EDUCATION BEGINS WITH KINDERGARTEN IN CALIFORNIA

We moved to San Clemente, California in 1955. Kindergarten was only a few blocks away and we soon registered our son for his first day of formal education. The couple next door, Bruce and Barbara Mueller had a baby son, and the father was stationed at the nearby Marine base. Barbara walked to school with our four-year-old “helping” with ‘one arm on the baby’s stroller’ as she worded it. Muellers have remained our close friends for over 50 years as we have exchanged visits with Christmas updates. A nice walk in the California sun was a pleasant way to start the day. Bob was familiar with all the General Motors parts and became the parts manager at a local dealership. I worked as a secretary at a local tool firm.

My brother and his wife Anne farmed in northern B.C. and sometimes drove south for a few months to escape the chilly northern Canadian winters. A note from the school said the kindergarten students were invited to bring a younger sibling or a cousin to school to be introduced to their classmates to get the feeling of what school was like. It was the usual workday for Bob and me but Barbara guided them safely to kindergarten. Ken was hesitant about bringing his Canadian cousin to school and the night before worried about what that word “introduced” meant. Alana was already the delightful person she grew up to be and charmed everyone. A brief introduction wasn’t so hard after all and when they returned Anne tells me he was so proud of his cousin and glad to have her with him. They have remained good friends ever since.