A New Adventure in San Diego - As I stated in my Montana book, my former roommate at the Y, Colleen, and I traveled for a month from Port Angeles, Washington, where she had taught one year, to San Diego looking for a place to teach school.
We accepted teaching jobs for the year 1956-57 from the San Diego Unified School District. I had taught one year at Billings, Montana where I had hoped to marry my high school sweetheart Harry. We broke up in May and I traveled by bus to Port Angeles and met Colleen at the beginning of the summer. My childhood friend George drove the Plymouth (Dad's I had used at college) and extra clothes back to Glendive.
When Colleen and I met again in San Diego in August (I came by train from Glendive and she came by car from Utah) we drove all over San Diego looking for a place to live. We couldn't afford to live in La Jolla so we looked near Balboa Park.
Colleen and I found a really delightful bungalow near Balboa Park to rent. It had a patio and a big orange tree with the sweetest oranges. We could eat as many as we wanted. We were delighted that 4th Ward was filled with other young school teachers on their first assignment plus many sailors who were serving their time after they had been exempted from the draft to serve missions. There was also a large group of locals so it was a very interesting ward for singles.
One of our first ventures was to go to Tijuana to get one of those tool etched leather purses for each of us. Notice how dressed up we are--heels and everything! That was the 50's. My parents came to visit us and we took them to Tijuana with us, also.
At the same time, my childhood friend Berta Mae was in New York and looking for singing roles. She changed her name to Carla Huston. Our lives had really taken a different direction. Myrna was married, Kay and Al were married, Raine and Norm were married and I had lost touch with all of them.
San Diego Stake only had six wards and 4th Ward was the Stake Center. The conferences and all the stake dances and activities were here. There was a large hallway along the side of the cultural hall where the dances were held. The older people in the ward liked to come to the dances and watch us. We felt very loved and accepted in this family ward. There were many families with lots of little children so most of us teachers were called to teach in the Sunday School.
My first church calling was the Nursery and the librarian had special toys and dolls and doll beds which she had ready each week along with everything needed for flannel board stories and lessons. She was an amazing help. I was so impressed by these fathers who would promptly pick up their children and were so sweet with them.
Because there were so many marriageable singles in the stake, there were many outdoor and indoor activities for us. We were continually surrounded by datable guys and it was exciting. Our young adult leader was a young single lawyer. Out of all those single women he chose a divorcee with a child from another area. She was very special though. He later became a Judge. He made all our activities fun and taught us so much about who we should be.
On Sundays, we would have a huge potluck at the Church so the Navy boys would have a place to go until the evening meeting. Some days we would just stay at the Church and sometimes we would go to Balboa Park and spread blankets on the grass.
I really enjoyed our Sunday School teacher as she really understood young people and was interested in our welfare. There was such a large group of us she would teach the class in the Cultural Hall.
School Teaching a Challenge-My school situation was not so rosy. I was teaching at Ocean View Elementary in South San Diego. The turnover of students and the size of the class was way beyond my capability. The class was about 1/3 white, 1/3 black and 1/3 Mexican. At least one of them could not speak English. At one point I had 40 students in my class. I did not have control of those second graders from day one. It was very discouraging.
One little boy threatened me after school with a blunt instrument. On another angry student, I used the psychology of having him draw out what he was angry about and he drew all the children with big feet. He evidently was being teased about his big feet. One little Mexican boy used to run to be first in line and would tap me on my tummy and tell me I was eating too many enchiladas. The Mexicans were the sweetest, I must admit.
Norma felt we needed a diversion from our real life. She was teaching at Ocean View Elementary also. She decided to direct a three-act play.
I had no intention of being in it but she put me in the role of the mother and it actually did turn out to be a great diffuser of our frustration. We all became very close. And I actually found out I could act!! Danny, a local San Diegan, was my son.
It was fun. Danny and I even stole a kiss behind the curtains. He was the one who brought me a treat and cheered me up when I was recouping from the removal of two wisdom teeth. He later married my dear friend Lani and years later when he was driving a truck in La Jolla and I was walking with my children he called out the window to me. My daughters were impressed. In 2014 they lived down the street from my granddaughter Meagan and her husband Matt. Small World. I actually visited them and enjoyed seeing what they had done to their house, admiring Danny's restored car, and having Danny act like it was a real thrill to have Janet visit them. Delightful friends!
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| Janet and John 1956 |
I dated a John, he was one of the returned missionaries doing Navy time during this period, but have no idea what happened to him. Here we are at the Palomar Observatory. He always tried to be a father figure to us though he wasn't that much older.
The other couple we were with that day were both locals and ended up getting married, the Teemsmas, a very special couple. This sweater and skirt (that I made) was grey wool and one of my favorite outfits. We wore full gathered slips under our skirts to make them stand out. We also wore those wide belts around our waists and I had several of them.
Besides John I dated a Bob, a very nice guy from Idaho and I dated Clinton. He was a businessman and seriously looking for a mate. Neither one of them would set my heart aflutter. It was more fun to just be with the group and have lots of people to talk to and dance with. Clinton later married one of the girls in the ward and in the 90s would become President of the San Diego Temple.
I remember a hayride with a dance after and going as a group to the roadshow and then Danny showing us his amazing backyard. He had done wonderful landscaping on the hillside and even built a replica of a Japanese structure. There was always plenty to do.
Besides John I dated a Bob, a very nice guy from Idaho and I dated Clinton. He was a businessman and seriously looking for a mate. Neither one of them would set my heart aflutter. It was more fun to just be with the group and have lots of people to talk to and dance with. Clinton later married one of the girls in the ward and in the 90s would become President of the San Diego Temple.
I remember a hayride with a dance after and going as a group to the roadshow and then Danny showing us his amazing backyard. He had done wonderful landscaping on the hillside and even built a replica of a Japanese structure. There was always plenty to do.
Lots of Activities-Saturdays, of course, were spent at the beach, mostly Ocean Beach. We loved it until it became too cool and then we would take trips to the Zoo, Julian, Cuyamaca or Borrego Springs.
Saturdays were always a time for a group activity and there were always plenty of friends to gather up a group. We always had lots of people at our house. I was a part of all that. That is, until...
A New Romance-Chuck, one of the Navy officers at Church, was invited by me to visit my second-grade class and give a demonstration. He was a helicopter pilot. He brought his friend Bill. Bill walked into the room and gave me that big smile and I was smitten. Later he told me it was "love at first sight" for him.
A New Romance-Chuck, one of the Navy officers at Church, was invited by me to visit my second-grade class and give a demonstration. He was a helicopter pilot. He brought his friend Bill. Bill walked into the room and gave me that big smile and I was smitten. Later he told me it was "love at first sight" for him.
Our first date, however, was a dismal failure. I had been all day on a Church activity and was too rushed in my dressing and hair fixing and also extremely tired from a late activity the night before. I was not confident in myself and therefore not sparkly or even conversational and we just did not click. I didn't think he would ever ask me out again. I could tell he was ticked that I was too tired for his date.However, at the next stake dance I was looking more alive in a darling red dress I had made. I was happy and busy in the kitchen with refreshments when Bill walked in and asked me to dance. Even though he was a Christian Scientist Chuck had brought him to join with us. He didn't drink or smoke so he fit right in. This time there was a strong connection and we had a nice time getting acquainted. Later, Chuck would regret introducing us.
Saturdays became a day filled with sailing and I soon became one of his crew though I knew nothing about it. Then the sailing crept into Sundays, too, because he would be entered in a two day race and I would need to hurry from Sunday School to get to the race in time. Sometimes it was too late to get back for Sacrament Meeting.
I was not really good at this sailing thing but although he was intensely working to win he was calm and easy to be with and a good teacher. The other crew member and I would need to hike out and sit on our thighs and my stomach became hard as a rock. I loved that. I also liked the days we just sailed the two of us alone. He owned a Thistle, a 17 foot sloop.
My life totally changed. As an officer Bill could take me to dinner and dancing at the Officer's Clubs. I dressed in dressy dresses and heels. He wore his uniform.
He was from Long Island and loved the ocean so there were days and evenings at the beach. It was a very romantic time in my life. How many times did we listen to the music from "My Fair Lady" or share ice cream I have no idea. He ate it right out of the carton. I remember he sang "I've Got a Crush on You" to me, very romantic. I sang "Along Came Bill" though probably not to him. He had a white convertible Cadillac and we usually rode with the top down.
I remember long walks. I just enjoyed being with him so much no matter what we were doing. He was quite a remarkable person. He was exceptionally smart, had a great sense of humor, extremely moral with a high set of values, very well-liked by everyone, very good looking and just a lot of fun. I think Carole described him as a cross between Kirk Douglas and Tab Hunter. I was happy to be with him, though he once expressed he was afraid of making me unhappy by not believing in the same things I did.
The greatest adventure was the race from Laguna Beach to Catalina island with guide boats nearby. On the way back it was raining and dark and the other crew member and I had to bail water as well as hike way out to keep the boat level and Bill took the mainsail down and directed us safely to shore with just the jib. It was pretty scary. I wasn't sure how I felt about sailing after that, but as long as I was with Bill I was happy to sail.
My Church friends were worried though and expressed their concern. Sometimes the sailing got in the way of Church and that was not good. I was not part of the group so much either. In the meantime, Colleen and I had moved closer to the ward building with four other girls.
A funny thing happened in the spring. It was the night of the time change and Bill told me we had an extra hour because we were to move our clocks back. I don't know whether he was serious or teasing but I believed him and in the morning all of us were two hours late for Church!! This was not good as all of us were Sunday School teachers or assistants. This house being so close to the Church became the hangout for all the Navy guys in the ward and that soon became a little tiresome. On the weekends we were literally stepping over guys in our living room who were there watching the TV between Sunday School and Sacrament meeting or on a break on Saturday.
A strange experience happened in this house. It had a long stairs going down the back to an alley. It was built on two levels. One night Bill brought me home before the rest of the roommates were back. I remember him checking all the rooms to make sure it was safe before he left. I had just started to drift off to sleep when I heard a clunk, clunk, clunk but I was so tired I convinced myself it was just my wild imagination and I went back to sleep. The next thing I knew Marta was waking me up and telling me there was a drunk man passed out at our kitchen table. Obviously we were not good about locking our doors!
Kindergarten instead of Second Grade-The following year I put in for a transfer from second grade to Kindergarten and to another school. I would thoroughly enjoy my next three years of teaching.
A New Car and My Roommates Marry-I bought my first car, a white Dodge with red leather interior. I think it was the red interior that got me. Marta bought the red Chevy, a much better choice. Even though we were making fairly good money teaching I would always run out of money near the end of the month and have to borrow ten dollars or so from someone. Anyway I was enjoying my car, enjoying my teaching and having a wonderful time sailing, dancing, and dining with Bill. Life was good. However, many from our group were pairing off and marrying and our little 'family' was soon to do the same.
Oh, I had also taken a modeling course from John Robert Powers and enjoyed that so much. They wanted me to dye my hair red and I eventually did!
Oh, I had also taken a modeling course from John Robert Powers and enjoyed that so much. They wanted me to dye my hair red and I eventually did!
My college roommates Joanne, Marta, and Colleen all ended up in San Diego with me. And Gerry lived in San Diego. All were married before me even though I was the oldest one!
We had a shower for Colleen and Mel. My friend Norma is on the left in the group picture. Colleen and I had been together for a good many years and now she was marrying that pilot! We lost track of each other after they moved, but I had really enjoyed our friendship during and since college.
The last I heard about her is that she was into clogging! Recently I learned that Mel had been killed in a commercial plane crash when he was a passenger, not the pilot, so sad.
She and Quentin had both been such great friends to me. I hated to see our little group break up.
Years later when I attended Marta's funeral I was amazed at how many friends and associates she had in Thousand Oaks. She was a very loving and beloved person.
So why was I still single? Religion was a problem again! Bill and I could not communicate about our beliefs at all. I could not understand his beliefs and he always made me laugh at anything I was telling him. Why, with all those nice LDS boys around me, was I so in love with a non-Mormon again? I do not know, but he was a great guy, that is all I knew.
Bill was sent to the Philippines for six months and what an exciting time to meet the ship when he came back. I had made a lovely outfit and we both looked very good and were so in love and happy to be together again. It was very romantic.
Many years later in 2008 Bill sent me a beautiful email crediting his coming home from the war unscathed and safe because he was my guy being true to me, his gal. His roommate and boss both contracted serious diseases from their R and R adventures, one of which died. He wanted me to know I had a part in saving his life. He was and is a good man but we never could resolve our difference in religious beliefs. We still check in with each other once in awhile though.
Broken Heart #2-So, we did not marry but we did plan it. My parents were coming to Salt Lake City and we would meet them there in June of 59. Bill was out of the Navy and had been selling lots in Apple Valley. He was a good salesman. And then it was all over, I can't remember any of the details of the breakup. I think my mind erases those memories and I did not write it in my journal. But there is a funny story about it.
When my parents heard about the breakup they came down to San Diego and were staying across the road from my house. It was a motel on a hill and so had different levels of stairs. I was just leaving their room dressed in heels, of course.
It was a Sunday. As I glanced at the road I saw Bill in his convertible and he saw me. I missed the step and fell down the stairs. My parents were right behind me and we went over to my house. We were probably going to Church and I would need to change my torn hose and clean up my knee.
A short time later I was in the kitchen when Dad came in and told me that Bill had just stopped by to see how I was after the fall. He and Bill talked for awhile and Dad was very sweet as he told me about the conversation.
I cried. He told me Bill was thinking of sailing around the world.
I always loved that my Dad was such a gentleman.
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My parents went to the beach a couple of times with me while they were here.
Mom was an especially good sport, as she would not wear a swim suit but a sun dress and hat.
Dad even went swimming, he was only 58 or so in this pix. But I did not realize how young that was!
Another trip to the beach and I show off my other swim suit. I did have a nice tan, now I have brown spots from all my days in the sun!
A Diversion with Benefits-I went to BYU to summer school as a diversion and I took singing for
one thing. One of my kindergarten fathers had told me his son was singing flat. There was a strong implication it was because of me.
While I was there, Norma called. There was someone new in the ward and she was sure I would like him. She would set it up as soon as I came home. I said, "No thanks, I did not want a blind date and I was not interested in meeting anyone."
My life was about to take a another big change!
My credential was renewed and I went on with my teaching, my fourth year in San Diego, and my third year teaching kindergarten. I liked kindergarten so much better than second grade!!
