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World Events:

1950
North Korea invades the south 

1951
First general purpose electronic Computer, Color TV Introduced  

1952
King George VI dies; Elizabeth crowned Queen, Polio vaccine invented  

1953
USA develops hydrogen bomb, Stalin dies, Korean armistice  

1954
McCarthy Army Hearing, Segregation ruled illegal, First kidney transplant, Mao Tse-Tung becomes Chairman of the People's Republic of China 

1955
Germany becomes a member of NATO, First McDonald's restaurant opens

1956
Soviet troops march into Hungary, First trans-Atlantic telephone cable  

1957
Sputnick launched by Russians, USSR and US launch ICBM's, Federal troops force integration of schools in Little Rock, Arkansas  

1958
Explorer I launched  

1959
Singapore becomes independent, Uprising in Tibet, Alaska & Hawaii admitted to the Union as the 49th and 50th states, Castro takes over in Cuba  

Events in our lives:

1950 Jan. Barbara became Chi Omega sorority House Manager.

1950 April [Spring Break at Willamette] Independently, both Glenn and Barbara go to the Bay Area for Spring Break, and then to Yosemite. Glenn drives down, Barbara is the guest of two Chi Omega sorority sisters: Barbara Benjamin in Piedmont (above Oakland) and Ellie Carr in Atherton on the Peninsula.

1950 May 23. Glenn & Barbara are engaged. Announced engagement at sorority house one week later, May 30. Bought wedding rings at Jackson Jewelers, Salem.

1950 Summer. Glenn worked on dam construction project, Alma, Nebraska for Guy F. Atkinson Co. Glenn’s family all in Alma, except for Roger. Barbara worked for Clarke's Seed Co. in their office. Glenn & Barbara select Dec. 22 for our wedding date.

1950 June Roger and Bonnie Hiatt married in Portland at Mt. Tabor Methodist Church.

1950 Aug. Barbara went camping at Lost Lake, near Mt. Hood --with other Willamette Univ. engaged girls (Virginia Wilson) also Pat Koupal. Last “singles” spree.

1950 Sept. Glenn transferred to Univ. of Calif. at Berkeley. Shared an apartment with another Cal student, “Jim,” from Ray, AZ copper mine town. Glenn sold his 1940 Chevy club coupe in Berkeley. Virginia Wilson married Bill Sheppard in Hood River, OR. Barbara was a bridesmaid. Glenn came to Clackamas, enroute back to Berkeley for school. We drove up to Mt. Hood one day.

1950 Oct. Barb took train to Berkeley. Stayed with Benjie at Chi O house/Berkeley. Glenn and Barb went to UC vs. Penn football game. Glenn bought 1941 Chrysler club coupe.

1950 Nov. Barb enrolled in Northwest Business School, Portland. Attended for 3 months. Took typing, business machines.

1950 Nov. Al & Pauline Kemmerich bought home at 7200 Lake Road, in Milwaukie, OR.

1950 Dec. Al & Pauline bought a new Buick sedan.

1950 Dec. 22 Glenn & Barbara were married at the First Congregational Church, Salem, OR. Pat Koupal was Maid of Honor, Leslie Halliday was Best Man.

1950 Dec. 23 -to Olde England Inn, Victoria B.C. for honeymoon. Had Bridal Suite.

Dec. 26 -to Vancouver, B.C.

Dec. 28 -car trouble in Bellingham, enroute to Clackamas.

1951 Jan. 1 Glenn and Barb left for Berkeley. Flat tire in Klamath Falls —and we found a tire store open on New Year's day!

1951 Jan. 3 We arrived in Berkeley. The veterans' student housing was all taken, so we were assigned to a WWII housing development for shipyard workers in Richmond. Address: 5300 Madison, Apt. I-L, Richmond, CA. The rent was $15/month, for one room, ice box, poor electric wiring, and poor kids in other apartments. Someone stole all Barb's honeymoon lingerie from the communal wash house.

1951 During the year: Glenn back at classes. He had various part-time jobs: punch-card machine operator for State Farm Insurance; dark-room operator for Engineering Dept. photo lab at UC (probably summer job, working in an Oakland metal plating shop, where nuts, bolts were plated with cadmium and zinc.

1951 Feb. Barbara interviewed for clerical jobs. Was hired for clerk job in the Admin. Dept. at UC Library did typing, especially masters for printing on a “multilith machine” housed in Library basement--there was a “war” between two ends of the office. My friend Carolyn (Gosnell?) worked in the opposite end--”the enemy camp” My salary about $250/month.

1951 March. We moved to an apartment building in Berkeley, CA. Address: 1176 University Ave. Apt. 103, Berkeley, CA. The apartment had two rooms: a living/bedroom with a “Murphy Bed,” tucked into the living room closet, plus kitchen and bathroom. Decor: right out of the 1930's. A typical snoopy landlady. Had a washroom and hung the clothes on lines on the rooftop. The Bay winds were so strong, the sheets got holes where the clothespins gripped them.

1951 April. Weekend trip to Carmel. Ate the “Tuck Box” famous omelets (just like US Navy eggs, per Glenn)

1951 June. Drove to Kennewick, then to Milwaukie. Saw Terrils and Kemmerichs.

1951 Summer. Drove to Yosemite, Tuolumne Meadows, Barb got altitude sickness—Glenn drove all the way back to Berkeley —no overnight in the park!

1951 Sept. We moved to Mrs. Kitchen’s rental cottage, El Cerrito. Address: 745 Pomona Ave, El Cerrito, CA (Rented). Glenn bought us a used wringer washer at a Bekins Moving Co. auction.

1951 Oct. Barbara got the “flu” around World Series time. Dr. said “baby” not flu. Morning Sickness! Pat Koupal came for visit. Went to San Francisco, Golden Gate Park (with Les), and “Omar Kayam's” restaurant for dinner. UC Library moved Barb to storekeeper job in basement so she wouldn’t be seen by library patrons. Pregnancy was apparently a contagious disease!

1951 Nov. Barb went solo to Kemmerich’s, Milwaukie for Thanksgiving. Went by train on dr.’s orders.

1952 Mar. Barbara began to “show”--grounds for dismissal at UC Library. Barb went to work at an appliance store in El Cerrito. Still in the backroom! Glenn took part-time job at Penney’s, assembling baby furniture, equipment.

1952 May. Barb quit work by first of May. Baby due in "four weeks”

1952 May 9. Mark born at 2:25 a.m. at Kaiser Permanente Hospital, Oakland. Pauline comes to stay and “help” with the new baby. Mark has colic, Glenn has final exams, at the same time.

1952 June. 20 Glenn graduated from UC Berkeley as Physics Major. Irl and Noma, and Barbara attended. Mark stayed with Mrs. Kitchens.

1952 Aug. Kemmerichs came to see Mark (and us)

1952 Sept. Glenn accepted a job at Livermore Radiation Laboratory. ( Now Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) We moved to 637 Holmes Court, in Livermore, CA. Rented a 2-bedroom duplex. Our neighbors mostly young employees from the Radiation Lab. Director of the Lab is Dr. Edward Teller. Hydrogen bomb developed at the lab.

1952 Nov.17 Barb and Mark fly from Oakland to Portland on DC-4, to stay with Kemmerich’s.

1952 Nov. 18 Glenn is sent to Philadelphia for training as a “programmer” for a new-fangled machine--a “computer.” Stays in an apartment on Broad Street. Training took place at Eckert-Mauchley’s factory in city’s outskirts. Glenn in Philadelphia and Barbara and Mark in Milwaukie until early January.

[Postcard from Glenn]
Postmark: Chicago , IL Nov. 18, 1952
Picture: Photos within letters "CHICAGO"
To: I.A. Halliday, Rt. 2, Box 245C, Umatilla, OR
Message: Hi Everyone,
I'm on my way. 2 of us left S.F. 8:00 AM. Landed Chicago 4:30 PM CST. 6 ½ hrs flight time, DC-6, 19,000 ft, 350 mph. Swell food, service; much fun. Leave for Philadelphia 6:50. Barb flew to Portland with Mark. Get together now! Will write soon as settled. Love, Glenn

1952 Dec. Barbara & Mark take train to Pendleton for visit with Irl, Noma & Terry who were living in Umatilla. Their home was on "Buell Lane." Irl was working on McNary Dam

1952 Christmas --Glenn sends Barbara big silver boxes from Georg Jensen’s store on Fifth Avenue, New York City. Boxes tied with big red ribbons and full of “Kosta” Swedish stemware, (Lyx pattern) to match our honeymoon purchase of wine glasses in Vancouver, B.C. He spends Christmas in Philadelphia with his fellow Livermore programmer trainees. --Mark has a roomful of presents under Kemmerich’s Christmas tree.

1953 During the year we were in Livermore. Glenn starts working as a computer programmer at Livermore Radiation Laboratory, using the fourth “UNIVAC’” computer ever made. Barbara learns to drive (has to re-take parallel parking to get her license)

1954 Jan. Barbara becomes pregnant again.

1954 April Glenn takes a job at Hughes Aircraft in El Segundo as a computer programmer. We moved to Reseda in the San Fernando Valley and Glenn commutes “over the hill” to El Segundo. We rented a 2-bedroom home. Address: 19151 Lemay St., Reseda, CA

1954 Summer We buy a home in Canoga Park, in “Desoto Park Estates.” Purchased with Glenn’s GI “no down payment” loan. Address: 20314 Baltar St., Canoga Park, CA. We watched the house and the development go up in a walnut grove.

1954 Sept. 8 Karen Lee born at the Hollywood Kaiser Permanente hospital. Barb takes taxi to the hospital. Glenn comes from work, in Santa Monica, to hospital. Karen born about 2 p.m. in afternoon.

1954 Dec. We finally get to move into our new home, just a few days before Christmas.

1955 Mar. Glenn leaves Hughes Aircraft to go to work as a computer programmer for Remington Rand, based at their sales office on Wilshire Blvd. First assignment: installing a computer at Pacific Mutual Life Insurance, in downtown Los Angeles. Henk Bezemer, a recent arrival from Holland, is working at Pacific Mutual for the insurance company. He works with Glenn. Sometime during 1955, Henk & Adien Bezemer receive their US citizenship. We attend their naturalization ceremony in downtown Los Angeles.

1955 Dec. Walt Disney completes “ Disneyland ” and we take Mark to see it.

1956 Mar. Henk Bezemer is hired by Remington Rand. Glenn and Henk are assigned to a new computer installation, in Phoenix, Arizona for Arizona Public Service. We drive to Phoenix to look for a house. Find a lot on Calle Allegre, in a small development on the western edge of Scottsdale, near 45th Avenue. Pick out floor plan, etc. House to be ready on our arrival at the end of May. We try selling our home on our own--and succeed. Sell it to Ted & Martha Rose, who still live in it in 2007!

1956 May We arrive in Phoenix to find that our house hasn’t even been started! Find a place to rent a few blocks away. Address: 4218 Sells Drive, Phoenix, AZ. The Bezemers also rent a home near McDowell Avenue.

1956 Fall We finally move into our new home. Address : 4431 Calle Allegre, Phoenix, AZ. Make good friends through Glenn’s work: Ron and Ginny McEuen. Get together often with McEuens and Bezemers. Bezemer's daughter, Anneke, is just between Mark and Karen in age. All play together.

1957 A fun year--lots of parties, drinking, hangovers, trips to Nogales for “Oso Negro” gin, exploring the desert. Glenn enjoys the work at AZ Public Service and the friends he makes there. An offshoot of the new computer age is demonstrated for us: a credit card reader. Mark goes to pre-school three days a week. Karen enjoys having toys all to herself.

1957 Spring. We buy our first brand new car. Turns out to be a classic car--the 1957 Chevy Bel Air. Four-door sedan, turquoise color.

1957 Sept. Mark turns five years old, starts kindergarten at nearby Scottsdale school. Just across the canal at 45 th street. Glenn turns thirty years old, and gets a big party. So do Henk and Ron when it is their turn to be 30.

1958 April Glenn’s two-year assignment at AZ Public Service is done. In April he’s notified he will be reassigned to Los Angeles in early July. We put our home on the market. No nibbles.

1958 June Glenn is sent to New York City for 2 months--more programmer training. House sells as soon as he leaves. Terry Halliday graduates from Estacada High School, Estacada, OR. Terry joins the U.S. Air Force and is sent to Lackland AFB, in Texas for basic training.

1958 July Barbara and kids do the move back to L.A. during an Arizona heat wave and grasshopper plague in early July. We rent a house in Encino. Address: 17513 Emelita St., Encino, CA.
Glenn is based at the Wilshire Blvd. office. Barbara makes 2 good friends: Barbara Larkin and Mamie Berry.

1958 Summer We take a trip to Oregon, "camping" along the way without a tent. Later, we go camping in Sequoia Nat. Park, and sleep on the ground, next to the bear's garbage can route. We come home and buy a tent.

1958 Sept. We go camping in Yosemite with our nice, new tent. We hike to the top of Nevada Falls --Karen impresses the other hikers with her achievement. We are proud. Mark starts first grade at Encino Grade School.

1958 November We buy a home at 7449 Aldea Avenue in Van Nuys--in the San Fernando Valley
Mark transfers to Anatola Avenue School, about 6 blocks from our home. Karen and Barbara attend pre-school program held at Anatola.

1959 Terry Halliday is sent to Keesler AFB in Mississippi for one year of training as a computer technician.

1959 Feb. We go to Death Valley with Roger, Bonnie and children, camping on a rocky site. The wives make the husbands take the tent down and move it--twice. Barbara gets her own car--a 1952 Chevy. For 3 months all she does with it is ferry children to the doctor with chicken pox and measles.

1959 June We go to Las Vegas to take part in a "grand opening" of a Univac computer display at the Showboat Casino Hotel. Kemmerichs come down and drive Mark and Karen back to their home in Milwaukie, Oregon. They are to stay two weeks. The Kemmerichs ask that the kids stay for a month. We "reluctantly" agree and gleefully go out for coffee at 9 p.m. without hiring a babysitter!

1959 July We finally drive to Milwaukie, camping along the way at Lake Tahoe and ascending Mt. Lassen. We all attend the Portland "Exposition. Mark surprised one science demonstrator when he quickly figured out a rather complex principle--had something to do with fluorescent lights.
Glenn is called back to Los Angeles, as he was promoted to System Analysis Manager. He drives back alone. Mark, Karen and Barbara drive to Sedro-Woolley with Kemmerichs to visit her grandparents, Charles and Jessie Pressentin. We drive to the Peace Arch in Blaine, WA. Mark, Karen and Barbara fly back to Los Angeles.

1959 Sept. Karen starts kindergarten at Anatola Elementary School.

1959 Oct. There is extreme peer pressure among the Anatola mothers to create amazing Halloween costumes. Barbara dyes sheets and her arms "Indian tan" for Mark's Indian costume and struggles with Karen's rabbit ears. The kids learn the joys of trick-or-treating in suburbia. They quickly fill two grocery sacks with candy and go back for more!

1959 Dec. 31 We throw a New Years Eve party at our house for the neighborhood.