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.

Spiritual Feast

My, how with age comes increased knowledge and understanding, increased faith in and testimony of the Savior and His restored church, and an increased desire to learn at the feet of God's chosen prophets, seers and revelators. As I listened to the sessions of general conference this weekend, my thoughts drifted back to my early childhood and up to my teen years. I hated those conference weekends. It meant spending hours sitting on the couch, listening to "boring" talks on the radio which I couldn't understand nor appreciate no matter how many times my mom told us kids what a privilege it was to be instructed by living prophets. I could tell that SHE was drinking in every word but not me. I'm sure she hoped that at least we could feel the Spirit as these men spoke if we couldn't understand the words, but I didn't. On occasion, especially when we got a little older, Dad would take us down to the temple grounds for one or more of the conference sessions, and if we got there early enough we were even able to get inside the tabernacle. I admit that I really enjoyed that a whole lot more because you could actually see the speakers and the tabernacle choir as they sang, and I have to admit that I could even feel a special spirit that was there. I remember standing and singing, "We Thank Thee O God for A Prophet, as the prophet entered the building. That's when I really felt something very special. There was even a very spiritual feeling that permeated the beautifully manicured temple grounds during conference sessions. I loved being there.

When I started seminary in high school, my understanding and testimony of the gospel increased and I became more interested in what the leaders had to say, and I listened more carefully to conference talks. I have to admit, however, that I still would often fall asleep. Maybe being able to wear pajamas while I listened had something to do with it. And although television had been invented, only the more wealthy could afford it. That excluded us, so we still had to listen on the radio. Once in a while a group of friends would get together and go to the tabernacle to attend conference. I remember going with Jim several times.

As I listened this week to these special spiritual men and women speak, it struck me as to how fast the time went. I didn 't want the sessions to end. I felt so uplifted, my soul so spiritually fed and enlightened. The Spirit so strongly confirmed the truthfulness of the words they spoke, and I felt such gratitude to my Father and to Jesus Christ for giving me the opportunity to hear and accept the gospel. I also felt a debt of gratitude to my progenitors who received this message and remained faithful, giving me the opportunity to be born under the covenant. Although we all at some time have to gain a testimony of our own, I feel they gave me a head start by making it possible for me to grow up in a gospel centered home. I know now how my mother felt when she tried to help us feel the importance of listening to those "boring" talks.

As I tried to remember all of the prophets that I have been privileged to hear over the years, I remember at least nine beginning with Heber J. Grant. That was the first one that I remember. The others were George Albert Smith, David O. McKay, Joseph Fielding Smith, Harold B. Lee, Ezra Taft Benson, Spencer W. Kimball, Howard W. Hunter, and Gordon B. Hinckley. I don't know if they are in the right order or if I left one out. Ask your Primary kids. They will know.

I want all of you to know how much I love the Lord...how much He has blessed me over the years. I stand in awe at the love and peace he has brought into my life and to lives of my family. I have a renewed desire to serve Him and to remain faithful to the covenants I have made. May this be your goal, too. I love you all.

The Flame Begins to Flicker

The trip to California on a Greyhound bus seemed long and boring. There was really no one to talk to because I was traveling alone and no one interesting occupied the seat next to me. Christmas with my family had been special as usual, but the "high" of preparing for and celebrating on that day was beginning to wear off. But I was excited about taking my first trip to California, Walnut Creek in northern California, even if it was by myself. And I was anxious to see Nick and his family again. They had invited me to come down during Christmas break, and I had saved my money so I could go. Looking back I can't believe my parents would even consider letting me travel alone at age fifteen.

The first thing that struck me when I arrived at the Snel house was the Christmas tree. It was not very large, but what seemed strange to me was the type of tree it was. I had never seen one like it before. It was one of those that had a single ring of branches around the trunk, then a space of bare trunk and then another ring of branches. etc. etc. I don't know the name of that kind of pine tree, but to me it looked so bare and ugly. I thought, "they must really be struggling financially not to be able to buy a nice tree." I've since found out that this style of tree is not necessarily cheap, just different, and I guess some people like them.

I actually don't remember a whole lot about what we did while I was there. I know that Nick was working at a theater as an usher. Back then movie theaters actually had ushers that used flashlights to usher patrons to their seats. No more! I remember that he gave me a set of dishes that he had won in some incentive program at his work and a record (no CDs or tapes back then) of Mario Lanza, my favorite singer who was also an actor. He sang light opera and performed in several movies before he died at a young age. What I remember most was that I just didn't have that good a time...the spark just wasn't there anymore. When I got back home I gave the dishes away, but I did listen to the record a lot. I still like Mario Lanza.

Eventually I quit writing, and so did he. When Jim saw that I was dating other guys, he asked me out more often, usually to group activities. We would go to the drive-in movies with friends (one time we drove our car in backwards and told the man at the ticket booth that we were just going out. He laughed and let us in free), play "tag" in cars (we only did that once because we were almost in an accident. Jim was driving...very dangerous play), to seminary parties at Saratoga Springs (a favorite resort and swimming pool), to parties of mutual friends and church firesides. During one fireside in January it snowed so hard that all the cars were snowed in. No one could get out, so everyone there had to spend the night. That turned out to be a fun night. We had a lot of common friends because we all attended church together. Some of those mutual friends were Leah Rae Green after whom our own Lea was named, and the Maxfield triplets, Merrill, Dick and Geniel. He was best friends with Dick and Merrill while Geniel was one of mine.

I always had fun when I went out with Jim, even though he was a little wild when he was a teenager. He used to see how fast he could drive to Brigham City (sometimes cutting school) to see a girl he knew there. I was never went with him on those trips, however, but he would let me know when he had set a new record. I wasn't impressed. I thought he was pretty stupid to risk getting a ticket or losing his life. I wasn't with him either when he rolled the car one night while driving down a canyon road. Fortunately he wasn't hurt, but the car didn't fare so well. There were times when I thought I should just wait a while to date him until he grew up a bit. Our off and on dates continued into my junior year. You can tell that nothing serious was developing by his entry in my yearbook.
"Jonita (no dear),
Writing in your book brings back a lot of pleasant memories dating about three
years. We had a lot of fun and it was great knowing you and your whole family.
Well, I'll be seeing you around. Best wishes in the future.
As always,
Jim Mortensen"

Jim was then a senior and was planning to join the Air Force, so I knew I wouldn't be seeing him for a while. That made me a little sad, but I was still young, and there was still time.

A Day at the Bakery

I worked my first two years in high school at Dunford Bakery in Sugarhouse. That chain still exists today. If you can picture a waitress in a restaurant in the early fifties, that would be how we had to dress...stiff white dress with maroon cuffs and collar and a little maroon head piece. The uniforms were provided but kept at the store. So we had to change when we went to work.

My first assignment was as the "cookie girl". It was my responsibility to fill all of the cookie orders that came in each day and keep the front counters stocked with fresh cookies. Back in those days there were no bakeries in the grocery stores (we didn't have super markets, only grocery stores) so bakery provided wooden boxes with glass fronts to hold cookies which they could order. It was my job to fill those orders. The favorite cookie was date nut. After filling all the orders I would then take the rest of the freshly baked cookies (racks and racks of them) off the cooking trays and arrange them on trays to be put out in the display cases. When all this was done I could go home. I enjoyed my work unless it was a day that they baked chocolate cream filled cookies, about once a week. Besides my regular work, it was my job to fill all of those cookies with vanilla icing by squeezing it on one wafer and topping it with another. It was very time consuming which meant longer working hours on that day. If I had a lot of homework on those days it was very stressful.

Later on I was taught how to wait on customers out in front. That was a lot more fun. We used a regular old cash register which didn't figure out change like the computers today. So we had to use our own math skills to make correct change...something that I find younger clerks today just cannot do. I laugh quietly inside when I see them get so confused when you give them extra bills or coins so you won't get back a lot of one dollar bills. I think you know what I mean. We had to operate a bread slicer to cut whole loaves of bread. It could be a little dangerous if you weren' t careful. The new ones I've seen today are a lot safer. On days when my eczema kicked up, they would find work for me to do in the back as I'm sure customers who would see my inflamed skin would have some concerns. I'll always appreciate the manager of that store making accommodations so I could work. My salary started at $.75 an hour and worked up to $1.00 an hour.

The best part of my job was that we were allowed to eat anything we wanted as long as it was on our own time. I only took about a week before I could hardly stand the sight of all that sugar. I admit I gorged that first week, but hardly ate anything after that except hot bread right out of the oven slathered with lots of real butter that we also sold in the store. I think our boss knew the wisdom of his "eat all you want" philosophy. Employees and their families were able to buy products t 50% off, which was a nice bonus that my mom appreciated. While working there I actually bought a musical wedding cake topper that I saved for five years until it finally found its' place on our wedding cake.

Working at Dunford Bakery still brings fond memories. I worked there for two years, then quit working during my senior year. Mother's health was deteriorating and she needed more of my help since Claire was married and Georgia was working full time. I feel there is great value in young people working and paying their own way as much as possible. I know it was the case for me.

A Haunting Day in My Life

I have heard and read that when writing about your life you should not just include the things that make you look good. You should include the less than positive experiences that will make the reader know that you were human, that you made mistakes, and that hopefully you learned from those mistakes. I've mentioned several of those mistakes already, but I want to include an experience that I had at this point in my life that I will always remember with regret.

I had been taking cello lessons from an older man from a foreign country (I don't know which one but it could have been Germany because of the accent.) He lived alone on the northwest part of town in an old, old, dreary dark house. I really didn't enjoy going there, but he was an excellent player, but not that good a teacher. He was first cellist in the Utah Symphony Orchestra and seemed to have little patience for us less talented and less committed students. And he had a dislike for Mormons as I discovered one day when he began talking very negatively about the Church and its' members during my lesson. Then he turned to me and said, "You're not one of them are you?" Instead of standing tall and defending my beliefs, I began making excuses like, "Well, my parents are Mormons so I didn't have a say in where I went to church"...or something like that. As soon as the words were out of my mouth I began to feel terrible, but still wasn't valiant enough to correct what I had said. Although I was just fifteen, I did have a growing testimony of the church thanks to the teachings and strong testimonies of my mom and dad. Had I personally studied and prayed for a testimony of my own? Not really...not yet. I think I felt like the apostle Peter must have felt after denying Christ three times. And here in a different but similar circumstance I was doing the same thing. My thoughts also went to the prophet Joseph Smith who at the age of fourteen was spiritually mature enough to be permitted to actually see and talk to the Father and the Son. He had studied and inquired of the Lord for answers to his questions. He had paid the price at the age of fourteen. I will never forget how I felt that day. But the positive thing that came from this experience was that committed that day to pay the price to get my own personal conviction of the truthfulness of the restored gospel and not to depend so heavily on the testimony of my parents, especially my mother.

I continued to take lessons for a short while until one day as I was on the bus on the way to my lesson when I had a strong impression not to go. I got off the bus to make a transfer as I had always done when that strong feeling came again not to get on the next bus but to go back home. At this point I listened and obeyed and never went back. I don't know what would have happened if I had ignored that prompting and never will. But knowing the spirit that I had felt while in that home taking lessons, I knew the Lord was warning me of some impending danger if I continued to go.

Once again I reflected on my patriarchal blessing and its' promise that I would be "protected from evil designing men and women" all the days of my life. I truly believe that it was the Lord keeping His promise to me that day. And as I thanked Him that night in my prayers, I had a feeling of great peace knowing that He still loved me and had forgiven me.

My Sophomore Year

Although I was still a little apprehensive about starting high school, my sister, Georgia, had prepared me somewhat as to what to expect. She was a senior this year, as would have been my sister, Claire, had she not gotten married that summer. Claire was a year older than Georgia, but had been held back a year in elementary school. She married a returned missionary whom she
had dated a few times before his mission. (I had been a bridesmaid.)

I enjoyed my classes, especially art and orchestra. The arts department at Granite was exceptional. They put on a class A musical production every year which involved the students in the art department painting all the scenery and the music department providing all the vocal and instrumental music. There was SO much talent at that school! This year's production was "Song of Norway", the life of Edvard Grieg. Because I was in the orchestra we practiced the music for months, and how I loved it. But because I had begun to work after school, I was unable to be at all the practices so I wasn't allowed to play for the actual performances. But I did volunteer to usher so I could just be there each night and listen to that beautiful music. I give credit to the music department, especially the orchestra for developing in me a love for classical and semi-classical music.

Just a few months after starting school, I was able to get a job at Dunford Bakery in Sugarhouse where my sister, Georgia also worked. With a work permit, fifteen year old students were allowed to work. (I was fifteen) Permits were issued by the school dependent on
having and maintaining good grades. On the days that I worked I would take the public bus to work and to home afterward. I was now expected to buy all my own clothes and pay all my own expenses. That was OK with me as it gave me a feeling of maturity and independence which all teens want. It also gave me valuable experience in managing money, setting goals, and establishing priorities.

Did I have a favorite teacher that year? Yes. It was Mrs. Hollingsworth who taught American History. I loved her philosophy of teaching. It seems that she had a personal relationship with every student. Each one felt that they were the most important...that she really cared about you. I think what I like the most was that she never failed anyone on a test. She believed and often stated that the things you miss on a test are the things that you will most likely always remember. Tests were a teaching tool for her, so she would always give you a second chance to pass it. With my last "boyfriend", Nick, in California and with no "going steady" commitments, I actually went on a few dates that Sophomore year. To mention a few and the outcomes:

• Laurence (Laurie) Lyon - ( If you look, you will see his name as a composer or arranger of some of the hymns in our LDS hymnbook.) Knew him since grade school. Took me to a movie on a bus...too young (15) to drive. Had wandering hands. Never dated him again.
• Warren Burton - Fellow cello player in the orchestra. From a well known musical family at the time. Several OK dates. Invited me to his home for dinner one Sunday. Mom left to run errand. Asked us to watch rolls in oven. Rolls burned. Never dated again.
• "Tooele" guy - Can't remember his name or how I met him since he was from Tooele. Asked if he could come see me on Sunday. (First "date") Totally forgot he was coming. Went for a drive but ended up at a movie. Yes, it was Sunday. Felt so guilty that I let him talk me into going that I didn't ever want to see him again. (My parents never knew)
• My sweet Jim - When he saw I was dating other guys (he hated them all) he asked me to a Seminary dance at the Old Mill in East Mill Creek Canyon. The " Old Mill" was just that...an old lumber mill that had been restored and used as a reception or multi-use hall). Had a wonderful time! Drove me home from school several times after that and even let me drive the car even though I had never driven before. (Must have a great guardian angel...either him or me!)

Highlight and biggest disapointment of my Sophomore year was when our great basketball team played for the state championship at the University of Utah. I love sports and had gone to as many football and basketball games that I could. It was the most exciting game I have ever watched, but we lost in the last few seconds. I thought I would never get over that loss. This was MY team. It was the only time that any of our sports teams went to state finals while I was at Granite.

Boy, Have High Schools Changed!

My, have high schools changed! As I began reflecting on my high school years, and looking through my old year books, even I had to smile. In some ways they were definitely better, and in others the schools today have the edge. Let me begin by describing Granite High School, my alma mater. It was about four miles from home and was one of the oldest high schools in Salt Late, consisting of three major buildings. The "L" building (I'm not sure what the L stood for) was the original and oldest of the three. It had three stories of classrooms and a basement swimming pool. The "S" (science) building) housed science, English, foreign language, and art classes. It was two stories high. The newest and best of all the buildings was the Cultural Arts Bldg. and Gymnasium. The theater in this building was "state of the art" in that day. It had a large stage with fly tower, soft theater seats that were on a slope, and even a balcony where yearly performances of popular musicals were put on. This building also contained a large gymnasium for sports, and a smaller girl's gym. There were also classrooms for band and orchestra as well as a basement rooms which were used mostly for storage. Somewhere on campus was space for Home Economics (which included home nursing), auto mechanics, wood shop, business (typing and shorthand) and farm management. I never took any of these classes so I had no idea where they were.

There was no lack of clubs you could join if you had the time for extra curricular activities. There was Gamma Mu Sigma (math club), Pro Lita (literature club), Glee Club (vocal music), Language(French and Spanish), Drama, Commercial (business), Pep Club (Farmerettes), Music, Future Farmers of America, and Swim Club, just to mention a few. Needless to say I didn't have time for clubs until the Civil Air Patrol was introduced on campus in my junior year. I have always been interested in aviation, so I took a class in aeronautics and joined the CAP. More about that later.

We were furnished individual lockers, much like today, in which to store our coats and books. Lockers were inside all buildings, so you might have to run quite far to get to your locker if it was not in a building where most of your classes were. We didn't use backpacks to carry our books....I don't think they even existed back then. We just carried our books in our arms on top of our three ring binders. And yes, we had homework which required us to carry our books that way all the way home, even in the rain and snow.

Because we had three years in junior high school, I was fifteen when I began as a sophomore at Granite. Much like today my classes consisted of English, History, Math (Algebra), science and Seminary. I continued on with art and orchestra as my electives. You may wonder about that "Seminary" class. Yes, it was one of my classes. In Utah back then (maybe even today) we had released time from school to attend seminary. It was just like another class during the day. The Church had a seminary building with four classrooms across the street from the school. The classes taught during the three years were Old Testament, New Testament, and Church History...no Book of Mormon.

Competitive sports at our high school included football, basketball, baseball, tennis, track, golf, and skiing....boys teams only with the exception of skiing. There were no other sports in which girl's could compete unless you call cheerleading and Pep Club sports. Talk about discrimination!! But way back in the early fifties we hardly knew the meaning of that word. It was rarely used like it is today in demanding equal rights. I was never really concerned about so called "equal rights" for women (girls). I was happy just being who I was. I never felt deprived of anything.

This was probably a boring overview of my high school, but next I will share my personal experiences while there which I'm sure will be much more interesting.