To start at the beginning, I was born in Rawley, California in the Imperial Valley near the Salton Sea. This began one of the most fascinating childhoods anyone could possible imagine. From the time I can remember we were always in an exciting place, meeting new people and doing wonderful things!

My dad worked for a private communications company that did work for the government overseas. This enabled him to travel all over the world and we went with him since both my parents felt that it was important for children to travel too.

Off To Africa

When I was just a few months old we went to Africa to join my dad when he got settled there. We were there about two years. One of my sisters was born there. I have many memories. There was two Arab women who looked after us, my parents talked of them many times since. I remember having a splinter in my finger and their taking it out with a hot needle. And I remember the kids next door and a big white wall.

It was a big thing being an American in Tangiers in those days. As long as you were American they thought you were rich and could afford anything. Things were much cheaper there so we had a big house and four servants who never let my mother do a thing with me. They used to curl my hair and I remember they were always combing my hair and dressing me up pretty and taking me out to show me off because, to them, I was a big thing.

When I was four we moved to Alaska. We lived on a little island in Southern Alaska called Annette Island, right next to Katchecan. I will always remember the seaplane ride to the island. We lived there until I was about eight years old. I remember that very well. The snow and the sleds getting on and off the seaplane. By that time we had added my little brother to the family and we all went together on fishing trips, we'd all help pack.

Brothers & Sisters

I'm 24, the oldest of my brothers and sisters, Janet is next, she is 22; Jimmy is 20 and Susie is 17. That will keep you up-to-date on the members of this traveling family.

From Alaska we went to Hawaii-one extreme to the other. And at the time, neither of them were a State. We always stayed someplace long enough to have a home of some sort. We were in Hawaii just a year when my father was transferred to Wake Island. That's somewhere in the South Pacific and exactly two square miles big! While we lived there we spent the summers in Hawaii. We lived that way for nine groovy years!

Wake Island in the winter during the school year and summers in Hawaii. It was a great place to raise kids. Wake was full of old World War II relics since one of the main battles was fought there. We explored the island constantly. We found old dug outs and old machine guns. We would even find live shells on the beach. We found skeletons of Japanese soldiers and once I found a set of teeth in the road, but we had to turn them in 'cause they like to study all these things. There were great old Japanese bottles and even money.

Water Sports

Much of the island was uninhabited,the people all lived in just one part. There was a swimming hole that was just beautiful. You could see the bottom, the water was perfect and every kid on that island went swimming and water skiing. There is the most wonderful marine life in the world around that area. We used to go diving with masks and spears, it was a great place to grow up.

When I was thirteen my parents had to send me away to school because there was no high school on Wake, just grade school. Instead of going to Hawaii, which was closer, they sent me to Texas, where my mother had gone to school and were we knew more people. It was a Catholic girls boarding school and I went there for two years. It was really great and a really great experience! I was furthest away from home, five thousand miles. Everybody else was from rich families in Texas, Mexico and I think there was a girl from California. I really had a great time. I met a lot of different people from all over and it was fun living in a dorm for a while. They allowed you to date as a freshman, so I did date on the weekends. We would have a date on Friday night or when there was a prom or a movie and that was about it.

Small College

After two years at boarding school, my father was transferred to Hawaii and I got to go home. I was really happy to be back living with my family! It was the first time during my high school years that I knew what it meant to come home after school. When I first got back to Hawaii I was supposed to go to a private school that was sort of the "in" place and I didn't want to go! I wanted to go to the high school in the neighborhood, so I did. It was great! I had a great time mixing with people that were poor and rich and people that were in between. I did the whole high school thing. I ran for homecoming queen. I was runner-up. I loved football and basketball and I just sort of lived a normal teenage life for a couple of years.

After I graduated from high school I went a county college in Hawaii. It was small at the time, only 300 people. I went there for a year and a half and in between I went to summer school at the University of Hawaii. I enjoyed the college. I don't know if I would send a child there. It was a small Catholic college so you are bound to be biased, but they really put more stress on intelligence than religion. They had seminars and discussions, which were neat, and I took advantage of it at the time.

When you're a freshman in college you're more or less having a good time. I was just taking general studies. I was very interested in sewing at that time. I had learned how to sew in high school and had thought about taking up fashion designing, but at the college there was just general curriculum with math and history, so after a year and a half I transferred to the University of Hawaii and took clothing studies. I started majoring in Home Economics and I really liked it. I went there for two years plus summer sessions. It was fun during the summers. The kids from colleges all over the world go to summer session at the University of Hawaii because it's a neat place. You go to school barefoot and take swimming and surfing, for credit!

Off To California

After a year of fashion design I went a visit a friend in Northern California. She was going to Foothill College which is a beautiful place right near where she lived. I went with her when she registered and thought how neat it would be to go away to school, so I inquired. It was no problem all you did was request to have your grades sent so I wrote my parents and asked if it would be okay. They were leery at first, but Ronnie's mom assured my folks that everything would be great and they'd love having me live with them. So I went to school there for a year. I had a great time. It looks like a country club, lots of grass and flowers and everything.

I went home for the summer and back to the University of Hawaii for another summer session still majoring in clothing. I dropped out of school after that session. I had really had enough of college. I was tired. I had been going to school during the summers besides the regular sessions since I'd started college and I really wanted to work for a while.

I found a job in a dress shop. It was really great, a sort of higher priced boutique, but boutiques weren't happening then, four years ago. It was very fashionable and I got to be very good friends with the lady who owned it and I was learning all about clothes from an aspect you h ave to know if that's your field. I had my own apartment that year on Waikiki. I was completely on my own, even though I could go home any time I wanted. I had my car and my apartment and everything. I called home twice a week. I had a good time in Waikiki. I met a lot of people 'cause everybody passes through there and I really enjoyed myself.

We're up to 1966 now.

One of my best girlfriends was a poster girl for the Hawaii Visitors Bureau. She was sort of an official greeter for celebrities she's a beautiful girl. One night she called and asked me if I wanted to go with her to a party for the Monkees. I was tired and said no, I didn't want to go. We've run out of space this month, so next month I'll tell you how I met the Monkees for the very first time!


article via brianne & laura