******* Biography by Bettie Steinberg Garrison *** 1988 ************
ALBERTA
If Jeanette was the brain, Alberta was the beauty. She had naturally curly, dark brown hair and beautiful, velvety, brown eyes. Once she was second runner-up in the Miss Lebanon pageant, but I've forgotten which year. If the judges hadn't been prejudiced, she probably would have been selected Miss Lebanon. (Miss Lebanon had bowed legs!)
I have spent more of my life with Alberta than with any other member of my family, including my parents. Unlike Jeanette, she stayed home until after I left home, except for a short time when she went to business college in Springfield. She moved to California shortly after I did and we lived together from December 1939 until May 1945.
By the time I was old enough to remember Alberta, she was in high school. During that time she worked at Burley's Dry Goods Store during school vacations and at the local newspaper office collecting personal items for the weekly paper and doing office work. Her high school year book lists many activities including being class secretary and treasurer several years, debate team, Home Ec club, etc. She won a prize at the County Fair for canned tomatoes and some kind of a prize for an abstract black and gray plaque.
After high school she attended business college in Springfield and learned secretarial skills. Those were difficult times in the world, the United States, Lebanon, and our family. Since Alberta was the oldest child at home, she bore more of the brunt of our family hard times, such as Daddy being ill for a year, and being out of work for a good deal of the time. I remember her coming home from a job application saying that the firm offered her the job but that they didn't want to pay her money. She could work for the experience. She did get jobs that paid money. At one time she was secretary to a Mr. Spangler who was the County Prosecuting Attorney and also ran a chicken hatchery. She also worked for the County Extension Agency. That was a job we all enjoyed because she came home each day telling of the interesting farmers with whom she had business dealings. They usually called her "Alberta Peach?" which annoyed her, but she had a happy relationship with those farmers.
While Alberta dated off and on, I don't recall any serious boy friends. She did have a close group of women friends. Some of them were local Lebanon girls, and some were women who had come to Lebanon as young adults. All, but Alberta, were school teachers. They were learning to knit at the same time and formed a little group, calling themselves the Knit-Witts. As one by one they got married and/or left Lebanon, they kept in touch with a round-robin letter. That letter still circulates.
When Alberta visited Jeanette and me in California, she fell in love with the climate and the palm trees and said she wished she could stay. Jeanette promptly checked with the president of the Farmers and Merchants Bank, (also a member of the 1st Methodist Church), to see if there were any openings at the bank for secretaries. He had Alberta come in and she was hired. I feel certain she immediately regretted her decision. She had one of the worst cases of homesickness that I ever expect to see. She worked at Farmers and Merchants' new branch bank for 5 1/2 years and was one of their first women tellers. All the while it appeared to me that Alberta would rather have been in Lebanon. Then Lee came into her life. He made Long Beach considerably more worthwhile. They were married May 18, 1945.
Alberta was always the homebody. That was great because Lee did shift work and didn't want Alberta to work at the bank after they were married. Lee had a ranch when he and Alberta were married and for a short while thereafter. Although Alberta got a license to drive a car, she would never drive. She would ride a horse around the ranch.
Joe moved to California shortly after World War II and our parents moved out there in 1948. Daddy was ill when the folks moved to California, and although we didn't recognize it at the time, Joe was ill also. Although Joe, Daddy and Mother lived with Jeanette, Alberta (and Lee) assumed a good deal of the responsibility of seeing that Mother and Daddy got to their doctor appointments and that Joe was visited when he was in the hospital.
Alberta and Lee were married for twenty-four years. During that time they went through more operations than most of us even think about. They had lots of family visitors both from Arkansas, Lee's family, and from Kansas City and Phoenix, David's and my families. Many summers Cindy or Barbara would visit the Long Beach relatives. They spent their nights with Jeanette and Mother, but Alberta and Lee were the day-time entertainment committee.
Lee had a stroke in June, 1969. He had been dismissed from the hospital and Alberta was caring for him at home when he had another stroke and died September 22, 1969. Shortly after Lee's death, Mother moved in with Alberta. Alberta cared for her for several years at home. After surgery for cancer, Mother was in a nursing home and Alberta and Jeanette visited here every day for two years. During the time Alberta was caring for Mother, she went back to work on a part-time basis at Pacific Drilling Co. Alberta also became affiliated with P.E.O. during this period of her life. This organization has become a source of many friendships for her.
After Mother's death, Alberta moved to Phoenix. I was delighted to have her living only 3 blocks from us. But what was a wonderful time for me I fear was a lonely time for her.
When Jeanette retired, Alberta moved back to Long Beach and she and Jeanette bought a condominium where they made their home together. Alberta became the patio gardener. That was the first time, to my knowledge, that she had done any gardening. She also resumed her P.E.O. activities.
January, 1983, Joe retired. That same spring he had surgery for lung cancer. He died February 13, 1985. Several months prior to his death Alberta stayed with him and became his nurse/housekeeper. Alberta and Jeanette were just getting their lives back to normal when Jeanette became ill. Again Alberta was the nurse and cared for Jeanette until her death.
Ironically, I have always considered Alberta frail, but she has been the member of the family who has made the most adjustments in her life style and contributed the most to the care of the sick and dying. She has toughness that her gentle mannerisms deny.
ALBERTA
If Jeanette was the brain, Alberta was the beauty. She had naturally curly, dark brown hair and beautiful, velvety, brown eyes. Once she was second runner-up in the Miss Lebanon pageant, but I've forgotten which year. If the judges hadn't been prejudiced, she probably would have been selected Miss Lebanon. (Miss Lebanon had bowed legs!)
I have spent more of my life with Alberta than with any other member of my family, including my parents. Unlike Jeanette, she stayed home until after I left home, except for a short time when she went to business college in Springfield. She moved to California shortly after I did and we lived together from December 1939 until May 1945.
By the time I was old enough to remember Alberta, she was in high school. During that time she worked at Burley's Dry Goods Store during school vacations and at the local newspaper office collecting personal items for the weekly paper and doing office work. Her high school year book lists many activities including being class secretary and treasurer several years, debate team, Home Ec club, etc. She won a prize at the County Fair for canned tomatoes and some kind of a prize for an abstract black and gray plaque.
After high school she attended business college in Springfield and learned secretarial skills. Those were difficult times in the world, the United States, Lebanon, and our family. Since Alberta was the oldest child at home, she bore more of the brunt of our family hard times, such as Daddy being ill for a year, and being out of work for a good deal of the time. I remember her coming home from a job application saying that the firm offered her the job but that they didn't want to pay her money. She could work for the experience. She did get jobs that paid money. At one time she was secretary to a Mr. Spangler who was the County Prosecuting Attorney and also ran a chicken hatchery. She also worked for the County Extension Agency. That was a job we all enjoyed because she came home each day telling of the interesting farmers with whom she had business dealings. They usually called her "Alberta Peach?" which annoyed her, but she had a happy relationship with those farmers.
While Alberta dated off and on, I don't recall any serious boy friends. She did have a close group of women friends. Some of them were local Lebanon girls, and some were women who had come to Lebanon as young adults. All, but Alberta, were school teachers. They were learning to knit at the same time and formed a little group, calling themselves the Knit-Witts. As one by one they got married and/or left Lebanon, they kept in touch with a round-robin letter. That letter still circulates.
When Alberta visited Jeanette and me in California, she fell in love with the climate and the palm trees and said she wished she could stay. Jeanette promptly checked with the president of the Farmers and Merchants Bank, (also a member of the 1st Methodist Church), to see if there were any openings at the bank for secretaries. He had Alberta come in and she was hired. I feel certain she immediately regretted her decision. She had one of the worst cases of homesickness that I ever expect to see. She worked at Farmers and Merchants' new branch bank for 5 1/2 years and was one of their first women tellers. All the while it appeared to me that Alberta would rather have been in Lebanon. Then Lee came into her life. He made Long Beach considerably more worthwhile. They were married May 18, 1945.
Alberta was always the homebody. That was great because Lee did shift work and didn't want Alberta to work at the bank after they were married. Lee had a ranch when he and Alberta were married and for a short while thereafter. Although Alberta got a license to drive a car, she would never drive. She would ride a horse around the ranch.
Joe moved to California shortly after World War II and our parents moved out there in 1948. Daddy was ill when the folks moved to California, and although we didn't recognize it at the time, Joe was ill also. Although Joe, Daddy and Mother lived with Jeanette, Alberta (and Lee) assumed a good deal of the responsibility of seeing that Mother and Daddy got to their doctor appointments and that Joe was visited when he was in the hospital.
Alberta and Lee were married for twenty-four years. During that time they went through more operations than most of us even think about. They had lots of family visitors both from Arkansas, Lee's family, and from Kansas City and Phoenix, David's and my families. Many summers Cindy or Barbara would visit the Long Beach relatives. They spent their nights with Jeanette and Mother, but Alberta and Lee were the day-time entertainment committee.
Lee had a stroke in June, 1969. He had been dismissed from the hospital and Alberta was caring for him at home when he had another stroke and died September 22, 1969. Shortly after Lee's death, Mother moved in with Alberta. Alberta cared for her for several years at home. After surgery for cancer, Mother was in a nursing home and Alberta and Jeanette visited here every day for two years. During the time Alberta was caring for Mother, she went back to work on a part-time basis at Pacific Drilling Co. Alberta also became affiliated with P.E.O. during this period of her life. This organization has become a source of many friendships for her.
After Mother's death, Alberta moved to Phoenix. I was delighted to have her living only 3 blocks from us. But what was a wonderful time for me I fear was a lonely time for her.
When Jeanette retired, Alberta moved back to Long Beach and she and Jeanette bought a condominium where they made their home together. Alberta became the patio gardener. That was the first time, to my knowledge, that she had done any gardening. She also resumed her P.E.O. activities.
January, 1983, Joe retired. That same spring he had surgery for lung cancer. He died February 13, 1985. Several months prior to his death Alberta stayed with him and became his nurse/housekeeper. Alberta and Jeanette were just getting their lives back to normal when Jeanette became ill. Again Alberta was the nurse and cared for Jeanette until her death.
Ironically, I have always considered Alberta frail, but she has been the member of the family who has made the most adjustments in her life style and contributed the most to the care of the sick and dying. She has toughness that her gentle mannerisms deny.
******* Biography by Bettie Steinberg Garrison *** 1988 ************
ALBERTA
If Jeanette was the brain, Alberta was the beauty. She had naturally curly, dark brown hair and beautiful, velvety, brown eyes. Once she was second runner-up in the Miss Lebanon pageant, but I've forgotten which year. If the judges hadn't been prejudiced, she probably would have been selected Miss Lebanon. (Miss Lebanon had bowed legs!)
I have spent more of my life with Alberta than with any other member of my family, including my parents. Unlike Jeanette, she stayed home until after I left home, except for a short time when she went to business college in Springfield. She moved to California shortly after I did and we lived together from December 1939 until May 1945.
By the time I was old enough to remember Alberta, she was in high school. During that time she worked at Burley's Dry Goods Store during school vacations and at the local newspaper office collecting personal items for the weekly paper and doing office work. Her high school year book lists many activities including being class secretary and treasurer several years, debate team, Home Ec club, etc. She won a prize at the County Fair for canned tomatoes and some kind of a prize for an abstract black and gray plaque.
After high school she attended business college in Springfield and learned secretarial skills. Those were difficult times in the world, the United States, Lebanon, and our family. Since Alberta was the oldest child at home, she bore more of the brunt of our family hard times, such as Daddy being ill for a year, and being out of work for a good deal of the time. I remember her coming home from a job application saying that the firm offered her the job but that they didn't want to pay her money. She could work for the experience. She did get jobs that paid money. At one time she was secretary to a Mr. Spangler who was the County Prosecuting Attorney and also ran a chicken hatchery. She also worked for the County Extension Agency. That was a job we all enjoyed because she came home each day telling of the interesting farmers with whom she had business dealings. They usually called her "Alberta Peach?" which annoyed her, but she had a happy relationship with those farmers.
While Alberta dated off and on, I don't recall any serious boy friends. She did have a close group of women friends. Some of them were local Lebanon girls, and some were women who had come to Lebanon as young adults. All, but Alberta, were school teachers. They were learning to knit at the same time and formed a little group, calling themselves the Knit-Witts. As one by one they got married and/or left Lebanon, they kept in touch with a round-robin letter. That letter still circulates.
When Alberta visited Jeanette and me in California, she fell in love with the climate and the palm trees and said she wished she could stay. Jeanette promptly checked with the president of the Farmers and Merchants Bank, (also a member of the 1st Methodist Church), to see if there were any openings at the bank for secretaries. He had Alberta come in and she was hired. I feel certain she immediately regretted her decision. She had one of the worst cases of homesickness that I ever expect to see. She worked at Farmers and Merchants' new branch bank for 5 1/2 years and was one of their first women tellers. All the while it appeared to me that Alberta would rather have been in Lebanon. Then Lee came into her life. He made Long Beach considerably more worthwhile. They were married May 18, 1945.
Alberta was always the homebody. That was great because Lee did shift work and didn't want Alberta to work at the bank after they were married. Lee had a ranch when he and Alberta were married and for a short while thereafter. Although Alberta got a license to drive a car, she would never drive. She would ride a horse around the ranch.
Joe moved to California shortly after World War II and our parents moved out there in 1948. Daddy was ill when the folks moved to California, and although we didn't recognize it at the time, Joe was ill also. Although Joe, Daddy and Mother lived with Jeanette, Alberta (and Lee) assumed a good deal of the responsibility of seeing that Mother and Daddy got to their doctor appointments and that Joe was visited when he was in the hospital.
Alberta and Lee were married for twenty-four years. During that time they went through more operations than most of us even think about. They had lots of family visitors both from Arkansas, Lee's family, and from Kansas City and Phoenix, David's and my families. Many summers Cindy or Barbara would visit the Long Beach relatives. They spent their nights with Jeanette and Mother, but Alberta and Lee were the day-time entertainment committee.
Lee had a stroke in June, 1969. He had been dismissed from the hospital and Alberta was caring for him at home when he had another stroke and died September 22, 1969. Shortly after Lee's death, Mother moved in with Alberta. Alberta cared for her for several years at home. After surgery for cancer, Mother was in a nursing home and Alberta and Jeanette visited here every day for two years. During the time Alberta was caring for Mother, she went back to work on a part-time basis at Pacific Drilling Co. Alberta also became affiliated with P.E.O. during this period of her life. This organization has become a source of many friendships for her.
After Mother's death, Alberta moved to Phoenix. I was delighted to have her living only 3 blocks from us. But what was a wonderful time for me I fear was a lonely time for her.
When Jeanette retired, Alberta moved back to Long Beach and she and Jeanette bought a condominium where they made their home together. Alberta became the patio gardener. That was the first time, to my knowledge, that she had done any gardening. She also resumed her P.E.O. activities.
January, 1983, Joe retired. That same spring he had surgery for lung cancer. He died February 13, 1985. Several months prior to his death Alberta stayed with him and became his nurse/housekeeper. Alberta and Jeanette were just getting their lives back to normal when Jeanette became ill. Again Alberta was the nurse and cared for Jeanette until her death.
Ironically, I have always considered Alberta frail, but she has been the member of the family who has made the most adjustments in her life style and contributed the most to the care of the sick and dying. She has toughness that her gentle mannerisms deny.
ALBERTA
If Jeanette was the brain, Alberta was the beauty. She had naturally curly, dark brown hair and beautiful, velvety, brown eyes. Once she was second runner-up in the Miss Lebanon pageant, but I've forgotten which year. If the judges hadn't been prejudiced, she probably would have been selected Miss Lebanon. (Miss Lebanon had bowed legs!)
I have spent more of my life with Alberta than with any other member of my family, including my parents. Unlike Jeanette, she stayed home until after I left home, except for a short time when she went to business college in Springfield. She moved to California shortly after I did and we lived together from December 1939 until May 1945.
By the time I was old enough to remember Alberta, she was in high school. During that time she worked at Burley's Dry Goods Store during school vacations and at the local newspaper office collecting personal items for the weekly paper and doing office work. Her high school year book lists many activities including being class secretary and treasurer several years, debate team, Home Ec club, etc. She won a prize at the County Fair for canned tomatoes and some kind of a prize for an abstract black and gray plaque.
After high school she attended business college in Springfield and learned secretarial skills. Those were difficult times in the world, the United States, Lebanon, and our family. Since Alberta was the oldest child at home, she bore more of the brunt of our family hard times, such as Daddy being ill for a year, and being out of work for a good deal of the time. I remember her coming home from a job application saying that the firm offered her the job but that they didn't want to pay her money. She could work for the experience. She did get jobs that paid money. At one time she was secretary to a Mr. Spangler who was the County Prosecuting Attorney and also ran a chicken hatchery. She also worked for the County Extension Agency. That was a job we all enjoyed because she came home each day telling of the interesting farmers with whom she had business dealings. They usually called her "Alberta Peach?" which annoyed her, but she had a happy relationship with those farmers.
While Alberta dated off and on, I don't recall any serious boy friends. She did have a close group of women friends. Some of them were local Lebanon girls, and some were women who had come to Lebanon as young adults. All, but Alberta, were school teachers. They were learning to knit at the same time and formed a little group, calling themselves the Knit-Witts. As one by one they got married and/or left Lebanon, they kept in touch with a round-robin letter. That letter still circulates.
When Alberta visited Jeanette and me in California, she fell in love with the climate and the palm trees and said she wished she could stay. Jeanette promptly checked with the president of the Farmers and Merchants Bank, (also a member of the 1st Methodist Church), to see if there were any openings at the bank for secretaries. He had Alberta come in and she was hired. I feel certain she immediately regretted her decision. She had one of the worst cases of homesickness that I ever expect to see. She worked at Farmers and Merchants' new branch bank for 5 1/2 years and was one of their first women tellers. All the while it appeared to me that Alberta would rather have been in Lebanon. Then Lee came into her life. He made Long Beach considerably more worthwhile. They were married May 18, 1945.
Alberta was always the homebody. That was great because Lee did shift work and didn't want Alberta to work at the bank after they were married. Lee had a ranch when he and Alberta were married and for a short while thereafter. Although Alberta got a license to drive a car, she would never drive. She would ride a horse around the ranch.
Joe moved to California shortly after World War II and our parents moved out there in 1948. Daddy was ill when the folks moved to California, and although we didn't recognize it at the time, Joe was ill also. Although Joe, Daddy and Mother lived with Jeanette, Alberta (and Lee) assumed a good deal of the responsibility of seeing that Mother and Daddy got to their doctor appointments and that Joe was visited when he was in the hospital.
Alberta and Lee were married for twenty-four years. During that time they went through more operations than most of us even think about. They had lots of family visitors both from Arkansas, Lee's family, and from Kansas City and Phoenix, David's and my families. Many summers Cindy or Barbara would visit the Long Beach relatives. They spent their nights with Jeanette and Mother, but Alberta and Lee were the day-time entertainment committee.
Lee had a stroke in June, 1969. He had been dismissed from the hospital and Alberta was caring for him at home when he had another stroke and died September 22, 1969. Shortly after Lee's death, Mother moved in with Alberta. Alberta cared for her for several years at home. After surgery for cancer, Mother was in a nursing home and Alberta and Jeanette visited here every day for two years. During the time Alberta was caring for Mother, she went back to work on a part-time basis at Pacific Drilling Co. Alberta also became affiliated with P.E.O. during this period of her life. This organization has become a source of many friendships for her.
After Mother's death, Alberta moved to Phoenix. I was delighted to have her living only 3 blocks from us. But what was a wonderful time for me I fear was a lonely time for her.
When Jeanette retired, Alberta moved back to Long Beach and she and Jeanette bought a condominium where they made their home together. Alberta became the patio gardener. That was the first time, to my knowledge, that she had done any gardening. She also resumed her P.E.O. activities.
January, 1983, Joe retired. That same spring he had surgery for lung cancer. He died February 13, 1985. Several months prior to his death Alberta stayed with him and became his nurse/housekeeper. Alberta and Jeanette were just getting their lives back to normal when Jeanette became ill. Again Alberta was the nurse and cared for Jeanette until her death.
Ironically, I have always considered Alberta frail, but she has been the member of the family who has made the most adjustments in her life style and contributed the most to the care of the sick and dying. She has toughness that her gentle mannerisms deny.
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