Rollie's Golden Award

This was an award given to me by the Staff at Natividad School.  It was my second year as principal there.   It was during the time of awards, awards, awards and more awards.  I don't know what I feel about those awards, but we gave them for everything.  I guess it brought some good-will to the school when we invited family to come to an assembly where we gave them out.  Well, I had instituted a program I think I called "The Goldens."  It was a program where grandmas and grandpas or anyone older involved with the child would come to school, spend the day, have lunch with their little one, etc..  I think it was pretty nice actually.  Apparently so did the staff because they gave me this award for it and they all signed it.

Unknown Woman

We have no idea who this beautiful woman is.  Do you?

AARP Article

This is the first page of an article about living cheaply in Mexico, and specifically in Sayulita and specifically about Jeanne and me.  It was the first big piece of press that put Sayulita on the tourist map and certainly the article that put Rollie's Restaurant in front of people.  It was written by Barry Golson a good friend.  He went on to write "Gringos in Paradise," a bood about building a house in Saylita, but we were featured prominently throughout the book.  Another step in the tourist development of Sayulita and the success if Rollie's.

Old Bank Statement

Nothing much special here.  Just thought an old bank statement was interesting.  It was Mom and Dad when they lived on Swift Avenue in Fresno.  Dad was probably Supt im West Fresno and mother teaching someplace, probably in Selma.  There was another district she taught in just west of Fresno, but I can't remember the name of it.

Another Grandma Letter

I love this letter.  It is from my Grandma Dick to someone named Mrs Anna Loewen, a good Mennonite name.  Grandma said she had just come from the hospital where Ms. Loewen's father had just had an operation . . "Pendix" Operation and that his "right hand till above the elbow is taken off too."  Jeez . . . She said he didn't "feel good at all."  I guess not.  She went on that he was homesick for his family.  Grandma said, "I know how he is.  I am his cousin, but he is your dad.  I don't know if you can love him or not, but write to him a letter anyhow."  I come from a long line of either very codependent people or very compassionate.  Sometimes I don't know the difference.

Mother's Baracuda

At the height of Mother's illness, somebody had the bad sense to sell her a car on credit.  It was a new car at that!  It was a 1966 Plynouth Baracuda.  A pretty snazzy car.  Well, of course, she had absolutely no way to pay for this car and this is the letter that they were going to reposess it.  Which they did.  Somebody also financed a sewing machine for her.  Now why on earth she wanted a sewing machine, I have no idea, but she had it.  Well, she couldn't pay for that either, but it was some kind of a finance company that financed it and they threatened her and harrassed her, but to no avail.  She had absolutely not money.  I think she kept the machine.  By the way, they also came after me for the sewing machine money, threatening me that if I did not pay for it, they were going to do why knows what.  Well, I was under no obligation and they knew it.  They were just trying to get something for nothing from me.

Selling Grandma's and Grandpa's Property

 I love this stuff.  This is dated July 6, 1964.   It is escrow instructions for selling a couple of lots in Reedley, California.  A guy is buying them from Dad and, Dad's Sister, Olga, and their spouses.  So, I have to assume these were lots that belonged to my grandma and grandpa and this was after they died.  This document does not give address.  But, I believe these lots were located on 'K" Street in Reedley.  They owned another piece on Kleinsassor Street, which has since been simplified to just Kleins Street I think.  On the K property, I think this was the house Mother and Larry and I lived in while Dad was in the Navy.  I remember being in the back yard of this house, for some reason I remember clothes drying on the line and the end of the war was declared.  I don't remember much from that time, but I do remember all the horns in town going off, the sirens in happiness for the end of the war.  A quick story, Dad was once stationed in San Diego.  For some reason, my Mother and my grandpa and I, (Maybe Larry too) made a trip to see him in San Diego.  I remember being able to say hello to him through a cyclone fence on some base.  But, what I really remember about this trip is that Grandpa bought a box of cantaloupes for the trip.  I don't know what he had in mind for them, but somehow he forgot they were there in the trunk, and that car forever smelled of rotting cantaloupes.

Dad's Divorce Summons

This was the summons for Mother in Dad's divorce proceedings.  Changes lives.  I'm not going to copy any more pages of the summons.  The date is June 16, 1966.   Dear God!

Mt. Whitney Pioneers

I went to high school at Mt. Whitney High School in Visalia, California.  It was a pretty rough time for me.  Sometimes I think I was trying to have somebody love me by producing stuff.  So, I got straight A's, I did drama, I played basketball, (When I didn't make the school team, I went out and played or a semi-pro team sponsored by a shoe store.  I became the top scorer and defensive man.  That showed 'em.)  I ran cross country for the school.  Well, we were known as the Pioneers.  I guess our newspaper was called that, too.  This one is dated October 5, 1956.  I would have been a senior I think since I graduated in 1957.  I will let you read the article.  (Remember, all you have to do is click on the pictures and they enlarge nicely.)  I did go back to Helena, Montana, for three summers, going from an apprentice to lead actor in those three years.  This was another one of those endeavors that I got involved in that did not pan out as I thought and was promised.  I think people directing an enterprise like this need a lot of help and support and sometimes they promise things they cannot deliver.  Anyway, I was told I was going to become a part of the management/ownership of the theater which never happened.  This did not detract from this being a wonderful experience for me.

Dill Pickels

I think this is a precious item.  I'm not sure who wrote the recipe and who wrote the letter on the back.  Somebody named Mary sent the recipe for Dill Pickels.  What's precious about the front page is this:  "P.S. You must excuse my terbel riting.  If you can't read it then send it back.  I did put up 15 quarts of pickels all ready.  We sure do get t lot of them.  I am going to start and sell some.  Maybe I can hear from you some time.  As ever, Mary."  How wonderful is that.  The second page is a personal letter to someone, I'm guessing to my Grandma since she inquires about Roland, my dad, and his family.  For many years people were worried about Dad's sister Olga and when would she marry.  She asked in the letter, "How is Olga.  Is she Married (Underlined.).  The letter is signed    Mrs. H. E. Toews.  That name is pronounced as if the w were a v.  It is one of the names you see that tells you for sure we are related to them.  I just don't know how we're related to Mrs. Toews.

Rollie's Armed Service Experience

So I received my induction notice into the armed services.  I actually went and took my physical.  I was teaching fourth grade in Porterville, California, at the time.  Really, without my knowledge, one of the parents in my class apparently knew somebody, a legislator of some sort, and my induction was postponed from February, until the end of the school in June.  Well, by the time June came around there was no further need for soldiers for some reason.  The war ended?  I'm not sure.  But, I never went into the armed services.  I have no feelings about that at all.  I was prepared to go if I were called.

Western Stage 1988

This is a Souviner play book (Not sure what you call it.)  for the Western Stage 1988.  Jeanne, Jodi, Joshua and I are listed as actors although we didn't get our pictures in the book.  It says that Jeanne was in Carousel and Most Happy Fella.  (That is the play where Jeanne played a man and I fell in love with a man.)  It says I was in Carousel and Most Happy fella.  Something like Starmaker in Carousel and Priest in Most Happy Fella.  I think they are wrong.  I don't think I was in Fella at all.  Also, it lists Josh and Jodi as actors, but I can't fine anything they played that year.

50th Wedding Anniversary

This is a picture of Connie's Mother and Father, Cora and Arthur Stollmaier on the occassion of their 50th Wedding anniversary.  Jeanne tells me the celebration was at their house at 915 Princeton Drive in Terrace Park.

Family Dinner

This is another one of those big family gatherings.  Jeanne didn't know about that hotel.  Did Aunt Marie live there?  Also, it's kind of a nice tradition, first to take the picture, then to have people sign in.  That way, later, people such as us can know who they all were.

Connie's Great Grandpa

On the back of this picture it says "Great Grandpa Maier.  Mother's Grandpa."  So, we think Connie wrote this and we think that this was her Mother's Grandfather.  If you know more than us, please let us know.  I wanted to show you the back of this picture.  I think the design is so beautiful.

Sambo's Post Cards

Here we have a packet of post cards from Sanbo's Restaurant.  I really think this restaurant went under. Probably because of pressure regarding the name.  There used to be a story called, "Little Black Sambo's."  Actually, this story was read to me when I was young.  Anyway, I think there was some objection to the name of the restaurant as being racist.

Jeanne on a Horse

This is a picture of Jeanne. Since Jeanne was very much a part of the Badanes Bunch when this was taken, but very much a part of our family now, I wasn't sure where to put this, so I put it in both places. I must say, she sure was cute. (Now that I think about it, Jeanne, is this your mother?) We'll see. I have to go ahead with this project even when I am alone. So there are times I don't even know the correct information. This is why I msut depend on all of you to make things right with your comments.

Badanes Kids

Is this beautiful or what!  Don't know what else to say.  (It is Jeanne, Harry, Nancy & Betsy.)

Unknown Woman

I simply don't know who this is.  Do you?  Let us know.

Dad's Letter to Grandma

This is a letter my Dad sent to his Mother on October 19, 1963.  His address is 1471 Hilltop Drive Azusa, California.  This is where the lived while Dad was teaching at Cal State L.A. and working on his doctorate at USC.  Maybe I should tell that story now.  Dad was smart guy I think.  I think he whizzed through all his course work for his doctorate.  Now, this is the unbelievable part, but I think it's true;  he went to take his comprehensive exams to get his doctorate he forgot his glasses and couldn't see the test, and he failed.  Now, you would think that a man would go back, explain, and try again.  But, when they lived here this was also the place they lived when he left Mother.  I just think he was in such a terrible emotional state that he just didn't care and he left for the University of Nevada where he got a job in administration.  Never got his doctorate.  For me, this house is a very sad remembering.  For some reason I was living there for the summer . . . the summer of their discontent.  Being who I am, I said to myself, I had a responsibility to at least try to help their situation.  So, I said to my Dad, "You know what, maybe if the two of you sat down and talked about it, you could give the marriage another try."  I saw my Dad's eyes harden in resolve.  I knew then his mind was made up and he was gone.  Poor darlings . . . . all of us.

Florida Trailer Again

This is another Florida Trailer House scene.  Only in this one I see Al as well.  I guess Connie talked him into coming and helping.

Principal Rollie

No idea where, why or when.  It was certainly in some school.

Cincinnati

What an interesting little booklet I found. I will not go over every page and I will only post one picture of the booklet. The way I see it, it is a set of rules pertaining to the Coke auditorium in Cincinnati which apparently you could use for card parties. There is a picture inside of many card table filled with women playing cards. Coke so no gambling was allowed. The booklet says that coke would provide soft drinks for free and the party using the facility was welcome to bring other goodies. Also, you could make arrangements for your party to tour the Coke plant. I have to assume that is in my possession because Aunt Marie or more likely Connie was involved with this thing. Who knows, but interesting none-the-less and a little piece of Cincinnati history.

Jeff

This is one of those goofy pictures you take of my Brother Jeff.

The Gathering

Another precious picture.  Lookout House was a pretty fancy restaurant in Covington, Kentucky.  We are not sure the occassion, but we are sure the major players were there.  The date on the back is  May 28, 1947.  Jeanne thinks maybe it was on the death of Al's Father, but that is just a guess.  Interesting, somebody had the attendees sign their names on the back of the picture.  You can read them yourself.  For some of us who might not know who they are, here is the best I can do.  (Again, if I make a mistake, please don't hesitate to use the comment section to set it right or add whatever you know about this.)  Starting on the left is Barbara Thomas who was George Thomas's first wife.  George Thomas is the first guy on the right.  He was Al's step-brother.  Next to Barbara on the left of course is Al.  Then comes Mitzi Badanes, Al's mother.  Next to her is Uncle Hoff (Frank Hoffmeister).  He was Aunt Marie's husband and she is next to him in the picture.  Next to Aunt Marie is Uncle Jake.  (Jake Brand)  Now, Uncle Jake was nobody's uncle.  He was a boarder that lived with Aunt Marie and Uncle Hoff.  Next to him, (We are now 3rd person from the right) is of course Connie.  Then, the man next to George (2nd guy on the right) we don't know.  We think his name was something like George Boscher, but we don't know if that is right, and we don't know who he is.  There you have it.  The best I can do.  Because of my late arrival into the family I did not meet all these people, but I met some.  I did not meet Barbara, Mitzi, Uncle Hoff, Uncle Jake or the unknown George.  All the others I had the opportunity to meet.

Unknown Women

God knows who these lovelies are.  I think they are from my side of the family and so does Jeanne, but neither of us is sure.  Maybe the woman on the far left was a friend of Nanas?

Post Card

A five cent Post Card!

Messenger Boy, Rollie

Here's a letter I had no idea I had.  For two years in the early sixties I attended the University of Portland on a work/scholarship in Theatre.  I got there because the director of the department had directed at the Old Brewery Theater, saw me, and offered me the scholarship.  Well, the scholarship meant that you were cheap slave labor, often working late into the night on sets, lighting, rehearsals, etc.  I did not get many good roles while I was there, and the final straw was when they got chosen to tour a show called "The Boy Friend" in Europe and Paul Oulette, the director I mentioned chose a man from the music department for the chorus and left me home.  In those days I had a pretty good voice and I thought I deserved to go.  Not to be.  Meantime I also had a job in the Commons where people ate as a waiter.  More work.  The last year there I was married.  She went to work as a secretary.  Then, after the first sememster I dropped out, angry at the world.  I got a job as a messenger boy for the Port of Portaland, a large operation on the docks.  I had a car, but it was not much of a job with an even poorer future.  But, I was determined to make it something and the bosses there liked me. One of them was the man who wrote this letter.  Not a bad indication of their feelings toward me when the boss writes this kind of a letter to a messenger boy.

Karen

Here we have a picrture of Larry's first wife, Karen.  (I can't remember her last name.  Larry help me out here.)  She and Larry met while attending Fresno State I think where Karen was some sort of homecoming queen or something.  She was very beautiful.  They had one child, Kevin.  I think Kevin is actually living with Karen now.  After they divorced, Karen married a lawyer from San Francisco.  I think he name was Quinn and I think Kevin took his name.  After that marriage broke up, Karen moved to someplace in Mendocino County I think.  Karen actually visited us in Sayulita a couple of times, eating in our restaurant.  

Hollywood Trip

Now, this may look like an innocent little picture.  Well, it's got a story.  First, the location.  Jeanne thinks it is in her Grandmother and Grandfather's trailer in the Palmetto Trailer Park in Hollywood, Florida.  (Cora & Arthur) The people, Cora, Connie, Jeanne, Harry & Nancy.  The story; every year the Badanes took a trip down to Florida to visit the Grandparents.  When they got there, Jeanne particularly loved shuffleboard.  This year they came down on a train.  They had their own sleeper car, but apparently the kids kind of ran wild over the train, particularly enjoying the dining car.  Jeanne says that Connie was very tired after the trip and angry at Al for not coming along to help.

Unknown Woman

No idea who this woman is.  Do you know?

Grandma's Envelope

This is an envelope.  As you can see she wrote, "This is important if you want to read it.  Mom."
For me this is a precious package, but I'm not sure what it's all about, because most of it is in German.  Inside this package are a bunch of papers all very faded.

Here is what is inside

1.  A little card saying "The family of Mrs. Aganllted Goossen will always remember your kindness    and sympathy."  (We are related to many Goossens.)  The card is complete with envelope and dated August 27, 1960 and addressed to Mr. & Mrs. J.B. Dick, 33 Kleinsasser, Reedley, California.
2.  Three handwritten letters in German.
3.  A newspaper which I swear says it's from Moscow.  I can't find a date.  Grandma's writing is in the margins saying something.
4.  A letter to the editor in Hillsboro, Kansas, by Louise Henrietta Schroeder. . . another relation family.  All Mennonites are related.  She says in the letter that she is grateful that she has accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior and this happened during a revibal meeting apparently conducted by Uncle Henry, my Grandmother's brother.
5.  A newspaper article in German from Hillsboro, Kansas.
6.  Three more German Newspaper Articles, location unknown.
7.  Two more hand-written letters in German dated July 14, 1920 & December 5, 1921
8.  Finally, a copy of the music for the hymn, "The Church in The Wildwood," this was a favorite of ours in church.

Dear Mother

As some of you may know, our Mother, Ola, suffered from Paranoid Schizophrenia.  It was diagnosed and for real.  (I'm going to spend a little more time on this post since it is maybe very interesting, at least to me.)  When my Dad left Mother, she had a very tough time.  She continued to teach school, but decided that this would be a good time to follow her dream.  So, she enrolled in one of the Claremont Colleges.  How she got in, I don't know.  Maybe because her major was piano, there were auditions to get into that program.  Anyway, she thrived in that program and was pegged by her teacher as a top concert pianist prospect.  In fact, her teacher, an established concert pianist, had lined up a series of concerts for the two of them . . . dual pianos.  That told us how good Mother was.  She had always been the organist/pianist for church, but always her talent was sort of hidden behind the out-going figure of my Father who was very talented in his own right.  Well, and I'm not sure of the exact sequence of events, the first thing that happened was that her teacher was apparently a lesbian and made a pass at Mother.  You can imagine.  In those days, with this woman, you could scarcely think of a worse thing to happen.  However, I think Mother got over it and came to terms with it and was still prepared to go on.  Then, as she was leaving her job one day after school, her shoe/heel got stuck in a crack in the asphalt of the parking lot and she went down.  As is the case in many of these incidents the very body part which would bring the most disaster was injured.  A large gash was opened in the palm of her hand.  Now, with a business as intricate as concert piano playing, that kind of a wound spells the end of a career.   And it did that for Mother.  Well, that was the last straw.  She went over the edge.  She was seeing a psychologist who finally recommended hospitalization.  At that particular moment . . . you know what . . . I have always thought I was there to make the decision by myself, but I think Larry was with me.  We checked around, talked to the psychologist and decided that the Rosemead Psychiatric Hospital would be best for her.  The head of the psychiatric department at the University of Southern California was the hospital director.  It was very expensive, but I was willing to go into debt to have her there.  I think she was there for about a month.  While she was there she was administered shock treatments.  I think twenty-five in all.  It was a bleak time for the family.  I think when she got out she went to live with her Mother, Nana.  But, then she went off and ran . . . ran from the demons and people that in her paranoid state were after her.  And, one of us, in the beginning, I think mostly me, later I think Larry was very involved and actually had Mother staying with him in Chico became her "try-to-be caretaker.  Most of the time we did not know where she was.  Once in a while we would get a call from a motel manager telling us we had better pick her up because she was going to get hurt.  The places I know she roamed were in the San Diego Airport, staying warm in the inside restrooms, skid row of Los Angeles, helping to bring about racial justice and harmony by making love to skid row black men and many, many other places.  Once she told me about finding an RV in a car lot with the door open.  She went inside and spent the night.  However, the bathroom was not working, so she squatted and urinated on a throw rug that was there.  She said in the morning, she took it to a service station bathroom and rinsed it out and took it back to the RV.  Once in a while she would call me.  What you see above are the notes I took during one of those calls, this one on January 29, 1986.  (Incidentally, January 29 is Joshua's birthday.)  I'm not sure you can read the writing.  It is mine.  But, I am going to copy it down here.  I want to you get a feel for what it was all about.  

I wrote the word "Mother" at the top and the date indicating that the notes were about a call I got from her.  The words "Easy Motel" are also at the top.  I don't know if that is where I found out she was staying or that was later.   Anyway, here is what I wrote:

"I'm safe and sound.  I have people looking out for me all over Fresno.  It's still a dangerous place for me to be.  This boy had a red head band  . . . he was sent.  It meant don't go to Reedley, Orange Cove, get out of here!

I think he told lies . . . he didn't have the head band on so  . . . 

I know my room is bugged.

I know I these black guys are looking after me.  Had I pushed it that night the guys that sent him might have been after me with knives.  

I better not go to Orange Cove or Reedley or Dinuba because of the illegal Aliens.  They are after me.  But, San Diego has already been through that.

I'd like to stay in Fresno, but I get the message to go.  They walk by me sometimes to remind me.  Everywhere I go they're watching me.  

I can't ride the bus.  That's where they are.  The Mexicans are there.  You can't tell which ones are and which ones aren't.

They want to kill me or give me a bad time.

When I was in Reedley, that's the most danger I've been in.  They followed me all over.  Carloads of them.

My rent is paid up until Friday, but I won't use it.

Sirhan and Rosy Greer are problems too, but that has quieted down.  

I have a problem in Riverside.  The Sheriff's Department turned poison on me.

I don't think Dad and I want to get married.  I will always have affection for him.

I felt that I told . . . 

Even when I go to a psychiatric Office it's bugged . . . Like Dr. Winters.

My predicament is . . . 

I was thinking of getting a van.

Credit has to be all right.

I need to move now.  They're after me.  I could just fly straight to Riverside, then see Jeff and pay my bill at the mini-storage place and then go to San Diego.

I don't think I made actual contact with her after this particular phone call.  Sometimes I would make contact with her.  I would take her to the psych ward of a local hospital.  They would keep her for 72 hours, stabilize her on medication and then let her go.  She'd be off running again because as soon as she got out she would stop taking her medication.  She could function pretty well when she stayed on her medication.  

You may wonder how this all turned out.  Well, finally she ended up in Tulare, California, and somehow she got a social worker who took her case.  This worker thought she should be on a conservatorship.  We all agreed.  Well, if that is going to happen to you in California, and you don't want it to happen, you have the right for a jury trial.  That's right a jury trial to see if you need to be on the conservatorship.  Mother asked for . . . demanded the jury trial.  Three psychiatrists, the social worker and I testified.  During my testimony which favored the conservatorship, Mother glared at me with disbelief.  How could I abandon her like this.  It was a very hard time for me.  The jury deliberated for ten minutes and came back saying, yes, she did need to be on the conservatorship.  

The rest of her years were relatively peaceful . . . never, happy, but rather content.  I know she taught piano at a local music store in Tulare and looked after the elderly matriarch of that family.  Not sure of the rest of the story.  

I do know that the end for Mother came in a rather nice "institution" in the foothills above Fresno.  I went to visit here there one day with Jeanne, Larry and his boys.  She was mostly out of it and died a short time later.  She did not talk to us, nor indicate that she knew we were there.  However, at one point I started to sing hymns to her, "What a Friend we Have in Jesus," "Shall we Gather at River," and others.  Her little mouth withered with age and without teeth now, puckered in so that the lips disappeared into the mouth cavern, she mouthed the words of those hymns to me as I sang them softly to her.  Several different ones for quite a while.  It was/is one of the lovely moments of my life.

I have to be honest, much of this time has gone away from my memory.  What I do remember may be faulty. . . not far off .. . but faulty.  I hope Larry will come along and correct and/or add to this narrative.

Jeanne With The Police

This item actually folds up like a brochure.  It was copyrighted in 1954.  It is a set of instructions sent from the Chief of Police in the Village of Terrace Park for children and parents about the safety of the children.   I wouldn't say for sure, but it actually looks like the Chief actually signed the brochure.  Oh, oh, I just noticed something.  In the middle picture on the page above, the middle girl in the front row is Jeanne.  Go Jeanne!

Connie's Pen Pal

This appears to be a pen pal letter to Connie from someone in Portugal.  At the time it seems, Connie was living at 1507 Blair Avenue in Cincinnati.   You might be able to see that the stamp has been removed by what I assume is a stamp collector who got their hands on the letter before me. 

Jeanne & The Bunny

This is a picture of Jeanne, I assume at Easter time, with the Easter Bunny.  It looks similar to the Santa Claus pictures we do at Christmas.