Thursday, September 11, 2014

Judy in Fort Collins Summer of 1956




Here are three pictures of Judy (and Velna and Russell) taken in Fort Collins the summer of 1956 when Judy came to stay with us and I wangled a job for her in our Department of Economics on the top floor of the administration building.  No one had ever seen these photos until this morning, including me, so they were a complete and pleasant surprise.  The negatives for these pictures were almost completely black and I remember how disappointed I was at the time not to have some pictures of Judy to remember her stay with us.  But then I didn't have fancy schmancy photo editing software in 1955.  I hesitantly began to edit these three black pictures a few minutes ago, and look what came out! Velna and I were living on South College Ave in Fort Collins by the Spudnut Shop, a block from the north end of the campus.  And, of course, the railroad went right through the middle of town and right through the Colorado A & M (then, now Colorado State University) campus.  We had cheap rent since the upstairs was a sorority annex and we were the sorority girl tenders and had to break up the porch clinches at ll:00 p.m. at night and send the little darlings off upstairs to bed. 

Velna is expecting second son Ron, who we did not know then was Ron in the dark ages of OB-GYN, who was born August 17.  Two weeks later, baby Ron, Russell, and Velna took off for Ann Arbor Michigan to begin my work for a Ph.D. in economics.  We had no place to stay when we got there, barely enough from our meager research assistantship funds to buy some groceries at the A & P, and discovered that everyone in Michigan drank gallons of Vernor's ginger ale.

But how delighted I am that these three photos of Judy have come to light after nearly sixty years of reposing in darkness!  And now Judy must write another chapter titled "My summer in Fort Collins" just like I used to report on "What I did over Saturday and Sunday" in the second grade.  At least for the first six weeks, when I was kicked out of the second grade for what?  Utter boredom?  Creative fiction on what I made up about what I did over Saturday and Sunday?  Or maybe Miss Black just couldn't stand me any more and wanted to pawn me off to Miss Joneson, my wonderful third grade teacher who didn't try to get rid of me.  And then I had her again for junior high math.




4 comments:

Elizabeth said...

So glad that Dwight is doing some resurrection of old pictures that we've never seen! Good going!

Judy said...

That job was so far above my head. Most of it was typing....with three sheets of carbon for a total of 4 copies. The data I was typing was unfamiliar which made it all of the harder. I was probably not a good investment, but I did feel pretty grownup. Velna was a great example of a young housewife....cleaning, cooking, taking care of Russell....and Dwight. Loved the spudnut shop. Could always smell them cooking.

Ann said...

Loved that dress, Judy. I always felt you were being a little "risque" not wearing the jacket.

Judy said...

A little? but we wore other sleeveless shirts.