[ 182 ]

Appendices

[ 183 ]The following is a list of notable people who appear in Val’s diary. Names are organized alphabetically, by first or last name, as they are referenced in the diary.

A

Al A.E. (Al) Swanson. See Swanson, Al and Lola.

Albert Albert Jacobs. See Jacobs, Albert and Elizabeth.

Allen, Ole Member of the Kingsburg school board, lived next door to a small house on an apricot orchard outside Kingsburg where Mead and Val lived 1930-31.

Amy Amy Satterberg. See Satterberg, Amy.

Anderson, Ejnar Local farmer in Kingsburg, close friend of Mead and Val’s. Married to Vera. They had three daughters, Audrey, Kelly and JoAnn.

Anderson, Lida Neighbor in Kingsburg. Lived on Ventura Street, on property that backed up to the side of Val and Mead’s property. Married to Paul Anderson. They had two daughters, Eva Ruth and Eloise (see Eloise).

Anderson, Mr. and Mrs. C.A. “Barber”

Neighbors in Kingsburg. Lived in the vineyard across the street from Val and Mead’s house (the vineyard was owned by Mrs. Carlson).

Anderson, Mr. and Mrs. Otto Friends in Kingsburg. Mrs. Anderson was previously married to Anders Gustav (Gust) Satterberg. They had three children, Lily (who later married Ejnar Peterson), Evira (who later married Eric Carlson) and Milt. After Gust died, Mrs. Satterberg married Otto Anderson and together they had a son, Stan Anderson.

Anderson, Mrs. See Anderson, Mr. and Mrs. Otto.

Anderson, Paul Local businessman in Kingsburg. Paul was married to Lida Anderson, and father of Eloise Anderson (see Eloise). Paul drew the plans for the adobe.

Anderson, Stan Athlete at Kingsburg High School. Later named All-American athlete at Stanford. Stan was Otto and Mrs. Anderson’s son, and was half brother to Lily, Walt and Elvira Satterberg. (See Anderson, Mr. and Mrs. Otto)

Aney, Mrs. (also spelled Ainey) Seamstress and hat maker in Kingsburg.

Appendix: People

PEOPLE

[ 184 ]

Angie Angie Lobdell. Childhood friend of Val’s. Married to Paul W. Pierce. Lived in Altadena, California. Val and the family visited her on one of their trips to the Rose Parade in Pasadena.

Audra Audra Tegelberg. Jean’s close friend in Kingsburg. Lived two houses down on 14th Avenue.

B

Bell, Milton Student at Kingsburg High School.

Barnes, Mrs. Church friend in Kingsburg.

Batten, Mildred Teacher at Kingsburg High School. Member of the Legion Auxiliary. Mildred’s husband, Richard, delivered packages for the Post Office.

Beeman, Mrs. (Lil) Member of the Legion Auxiliary in Kingsburg. Lil’s husband, Ted, was the town’s Southern Pacific station agent.

Berness Berness Bunger. Val’s sister-in-law (Mead’s sister).

Betty Betty Bunger. Val’s sister-in-law (Fred S. Bunger’s wife).

Betty Jr. Betty Bunger. Val’s niece (Fred S. and Betty Bunger’s daughter).

Beverley Beverly Carlson. Jean’s best friend in Kingsburg. Beverly was the cousin and next-door neighbor of Jim’s friend Richard L. “Swede” Olson.

Bill Fred Bill Fred Bunger. Val’s nephew (Fred S. and Betty Bunger’s son).

Blake, Mrs. Worker at Bunger’s Farm Cellar, the farm stand in Wheatridge, Colorado.

Bonander, Mrs. Church friend in Kingsburg.

Bostrum, Mrs. Member of Fidelis in Kingsburg.

Boyle, Daisy Member of the Legion Auxiliary in Kingsburg.

Breed, Miss English teacher at Kingsburg High School. Jeanne and Louise also took choir classes from her in summer school.

Brewer, Mr. (Butch) Mead’s friend and hunting companion in Kingsburg. Butch was the town butcher and owned the slaughter house.

Bromark, Lillian Member of Fidelis in Kingsburg.

Bud Howard Bunger, Jr. Val’s nephew (Howard and Ruth Bunger’s son).

Bunger, Dad Mead’s father, Fred Bunger.

Bunger, David Val’s nephew (Mills and Ethel Bunger’s son). Married to Ruth. During World War II, David was an Army officer stationed at Camp San Luis Obispo, California. David and Ruth had one son, Don.

Bunger, Grandma Mead’s mother, Emma Mead Bunger.

PEOPLE

[ 185 ]

Bunger, Grandpa Mead’s father, Fred Bunger.

Bungo, Harry Farmer and friend in Kingsburg. Harry and his family were sent to a Japanese Relocation Camp at the start of WWII. Val and Mead took over management of the Bungo’s farm to harvest the crops after the family left.

Burgeson, Mrs. Neighbor in Kingsburg who helped Val with household chores and did hemstitching.

C

Carlson, Elvira Elvira (Satterberg) Carlson was Lily (Satterberg) Peterson’s sister. She and her husband Eric lived in Taft, where he worked for Standard Oil Company. They had one son, Lester.

Carlson, Mrs. Neighbor in Kingsburg who helped Val care for Fred.

Catlin, Mr. and Mrs. Neighbors in Kingsburg. Mr. Catlin was the principal of Kingsburg High School until 1941. Mrs. Catlin was a member of the Faculty Wives, and the librarian at the town’s public library.

Chaplin, Rose and Mrs. Rose Chaplin was a respected social studies teacher at Kingsburg High School. She lived with her mother, Mrs. Chaplin. Mrs. Chaplin was often included in Faculty Wives events.

Christianson, Mrs. Etta Christianson. Member and president of the Tuesday Club in Kingsburg. Her husband Lorenze (Lorry) owned a garage and Chevrolet dealership in town.

Cliff Cliff Roberts. Val’s nephew (Leila and Paul Roberts’ son).

Coralita Coralita Carlson. Louise’s best friend in Kingsburg. Daughter of John U. Carlson (see John U.).

Croft, Ruth Anderson English teacher at Kingsburg High School. Ruth served as Grand Marshall of Kingsburg’s Swedish Days parade in 2011.

Courtney Courtney Thorell. See Thorell, Courtney.

Coutolenc, Don Val’s nephew (Gene and Elsie Coutolenc’s son).

D

Dad Mead’s father, Fred Bunger.

Danielson, Don Jim’s friend in Kingsburg. Member of Jim’s Cub Scout Den. Son of Fred and Fern Danielson.

Danielson, Fern Neighbor in Kingsburg. Member of the Legion Auxiliary. Fern and her husband Fred lived around the corner from Val and Mead, on Ventura Avenue. They had two sons, Don and Darrel (known as “Cutie”) and one daughter, Dorothy.

David David Bunger. See Bunger, David.

PEOPLE

[ 186 ]

Davis, Marcellus and Hannah Family friends in Kingsburg. Marcellus was a farmer and member of the Legion. Hannah was a member of the Legion Auxiliary. They had two sons, Kent and Erwin.

Devereaux, Grace Nurse at all Kingsburg schools. Grace had a great influence on the health of the community. She lived to age 101.

Dodson, Dickie Richard Dodson. Oldest son of Murl and Mildred Dodson. Val often babysat Dickie.

Dodson, Murl and Mildred Close family friends in Kingsburg. Murl was a social studies teacher at Kingsburg High School and Mildred was a member of the Faculty Wives. They had two sons, Richard (Dickie) and David.

Dormer, Mr. and Mrs. Friends in Colorado.

Douglas P. Douglas Peterson. Oldest son of Ejnar and Lily Peterson.

Dwinelle Dwinelle Walmsley. Jean’s friend in Kingsburg. Her father worked for Standard Oil and the family was transferred out of Kingsburg in seventh or eighth grade.

E

Eda Eda Lindstrom. Neighbor in Kingsburg. Eda inherited a vineyard from her father. The farm was located just north of Val and Mead’s house, the last house on 14th Avenue. Eda ran the farm on her own. Jeanne remembers that she had an enormous fig tree outside their back door and nearly lived under it in the summer. She also remembers Eda smelling like coal oil as the Lindstroms had no electricity and used coal oil for cooking, heating and lights. Eda raised chickens (Val got many chickens from her) and had a Jersey cow that gave very rich milk.

Edith Edit Satterberg. See Satterberg, Edith.

Ejnar Ejnar Anderson. See Anderson, Ejnar.

Elberg, Mr. and Mrs. Church friends in Kingsburg.

Elberg, Oscar Contractor in Kingsburg who worked on the adobe. Oscar had two daughters, Alice and Juanita. Juanita had polio.

Eliz Colorado reference: Elizabeth Jacobs. See Jacobs, Albert and Elizabeth.Kingsburg reference: Elizabeth Pierce. See Pierce, Elizabeth.

Elmer Elmer Templin. See Templin, Elmer and Rhoda.

Eloise Eloise Anderson. Close friend of Louise’s in Kingsburg. Daughter of Paul and Lida Anderson.

Elsie Elsie (Davis) Coutolenc. Val’s sister-in-law (Gene Coutolenc’s wife).

Elvira Elvira Carlson. See Carlson, Elvira.

Enid Enid Newcomb. Friend of Louise’s in Kingsburg. She moved away from Kingsburg during grammar school.

Elwin Elwyn Schwartz. Music teacher at Kingsburg High School. Jean’s piano teacher. Married to LaVerne Schwartz.

Erickson, Oscar Public Works Supervisor in Kingsburg.

PEOPLE

[ 187 ]

Ericksons Friends in Kingsburg. Mrs. Erickson was a member of Fidelis.

Ethel Member of the Legion Auxiliary in Kingsburg.

Ewan, Mrs. Neighbor in Kingsburg. Mrs. Ewan often attended night school with Val. Her husband, Gilbert, taught science at Kingsburg High School.

F

Fannie May Fannie May (Templin) Bunger. Val’s sister-in-law (Myron Bunger’s wife).

Florence Florence Rudholm. Neighbor in Kingsburg who came to help Val with household chores. She was one of eleven children. Her family lived at 14th Avenue and Sierra Street.

Forsblad, Hazel Elementary school teacher in Kingsburg. Lived in the only other adobe house in town.

Frane, Elva Member of the Faculty Wives in Kingsburg. Her husband, Truman Frane, was the Agriculture teacher at Kingsburg High School. Their daughter, Betty, was Jeanne’s friend and classmate.

Fred Fred S. Bunger. Val’s brother-in-law (Mead’s brother). Married to Betty.

Fred, Freddy, Frederick Frederick Eugene Bunger. Val and Mead’s youngest son.

G

Gene Eugene D. Coutolenc. Val’s brother. Married to Elsie. They had two children, Don and Marjorie.

Giannini, Mrs. Neighbor in Kingsburg. Mother of Pete Giannini, an athlete at Kingsburg High School. Sister-in-law of A.P. Giannini, the founder of Bank of America.

Gordy Gordy Thorell. Worked on the adobe house in Kingsburg with his brother, Courtney Thorell.

Gust Gust Carlson. One of the plumbers who worked on the adobe in Kingsburg.

Gustafson, Ejnar and Helen Neighbors in Kingsburg. Ejnar Gustafson was the older brother of LeRoy Gustafson, the superintendant of the grammar school district.

Gustafson, Melvin Athlete at Kingsburg High School.

H

Haggmark, Mr. Carpenter who formed a crew to work on an Army construction project in Lemoore.

Hanby, Lloyd Shop teacher at Kingsburg High School. His daughter Phyllis was in Jeanne’s class.

Hannah Hannah Davis. See Davis, Marcellus and Hannah.

PEOPLE

[ 188 ]

Hanson, Vic Athlete at Kingsburg High School.

Haskells Local farmers in Kingsburg who had a unique cactus garden.

Henderson, Grace Member of the Faculty Wives in Kingsburg. Her husband George was the business teacher at Kingsburg High School.

Hizel, Mr. Farmer and apple grower in Wheatridge, Colorado.

Holman Holman Bunger. Val’s brother-in-law (Mead’s brother). Married to Heine.

Howard Howard Bunger. Val’s brother-in-law (Mead’s brother). Married to Ruth.

I

Ida Ida (Coutolenc) Logan. Val’s sister. Married to Orwell Logan. They had one daughter, Leonie.

J

Jacobs, Albert and Elizabeth (Eliz.)

Friends who lived above Fred Bunger’s house in Wheatridge, Colorado and worked at Bunger’s Farm Cellar.

Jean, Jeanne Jean Bunger (later changed the spelling of her name to Jeanne).Val and Mead’s oldest daughter.

Jim, Jimmy James Mead Bunger. Val and Mead’s oldest son.

Johanson, Paul Athlete at Kingsburg High School. Boy Scout leader of Jim’s Cub Scout Pack.

John U. John U. Carlson. Neighbor in Kingsburg. Owned a team of mules and, later, a tractor Mead borrowed to plow. Married to Helen. Their daughter Coralita was Louise’s best friend, and Louise spent many hours and days with the Carlson family and accompanied them on trips.

Joyce Ann Joyce Ann Magnuson. Next door neighbor in Kingsburg. Daughter of Ed and Hildur Magnuson. Contracted polio and died in 1952.

K

Kulgren, Anna Friend and neighbor in Kingsburg. Member of the Legion Auxiliary and the Tuesday Club. Anna’s husband Harry owned the service station next to the high school. Harry and Anna had two children, Jean and Janice. The family lived around the corner from Val and Mead’s house, on Ventura Avenue.

L

Larson, Alan Athlete at Kingsburg High School.

Larson, Dr. A.E. Town doctor in Kingsburg. Dr. Larson delivered Jim, Louise and Fred.

PEOPLE

[ 189 ]

Larson, Henrietta Neighbor in Kingsburg. Henrietta was the eldest daughter of the Tegelbergs. She and her husband Bert had a new house built across the street from her parents on 14th Avenue. It was the first new house built in the neighborhood.

LaVerne LaVerne Schwartz. See Schwartz, LaVerne.

Leaf, Mr. Neighbor in Kingsburg. The Leaf family was quite poor, and Mr. Leaf bought milk for his family from Val and Mead. Jim also recalls carrying a two-quart jar of milk to kindergarten every day; the teachers gave the milk to the other students.

Leander, Mr. Seventh grade teacher at Roosevelt School in Kingsburg. He had come to town as a teenager to live with an uncle during the Depression. During that time, Mead took him under his wing. He returned to teach in Kingsburg after he received his teaching credential.

Leila Leila (Coutolenc) Roberts. Val’s sister. Married to Paul Roberts. They had two sons, Winston and Cliff.

Leland Leland Peterson. See Peterson, Leland.

Leonie Leonie Logan. Val’s niece (Ida and Orwell Logan’s daughter).

Lidvall, Jennie Nurse at Concordia Lutheran Home in Kingsburg, a retirement and nursing home for and supported by members of the Lutheran Church. She had also nursed at the Kingsburg Sanitarium (hospital).

Lily Lily Peterson. See Peterson, Ejnar and Lily.

Linda, Miss Teacher at Washington School in Kingsburg. Later became the school’s principal. Jim’s second grade teacher, and Louise’s first grade teacher.

Lindstrom, Mr. Neighbor in Kingsburg. Mr. Lindstrom owned a vineyard just north of Val and Mead’s, on 14th Avenue. After he died, his daughter Eda ran the farm on her own. See Eda Lindstrom.

Lineman, Ann Ann Linman. Mother of Betty Jo, Fern, Jane and Russell. Betty Jo was in Jeanne’s class; Jane and Russell were in Louise’s Sunday School class. The family were members of the Baptist Church in Kingsburg.

Lois Lois (Bunger) Sauer. Val’s sister-in-law (Mead’s sister). Married to Conrad William (Bill) Sauer.

Lola Lola Swanson. See Swanson, Al and Lola.

Louise Louise Amelia Bunger. Val and Mead’s youngest daughter.

Luda Luda Bunger. Val’s sister-in-law (Mead’s sister).

Lumpe, Frank Shop teacher and football coach at Kingsburg High School. Frank was a football enthusiast who formed and outfitted two youth football teams in Kingsburg. See Explanatory Notes, November 9, 1940.

M

Magnuson, Laura Next door neighbor in Kingsburg. Daughter of Ed and Hildur. Married Royal Anderson.

PEOPLE

[ 190 ]

Magnuson, Ed and Hildur Next door neighbors in Kingsburg. Owned and operated Magnuson’s Hardware, the General Electric appliance dealer in town. They had three children, Joyce Ann, Laura and Virgil.

Mama Val’s mother, Amelie Rochat Coutolenc.

Marcellus Marcellus Davis. See Davis, Marcellus and Hannah.

Margie Marjorie Bunger. Val’s niece (Howard and Ruth Bunger’s daughter).

Margie Marjory Coutolenc. Val’s niece (Gene and Elsie Coutolenc’s daughter).

Mead, Tom and Lucile Tom was Mead’s cousin (Elwood Mead’s son). Lucile was Tom’s wife. The Meads lived in Boulder City, Nevada, where Tom worked for the Bureau of Reclamation. They had two sons, Elwood and Orren.

Melvin Melvin Gustafson. Athlete at Kingsburg High School.

Melvin Melvin Satterberg. Son of Milt and Edith Satterberg.

Mildred Mildred Dodson. See Dodson, Murl and Mildred.

Milt Milt Satterberg. See Satterberg, Milt and Edith.

Morgue, Esther Val’s friend from her teaching days in Durham, California.

Morgan, Jack Athlete at Kingsburg High School.

Morines Family friends in Kingsburg. Prominent farming family. They had a daughter, Jewel.

Murl Murl Dodson. See Dodson, Murl and Mildred.

Myron Myron Bunger. Val’s brother-in-law (Mead’s brother). Married to Fannie May.

N

Nelson, Bertha Member of Fidelis in Kingsburg.

Newcomb, Mrs. Member of Fidelis in Kingsburg.

Nordstrum, Bud and Pearl Friends in Kingsburg. Pearl was a member of the Legion Auxiliary. Their son, Jon, was in Louise’s class.

Nystrom, Elsie Church friend in Kingsburg. Mother of Dan Nystrom.

O

Orwell Orwell Logan. Val’s brother-in-law (Ida (Coutolenc) Logan’s husband).

PEOPLE

[ 191 ]

P

Palm, Alma Church friend in Kingsburg.

Palm, Beverley and Lincoln Church friends in Kingsburg.

Palm, Victor Church friend in Kingsburg.

Palmer, Mr. Former teacher at Kingsburg High School. Married to Ruth Palmer.

Palmer, Ruth Member of the Faculty Wives in Kingsburg. Wife of Mr. Palmer, who taught shop or agriculture classes at Kingsburg High School before Jean and Jim attended.

Papa Val’s father, Eugene F. Coutolenc.

Paulson, Miss Eighth grade teacher at Roosevelt School in Kingsburg.

Paulson, Mrs. Eunice Paulson. Lola (Paulson) Swanson’s mother.

Pearson, Mrs. Chester Member of the Legion Auxiliary in Kingsburg.

Perret, Eugene and Martha Eugene was Val’s cousin; Martha was his wife. They had two daughters, Charlotte and Grace.

Pete, Tom Athlete who played basketball for Mead at Analy High School in Sebastopol. Tom was a Native American. After graduating from Cal, he went on to work for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington and told stories of being Jim Crowed on street cars (Jim Crow laws mandated the racial segregation of public places and services).

Peterson, Barbara Classmate of Jean’s in Kingsburg. (She was not related to the other Petersons mentioned in the diary.)

Peterson, Ernest and Signe Family friends in Kingsburg. Ernest was the town’s mailman and Signe was a teacher at Washington School. They had a daughter, Ruth.

Peterson, Leland Jim’s friend in Kingsburg. Son of Ejnar & Lily Peterson.

Peterson, Ejnar and Lily Family friends in Kingsburg. Ejnar taught math at Kingsburg High School and was vice principal of the school. From 1942 to 1945 he served in the Army Air Corps (the military aviation arm of the United States during and immediately after WWII), teaching meteorology to navigators. Lily (Satterberg) Peterson was a close friend of Val’s and a member of Faculty Wives. Ejnar and Lily had two sons, Douglas and Leland. The Petersons adopted Val and Mead and their family as their own and always included them in Christmas celebrations.

Peterson, Lily See Peterson, Ejnar and Lily.

Peterson, Mrs. C.O. Neighbor in Kingsburg. Lived around the corner from Val and Mead’s house on Ventura Avenue, in a small house at the back of a lot behind the Peterson’s house. Mother of Ejnar and Ernest (Ernie) Peterson.

Philyaw, Mr. Mr. Philyew was a neighbor of Fred Bunger’s in Wheatridge, Colorado. His son was present during an earlier incident where Jim’s hand was severely injured in an accident involving Howard Bunger’s cider press.

Pierce, Eliz (Elizabeth) Member of Faculty Wives in Kingsburg. Married to John F. Pierce, who became the principal of Kingsburg High School in 1941.

PEOPLE

[ 192 ]

Post, Sam Apple grower in Colorado.

R

Ray Ray Walton. Trucker who lived on a ranch in Colorado and often helped Mead transport apples and other produce for Bunger’s Farm Cellar. Ray had two sisters, Rose and Virginia. Much later, Ray gave horseback rides to Mead and Val’s grandchildren when they visited his ranch.

Rouch, Mrs. Insurance agent in Kingsburg. Her daughter was Marguerite.

Roux, Mr. Coutolenc family friend in Chico.

Ruth Ruth (Tobias) Bunger. Val’s sister-in-law (Howard Bunger’s wife).

Ruth P. Ruth Peterson. Friend of Val’s in Kingsburg. Married to Ernest (Ernie) Peterson. Ruth and Ernie had a daughter, also named Ruth, who was in Louise’s Sunday School class.

S

Samuelson, Reverend Minister of the Swedish Baptist Church in Kingsburg.

Sandberg, Mrs. Ed Ruth Sandberg. Church friend in Kingsburg. Her daughter, Doris, was in Louise’s class.

Sandberg, Ruth See Sandberg, Mrs. Ed.

Satterberg, Amy Family friend in Kingsburg. Amy and her husband Hjalmer had four children, Chet, Don, Juanita and Mary Ann. The family lost their farm and home during the Depression. Hjalmer occasionally worked for Mead. Mead and Val took Don and his sisters Juanita and Mary Ann under their wing, and the children often helped out at the house. The Satterbergs later rented the house at 2235 14th Avenue.

Satterberg, Donald Family friend in Kingsburg. Son of Hjalmer and Amy Satterberg. (See Satterberg, Amy)

Satterberg, Edith Church friend. Married to Milt Satterberg.

Satterberg, Juanita Family friend in Kingsburg. Daughter of Hjalmer and Amy Satterberg. (See Satterberg, Amy)

Satterberg, Milt and Edith Friends in Kingsburg. Lived in the country outside town. Milt was the son of Gustav Satterberg and the brother of Lily (Satterberg) Peterson and Elvira (Satterberg) Carlson.

Schwartz, Dr. and Mrs. Neighbors in Kingsburg. Rented the original house at 2235 14th Avenue after the family moved into the adobe. Dr. Schwartz was a chemist at the winery.

Schwartz, LaVerne Member of the Faculty Wives in Kingsburg. Married to Elwyn Schwartz (see Elwin). She had family in Kingsburg.

Shepherd Fraternity brother of Mead’s at Cal.

Signe Signe Peterson. See Peterson, Ernest and Signe

PEOPLE

[ 193 ]

Smith, Jess and Jean Jean was the girls P.E. teacher at Kingsburg High School. Her husband Jess ran a tire service in town.

Smith, Miss Teacher at Washington School. Jim’s fourth grade teacher.

Smith, Ray Telephone repair man in Kingsburg.

Spangler girls Childhood friends of Val’s from Chico.

Strid Farming family in Kingsburg. There were several boys in the family; they all played football for Mead.

Swan, Mrs. Neighbor in Kingsburg. Owned a vineyard directly behind Val and Mead’s property.

Swanson, Al and Lola Close family friends in Kingsburg. Al (A.E.) Swanson was Executive Director of the California Peach Grower’s Association and a member of the board and president of Sun-Maid Raisins. Al was instrumental in bringing a Sun-Maid plant to Kingsburg in 1964. Al and Lola were both natives of Kingsburg. They had two children, Marian and Dean. The Swansons donated the land for the “new” city park in Kingsburg.

T

Tegelberg family Neighbors in Kingsburg. Lived on the corner of 14th and Ventura Avenues. Mr. Tegelberg was a plumber. The Tegelbergs had two daughters, Audra and Henrietta (who later became Henrietta Larson).

Templin, Elmer and Rhoda Elmer was Val’s sister-in-law Fannie May’s brother; Rhoda was his wife. They lived in Modesto.

Thorell, Courtney Athlete at Kingsburg High School. Helped Mead work on the adobe house in Kingsburg.

V

Verna Verna Gustafson. Neighbor in Kingsburg.

Virgil Virgil Magnuson. Next door neighbor in Kingsburg. Son of Ed and Hildur Magnuson.

W

Walker, Dr. Optometrist in Fresno.

Walker, Howard Childhood friend of Val’s in Chico.

Webb, Mr. and Mrs. Val’s friends from her teaching days. She roomed in the Webb home in Lindsay, California when she taught school there in 1923-24.

Wildermuth, Herman and Olga Neighbors in Kingsburg. Lived on the corner of 14th and Ventura Avenues. The family owned and operated Wildermuth’s Ideal Bakery in town. They had three children, Wesley, Olga and Madeleine.

Wilson, Dickie Richard (Dick) Wilson. Jim’s friend in Kingsburg, and later in northern California.

PEOPLE

[ 194 ]

Winston Winston Roberts. Val’s nephew, eldest son of Leila and Paul Roberts. Winston was a ham radio operator and a Navy Communications Officer on a Landing Ship, Tank (LST), a WWII-era Navy vessel that supported amphibious operations. He served during WWII. After the war, he was a teacher in Chico and served in the Navy Reserves.

Witte, Mr. and Mrs. Mr. Witte worked as an engineer on the Friant Dam project and was a colleague of Howard Bunger’s at the Bureau of Reclamation.

Worley, Mildred Classmate of Jean’s in Kingsburg.

Y

Yoder, Ruth Typing and English teacher at Kingsburg High School.

PEOPLE

[ 195 ]The following is a list of notable places that appear in Val’s diary. Place names are organized alphabetically.

1 Mile Dam One Mile Dam, a large cement swimming pool on Big Chico Creek, in Bidwell Park in Chico, California. One Mile Dam was a favorite destination for picnics and outings. Five Mile Dam, further up river, was less developed, but much prettier.

Academy Town in the Sierra foothills north of Kingsburg.

Auberry Town in the Sierra foothills, above the fog line. Mead purchased shakes for the roof of the adobe at a wood mill near Auberry.

Berkeley Park A large park in West Denver that includes Berkeley Lake. The park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Big Muddy Trout stream near Rabbit Ears Pass, Colorado.

Butte Creek Canyon Scenic spot near Chico, California.

Castle Rock Town thirty miles south of Denver. The seat of Douglas County, Colorado.

Chico Val’s adopted hometown, located in northern California. She and her family moved there from her birthplace, Coutolenc, when Val entered high school. Val’s parents and her siblings Leila and Gene lived in Chico.

Clarks Bridge A bridge on the Dinuba Highway (now Avenue 400) at the Kings River, east of Kingsburg. Clarks Bridge was often used as the start of a river float.

Clay School Rural school located five miles northeast of Kingsburg. The school was built in 1913 and was used until 1975. The main building has since been moved to Kingsburg and is now a central feature of the Kingsburg Historical Park.

Clear Lake Lake in Northern California near the town of Lakeport.

Clovis Valley town near Fresno.

Coalinga Valley town seventy-five miles southwest of Kingsburg.

Corcoran Valley town thirty-five miles south of Kingsburg.

Appendix: Places

PLACES

[ 196 ]

Coutolenc Val’s birthplace. Located thirty miles northeast of Chico, California. The town was founded by Val’s father, Eugene F. Coutolenc, who owned and operated the town’s hotel, saloon and general store. The family moved from Coutolenc to Chico when Val entered high school. The only trace of Coutolenc remaining today is the family (community) cemetery.

Cutter Properly spelled Cutler. Valley town southeast of Kingsburg.

Del Rey Valley town northeast of Kingsburg.

Delano Valley town sixty miles south of Kingsburg.

Dinuba Valley town six miles east of Kingsburg.

Earlimart Valley town south of Kingsburg.

Exeter Valley town near the Sierra foothills east of Kingsburg.

Fowler Town fifteen miles northwest of Kingsburg, on Highway 99. Part of Kingsburg High School’s sports league.

Fresno Closest major city to Kingsburg, with shopping, entertainment and services that couldn’t be found in Kingsburg. County seat of Fresno County.

Friant Dam on the San Joaquin River, north of Fresno. Opened in 1942. Good fishing spot.

Ft. Morgan Town in east Colorado. First Colorado home of the Bunger family (Fred and Emma homesteaded there in 1883).

Grangeville Valley town twenty miles west of Kingsburg.

Hanford Valley town fifteen miles southwest of Kingsburg.

Harrison School Rural school located three miles northeast of Kingsburg. The bell from Harrison School is now in the belfry of Clay School which was relocated to the Kingsburg Historical Park (see Clay School).

Huntington Lake Sierra lake sixty-five miles east of Kingsburg. Al and Lola Swanson owned a cabin at Huntington, as did many Kingsburg families. The cabin and lake were the site of many pleasant family adventures.

Kings River River south of Kingsburg, site of many picnics and fishing trips.

Kings River School Rural K-8 school located four miles east of Kingsburg. The school is now known as Kings River Union Elementary School.

Lemoore Valley town west of Kingsburg. Also a reference to Lemoore Army Air Field.

Madera Valley town forty miles north of Kingsburg on Highway 99.

Marysville Town fifty miles south of Chico. County seat of Yuba County.

Modesto Valley town sixty miles north of Kingsburg.

Mooney’s Grove Park and picnic ground near Visalia. Popular destination for Sunday School outings.

PLACES

[ 197 ]

Mountain Parks Denver Mountain Parks, a system of parks owned by the City of Denver. See Explanatory Notes, June 23, 1940.

Oak Park Park located on the Kings River at Highway 99, south of Kingsburg. Oak Park often served as the end of river float.

Palmer Lake Town between Denver & Colorado Springs. Home of Bill and Lois Sauer and their children. Bill worked for the Forest Service at Palmer Lake.

Parlier Valley town northeast of Kingsburg.

Piedra Picnic area and innertubing spot on the Kings River, thirty miles north of Kingsburg.

Pinecrest Resort and store on Huntington Lake.

Red Rocks Park about thirty miles southwest of Denver, near the town of Morrison. Red Rocks is part of the Denver Mountain Parks system and is known for its large sandstone outcroppings. Today, Red Rocks is famous for its outdoor amphitheater, a popular concert venue.

Reedley Valley town northeast of Kingsburg.

Richardson Springs Resort on Chico Creek in Butte County, California.

River See Kings River.

Riverbend River Bend School, located four miles south of Kingsburg. The school closed in 1939 and the building was used as a community center. Mead taught Civil Defense (airplane spotting) and First Aid classes at River Bend.

Roeding Park City park in Fresno.

Roosevelt School School in the Kingsburg Elementary Charter School District. The school, called Roosevelt Grammar School, served grades 6-8 in the 1940s. As of 2011, it was used exclusively by the District’s first grade classes.

Salida Town on the Western Slope of the Rockies in Colorado where apples and pears were purchased to be sold at Bunger’s Farm Cellar.

San Luis Obispo Coastal town west of Kingsburg. Home of the Camp San Luis Obispo Army base.

Sanger Valley town north of Kingsburg.

Selma Valley town five miles north of Kingsburg. Hated rivals of Kingsburg High School.

Sequoia National Park Mountain park forty miles east of Kingsburg.

Shafter Valley town southwest of Kingsburg.

Shaver Lake Sierra lake fifty-five miles northeast of Kingsburg.

South Park, Platte River Basin located on the Platte River, southwest of Denver. Mead lived in South Park when he was a ditch rider for the Denver Union Water Company around 1917. South Park was a beautiful site for camping and fishing.

Terra Bella Valley town southeast of Kingsburg.

PLACES

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Traver Valley town five miles south of Kingsburg.

Visalia Valley town fifteen miles south of Kingsburg.

Washington School K-5 school in the Kingsburg Elementary Charter School District. Still in use as of 2011. For many years, the building also served as the District Office.

Washington Union Public high school in Fresno, California.

PLACES

[ 199 ]The following describe or tell the story of many of the items, events, organizations, and experiences described in Val’s diary. They are organized by the date they are first mentioned.

JANUARY

January 1 1940 Chinker Checks, Chincker Chex

Chinese Checkers.

January 16 1940 Night school Adult education classes in Kingsburg. Mead managed recreation programs and at one point (not mentioned in the diary) Val taught home economics classes at night school.

January 17 1941 Aux, Auxiliary The American Legion Auxiliary, a women’s patriotic service organization that worked with the American Legion to assist veterans and communities.

January 18 1940 Americanism program An American Legion program to expose citizens to American ideals. As part of the program, the Legion produced training materials and worked with teachers to help them integrate concepts into their curriculum. Essay contests were part of the curriculum, and were used as part of the criteria for participation in Boys State and Girls State, a program where boys and girls learned about and participated in the operation of their local, county and state governments. Val evaluated essays for the program.

January 31 1942 License strips for the car Metal strips bolted onto a car’s license plate to cover and replace the previous year’s date. To save metal during WWII, strips were issued instead of new yearly license plates.

FEBRUARY

February 1 1941 Fidelis A Baptist Church women’s group.

February 4 1940 S.S. Sunday School at the Swedish Baptist Church, Val and Mead’s church in Kingsburg (now the First Baptist Church).

Appendix: Explanatory notes

EXPLANATORY NOTES

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February 4 1940 Gym The Kingsburg High School gymnasium, built in 1940. The gym was a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project. Prior to 1940, the school’s P.E. classes were held outdoors and basketball games were played at the town’s Legion Hall.

1941 Tuesday Club A women’s cultural and social luncheon club in Kingsburg.

February 5 1943 Roosevelt School The middle (6th-8th grade) school in Kingsburg. Jean, Jim and Louise attended.

February 6 1941 Cub Scouts The youngest version of Boy Scouts, for boys aged 7-11. Cub Scouts were organized in Dens of 6-8 boys, and Den meetings were held weekly. Jim was a Cub Scout and Val was a Den Mother (leader) or assistant for a year.

1941 High School Kingsburg High School. Mead was the physical education (P.E.) teacher and coached varsity football, varsity and B-class basketball and varsity baseball. He also taught some classes during the war when Ejnar Peterson was in the Army.

February 9 1940 A-class, B-class and C-class basketball

Basketball team classifications. All boys in athletics were classified by height, weight and age; A-class were the largest, C-class were the smallest. The varsity team was made up of the best players in the school, regardless of their size.

February 11 1941 Faculty Wives A social organization for the wives of Kingsburg High School teachers. The Faculty Wives organized many activities and was often the primary social outlet for teachers’ wives.

February 12 1941 G.O.S. League Girls of Service, a high school service organization. Jean was a member, and served as president of the organization her senior year at Kingsburg High School.

February 17 1939 Flag Codes An American Legion program developed to teach students American flag etiquette.

February 18 1939 Jr. Aux The American Legion Junior Auxiliary, a patriotic service organization for young women. Jean was a member.

1940 Legion The American Legion, a patriotic service organization for former U.S. servicemen. The Legion was a very important organization in many communities, including Kingsburg. Any teacher who was a veteran was expected to be an active member of the Legion. Mead was a member of Kingsburg’s Legion post 191.

February 19 1940 Fair meeting A meeting to discuss plans for the Kingsburg District Fair. Every small town in the California’s Central Valley belonged to an agricultural district, each of which held an annual fair (except during WWII). Val was a committee member for the Legion Auxiliary Booth.

February 21

1940 Legion Hall The American Legion’s building in Kingsburg. The Legion Hall was the center of many community activities. Until 1940, when the gym at Kingsburg High School was built, the school’s basketball games were played at the Legion Hall. During the spring and summer, the Legion Hall’s gym was used as a roller skating rink, and each fall Mead and his team restored the court by repainting basketball boundary lines.

1941 Free Church The Evangelical Free Church.

1942 Penny A golden Cocker Spaniel given to the family by friend and neighbor Donald Satterberg. Penny was a “runner”; she ran away several times and disappeared not long after joining the family.

EXPLANATORY NOTES

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February 22 1941 Washington School The elementary (K-5) school in Kingsburg. Jean, Jim and Louise attended.

February 23 1939 W.C.T.U. The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, an organization formed to combat the influence of alcohol on families and society.

1939 Harrison & Clay schools Two country schools near Kingsburg that fed into Kingsburg High School.

February 24 1940 Rabbit drive Hunting event sponsored by the Legion to reduce the local population of jack rabbits (jack rabbits ate young trees and grape vines and carried diseases). Rabbit drives were usually held in the late winter. Participants lined up along a country road and, at a given signal, moved forward in unison, shooting any rabbit spotted. At each crossroad (usually 1/4 mile apart), participants stopped, lined up again, and waited for another signal before progressing. Ammunition and lunch were provided by sponsors. Rabbits were left in the field to be disposed of by the property owners.

February 26 1941 Den Meeting A Cub Scout meeting held weekly at the home of the Den Mother or leader.

1941 Cleaning up the bus When the school district got rid of an old school bus, Mead had the body of the bus parked behind the family’s garage to serve as a playhouse for the children. At one point, Jim and a friend were playing with matches and set the interior of the bus on fire. The fire department was called and put out the fire, mostly by shoveling dirt on it. In this entry, the boys in Val’s Cub Scout troop cleaned out the bus to use it for weekly Den meetings.

February 27 1939 Proposed alley An alley the city was proposing to build next to Val and Mead’s property. Most Kingsburg blocks had alleys behind the houses. These alleys were used for parking and garbage collection and served as an easement for sewer and water lines. In February 1939, the city proposed annexing land to build an alley alongside Val and Mead’s property. While all the neighbors wanted the alley, none wanted to give up their land. When the city completed a survey of the land, they discovered that a line of trees that were thought to belong to the family’s neighbors, the Magnusons, actually belonged to Val and Mead. Eventually, Val and Mead deeded this part of the property to the Magnusons, and granted the city an easement to build the alley on their land. In exchange, the city agreed to connect Val and Mead’s houses (the original house and the adobe site) to city sewer and water service. As the property was just outside the city limits, it was originally served by a well and septic system.

February 28 1939 Snookie A much-beloved family dog, a “Heinz” mix mutt.

1942 Cement driveway The driveway for the adobe. In the style of the times, it consisted of two cement tracks with a grass strip in the middle.

1943 Heavy-weights, heavy-weight basketball team

The varsity basketball team at Kingsburg High School.

February 29 1942 Air training school The Army Air Corps basic training school, built on the site of Visalia’s airport.

EXPLANATORY NOTES

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MARCH

March 1 1939 Mead talked to the Mayor Mead met with the mayor to discuss options for the alley (see February 27). The mayor mentioned was K. G. Lindquist. He owned and operated the men’s store in Kingsburg.

1940 Lts, Lights, Light-weights The B-class basketball team at Kingsburg High School.

March 5 1939 Junior Rifle class An American Legion-sponsored class that taught rifle skills and safety to young boys. Jim attended.

1941 Pack meeting A Cub Scout meeting. The local Cub Scout Dens were organized into a Pack. The Pack was led by a Pack Master, a Boy Scout. Pack meetings were held monthly at the Legion Hall.

1942 Baroca Baraca was the men’s bible class at the Swedish Methodist Church. Although Val wasn’t a member, she occasionally attended meetings.

March 11 1940 Waffle supper Mead and Val often made waffles for celebratory suppers for Mead’s athletic teams. Jim recalls that at this event, the waffle irons weren’t working. After some investigation, it was discovered that all three waffle irons were plugged into a single circuit which wasn’t powerful enough to heat them all. Mead found another circuit, moved some of the irons, and the cooking continued.

March 14 1941 Alice Marble, Bill Tilden, Mary Hardwick, Donald Budge

Prominent tennis players of the day.

March 17 1941 House contract The contract probably pertains to a loan for the two acres of property the family lived on at 2235 14th Avenue, just outside the northern city limits of Kingsburg. The property originally included one house, a garage, and a barn and corral (an orchard was added later). In 1941, the family added a new house, the adobe, to the property.

1942 David and Ruth’s baby boy David and Ruth’s first (and only) child, Don Bunger. Don was born the same year as Fred.

March 27 1939 Stand on 99 Mead had a big and exciting idea to build a stand on Highway 99 to sell Kingsburg agricultural products and feature Val’s raisin pie. Mead and Val dreamed of the idea and investigated possible sites, but never pursued the dream. It was an idea ahead of its time.

1942 Grange An agricultural service organization. Mead’s father was a member; Mead was not.

March 29 1941 Historical trip with teachers A trip to tour local towns and learn about local history. The Kingsburg school district frequently arranged similar trips for teachers and their wives.

March 30 1942 Visit David at camp Val and Mead’s nephew, David Bunger, was a U.S. Army officer stationed at Camp San Luis Obispo in San Luis Obispo, California.

EXPLANATORY NOTES

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APRIL

April 7 1940 New donkey The family added a new donkey to their farm. Mead and the children occasionally rode the donkey and Val often had to chase it when it escaped from its corral. Apparently the donkey attained some level of celebrity in town, as Jim recalls a later incident (perhaps in 1943) when a group of high school students came to the house in the evening during a scavenger hunt. One of the items on the list of items they had to gather was “a hair from Coach Bunger’s donkey’s tail”.

April 9 1941 Croquinole A board game.

April 11 1939 P.T.A. Parent Teacher Association, an organization of parents, teachers and school staff intended to facilitate parental participation in schools. In this case, the P.T.A. decided to disband.

April 13 1941 Val and Jim’s baptism Val and Jim were baptized at the Swedish Baptist Church in Kingsburg. Mead was baptized in the Baptist church as a young man and Jean was baptized prior to the time of the diary. Jim recalls that at this point his parents decided he needed to be baptized and that Val decided to go through the ritual with him. Baptism involved full immersion in a small pool located under the altar area of the church.

April 17 1939 Haskell Cactus Garden A local attraction in Kingsburg.

1939 1 Cor 13 A bible passage: 1 Corinthians 13.

1939 Dorcas, Dorcas Society A Christian womens’ charitable organization with a mission of providing clothing to the poor.

April 19 1940 Grace Noll Crowell A prolific American poet who published thirty-six books of inspirational poetry. Her work was often published in popular magazines including Good Housekeeping.

April 22 1939 Gilmore Circus A small traveling circus, sponsored by the Gilmore Oil Company.

1941 “Told women about baby.” Val told her friends she was pregnant with her fourth child. Frederick Eugene was born four months later, on August 18, 1941.

April 24 1940 Golf Course A nine-hole golf course located next to the Kings River, on Highway 99 just south of Kingsburg. The “greens” were made of sand and oil. There was also a picnic area, a great swimming beach, and a place to take boats out of the water (see May 30, 1940 for a reference to a boat trip that ended at the golf course).

MAY

May 2 1939 Pinky A calf raised by the children. Pinky lived in a corral behind the house, along with a milk cow or two, pigs, a donkey, a horse, and other farm animals.

May 3 1942 Sumpfs A building supply store in Fresno, California. Hans Sumpf produced adobe bricks that were used to build the adobe house and a fruit closet in the garage. (Note: Sumpfs is still in business in 2011.)

EXPLANATORY NOTES

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May 5 1942 Sugar cards Sugar ration cards. Many items, including sugar, were rationed during WWII. Each family had to register with the local ration board to receive a card or coupons that gave them the right to purchase a specified quantity of rationed items in a specified time period (a week, month, etc.). The ration cards did not guarantee availability of any rationed item, just the right to purchase it if it was available. Sugar was one of the first items to be rationed.

May 9 1941 Hanford Day A community celebration in the nearby town of Hanford.

May 10 1940 Block K A club for students who had earned an athletic letter at Kingsburg High School (also called K Club).

May 14 1940 Hanky shower A party where all the attendees “showered” the guest of honor with handkerchiefs.

May 15 1940 Lights on corn Mead arranged to grow corn under lights on a plot south of Kingsburg as an experiment to see if the light would prevent the infestation of corn worms.

1942 Vaccination Fred had a smallpox vaccination. The doctor checked the vaccination site to make sure the shot was successful and was healing properly.

May 16 1939 The boat Mead and Al Swanson spent many evenings building a boat in the Bunger’s garage. The boat–the Deana Louise–was a Russian River Canoe. The structure of the boat included ribs running lengthwise, covered with two-ply wood from refrigerator cartons. The wood was soaked in linseed oil to make it pliable and waterproof and was nailed to the frame using copper nails. The boat was then covered in canvas that had been soaked in water for several days. When the canvas dried, it shrunk and created a tight skin, which was then painted with several coats of grey paint. The bow was then clad in copper sheet. The copper and wood were added to the traditional rib-and-canvas construction to help protect the canoe from the many snags found in the Kings River. The boat was used for floating the river and Huntington Lake. It had no motor; Mead and Al sometimes borrowed a motor from Harry Bungo. (See also May 21, 1931)

May 17 1939 Viking Varieties A Kingsburg High School variety show (the Kingsburg High School mascot was a Viking).

1941 West Coast Relays A world-class track meet held since 1927 in Fresno. In 1941 (and until 1976) the event was held at Fresno State’s Ratcliffe Stadium. The name of the event was later changed to the Fresno Relays and then to the Bob Mathias Fresno Relays.

May 21 1939 Deana-Louise The boat built by Mead & Al Swanson (see May 16). The name was a combination of Dean (Swanson–Al and Lola’s son) and Louise (Bunger). It was pronounced “Deena Louise”.

May 25 1940 Brolines A grocery and dry goods store in Kingsburg, popular in part because it offered credit, and allowed people (including the Bungers) to buy when the banks closed during the Depression.

May 29 1939 Young berries A predecessor to the boysenberry (the boysenberry is a cross between a youngberry and a blackberry). The family grew youngberries on their property; two rows extended from one end of the property to the other.

EXPLANATORY NOTES

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May 30 1941 K Club A club for students who had earned an athletic letter at Kingsburg High School (also called Block K).

1942 Croppis Generally called crappies. A very common small sunfish that was usually dredged in cornmeal and fried in bacon fat.

May 31 1939 Stobers The meat market in Kingsburg.

1941 Mead scraped dirt into place for the new house

The new house is the adobe, the house Mead and Val built next door to the original house at 2235 14th Avenue in Kingsburg. As the first step in the construction of the adobe, Mead scraped dirt to create a flat pad on which to pour the house’s foundation. The adobe was completed in early December, 1941, just six months later.

JUNE

June 1 1941 Shakes for new house Wood shakes for the roof of the adobe. The family drove to a wood mill in the Sierra foothills, between the towns of Auberry and Tollhouse, to buy the shakes. They were custom made of Sugar Pine by a former student of Mead’s who ran a shake mill.

June 3 1939 Solicited for customers Val contacted people to sell boysenberries.

June 8 1941 Money for house A loan to finance the building of the adobe. Val and Mead had originally planned to borrow money from the bank in Kingsburg to build the house. They were disappointed to learn that the bank wouldn’t loan money for the kind of adobe they were planning to build. In 1938, a flood in Fresno destroyed some adobe homes and, as a result, the bank would only loan money for “post adobe” homes, a style of home that was built with wood framing, but Mead preferred a simpler, less expensive style of construction. Instead, they borrowed $2,000 from Val’s mother, with the agreement that they would make monthly payments on the loan as long as either of Val’s parents was alive. Upon the death of both her parents, any remaining balance would be forgiven.

The total cost of building the 1,200 square foot, 3 bedroom, 1 bath adobe was $4,000. Mead saved money on materials by reusing building materials from a variety of local sources. The rafters and ceiling joists were from the Washington School building that was torn down in 1938. Some of the oak from the building was used for window lintels. Mead and Jim cut and planed the wood at the high school wood shop. The home’s window headers and sills were made of oak railroad ties that came from the Sugar Pine Lumber Company railroad in Clovis. The ties became available when the operation went broke.

June 9 1939 Red Bird peaches A heritage variety of peaches grown in Val and Mead’s orchard.

June 14 1942 Job at Lemoore Mead worked part of one summer as a carpenter building a sewer plant at Lemoore Army Air Field. He quit to take over the Bungo farm.

June 17 1939 Canning in the oven A method of canning common at the time. Instead of being processed in a hot water bath, jars of fruit were placed in the oven. This is no longer considered a safe method for home canning.

EXPLANATORY NOTES

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June 19 1942 Mead got pay on new job Mead was paid for his first week’s work at Lemoore. His weekly pay of $39 meant he was making about $1 per hour. The minimum wage in 1942 was 30¢ an hour.

June 21 1940 Trip from Winnemucca to Salt Lake City

On today’s Interstate 80, which closely follows the US-40 route they would have taken, this 350-mile trip from Winnemucca to Salt Lake City would take about 5½ hours. It took Val and the family 11 hours–exactly twice as long. On this trip, the family was driving an almost-new 1939 Plymouth sedan. They may have stopped along the way, perhaps even for a swim in the Great Salt Lake.

June 22 1943 Defense School A civil defense training program. Mead taught aircraft spotting to citizen volunteers who staffed lookout posts in the area during WWII (similar lookout posts were located throughout the western United States). The volunteers’ job was to spot, identify, log and report all airplanes flying in the area, twenty-four hours a day. Volunteers used flash cards to learn and identify forty to fifty types of airplanes. Fred loved the flash cards; by the time he was three, he could identify every plane on the cards. He could even identify wing tips or other individual parts of the planes.

June 23 1939 Sent radio message to Winston

Winston Roberts, a Navy Communications Officer, was also a ham radio operator. When the family was home or traveling and wanted to reach Val’s family but avoid the cost of a long-distance telephone call, they would contact a local ham radio operator, who would send a message to Winston in Chico. Winston would then pass the news along to Val’s family.

1940 Trip to Mountain Parks Denver Mountain Parks, a system of parks owned by the City of Denver and located in the nearby mountains (outside the city limits). One of the parks, Lookout Mountain Park, overlooks the city of Golden, Colorado and is the burial place of “Buffalo Bill” Cody. The road from Lookout Mountain to Golden was called the “Lariat Trail”.

June 24 1942 Cavalcade An elaborate (for a small town) sound and light show.

June 30 1939 Durham The town where Val and Mead met. Val taught home economics and managed the cafeteria at the school in Durham. Mead lived nearby, at the State Demonstration Colony at Durham, an experimental agricultural colony led by his uncle, Elwood Mead. Mead’s sister Luda was the nurse at Val’s school. She introduced Val to Mead. Durham is located near Chico, California.

1940 Blackburns An apple ranch located in the foothills of the Rockies.

1940 Transparents A popular heritage variety of tart yellow baking apples sold at Bunger’s Farm Cellar.

JULY

July 1 1939 Elitches An amusement park in Denver, properly called Elitch Gardens (or, to the locals, Elitch’s). The seasonal park, famous for its botanic gardens and floral displays, had a theater and amusement park rides, including a wood roller coaster. The original park was located at 38th and Tennyson Streets; in 1994 it was moved to a site in downtown Denver. Trips to Elitch’s remained a popular pilgrimage for Val and Mead’s grandchildren during their summer visits to Colorado.

EXPLANATORY NOTES

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July 2 1941 Red Astrakans Properly spelled Red Astrachan or Red Astrakhan. A heritage variety of early season (July-August) cooking apples grown in Val and Mead’s Kingsburg orchard. The variety is thought to have originated in Russia and been imported via Sweden.

July 3 1939 Stand Bunger’s Farm Cellar, a produce stand located at 3800 W. 38th Avenue in Wheatridge, Colorado, on Howard Bunger’s property. The stand was owned by Mead and his siblings Howard, Myron and Berness. It was open daily, Memorial Day to October, and operated from the mid-1930s until WWII began.

The stand carried produce from the Bungers’ ranch (see July 4, 1939), from local farmers and from towns on the Western Slope (Salida, Buena Vista, Grand Junction, Palisade, etc.). Produce included apples, peaches, berries, currants, cucumbers, corn, tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables. The site also had a cellar and ice house, which were used for storing and selling produce and other goods. On Sundays, the Bunger children would make and sell hand-cranked raspberry ice cream.

Mead and Val’s family worked at the stand during summer visits to Denver. Mead, Val and Ray Walton traveled to Western Slope towns to buy peaches and apples. Val, Jim and Jean sold produce, and Jean often sold ice cream.

1941 Mexicans The crew of workers that laid the bricks for the adobe. This entry refers to them taking off early for the Fourth of July weekend.

July 4 1939 Ranch An eighty-acre ranch at the corner of 20th and Youngfield Streets in Jefferson County, Colorado. The land was purchased by the Bunger Land Co. (owned by Myron, Berness, Howard and Mead) and planted with forty acres of apple trees, as well as raspberries, strawberries, onions, corn and other crops. The crops were sold at Bunger’s Farm Cellar or at the commission market in Denver (a market for grocery stores). The ranch was the site of great Fourth of July picnics and fireworks. It was later developed into part of the housing development called Applewood.

July 6 1939 Car line The streetcar line in Denver.

July 10 1940 Black Caps Black raspberries.

July 12 1940 Windfalls Fruit that has been knocked from the tree to the ground by the wind. This entry refers to windfall apples.

July 17 1941 Fireplace The fireplace in the adobe. It was a circular fireplace with an arched opening and recessed light fixtures built into each side. It was constructed of adobe bricks, with a red tile mantle and raised tile hearth. During the winter, a low fire was kept burning in the fireplace throughout the day to heat the house (the house also had a heater in the hallway).

July 18 1940 Listen to the President talk at the Convention

The workers quit early to listen to the radio broadcast of a speech by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Mead’s father was an alternate delegate at the convention.

EXPLANATORY NOTES

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July 21 1939 “Berness called me a thief!”

There was a misunderstanding about how money was being handled at Bunger’s Farm Cellar. Berness later apologized to Val.

July 23 1941 Crab apples A variety of small, tart apples used only for jelly or pickling. Crab apples were popular at Bunger’s Farm Cellar.

July 26 1939 Chokecherries A variety of wild currant, often used for jelly.

1940 Bud and Marjorie arrive home from Panama

Mead’s brother, Howard Bunger, was a civilian member of the Army Corps of Engineers. He was posted to Panama to help reconstruct the locks in the Panama Canal to provide greater protection in case of attack during a war. Ruth, Bud and Marjorie lived with Howard in Panama; Bud and Marjorie attended junior college there before returning to Colorado in 1940 to attend college. When WWII broke out, Howard was called to active duty and Ruth returned to Wheatridge.

AUGUST

August 3 1941 Worked on rug Val hand-braided a rug out of wool fabric scraps. The rug was completed on December 5, 1941, the day before the family moved into the adobe. It lay on the living room floor in the adobe, in front of the fireplace.

August 3-4 1942 Took over the Bungo place

Henry Bungo was a local Japanese-American farmer and friend of Val and Mead’s. Harry and his four siblings were American born, or Nisei. His family’s farm was held in Harry’s name because at the time Japanese immigrants (his parents) were forbidden from owning property under California’s Alien Land Law (the law was repealed by the California Supreme Court in 1952). After WWII broke out, Harry and his family were sent to the Poston War Relocation Camp in southwestern Arizona. Mead and Val took over management of the farm on the family’s 20-acre property to harvest and sell the crops after the family left. The Bungo farm included carrots, onions, chili and Fresno peppers, string beans, and yams. Mead harvested the crops and sold them at the growers’ market in Fresno and to local stores.

The Bungos and other local Japanese families had been threatened and harassed before they were relocated, and Mead’s decision to help the family was not popular with all members of the Kingsburg community. After the war Harry Bungo returned to Kingsburg briefly to sell his farm. The Bungo family remained lifelong friends.

August 9 1940 D.U. Denver University.

August 11 1939 Farmerettes Girls overalls.

August 13 1939 Bud’s broken thumb Bud broke his thumb playing baseball and had to wear a cast. He was unhappy that the cast would prevent him from swimming on the ship on his upcoming trip to Panama (see August 17, 1939).

EXPLANATORY NOTES

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August 17 1939 Bud left on the Streamliner

Bud left Denver on the streamliner train, the “City of Denver” to travel to New York City (via Chicago). There, he caught a ship to Panama to rejoin his parents Howard and Ruth and his sister Marjorie after spending the summer in Denver. Bud and Marjorie returned the following summer.

August 25 1940 Wealthies The Wealthy was a variety of early- to mid-season red cooking apples popular among customers at Bunger’s Farm Cellar.

August 28 1942 Dim-out A civil defense procedure. During WWII, civil defense regulations called for measures to prevent enemy submarines from seeing West Coast cities and towns. During dim-outs, all lights facing west had to be shielded and cars had to be driven with parking lights only (no headlights). During blackouts, no lights could be visible.

August 31 1942 Phillips Cling Peach A popular variety of canning peach. Phillips Cling Peaches were developed in Sutter County, California in the 1880’s.

SEPTEMBER

September 8 1941 Football practice under lights

Kingsburg High School’s football field didn’t have lights, but several of their competitors did. To prepare players for these games, Mead held evening practices on the school’s lighted softball diamond.

September 10 1941 Damson plums A variety of tart plums, usually canned or made into jam.

September 28 1941 Tilene A masonite wall covering used in the bathroom of the original house in Kingsburg. Tilene had tile patterns imprinted in color on its surface.

OCTOBER

October 2 1939 20-30 Club A service organization for men and women in their twenties and thirties.

October 5 1940 Roseens A shoe shop in Kingsburg.

October 6 1939 Jim moves to the back porch

As the children grew up, Val and Mead’s family outgrew the original home at 2235 14th Avenue. To leave more room for Jean and Louise, Jim moved to the screened-in back porch of the house. Mead built a cabinet with a fold-down desk and shelves on one side and an alcove for a rollaway bed on the other. Val’s washing machine, which originally sat on the back porch, was moved to the garage. The porch was open air in the summer; in the winter Mead covered the screen walls with panels to keep out the cold. Jim recalls sleeping with the family dog Freckles under three wool blankets, including a D.U. letterman blanket and a thick wool papermill blanket.

EXPLANATORY NOTES

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October 11 1939 Cocoamalt Cocomalt was a chocolate-flavored powder stirred into milk. It was very popular in the 1930s and was advertised as providing health benefits. Louise needed to eat between meals, and Cocomalt was one of the treats Val took to her at school.

October 15 1942 Defense meeting A community meeting to discuss civil defense issues.

October 18 1941 Friday A puppy sent to Jim by Gene Coutolenc after the family dog, Freckles, died. Friday was a sheepdog; he arrived on a Friday. When Friday’s leg was broken, the family took him the vet to have his leg set in a cast. He contracted distemper during his visit to the vet and died soon after.

October 22 1939 “Ole Swimming Hole” A popular swimming place also called “Second Drop”, a spot on the irrigation canal just east of Kingsburg High School. The children learned to swim at this site, and Mead took his P.E. classes there for swimming lessons.

October 23 1942 Risë Stevens A popular American-born operatic mezzo soprano who made her professional debut in 1938 and joined the Metropolitan Opera in 1938. She sang as the leading mezzo soprano at the Met for over two decades and starred in several films.

October 24 1942 Malagas A variety of wine or table grapes widely grown in California’s Central Valley.

October 29 1939 Gypsies A band of gypsies who came to Kingsburg each year to elect a king. They traveled in colorful horse-drawn caravan wagons and dressed in traditional garb. Their camp was at Oak Park.

October 30 1941 Mead flies to Denver Mead flew on a DC-2 from Fresno to Sacramento, where he caught a train to Denver to visit his ailing mother. Flying was the only way to get to Sacramento in time to catch the train; had he missed it, he would have missed seeing his mother before she died. The flight cost $50-60. It was Mead’s second time flying; his first flight experience was a single ride in a Curtis “Jenny” when he was a cadet pilot in WWI at Fort Still, Oklahoma.

October 31 1939 “Recorder” “The Recorder” was the Kingsburg newspaper.

NOVEMBER

November 9 1940 Football games at Stanford Stanford vs. Washington: The 1940 Stanford Indians football team was nicknamed the “Wow Boys” and is legendary. Newly-hired coach Clark Shaughnessy adopted the “T” formation offensive strategy and the team improved from 1-7-1 in 1939 to 10-0 in 1940. They won the game mentioned in this entry 20-10. It would have been exciting for Mead to see this team in person.

Jim’s midget game: In 1939, Frank Lumpe, a teacher at Kingsburg High School, formed and outfitted two “midget” 6-man football teams of 13-14 year-old boys, none of whom would weigh more than 100 pounds. The two teams were the Lumpe Lions, coached by Frank Lumpe (colors: red and white), and the Kingsburg Lions (colors: green and gold). The teams played preliminary and half time games at Kingsburg High School, Fresno State and Stanford. Jim was a member of the Kingsburg Lions.

EXPLANATORY NOTES

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1941 Mead came Santa Fe Mead returned home from Denver on the Santa Fe train, which traveled through Los Angeles to Fresno.

November 17 1941 Institute Required in-service training for teachers.

November 18 1942 Hammer Field The Army air base in Fresno.

November 24 1940 Radioed home to mama Upon arriving home after her trip to Chico, Val contacted the local ham radio operator Mr. Jacobsen, who sent a message to Winston Roberts, who contacted Val’s mother to let her know Val had arrived home safely (See also June 23, 1939).

November 25 1942 Sold carrots to Chow Mead usually sold produce from the Bungo farm at the growers’ market in Fresno (a market that sold to grocery stores). When he couldn’t sell all the produce there, he took the remainder to Chow, a local commission merchant who resold produce to markets. Chow offered the lowest prices in town.

November 26 1942 Japanese submarine downtown

As part of a war bond publicity drive, a one- or two-man (Midget) Japanese submarine was on display in Fresno. The submarine was later moved to Kingsburg and was set up on Draper Street, in front of the Bank of America building. It was covered in savings bonds.

November 27 1943 Sequoia The Sequoia Grove in Sequoia National Park.

DECEMBER

December 1 1941 Holman visit Mead’s brother Holman came for a short visit. He traveled extensively with his insurance business and it was unusual for him to visit the family in Kingsburg.

1943 Fibber McGee’s closet A “catch-all” closet off the living room in the adobe. The name was borrowed from a popular radio comedy program.

December 6 1941 Moved into new house The family started moving into the adobe. They finished moving the following evening.

December 7 1941 Pearl Harbor The attack by Japanese forces on the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Val and Mead and the family were busy moving into the adobe that day. Their first news of the event came when Donald Satterberg came to inform them. In the evening, Mead drove downtown with the children to buy a special edition of the Fresno Bee to learn more. Little information was available at that time; it took several days for information and pictures of the attack to reach Kingsburg.

December 8 1940 Mahogany cake A type of mocha cake.

December 9 1939 Free Market The Farmer’s Market in Fresno. The market was called the “free market” because farmers weren’t charged to sell goods there.

December 12 1942 Riverbend Grange The local Grange.

EXPLANATORY NOTES

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December 17 1942 Made records for Christmas The family made a record as a gift for Mead’s father. Mead borrowed a recording machine from school and made a vinyl record of the family singing Christmas carols. Jean accompanied the singing on the piano and Jim on the trombone.

December 22 1940 Giant Forest A grove of Giant Sequoias in Sequoia National Park.

December 26 1941 Getting the old house ready for new tenants

Doctor and Mrs. Schwartz moved in to the original house in Kingsburg after the family had relocated to the adobe. Dr. Schwartz was a chemist at a local winery.

1942 Black’s Bad Boy A discount grocery store in Fresno.

December 30 1941 Home made sausage Val made pork sausage from a recipe developed by her father, a butcher. The recipe was later refined with specific quantities for ingredients, but at the time of this entry, it called for approximate quantities–a handful of this, half a handful of that.

December 31 1940 Skeleton Club A family-oriented social dance club in Kingsburg that held monthly dances September through May. The dances were held in a barn on the Rouch Ranch. Jeanne recalls that children were put to bed in the backs of family cars during the dance; babysitters were an unneeded expense.

EXPLANATORY NOTES

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BackgroundWork on transcribing Val’s diary began in 2008. The initial plan was to create and publish a transcription of the treasured diary so it could be enjoyed by current and future generations of Val’s family. Once the work started, it became clear that the transcription would be greatly enriched by scanned images of the actual diary, and background stories about the people, places, events and experiences described in its pages. The project grew, and the work became a team effort.

Val’s granddaughter Shirley Bunger (Jim’s daughter) completed the original transcription, gathered and edited information, and produced this version of the diary. Val’s son, Jim, and daughters Jeanne and Louise proofread the transcription and contributed information and stories for the appendices. Jim’s wife Madeleine and son Stan provided proofreading assistance and other family members contributed general advice. Friends from Kingsburg, including Lola Swanson’s daughter Marian, provided additional insights and details about the times and experiences described in the work.

The current version of the transcription was completed and published in December, 2011.

Notes about the work- Diary pages were scanned and reproduced as-is, and are close approximations in color and quality to the original diary. Some entries were written in pencil

and are less legible than those written in ink; no effort was made to correct or enhance the images.- Following accepted guidelines for transcribing historical works, spelling and grammar have been left as written; no efforts were made to correct or change

Val’s own work.- Where possible, all symbols have been transcribed. However, due to limitations in modern font sets, a plus sign (+) is used as a substitution for the

lowercase ampersand Val frequently used as a shortcut for ‘and.’- Brackets [ ] indicate text added by Val after 1943.- Pages for January 3-4 and 19-30 are missing from the original diary.- Information in the appendices was provided and checked by Jim, Jeanne, Louise, and friends from Kingsburg, all of whom possess extremely good

memories. Nevertheless, names and details have been forgotten over the years and it is possible that information contained in the appendices is not entirely accurate. Any errors or omissions are unintentional.

Appendix: Transcription notes