******* Autobiography by Bettie Steinberg Garrison *** 1988 ************
BETTIE
Since I have lived with myself for sixty-six years, I probably know more details about my own life than about the other members of the family, but I may not be able to put them in proper prospective. Looking at oneself is like being too close to the forest to see the trees.
Jeanette got the brains, Alberta got the beauty, David got the talent. There was nothing left but to let me be the first blue-eyed blond in the family. I can remember people commenting on my pretty blond hair. Unfortunately, by the time I was old enough for it to do me any good, it had turned brown. Not pretty dark brown, like Alberta's, but dishwater brown. Also, I was tall and skinny. I must surely have gained my mature height by the time I was in the fifth grade. If my class lined up short-to-tall, I was always the last in line. Even in high school, I was taller than all of my girl friends and most of the boys with whom I ran around.
I don't recall that I did anything particularly well, but I tried everything. When the neighborhood kids had any kind of a contest, I was always the first eliminated. I sang in the high school chorus and girls glee club, but never well enough to be a soloist or in a quartet. I played clarinet in the high school band, but barely. I tried out for parts in plays, and sometimes got a minor part or a part in the chorus. My grades were above average, but not spectacular.
But I had fun. I played in the drum and bugle corps that was sponsored by the American Legion. The Legion took us all over the state. Our band, orchestra, and choruses were involved in competitions which took us around our section of the state. I dated very little but ran around with a group of boys and girls that had lots of parties and get-togethers.
Due to the fact I was on the younger end of my family and also because I left home early, I don't think I felt the pressure of our family problems as much as Alberta and Jeanette did. I knew things were tough, but there was a depression on and things were tough for everybody! I also knew that most of my friends came from more prosperous families than I did. That didn't bother me. I went glibly on and had a good time. I believed Herbert Hoover when he said prosperity was just around the corner. I was too naive to know that we were going in a circle.
When I graduated from high school, Jeanette asked me to come and live with her and attend Long Beach Junior College. I was delighted to have the opportunity but was ill prepared for college. I had come from a high school that didn't even have a library and suddenly I needed to write term papers and use card catalogs and other reference materials. My study habits were atrocious. I didn't even know anyone with whom I could commiserate. Somehow I made it through. I had hoped to go to UCLA after LBJC, but finances, impending WW II, and self-doubt about my academic ability made that impossible. I got a job at an ice cream store afternoons and evenings, and went to business college in the mornings.
I don't recall why, but I did go back to Missouri for a year and worked at Fort Leonard Wood. While there my good friend Ann Elliff married Bud Omer. I was her attendant and Sgt. Homer Garrison was Bud's attendant. Shortly after that, Alberta came to Lebanon for a visit and I went back to Long Beach with her. Coincidentally, Gary and Bud outfits were transferred to the California desert near Desert Center. Working at Ft. Wood was difficult because transportation to and from was so time consuming, but I enjoyed the year I was there. I enjoyed being home with my parents again for awhile, I enjoyed my job with the engineers at Ft. Wood, and I surely enjoyed the U.S.O. And, too, I had been working on my relationship with Sgt. Garrison.
Back in Long Beach, Alberta, Jeanette and I were living together again -- sharing cooking, cleaning, expenses, etc. That was a good time for us all because it helped solidify our relationship. I got a job at the Los Angeles Port of Embarkation hospital in Torrance. I loved it. If I hadn't been planning to marry Sgt. Garrison after the war, I probably would have pursued a medical secretarial career.
Victory in Europe was accomplished in May, 1945; victory in Japan was accomplished in August, 1945. October 21, 1945, Sgt. Garrison was discharged from the Army and five days later, October 26, 1945, victory over Sgt. Garrison was accomplished. Poor Gary. He only had five days of freedom between the Army and marriage. We were married in Lebanon. When I think back about how little we knew about each other, it's a miracle that our marriage has lasted for over forty years.
We started our married life in Lansing. Gary returned to his job at the Apothecary Shop and I got a secretarial job with the Standard Register Co. The problem with Gary's job was that he was doing the work of a registered pharmacist, even working a shift alone, but was getting paid half of what the pharmacists were paid because he didn't have a license.
The summer of 1948, Gary moved to Big Rapids to work on his pharmacy degree at Ferris Institute. In the fall, I too moved there and got a job with a small, family owned refinery in Reed City, Michigan. The four years in Big Rapids were memorable. We made good friends, ate lots of tuna casserole, and had our first baby - Barbara Jane. It wasn't a life style that I would have cared to have last forever, but it was what many veterans and their families were doing at that time. I'm grateful the G.I. Bill gave us that opportunity.
After Ferris, we returned to Lansing. Gary had an opportunity to become an instructor at Ferris but he had already made a commitment to work in Lansing. Also, becoming an instructor would have meant making a commitment to getting advanced degrees and that was not very appealing at the time to either of us. I've often wondered how different our lives would have been had we taken that path.
In Lansing, Gary worked and I stayed home as a full-time mother and housewife. I'm sure that neither of us realized at the time that I was one of a vanishing breed of women who could take it for granted that staying home with her family was an acceptable occupation.
We would have loved to have had our own drug store, but our finances were at rock bottom when Gary finished college. In addition to the help from the G.I. Bill, the job I had at the refinery for two years, and Gary's assorted jobs, we had depleted the capital that both Gary and I had accumulated during the war years to make it through Ferris. We couldn't buy a store without capital and we had no collateral nor anyone to borrow from. We couldn't even get enough together to buy a house. We decided to move to Arizona because we figured we could at least get our own home. Gary had been in the desert during his army training and liked it, and I was happy to be moving close to my family. We were in Lansing five years. During that time our second little girl, Cynthia Lynn, arrived and Barbara started to school.
April 1, 1956, we left Lansing. We had had a blizzard the week before we left. By the time we arrived in Phoenix, the children were going barefoot. We thought we had arrived in heaven. Thirty- two years later, I think we were pretty close to being correct.
Gary was able to get a job right away. He had come out earlier and taken the state examination for his pharmacy license. By June, we were in our own little, 3-bedroom home with a fence back yard. Again, I don't think any of us realized that we were probably the last generation that would take it for granted that a single-family home with yard and garage were part of our inalienable rights. The years flew by. They were almost idyllic. The girls went to school. They also went to Brownies, Girl Scouts, choir practice, band, orchestra, Sunday School, softball games, music lessons, etc. Gary worked, planted winter lawns so he could mow year round, and kept the cars running. I stayed home, cooked, cleaned, taught Sunday School, was a home room mother, Girl Scout leader, seamstress, chauffeur, PTAer, etc.
Suddenly, Barbara was a senior in high school and thinking of going to college. Cindy was in the eighth grade. And I had outgrown PTA, Girl Scouts, and other assorted activities. It was time to move out into a world that pays money for services rendered. A friend told me of a soon-to-be opening at Camelback High School's library. I would never have thought of applying for a job in library, but she worked there and was sure I'd like it. I did enjoy it, and I was happy to have a job that would allow me to be home when the girls were home. The library career lasted for about 11 years. Again I realized it was time to move. The job was getting harder, I was getting older, and I was working for a pitifully small salary. At about the same time this revelation came to me, the secretary to the Associate Principal retired. I applied for and got the job. I thought I liked working in the library, but working for Dr. Lisonbee was real fun. He was extremely well organized, the work was easy, I was getting paid more money, and I was where I could see the wheels of the organization turn. I had only been there a couple of years when Dr. Lisonbee retired. While I liked his replacement, I knew that it was only a matter of time before we would have a personality clash. Luck was with me. A secretarial job opened in the athletic department at the District office. I applied for and got that job.
By this time, both of the girls were through college. Barbara had completed her doctorate and was married. Gary was planning to retire at the end of the year (1981). Working at the District office was stressful, but I met lots of interesting people from the entire District. Gary became a house-husband. He learned to do the laundry and vacuuming, some of the shopping, and could start our dinners if I told him what to prepare. He also did relief work for Thrifty. On week-ends we were free to go to Mormon Lake or whatever we pleased.
I retired from the Phoenix Union High School District, December 30, 1983. While these retirement years have had some tragedies, they might also be considered the icing on the cake. Gary and I have our home, enough money to furnish the necessities of life and some left over for entertainment, eating out, and travel. We have our health and we have each other.
Generally, I would consider myself a winner in the game of life. I grew up in an atmosphere of love from my family and many happy memories of childhood and teenage friendships. My marriage has been harmonious and loving despite the fact (or maybe because of the fact) that Gary and I do not see eye-to-eye on many things. I have two adorable daughters who have brought two wonderful sons- in-law into my life. (I had really hoped to have a family of three sons. God knew what he was doing to give me daughters.) All parents love their children. I not only loved mine, I enjoyed them. I appreciated the opportunity to work with scouts and softball and other activities that involved them. Any job I ever had was one that I enjoyed. Retirement has given me an opportunity to take classes for the fun of the class and travel places I had only dreamed of visiting. It has given Gary and me an opportunity to enjoy each other. That's winning.
BETTIE
Since I have lived with myself for sixty-six years, I probably know more details about my own life than about the other members of the family, but I may not be able to put them in proper prospective. Looking at oneself is like being too close to the forest to see the trees.
Jeanette got the brains, Alberta got the beauty, David got the talent. There was nothing left but to let me be the first blue-eyed blond in the family. I can remember people commenting on my pretty blond hair. Unfortunately, by the time I was old enough for it to do me any good, it had turned brown. Not pretty dark brown, like Alberta's, but dishwater brown. Also, I was tall and skinny. I must surely have gained my mature height by the time I was in the fifth grade. If my class lined up short-to-tall, I was always the last in line. Even in high school, I was taller than all of my girl friends and most of the boys with whom I ran around.
I don't recall that I did anything particularly well, but I tried everything. When the neighborhood kids had any kind of a contest, I was always the first eliminated. I sang in the high school chorus and girls glee club, but never well enough to be a soloist or in a quartet. I played clarinet in the high school band, but barely. I tried out for parts in plays, and sometimes got a minor part or a part in the chorus. My grades were above average, but not spectacular.
But I had fun. I played in the drum and bugle corps that was sponsored by the American Legion. The Legion took us all over the state. Our band, orchestra, and choruses were involved in competitions which took us around our section of the state. I dated very little but ran around with a group of boys and girls that had lots of parties and get-togethers.
Due to the fact I was on the younger end of my family and also because I left home early, I don't think I felt the pressure of our family problems as much as Alberta and Jeanette did. I knew things were tough, but there was a depression on and things were tough for everybody! I also knew that most of my friends came from more prosperous families than I did. That didn't bother me. I went glibly on and had a good time. I believed Herbert Hoover when he said prosperity was just around the corner. I was too naive to know that we were going in a circle.
When I graduated from high school, Jeanette asked me to come and live with her and attend Long Beach Junior College. I was delighted to have the opportunity but was ill prepared for college. I had come from a high school that didn't even have a library and suddenly I needed to write term papers and use card catalogs and other reference materials. My study habits were atrocious. I didn't even know anyone with whom I could commiserate. Somehow I made it through. I had hoped to go to UCLA after LBJC, but finances, impending WW II, and self-doubt about my academic ability made that impossible. I got a job at an ice cream store afternoons and evenings, and went to business college in the mornings.
I don't recall why, but I did go back to Missouri for a year and worked at Fort Leonard Wood. While there my good friend Ann Elliff married Bud Omer. I was her attendant and Sgt. Homer Garrison was Bud's attendant. Shortly after that, Alberta came to Lebanon for a visit and I went back to Long Beach with her. Coincidentally, Gary and Bud outfits were transferred to the California desert near Desert Center. Working at Ft. Wood was difficult because transportation to and from was so time consuming, but I enjoyed the year I was there. I enjoyed being home with my parents again for awhile, I enjoyed my job with the engineers at Ft. Wood, and I surely enjoyed the U.S.O. And, too, I had been working on my relationship with Sgt. Garrison.
Back in Long Beach, Alberta, Jeanette and I were living together again -- sharing cooking, cleaning, expenses, etc. That was a good time for us all because it helped solidify our relationship. I got a job at the Los Angeles Port of Embarkation hospital in Torrance. I loved it. If I hadn't been planning to marry Sgt. Garrison after the war, I probably would have pursued a medical secretarial career.
Victory in Europe was accomplished in May, 1945; victory in Japan was accomplished in August, 1945. October 21, 1945, Sgt. Garrison was discharged from the Army and five days later, October 26, 1945, victory over Sgt. Garrison was accomplished. Poor Gary. He only had five days of freedom between the Army and marriage. We were married in Lebanon. When I think back about how little we knew about each other, it's a miracle that our marriage has lasted for over forty years.
We started our married life in Lansing. Gary returned to his job at the Apothecary Shop and I got a secretarial job with the Standard Register Co. The problem with Gary's job was that he was doing the work of a registered pharmacist, even working a shift alone, but was getting paid half of what the pharmacists were paid because he didn't have a license.
The summer of 1948, Gary moved to Big Rapids to work on his pharmacy degree at Ferris Institute. In the fall, I too moved there and got a job with a small, family owned refinery in Reed City, Michigan. The four years in Big Rapids were memorable. We made good friends, ate lots of tuna casserole, and had our first baby - Barbara Jane. It wasn't a life style that I would have cared to have last forever, but it was what many veterans and their families were doing at that time. I'm grateful the G.I. Bill gave us that opportunity.
After Ferris, we returned to Lansing. Gary had an opportunity to become an instructor at Ferris but he had already made a commitment to work in Lansing. Also, becoming an instructor would have meant making a commitment to getting advanced degrees and that was not very appealing at the time to either of us. I've often wondered how different our lives would have been had we taken that path.
In Lansing, Gary worked and I stayed home as a full-time mother and housewife. I'm sure that neither of us realized at the time that I was one of a vanishing breed of women who could take it for granted that staying home with her family was an acceptable occupation.
We would have loved to have had our own drug store, but our finances were at rock bottom when Gary finished college. In addition to the help from the G.I. Bill, the job I had at the refinery for two years, and Gary's assorted jobs, we had depleted the capital that both Gary and I had accumulated during the war years to make it through Ferris. We couldn't buy a store without capital and we had no collateral nor anyone to borrow from. We couldn't even get enough together to buy a house. We decided to move to Arizona because we figured we could at least get our own home. Gary had been in the desert during his army training and liked it, and I was happy to be moving close to my family. We were in Lansing five years. During that time our second little girl, Cynthia Lynn, arrived and Barbara started to school.
April 1, 1956, we left Lansing. We had had a blizzard the week before we left. By the time we arrived in Phoenix, the children were going barefoot. We thought we had arrived in heaven. Thirty- two years later, I think we were pretty close to being correct.
Gary was able to get a job right away. He had come out earlier and taken the state examination for his pharmacy license. By June, we were in our own little, 3-bedroom home with a fence back yard. Again, I don't think any of us realized that we were probably the last generation that would take it for granted that a single-family home with yard and garage were part of our inalienable rights. The years flew by. They were almost idyllic. The girls went to school. They also went to Brownies, Girl Scouts, choir practice, band, orchestra, Sunday School, softball games, music lessons, etc. Gary worked, planted winter lawns so he could mow year round, and kept the cars running. I stayed home, cooked, cleaned, taught Sunday School, was a home room mother, Girl Scout leader, seamstress, chauffeur, PTAer, etc.
Suddenly, Barbara was a senior in high school and thinking of going to college. Cindy was in the eighth grade. And I had outgrown PTA, Girl Scouts, and other assorted activities. It was time to move out into a world that pays money for services rendered. A friend told me of a soon-to-be opening at Camelback High School's library. I would never have thought of applying for a job in library, but she worked there and was sure I'd like it. I did enjoy it, and I was happy to have a job that would allow me to be home when the girls were home. The library career lasted for about 11 years. Again I realized it was time to move. The job was getting harder, I was getting older, and I was working for a pitifully small salary. At about the same time this revelation came to me, the secretary to the Associate Principal retired. I applied for and got the job. I thought I liked working in the library, but working for Dr. Lisonbee was real fun. He was extremely well organized, the work was easy, I was getting paid more money, and I was where I could see the wheels of the organization turn. I had only been there a couple of years when Dr. Lisonbee retired. While I liked his replacement, I knew that it was only a matter of time before we would have a personality clash. Luck was with me. A secretarial job opened in the athletic department at the District office. I applied for and got that job.
By this time, both of the girls were through college. Barbara had completed her doctorate and was married. Gary was planning to retire at the end of the year (1981). Working at the District office was stressful, but I met lots of interesting people from the entire District. Gary became a house-husband. He learned to do the laundry and vacuuming, some of the shopping, and could start our dinners if I told him what to prepare. He also did relief work for Thrifty. On week-ends we were free to go to Mormon Lake or whatever we pleased.
I retired from the Phoenix Union High School District, December 30, 1983. While these retirement years have had some tragedies, they might also be considered the icing on the cake. Gary and I have our home, enough money to furnish the necessities of life and some left over for entertainment, eating out, and travel. We have our health and we have each other.
Generally, I would consider myself a winner in the game of life. I grew up in an atmosphere of love from my family and many happy memories of childhood and teenage friendships. My marriage has been harmonious and loving despite the fact (or maybe because of the fact) that Gary and I do not see eye-to-eye on many things. I have two adorable daughters who have brought two wonderful sons- in-law into my life. (I had really hoped to have a family of three sons. God knew what he was doing to give me daughters.) All parents love their children. I not only loved mine, I enjoyed them. I appreciated the opportunity to work with scouts and softball and other activities that involved them. Any job I ever had was one that I enjoyed. Retirement has given me an opportunity to take classes for the fun of the class and travel places I had only dreamed of visiting. It has given Gary and me an opportunity to enjoy each other. That's winning.
******* Autobiography by Bettie Steinberg Garrison *** 1988 ************
BETTIE
Since I have lived with myself for sixty-six years, I probably know more details about my own life than about the other members of the family, but I may not be able to put them in proper prospective. Looking at oneself is like being too close to the forest to see the trees.
Jeanette got the brains, Alberta got the beauty, David got the talent. There was nothing left but to let me be the first blue-eyed blond in the family. I can remember people commenting on my pretty blond hair. Unfortunately, by the time I was old enough for it to do me any good, it had turned brown. Not pretty dark brown, like Alberta's, but dishwater brown. Also, I was tall and skinny. I must surely have gained my mature height by the time I was in the fifth grade. If my class lined up short-to-tall, I was always the last in line. Even in high school, I was taller than all of my girl friends and most of the boys with whom I ran around.
I don't recall that I did anything particularly well, but I tried everything. When the neighborhood kids had any kind of a contest, I was always the first eliminated. I sang in the high school chorus and girls glee club, but never well enough to be a soloist or in a quartet. I played clarinet in the high school band, but barely. I tried out for parts in plays, and sometimes got a minor part or a part in the chorus. My grades were above average, but not spectacular.
But I had fun. I played in the drum and bugle corps that was sponsored by the American Legion. The Legion took us all over the state. Our band, orchestra, and choruses were involved in competitions which took us around our section of the state. I dated very little but ran around with a group of boys and girls that had lots of parties and get-togethers.
Due to the fact I was on the younger end of my family and also because I left home early, I don't think I felt the pressure of our family problems as much as Alberta and Jeanette did. I knew things were tough, but there was a depression on and things were tough for everybody! I also knew that most of my friends came from more prosperous families than I did. That didn't bother me. I went glibly on and had a good time. I believed Herbert Hoover when he said prosperity was just around the corner. I was too naive to know that we were going in a circle.
When I graduated from high school, Jeanette asked me to come and live with her and attend Long Beach Junior College. I was delighted to have the opportunity but was ill prepared for college. I had come from a high school that didn't even have a library and suddenly I needed to write term papers and use card catalogs and other reference materials. My study habits were atrocious. I didn't even know anyone with whom I could commiserate. Somehow I made it through. I had hoped to go to UCLA after LBJC, but finances, impending WW II, and self-doubt about my academic ability made that impossible. I got a job at an ice cream store afternoons and evenings, and went to business college in the mornings.
I don't recall why, but I did go back to Missouri for a year and worked at Fort Leonard Wood. While there my good friend Ann Elliff married Bud Omer. I was her attendant and Sgt. Homer Garrison was Bud's attendant. Shortly after that, Alberta came to Lebanon for a visit and I went back to Long Beach with her. Coincidentally, Gary and Bud outfits were transferred to the California desert near Desert Center. Working at Ft. Wood was difficult because transportation to and from was so time consuming, but I enjoyed the year I was there. I enjoyed being home with my parents again for awhile, I enjoyed my job with the engineers at Ft. Wood, and I surely enjoyed the U.S.O. And, too, I had been working on my relationship with Sgt. Garrison.
Back in Long Beach, Alberta, Jeanette and I were living together again -- sharing cooking, cleaning, expenses, etc. That was a good time for us all because it helped solidify our relationship. I got a job at the Los Angeles Port of Embarkation hospital in Torrance. I loved it. If I hadn't been planning to marry Sgt. Garrison after the war, I probably would have pursued a medical secretarial career.
Victory in Europe was accomplished in May, 1945; victory in Japan was accomplished in August, 1945. October 21, 1945, Sgt. Garrison was discharged from the Army and five days later, October 26, 1945, victory over Sgt. Garrison was accomplished. Poor Gary. He only had five days of freedom between the Army and marriage. We were married in Lebanon. When I think back about how little we knew about each other, it's a miracle that our marriage has lasted for over forty years.
We started our married life in Lansing. Gary returned to his job at the Apothecary Shop and I got a secretarial job with the Standard Register Co. The problem with Gary's job was that he was doing the work of a registered pharmacist, even working a shift alone, but was getting paid half of what the pharmacists were paid because he didn't have a license.
The summer of 1948, Gary moved to Big Rapids to work on his pharmacy degree at Ferris Institute. In the fall, I too moved there and got a job with a small, family owned refinery in Reed City, Michigan. The four years in Big Rapids were memorable. We made good friends, ate lots of tuna casserole, and had our first baby - Barbara Jane. It wasn't a life style that I would have cared to have last forever, but it was what many veterans and their families were doing at that time. I'm grateful the G.I. Bill gave us that opportunity.
After Ferris, we returned to Lansing. Gary had an opportunity to become an instructor at Ferris but he had already made a commitment to work in Lansing. Also, becoming an instructor would have meant making a commitment to getting advanced degrees and that was not very appealing at the time to either of us. I've often wondered how different our lives would have been had we taken that path.
In Lansing, Gary worked and I stayed home as a full-time mother and housewife. I'm sure that neither of us realized at the time that I was one of a vanishing breed of women who could take it for granted that staying home with her family was an acceptable occupation.
We would have loved to have had our own drug store, but our finances were at rock bottom when Gary finished college. In addition to the help from the G.I. Bill, the job I had at the refinery for two years, and Gary's assorted jobs, we had depleted the capital that both Gary and I had accumulated during the war years to make it through Ferris. We couldn't buy a store without capital and we had no collateral nor anyone to borrow from. We couldn't even get enough together to buy a house. We decided to move to Arizona because we figured we could at least get our own home. Gary had been in the desert during his army training and liked it, and I was happy to be moving close to my family. We were in Lansing five years. During that time our second little girl, Cynthia Lynn, arrived and Barbara started to school.
April 1, 1956, we left Lansing. We had had a blizzard the week before we left. By the time we arrived in Phoenix, the children were going barefoot. We thought we had arrived in heaven. Thirty- two years later, I think we were pretty close to being correct.
Gary was able to get a job right away. He had come out earlier and taken the state examination for his pharmacy license. By June, we were in our own little, 3-bedroom home with a fence back yard. Again, I don't think any of us realized that we were probably the last generation that would take it for granted that a single-family home with yard and garage were part of our inalienable rights. The years flew by. They were almost idyllic. The girls went to school. They also went to Brownies, Girl Scouts, choir practice, band, orchestra, Sunday School, softball games, music lessons, etc. Gary worked, planted winter lawns so he could mow year round, and kept the cars running. I stayed home, cooked, cleaned, taught Sunday School, was a home room mother, Girl Scout leader, seamstress, chauffeur, PTAer, etc.
Suddenly, Barbara was a senior in high school and thinking of going to college. Cindy was in the eighth grade. And I had outgrown PTA, Girl Scouts, and other assorted activities. It was time to move out into a world that pays money for services rendered. A friend told me of a soon-to-be opening at Camelback High School's library. I would never have thought of applying for a job in library, but she worked there and was sure I'd like it. I did enjoy it, and I was happy to have a job that would allow me to be home when the girls were home. The library career lasted for about 11 years. Again I realized it was time to move. The job was getting harder, I was getting older, and I was working for a pitifully small salary. At about the same time this revelation came to me, the secretary to the Associate Principal retired. I applied for and got the job. I thought I liked working in the library, but working for Dr. Lisonbee was real fun. He was extremely well organized, the work was easy, I was getting paid more money, and I was where I could see the wheels of the organization turn. I had only been there a couple of years when Dr. Lisonbee retired. While I liked his replacement, I knew that it was only a matter of time before we would have a personality clash. Luck was with me. A secretarial job opened in the athletic department at the District office. I applied for and got that job.
By this time, both of the girls were through college. Barbara had completed her doctorate and was married. Gary was planning to retire at the end of the year (1981). Working at the District office was stressful, but I met lots of interesting people from the entire District. Gary became a house-husband. He learned to do the laundry and vacuuming, some of the shopping, and could start our dinners if I told him what to prepare. He also did relief work for Thrifty. On week-ends we were free to go to Mormon Lake or whatever we pleased.
I retired from the Phoenix Union High School District, December 30, 1983. While these retirement years have had some tragedies, they might also be considered the icing on the cake. Gary and I have our home, enough money to furnish the necessities of life and some left over for entertainment, eating out, and travel. We have our health and we have each other.
Generally, I would consider myself a winner in the game of life. I grew up in an atmosphere of love from my family and many happy memories of childhood and teenage friendships. My marriage has been harmonious and loving despite the fact (or maybe because of the fact) that Gary and I do not see eye-to-eye on many things. I have two adorable daughters who have brought two wonderful sons- in-law into my life. (I had really hoped to have a family of three sons. God knew what he was doing to give me daughters.) All parents love their children. I not only loved mine, I enjoyed them. I appreciated the opportunity to work with scouts and softball and other activities that involved them. Any job I ever had was one that I enjoyed. Retirement has given me an opportunity to take classes for the fun of the class and travel places I had only dreamed of visiting. It has given Gary and me an opportunity to enjoy each other. That's winning.
BETTIE
Since I have lived with myself for sixty-six years, I probably know more details about my own life than about the other members of the family, but I may not be able to put them in proper prospective. Looking at oneself is like being too close to the forest to see the trees.
Jeanette got the brains, Alberta got the beauty, David got the talent. There was nothing left but to let me be the first blue-eyed blond in the family. I can remember people commenting on my pretty blond hair. Unfortunately, by the time I was old enough for it to do me any good, it had turned brown. Not pretty dark brown, like Alberta's, but dishwater brown. Also, I was tall and skinny. I must surely have gained my mature height by the time I was in the fifth grade. If my class lined up short-to-tall, I was always the last in line. Even in high school, I was taller than all of my girl friends and most of the boys with whom I ran around.
I don't recall that I did anything particularly well, but I tried everything. When the neighborhood kids had any kind of a contest, I was always the first eliminated. I sang in the high school chorus and girls glee club, but never well enough to be a soloist or in a quartet. I played clarinet in the high school band, but barely. I tried out for parts in plays, and sometimes got a minor part or a part in the chorus. My grades were above average, but not spectacular.
But I had fun. I played in the drum and bugle corps that was sponsored by the American Legion. The Legion took us all over the state. Our band, orchestra, and choruses were involved in competitions which took us around our section of the state. I dated very little but ran around with a group of boys and girls that had lots of parties and get-togethers.
Due to the fact I was on the younger end of my family and also because I left home early, I don't think I felt the pressure of our family problems as much as Alberta and Jeanette did. I knew things were tough, but there was a depression on and things were tough for everybody! I also knew that most of my friends came from more prosperous families than I did. That didn't bother me. I went glibly on and had a good time. I believed Herbert Hoover when he said prosperity was just around the corner. I was too naive to know that we were going in a circle.
When I graduated from high school, Jeanette asked me to come and live with her and attend Long Beach Junior College. I was delighted to have the opportunity but was ill prepared for college. I had come from a high school that didn't even have a library and suddenly I needed to write term papers and use card catalogs and other reference materials. My study habits were atrocious. I didn't even know anyone with whom I could commiserate. Somehow I made it through. I had hoped to go to UCLA after LBJC, but finances, impending WW II, and self-doubt about my academic ability made that impossible. I got a job at an ice cream store afternoons and evenings, and went to business college in the mornings.
I don't recall why, but I did go back to Missouri for a year and worked at Fort Leonard Wood. While there my good friend Ann Elliff married Bud Omer. I was her attendant and Sgt. Homer Garrison was Bud's attendant. Shortly after that, Alberta came to Lebanon for a visit and I went back to Long Beach with her. Coincidentally, Gary and Bud outfits were transferred to the California desert near Desert Center. Working at Ft. Wood was difficult because transportation to and from was so time consuming, but I enjoyed the year I was there. I enjoyed being home with my parents again for awhile, I enjoyed my job with the engineers at Ft. Wood, and I surely enjoyed the U.S.O. And, too, I had been working on my relationship with Sgt. Garrison.
Back in Long Beach, Alberta, Jeanette and I were living together again -- sharing cooking, cleaning, expenses, etc. That was a good time for us all because it helped solidify our relationship. I got a job at the Los Angeles Port of Embarkation hospital in Torrance. I loved it. If I hadn't been planning to marry Sgt. Garrison after the war, I probably would have pursued a medical secretarial career.
Victory in Europe was accomplished in May, 1945; victory in Japan was accomplished in August, 1945. October 21, 1945, Sgt. Garrison was discharged from the Army and five days later, October 26, 1945, victory over Sgt. Garrison was accomplished. Poor Gary. He only had five days of freedom between the Army and marriage. We were married in Lebanon. When I think back about how little we knew about each other, it's a miracle that our marriage has lasted for over forty years.
We started our married life in Lansing. Gary returned to his job at the Apothecary Shop and I got a secretarial job with the Standard Register Co. The problem with Gary's job was that he was doing the work of a registered pharmacist, even working a shift alone, but was getting paid half of what the pharmacists were paid because he didn't have a license.
The summer of 1948, Gary moved to Big Rapids to work on his pharmacy degree at Ferris Institute. In the fall, I too moved there and got a job with a small, family owned refinery in Reed City, Michigan. The four years in Big Rapids were memorable. We made good friends, ate lots of tuna casserole, and had our first baby - Barbara Jane. It wasn't a life style that I would have cared to have last forever, but it was what many veterans and their families were doing at that time. I'm grateful the G.I. Bill gave us that opportunity.
After Ferris, we returned to Lansing. Gary had an opportunity to become an instructor at Ferris but he had already made a commitment to work in Lansing. Also, becoming an instructor would have meant making a commitment to getting advanced degrees and that was not very appealing at the time to either of us. I've often wondered how different our lives would have been had we taken that path.
In Lansing, Gary worked and I stayed home as a full-time mother and housewife. I'm sure that neither of us realized at the time that I was one of a vanishing breed of women who could take it for granted that staying home with her family was an acceptable occupation.
We would have loved to have had our own drug store, but our finances were at rock bottom when Gary finished college. In addition to the help from the G.I. Bill, the job I had at the refinery for two years, and Gary's assorted jobs, we had depleted the capital that both Gary and I had accumulated during the war years to make it through Ferris. We couldn't buy a store without capital and we had no collateral nor anyone to borrow from. We couldn't even get enough together to buy a house. We decided to move to Arizona because we figured we could at least get our own home. Gary had been in the desert during his army training and liked it, and I was happy to be moving close to my family. We were in Lansing five years. During that time our second little girl, Cynthia Lynn, arrived and Barbara started to school.
April 1, 1956, we left Lansing. We had had a blizzard the week before we left. By the time we arrived in Phoenix, the children were going barefoot. We thought we had arrived in heaven. Thirty- two years later, I think we were pretty close to being correct.
Gary was able to get a job right away. He had come out earlier and taken the state examination for his pharmacy license. By June, we were in our own little, 3-bedroom home with a fence back yard. Again, I don't think any of us realized that we were probably the last generation that would take it for granted that a single-family home with yard and garage were part of our inalienable rights. The years flew by. They were almost idyllic. The girls went to school. They also went to Brownies, Girl Scouts, choir practice, band, orchestra, Sunday School, softball games, music lessons, etc. Gary worked, planted winter lawns so he could mow year round, and kept the cars running. I stayed home, cooked, cleaned, taught Sunday School, was a home room mother, Girl Scout leader, seamstress, chauffeur, PTAer, etc.
Suddenly, Barbara was a senior in high school and thinking of going to college. Cindy was in the eighth grade. And I had outgrown PTA, Girl Scouts, and other assorted activities. It was time to move out into a world that pays money for services rendered. A friend told me of a soon-to-be opening at Camelback High School's library. I would never have thought of applying for a job in library, but she worked there and was sure I'd like it. I did enjoy it, and I was happy to have a job that would allow me to be home when the girls were home. The library career lasted for about 11 years. Again I realized it was time to move. The job was getting harder, I was getting older, and I was working for a pitifully small salary. At about the same time this revelation came to me, the secretary to the Associate Principal retired. I applied for and got the job. I thought I liked working in the library, but working for Dr. Lisonbee was real fun. He was extremely well organized, the work was easy, I was getting paid more money, and I was where I could see the wheels of the organization turn. I had only been there a couple of years when Dr. Lisonbee retired. While I liked his replacement, I knew that it was only a matter of time before we would have a personality clash. Luck was with me. A secretarial job opened in the athletic department at the District office. I applied for and got that job.
By this time, both of the girls were through college. Barbara had completed her doctorate and was married. Gary was planning to retire at the end of the year (1981). Working at the District office was stressful, but I met lots of interesting people from the entire District. Gary became a house-husband. He learned to do the laundry and vacuuming, some of the shopping, and could start our dinners if I told him what to prepare. He also did relief work for Thrifty. On week-ends we were free to go to Mormon Lake or whatever we pleased.
I retired from the Phoenix Union High School District, December 30, 1983. While these retirement years have had some tragedies, they might also be considered the icing on the cake. Gary and I have our home, enough money to furnish the necessities of life and some left over for entertainment, eating out, and travel. We have our health and we have each other.
Generally, I would consider myself a winner in the game of life. I grew up in an atmosphere of love from my family and many happy memories of childhood and teenage friendships. My marriage has been harmonious and loving despite the fact (or maybe because of the fact) that Gary and I do not see eye-to-eye on many things. I have two adorable daughters who have brought two wonderful sons- in-law into my life. (I had really hoped to have a family of three sons. God knew what he was doing to give me daughters.) All parents love their children. I not only loved mine, I enjoyed them. I appreciated the opportunity to work with scouts and softball and other activities that involved them. Any job I ever had was one that I enjoyed. Retirement has given me an opportunity to take classes for the fun of the class and travel places I had only dreamed of visiting. It has given Gary and me an opportunity to enjoy each other. That's winning.
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