classes.

The second semester c;asses were Applied Mathematics for Physicists, Electricity and Magnetism, Optics and Thermodynamics.  Thermodynamics was taught by my favorite professor, Dr. Fredrickson, but he was much better instructor for this subject.  In fact, he showed a dry sense of humor, which made his lectures more interesting.  After Don McGuire dropped Dr. Appleton’s math class, my association with Don faded.  As a result I began to develop new friends.  Between classes there was a conference room where we would gather to discuss problems, tests, the weather, etc.  Those that gathered varied during the day, but during lunch hour the conference room was the most popular.  Fellows I remember are Bob Reed, Larry MacNichols, Ed Fink, Ron Bigelow and Norman Lolley.  There were others, but their names have been forgotten.  Bob Reed and Larry MacNichols became good friends, and we collaborated most of the time, since we were usually in the same class.  Ed Fink was a straight A student, but very private and did not associate with anyone.  Ron Bigelow was in some of my first year classes but not many the next year.  Norman Lolley transferred into LBSC during my Senior year and was in only one or two of my classes.  Norman was an albino with very white skin and hair, and his eyes were very sensitive to light.  Norman was a very smart student.  One day there was a midterm exam that really was difficult.  As we gathered in the conference room everyone was in the dumps, because we had all done poorly.  Norman was the last student to finish the test and everyone believed he had aced the exam.  When Norman came into the conference room he said something like, “Man, I sure fouled that one up.”  The room was silent until I finally said, “Yay!”  Everyone burst out laughing, because we all were thinking the same thing.  Fortunately Norman was not offended because everyone had done poorly.

As the spring semester ended I returned to the Douglas Power Plant Unit to work the summer.  What Beverly did that summer is also lost to history.  Most of this summer’s tasks escape my memory, but there is one effort remembered.  There was an Emergency Light on the C-133 located inside next to a door on the aircraft’s fuselage.  This light was activated by a rapid deceleration, to be more precise a crash.  I remember writing an EO that modified its construction, or mounting hardware on the aircraft.  After the EO was prepared and submitted, I went to the factory to verify the modification was installed properly.  As August was ending, I applied for another Leave of Absence, which was approved.  As I prepared for my senior year, little did Beverly and I know how our future would changed, and our lives take another unexpected turn.

About a month into the Fall Semester the Soviet Union (USSR), for you young ‘uns think Russia, launched the first artificial satellite into a low earth orbit on October 4, 1957.  This satellite named Sputnik appeared as a silver beach ball with four antennas protruding from it.  Sputnik radiated radio signals that could be detected by receiving stations.  A replica of Sputnik is shown in an internet image. 

Sputnik, Circa 1957

Then the USSR launched Sputnik 2 on November 3, 1957.  The United States was shocked by these satellite launches.  On December 6, 1957, the United States’ attempt to launch its first satellite was a disastrous failure.  The entire country watched on TV as the Project Vanguard rocket exploded on the launching pad.  These launches were the initial events that launched the Space Race between the USSR and the USA.  As the Space Race began, it was widely believed that the USA was technologically behind the USSR.  President Dwight Eisenhower believed the country lacked the engineers and scientist needed to compete in this race.  The President’s belief resulted in a major emphasis on scientific studies and research.  Thus, when I returned to Douglas for the Christmas vacation, Ed Sculley had changed his mind about my decision to major in Physics.

Another change in direction occurred when starting my senior year.  This change was from the Electronics Option to Theoretical Physics.  There were a number of reasons for the change, which included thinking about Graduate School, The Space Race, talking with fellow students, lectures by the professors about research challenges in Physics and a real desire to understand the physical universe.  There was no thought about a career or job, it was just the desire to learn about the “why” of everything.  I discovered that mathematics was essential to understanding the study of Physics, and math was really my strength.  To augment my math skills, I took Advanced Calculus in the Math Department.  There were two memorable Physics classes taken for my senior year.  Advanced Mechanics was taught by Dr. Roberts; Bob Reed and I were his only students.  This class was just like having a private tutor!  The three of us had a great time.  The other memorable class was Quantum Physics taught by Dr. Appleton.  Quantum Physics was usually taught only in Graduate School, so we believed we were ahead of the game for graduate studies.  To graduate I was lacking natural science credits and I enrolled in a freshman class in Biology.  The lectures were in an auditorium setting with over 100 students in attendance.  This lecture environment was totally different from Advance Mechanics; it was like being a number not a student.  However, the Biology Lab was totally different.  When I had to partner with another student, my partner was a freshman girl.  As it turned out, she was the sister of Ted Price, who was in my Home Room at Woodrow Wilson.  This experience was my first indication it is indeed a small world.

Beverly graduated in February 1958 with a Bachelors Degree in Sociology.  After graduation she obtained a job as a Social Worker for the Los Angeles County of Public Assistance, with her office located in downtown Long Beach.  Since she needed a car for her job, we purchased a 1949 Ford sedan that I used for school.  Since I had decided to attend graduate school application was made to about four universities.  Application was made to Kansas University, Oregon University, Oregon State University and UCLA.  Larry McNichols had also applied to Kansas, and both of us were accepted to this university.  Larry was also married, and we were going to apply for the married housing on campus.  Bob Reed also decided to attend graduate school and had applied to USC and was accepted.

About the time Beverly graduated and was hired by LA County, a notification was received from my Local Selective Service Board (Draft Board) that ordered a physical examination.  The exam was scheduled at a Selective Service Center in downtown Los Angeles.  Arriving at the center, I found it jammed with hundreds of young men.  One of these young men was a Hungarian who was a refugee from the People’s Republic of Hungary.  Hungary was a Communist country behind the Iron Curtain and controlled by the USSR.  He had fought in a two week revolution against the Communist Regime and the tanks of the USSR.  My first reaction was he had fought for his freedom against horrific odds, and subjecting him to the US draft was not right.  My sense of injustice was not shared by others; they considered it a necessary part of being a citizen.  The physical exam was kind of like being processed as cattle.  A few weeks after the exam, I was notified by the Draft Board my classification was 1A.  This classification meant I was liable to be drafted whenever my number was reached at my local board.  Best I can remember, my draft number was fairly high since my birthdate was in August.  Because of the high number I was confident of finishing the school year and making it to graduate school in September.

Well, my assumption was wrong!  During the first week of final exams in May, I received a Selective Service Induction Notice, which paraphrased said, “Greetings:  Uncle Sam desires the honor of your presence!”  This notice required me to report in about 30 to 45 days for induction into the US Army.  Needless to say, Beverly and I were shocked and saw our graduate school plans go up in smoke.  Despite the uncertainty and stress this induction notice created, finals were completed with high scores and all degree requirements were successfully completed.  I graduated in June 1958 with a Bachelor of Science in Physics.  The photo shows the Bachelor Degree or as Dad would say, a sheepskin. 

Bachelor of Science, Physics June 1958

Life after graduation became quite complicated because I returned to Douglas Aircraft and began starting the process of obtaining a Student Deferment.  Much to my surprise both Don McGuire and LarryMcNichols were also assigned to the Power Plant Unit.  All three of us were assigned analysis problems.  My first problem was to calculate the aircraft fuel temperature stored in a large tank at an airbase.  If the full tank was painted white, what was the maximum temperature the fuel would reach with an air temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit.  There is no recollection of the answer, but it satisfied the engineer.  Due to all that was happening concerning my draft situation, it is a wonder I solved this problem.  While working at Douglas, I was also dealing with the Student Deferment situation, which turned out to be a story all to itself.

After graduation, I immediately began searching for information about Student Deferments, which would allow me to attend the University of Kansas Graduate School.  A Student Deferment for post graduate studies required either obtaining a Bachelor Degree in four years or being ranked in the 25th Percentile of the graduating class.  Earning the Bachelor Degree had taken me five years because Beverly and I married and I had worked for one year.  My Grade Point Average (GPA) was about 3.25 (4.0 = A), which gave me confidence of being in this top percentile.  Application for the deferment was made to my Local Draft Board immediately after final exams.  School records had to be submitted to the Local Board to determine eligibility for the deferment.  The Local Board sent a Postponement Notice canceling my induction, pending receipt of the school records.  My confidence was shattered when my grades ranked me only in the 27th Percentile of the graduating class.  Despite my GPA and acceptance to Graduate School, missing the two criteria for a Student Deferment meant my deferment application was denied.  The student body at LBSC consisted primarily of liberal arts majors, with the majority being Education majors.  I firmly believed Physics was a more demanding major than most other majors, and being ranked with all majors placed me at a disadvantage.  Selective Service rules allowed for appeals of Local Board decisions, so, believing t a valid argument existed for a deferment, I filed an appeal.

Basically, the deferment denial was issued by Selective Service employees in the name of the Local Board.  The appeal filed requested a hearing with a member of the Local Board.  After receiving an appointment with a Board Member, Beverly and I went to his office in downtown Long Beach.  The Board Member was an attorney, and we met in his office.  I want to claim he was smoking a Cuban cigar, but that is not a memory but an impression of him when we met.  He had reviewed my school records, and one of his first arguments was that my GPA had suffered because of my marriage.  I told him that in fact my GPA increased after marrying.  He was not impressed with my acceptance to Graduate School or that there was a national imperative for engineers and scientists.  This appeal to the Local Board member was also denied and a second induction notice was issued.  However, there was a “court of last resort" or another level of appeal beyond the Local Board.

A Presidential Appeal existed if a Local Board Member Appeal was denied.  Still believing a Student Deferment was obtainable, I filed a request for a Presidential Appeal.  The Presidential Appeal required school records, the University of Kansas Graduate School Acceptance and letters of recommendation from my professors.  I obtained letters of recommendation from Dr. Appleton, Dr. Roberts and Dr. Schultz for inclusion with the Presidential Appeal package  Now I received another notice of induction postponement pending results of the Presidential Appeal.  Our feeling was bullish that the appeal would be successful, because President Dwight Eisenhower had recognized the need for engineers and scientists.  Our confidence was shattered sometime in late July or early August when the appeal was denied.  A letter was received from President Eisenhower’s Chief of Staff, Sherman Adams, rejecting my appeal for a Student Deferment.  It should be noted that Sherman Adams resigned on September 22, 1958.  His resignation was forced by a scandal for accepting a Vicuna coat and other gifts from a businessman.  Although the letter is not in my possession, it may still exist at Beverly’s.  In a way, we thought the letter might have some historical value.

Shortly after receiving Adam’s letter I received the third induction notice to report for active duty with the US Army.  It seemed that graduate school was no longer a possibility; we had to consider our other options.  The Draft commitment would be for two years that seemed like a waste, especially not knowing what part of the Army I would be assigned.  Plus, we were concerned that most of my two year commitment could be spent in either South Korea or West Germany.  Due to this uncertainty, I decided to see if volunteering would be more acceptable, even though the commitment would be for three or four years.  So, we went to both recruiting offices for the Army and Air Force.  Based on listening to Dad’s experiences working for the Navy, there was no desire to investigate the Navy.  While the Marines were favorites while growing up, the Marines were connected to the Navy.  The recruitment offices were in downtown Long Beach, located on the second floor of the Post Office ( buildingI think).

We went to the Army office first to see what they would offer.  Of course they were very pleased to see a college graduate inquire about enlisting.  The recruiters indicated I would become a Warrant Officer in command of a Nike Air-Aircraft Missile site.  A Warrant Officer is between Sargeant and Second Lieutenant.  This position had possibilities because most Nike sites were in the United States (at least to my knowledge at the time).  I took their “offer” under consideration, and we went to the Air Force office a couple of doors away.  The Air Force recruiter asked my level of education and I replied a Bachelor’s Degree in Physics.  I swear his eyes lit up and broke into a smile.  He said: “Great!  You would enter as a Second Lieutenant with a Science specialty.”  I said, “I just want to be an enlisted man, not an officer.”  I knew that when an officer retired from active duty you had to serve in the reserve.  I did not want to be a reservist.  The recruiter’s response was, “I would not take you as an enlisted man, that would be like putting a square peg in a round hole!”  We left for our apartment to consider the options.

While we were considering whether to enlist or just submit to the draft, a letter arrived from UCLA.  I had been accepted to UCLA’s Graduate School, and UCLA was inquiring if I intended to register.  We thought the registration period had passed and believed it was too late to register.  I called UCLA and was told that there were two weeks left to register and there were classes available in the Physics Department.  As soon as possible I went to UCLA and registered for the Fall Semester of the 1958-1959 school year.  UCLA sent the required documentation to my Local Board for a Student Deferment.  Since I was a registered college student, my classification was changed from 1A to 1S.  The 1S classification allowed the student to complete the school year without being subject to induction.  Another postponement notice was issued, because my Draft Status had changed from 1A to 1S.  This postponement notice was the third one received since the original induction notice.

When it appeared that the US Army was my destiny we moved from the Carson Street apartment to an apartment in North Long Beach.  We thought it would be best that Beverly live near her folks, and this apartment was on the opposite end of her folks’ block.  We believed living in North Long Beach was best, since Beverly’s office was in downtown Long Beach.  Besides her working in Long Beach, school was starting in about a week and looking for an apartment and moving would be very disruptive for us.  The drive to UCLA was about 35 miles and usually required at least an hour.  My route included the Long Beach Freeway, the Santa Ana Freeway, the Hollywood Freeway, Hollywood Boulevard and surface streets to the campus.   Upon reaching the Santa Ana Freeway, traffic was bumper to bumper until somewhere on the Hollywood Freeway.  Hollywood Boulevard was stop and go due to the traffic signals.  I had no parking permit and parked on residential streets east of the campus.  Parking was not difficult and was amidst affluent Westwood mansions.  I usually could find a parking spot that was no more than two or three blocks to the campus.  Luckily, I only had to make the trip on three days a week.  Retuning home, the reverse route was followed and was usually with less traffic.  In any event, I learned to drive the freeways.

In reality, my time at UCLA is a blur.  I can remember only three courses that were taken, Electricity and Magnetism, Quantum Physics and Complex Variables.  Best I can remember, Selective Service required the student to carry a full load, which for graduate school would be 12 units.  This course load would probably be three courses a semester.  Why do I draw such a blank when trying to remember what courses I took at UCLA?  Bottom line, I did not do well at UCLA.  Perhaps I did not have the intellect, perhaps my undergraduate work was insufficient, perhaps it was the big school environment, perhaps it was the long commute or perhaps it was a combination of all these factors.  I believe the big school environment contributed the most to not doing well.  At LBSC classes were small and there was a personal relationship with the professors.  At UCLA classes were large, 50 students or more; some classes  were taught by a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA), a graduate student assisting the course professor.  The GTA usually graded your homework papers and sometimes the tests.  Course professors were not available for consultation and GTAs were difficult to schedule for assistance.  Unfortunately, I did not make friends with any other students; my habit of withdrawing in new, strange environments raised its ugly head.  Consequently, there was no one to study with or discuss problems and concepts.  Commuting 35 miles to attend class added additional barriers to becoming acquainted with other students.  Studying and doing homework was done in a vacuum at home or sitting in my car between classes on some days.  Due to this environment two Bs and a C were earned in the fall semester.  Falling below a 3.0 GPA in graduate school was not acceptable.  By promising the Dean of the Physics Department to achieve higher grades in the spring semester, a reprieve was granted, and I enrolled for the this semester  Classes taken this semester were Quantum Mechanics, Complex Variables and the third course escapes my memory.  The spring semester’s grades were somewhat better; I received a B in Quantum Mechanics, an A in Complex Variable and a, C in the third class.  However, these grades did not bring my overall average to a 3.0 GPA.  Thus, I was denied enrolling for a second year of Graduate School, at least if there was some way to extend the Student Deferment.  Whether another deferment was possible is questionable.

Knowing that continuation in Graduate School would mean another Draft Notice, I applied for an Engineering position at North American Aviation (NAA) located in Downey, California.  I had conversations with Don McGuire and learned Bill Price (an acquaintance at Woodrow Wilson and LBCC) had been hired by NAA for $610/month.  While I could return to Douglas Aircraft, my degree in Physics did not fit with the Power Plant Unit; at least, that was my belief.  I interviewed with Floyd Knowlden, Supervisor of an Avionics group.  The position offered was in an Antenna Unit.  Mr. Knowlden had Personnel contact me with an offer for a position in the Antenna Unit for $560/month.  Since I knew Bill Price had started at $610/month, I countered the NAA offer for $600/month.  My counter offer was denied and the $560/month offer was re-tendered.  The position was attractive, and I was interested in any position that involved Electromagnetic Waves.  I accepted NAA’s offer and began work before the end of June 1959.  Because this position was in the defense industry, my Draft Classification was changed to 2A, which meant the possibility of receiving another Induction Notice had dropped to near zero, because only 1A Classifications were being drafted.  Then in about March 1960 Beverly was pregnant and my Draft status was changed to a 3A classification.  This classification was for fathers, rendering being drafted to an improbability.

Once I began working at NAA, I used to tell people I was a Draft Dodger!  Peoples’ reactions would vary to this statement, from surprise to humor to disgust, at least until I told of the three induction notices and the Presidential appeal.  Once we learned of Beverly’s pregnancy, we bought our first house and moved from North Long Beach to the Lakewood area.  Then in 1962, we bought a new house and moved to the East Anaheim area.  Separate essays will discuss the early years of our marriage as our family grew in size and my years at NAA (which eventually became Rockwell International).  Although these essays will cover the same years, I believe at this time it is best to cover the topics separately.  However, to complete this College Years essay, the time period skips forward in time to the completion of my graduate work and beyond.

Around 1960 the Physics Department at Long Beach State College began a Graduate Program.  Upon hearing about this program, I contacted Dr. Charles Roberts about transferring my UCLA credits and working on a Master’s Degree.  Dr. Roberts encouraged me to apply to LBSC’s Graduate Program in Physics.  During the summer of 1961 I applied to LBSC and requested UCLA send my transcripts.  My application was accepted and I entered the Master program that September. LBSC also accepted all my credits form UCLA, which meant I needed only about eight credits to earn a Master Degree.  In addition to the required credits, a Master’s Thesis was required to earn the degree.  Before beginning work on a thesis, course work and extra credits had to be taken.  The only class remembered was Statistics, other classes I might have taken have faded from memory.  These extra courses were night classes.  Before completing all the necessary credits, I began with Dr. Roberts on my thesis.  Once the course work was complete, I worked only on the thesis.

The thesis problem Dr. Roberts assigned was theoretical in nature and the thesis title was First Correction To The Plasma Dielectric Constant.   This title sounds very esoteric doesn’t it?  A plasma is a gas with free electrons. When an electromagnetic field is applied to a plasma the plasma dielectric constant increases, which affects attempts to send radio waves through the plasma.  As an example, when the Apollo capsule re-entered the atmosphere, the capsule heated the air and this heat creates a plasma around the capsule.  This plasma blocks the communication signals, termed Communications Black Out.  Loss of communications ends as the capsule slows and the plasma dissipates.  Once the initial problem was established, the work consisted of pages of formulas and diagrams, which resulted in a final complex formula that described the plasma dielectric constant.  These formulas and diagrams were beyond anything learned, which required considerable consultation with Dr. Roberts.  Once the mathematics was understood, periodic reviews were held with Dr. Roberts.  Reviews of the thesis work were accomplished at LBSC and at Dr. Robert’s home.  My work was done on large desktop quadrille pads (22 inches by 17 inches).  I was working a minimum of 40 hour a week, so progress on the thesis was sporadic.  Due to interruptions and the mathematical complexity, it was not until early 1967 an acceptable conclusion was reached.  Now I had to write the thesis and prepare it for review.  The rough draft was handwritten (no computers or word processors existed), and Beverly typed it on special thesis paper.  She had to leave spaces for my formulas and diagrams, which were done by hand.  This process consumed several months and was ready for submittal in August 1967.  However, a low score on a Standardized English Test required passing a remedial English Writing Class, plus the thesis approval, to satisfy all Master degree requirements.

This remedial class was taken during the spring semester of 1967, while composing the thesis and preparing it for submittal.  Needless to say, this period was very hectic and stressful.  To pass this writing class, I had to write three consecutive passing essays.  A failing essay meant you were back to zero and still had to write three consecutive winning essays.  The first essay passed, but the next one failed and the next one passed followed by another failure.  Panic was setting in, because only about six weeks remained in the semester, and I was scheduled to start law school in September (to be discussed shortly).  Due to this pressure, I made a concerted effort to write three consecutive passing essays.  I began attending every night the course was offered to write the essays.  After my last failing essay, I wrote two passing essays.  Now the pressure was really on, because if this third one failed, I was back to zero again.  The instructor listed about five to eight topics on the board for that night’s class to choose as an essay topic.  The topic selected for my essay was the JFK Assassination.  I prepared about four paragraphs using the Zapruder film of the assassination as the basis for the essay.  I discussed the film and concluded that Lee Oswald was the one and only assassin!  Upon finishing the essay, I handed it to the instructor for grading.  He began grading it immediately while I waited and held my breath.  He took about five minutes, looked up and said, “You have passed the class!”  Man, what a relief!  Now earning the Master degree depended on acceptance of the thesis.

During the fall of 1967 I was notified the thesis had been approved.  What a relief!  After submittal, the thesis was approved by Drs. Roberts, Appleton and Chen.  Dr. Chen questioned some of the work, but after meeting with him all concerns were erased.  After approval, the thesis was submitted for printing and binding.The thesis is dated February 1968.  At last,  I had earned a Master Degree, and it had only taken nearly ten years after earning the Bachelor Degree!  The bound thesis is in my bookcase.  A photo shows the Master of Arts degree.

Master of Arts, Physics, February 1968

There was one surprise when I received the degree in the mail.  I had earned a Master of Arts, not a Master of Science.  Somehow I had missed that LBSC offered only a Master of Arts degree.  It sure seemed to me that writing a thesis should have been enough to earn a Master of Science, but in the long view, it made no difference to my career earnings.  Rockwell made no differential between a MA or MS degree.

Once I earned my Master degree, I began the study of law by attending Law School at night.  What was the reason, or reasons, that prompted a decision to change my profession?  To adequately answer this question, it is necessary to time travel to Southern California during the 1950s and 1960s.  As I entered high school in 1950, California's population was 10.6 million.  Cities and towns in Southern Los Angeles and Orange County were single entities, each having a distinct downtown area surrounded by either farmlands or undeveloped land.  By the mid-1950s housing developments began consuming both of these lands.  This development was very obvious around our Sebren Avenue home.  In Orange County, orange groves were being sold, with the most popular area being Garden Grove, popularly called Garbage Grove.  When Beverly became pregnant in 1960, California’s population had grown by 50% to 15.7 million people.  This housing boom in Southern California obliterated a lot of the open space between cities and towns, making it difficult to know where city limits began and ended.  Along with the additional people, traffic increased beyond belief.  By the mid-1960s Beverly and I began thinking through the possibility of moving to areas that were less populated.  Of course, maintaining our financial position, moving would require finding a new job, somewhere within the aerospace industry.  Unfortunately, the aerospace was concentrated primarily in Southern California or on the East Coast.  In addition to these regions there were aerospace firms in St. Louis, Dallas and Seattle.  None of these cities or regions were any more desirable than where we were living.  Several-workers at North American Aviation also complained about the growing population situation.  We all seemed stymied by the prospect of finding an aerospace position in a less populated area.  A couple of my co-workers were attending law school with the intent of changing professions.  It seemed reasonable that an attorney’s practice could be established anywhere, thereby providing a means for moving to less populated areas.  One favorable factor that influenced this vision was that California and New York bar exams were the toughest in the nation to pass, and it was stated that if you passed the California bar you could practice law in any of the other states.  Based on this naive reasoning I decided to attend law school.  Grandson Matt has since told me that passing the California bar and practicing in any other state is not quite that easy, but at the time who worried about the facts.  So, I applied to a local Anaheim law school, Western State University.

Western State University College of Law began in 1966.  It was located on South Brookhurst Street, near Ball Avenue.  We were living in Eastern Anaheim, which made the school about a 15 or 20 minute drive from home.  Tuition is not recalled, but it was very reasonable.  I had enrolled while taking the English writing class at LBSC and was scheduled to begin classes in September 1968.  Two co-workers were also attending Western State, Dick Fredrickson and Tom Tate.  Dick and I worked together on the same projects.  Dick passed a Master degree in Physics from the University of Illinois.  Tom was the department’s financial accountant.  Dick, Tom and I had played on the Department’s softball team.  In 1968 Dick and I were just beginning at Western State, Tom was repeating some classes due to unacceptable grades.  Western State was a unaccredited law school, which meant that all students finishing the first year were required to pass the Baby Bar Exam before continuing their studies.  Eligibility for this bar exam required a grade of B, or better, in Torts, Contracts I &II, Criminal Law and Constitutional Law.  Thus, in September 1968, a new course of study was undertaken.

At first glance, it appears studying law would be significantly different from studying physics.  Sure the subjects are a world apart, but there are more similarities than differences.  Law requires reading court decisions that establish a precedent, or guide, for subsequent cases with a similar set of circumstances (facts and actions).  Reading several court decisions on a specific topic, e.g., Assault, a concept is formulated how different Assault cases are adjudicated for varying situations.  Physics requires reading about physical phenomena, interactions and the derivation of mathematical expressions that describe the phenomena.  Studying a specific physical phenomena, e.g., Electricity and Magnetism, it is learned how to recognize what laws and mathematical approaches apply to a given problem.  It is essential in both Law and Physics to correctly diagnose the problem and select the appropriate precedent or physical law to address the issues involved.  One area where studying law and physics diverge is in the area of homework.  Law homework is reading and generating briefs for each case read.  At Western State most homework assignments were 50 to 70 pages of case material prior to the next class.  At the next class the instructor would call on different students to brief a homework case or ask if you disagreed with the previous student.  You did not want to be unprepared for these questions and challenges.  Physics homework consists of solving problems, which demonstrated principles covered in class.  This homework was submitted for review and grading, which contributed to your final grade.  The greatest differences between law and physics courses were in the exams.

Physics tests consist of solving a problem given an initial set of physical paramagnets.  You arrived at an answer through a series of formulas and computations.  Your grade on solving the problem rested not only on the solution, but on your approach.  Your grade on the problem depended heavily on your approach and not the numerical answer.  Arithmetic errors did not lower a grade as much as would a poor approach.  Law exams present an event with a number of actions taken by an individual, or individuals.  The student must compose an essay that identifies the legal issues and the legal remedies available to all individuals.  Your grade depends on recognizing what legal issues are involved and the correct remedy.  These law problems consist of both major and minor legal issues.  Missing major issues has the most detrimental effect on your grade but you cannot miss too many of the minor issues.  Recognizing subtle legal issues earn bonus points.  However, law exams require a skill not required in physics exams.  This critical skill is the ability to compose a rational and coherent essay.  Recognizing the legal issues is a necessary, but not a sufficient condition for a passing grade.  If your answer is incoherent, your grade suffers.  I had little experience writing essay exams prior to studying law, and there were few college courses I had taken that used essay exams.  As it turned out, the English writing course taken to earn my Master degree was a godsend.  Those writing techniques learned in that class helped me immeasurably in composing law essays.  In fact, besides grasping the elements of the law, my skill writing the law essays earned a 3.5 to 3.75 GPA for required first year subjects.

Studying law was truly enjoyable, because the philosophy and morality underlying the law was totally fascinating and satisfying.  A typical homework assignment for any class was to read b 50 to 75 pages before the next class, which meant 150 to 225 pages a week for three classes.  This reading load was a challenge for several reasons.  Our family had grown to three boys and Beverly was pregnant with our fourth.  Beverly had an accident in her eighth month; our daughter was born in December 1967.  Beverly had surgery about March 1968.  A more detailed story will be related in another essay about these events.  Plus, I was working 40 hours, sometimes more, per week and there were the other miscellaneous family duties that needed attention.  Part way through the spring semester, a half-day Saturday class was added to practice writing for the Baby Bar Exam.  

The Baby Bar was a one day test given sometime during the early summer.  Dick Fredrickson and I rode together to somewhere in downtown Los Angeles for the exam.  The exam was separated into a morning and an afternoon session of about three hours each. While there is no recollection of any exam questions, there is one that haunts me.  During the lunch break between the two sessions, Dick and I met to discuss the exam questions.  Dick asked me, “Did you catch the trespass issue in the criminal law question?”  My heart fell, because I immediately recognized a flaw in my answer.  I caught the other issues in the question, and the question would be if some credit would be given.  On the drive home it did not appear there were any other questions where major issues were missed.  Now all we had to do iwas wait for the exam results.  When the results were received, it was sort of Agony and Ecstasy, I had passed but with a D grade.  Dick aced the exam and received an A.  Although I had passed the Baby Bar,it was by the thinest of margins, but I could continue my law studies.

After a brief time off after taking the Baby Bar, I started my second year of law school with classes in Equity, Real Property and Procedures (I think).  Now it was back to the grind of working, studying and family duties.  As Christmas break approached, I began to have serious doubts that pursing a law degree made sense.  I was rising about 5:00 AM to read the law assignments and not going to bed until around 11:30 PM to finish the law assignments.  Working the 40+ hours and all the reading left little time with my family.  I realized my children were growing up, and I was not involved with them, but only in a minor way.  In addition, I began questioning whether I would make a good attorney.  Perhaps my low score on the Baby Bar influenced this thought, I am just not sure.  When law school broke for Christmas holidays, I made the decision to drop law school.  When I did not appear for the classes in January, Dick asked me why I missed class.  I told him about quitting, and I told him my major reason was to help raise my children.  I had reached this decision primarily because I wanted to be a father. They had no seen much of me due to all my studies on the Master degree and Law school.  It just seemed more important to be part of their growing up than to be an attorney.  Do I have any regrets for not finishing law school?

While I found studying law very satisfying, I have never harbored any misgivings about quitting law school.  Studying law fortified my basic moral beliefs and provided a legal understanding of a person’s responsibilities relative to others.  The knowledge gained through studying law for just one year provided me with information that is useful in everyday life.  My study of contracts proved extremely useful at Rockwell negotiating contracts with the government, as just one example.  I learned my rights in protecting my family, although the law of self defense has made some quantum leaps through statues of all kinds.  Finally, I have never had regrets about being an active participant in my childrens’ lives growing up.  Being a father was more important than being a lawyer.  I believe quitting law school was a very good decision and I never questioned it again.

From the time I entered Long Beach City College until quitting Law school spanned nearly 16 years.  It is an understatement to say there were many twists and turns while pursuing a college education.  These twists and turns were the result of any number of events and circumstances that delayed and interrupted this pursuit.  One factor that influenced the educational process was a lack of planning for college while in high school.  Because a course of study was not identified early, selecting an Engineering major required remedial high school courses prior to progressing to college courses.  Marrying after two years of college represented a major delay in pursuing a Bachelor degree.  Beverly and I marrying was a personal choice or decision.  As stated earlier, this decision placed our college education at risk.  We could have waited until we each graduated; this approach was never considered by us.  We were just stubborn and wanted to marry right away.  The first impact of our decision was I had to place my education on hold and go to work full time.  We dodged a bullet because I was the sole beneficiary of Granddad Graham’s life insurance.  Actually, receiving this money removed some of the risk we assumed marrying after two years of college.  Without that money it is pure conjecture what our future would have been.  There are just so many variables, it is just not possible to predict what would have happened without the insurance money.  We also reduced our risk of marrying early, by delaying having children until after earning our Bachelor degrees.  A failure to study for the UC Engineering test resulted in a low score, which resulted in transferring to Long Beach State College as well as changing my major to Physics.  After entering LBSC, I earned a bachelor degree two years later.  Beverly changed her major form Education to Sociology, which delayed her graduation by one semester.  The largest impact to my college education was the Selective Service Induction Notice.

ThIs Induction Notice initially placed my graduate studies at the University of Kansas on hold, while appeals were filled.  After all the appeals failed, it appeared my college days were at an end.  Enlisting was considered in an attempt to control, to some extent, the military experience.  Enlisting was discarded as an option, which in hindsight was perhaps a very good decision.  The year was 1958 and enlisting would have meant a there or four year commitment.  By 1961 USA was beginning its Vietnam involvement.  Enlisting may have sucked me into that fateful conflict.  Since applications were sent to multiple schools, a last chance came about that allowed me to enroll in graduate school at UCLA.  However, I failed to take advantage of this opportunity.  It is possible to lament not going to the University of Kansas.  My plan at the time was to study for a doctorate degree.  While there is disappointment that this opportunity was snatched away, I do not suffer from any What If thoughts.  Life is filled with What Ifs and history cannot be changed.  I just did not take advantage of my opportunity at UCLA.  In fact, perhaps my less than stellar grades there is an indication I might not have the ability to earn a doctorate degree.  It causes one to wonder, even though a Master degree was eventually earned.

Pursuing a college degree followed a very circuitous path with several detours and barriers encountered along the way.  Negotiating these detours and barriers required adaptation and decisions to reach the ultimate goal of graduating with a degree.  The adaptations and decisions made varied in success.  Those less than successful adaptations and decisions did not prevent achieving the degree goals; they just delayed the completion of goals.  Perhaps the best decision was not to give up, but to persevere regardless of whatever obstacle was encountered.  In a very small way, my college years is a testament to not giving up, but to keep trying whatever to overcome any difficulties or curves that are thrown at you.