Gretel's Family Website
Stories
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These pages will be a scattered compilation of recollections from my life which will be entered as I find both the time and the memory to write. It may always be a work in progress ...
1934 - I was born in Jacksonville, Florida, January 25th at Riverside Hospital. Our home address was 4350 Hiawatha Avenue in Ortega. Hiawatha is between Algonquin and Apache. We lived there until I was 3 years old. I had a toy white fluffy dog. I remember my mother carrying me onto the DC-3 when we flew away from Florida. Dad was in the airline business. We flew quite often. Dad was based in New York or Chicago for the next 15 years.
1937 - My sister, Marion, was born in Montclair. We were staying with the Aldrins at the time. I remember scooting my crib over to a dresser, finding scissors and giving myself a rather bad haircut. I don't think that had anything to do with sibling rivalry, but who knows?
1940 -1941 - At age 7, I learned to ride a bike on the dirt road in front of our house on the golf course in Lincolnshire, IL. I was picked up and bussed to school. I remember the wonderful aromas which came from my lunch box containing a thermos of milk, usually an egg salad sandwich and a piece of fruit. I don’t remember much about the school, but getting there was pretty neat. I recall singing some kind of song about Hitler being in the garbage can. We were about to go to war. Summers were wonderful. We walked across the grass to the country club pool and swam. Mom would watch us. I often had to watch Marion. Winters were pretty good too. Our Dad built us an igloo in the back yard by cutting blocks of hard-packed snow. We had a happy childhood. We also got a baby brother that year. In the hospital, the nurses began calling him Skippy and it stuck.
1943 - We had moved to Upper Montclair, NJ, and lived in a two-story house at 186 Fernwood Avenue just one house from the corner. Across that corner stood a Presbyterian Church which we attended when we attended. One night, when Mama Moon was baby sitting, I snuck out of the house and went to play with friends on the church grounds. She never did let me forget that. I had tried to waken Marion to go too, but she was too sleepy. There were recessed pits at the basement windows and during the summer rains, frogs would hatch in there and I would collect them. They were all eventually released, though some accidentally got loose in our basement. Across the street was an “old ladies’ home.” On May Day, Marion and I would fill baskets with flowers and take them over and leave them on the porch. Next door to us, between our house and the church, lived our Sunday School teacher, Miss Stewart. She lived with her cousin (I think), Mr. Pierce. Sounds of her classical music would drift up to my room on warm days and evenings and totally interfere with my own choices of music or radio (probably Inner Sanctum or The Shadow). When Miss Stewart was able to “catch” us, she told bible stories with little pieces of felt on a black felt background. We listened intently. The house on the other side of us was occupied by Mr. McLean, the high school principal. I became interested in making shell jewelry. Dad made me an elaborate box with compartments for all my shells which I ordered from Sarasota, FL. The favorite was a poinsettia made from garfish scales. I sold many brooch and earring sets before the holidays. One winter, Dad flooded the back yard and created our own skating rink. I actually skated on it. Several friends came over and enjoyed it too. When fresh snow fell, I would gather a bowl full and we would make ice cream by adding sugar, vanilla and cream. When the milkman delivered the glass bottles, the cream was at the top and I almost always got a bit of it before the bottle was shaken. Mom planted a “victory garden” in the back yard and we all pitched in and helped.
We had a maid named Angela for a short time. She had been given a clean bill of health by the mental institution and did fine until she said something one night which didn’t sound right to me and I said, “You’re crazy.” After that, the folks felt that for our safety, they would have to let her go. We hired Willie May after that and she was with us long enough to become “family.”
There was a vacant lot covering two city blocks which had originally been occupied by a mansion but had gone to ruin. We called it Shangri-La and we played there often. Flowers and vines covered the old stone and foundation and in the Spring, I could usually find a nice bouquet of lilies of the valley or violets to bring home. There was a very tall pine tree I liked to climb. From the top, you could see the Empire State Building and most of NYC.
Cousin Buzz had raised white mice for most of his junior high school years, but football took up most of his time in high school, so I inherited the mice ... about a hundred of them in a very elaborate and patriotic set of cages Buzz had built. The blue box had two stories and the red box had 3. They were connected by a small white box which served mainly to connect the main buildings. I enjoyed my little pets for many years. I was allowed to bring one into the house at a time and none ever got away from me. I had my first lesson in tribal law when I caught a field mouse and introduced him into the cage with the white mice. When I came back to see how well he was integrating into their society, I found not much more of him than a skeleton.
Nearly every summer, we spent some time vacationing at a lake. We rented cottages at Eagle Lake and others. Sometimes we visited relatives at Culver Lake, another lake or at the shore (Manasquan). One of the best aspects of this endeavor was getting in the car on the weekend and driving around to scout out rental properties. We would visit beautiful places and look at beautiful scenery, then sing all the old songs coming back and cry all the way through “Babes in the Woods.” Another favorite was “The Wreck of the Old 97.”
In 1943, I knew every make of car just by looking at the front grille.
1944 - I was 10 and my Dad decided to take me to Detroit to pick up a new family car. I was so excited. We took the 20th Century Limited out of Grand Central Station. What a luxurious train it was. The dining car was marvelous. I remember only that I ate all my spinach even though I wasn’t even hungry ... a way of thanking Dad for bringing me along. We slept on the train and pulled into Buffalo the next day. From there, we took a ferry the length of Lake Erie and arrived in Detroit I don’t know how much later. I recall our new car was a convertible, Ford, I think, and sort of a chartreuse green. I think we still had that car for several years after we moved to Florida. On the ride home from Detroit, Dad stopped to pick up a couple of soldiers either on leave or returning from the war.
1947 - My friend Suzanne’s parents hosted a party for her friends in 9th grade. We went to NYC to the Astor Roof of the Waldorf Astoria and we all wore formal clothing. It was quite memorable. There is a photograph of all of us in my album. We were in our last year at Mt. Hebron Junior High in Upper Montclair and we felt quite adult.
My boyfriend Barry taught me how to drive in his Model A Ford with the stick shift on the floor ... mostly in his yard.
1948 - for about ten years, we spent summers at our Racoon Island home on Lake Hopatcong, N.J. Dad bought a Chris Craft utility and Marion and I became pretty good on water skis. When we learned to ski backwards, we became known as the "Stern-First" sisters (our last name being Sternberg). On Friday nights, our families would get together and have musical sing-alongs with piano, ukelele, washboard, and more. We also played a lot of poker and bridge. In the early years, my boyfriend, Bud, and I would spend our Saturday nights at the amuzement park at the other end of the lake riding the roller coaster and competing for stuffed animals in the concession stands. We did our grocery shopping by boat. There was a ferry running to the island, but we didn't take the car off very often ... airport runs, shopping and an occasional trip to the ER. Skip would set up balloons and practice his "quick-draw" and on two occasions, shot himself in the back of the leg. He did get to be pretty good ... eventually. I got hooked by a fishing plug while Buzz was setting up to do some casting off the dock. (The Aldrins visited us at the lake and we visited them at the shore ... Manasquan.) The Moons, my Uncle Bob, Aunt Audrey and son Richard, bought the house next door and were our neighbors for several years. Some of my happiest memories were made during those summers.
1949 - Two months into my junior year at Montclair High School, our family moved to Florida. We lived on Miami Beach in the Monte Carlo Hotel next to the McFadden Deauville for two weeks while Dad hunted for a home. I took diving lessons at the Deauville from a fellow named Dave on whom I developed a crush. We moved into our new home at 1414 Algardi Avenue in Coral Gables and I began school at Ponce de Leon High. My first boyfriend there was Dorie who went on to become an airline pilot. The love of my life was Frank, but he loved another. I went steady with Jack until graduation. I joined the Omega Club. My grades improved drastically as the Florida standards were lower than those of New Jersey. Most colleges would accept me now.
1950 - As the Youth Center delegate for "Miss Merry Christmas," I won the title beating out Sue who had been voted “most popular.” I rode in the Orange Bowl Parade. I remember being very cold that New Year's Eve on the float in my strapless dress.
1951 - Ours was the first graduating class of Coral Gables High School. I had been accepted at Stephens College and Duke University. I wanted to learn to fly and Dad supported that. Mom and I shopped for warm clothing since I had given away most of my woolies when we moved to Florida. Dad’s friend and former airline associate, Ken Newland, welcomed me when I got off the bus at Stephens after flying into St. Louis or Kansas City (I don’t remember which). Ken was my advisor for the duration of my stay. An all girl’s junior college at the time, Stephens offered one of the best academic programs in the country. (In 1978, ALL my credits at Stephens were accepted by the Univ. of Miami when I applied to progress toward my AB degree.) My roommate was May, a tall redhead who loved to play practical jokes. My bedding was powdered and short-sheeted on several occasions. I tolerated her, though I believe we did get into at least one hair-pulling contest when she threw all my clothes out of my closet. We had two suite-mates and the four of us shared a bathroom. I took courses which were prerequisite to taking actual flying lessons, i.e., meteorology, navigation, and it was over Spring Break that I took home all the permission slips I would need to have signed and returned in order to begin flying. This one big thing in common with the man I met on that flight perked his interest, I think.
1952 - Ben and I met on an airliner when I was returning home for Spring break my first year at Stephens College. I was sprawled out over both seats, but had to get up when it became evident all the seats had been sold. Ben in his blue uniform with his auburn hair and rugged good looks had no where to sit but next to me. We began talking, had coffee together in Dallas, exchanged addresses and phone numbers, and he continued on to another city while I flew home to Coral Gables. When I got home, I told my folks I had met the man I might marry one day.
One of the interesting events of my flying career came shortly after I soloed. As I landed my Cessna 120, a Delta DC3 pulled onto the landing strip. Without giving a second thought, I gave her some gas and literally jumped over the big silver plane and landed on the other side. Later, after everyone ... parents, instructor, the tower ... told me how foolish I had been for not going around, I was surprised I ever got a license.
1953 - April 3, Ben and I married at the home of Sir Stafford and Lady Teddy Sands at Nassau in the Bahamas. I had called Mom and Dad from school and told them we wanted to meet in Dallas and elope. They wouldn’t hear of it and Dad began making plans with his old friend, Sir Stafford. The whole family flew to the Bahamas and we stayed at the Pilot House before the wedding. I remember being served a glass of champagne while soaking in a hot bath before the wedding. Marion was my maid of honor and Skip was my ring bearer. We honeymooned at a lovely resort on the ocean and drove around the island in a little red Singer convertible. In the evenings, we played bridge with a couple we met on the beach.
My room mate that second year at Stephens was Michele (pronounced Mike Lee) Agostini. She and I got along really well and I kept in touch with her for many years. My parents and Ben attended graduation.
Sometime during the summer of the year we were married, Ben and I drove the same green convertible Dad and I had brought back from Detroit from the Lake to Coral Gables. Either that, or we had taken Skip up to camp. I’m not sure which. We stopped to visit St. Augustine, the fort, we drove on the beach at Daytona, and we had a great time. Ben tossed a wrapper out of the car and I got onto him for that. Then he took the whole Sunday paper and tossed it up in the air. It seemed rather funny at the time, but wouldn’t cut it today.
1954 - March 4, our beautiful Madeline Nina (Maddy) was born. She weighed 9lbs. and she was at least a week late. Since Dover AFB hadn’t opened their maternity wing, we had to go to Bainbridge Naval Hospital. They gave me a “saddle block” but it didn’t work, so, after telling them it was alright to allow a class of students to watch the birth from a huge observation window at the foot of my bed, they gave me a shot of gas. I don’t remember losing consciousness, but that’s often the case. Maddy was alert and independent right from the start. She needed no help supporting that little head on her shoulders and she looked around at everything, taking it all in. We took her home to our upstairs apartment on Bayard Avenue in Dover, Delaware. The owners downstairs became her maiden aunts immediately, two ladies living with their mother ... Mrs. McCloskey, Alice and Pauline.
1955 - December 30, Philip Douglas was born at the Dover AFB hospital weighing 10 lbs., 1 ½ oz. Ben said he was a ten pound baby and an ounce and a half of “boy.” When Phil was just two weeks old, we traveled to Florida to await transfer overseas. My folks had bought a home at 230 Edgewater Drive (on the Coral Gables Waterway), and Maddy became very adept at escaping our quarters in the cabana during nap time, skirting the pool and running toward the 30 foot drop of sheer coral rock to the canal. As beautiful and potentially enjoyable as our surroundings were, it was a relief to me when we left there for higher and safer ground.
Ben sent for us in March or April and we spent the next two years living in Morocco, first Casablanca and then on the base at Nouasseur. Whenever we moved to a new base, Ben would set up a duplicate bridge group at the Officer's Club. We played a lot of bridge wherever we went.
1956 - 1958 - Morocco
When Maddy, Phillip and I arrived in Casablanca on the third week of April, our furniture and belongings had been arranged and put away, thanks in great part to Ann Green, the wife of a fellow officer, E.L. Green. She became a dear friend. We lived in town for 6 months before base housing became available. Ann taught me a great deal about nutrition and we read Adele Davis and ordered wheat germ, brewer’s yeast and other vitamin enriched wonders from the States. We all had our children drinking tiger juice and growling. When we first arrived, during one of the wives’ indoctrinations, we were told that if we thought there might be an intruder, we should pretend to be asleep because one person would be robbing while another stood over you with a knife. The French and Arabs were still shooting at each other down in the medina and Ben spent at least half his nights on the base. We had a high wall and Mohammad and Fatima lived downstairs along with a German Shepherd which never became a pet. They made cous cous and mint tea for me and tried to teach me a few Arabic words.
We had been living on the base in our duplex for several months when I became pregnant again. Everyone said it was the water. Our little Elizabeth Ross lived only 12 hours. They told me much later that someone on night duty at the hospital failed to suction mucus. I heard a rumor that the hospital commander was shipped out over the incident. We buried Elizabeth in Morocco.
An interesting, but rather frightening incident … when Ben and I were selling household goods in preparation for moving onto the base, an Arab Sheik and his translator came to look at an appliance. He asked Ben if he would consider selling me. We figured he probably already had several wives. I suppose I should have been flattered, but instead it reaffirmed my strong belief in human rights. It sent chills I have never forgotten.
Travels inside Morocco - With friends and family (including my mother and sister), we took two cars and spent an unknown number of days touring the country. We first drove south to Agadir where we ordered a large green Moroccan wool rug for our home. From there, we traveled to Marrakech, Meknes, Fes and Ifrane, an unlikely Alpine village high in the Atlas Mountains. The drive through the mountains was breathtaking and frightening. A single lane road, if vehicle met vehicle on the side of a mountain, one would have to back up to where the road was wide enough for the two to pass each other. At one stop for water, a spring poured forth the most cool, clear and delicious water we had ever tasted. On our return, one of the vehicles ran out of gas and the other proceeded on to locate gas at the base 5 miles up the road. Ben had been putting the car in neutral coasting downhill and we nearly made it that way. While those of us left behind waited, we heard the Berbers shepherding up in the hills signaling to one another by horn that there was a crippled vehicle on the road. They seemed to get closer and closer before our rescuers returned with a can of gasoline. We had packed our own food and water, but we had not brought sufficient fuel for the journey. I remember the beautiful olive groves in Marrakech, the goats who climbed those olive trees, and the unforgetable odors rising from the medina of each city. Marion recalls that we ate in a restaurant at a southernmost part of our journey and that the restaurant was toppled by an earthquake soon after we were there.
Our small European vacation before returning to the States …
In May of 1958, we left Nouasseur at in the MATS C-54 ... Flew over Gibraltar, Spain and the Mediterranean, Majorca Island, Cagliari (Sardinia) on to Wheelus Field, Tripoli, Lybia. We were met at the plane and driven to the BOQ where we spent the night.
The jets woke us early. We walked over to the officer’s club for breakfast. Ben ran into several old pals including one who gave us the use of his car. We went to the PX and ran into another friend and his wife. He drove us into Tripoli with some other officers and friends and we bought shoes and a brass tray. We were invited to dinner at his place on the beach. His wife cooked us a wonderful meal. Maddy ate with their children in their room.
The next day, we took off at mid-day. Maddy slept while two officers took on Ben and me for bridge. Flew over Palermo, Sicily, and landed in Rome. We all took cabs into town to the Albergo Impero and checked in. Ben and I went window shopping and met others for dinner at Alezzio’s. Came back to the hotel room and put Maddy to bed and played dice. Then, when a friend baby sat for us, the rest of us went night clubbing. The first place was Biblioteca Valle, a wine cellar with an atmosphere (musty). We shared a bottle of wine and went on to another club where the prices were high but included a floor show. Then to Jerry’s American Bar where we listened to some talented singers and good music. The cab rides back were most perilous and once we took a horse-drawn hascom.
The next day, Maddy and I got up at 9 and had breakfast. Ben joined us and we took a cab to St. Peters Cathedral. What a sight! We walked all the way to the top. Came back to the hotel for lunch and then took the 2:30 tour. Visited St. Mary’s basilica and left the tour at the Appian Way. Took a cab to the Coliseum and then a hascom ride for Maddy to the shopping square. Then a cab back to the hotel. We all fell asleep in the room and were awakened when Al, another friend, knocked at the door. He was in on a flight and learned we were in the hotel. Later, a group of us got together and went to eat at the Biblioteca Valle. The food was wonderful and we had our pictures taken. On our way home we took hascoms and stopped by the Trevy Fountain. (We passed the Pantheon on the way to the fountain.) Maddy and I threw coins in and made our wishes. Back to the hotel and to bed.
The next morning, we left for Rhein-Main AFB, Frankfurt. Maddy and I had fresh milk at the snack bar ... the first in two years. We ran into other friends who drove us into Weisbaden. They left us at the Von Steuben Hotel and returned to Frankfurt. The hotel is a glorified BOQ, beautiful and modern. Very green landscape. Had dinner at the hotel, Von Steuben’s specialty porterhouse steak, and listened to a 4-piece German band. So nice to be somewhere Maddy can eat everything and drink good milk.
Next day, we window shopped in the rain after breakfast. We rented a Volkswagen from a fellow named Truckenbrod. Dried off and called the lobby for a baby sitter ... Frau Lois. Ben and I shopped at the PX. I bought black walking loafers, another copy of “Let’s Eat Right to Keep Fit,” and a white orlon sweater. We ordered supper for Maddy in the room, then we went to the bar for a few drinks and on to dinner at the Shulteis Restaurant.
We checked out of the Von Steuben after breakfast, drove to the dispensary for meds for amoebic dysentery, then drove all day thru Stuttgart, off the autobahn, on to Garmisch by way of Oberammergau. Checked into the General Patton Hotel, another glorified BOQ. Beautiful scenery in this area. We’re in a valley surrounded by mountains. Ben was still not feeling well. I hoped the terramycin would work its magic.
The following day, we went to the PX where Ben bought 4 sport shirts and I bought 2 sweaters. Took the electric train up to the top of Zugspitze. What a sight! Skiers and lots of snow, but warm enough for just a sweater. I wrote cards in the hotel while Ben took the cable car to the summit. Too high for me. The train went through a tunnel in the mountain, about 14,462 feet long. In Garmisch it was almost uncomfortably warm which really amazed us. We caught the return train back to town and went shopping. Ben bought me two complete outfits ... both wool ... one black for evening and the other light blue with a white blouse. Both have matching stoles. (In 2005, I still had both outfits, but had never worn either one). Came back to the hotel, ordered dinner for Maddy, and went out when the sitter, Jenny, arrived. Steakhouse, then Casa Carioca for a very elaborate ice show.
The next day, we left for Innsbruck, Austria, where border guards only glanced at our passports. To the Schloss Ambras, the castle that Frederick II who ruled Austria in the 16th century presented to his wife. Back by 6. Maddy ate with us and we took her up to the nursery and returned for the show. Eight Tirolean dancers and accompanists, one who played the zither. I got chosen from the audience to dance, but Ben refused. Listened to the Walter Hause sextet for awhile.
Next day, Ben bought a new hat and went to the post office. We drove to the Linderhof Castle, one of Ludwig’s elaborate abodes. Everything is gold plated, crystal chandeliers, Meissen everywhere and one made of pure ivory. One table top is a solid semi-precious stone. We walked up to Ludwig’s tea house and then to the grotto. It was quite a long walk in the rain. Even the fountains were gold plated. We drove back through Oberammergau and had lunch there, then back to the Patton. Maddy asked to go to the nursery to play with the other children. We picked her up in time for dinner at Bauer’s Restaurant. Maddy went back to the nursery and Ben and I went for drinks and to a local casino. I lost about $11 at roulette.
We slept late the next morning and stayed in because of bad weather. A couple we had met played bridge with us in the bar after a sandwich. Maddy and I had shampoo appointments later. We had dinner with another couple and went dancing.
We left Garmish the next day and went to Chiemsee, another American hotel, a resort on a very large lake. Lunch, lounge, naps, miniature golf. The band played “Oh, Mine Papa” for Maddy.
We left the following day after breakfast, coffee in Munich in a modern department store, flat tire out of Munich, lunch at Fernsehturm, Stuttgart, a high TV tower with a restaurant on top. To the Mercedes-Benz dealer. We bought a 220S and had it shipped to US. From there to Frankfurt stopping for supper at Mannheim on the autobahn about 80km south of Rhine-Mein. Maddy and I slept in the bunks. We had about the best accommodations yet in the plush passenger hotel in Rhine-Mein.
Next day, we drove to Weisbaden after stopping at the PX to buy a pair of black shoes for Maddy, then checked into the hotel. Ben learned our C-47 needed an engine change and wouldn’t be ready til Saturday. Ben found we could get on a C-54 flying VIPs back to Nouasseur early in the am. We all went to the International Fencing Match. Maddy and I weren’t interested, so we left early. Ben turned in the VW and picked up our brass tray with the hand made wrought iron base. We had dinner with a couple from Ben Guerrir and a friend from Nouasseur.
Our last day, we had an early breakfast at Lindsey AFB, Weisbaden, took off for home. Ben flew part of the way and we landed at Nouasseur early afternoon. Our first stop was the nursery to pick up Philip. Charlotte had taken really good care of him. We spent about $580 on the trip but every penny was well worth it. What a wonderful experience!
Back in the US - Maddy was an adorable flower girl in Marion’s wedding in New Jersey.
We lived on Elgin Court in Greenville, SC, and Ben was stationed a few yards away at Donaldson AFB. Maddy and Phil walked through the woods behind our house to get to school which was quite close. Ben was away a lot.
1960 - Linda was born in June. This was Mother’s worst year and a year of changes for me. Ben was killed on September 19 in a crash of his World Airways flight back from Guam. Dad asked Mom for a divorce. Skip and Pat separated. She had recently lost her own mother. Mom came to live with us in Greenville. She stayed with us until she rented a pretty house on a tree-lined ravine about a mile away. We almost lost her when she suffered an allergic reaction to penicillin or horse serum. That was before she moved. She had an alert doctor whose hands were shaking as he gave her a life-saving injection. I'll never forget the look on Maddy's face as the ambulance took her Nonny away for a few days. Later, it was determined she'd had a nervous breakdown, but she fully recovered.
I passed the SEC exam in Atlanta and went to work for Barron and Company, a small business investment company. I left after a year, doubtful they had their customers’ best interest in mind. The best I did for my customers was to sell them Texize stock. The SBIC stock tanked.
1963 - We all left Greenville and moved to South Miami, rented a house on 88th Court. Mom looked after the kids while I worked. With Dad’s help and intervention, I began working for NAL in the Special Reps section behind the ticket counter at MIA. Ann Stanley was my boss and one of NAL’s vice presidents. She was French and lived in a home in Miami Springs which she and her husband had built themselves. Though I admired and respected Ann, I never got close to her. When word came in from Dallas, before it was announced to the nation, that Pres. Kennedy had been shot, I found Ann in the coffee shop nearby and told her. The Beatles came to America for the first time that year. I wondered at the time what was the big deal. Some of the people I met coming through the VIP room were Richard Nixon, Hubert Humphrey, Ted Kennedy, Dick Van Dyke, Bud Maytag (new owner of NAL whose step-children called him “PayTag”).
1964 - I had met Jerry at a PTA meeting in South Miami. He was a widower with two sons. We married after I converted to Catholicism, and settled into our house at 150 Apache Street in Miami Springs. I left NAL during a change in administration. The timing was perfect.
1965 - Eric was born Feb. 25, 1965. He looked a lot like Jerry, a man with two adopted sons who never believed he could father a child, but who then decided he’d like to try for another. We did.
1966 - Walter was born May 24, 1966. He took after my side of the family. When he was around two, people remarked at how much he resembled Buzz at that age.
With seven children now, not much journal writing was done during those years, but I did keep trip logs and we made some great family excursions. We bought a boat and a pop-up camper. In April of 1968, we took a trip to Jonathan Dickinson State Park. That was just a test run. The real trip was made with our new Olds station wagon towing the camper. The nine of us traveled across the country and returned, stopping to visit with family and friends along the way.
See Stories, Page 2
(There really is a limit to the length you can make a page. This is it.)
1937 - My sister, Marion, was born in Montclair. We were staying with the Aldrins at the time. I remember scooting my crib over to a dresser, finding scissors and giving myself a rather bad haircut. I don't think that had anything to do with sibling rivalry, but who knows?
1940 -1941 - At age 7, I learned to ride a bike on the dirt road in front of our house on the golf course in Lincolnshire, IL. I was picked up and bussed to school. I remember the wonderful aromas which came from my lunch box containing a thermos of milk, usually an egg salad sandwich and a piece of fruit. I don’t remember much about the school, but getting there was pretty neat. I recall singing some kind of song about Hitler being in the garbage can. We were about to go to war. Summers were wonderful. We walked across the grass to the country club pool and swam. Mom would watch us. I often had to watch Marion. Winters were pretty good too. Our Dad built us an igloo in the back yard by cutting blocks of hard-packed snow. We had a happy childhood. We also got a baby brother that year. In the hospital, the nurses began calling him Skippy and it stuck.
1943 - We had moved to Upper Montclair, NJ, and lived in a two-story house at 186 Fernwood Avenue just one house from the corner. Across that corner stood a Presbyterian Church which we attended when we attended. One night, when Mama Moon was baby sitting, I snuck out of the house and went to play with friends on the church grounds. She never did let me forget that. I had tried to waken Marion to go too, but she was too sleepy. There were recessed pits at the basement windows and during the summer rains, frogs would hatch in there and I would collect them. They were all eventually released, though some accidentally got loose in our basement. Across the street was an “old ladies’ home.” On May Day, Marion and I would fill baskets with flowers and take them over and leave them on the porch. Next door to us, between our house and the church, lived our Sunday School teacher, Miss Stewart. She lived with her cousin (I think), Mr. Pierce. Sounds of her classical music would drift up to my room on warm days and evenings and totally interfere with my own choices of music or radio (probably Inner Sanctum or The Shadow). When Miss Stewart was able to “catch” us, she told bible stories with little pieces of felt on a black felt background. We listened intently. The house on the other side of us was occupied by Mr. McLean, the high school principal. I became interested in making shell jewelry. Dad made me an elaborate box with compartments for all my shells which I ordered from Sarasota, FL. The favorite was a poinsettia made from garfish scales. I sold many brooch and earring sets before the holidays. One winter, Dad flooded the back yard and created our own skating rink. I actually skated on it. Several friends came over and enjoyed it too. When fresh snow fell, I would gather a bowl full and we would make ice cream by adding sugar, vanilla and cream. When the milkman delivered the glass bottles, the cream was at the top and I almost always got a bit of it before the bottle was shaken. Mom planted a “victory garden” in the back yard and we all pitched in and helped.
We had a maid named Angela for a short time. She had been given a clean bill of health by the mental institution and did fine until she said something one night which didn’t sound right to me and I said, “You’re crazy.” After that, the folks felt that for our safety, they would have to let her go. We hired Willie May after that and she was with us long enough to become “family.”
There was a vacant lot covering two city blocks which had originally been occupied by a mansion but had gone to ruin. We called it Shangri-La and we played there often. Flowers and vines covered the old stone and foundation and in the Spring, I could usually find a nice bouquet of lilies of the valley or violets to bring home. There was a very tall pine tree I liked to climb. From the top, you could see the Empire State Building and most of NYC.
Cousin Buzz had raised white mice for most of his junior high school years, but football took up most of his time in high school, so I inherited the mice ... about a hundred of them in a very elaborate and patriotic set of cages Buzz had built. The blue box had two stories and the red box had 3. They were connected by a small white box which served mainly to connect the main buildings. I enjoyed my little pets for many years. I was allowed to bring one into the house at a time and none ever got away from me. I had my first lesson in tribal law when I caught a field mouse and introduced him into the cage with the white mice. When I came back to see how well he was integrating into their society, I found not much more of him than a skeleton.
Nearly every summer, we spent some time vacationing at a lake. We rented cottages at Eagle Lake and others. Sometimes we visited relatives at Culver Lake, another lake or at the shore (Manasquan). One of the best aspects of this endeavor was getting in the car on the weekend and driving around to scout out rental properties. We would visit beautiful places and look at beautiful scenery, then sing all the old songs coming back and cry all the way through “Babes in the Woods.” Another favorite was “The Wreck of the Old 97.”
In 1943, I knew every make of car just by looking at the front grille.
1944 - I was 10 and my Dad decided to take me to Detroit to pick up a new family car. I was so excited. We took the 20th Century Limited out of Grand Central Station. What a luxurious train it was. The dining car was marvelous. I remember only that I ate all my spinach even though I wasn’t even hungry ... a way of thanking Dad for bringing me along. We slept on the train and pulled into Buffalo the next day. From there, we took a ferry the length of Lake Erie and arrived in Detroit I don’t know how much later. I recall our new car was a convertible, Ford, I think, and sort of a chartreuse green. I think we still had that car for several years after we moved to Florida. On the ride home from Detroit, Dad stopped to pick up a couple of soldiers either on leave or returning from the war.
1947 - My friend Suzanne’s parents hosted a party for her friends in 9th grade. We went to NYC to the Astor Roof of the Waldorf Astoria and we all wore formal clothing. It was quite memorable. There is a photograph of all of us in my album. We were in our last year at Mt. Hebron Junior High in Upper Montclair and we felt quite adult.
My boyfriend Barry taught me how to drive in his Model A Ford with the stick shift on the floor ... mostly in his yard.
1948 - for about ten years, we spent summers at our Racoon Island home on Lake Hopatcong, N.J. Dad bought a Chris Craft utility and Marion and I became pretty good on water skis. When we learned to ski backwards, we became known as the "Stern-First" sisters (our last name being Sternberg). On Friday nights, our families would get together and have musical sing-alongs with piano, ukelele, washboard, and more. We also played a lot of poker and bridge. In the early years, my boyfriend, Bud, and I would spend our Saturday nights at the amuzement park at the other end of the lake riding the roller coaster and competing for stuffed animals in the concession stands. We did our grocery shopping by boat. There was a ferry running to the island, but we didn't take the car off very often ... airport runs, shopping and an occasional trip to the ER. Skip would set up balloons and practice his "quick-draw" and on two occasions, shot himself in the back of the leg. He did get to be pretty good ... eventually. I got hooked by a fishing plug while Buzz was setting up to do some casting off the dock. (The Aldrins visited us at the lake and we visited them at the shore ... Manasquan.) The Moons, my Uncle Bob, Aunt Audrey and son Richard, bought the house next door and were our neighbors for several years. Some of my happiest memories were made during those summers.
1949 - Two months into my junior year at Montclair High School, our family moved to Florida. We lived on Miami Beach in the Monte Carlo Hotel next to the McFadden Deauville for two weeks while Dad hunted for a home. I took diving lessons at the Deauville from a fellow named Dave on whom I developed a crush. We moved into our new home at 1414 Algardi Avenue in Coral Gables and I began school at Ponce de Leon High. My first boyfriend there was Dorie who went on to become an airline pilot. The love of my life was Frank, but he loved another. I went steady with Jack until graduation. I joined the Omega Club. My grades improved drastically as the Florida standards were lower than those of New Jersey. Most colleges would accept me now.
1950 - As the Youth Center delegate for "Miss Merry Christmas," I won the title beating out Sue who had been voted “most popular.” I rode in the Orange Bowl Parade. I remember being very cold that New Year's Eve on the float in my strapless dress.
1951 - Ours was the first graduating class of Coral Gables High School. I had been accepted at Stephens College and Duke University. I wanted to learn to fly and Dad supported that. Mom and I shopped for warm clothing since I had given away most of my woolies when we moved to Florida. Dad’s friend and former airline associate, Ken Newland, welcomed me when I got off the bus at Stephens after flying into St. Louis or Kansas City (I don’t remember which). Ken was my advisor for the duration of my stay. An all girl’s junior college at the time, Stephens offered one of the best academic programs in the country. (In 1978, ALL my credits at Stephens were accepted by the Univ. of Miami when I applied to progress toward my AB degree.) My roommate was May, a tall redhead who loved to play practical jokes. My bedding was powdered and short-sheeted on several occasions. I tolerated her, though I believe we did get into at least one hair-pulling contest when she threw all my clothes out of my closet. We had two suite-mates and the four of us shared a bathroom. I took courses which were prerequisite to taking actual flying lessons, i.e., meteorology, navigation, and it was over Spring Break that I took home all the permission slips I would need to have signed and returned in order to begin flying. This one big thing in common with the man I met on that flight perked his interest, I think.
1952 - Ben and I met on an airliner when I was returning home for Spring break my first year at Stephens College. I was sprawled out over both seats, but had to get up when it became evident all the seats had been sold. Ben in his blue uniform with his auburn hair and rugged good looks had no where to sit but next to me. We began talking, had coffee together in Dallas, exchanged addresses and phone numbers, and he continued on to another city while I flew home to Coral Gables. When I got home, I told my folks I had met the man I might marry one day.
One of the interesting events of my flying career came shortly after I soloed. As I landed my Cessna 120, a Delta DC3 pulled onto the landing strip. Without giving a second thought, I gave her some gas and literally jumped over the big silver plane and landed on the other side. Later, after everyone ... parents, instructor, the tower ... told me how foolish I had been for not going around, I was surprised I ever got a license.
1953 - April 3, Ben and I married at the home of Sir Stafford and Lady Teddy Sands at Nassau in the Bahamas. I had called Mom and Dad from school and told them we wanted to meet in Dallas and elope. They wouldn’t hear of it and Dad began making plans with his old friend, Sir Stafford. The whole family flew to the Bahamas and we stayed at the Pilot House before the wedding. I remember being served a glass of champagne while soaking in a hot bath before the wedding. Marion was my maid of honor and Skip was my ring bearer. We honeymooned at a lovely resort on the ocean and drove around the island in a little red Singer convertible. In the evenings, we played bridge with a couple we met on the beach.
My room mate that second year at Stephens was Michele (pronounced Mike Lee) Agostini. She and I got along really well and I kept in touch with her for many years. My parents and Ben attended graduation.
Sometime during the summer of the year we were married, Ben and I drove the same green convertible Dad and I had brought back from Detroit from the Lake to Coral Gables. Either that, or we had taken Skip up to camp. I’m not sure which. We stopped to visit St. Augustine, the fort, we drove on the beach at Daytona, and we had a great time. Ben tossed a wrapper out of the car and I got onto him for that. Then he took the whole Sunday paper and tossed it up in the air. It seemed rather funny at the time, but wouldn’t cut it today.
1954 - March 4, our beautiful Madeline Nina (Maddy) was born. She weighed 9lbs. and she was at least a week late. Since Dover AFB hadn’t opened their maternity wing, we had to go to Bainbridge Naval Hospital. They gave me a “saddle block” but it didn’t work, so, after telling them it was alright to allow a class of students to watch the birth from a huge observation window at the foot of my bed, they gave me a shot of gas. I don’t remember losing consciousness, but that’s often the case. Maddy was alert and independent right from the start. She needed no help supporting that little head on her shoulders and she looked around at everything, taking it all in. We took her home to our upstairs apartment on Bayard Avenue in Dover, Delaware. The owners downstairs became her maiden aunts immediately, two ladies living with their mother ... Mrs. McCloskey, Alice and Pauline.
1955 - December 30, Philip Douglas was born at the Dover AFB hospital weighing 10 lbs., 1 ½ oz. Ben said he was a ten pound baby and an ounce and a half of “boy.” When Phil was just two weeks old, we traveled to Florida to await transfer overseas. My folks had bought a home at 230 Edgewater Drive (on the Coral Gables Waterway), and Maddy became very adept at escaping our quarters in the cabana during nap time, skirting the pool and running toward the 30 foot drop of sheer coral rock to the canal. As beautiful and potentially enjoyable as our surroundings were, it was a relief to me when we left there for higher and safer ground.
Ben sent for us in March or April and we spent the next two years living in Morocco, first Casablanca and then on the base at Nouasseur. Whenever we moved to a new base, Ben would set up a duplicate bridge group at the Officer's Club. We played a lot of bridge wherever we went.
1956 - 1958 - Morocco
When Maddy, Phillip and I arrived in Casablanca on the third week of April, our furniture and belongings had been arranged and put away, thanks in great part to Ann Green, the wife of a fellow officer, E.L. Green. She became a dear friend. We lived in town for 6 months before base housing became available. Ann taught me a great deal about nutrition and we read Adele Davis and ordered wheat germ, brewer’s yeast and other vitamin enriched wonders from the States. We all had our children drinking tiger juice and growling. When we first arrived, during one of the wives’ indoctrinations, we were told that if we thought there might be an intruder, we should pretend to be asleep because one person would be robbing while another stood over you with a knife. The French and Arabs were still shooting at each other down in the medina and Ben spent at least half his nights on the base. We had a high wall and Mohammad and Fatima lived downstairs along with a German Shepherd which never became a pet. They made cous cous and mint tea for me and tried to teach me a few Arabic words.
We had been living on the base in our duplex for several months when I became pregnant again. Everyone said it was the water. Our little Elizabeth Ross lived only 12 hours. They told me much later that someone on night duty at the hospital failed to suction mucus. I heard a rumor that the hospital commander was shipped out over the incident. We buried Elizabeth in Morocco.
An interesting, but rather frightening incident … when Ben and I were selling household goods in preparation for moving onto the base, an Arab Sheik and his translator came to look at an appliance. He asked Ben if he would consider selling me. We figured he probably already had several wives. I suppose I should have been flattered, but instead it reaffirmed my strong belief in human rights. It sent chills I have never forgotten.
Travels inside Morocco - With friends and family (including my mother and sister), we took two cars and spent an unknown number of days touring the country. We first drove south to Agadir where we ordered a large green Moroccan wool rug for our home. From there, we traveled to Marrakech, Meknes, Fes and Ifrane, an unlikely Alpine village high in the Atlas Mountains. The drive through the mountains was breathtaking and frightening. A single lane road, if vehicle met vehicle on the side of a mountain, one would have to back up to where the road was wide enough for the two to pass each other. At one stop for water, a spring poured forth the most cool, clear and delicious water we had ever tasted. On our return, one of the vehicles ran out of gas and the other proceeded on to locate gas at the base 5 miles up the road. Ben had been putting the car in neutral coasting downhill and we nearly made it that way. While those of us left behind waited, we heard the Berbers shepherding up in the hills signaling to one another by horn that there was a crippled vehicle on the road. They seemed to get closer and closer before our rescuers returned with a can of gasoline. We had packed our own food and water, but we had not brought sufficient fuel for the journey. I remember the beautiful olive groves in Marrakech, the goats who climbed those olive trees, and the unforgetable odors rising from the medina of each city. Marion recalls that we ate in a restaurant at a southernmost part of our journey and that the restaurant was toppled by an earthquake soon after we were there.
Our small European vacation before returning to the States …
In May of 1958, we left Nouasseur at in the MATS C-54 ... Flew over Gibraltar, Spain and the Mediterranean, Majorca Island, Cagliari (Sardinia) on to Wheelus Field, Tripoli, Lybia. We were met at the plane and driven to the BOQ where we spent the night.
The jets woke us early. We walked over to the officer’s club for breakfast. Ben ran into several old pals including one who gave us the use of his car. We went to the PX and ran into another friend and his wife. He drove us into Tripoli with some other officers and friends and we bought shoes and a brass tray. We were invited to dinner at his place on the beach. His wife cooked us a wonderful meal. Maddy ate with their children in their room.
The next day, we took off at mid-day. Maddy slept while two officers took on Ben and me for bridge. Flew over Palermo, Sicily, and landed in Rome. We all took cabs into town to the Albergo Impero and checked in. Ben and I went window shopping and met others for dinner at Alezzio’s. Came back to the hotel room and put Maddy to bed and played dice. Then, when a friend baby sat for us, the rest of us went night clubbing. The first place was Biblioteca Valle, a wine cellar with an atmosphere (musty). We shared a bottle of wine and went on to another club where the prices were high but included a floor show. Then to Jerry’s American Bar where we listened to some talented singers and good music. The cab rides back were most perilous and once we took a horse-drawn hascom.
The next day, Maddy and I got up at 9 and had breakfast. Ben joined us and we took a cab to St. Peters Cathedral. What a sight! We walked all the way to the top. Came back to the hotel for lunch and then took the 2:30 tour. Visited St. Mary’s basilica and left the tour at the Appian Way. Took a cab to the Coliseum and then a hascom ride for Maddy to the shopping square. Then a cab back to the hotel. We all fell asleep in the room and were awakened when Al, another friend, knocked at the door. He was in on a flight and learned we were in the hotel. Later, a group of us got together and went to eat at the Biblioteca Valle. The food was wonderful and we had our pictures taken. On our way home we took hascoms and stopped by the Trevy Fountain. (We passed the Pantheon on the way to the fountain.) Maddy and I threw coins in and made our wishes. Back to the hotel and to bed.
The next morning, we left for Rhein-Main AFB, Frankfurt. Maddy and I had fresh milk at the snack bar ... the first in two years. We ran into other friends who drove us into Weisbaden. They left us at the Von Steuben Hotel and returned to Frankfurt. The hotel is a glorified BOQ, beautiful and modern. Very green landscape. Had dinner at the hotel, Von Steuben’s specialty porterhouse steak, and listened to a 4-piece German band. So nice to be somewhere Maddy can eat everything and drink good milk.
Next day, we window shopped in the rain after breakfast. We rented a Volkswagen from a fellow named Truckenbrod. Dried off and called the lobby for a baby sitter ... Frau Lois. Ben and I shopped at the PX. I bought black walking loafers, another copy of “Let’s Eat Right to Keep Fit,” and a white orlon sweater. We ordered supper for Maddy in the room, then we went to the bar for a few drinks and on to dinner at the Shulteis Restaurant.
We checked out of the Von Steuben after breakfast, drove to the dispensary for meds for amoebic dysentery, then drove all day thru Stuttgart, off the autobahn, on to Garmisch by way of Oberammergau. Checked into the General Patton Hotel, another glorified BOQ. Beautiful scenery in this area. We’re in a valley surrounded by mountains. Ben was still not feeling well. I hoped the terramycin would work its magic.
The following day, we went to the PX where Ben bought 4 sport shirts and I bought 2 sweaters. Took the electric train up to the top of Zugspitze. What a sight! Skiers and lots of snow, but warm enough for just a sweater. I wrote cards in the hotel while Ben took the cable car to the summit. Too high for me. The train went through a tunnel in the mountain, about 14,462 feet long. In Garmisch it was almost uncomfortably warm which really amazed us. We caught the return train back to town and went shopping. Ben bought me two complete outfits ... both wool ... one black for evening and the other light blue with a white blouse. Both have matching stoles. (In 2005, I still had both outfits, but had never worn either one). Came back to the hotel, ordered dinner for Maddy, and went out when the sitter, Jenny, arrived. Steakhouse, then Casa Carioca for a very elaborate ice show.
The next day, we left for Innsbruck, Austria, where border guards only glanced at our passports. To the Schloss Ambras, the castle that Frederick II who ruled Austria in the 16th century presented to his wife. Back by 6. Maddy ate with us and we took her up to the nursery and returned for the show. Eight Tirolean dancers and accompanists, one who played the zither. I got chosen from the audience to dance, but Ben refused. Listened to the Walter Hause sextet for awhile.
Next day, Ben bought a new hat and went to the post office. We drove to the Linderhof Castle, one of Ludwig’s elaborate abodes. Everything is gold plated, crystal chandeliers, Meissen everywhere and one made of pure ivory. One table top is a solid semi-precious stone. We walked up to Ludwig’s tea house and then to the grotto. It was quite a long walk in the rain. Even the fountains were gold plated. We drove back through Oberammergau and had lunch there, then back to the Patton. Maddy asked to go to the nursery to play with the other children. We picked her up in time for dinner at Bauer’s Restaurant. Maddy went back to the nursery and Ben and I went for drinks and to a local casino. I lost about $11 at roulette.
We slept late the next morning and stayed in because of bad weather. A couple we had met played bridge with us in the bar after a sandwich. Maddy and I had shampoo appointments later. We had dinner with another couple and went dancing.
We left Garmish the next day and went to Chiemsee, another American hotel, a resort on a very large lake. Lunch, lounge, naps, miniature golf. The band played “Oh, Mine Papa” for Maddy.
We left the following day after breakfast, coffee in Munich in a modern department store, flat tire out of Munich, lunch at Fernsehturm, Stuttgart, a high TV tower with a restaurant on top. To the Mercedes-Benz dealer. We bought a 220S and had it shipped to US. From there to Frankfurt stopping for supper at Mannheim on the autobahn about 80km south of Rhine-Mein. Maddy and I slept in the bunks. We had about the best accommodations yet in the plush passenger hotel in Rhine-Mein.
Next day, we drove to Weisbaden after stopping at the PX to buy a pair of black shoes for Maddy, then checked into the hotel. Ben learned our C-47 needed an engine change and wouldn’t be ready til Saturday. Ben found we could get on a C-54 flying VIPs back to Nouasseur early in the am. We all went to the International Fencing Match. Maddy and I weren’t interested, so we left early. Ben turned in the VW and picked up our brass tray with the hand made wrought iron base. We had dinner with a couple from Ben Guerrir and a friend from Nouasseur.
Our last day, we had an early breakfast at Lindsey AFB, Weisbaden, took off for home. Ben flew part of the way and we landed at Nouasseur early afternoon. Our first stop was the nursery to pick up Philip. Charlotte had taken really good care of him. We spent about $580 on the trip but every penny was well worth it. What a wonderful experience!
Back in the US - Maddy was an adorable flower girl in Marion’s wedding in New Jersey.
We lived on Elgin Court in Greenville, SC, and Ben was stationed a few yards away at Donaldson AFB. Maddy and Phil walked through the woods behind our house to get to school which was quite close. Ben was away a lot.
1960 - Linda was born in June. This was Mother’s worst year and a year of changes for me. Ben was killed on September 19 in a crash of his World Airways flight back from Guam. Dad asked Mom for a divorce. Skip and Pat separated. She had recently lost her own mother. Mom came to live with us in Greenville. She stayed with us until she rented a pretty house on a tree-lined ravine about a mile away. We almost lost her when she suffered an allergic reaction to penicillin or horse serum. That was before she moved. She had an alert doctor whose hands were shaking as he gave her a life-saving injection. I'll never forget the look on Maddy's face as the ambulance took her Nonny away for a few days. Later, it was determined she'd had a nervous breakdown, but she fully recovered.
I passed the SEC exam in Atlanta and went to work for Barron and Company, a small business investment company. I left after a year, doubtful they had their customers’ best interest in mind. The best I did for my customers was to sell them Texize stock. The SBIC stock tanked.
1963 - We all left Greenville and moved to South Miami, rented a house on 88th Court. Mom looked after the kids while I worked. With Dad’s help and intervention, I began working for NAL in the Special Reps section behind the ticket counter at MIA. Ann Stanley was my boss and one of NAL’s vice presidents. She was French and lived in a home in Miami Springs which she and her husband had built themselves. Though I admired and respected Ann, I never got close to her. When word came in from Dallas, before it was announced to the nation, that Pres. Kennedy had been shot, I found Ann in the coffee shop nearby and told her. The Beatles came to America for the first time that year. I wondered at the time what was the big deal. Some of the people I met coming through the VIP room were Richard Nixon, Hubert Humphrey, Ted Kennedy, Dick Van Dyke, Bud Maytag (new owner of NAL whose step-children called him “PayTag”).
1964 - I had met Jerry at a PTA meeting in South Miami. He was a widower with two sons. We married after I converted to Catholicism, and settled into our house at 150 Apache Street in Miami Springs. I left NAL during a change in administration. The timing was perfect.
1965 - Eric was born Feb. 25, 1965. He looked a lot like Jerry, a man with two adopted sons who never believed he could father a child, but who then decided he’d like to try for another. We did.
1966 - Walter was born May 24, 1966. He took after my side of the family. When he was around two, people remarked at how much he resembled Buzz at that age.
With seven children now, not much journal writing was done during those years, but I did keep trip logs and we made some great family excursions. We bought a boat and a pop-up camper. In April of 1968, we took a trip to Jonathan Dickinson State Park. That was just a test run. The real trip was made with our new Olds station wagon towing the camper. The nine of us traveled across the country and returned, stopping to visit with family and friends along the way.
See Stories, Page 2
(There really is a limit to the length you can make a page. This is it.)
Madeline, Marion, Gene, Fay Ann, Mama Moon, Uncle Bob, me, Mom, Buzz
Our house in Ortega