I signed up at the College and got a great room in the dormitory along with a senior as a roommate, and three great meals a day at the cafeteria. To help pay for everything, I had to get up at 4:00 am, stoke the furnace so that all the rooms had steam heat, and also join the National Guard where I put in 2 hours each week. At the end of the month, I'd sign my time sheet and they would turn the money over to the College.

I really loved it there. The environment with all the big pine trees sure beat the heck out of the desert. Flagstaff was at 7000 feet elevation, the nights were cool, and the sun was out just about every day.

I was the only quarterback with experience on the team. For the 1939 season, my first, we ended up winning 4 and losing 3. I got banged up only once when we were playing the University of New Mexico freshman team. I took off around end, and a 270-pound tackle grabbed me by the shoulder pads and threw me about 30 feet into the air before I hit the ground. At 140 pounds, I was no heavyweight. I got up and limped over to the bench. Mr. McCreary, the coach, who also was my Commanding Officer in the Guard, hollered for me to get back in there. No way; even today my old knee will pop out all on its own. I guess he thought I was "chicken." I sure never endeared myself to him, and a year later, it really cost me when the National Guard was mobilized for a year.

It was great being up in the snow country at Flagstaff. I learned how to ice skate and when it started to snow, I bought myself an old pair of bamboo skis. Some mornings, we'd walk up an old logging trail for an hour and then come down in 10 minutes doing 60 mph.

One of the courses that I took was the Technique of Teaching Football. It was taught by the head football coach, Mr. Arbelbide. I was asked whether I would tackle or block a fellow running down the side lines. I said I would throw a cross body block on him. Oh he said, the voice of experience talking. Yes, I replied, I've played three years of high school ball. Then he suggested that it was better to tackle the man, to be sure you stopped him. Little did I know that he had been an All-American End for USC. When I did find out who he was, I kept my big mouth shut. It was one of the few classes that I passed while at the College.

A week later, we had a scrimmage game against the second team of the varsity. I was playing safety and one of his boys came around the end wide open. I had a beautiful angle on him and threw a cross body block on him that took him out of the game. I thought Coach Arbelbide was going to kill me. God he was mad.

I had a friend, Michael LiVecche, who said he was trying to date Nancy Crandall, a natural blonde, but wasn't doing any good. I naturally mouthed off and said I bet that I can. He said if you do, I'll let you borrow my car. Sure enough before the week was over, I had a date to go to a dance with her. It later turned into a real romance. I was in love again. I was totally committed; she was really something and a Baptist to boot. I attended church with her and was thinking about being baptized when she dropped me like a hot potato. When I asked her why, she said she walked by the men's dormitory and someone shouted out "I'll bet I can go with you!" She told me that that remark made her realize that I had started going out with her only on a bet. So much for that..

The end of a love affair tends to make you crawl into your shell, but not me. I was out hustling the next day and ended up with a date to go to a movie. She was just fine, but she didn't know how to dance so that was my last date with her.

Having such a great time at school with all my extra-curricular activities, I forgot to study. End of the scholarship, but I couldn't get out of the Guard. I got a job as a bellhop at the Monte Vista Hotel. Basic pay and tips would keep me in school. I signed up for the winter quarter, then went house hunting. I ended up in an attic about three blocks from school. It had a bed, desk, and a bathroom so I was sitting pretty.

When I left the dormitory, I stuffed a beautiful bed spread into my suitcase and the lady who owned the house, made a shirt for me out of the spread. It was really quite some conversation piece at school.

When I was at Hot Springs, I bought a candy-striped shirt which later turned up missing. John Titcomb came by wearing one just like it. I was so glad, I figured I had loaned mine to him. He said no, he had bought his shirt in Phoenix. Words were exchanged so I asked him to go down in the basement of the dormitory and I'd take it off him. We'd fight for five minutes and rest ten minutes, fight five minutes and rest ten minutes. We finally called it a draw when neither of as could lift our arms. He kept his shirt. That Christmas vacation, I found my shirt in Boulder City where I'd left it. Did I apologize? No, I didn't want to.

During Christmas vacation, I got hired on at Boulder Dam as a tour guide. They gave me ten pages of information to memorize which I soon forgot. So I'd embellish as I went along the tour route. I believe I'm the one who started saying that all those crosses on the face of the dam were markers of places where men were killed and buried. They were in such a hurry to finish the dam. Of course that wasn't true.

I worked for a week and a half before they fired me. That isn't what did me in, the telling of long stories. It was when we walked out to the apron of the Power House. We had to pass under a push button door, and when you closed it, it made a hell of a noise. Well I would wait until the last couple was right under it, and then I'd press the button. BANG; they'd duck as if the dam was coming down on them. I'd get the biggest kick out of that. I must have caught the wrong couple because that afternoon they gave me my pink slip.

Back to school in Flagstaff, to skiing, and bell hopping. Occasionally opening a book, but lots of socializing.

I met a real nice guy at the hotel. The first time I saw him, he was walking down the stairs on his hands. He was a salesman for Perrina Feed Company. He asked me if I'd like to go to the Grand Canyon the next day. Great, I'd never been there so I went along with him. When we got there, we walked into the lodge, had a coke then walked out to the terrace. I really wasn't cognizant of where we were as I walked up to the railing. Then I looked down and down and down. I thought I was going to fall into the canyon. Man, did I back track. It really scared me. When I went back again, I crept up to the railing to take in an incredible sight.

Every year at Flagstaff, the Indians from all over the southwest have a Pow Wow at the fairgrounds. The best time to buy jewelry is after the show is over and the Indians have opened their bottles of whiskey. I traded two tee shirts, a pair of Levis and a pint of whiskey for a beautiful brooch, a ring and a bracelet made of silver and black onyx, and a concho belt made of Mexican silver dollars. I gave these to my mom. Later, much later, she game them to your mother. Your mom lost the bracelet, but she will pass the rest on to Shelley.

Notice that I jump around a lot. My old memory just doesn't store everything in one compartment. I just happened to save a brochure that was sent out to interested students that might attend school in Flagstaff. It was for the year 1940, and I quote: #12 question: What is the estimated cost for a nine month school year?

Board and Room $ 234.00

Activity fee 36.00

Library fee 3.00

Books 20.00 to 30.00

Total $ 273.00 to 283.00

Note: The Activity fee includes the year book, dances, athletic games and care by the nurse.

Believe it, it was beautiful!

The name John (Duke) Thayer comes to mind. In January 1940, he sold me a 1928 4-door Buick for $35.00. I drove it to the hotel that afternoon and after work, I wanted to see what it could do. I took it up the steepest hill to the planetarium. It was on the edge of a steep drop off. It had plenty of guts on the way up; on the way down, I dropped it into low gear so I wouldn't go too fast. Some donkey was coming up the hill with his girl friend, and instead of keeping to the right, he pulls over to the left and parks so that they could see the lights of Flagstaff. With his head lights staring me in the face, I put on the brakes. I was only doing about 10 miles an hour but the right wheel grabbed. The road was gravel and I slid off. We were on the edge of a steep drop off. Thank God that my right wheel stopped on top of a flat rock at a 45 degree angle, but my back wheels were still on the shoulder of the road. I climbed out and since no one was hurt, I asked him to pull me back to the road. He had an old rope that he tied to my rear bumper and backed up. I left the front door open just in case something bad should happen. As soon as my front wheel cleared the flat rock, the car started rolling down the hill. I jumped out just as the rope broke. The car turned over five or six times before it crashed into a bunch of trees. I took his name etc., but I never collected. The city made him pay to get the car out so they could junk it. My first car. It was five years later before I bought another one.

The most popular hangout off campus was a little restaurant a block from campus. Here we could learn all the latest gossip, had a good place to pick up a date, or eat a great hamburger. Smoking was in vogue, so to fight fire with fire, I started smoking at age 21.

Another popular eating establishment was a little Mexican restaurant that was run by Julian de Miguel's parents. For 35 to 45 cents, we could get our fill of enchiladas or tortillas and a coke. Julian was also in the National Guard, and ended up one of my best friends in the service.

When track season started, I went out to be their pole vaulter. I was doing 12 feet in high school using the old bamboo poles. I knew I could do better with the better equipment that the college had. I had just cleared 12 feet 8 inches when the coach came over and said I wasn't eligible, my grades were too low. So much for my track career.

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