1950 • Larry’s diary (age 16)
Dec 1 1st home game Jackson A’s lost, B’s won. Don Grant drove me out and back. Got price list and catalogue from Sherman Clay on horn. Mailed stamps in late 6 months
Dec 2 Turned out Wildcat #6. All ads perfect except spelling. 1st time Balcom (English and Journalism teacher) ordered records. Nellie went to funeral. Busy all day.
Dec 3 Stayed at store till 9:35 putting out Christmas cards. Had afternoon Brass Choir practice. Heard Wind Ensemble.
Dec 4 Played solo for Lazy S rehearsal. T.C.B. sold lobsters for Green and Gold 1st time, and tickets for show
Dec 5 Went to San Francisco to Waters and Ross. 1st time. Old beat up horns selling for $300. Got solos there. Missed Lazy S dress rehearsal. Got ring catalogue
Dec 6 Brass Choir rehearsal at 7, rode out to Gary M. house and got binder, raining, some roads out. Final rehearsal
Dec 7 Lazy S Roundup gave 1st performance played solo and in Brass Choir. Threw away P. Galons money. Boiler in Science building gave out
Dec 8 Played solo and Brass Choir for Lazy S. again. Baggy levis, sani-clor bottle, cigar, hat, two ties, teashirt, guns, dif shoes and socks and short levis above knee. Unrehearsed part and party
Dec 9 Biggest day of year so far took in over $800. Got Senior pictures at Pitts $11 and some. Salvation Army, sang 2nd time
Dec 10 Saw show American Guerrilla in the Philippines, Ima gave me basketball. My electric blanket shoots sparks and quit
Dec 11 Went to scout rally held in gym. Troop 62 did fire making, Troop 65 tinfoil. Went to T.C.B. Chet not there. General Motors assembly
Dec 12 Basketball game between Coca-Cola Cubs and B’s, WISE and A’s. Town teams both won. Store now staying open till 8. Got ring cleaned again
Dec 13 Saw afternoon show Prince of Peace (Life of Christ) school let out for it. Tuolumne came down. Hagemeyer asked about Geometry. Got card from Bonnie and mailed one.
Dec 14 Brass Choir and Tuolumne County Orchestra. Dick Miller up from Stanford for Xmas, Forgot to set alarm and got up at 8. Brass Choir got music for Stephen Foster again
Dec 15 Chorus rehearsed in auditorium, Majorette tryouts for East-West game. 4 band officers voted
Dec 16 Days came up and slept in my bed and broke it then fixed it. Jim here also.
Jim Day, h.s. grad 1948
Dec 17 Had bad cold so stayed in bed all day, missed church. Days left. Mom went to San Francisco without electric blanket. Heater on all day.
Dec 18 Stayed home from school because of cold. Cleaned up box with junk in it again. Threw out W.S.C. Went to T.C.B.
Dec 19 Glee Club sang over KROG. I sang bass, Played in T.C.B. in front of Xmas tree, Good turnout.
Dec 20 Went to Grammar school with Joe and picked up sousaphone. Went to show Sorrowful Jones and western with L. Senger.
Dec 21 Played in High School Orchestra, in Brass Choir and sang in chorus for the Christmas assembly. Exchanged pictures with Barbara M. School let out.
Barbara Miles senior pic
Dec 22 Worked in store all day, took in over $1,000. Sent Christmas cards, about 45 to 50 of them. Its been foggy last few days
Dec 23 Took in over $1,500, busy all day, Bought presents – tea cup, clothes, toys and toilet cover, Calverts gave away $50 and big doll was won.
Dec 24 Walked out past Miles house, old rodeo grounds and around. Took 1 hour then went to Midnight Mass. Got tie from Betty and Claudia, shirt from Carleen, ties and slacks from mom.
Dec 25 Store closed all day, slept till 3. Practiced horn with Joe P. then went to Europa and had pork chops and rode around with Joe
Dec 26 Bought belt and buckle with L on it. Ordered sport coat, bought knife tie clasp. Exchanged shirt at Baers. Cleaned up basement
Dec 27 Put all of the Christmas cards away and left racks up for books. Called Allen up, also Eldon. Helped sell 2 of Don G. tickets to East-West.
Dec 28 Got sport-coat at Calverts $26.76. Dad made me take it back because it was so ugly. Saw show Panic in the Streets with Alan and G. Got leaflets on what to do in atomic explosion
Dec 29 Had rehearsal for East-West game. Packed horns and shoes in cases. Got to bed early.
Dec 30 West beat East 16-7. Almost playing solo in Stars and Stripes. Played with Sequoia band. Went to Playland (Playland at the Beach near the Cliff House in San Francisco)
Dec 31 Saw show with Clifton Webb then had bourbon at Holdenshousen’s house with Bill and Don Grant. Went to Twain Harte, danced. Inventory at store.
MEMORANDA (diary highlights of 1950)
Played 1st solos, scout camps, Commissioner of Publications, Wildcat manager, Bonnie Crookshank, War in Korea and China, saw Horace Heidt, Rubinstein, Spike Jones, State Fair, East-West, C.O.P (College of the Pacific) Santa Clara
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Dec 4, 1950, The Union Democrat: Sonora Grammar School chorus singing Ave Maria for their Christmas concert. Betty is in front row, third in from far right.
to be continued…
© 2017. Catherine Sevenau.
All rights reserved.
Susan Davidson Dalberg says
Have you already told us what “TCB” is? Can kind of tell Larry is excited about graduating–not a ton of emotion, was he? At least not in diary. Was he a huggy brother to you like he is now?
Catherine Sevenau says
Tuolumne County Band. I try to type it out often enough in the diary as I can never remember either. My brother is the least demonstrative person I know. He’s still not a hugger. His way of doing it was to hang both arms stiffly at his sides, then grimace when someone puts their arms around him and got too close. I said, “Oh for godsakes, this is how you do it; I promise, it doesn’t hurt. We practiced, so he’s better. Thank god I didn’t have to teach him how to kiss. I loved it when one day his wife wrote a piece on how romantic he was. I said, “Wait, what? My brother? I need to read that.” Actually, it was quite sweet and showed me a different side of him, though don’t know that I’d use the word romantic. Thoughtful, kind, interesting yes… but romantic, that was a bit of poetic license.