Life Is Full of Joys and Disappointments

It was in my junior year that a new program was introduced at Granite High School. Known as the Civil Air Patrol (CAP for short), it introduced a class in aviation for the first time. The program was kind of like ROTC but was civilly rather than military program the purpose of which was to train cadets for air search and rescue. I was instantly interested in the program because I always had a fascination with aircraft technology. I wanted to understand how airplanes could fly, and that was part of the aviation class. So I joined along with about five other girls and about three times that number of boys. No, that was not my motivation!

Although the CAP was not a military based program, we had army-type uniforms and earned army-type rank. By the end of my first year, which included a summer field exercise at an Air Force base in Cheyenne, Wyoming, I had earned the rank of first lieutenant. (Rank was not too hard to come by.) We flew to Cheyenne in an army prop-driven transport plane (C-47) which was nothing like the commercial ones we fly in today. But I was excited anyway because it was my first-ever flight in an airplane. We lived in barracks on the base (separate from the boys), had regular inspections, ate in the mess hall, learned to fire rifles on the fire range (I had a very sore shoulder after that experience), and had flying demonstrations of various kinds of aircraft. It was a fun experience.

That year the school also acquired a Link Trainer which was by the military used to train pilots on in-cabin instruments by simulating of various flying conditions. You were closed in this small unit and had to fly using instruments only. The trainer would respond to whatever you did with the controls. Unfortunately there was really no one qualified to teach how to use it correctly, so mostly we just played around with it. All members of the CAP had access to it during our own time. An Aviation Club was formed this year and we even sponsored a school dance.

In order to make time for my aviation class in my junior year I had to give up orchestra, but I continued on with my art class. I had to make a choice, and art was it. Learning to oil paint that year made that choice exciting. I bought my first oil-painting set, pallet, brushes, and even made my own painter's smock to wear. I had my first painting framed and gave it to my parents for Christmas that year. (It really wasn't that good, but at the time I was proud of it.)
We also learned how to do leather tooling that year which gave me the opportunity to tool a belt for my dad which he wore for as long as I can remember.

Other highlights of this year were the production of Brigadoon (awesome performance even though I wasn't personally involved this year), dating Jim off and on (mostly off by the end of the year), and an opportunity to attend the University of Utah on a full four-year scholarship.
I'll explain this last one. The Ford Foundation wanted to fund an experiment to see if high performing students in their junior year could succeed on a college level if they skipped their senior year and enrolled in a local university. Tests were given to top students selected by the faculty and two were selected on the basis of their performance on that test to receive the scholarships. Jamie Lyon (twin brother of Laurie Lyon whom I had dated) and myself won the honors. I was shocked, excited, and scared by this amazing opportunity. But that was all short-lived when my father wouldn't let me accept the scholarship. I don't want to be critical of my Dad because I honestly felt he made that decision for very valid reasons. His main concern was for the welfare of my mom. I was pretty much the only help she had since Claire was married, Georgia working, and J.D. only ten years old. He knew that with the additional travel time to and from school, needed time in a library to do work, (no computers with internet), plus the time that would be required to do homework, I would have very little time to help with the needed work around home. And besides, he never felt the higher education was that important, especially for girls. Although I know Mom was always interested in higher education and even seemed excited about this opportunity, she would never oppose my dad. She never did. What he said was the final decision. She tried to soften my disappointment by accenting the things I would miss by giving up my senior year in high school such as Senior Prom (I never went), graduating from Seminary, being able to participate in high school graduation ceremonies with my friends whom I had known for twelve years, etc. I didn't want to argue, either, because I knew it would only have made Mom feel more guilty for being the main cause of Dad's objections. She often expressed her sadness and feelings of guilt for not being able to be the kind of mother she wanted to be.

So I went on to complete my senior year.