Mom's Story: 1940 and 1941

The latter part of February (1940) I took the train to Salt Lake City, where I enrolled in the Dietetics Course under the direction of Katherine Bilby.  I would like to say a word about her.  I was shocked when I met her because of her size.  She was about 5 feet tall and weighed close to 200 pounds.  She could hardly pull herself out of her chair and waddle across the room.  She had an assistant who was in charge of the kitchens and Miss Bilby took care of the teaching.  As I recall the classes consisted of about six students each half year.  We were housed above the laundry room –a dinky apartment with a front room, and three bedroom areas and baths and laundry room.  It was hot and steamy especially during the summer months.  Of course we had the run of the kitchen area so our meals were all taken care of.  Miss Bilby was a good teacher and she knew her dietetics, but she was often the butt of many jokes among the Dietitians and Interns. 

            The morgue was situated in the basement near the kitchens, and often at night we witnessed some of the autopsies that were performed there.  Dr Saunders was always on hand to shock us with the stories of the hospital.  I was embarrassed and used to “blush”,  which only egged him on with comments such as , “How far down does it go?”  This only deepened the “blush” for me. 

            The delivery room was on the top floor of the hospital just across from our apartment.  We witnessed a delivery or two.  In the summer months when our windows were opened we were often awakened with the noise and cries from that important part of the hospital.  Often the interns were very flippant about the mothers’ pain and would say, “Shall we call the whole thing off?”  and other smart remarks.  I’m sure the mothers did not appreciate this. 

            There is so much I could tell about my experience there in Salt Lake City, such as:   my experience in singing with the Allegro Chorus,   my many invitations to sing in Wards all over the City,   my Ward just a block from the Hospital where many of the General Authorities of the church attended,   my  roommates –many of whom were not members of the Church,  and other experiences.  I remember the boyfriend I had who was not a member of the Church.  I became acquainted with him through Mary Downs, one of my non-member roommates.  This boy, Francis Teehan, was later sent to India, and on July 17, 1941 was killed in action.  He was a bombardier.  I received a letter of condolence from the War Department.   Francis’s mother and I corresponded for several years after his death.  How sad she was to lose that fine boy. 

Lovely Affairs

            One very serious boyfriend I had at this time was Knight Kerr, whose father was a University of Utah professor.  Knight came from a very prominent Utah family, he was a brilliant man, and was serving as an instructor for the artillery in ROTC at the University of Utah.  Our romance was very serious and lasted for several years until I met Willis, who, by the way, had been one of Knight’s companions in France while serving on a mission there.  Knight took me to many lovely affairs, and I have always held the highest respect for him. 

           After my year at the LDS Hospital, I graduated and accepted a job at the Dee Memorial Hospital in Ogden, Utah.  This was a Church owned and operated hospital of approximately one hundred beds or more, a real nice little hospital.  I was the Therapeutic Dietitian.  One interesting little incident occurred when the Interns brought a duck for me to cook for them.  They expected me to be an expert on everything.  I had never cooked a duck, had hardly ever seen one, dressed, so I went to my cookbooks to find a recipe.  I don’t think I did a very good job, at least I was never asked again, and I heard very little comment about the bird.

            I lived with a wonderful non-Mormon Irish family by the name of Tarran.  The father was a brick-layer, the mother was a wonderful homemaker whose hands were never idle.  They treated me royally, like one of their own children.  The World War II was on in full force so many of the young men were in the Armed Service, however, their son Dick, was exempt because of a hair-lip and cleft-palate.  He had had many operations to correct it and was a wonderful, courageous, kind, young man.  Our friendship was immediate and he was a good companion to me during this year.  Or course, there were hardly any young men my age left but I made many wonderful friends at the Ward.  One inspiring Gleaner leader encouraged me to get my Golden Gleaner Award.  This was just a new program in the MIA, so I did this, and was the first Golden Gleaner for that Stake and also for Snowflake Stake.  During this year, even though my salary was very low ($90 per month), I collected many beautiful things to go in my Hope Chest.  It was here that I purchased my Irish Linen tablecloth and napkins, and many of my beautiful wool blankets.  This was truly a year of growing for me. 

Golden Gleaner Pin

My Hope Chest

Mom's Story -- College Years 3 and 4

In 1938 and 39, my third year at the University, I settled down to serious study.  I had many, too many to mention, singing experiences.  In the operetta, “The Rose Maiden,” and the vesper service “Seven Last Words of Christ,” I took the lead parts.  There were boys, but I was becoming more sophisticated and choosy. 

            In 1940 I graduated on May 29, with 468 graduates, amid all the excitement, parties, and gifts that go with college graduation.  I had been accepted in the LDS Hospital Dietetics School in Salt Lake City for their March class.  This gave me a little time to rest from school and get my feet on the ground again.  Mayola was urging me to come and stay with her in New Orleans before going into my dietetics school, so I felt that was as good as anything I could do in the meantime. 

            So it was off to New Orleans for awhile.  It was such an exciting time for me as Red’s family were very prominent, they knew the right places to go and the right people.  Mayola was very staunch in the Church, so even though it was then a struggling little Branch meeting above a filthy old pool hall, we were active.  Everyone held more than one job in the Church.  Mayola was the Relief Society President and I served in the MIA.  I secured a wonderful job at Charity Hospital, a big one-thousand-bed hospital located in the center of the city.  I was in charge of the kitchens at the Nursing Home.  It was a good job and opened a new vista of employment preparatory to my hospital training which came later. 

Charity Hospital - New Orleans

While working at Charity, I purchased my sterling silver at a cost of  $143.00 for a service for twelve in everything.  Today one knife in my sterling pattern costs $67.00.  I’ve been so proud of this, and it will be handed down to my daughters when I am gone.

            I met some exciting young men at this time, and one was special, Bill Whitehouse, a brilliant young medical student from Texas.  He was a member of the Church, but extremely busy with his studies.  Later, when I came back to New Orleans after my Dietetics Training, he was interning at Touro Infirmary, where I worked.  We were very good friends, and still are, but romance was for someone else as far as I was concerned. 

Mom's Story Part 20...College Year #2

       My second year at the University wasn’t such a traumatic adjustment as my Freshman year.  I was used to Dorm life and knew my way around the Campus.  I made the change in my major to Dietetics and was now enrolled in the School of Home Economics which was housed on the third floor of the old Ag building.  My professors were wonderful.  Dr. Ethel Thompson was my major professor and she took a liking to me, even invited me to her home for little luncheons and entertainments.  Here I became acquainted with Dr. Margaret Smith, (a biochemist at the University of Arizona) who with her husband (H.V. Smith) found the relationship of fluoride to reduced tooth decay.  Many of the students from St. David had mottling, which were brown patches on their teeth due to over abundance of fluorides in the drinking water.  However, these same students had no tooth decay.  This led to the discovery of fluorides to protect teeth from decay.  Years later my husband tried desperately to get fluoride added to the drinking water in Snowflake to protect the children’s teeth but an uninformed and uneducated citizenry blocked the effort.

           

These wonderful professors were not only well qualified in their fields but were warm-hearted women.  They were impressed that I was spending much of my time singing at functions around the campus, and every party they staged I was asked to entertain with my singing.  My music took me to places dietetics would never have done.  Dr. Pease saw to it that I had every opportunity to sing that I wanted.  I sang several times at the Assemblies on the Campus, a time or so on the radio, and at Interdenominational Regional Council Conventions.  One exciting performance was a song cycle in which I took the soprano part called “In a Persian Garden.”  It was a beautiful piece of music and I had worked hard on it.  There is a little story connected with this I’d like to tell:  To supplement my income of $25.00 per month from home, I secured a job at a little book store a few blocks off campus, where I spent several hours a day straightening and dusting the books.  The owners and operators were a little Scottish couple, Mr. and Mrs. Robin Hunter, whom I grew to love very dearly.  They literally adopted me, as they had no children of their own, and became intensely interested in all my activities.  Of course, they were on hand to hear my performance of “In a Persian Garden,” and afterward presented me with a beautiful copy of “Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam,” which was the text of the song cycle.  I still treasure this little book.  I remember also that Mother came to Tucson to hear the performance, as well as check on my activities. 

            Besides the excitement of school and the numerous singing engagements I was enjoying, I had many wonderful boyfriends to occupy my thoughts.  Stanley Cardon, a graduate student working on his Masters Degree in English, was without a doubt the most serious suitor.  I think Mother’s visit to Tucson was to check him out as well as to hear me sing.  I suppose the Lord had his arm around me during those precarious college years, for before the year was out, Stan had been called on a mission to Switzerland, and even if we thought our love could withstand separation, it proved to be not the right thing for either of us. 

            Another young man who I feel played a part in my life at that time was Bill Moran, a cripple, who had had osteo mylitis which had left him with almost useless legs.  However, he got around beautifully on crutches.  In Salt Lake, Dr. Lowell Bennion had been a close personal friend of Bill’s, and invited him to spend the winter in Tucson feeling the warm weather would be good for him.  In the close feeling we enjoyed at the Institute, Bill and I became very good friends.  He had so many fine qualities which I admired, and even though I have lost track of him over the years, I shall always be grateful for his love and understanding during those turbulent college years.

           

Another job I held during this second year was waiting on tables for a professor’s wife, who cooked for winter visitors.  She was an excellent cook but needed extra help at meal time to wait on the tables and clean up the kitchen afterwards.  This paid for my board during this year at college.  It was through my college professors I was able to secure this job. 

            Mother and Dad had many trials during this time also.  My sister Mayola had married and was living in New Orleans, my sister Louise was struggling with her courses at Flagstaff.  But perhaps the greatest challenge was Grandpa Smith who had suffered several strokes, which left him confused and mixed up.  Mother kept Grandpa for many years before he died, and for part of this time she kept Grandpa Rogers as well.  The years have taught me to appreciate her great sacrifice incaring for her parents, and the nobility of her soul to do so under such trying circumstances. 

New Orleans

            It was June 1938, after finishing my sophomore year, that our family took our first trip to New Orleans.  Dad and Mother and Louise picked me up in Tucson.  It was a time of chattering the entire way down and back, telling my family all about my wonderful new experiences in a big city and a big school.  Red and Mayola could not do enough for us to show us the sights of that beautiful old Southern City.  I shall never forget Mayola as she led us out of the city on our way back home, and when she stopped to tell us goodby the tears streamed down her dear face, in loneliness and love.   

It has been a long time!

   
 It has been five and a half years since I published an issue of this blog.  I have had a lot of changes in my life during this time but now things have settled down and I would like to continue the story. 

Mom and her girls 1960

     My mother, Bess Rogers Ericksen, wrote (in 1981) a delightful life story and presented a copy to each of us, her children.  I would like to take each "chapter" and publish it in this blog format.  Hopefully my sons and daughters, my grandchildren, and my nieces and nephews and their children will have a quick minute to read one chapter.  It will help them understand who she was. 
     I will continue with her second year in college.  She attended the University of Arizona in Tucson.  The year is 1938.  **in February of 2013,  I published a post about Mom and Dad's wedding as an anniversary special...it was "out of order" and I will now go back to where I left off in telling the story.**

Mom's Story Part 19 .............. Wedding Anniversary Special

 This post is in honor of Mom and Dad's Wedding

April 3, 1944.... 69 years ago

 

The six weeks before my wedding were filled to the brim with excitement.  I was in Phoenix with my sister Mayola.  She had bought a beautiful little house on McDowell Street.  Mother sent us truckloads of old furniture to be refinished and recovered with which we furnished the house.  I was busy, scraping old wood finishing off the furniture while Mayola was learning about a new job.  The pressure on her must have been terrible for she bore the entire financial burden.  We made curtains, covered old chairs, refinished tables and other pieces and when we finished the house looked like a dollhouse.  It was beautiful.  I shan't forget how ugly and bleeding my hands looked, and how I tried to get them ready for the wedding band that would soon be placed on my fourth finger.

Bill's mother and sister, Frances, came from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and Mother and Dad came from Snowflake.  Mother brought a beautiful temple outfit plus all the other necessities I would need. She had worked so hard getting things ready in Snowflake for the reception, which would follow.  World War II was at the height of intensity and gifts for weddings were out, so Mother had supplemented my now bulging Hope Chest with the things I needed.  I received a beautiful quilt from her Relief Society Stake Board, but I think that was about the only other gift I had outside my family.  I still have two of the beautiful quilts Mother prepared for me herself.

The temple ceremony on that April 3rd, 1944, evening was beautiful.  I was scared and anxious, but Bill was calm and serene as always.  Pres. Harry L. Payne married us.  There were many little incidences which stood in our way just before we left for the Temple, and I remember Bill taking my hand and saying:  "Come on, honey, let’s get in the Temple.  It must be the right thing for Satan is trying his best to stop us."  From the Temple ceremony to the little wedding supper Mayola and Frances had prepared for us after the session, all was heavenly, and I will admit I was in a cloud and so was Bill, for many of the details are still lost to our memory.

The next day Mayola and all the family left for Snowflake, leaving Bill and I to come later.  I can only imagine the excitement and preparation, which went on at our house getting things ready for us.  The reception was held in our home and hundreds of well wishers streamed through the house.  The LaMusica Woman's Chorus under the direction of Rufus Crandall sang, Dad recited the beautiful literary classic "The Lady of Lyons", my lovely trousseau and hope chest was displayed, but other than that I don't remember much about the reception.

The next day we left for Phoenix again with the family.  I was scheduled to sing in an Easter Cantata that Sunday night in our Phoenix Stake.  After the Cantata the family took us to the train station and told us goodbye amid tears, rice and hugs, and well-wishes.  It was like a dream with my darling Bill by my side.  I'm sure everyone on the train was aware we were newly-weds, but we were oblivious to all their stares and glances.

            Our married life began in San Antonio, Texas, where Bill was stationed at Kelly Field, as a radar instructor.  Housekeeping in our first little garage apartment was meager.  We lived high on the hills of San Antonio at Ridgewood Court a nice residential part of town.  It was not too far from the Zoo and we spent many happy hours wandering around the Zoo feeding the animals.  Also for entertainment we walked around the city looking at the beautiful homes and dreaming of the time when we too could have a home of our own.  At night coming home from our walks we studied the Constellations of the Heavens.  Bill was such a teacher. He has always been such a student of science.  Our transportation was the City bus service and would ride the bus from one end of the line to the other just to see the City. 

Mom's Story Part 18

College Days

1936-1940

When it was time for me to attend college, Mayola had just gotten a job in Douglas, Arizona working for the Arizona Social Welfare Agency.  The folks felt it best for me to go to the University of Arizona so Mayola would keep an eye on me.  However, she didn’t stay long in Douglas and the next year found her in New Orleans getting her Master’s Degree.  For that first awful freshman year, however, it was a comfort to have her nearby.  I was really one lost little country girl; the school was so big, the city girls so smart, and my clothes looked so tacky.  I survived and even though Mayola wanted me to try for a Sorority, and outfitted me in a beautiful outfit, after one or two invitations to their houses, I knew that I could never fit into their life style.  I declined their bids, and I’m grateful I did, for most of the good Mormon girls lived in the Dormitories.  My monthly allowance from home was $35.00; but when I left home Mother entrusted me with the huge amount of $150.00 to pay my tuition, books, and first month rent.  It was a sad, sad day when I told my dear Mother goodbye, I shall never forget.  I couldn’t stand to even look at her, and the tears flowed unashamedly all the way to Tucson. 

            Things started to look up for me after a few weeks.  I was able to make wonderful friends who were Mormon as well as non-Mormon.  But the boys … so many “cuties”, and many of them seemed to like me too.  One engineering student, a senior, spotted me at the cafeteria and asked me for a date.  My, how excited I was.  He took me to many beautiful places, but after the end of the year we parted as friends.  I remained a good Mormon girl and he remained a good Catholic boy.  He taught me so much and seemed to enjoy the freshness of a small town girl.  There were many boyfriends after Felix Berar, only a few held the excitement Felix held for me. 

            One important thing happened to me during my freshman year.  I always felt I could accomplish about anything I set my mind to do.  I had an idea I wanted to become a doctor of medicine, so I registered under a pre-med course.  However, I soon found that course was Cat Anatomy, which was taught by a short, brilliant bachelor professor, Dr. Hammon.  It was considered to be one of the toughest courses on campus and Dr. Hammon was known to be an unrelenting tyrant.  By coincidence, I had also enrolled in the School of Music and was taking voice lessons from Dr. Rollin Pease, a delightful person and former Opera singer.  Dr. Pease took a liking to “little Bessie from Snowflake”, and asked me if I’d like to sing in his Presbyterian Church Choir.  He knew I was a Mormon but had many friends among the Mormons.  He offered me $5.00 every Sunday I sang in his Church.  Of course, I jumped at the chance.  Also in the choir was Dr. Hammon, and we became good friends.  Often he brought me home after the Church service.  One day he very kindly told me he didn’t think I was cut out to be a doctor, and suggested I go into Nursing or Dietetics.  That was where I got the idea of Dietetics I got a “B” in Cat Anatomy, but not without a struggle, I worked terribly hard in that class.

Dr. Lowell Bennion

            Our social life at school revolved around the activities at the Institute of Religion.  Dr. Lowell Bennion was our Institute director for a couple of years and we all loved him dearly, then Dr. Darrell Chase, who later became president of Utah State University in Logan.  The young people who attended the Institute were some of the best Mormons in the Church.  We were a very close group. 

Dad's Story Part 17

Great Falls, Montana

-1929 – 1933-

We were members of the Great Falls Branch of the Church.  At that time it was part of the Northwestern States Mission. We were in Great Falls long enough to become well established in the Branch.  I became active enough to be ordained a Priest on May 7, 1933 by Brother William Hitchcock.  This was near the same time that I graduated from high school. 

I  remember a group picture of our Branch that was taken on the steps of the impressive Cascade County courthouse.  It looks like there are about two hundred people in this picture.  Our meetings were held in a rented hall in downtown Great Falls.  I don’t remember too much about it except that it was on the ground floor and that it was a long narrow building.  We used the front end next to the street as the Chapel, and the back end was a large room that we used as a recreation hall where dances and other social activities were held, including basketball games. 

Bro and Sis Croxford

There were many good solid members of the Church in the Branch there.  Some of these had farms west of Great Falls.  One of the members I remember well was Brother Croxford who ran a mortuary.  Probably the reason I remember him especially is that he had a beautiful voice and sang on the local radio station.  His wife was a very talented dancer.  Brother Croxford later became President of the first stake in Great Falls. 

I had a good friend who lived in the next block west of our house.  His name was George Hurd.  His father was a lawyer.  George was in my class in school and we used to go to school together every morning.  We were in French class together.  George was a model airplane enthusiast, and spent practically all of his time studying about airplanes and building all kinds of model planes.  He got me interested in that hobby and I built a few model planes in his shop.  We also were in a model airplane club at high school.  After graduation from high school George went on to become an aeronautical engineer with the Pan-American Airlines.  I corresponded with him until I went on my mission. 

            Our years in Great Falls were during the great depression, but I didn’t realize that a depression was going on until Dad was cut off from his job when the division office of the Continental Oil Company was shut down.  The company had merged with some other big Oil Companies from back East and many employees were laid off.

             I do remember how cheap the food prices were in those days.  Milk was ten cents a quart.   You could get a tall can of salmon for about fifteen cents, and everything else was very low in price.

            This was a great crisis in our family, and the first time in his life that Dad had ever been out of work.  Of course, he felt devastated, and didn’t know where to turn.  Good old Uncle Frank Gilbert came to our rescue.  He had a thriving business going in Deer Park Washington where he had an associated oil bulk plant.  Frank was a terrific salesman and had practically fifty per cent of the business up and down the highway between Spokane and Deer Park.  So he offered Dad a job helping him run the gas truck, and we were able to survive until Dad was able to get an associated oil bulk plant of his own in Coeur’d Alene, Idaho about a year later. 

…….This is where Dad’s history ends……..