MY GRANDPA & GRANDMA VANCE

My Grandpa Henry Clifford (Cliff) Vance and Helen Nadine Allen Vance lived on a farm in Utah all of their married life.  Their children and grandchildren had/have wonderful memories of  living on and visiting the farm.    Recently Mark Andersen found a photo of where the farm was located on Google Earth.  He captured the picture and emailed it to me. 

 Even though I had seen it with almost all of the buildings and trees torn down, it was such a shock to me, because I thought it would still look like the photo in my minds eye.  This photo was taken from the Iowa String Road in Tremonton, Utah, looking west.

I want to share photos of what it looked like from days gone by.  It's so vibrant and full of life in my memory. One thing I must share, I learned from my Grandma Nadine.   I have many of the photographs that Grandma Vance took.  On most of her photos she took the time to write what the photo was, the date it was taken and who the people were.  Have you ever looked back at a photograph and wondered who, what, where and when?  Oh, and the other thing, she always took photos.  She'd say, I want to get a photo before you leave and we'd think, "Oh, not again."  Mark reminds me that she also said, "I'll take just one more in case this one doesn't turn out."  Oh my, how she would have loved the digital cameras. All those photos she took are so precious.  Bless you Grandma for being persistant!!

This is basically taken from the same view as above.  Don't you love the TV antenna?  Four children were raised in this home.  This is the front door of the home, although hardly anyone ever used this door.  We always parked in the back and went in through the back door.

This is the original home.  At first I thought it was taken in 1943, but it wasn't because I have photos of me taken by the home when I was little (in the forties)  and it had been remodeled.  So, I'm thinking the date is November 24 in the thirties.  Maybe early thirties.

Grandpa Vance and "his girls."  Left to Right - Erma Vance Bourne, Wilma Vance Andersen and Lois Vance Hunsaker Pugmire.  There's lawn and trees!!

These are their 3 daughter's and 2 sons and their spouses.  One son, Leland died as a child.  From left to 

right, Erma & J Bourne, Wilma & Mirl Andersen, Lois & LaVan Hunsaker, Mont & Toni Vance, Lowell & Ada Jean Vance, Grandpa Vance.  Not sure who the little guy is.  Looking toward the east and the road where the first photo was taken from by the Google car.

In front of the home, Wilma Vance Andersen and Carolyn Andersen taken in late 1942 or early 1943.

This is me and my much loved Grandpa.  It is on the south side of the house, it looks like fall or winter.  My very first memory ever is my Grandpa holding me in front of the oval shaped mirror in the bathroom.  

I just had to include this one of a successful pheasant hunt, even though it doesn't show much of the home. Grandpa's brother, Clarence is on the left, Lowell in the middle and Grandpa on the right.  When I was young there used to be a series of movies called, "Ma and Pa Kettle."  I always thought my Grandpa looked just like Pa Kettle.  Bib overalls and all.

I included this one to show the trees and plant growth.  In the photo,  left to right, is, Judy Olson, Grandpa Vance's sister,  Doris' granddaughter, Vance Bourne, Carolyn Andersen, LeRoy Tallman ,Grandpa Vance's sister, Ruth's son.  The occasion must have been a Jason Vance (Grandpa's dad)  reunion.

Another outbuilding.  These are two of Lowell and Ada Jean's children, the youngest grandchildren of Grandpa and Grandma Vance - Bart & Lyle Vance.

Not many of my photos have Grandma in them.  She was always taking the picture.  Another lesson to learn from her.  Don't always be the one taking the photos.  This is so my grandma.......always wearing an apron, and a permanent in her hair.

Looking from the back of the house to the buildings on the west end of the property.  More grandchildren - left to right is Bonnie Vance, Carol Vance, Mark Andersen (in back) and Brian Andersen.

This was taken in front of a beautiful lilac bush on the south side of the house.  I can still smell the lilacs.  From left to right is Wilma Andersen, Darlene Coates, Grandpa Vance and Lyle Vance.

 Looking toward the back of the home in more recent years - well twenty or thirty years ago.  The children are Lowell Vance's grandchildren.  Some of the larger trees are gone.

The newer dairy barn and cattle herd in 1979.  You can see the home and other outbuildings  in the background.

MEMORIES OF SUMMERVILLE (CALIFORNIA) HIGH SCHOOL

About 1961............

Dad/Grandpa Mirl Andersen was encouraged by John Wise, his boss/owner of the Tuolumne Telephone Company to be on the committee to pass a bond for a new high school.  The high school in operation then (on the corner of Pine and Tuolumne Road)  had been condemned by a state inspector.  There were many coffee klatches held to inform the community about the need to pass the bond.  Either the school superintendent or the vice principal went with him to every klatch.    The bond passed.  Dad along with the committee had to find a location to build the new high school.  John always gave him the time off work for the klatches, finding property or whatever needed to be done for the committee.  In the September of 1965, the doors opened to the new school.  Mark Andersen (Mirl's son) was a senior that year and was also the first student body president.

                                         

                                              OLD HIGH SCHOOL

                                               NEW HIGH SCHOOL



I found this article in the archives of the Modesto Bee (California)  So, while working on getting a new high school, dad also joined the Parent-Teacher Association.

Modesto Bee April 8, 1963

TUOLUMNE CITY--Activities of the Summerville High School Parent-Teacher Association will be directed for the coming year by Mrs. Howard Nott of Twain Harte. Others named to serve with Mrs. Nott are Mrs. Howard Recek, Twain Harte, first vice president; Mirl Andersen, second vice president; Mrs. Richard Miller, secretary; Montie Taylor, Twain Harte, treasurer; Mrs. Arthur Ronten, outgoing president, parliamentarian; Mrs. John Thalman, auditor and Mrs. Floyd Baker, historian. The third annual honor roll dinner will be sponsored by the group at the high school May 5th. All California Scholarship Federation members and other students who have been on the honor roll during the year will be honored. Dinner will be served at 5 PM. Guest speaker will be John Ralston, head football coach at Stanford University. Invitations will be sent to parents, teachers and others for the event. 

In 1969 Dad was asked to be on the school board to finish out John Wise's term.  That was for two years.  He then ran two more times and was elected.  He decided after ten years, it was time to quit.  These are a few photos of him on the board from old yearbooks.  Sorry the quality isn't too good, but you get the idea!

 Dad served as president of the board two years.

Brian shares this:

"When I reached high school Dad was president of the board. In fact, he was the one who convinced the other board members to keep the short hair, and no facial hair policy. We all wanted to become hippies, and he wouldn't let us. Still, my side burns used to creep down a bit."

While he was board president he presented Brian with his high school diploma.  His only child to have that honor.

Just recently Darlene Coates Hutchins was at a retirement party for one of the high school teachers.  Darlene was visiting with the retiree, Marsha Scesa Hoosman and another teacher, Wayne DeGenaro.  Mr. DeGenaro (as we respectively called him as a teacher) said to Mrs. Hoosman, "We were the last two teachers hired by Darlene's grandpa while he was on the school board.  We loved him so much." 

SUMMER SWIMMING

I was asking one of my son's about when they were younger.  I asked if I let them play with their friends every day.  He said, "yes, we just had to make sure our chores were done before we played."  Then he reminded me that we let them go swimming every day.  We bought a season family pass and only lived 3 blocks from the pool, so they could walk.  I hadn't thought about that for a long time, but they did swim every day from 1 p.m. until the pool closed in the afternoon.   Actually it wasn't all day to begin with because they always got sunburned if they stayed in the water too long at the beginning of the swimming season.  In fact I wish I had a photo of Jeff's face plastered with Zinc Oxide.  He didn't mind wearing it if he could go swimming.  All three of the kids got swimmer's ear.  We finally got wise and put drops in their ears before or after swimming each day.  Swimming paid off for them, because by the time they were old enough all three of them were lifeguards.

And the tradition goes on with the grandchildren.  This is Wil and Serina Hutchins swimming at our friends pool.  What fun!

THE TRADITION OF SINGING

On our recent trip to North Carolina we were so fortunate to be in church to hear Jeff's family sing, "Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy."  It was beautiful.  I was sorry they were missing Jade (who is serving a church mission in Panama).  They are a very musically talented family.

Whenever I sit by my sons at church and hear their wonderful bass voices I always think of my dad.  He and mom always sat behind us in church and my sons learned to sing bass from their grandpa.  What a wonderful tradition to hand down.  Now it's carried on to the next generation, with Jacob.  Hopefully, Carter and Devin will also learn that part from their dad as their voices change.

SENIOR

PHOTOS

MEMORIAL DAY - 2014

Thank You to all the Veterans for the service they have given our country over so many years.

Thanks to my dad for his service in WW II.

All veterans have a cross and a small flag placed by their headstone at Carter's Cemetery in Tuolumne, California for Memorial Day. I'm very sad this year that the beautiful green grass around all of the graves is yellow.   This year we are in a critical water crisis in our state, and we are not allowed to water our lawns in our county.

My very favorite story from my dad's army service.  This happened while he was in Algeria in 1943.  He was just a kid, barely 20 years old.
In his words:

"One night I was assigned guard duty.  We were on two hours and then off four in a twenty four hour period.  My first shift was two hours in the afternoon.  We were each assigned a post to walk back and forth a certain path.  After my two hour shift, I went back to camp to get supper.  When my next shift started it was dark.  All the posts, because of it being in North Africa so close to the war front, had no lights.  As we were leaving to go out on our posts, the Corporal of the guard would drop one guy at a time off at his post and pick up the guy going off duty. As we were going to our posts we were told the Army had an Intelligence report that some German Paratroopers (the enemy) were going to land in that area in the next day or two.   I probably had a 50 ft. path.  I know it ended in a corner because sometimes I’d meet the other serviceman coming from the other direction at the corner.  None of us had bullets for our guns.  We carried our guns with a bayonet on, but no shells.  When you’re first in the dark, it’s hard for your eyes to adjust.  When the Corporal left with his flashlight, I couldn’t see much, but I started walking my post.  Right across the road I could hear something…..like some movement on the ground.  I strained my eyes to see.  Finally I could see some movement, like men crouched down.  They didn’t come closer to me, but I was scared.  I didn’t meet the guys on either end of the post for a couple of times.  Finally I met one and told him I could see and hear something moving across the road in a field area.  He thought my eyes were deceiving me.  This went on for about a half hour.  I was almost too afraid to walk my post.  I just kept watching.  I could see there were several, but they still weren’t coming any closer.  We weren’t to leave our post.  If they had come closer I would have yelled, “Corporal of Yard….Post Number such and such.”  Then he would have come to see what the trouble was.   All of a sudden, I remembered I had seen in the afternoon, Arab shepherds had brought their sheep to a cement watering trough.  Then I could tell it was sheep.  I think that’s the most frightened I had ever been up to that time or have ever been since then."