This journey begins in California’s Mojave Desert in 1881. I know, you thought the story would continue in 1963 at the Sycamore House in East Anaheim. Eventually it will arrive there, but there are stories behind an upcoming story. So, sit back for some 19thCentury California history.
In 1881 four prospectors were leaving Grapevine Station (present day Barstow) for a mountain peak to the northeast. Describing the peak as "calico-colored",the peak, the mountain range to which it belonged, and the town that followed were all called Calico. The four prospectors discovered silver in the mountain and opened the Silver King Mine and was California's largest silver producer in the mid-1880s. As mining operations began, Calico became a boom town by 1882. At its height of silver production during 1883 and 1885. At this time, Calico had over 500 mines and a population of 1,200 inhabitants.
The discovery of the borate mineral colemanite in the Calico mountains a few years after the settlement of the town also helped Calico's fortunes, and in 1890 the estimated population of the town was 3,500. In the same year, 1890, the Silver Purchase Act was enacted and drove down the price of silver. By 1896, its value had decreased from $1.00 to $0.57 per troy ounce, and Calico's silver mines were no longer economically viable. By the turn of the century, Calico was all but a ghost town, and with the end of borax mining in the region in 1907, the town was completely abandoned. Many of the original buildings were moved to Barstow, Daggett and Yermo. All that remained of Calico were a couple of decaying buildings, a huge hill of unrecoverable silver deposits for the Silver King Mine.
Now flash forward to the late 1940s. Around 1948, the Price family and the Biddle family spent a day at Calico. The Biddle family were our next-door neighbor when we lived in North Long Beach. Lloyd and Thelma had four children, two girls and two boys. Perhaps you recall than the deer hunt Dad, me, Lloyd and son Harold we took in the Big Bear mountains in 1947. Memory of this weekend outing is rather sparse, because Calico had only one or two empty buildings and a huge hill that Dad said was left over diggings from the mine. Dad indicated that these diggings contained sliver. This hill was so large, in my mind I did not understand why no one was getting the silver. Well, recovering silver from these diggings is not economically feasible. Even so, I was intrigued by the prospect of recovering silver from that huge hill.
Besides wandering around the empty buildings, Dad, Lloyd, Harold and I drove on a dirt road that passed by many of the other mines. While we went on this drive, I do not recall what Mom, Thelma, Berta and the other Biddle kids were doing. The road we took stared East of town and went into the mountains North of Calico. Actually, the road looped around and we exited back near the town. All along this road mine entrances were visible. We stopped and entered one mine. It is assumed Dad and Lloyd had flashlights to light our way. Lloyd and Harold separated from us to explore a branch tunnel in the mine. When Dad and I turned to exit the mine, Dad commented that he saw Lloyd walking across a wooden beam over an open pit. Dad believed Lloyd was taking a huge risk waking on a beam that was over 50 years old. There would have little chance of rescuing him if the beam broke. Dad led us on a safe exploration of an old silver mine.
Given this trip back in time, flash forward to the year 1963. Bev and I had grown up visiting Knott’s Berry Farm and Ghost Town. After moving to East Anaheim, we took Russ and Darryl to the Ghost Toms on a fairly regular basis. At the time it was free, and we visited the various shops and other attractions. We learned that Walter Knott had purchased Calico and was opening it up as a “real” ghost town. So, one Saturday we took the boys and went to see Knott’s “rea” Calico Ghost Town. The Calico Ghost Town had several buildings now, compared to when I had visited it in 1948. Knott had built structures that replicated some of the original Calico buildings. We “toured” the town, went into some of the building and poked around for a couple of hours. Just before leaving, we took the short walk up to Boot Hill. Boot Hill had some graves with headstones fashioned out of wooden planks similar the one shown in the photo.
Boot Hill Headstone
Headstone shown is fancier than what we saw in 1963. Headstones we s
aw were hand written in black paint and that declared something like, “Here lies One Eyed Jack caught cheating at poker.” The graves were not covered with rocks as shown, but were elongated mounds of dirt. Photos of today’s Boot Hill Cemetery is surrounded with a wrought iron fencing between rock pillars. In 1963, Boot Hill was completely open with several “mound” with plank headboards and unfenced. Best that can be recalled that we spent a short time looking at the headstones, then returned to our car and headed for home.
By now you are probably wondering the purpose of this Calico story. Well, about one year later we were totally shocked by Russ. I remember standing in the kitchen and Russ entered as said, “Now I know what that sign said!” Confused I asked, “What sign?” I believed he was talking about some billboard, or something similar. Russ proceeded to tell us what was written one of the Calico headstones. We were totally blown away. Think about it: Russ had a mental picture of the headstone stored in memory for about a year. Bev had begun to teach the boys to read using letters and flash cards with words. So, when Russ began to read, he remembered what was written on a Calico headstone. To me, even today, I am totally amazed at his ability to remember something that he did not understand and comprehend it after learning the basics of reading. Before continuing our story in 1964, jump back to late 1962.
As mentioned in the essay Marriage: 1952 to 1960, John and Faye Wilhite had purchased a cabin in the Moonridge area east of Big Bear City. We used the cabin several times while the boys were growing up. On one of our visits to the cabin in 1962 we went to Big Bear Lake to fish. We had bought Russ a kid’s fishing pole, baited his hole and sat him down on the edge of the lake to fish. Bev and I have marveled over the phot of Russ sitting patiently on a rock waiting to catch a fish. There is a similar photo of teenager Russ, sitting on a rock fishing. However, this photo has been lost.
Russ Fishing on Big Bear Lake, Circa 1962
We went to the cabin the following year, 1963, and took the boys dow
n to the lake again to fish. This time both Russ and Darryl had fishing poles, while Russ was wearing his cowboy hat. Here are photos of them at the lake with their fishing poles.
Fisherman Russ at Big Bear Lake, Circa 1963
Darryl Fishing at Big Bear Lake, Circa 1963
There is little doubt that neither Russ or Darryl experienced even a nibble from the Big Bear Lake fish. Less than a mile from the cabin, Moonridge had a trout pond. We thought taking them to this trout pond would give them a real chance to catch a fish. The boys did not have to use their own poles, they were give poles and bait. Much to our surprise, as soon as their bait hit the water, they each had caught a trout! Those trout must have been starved, because in less than 15 seconds they had caught a trout. This is not fishing and each fish cost $10. So, our fishing expedition to the trout pond was, in a sense, a bust and cost $20! The boys were excited, but from my standpoint it taught them nothing about fishing. I did show them how to clean the fish, so maybe the experience was worth the $20.
Another photo of Russ and Darry was discovered that shows Darryl also had two guns, not just one.
Price Brothers Gang, Circa 1963
Darryl in the previous photo had only one gun on his left hip. The right holster was either behind his back or not on the belt. It was commented that we thought Darryl might be left-handed. This photo shows him using his left gun, which lends credibility to our early thoughts. Well, we were totally wrong because Darryl is right-handed.
The previous essay also discussed the block wall fence saga, and did not know when the fence was installed. A July, 1963 somewhat answers the question. This photo show Russ and Darryl with the fence in the background. Plus, you can see part of the sandbox and swing set have been installed. Russ and Darryl are shown with their new “toys”, a broom and a shovel. What Russ has in his right hand cannot be identified, but Darryl has a look that says, “What do I do with this thing!”
Russ And Darry with “Toys”, July 1963
It is Friday, November 22, 1963 at approaching Noon. I am at NAA working at my desk, beginning to think about eating my sack lunch. Someone announces that President John F. Kennedy has been shot! Initially, there are no further details, especially on his condition. Since NAA was a defense plant, radios were not allowed in any of the buildings. Due to this restriction, some folks left the building to listen to car radios for further news. Shortly after Noon, we learned the President had died from his wounds. Rumors were running wild about the assignation and what was happening. It was difficult to know what to believe. I called Bev to see if she could provide some clarity to what was happening. Bev was at her Mom’s house watching TV new coverage of the assignation. She said the coverage was full time, confusing with conflicting stores. About 45 minutes after the assignation, a Dallas police officer had been shot and killed. The officer, J.D. Tippet, stopped a man matching the assassin’s description. As the officer approached the man, he drew a pistol and shot the officer four times. This man was observed entering a movie theatre, and the police were notified. The police entered the theatre and the shooter was identified and arrested. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested about 90 minutes after the assignation, but was arrested for killing the police officer, not the assignation. When I arrived at home that evening, information on the assignation was not as confusing, but there were many unanswered questions.
Oswald was a former US Marine, was a Communist, had live in the Soviet Union, had married a Russian woman, had visited Castro’s Cuba and was being charged for assignation the president. One major question: Was the assignation a Communist plot? Followed by: Was it ordered by the Soviet Union or Cuba? Then on Sunday morning as Oswald was being transferred for the city jail to the county jail, the unbelievable happened. This transfer was being televised live, when Oswald was being escorted to a van he was shot! The shooter was Jack Ruby, a man well known within the Dallas police force. Lee Harvey Oswald died of the gunshot would two days later. Oswald’s background, questions about the assignation details, motives and his killing by Jack Ruby sparked countless numbers of conspiracy theories. The Warren Commission, head by Chief Justice Earl “Pat” Warren, found that Oswald was the lone assassin and not part of a conspiracy to kill the President. These Warren Commission’s findings concerning the assignation and Oswald’s murder raised even more questions and more conspiracy theories. Many of these conspiracy theories still exist today, and many of the assignation’s questions will probably never be answered. Despite assignation questions, conspiracy theories and controversies, a state funeral was held on Monday, November 25, 1963 and was attended by about 90 dignitaries from across the globe. The President was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. While the nation was mourning the loss of a President, the Price household had something to celebrate.
In December, we learned that Bev was pregnant again. The expected birth was to be in September, essentially another birthday close to the boys. We now had to find a new obstetrician, because the one Bev had for Russ and Darryl was 25 miles away in Long Beach. Plus, there is a faint memory that he had retired. Bev’s new obstetrician was Dr. Nissen. It is unclear how Bev chose Dr. Nissen. It could be the same neighbor that recommended Dr. Arthur told Bev about him, or it is possible that Dr. Arthur recommended. Whichever way it happened, Bev began regular monthly visits to Dr. Nissen’s office. Her pregnancy progressed normally toward the expected September birth of our third child. As summer moved into July, we began a new annual event.
While living in Long Beach, fireworks were not allowed, but in Anaheim “Safe and Sane” fireworks could be purchased to properly celebrate the Fourth of July. We did not believe the boys were ready for fireworks our first year in Anaheim, but we believed they were ready in 1963. We purchased a “Family Pack” of fireworks, which consisted of sparklers, snakes, several types of fountains, pinwheels, cones and especially two Piccolo Petes. A Piccolo Pete made a screeching noise that sounded like a falling bomb, with no bang at the end of the powder. Placing a dent near the bottom of the container provided a loud bang at the end of the screeching noise. Yep, this was my favorite firework piece. The boys really enjoyed the fireworks display set off in the middle of the street. The “after fireworks” show were also popular and will be explained later.
Following the Fourth, we entered the “birthday season” for the Price family. In August, we celebrated Bev’s (August 8), mine and Russ’ (August 14), then in September Darryl’s (September 2). So, within a span 25 days we would celebrate four birthdays. Bev was nearing full term as Darryl’s birthday approached it was evident the birth was near. It is my recollection that her labor was induced again. However, did we really schedule the birth like we did for Darryl’s birth? While I’m certain delivery was induced, why did we schedule a Wednesday instead of a weekend? There is no answer to this question with any certainty, but my recollection is positive that her labor was induced. It is unclear whether inducing labor was Dr. Nissen’s suggestion or Bev’s request. In any event, we got ready and went to the hospital for a “scheduled” birth. It is an educated guess that Faye and Mom came to our house to babysit Russ and Darryl.
We went to the Martin Luther Hospital, not far from downtown Anaheim on Wednesday September 16, 1964, probably in the morning. After we checked-in, Bev was prepared for delivery and we awaited Dr. Nissen. Once Bev was moved to the delivery room, Dr. Nissen injected the simulant to begin labor, and I was directed to the Father’s Waiting Room. How long I was waiting is not remembered. When I was summoned o Bev’s room, I learned we had a third son. Best that can be recalled, we were not surprised that it was a boy. Bev and the doctor both were sure it was a boy, based on his activity and size. Because we were so sure it was a boy, a girl’s name was not considered. Searching for a first name that could not be shortened as a nickname, we noticed a TV actor that appeared in some of the TV westerns of the day that fit the bill. This actor was Darren McGavin. Hence, Darren Thomas Price was the name selected for our third son. How we came to select Thomas as a middle name is not remembered. Perhaps it just sounded very good. Darren’s vital statistics: Birth Weight –Nine Pounds Ten and one half Ounces (9 Lbs 10 1/2 Ozs), Length: 23 Inches. Yes, Darren was a large baby!
Over the years, family and friends have asked, “Why did you use such similar names for Darryl and Daren?” It seems folks have confused the two names because both start with “D” and sound so much alike. Best that can be recalled, this issue never occurred to us when selecting Darren’s name. Neither Bev or I were confused as to who was who, so it is difficult to provide a rational reason for others confusion. That folks would be confused by the similarity of their names, just never occurred to us. Perhaps, we unknowingly avoiding any confusion with the nickname “DT” when referring to Darren. But this nickname did not arise until several years later.
A new baby brother drew interest from both Russ and Darryl. To satisfy their interest and curiosity, Bev involved them in the care and feeding of Darren. This next photo shows Darryl helping to feed Darren (I think).
Darryl, Darren, Bev - Circa 1964
One of the first photos of the three boys was taken on Halloween Eve after Russ and Darryl had been Trick or Treating. This photo was taken looking from the kitchen into the Dining Room. Yep, the boys wore Cowboy outfits. What else?
Russ, Darryl, Darren, Bev on Halloween 1964
One week after Darren was born, the Daniel Boone TV series debuted. This program was an instant hit, especially with Russ and Darryl, and became their favorite, it was mine also. It wasn’t long until “Daniel Boone” gear was commercially available. Now the boys changed from cowboy gear to Daniel Boone gear, which consisted of a muzzle loading long rifle that shot cork balls, a muzzle loading pistol, a powder horn, a cartridge pouch and a ‘coonskin cap. They became regular pioneer frontiersman with all this gear. Photos of them outfitted in this manner have been lost to history, there are only memories that remain. However, these memories lead to a photo of some of this frontiersmen gear and a vacation story.
As mentioned earlier, we celebrated the Fourth of July with fireworks set off in the middle of the street. At this stage, the boys were not permitted to light any fuses, that was my job. They did hold sparklers when they were lit, it was as they were older they were permitted to set the fireworks off. The boys certainly enjoyed the fireworks displays, but the “after the fireworks” show was also a favorite pastime the next day. The expended fireworks were “saved” and placed in the driveway that night. The next day the boys played with these “used” fireworks, and playing with these cones and fountains became an annual ritual. This photo illustrates the boys and the expended fireworks the day after the 4thof July in 1965.
Russ and Darryl with Expended Fireworks, Circa 1965
It is also possible to observe some of the “Daniel Boone” gear on Russ and Darryl. Straps for the powder horn and cartridge pouch can be seen across their chests. Only the rifle, pistol and ‘coonskin caps are missing.
In 1965, Watts was the largest black community in the city of Los Angeles. On the evening of Wednesday, August 11, the Los Angeles Police stopped a black man for reckless driving in the Watts area of South Central Los Angeles. This initial incident spiraled out of control when the rumor started that the police had kicked a pregnant black woman. The black community erupted into what became known as the Watts Riots. The rioters attacked the police, any non-black traveling through the area, set fires and looted stores. The police were overwhelmed and ask for the California National Guard. A total of 4,000 National Guard augmented the police during and for a time after order was restored. The riot continued for six days until August 16. During the riot there were 34 deaths, 1,032 injuries and 3,438 arrests. Much of the riot was seen live on TV during the unrest.
The day after the riot started, several of us at work went to the roof of our NAA building in Downey. We could see smoke from the fires in the riot area. It was difficult to comprehend what was happening. I was fairly familiar with the area, because in the late 1940s and early 1950s my friends and I went to baseball games at Wrigley Field and never felt unsafe. Jon Mark was a Long Beach Policeman at the time of the riots and was placed on sort of riot alert. It is not remembered if the Long Beach Police were contacted for assistance by the LAPD, or Long Beach official were concerned the black community in Long Beach would riot also. Whatever the reason, Joh Mark contacted me and ask to borrow my M1 Carbine. I agreed readily and remember him coming to our house for the carbine. Besides the carbine, I gave him two 15 round magazines fully loaded with cartridges. A recent conversation with Darryl, I learned that he remembered me loaning the carbine to Jon Mark. Darryl was three years old, almost four at this time—pretty amazing!
Since our family had grown with Darren’s birth, our 1959 Ford became too small for us. We decided it was time to consider a station wagon. Our first consideration was a Ford, but we expanded the search by looking at other makes. Once it was discovered that regardless of the make, all full size station wagons were nearly the same price. Armed with this information, we began looking for the best deal on features, price and trade-in value. As a result, we bought a 1965 Dodge Station Wagon. A typical 1965 Dodge Polara Station Wagon is shown in the next photo. Our station wagon was a light beige in color and had a roof rack as shown. There was a third seat at the very back of the car, which was rear facing (best that can be remembered).
1965 Dodge Polara Station Wagon
All our previous cars were of the “previously owned” type, i.e., Used. Thus, this Dodge station wagon was our first brand new car, new car smell and all! This Dodge station wagon, allowed us to begin family camping every summer. Bev and I had camped since we were first married and had introduced Russ and Darryl to camping about 1962. Our family camping trips provided many experiences and memories. These camping trips form a family history story that is too extensive to relate at this time. Therefore, a Campingessay will chronicle the more memorable camping experiences on these summer vacations, especially when the kids were small. Besides the Watt Riots and buying a new car, my drive to work was considerably shortened.
During the Spring of 1965, a Communications group was separated from my North American Aviation Department and transferred to t NAA’s Autonetics Division located in East Anaheim. Since none of my assignments supported this Communication Group, I remained in the NAA Space Division in Downey. Later in the year I arranged a loan to the Communications Group, and subsequently transferred to this Group at the end of the year. A later essay with cover my career at North American Aviation and Rockwell International. This transfer to Autonetics reduced my drive to work from 17 miles to 2 ½ miles, or a one hour drive to 5 minutes. This transfer literally changed our family life, because drive time was converted to family time.
There are a number of family memories that occurred after Darren was born and the transfer to Autonetics. While these memories are clear in my mind, placing them in chronological order is important so you can grasp how our family life evolved. Placing them correctly time wise can be quite difficult. The difficulty arises due to the nature of family life. Something is happening every day, week, month and so on. As a result, events are occurring continuously so that “when” or “how old were the kids” becomes a blur. The “when” is complicated by the fact that these memories can be a single event, but others extend over months or years. Using known events, an attempt has been made to place these tales in the proper order chronologically. Hopefully, these snippets of our family life are as close to when they actually occurred, as a fuzzy memory allows.
The following photo shows the boys involved with one of their favorite activities—licking the bowl and egg beater. It appears Bev had baked a cake and covered it with chocolate frosting. Darryl is wearing his ‘coonskin cap with is trusting musket next to the bowl. Whenever Bev baked a cake or cookies, she gave the boys the bowl to lick clean.
Darryl, Darren Russ Circa 1965
One evening after the kids were in bed, Bev indicated I should become involved with Russ and Darryl in a father/son activity to better develop the father/son relationship. Bev told me about “Y Indian Guides” and wanted me to investigate about joining. The Y Indian Guides was a YMCA program for fathers and sons. It is my belief that Bev had become friends with Sue McKnight, and discovered that Chuck McKnight and his son Craig were already in the Indian Guides program. In any event, I went to a recruitment meeting at the Anaheim YMCA to learn about the Indian Guides. Never will forget this meeting. The “Chief” of the Anaheim Indian Guides addressed the gathering outfitted with a huge Indian headdress that almost reached the floor. In addition to the headdress, he wore moccasins, a leather vest, beads and some sort of leather Indian breeches. His outfit was quite impressive. He explained that the Y Indian Guides mission was to develop father/son relationships in a manner similar to the manner in which the Indian culture nourished the young “braves” in the tribe and taught them the ways of the tribe, and the skills necessary to become an adult brave. It was three years later when we entered North Anaheim Little League that I recognized this “Chief” as Fred Buffy a member of the Little League Board of Directors! Best that can be recalled Russ, Darryl and I signed us up to join an Indian Guide Tribe.
The three of us were placed in the Tuscarora tribe, which was the one that Chuck and Craig McKnight belonged. It was a relatively small tribe consisting of about five other members. As it turned out, I was the only father with two sons. Basically, we met once a month, rotating the meeting home each month. The host father was responsible for the nightly program, usually a project or entertainment and a snack for everyone. When the Prices hosted the monthly meeting, an attempt was made to educate the boys about the outdoors. The boys were shown how to find the Big Dipper and the North Star and how to identify animal tracks. A photo shows everyone in our Indian Guide outfits. Darren’s headpiece belonged to the tribe and was to be worn by the Tribes Sachem, chief or wise man. The host of the monthly meeting was granted the honor of wearing the headdress at the meeting. The Tuscarora tribe was not too active outside the monthly meetings, when we first joined the fathers were not too interested in participating in any activities other than the monthly meetings. We had one overnight campout when Russ and Darryl were in the tribe and one campout with Darren.
Russ, Darren, Royal, Darryl, Circa1968
There were two Anaheim Indian Guide events that all tribes participated in: a model car race and Anaheim’s Halloween Parade. The model car race was the most popular event, by far. Each boy received a race car kit that contained a block of wood, two dowels for axles, four wheels and four screws to attach the wheels. The wood was to be shaped into a race car, axles glued on and the wheels attached with the screws to the axles. About one month after the kits were issued the race was held. The race track was a sloped board with the start line about four feet above the finish line. Cars were raced about six a time. Only the winner of each race advanced until a final winner was selected. Our cars never won a race.
Anaheim’s Halloween Parade had a long history and had been held for many years. In fact, as a child my folks took me to the parade best that can be remembered when we lived in Santa Ana. Our tribe was selected one year to ride on the Indian Guide float in the Halloween Parade. Our tribe selected us to ride the float. Unfortunately, whether it was Russ and Darryl, or Darren that rode it with me cannot be recalled. We dressed in out Indian Guide outfits, climbed on the float, waved to the crowd and threw candy to them.
Sadly, the Indian Guides no longer exist. About 2013, Political Correctness raided its ugly head and the YMCA had to change the program. Use of Indian names and gear was considered “cultural appropriation” and had to cease or face legal action. The program is now called Adventure Guides.
About this time, a mobile photo studio was in our neighborhood and gave Bev a chance to obtain a portrait of the boys. Normally, Bev took them to Penny’s or Sears for this type of photo. You will notice that Darren broke the mold of wearing the same shirt as his older brothers.
Three Musketeers-Darryl, Russ, Darren Circa 1965
Sometime before the department split and my transfer, my old college friend, Don McGuire, hired into NAA Downy from Hughes in Fullerton. Don and I had stayed in touch through the years and we were finally both working for the same company. After bringing each other up to date, our conversation turned to baseball. Don and his family lived in West Anaheim, and was coaching a Little League team for several years. When he found out we lived in East Anaheim, he asked me to help him coach. I accepted his offer to help coach his team after transferring to Autonetics. While I knew baseball, I knew nothing about Little League baseball. Don wanted me to work the outfielders, which was my specialty. I worked with the outfielders during practices and helped Don during the games. For many of the practices and games, I took Russ and Darryl with me. Darryl and Russ were five and six years old at the time and they went with me for many of the practices and games. Basically, helping Don and taking the boys with me was our first introduction to Little League baseball. It is believed I helped Don only one year, but two years is a possibility. As it turned out, helping Don was “on the job training” for our later involvement with Little League Baseball, which will be the subject of a separate essay.
In the latter half of 1966, there are two memories that need telling. After the Autonetics transfer, my business travel increased. At the time, it was common to purchase travel insurance whenever flying was involved. It was about this time Autonetics changed the Accident Insure policy for business travelers. Normally, an employee was provided $100,000 for accidental death. This benefit was increased to $200000 if the employee was traveling on company business. So, one evening I was explaining to Bev about the change in Autonetics Accident Insurance policy. I had no sooner told Bev about the change and Darryl asks, “Dad, when are you travelling next?” Obviously, he understood travel was necessary to obtain large sums of money, but he did not know the plane had to crash to claim the money. Plus, there would have been no grasp of death. Relating this incident clearly illustrates how easily children can misinterpret what adults are discussing. The second memory occurred on Christmas Eve in 1966.
We were in the living room readying the boys for bed, probably around eight o’clock in the evening. The boys were excited about Santa Claus visiting them this night bringing presents for them. They had just been read, or were being read, “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”, when our doorbell rang. We were surprised because there were no visitors expected on Christmas Eve. As I headed for the front door one of the boys asked, “Who is at the door?” My response was, “Probably Santa Claus!” Upon opening the door, who should be standing there---SANTA CLAUS wishing me Merry Christmas! It took a few moments to recover from the shock that I recognized Santa. Santa Claus was a neighborhood friend, Howard Hinkle dressed as Santa Claus. He was visiting all the kids in the neighborhood. Howard told the boys he was Santa’s helper making sure everyone went to bed before Santa’s visit. After Santa’s visit, I am sure the boys went to bed “while visons of sugar plus danced in their heads”!
As 1967 began, our family’s life became a whirlwind of activities and events that impacted everyone in some way. In early Spring, Bev announce she was pregnant with our fourth child! At the same time, I was completing requirements for a Master’s Degree. Then in September, I began Law School at night while working 40+ hours a week. Throughout this time period, we continued laying bricks for our patio. Despite all this activity, we had no idea what Providence had in store for us. To fully comprehend how our lives were impacted, a shot description of these events and activities that impacted us.
Although Bev’s pregnancy was a surprise, we had plenty of experience how life would change and believed everything would proceed normally. About the time of her announcement, I had finished all required courses and was preparing my thesis. Bev was typing the text while I wrote the necessary equations and diagrams, etc. Failing an English Standardized test, I was traveling to Long Beach State College taking a class in English composition two or three times a week. After several attempts, two consecutive papers passed. Now all that needed to be completed was approval of the thesis. Best that can be recalled is that the thesis was submitted prior to starting law school.
A previous essay College Years: 1953 to 1969, describes the reasons behind changing professions. Basically, it was believed becoming an attorney would increase our ability to move from California. It stated in that essay, Law School started in 1968, but it really in 1967. I was taking three courses a week and there were 50 to 60 pages of court cases to read for the next class session. Reading and preparing briefs on each case was time consuming and was done before and after my day job. As previously stated, the course work was interesting and challenging. Unfortunately, it left little time for the family.
Before continuing to describe these events, some background needs mentioning. As we began improving the house, we had decided that a concrete patio was “ugly”, and had chosen to lay bricks for the patio surface. When the bricklaying began is unclear, but we had ordered 7,000 bricks for the project. The first section of the patio was laid at the back of the house. Next, we laid bricks on the dining room side of the house. Plus, Dad and I erected a patio cover over this portion of the patio. Which came first is lost to history, as well as when it was done. However, this portion of the patio was not complete because bricks had to be cut to fil out rows of bricks. This cutting process had been saved until last an accomplished when time allowed.
Bev’s pregnancy was doing fine as I began law school in September. Between classes and reading case, time to cut bricks to complete the patio. One night in November, Russ, Darryl and I were cutting and laying bricks near the backdoor to the patio. Bev was in the kitchen and Darren was in the dining room, doing whatever. Darren was wearing “big boy” pants in the process of toilet training. He had an accident and Bev went to clean up the pee and change his pants. Not sure what happened for sure, but Bev had slipped and fell. She called for me when she could not get up. I found her sitting on the floor with one left leg out straight and the right leg bent toward the other leg. Bev’s right knee cap had “slipped” off to one side of the knee and stayed there. She was in pain if she tried any movement of her right leg. Bev had always had problems with both knee caps slipping off to the side, but the knee cap always returned to its proper place. Why it did not return this time is surely a mystery. Since Bev was in her eighth mon, I called Dr. Nissen (OBGYN) for instructions. When Dr. Nissen came to the phone I described Bev’s situation as some part of her kneecap was “broken”. He responded, “That cannot happen!” So, rather than describe her medical condition, I reverted to she fell, was in pain and could not get up. Upon describing Bev’s condition and situation, it was decided to call for an ambulance. There is no recollection who called for the ambulance but Dr. Nissen arranged for her at the hospital and an orthopedic surgeon. Things really became interesting when the ambulance arrived. It should be noted, I do not believe EMTs in 1967 are as highly trained as they are today.
Bev would immediately stop the EMTs every time they attempted to move her. Whatever they tried was too painful for Bev to endure. Best that can be recalled, it took the EMTs and myself to lift her onto the gurney. Basically, her right knee had to be supported so it did not move while she was lifted onto the gurney. Now, Bev was sitting upright on the gurney, just like she had been on the floor. As the EMTs place the gurney into the ambulance, it was decided I would follow the ambulance to the hospital in our car. By now our Sycamore neighbors had gathered to see why the ambulance had arrived. Knowing the boys could not come with me to the hospital, which neighbor stayed with them? Shockingly, I have not a clue, not even a fuzzy idea. After some months attempting to find some tiny bit of memory, it was decided to ask Russ and Darryl, since they both have excellent memories. Asking them was not successful because they each ad different memories. After further discussion with both of them and sorting out their memories, it appears our Russian neighbors stayed with the boys.
When the ambulance let for the hospital, I followed it in our car. My initial thought was that breaking the speed limit would be necessary to keep up with the ambulance. However, it was not a “Cod 3” drive to stay with the ambulance, the drive was at a leisurely pace not exceeding 40 MPH. The EMTs had to drive slowly to minimize Bev’s pain due to bounces and swaying of the ambulance. Once at the hospital, Bev saw the Orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Bunzel, first. He moved her kneecap back into place, then put her in a full leg cast – hip to ankle. When Dr. Nissen saw her, he went ballistic. “How am I supposed to deliver a baby with Bev in a full leg cast?” To the best of my recollection, Bev with home that night, along with a set of crutches. Fortunately, Bev and the baby were not harmed in the fall, and other than the cast and crutches everything was “normal”. Bev learned to use the crutches until it was time for the baby to be delivered. Just like the two previous births, Bev arranged to have Dr. Nissen induce labor.
Bev made it through Christmas on crutches, and we went to the Martin Luther Hospital on Thursday morning, December 28, 1967 for the birth of our fourth child. Dr. Nissen arrived shortly after we arrived, and prepared her for delivery. Of course, the first step in preparing Bev for delivery was removal of the full leg cast. After inducing labor, I retreated to the Father’s Waiting Room. It seemed after a short stay notice arrived Bev had given birth and I could see her. As I walked down the hall, Bev was wheeled out into the hall headed to her room. She saw me and yelled, “It’s a girl!” Wow, what a surprise! This time we had no clue about the baby’s gender, basically we did not know what to expect. Due to this uncertainty, no thought had been given to naming either a boy or a girl. Bev’s fall and doing Christmas on crutches probably was a factor in not thinking about names. The whole incident disrupted everything. Best that can be recalled, it was the pediatrician, Dr. Arthur, that suggested Shannon was a fine girl’s name. We liked the name and we decided her official name would be Shannon Marie Price. Shannon was born at 11:30 AM on December 28, 1967. Shannon’s vital statistics are: Weight- 7 Pounds 61/2 Ounces, Length– 19 1/2 Inches. This information for Shannon can be seen on the card given to us from her “bed” in the nursery.
Vital Statistics for Shannon Marie Price
The best that can be recalled, the leg cast was re-applied and it is assumed to have been shortly after Shannon’s birth. The only memory that comes to mind is one of Bev waling from our bedroom to the living room on crutches. The cast was too heavy for her to use the crutches unassisted. I walked backwards supporting the cast, as Bev walked forward. While walking with the crutches, Bev could not carry Shannon. After she was seated, I would bring Shannon to her, so she good give her a bottle. How long this situation lasted is really unclear, because at some point Bev had surgery on her knee.
As 1968 began, Bev and Shannon were progressing well, with both gaining strength. Once Bev had sufficiently recovered from Shannon’s birth, she was scheduled for surgery on her knee. When Bev’s surgery occurred is not remembered. It is believed to have occurred in either February of March. Best that can be recalled, ligaments attached to the kneecap were not sufficient to keep it from “moving’ of to the ide. The purpose of the surgery was to provide support to keep the kneecap from sliding off it proper place. Basically, Dr. Bunzel used some screws to hold things in place. Bev was in the hospital about three days and experience considerable pain from the surgery. Here again, there is no recollection whether a cast was put on the leg after the surgery. Best that can be remembered is that no cast was applied. What is remembered, Bev used crutches after the surgery until her leg was strong enough to walk without them. What is remembered is Bev sitting on the breakfast bar doing leg lifts with a full ½ gallon milk bottle to strengthen her leg. This exercise enabled her to begin waling again without crutches.
Just as when Bev fell, “what did I do with the boys, as well as Shannon, for both hospital stays. Russ and Darryl remember staying with the Bruce Mount family, two houses to the east of us. Specifically, Darryl remembers sleeping on a top bunk. Not remembering who watched the boys, and later the boys and Shannon, has been very puzzling. My theory about remembering events is that when major events occur, your main focus is the main event and once minor issues are solved, these minor events are not stored in memory, or buried so deep they cannot be recalled.
While waiting for Shannon’s birth and Bev’s surgery, my Master’s thesis had been accepted and received the Master’s Degree in February 1968. After Bev’s surgery, our family’s activity plate was still overflowing. This year did not slow down after Bev’s surgery. Now we had to concentrate on Bev strengthening her leg and be able to walk again without weakness and pain. Plus, I had to prepare for the “Baby” Bar Exam in August. All first year law students attending a non-accredited school were required to take and pas this one day exam to be able to proceed further with the study of law.
Once Bev announced her pregnancy, we could foresee a bedroom issue arising. Russ and Darryl shared the largest bedroom and the end of the hall. Darren occupied the smaller one across the hall from them. We believed Darren’s bedroom was too small to share, pus it would not do for a baby girl. Our fourth bedroom was our family room with a TV and a built-in bookcase. We did not want to make the living room into the family room, so what to do? Rather than making our living room into a family room we decided to remodel. It is unclear where the idea originated, but it was decided to convert the garage to a family room and build a new garage. We had three contractors provide estimates, or bids, for the remodeling. Strange as it may seem, we selected the contractor with the highest bid. This contractor, Neuhalfen, came closest to providing an acceptable remodel from the appearance standpoint. Plus, he had done a similar remodel for another family in our development.
We began remodeling the house about June, just as a tumultuous 1968 Presidential primaries were concluding. September became very busy, since the Baby Bar was passed and the second year of Law School began and I became a Den Mother on weekends. Most, if not all, of these activities occurred in the same time frame, but each activity will be discussed as a single event. Let’s take these events in the order when the activity started.
Martin Luther King was assassinated in April, followed by Civil Rights riots, the Vietnam War was raging, anti-war protests were everywhere, the American culture was changing and the Presidential primaries ended tragically. Primary campaigning was hot and heavy during that spring. Republican candidates were Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Nelson Rockefeller and James Rhodes. Unlike today, only a few states held primaries. Richard Nixon won most primaries, and easily became the Republican Presidential nominee. Democrat candidates were Eugene McCarthy, Robert Kennedy, Stephan Young and George Smathers. President Lyndon Johnson did not campaign in the primaries. Eugene McCarthy had won the most primaries, but Robert Kennedy was gaining momentum entering the California primary. With a California primary win, it was believed he could win the Democrat nomination, depending on LBJ. While watching California primary results on TV, it was announced that Reagan and Kennedy had won their respective primaries. After this announcement, the scene shifted to Robert Kennedy giving his victory speech. He finished by thanking his supporters and left the stage. Suddenly, chaos broke out. A reporter said there were gunshots, Kennedy was shot and taken to a hospital. Bev was in bed, and I woke her up to watch this historic news. Kennedy died a few hours later. Now two national personalities had been assassinated within two months. Historical drama was not yet over for the Democrats.
The Democrat Convention was held in Chicago in 1968. Anti-war protesters were rioting throughout the city. The city and the convention were total chaos. When President Lyndon Johnson arrived for the convention, he made a startling announcement. He stated, “I would not seek nor accept the Democrat Presidential nomination.” Johnson’s announcement and Kennedy’s assignation through the convention into great tumult. Primary results were ignored, and Hubert Humphrey was finally selected as the Democrat nominee. Hubert Humphries was soundly defeated by Richard Nixon in November.
When Russ turned nine, it seemed only natural to have him join the Cub Scouts. Upon learning the monthly Cub Scout Pac meeting was held at Sunkist Elementary School, I attended to talk with the Cub Master about Russ becoming a Cub. After the Pack meeting concluded, I approached the Cub Master and inquired about Russ joining. The Cub Master told us that all the Dens were full and Russ would have to wait for an opening. However, Russ could join if a new Den was formed. Actually, he said, “Russ could join if I agreed to be a Den Mother.” Well, since my plate was not full, I became a Den Mother! In 1968, a boy had to be eight years old to join the Cub Scouts, not nine when I joined. Therefore, Russ and Darryl were the first to join my Den. Since there were other boys waiting to join the Pack, there were about six to seven boys in my Den. Most of the boys all lived in our development or nearby, and Russ and Darryl knew them from school. Den meetings were held on Saturdays afternoons. The house re-model must have been finished, because the Den meetings were held in our new family room.
When Neuhalfen finished the remodeling, we were quite pleased with the result. We had a great family room and the exterior did not appear as an add-on, but as though the house was designed and built that way. Inside, the family room also did not seem like an add-on, and seemed like a natural extension of the original floorplan. Plus, the area between the new garage and the new family room presented an opportunity for an entrance patio. Since our backyard patios were brick, we made this entrance patio with bricks also. Besides the patio floor being brick, we enclosed the area with a combination of brick posts, wrought iron fencing and a wrought iron gate between the posts. The brick posts were topped with a lantern type light. The following photo was taken while the entrance patio work was in process.
Russ, Bev, Darryl, Shannon, Darren, Royal Jan 1969
The previous photo does not show the lantern light, a much later photo shows the four kids standing inside the entrance patio. This photo shows the wrought iron fencing and the post lantern light. The circa date of the photo is a pure guess.
Darren, Darryl, Shannon, Russ Circa 1972
To complete the re-modeling story, it is only proper to show the Sycamore house with a current photo.
2662 Sycamore St., Circa 2015
Needless to say, seeing the house in its present condition I was very sad. A lot of sweat equity was put into the house, it seemed wasted. Well, the current owners certainly have ruined the place! At least that s my opinion. Why the love for palm trees is beyond comprehension. Plus, it appears as though the front lawn is nothing but dirt.
During the Christmas break from work and law school was a time for a personal reflection about myself and the family. As a result, a decision was made to quit the study of law. It had become obvious that there were four children to help raise, and the time needed for this task was consumed by work and studying law. This approach to raising a family did not seem right. So, I put down the books in January 1969 and began to enjoy taking part in all the family activities that had been missed, or would have missed. This decision to quit led us into a new direction. Youth sports would become our main activity for the next several years. It would be Little League baseball and Pop Warner football.
In February 1969, Russ and I went to Sunkist Elementary School to register him for Little League. As it turned out, we both had joined North Anaheim Little League (NALL, Russ as a player an me as a coach. Although Russ would turn nine years old this year, his League Age was eight. League Age was determined by your age on August 1 of each year. All League Age eight year olds were place on T-Ball teams. There was a need for T-Ball managers and coaches, and since baseball was the game I loved, I volunteered to manage a team. Best that can be recalled, volunteering was spontaneous, allowing that I mentioned to Bev about the possibility of volunteering. Baseball as a game was understood, but my experience with Little League was the one year spent helping my college friend, Don McGuire. However, NALL offered Coaches clinics, as well as one for Umpires and Scorekeepers. These clinics were highly recommended for all manager and coaches, especially those newest volunteers.
The first Coaches clinic provided a very pleasant surprise. My friend Don McGuire was sitting up front of what was assumed to be the class. Don and I shook hands and talked briefly. Seeing at a NALL meeting was strange because Don lived in West Anaheim. This meant he had no connection to NALL. Don was one of the more successful Little League coaches in Anaheim and had been invited as a guest lecturer to this Coaches clinic. To my embarrassment, Don informed everyone I had been his best coach ever, and NALL was most fortunate I had joined their league. The clinic was the beginning of nine years in NALL and a total of an over 18 years coaching and umpiring. Our team, the Stars, began playing in April and finished just as school was out and Summer vacation began. Perhaps a future essay could cover these experiences. Once Little League play was finished, my thought turned to starting the boys in Scouting again. However, that was not to be. Pop Warner football was beginning in August and Bev encouraged the boys to begin playing football. Her idea had merit, so we signed Russ and Darryl up for the Anaheim Pop Warner League.
Once Little League season concluded in mid-June, Russ and Darryl joined the Vikings, a Pow Warner football team, of eight to ten year old boys. Pop Warner had a different way to determine League Age and Darry was eligible to play also. At one of the firs practices, the Head Coach thought we should not let Darryl play because he was concerned he would get hurt. We refused to take Darry off the team, thinking that would be the wrong message for Darryl. He played the entire year and did not suffer any injuries. This was the year we became involved in youth sports for all our kids. Russ and Darryl played Pop Warner until they were 13 years old and Darren played until he was 10 years old. Shannon became a cheerleader on the various team the boys were on.
About the time the boys were signing up for Pop Warner Football, the United States made international history by successfully landing men on the moon and returning them safely. Apollo 11 was launched on July 16, 1969 on an eight day round trip to the moon. The Apollo program was initiated in April 1961 by President John F. Kennedy. The goal was to land a man on the moon and return safely by the end of the decade. Rockwell was the Apollo spacecraft, Saturn II booster, rocket engine and system launch contractor for this program. While at Downey, I help select antennas for the first test vehicle. My good friend, Jim Ashley, had a major role in the Saturn II development. The USA was in a major race with the USSR, which meant every rocket launch connected to the “moon” program was critical. Successful launch and recovery of the Mercury and Gemini spacecrafts were even more crucial for the Apollo program. Each launch was broadcast on TV for Cape Canaveral, Florida. Thus, it was necessary to rise before sunrise to watch the launch. This process went on for eight years waiting for the launch of Apollo 11. The nation, and the world, monitored the flight to the moon for three days when Apollo 11 began orbiting the moon. About 24 hours later the Apollo Lunar Module (LM) with Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin aboard. The LM, or Eagle, landed on July 20, 1969. Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon, followed about 20 minutes later by Buzz Aldrin. They were on the moon’s surface about two and a half hours and collected about 47 pound moon material. The LM rendezvoused with the Apollo spacecraft and began the return to Earth on July 21, 1969, with successful landing in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969. Most of this mission was televised on live TV. Never will forget our family sitting in our family room with everyone’s attention “glued” to the TV. It was an incredible accomplishment, especially when you consider that today’s smartphones have a computing power far in excess of those Apollo computers.
Our Renault Dauphine had served us well for over 11 years and was beginning to have mechanical problem, or I was just tired of driving the little tin can. The 1970 model cars were introduced around September of 1969 and we began to consider getting a new car and trading in the Renault. Ford had introduced a new “basic” car, the Maverick. The Maverick was considered to be a basic transportation vehicle to compete with the smaller foreign cars at the time. One we looked at one, we knew it would fit our needs and purchased one. We went with the most basic version with no fancy accessories such as automatic transmission, radio, power steering, power brakes and only with a heater. This car was really BASIC. A photo of a Maverick is shown, with Red paint just like the one we bought.
1970 Ford Maverick
The Maverick had an economical in-line 6 cylinder engine. It served its purpose well and was used to teach Russ, Darryl and Darren to drive. It was eventually handed down to Darry for his first car. The red paint had faded when it became his car. At some point, he had it painted a dark blue by Earl Schieb. It is estimated the Maverick was in the family for 12 to 15 years.
There are many memorable moments at our Sycamore home, but there are too many to attempt chronicling them all. Hopefully, these three Marriageessays have captured the most important memories of our early family life. A family of six has lots of activities that overlap, both kids and parents. Whatever activities the kids were involved with, Bev and I were also. As already cited, we became quite involved in youth sports, Bev became a teacher’s aide at Sunkist school. Keeping track of who was where and when was a major task. I gained more responsibility at work, while Bev became quite involved at church. In the long view, our kids grew up here, forming the foundation of their character. Bev and I grew as parents, at least we would like to think so. We lived at the Sycamore house until 1978, when we sold and moved to the Panorama house in Anaheim Hills. We believed a larger home was necessary so the kids could have their own bedrooms. At the Panorama house, every one graduated from high school attended college and married to start their own family.
It has taken three essays to cite our family life for the last 10 years. It is unsure if there will be further essays on our family’s life, because it becomes too intertwined and difficult to sort out. Then maybe my memory is getting tired! Perhaps there is another way. Quiz your parents, have family story telling sessions. Talking about your family history is an excellent means for carrying family stories and traditions forward. Questions like: “What was it like when you were growing up?” and “What major events happened when growing up?” There are two main reasons for asking these questions. First, “The acorn does not fall far from the oak.” Second, “Remember history did not begin when you were born!” There is always, “What influenced you to believe what you believe.” You can think of better questions, I’m sure. After all, because I did not really ask questions of my folks, prompted the decision to writhe these essays. Everyone benefits when family history and stores are brought to light. Surely, such sessions will be enlightening, funny and yes, sad. My hope in preparing these essays is not only to share memories, but have you remember major events in your life.
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