March 25th, 1950
Chuck and Ila Ulrich
This is the story of my Dad and Mom’s first days togther. My Mom gave me this short story of how their lives together began…
In 1950, Chuck & I were married in my folks home on 139th street (near Compton.) Ralph (His friend and LaVonne (my friend) along with Aunt June & Uncle Jim and (Buz was chosen as Chuck’s best man). Mom and Dad and Mr. & Mrs. Ulrich were present. The Pastor was a man chosen from a nearby church-Chuck and I didn’t know him. We had rented a studio apartment a few blocks away.
The Early Days
The black Buick convertible of Chuck’s was our main transportation. I had a little Model A Ford (with a rumble seat). At some point I had bought a car from the car lot that my Uncle Marvin (Mark Veal’s granddad) had turned in on a new car. I had quit my job in Los Angeles at Hargartys Department Store in anticipation of the marriage. Chuck was busy with odd jobs.
In a couple of weeks, your Grandfather (Ray) Pantier accepted a position from Boespflug & Birch of Seattle, Washington to Supervise the building of 18- 13 story buildings on Elmendorf Air force Base in Anchorage, Alaska. He offered Chuck a position as a carpenter with flights paid for. Living quarters for Chuck & I were arranged on the Base in a building for married couples. My Mom and brother, Buzz came up, Buzz (who worked as a laborer at 16 years old) would go and stay in the house the company provided. In later years when just Chuck & I traveled, we stayed in separate quarters for men or women, we had no influence on those years with Dad except when he later was the Resident Engineer of St. Lawrence Island. He having the highest civilian degree offered –A G-13 I think. I worked in the field office as a stenographer with two men who had payroll/etc jobs.
Chuck & Buzz had several jobs, one of which they took the company truck loaded with coffee tanks to the workers on the railroad way back in brush country while they unloaded equipment all night. One time I went with them, it was near midnight on that trip and I could hardly see as the roads. They were made as needed, and that was rough cut, sometimes by hand, with shovels & knives. Suddenly, there were lights everywhere & soldiers with rifles stopping us, scaring the life out of us. We hadn’t been warned by Dad or anybody what was going on anywhere. Of course, Chuck hit the brakes and looked right into the eyes of many men!!! “SIT STILL! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?”, Chuck pulled the order sheet out and gave it to the Soldier. He looked at it and as suddenly as it started All the lights went out & NO ONE could be seen. Only our truck lights on the dirt road. We continued on to the trains & delivered the coffee. All the Army men were on patrol and protection. We never mentioned the happening to Dad nor were we ever questioned about our trip!! That’s as close to war as any of us wanted to ever be in!
I am glad you are recording some of these great memories. I know these notes will tell a great history. When Alaska was a territory in the 50s the bears must’ve been big…