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The Sweet Story of Them




If you knew my Dad, you’d never describe him as a gambler.  He would play Poker, Pit & Rummoli when we celebrated holidays with friends.  Oh, and we did go to Longacres to take a chance on the ponies one time, but for the most part, wagering was not Dad’s thing.  With that being said, you might be intrigued to learn that he actually bet his entire life on some baseball games!  
The 1959 World Series!

Dad starting college

Talk about serendipity! 
Mom’s older brother, Ed, and Dad both hit Inglewood, California that same weekend.  By chance, they both chose the same boarding house for college back in February of 1957 and a few days later decided to get their own two-bedroom place on La Tijera Blvd with a couple of other fellas.  Three of the guys were enrolled in the mechanics side of the school, and Dad was the group’s engineer.  They all shared rides to campus and learned about life going to school and living together as housemates for two non-stop years.

Mom and her lifelong friend, Janice
Mom had just finished some technical school training in Omaha with her longtime friend Janice.  A recruiter had gone to their high school and talked about careers in the airlines.  They looked at one another and talked about how fun it sounded!  When they graduated from high school they went together to the tech school a couple of states away.  At graduation, Mom got assigned to go to work for American Airlines at Midway Airport (in Chicago).  Janice was offered a position at United in Denver.  Without her lifelong friend, Mom was somewhat hesitant about going to Chicago by herself.  Her mother, my Grandma Josie, said to her, “You do what you want” when they talked about it.   “What the heck” Mom decided and away she went!


Sonja, Dad, Mom
Working at American, in the bitter cold of winter in Chicago, Mom and her roommate Sonja decided to take a trip to sunny California to visit Mom's big brother, Ed.  When Ed learned of his baby sister’s upcoming visit, he secured a nice date for her with his buddy from the Army.  Being a few years older than her, he asked Dad to chaperone his little sis.  The weekend of her visit, Mom, Dad, and their dates all went to The Palladium in Hollywood to see Ray Anthony and his Orchestra.  The place was packed (!) and as it turned out, Mom’s date didn’t dance.  Coincidentally, Dad’s date wasn’t able to dance that night either, so the two of them whirled and twirled into the crowd together (time and again) and wouldn’t return until several dances later!  It was a fun night, but alas, wasn’t love at first sight.  Mom went back to Chicago and Dad stayed in LA to complete his education. 

Dad studying in California

In January of 1959, Mom thought that since her brother was there, she would move to LA to be closer to him.  She was able to find a place near him and his group of friends, which, of course, included Dad.  Ed packed up later that same year to finish his education in Kansas City and was gone by August.  As he was heading out, Dad said to him, “See you in Iowa”.  Hmmm?  Ed liked Dad and all, but not enough to invite him to come and visit in Iowa!?  In hindsight, he realized Dad had already made up his mind about Mom.

The rest of summer and the beginning of fall were busy!  Mom worked, and Dad was a starving student.  He must have charmed her into rubbing their pennies together?  They would go for drives around town, have “Dutch treat” dates, and listen to the LA Dodgers on the radio.  When the team made it into the World Series, Dad said to Mom, 
“If the Dodgers win the Series, we’ll get married” to which Mom said, “Okay”.

Dad took Mom home to meet his Mum and Dad
If you are not up on baseball stats or don’t hear enough happily ever after stories then I've got one for you!  
The Dodgers Won the 1959 World Series that October AND
Mom and Dad got married on December 19th that same year. :-)
“My life began the day I married your mother,” Dad told me a few years ago.
And if the Dodgers had not won?  “We still would have gotten married” Dad says with a smiling grin.
Me with my folks in Puerta Vallarta in 2016



Happiest of Anniversaries to you, my sweet, lovely parents.
Happy 59th Anniversary to you.





































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