The stories are, that during the war, Ralph also was in the Aircraft Warning Service, stationed in Seacliff. This was a great place, for one could look out over the ocean for enemy aircraft My dad said that they learned the sound of the aircraft, and be able to identify it as friend or foe. Unfortunately, I have no proof of this, but only my Dad’s stories. I do know that when I was a young teen, the lookout station was still out in Seacliff.
As my dad told the story, during the winter, they used to walk to school 10 miles in the snow, up hill both ways!! I questioned this story, ’cause I’d never seen it snow in Aptos, but, my father assured me it was true! It wasn’t until years later, that my father-in-law told the same story, and, then both would laugh! I then had my doubts about this story, and even later on I found no historical record of snow in Aptos. Suckered into the Rhodes/Jellison stories!
OK. This comes out just like it was. On Don and Lorna’a wedding, it snowed in Redding, which Lorna was ecstatic over. It was also the game between the 49ers and Raiders, both teams headed for the play-offs. Now, some of the attendees held season tickets, and, were upset that the wedding was that weekend! I was an usher, and, to break the tension, instead of asking “bride or groom?” for each entering family, I simply said – Raiders on the left, 49ers on the right. The 49ers won the game, but, a new kid for the Raiders, Kenny Stabler, played a short time. The wedding went off without a “hitch”, and all were happy!
