A Life,

Designed

Harlan Holger Pedersen

For Anne
 Foreward

After seventy years working as an architect, I have just

finished my last project on Orcas Island, Washington. The
other smaller projects were completed here at the Samarkand.
Prior to our 30 years on the island, my architectural firm
introduced technology as an upgrade for drafting. I was
about to retire. I never learned to use computer automated
drafting (CAD). I continued to do my drafting the old
fashioned way. By hand.

Anne, my wife of sixty six years, keeps involved in

activities at our Retirement Home. Before memory fails me
completely, I have chosen my own activity here by writing
an autobiography of my life. I have had some interesting
experiences during my childhood; my time as a Merchant
Mariner during and after WW2, USC, and then marrying
Anne. For more adventure, raising a family, flying, living
on Orcas Island, building a trawler for Alaska cruising,
architecture and much more.

A few years ago, Anne wrote an outstanding

memoir, “Remembering My Life”. She has tirelessly edited
and corrected my bad spelling throughout. Our Brooklyn
daughter, Janet, has designed this book while her husband,
Tom, head of production at Henry Holt Publishing of New
York, and now recently retired will see that it gets printed.
With this help, I’m feeling in good hands.
In 2016, Anne and I sold our Orcas Island house and our
Santa Barbara winter home. We are now residents in
independent living in The Samarkand Retirement
Community here in Santa Barbara. Over the years, some of
our Samarkand elders live longer than expected. Sometimes
their resources do not meet with their total expenses. The
Samarkand Benevolent Fund helps meet the needs of
those elders. If, in writing my autobiography, should
some readers enjoy it, I invite the idea of giving to the
Benevolent fund instead, an option I encourage.

Harlan Pedersen
Santa Barbara, 2019

2661 Tallant Rd. MW 523

Santa Barbara, California 13105
 Table of Contents

Introduction: Solvang / Askov History 1

1 Early Years 7
2 Merchant Marine 22
3 Yugoslavia 39
4 Grandview College 46
5 USC / Korea 57
6 Anne Marie 66
7 Denmark 73
8 Mumme 76
9 Odense 79
10 Back Home 82
11 Doris Day / Fair House 85
12 Bizarre Twist 89
13 Office Buildings 92
14 Tehachapi 98
15 USSR / High Sierra 103
16 Cessna 63609 112
17 Sierra Madre / Orcas Island 121
 18 Trawler / ASKOV 128
19 More Projects and Adventures
141 20 Volunteering / Mentoring
153 21 Grandchildren / Ancestry
157
22 Bauhaus/Stroke 163
23 Education and Art 170
24 Samarkand History 173
25 My Last Chapter 177
Epilogue 181
 Introduction

Both Anne’s people and mine, all immigrated from

Denmark. Anne’s parents arrived in the United States in
were born1920’s.
the late in the USA
My and
grandfather Pedersen immigrated in
Denmark.
the late 1800’s and settled in Askov, Minnesota. His
children, including my father,

My great grandparents, the Gregersen’s, were born in

Denmark and immigrated with their children to Iowa about
1885. That was still a period when good farm land was
available. The Gregersen’s sold their Danish farm and
bought a good farm in Kimballton, Iowa. Later they sent
their eldest son, Jens, to seminary. After graduation, he
located back to Kimballton. By the turn of the century, land
became quite expensive in Iowa. The church fathers asked
Pastor Jens Gregersen, P.P. Hornsyld and Benedict
Nordentoft if they would travel to California and seek out
other possibilities of land to purchase for settlement
purposes. This trio of leaders from Iowa were all eager
to investigate their finding on behalf of their people. Jens
Gregersen was my mother’s uncle.
!
These three men arrived by train to Santa Barbara,
California, the end of the line. So a stagecoach took them to
Coldsprings Lodge and then on to Los Olivos and Mattie’s
Tavern. The
1
Left to Right: Paster Jens Gregersen, P.P. Nornsyld,
Benedict Hordentoft, Land Agent.

!
Early Solvang
2
 Lutheran Church

following morning, the land agent arrived with horses for

the men to explore the Ballard area as well as a large
portion of a Spanish Land Grant which was situated by
the Santa Ynez Mission and a nearby lovely river. With the
eventual purchase, the area was surveyed and platted to
include both farm, commercial and residential areas, some
10,000 acres altogether. This new purchase of land was
called Sun Valley, until finally translated into Danish
becoming Solvang.

Solvang was wide open to Danes as well as others who

sought out new beginnings. All went extremely well until
1929 and the Great Economic Depression.

!
Growing up as a teenager, I observed those difficult
times. Solvang remained the lovely little village we knew
then. It gradually grew with the building of a Danish
Lutheran Church, a Post Office, and Atterdag College, a
Danish Folk School in the
3
 Atterdag Building

early years. Later,

it
became a summer
school for we children
of immigrant parents.
There was one
pretty little girl I
Santa Ines Mission
noticed in summer
school. Little did I
know that one d a y
s he w o uld
become my wife
and
we would ultimately end up living in the Samarkand.

After WWII, things changed.! Commercial interests created

a new Danish style of architecture. Tourists came in from
Los Angeles and San Francisco, some to visit but many
stayed, built homes and small ranchetts growing grapes for
wine making. Wine tasting became more popular than ever
when a Hollywood movie called “Sideways” encouraged
more folks to check it out

4
because the film was made in Solvang and surrounding
vineyard areas. Solvang still retains its own charm but
undoubtedly more commercial. The original little village
which began about 1902 is now a thriving town of over
5,000 people. Three of the Gregersen and Madsen
grandchildren of the original immigrants and founders, are
my cousins who still live in Solvang. It is always a joy to
visit them and their families.

In contrast, Askov, Minnesota also had its own charm. A

small village of mostly Danish families, Askov had its
beginnings in the late 1800’s as a railroad town called
Partridge. The soil in the area was good, but full of rocks.
The Railroad Company owned each successive land section.
About 1905, members of the Danish Church bought five
sections of this land which was then sold to Danish
immigrants and others. My grandfather, Rasmus
Pedersen, was one of the early settlers. Prior to the purchase
by the Danes, the railroad had built a post office, sales
building, and boarding house for railroad workers. Then the
Danes moved in and named it Askov, after a Danish Folk
School in Denmark. A period of growth followed. A new
train station was built. Another year, a bank, a Model T
Ford Agency and a school with classes from 7- 12. It was
quite a thrill when the Askov High School Basketball team
won the District Award.
The saying went “Skinny Minneapolis, fat St. Paul,
Askov, Minnesota beats them all”. My grandfather ’s store
did good business those particular years.
!

The Great Depression occurred in 1929. Within a few years,

hard times hit Askov. Young people moved to Minneapolis
in hopes of finding work. The bank folded, the car agency
closed. The

5
one small restaurant also closed. At the end of the war, I took
the last train ride from Minneapolis to Askov, since the train
would only stop at a few major cities and no more in Askov.

Much later, Anne and I would occasionally drive to

Askov. Only a few Danes remained. My grandfather had
died in 1942. My Uncle kept the store open until a fire
totally destroyed the building about 1970. It was never re-
built. Today, it’s just an empty lot. I believe the
population is about 200 people. The Danish street signs
are the only reminder of those earlier immigrants who
had once settled there. This was quite a difference
between prosperous Solvang and Askov. Recently Anne
and I took a train from Seattle and all the way through the
mid-western states to Chicago. We traveled through many
towns similar to present day Askov. If I had stayed there,
Anne would not have been a part of my life and I would never
have ended up as an architect.

!
Anne in front of old Askov.
6
 1
Early Years

Born in Askov, Minnesota August 28th, 1924 in the

small Danish farm community near Duluth, Minnesota.
Most of the folks in Askov spoke Danish, myself included,
until I began school in Minneapolis.

My cousin, Carl Nielsen, was also born my same date, 1924.

At the age of three, Carl’s father thought the weather too
severe in Askov. In 1927 he bought a 1924 Model “T” Ford.
Then loaded as many supplies as possible, plus all their
family, including little three year old Carl, and drove all
the way to Junction City, Oregon. There were few
highways, cabins or stores. The Ford held together, and they
arrived late summer, in good shape. Sixty five years later,
while attending a Scandinavian Conference near Portland,
Oregon and while at a family type luncheon, Anne and I
were seated across the table from a friendly couple. I asked
where they were from, and they replied, Junction City, but
originally from Askov, Minnesota.
The man said he was born there in 1924. His father had
!
been sponsored to America from Denmark by his uncle
Rasmus Pedersen. What a surprise! Rasmus Pedersen was my
7
 3 year old Harlan
Carl Nielsen way to Junction City

grandfather! I was sitting across the table from my long

last cousin. From then on, we met many times throughout the
years. Cousin Carl died of cancer a few years ago. So a little
more detail follows about my two grandfathers.

On my father’s side, Rasmus was born in Langeland,

Denmark about 1865. Later, he immigrated to America in
1885. He then trained to Clinton, Iowa. Rasmus soon got
the lay of the land, and bought a farm in the Red River
Valley, North Dakota. Rasmus married Helsigne Nielsen
and both returned to Denmark for a few years. A few of
their children were born in Denmark. Upon their return to
America, Rasmus sold their Dakota farm and moved with
their children to the newly founded town, Askov. They
!
did quite well financially after selling their Red River,
property in North Dakota.
8
 Askov Train Depot

!
Aunt Gregersen (right) from Kimbleton Iowa.
9
They were able to build a large general store as well
as a Victorian style home. The store carried all general
merchandise, groceries, shoes, clothes and tools. Helsigne
died in 1932. The family sent me some of his excellent
engineering drawings. I can only guess that at one period in
his life my grandfather must have attended an
Engineering School. The General Store remained until
it totally burned down in the 1960’s. My grandfather
Rasmus died in 1947.

My grandfather (Morfar) on my Mother’s side was

Carl Schroder, born in Sparkjaer, Denmark about 1870.
Though not completely verified, his father had a German
name and may have come from Lubeck, Germany. He fled as
a boy to Denmark to avoid the military, so prevalent in
Germany at that time. Morfar immigrated to the USA and
landed in Kimballton, Iowa. He had learned to be a
blacksmith in Denmark and would do the same in this
country.

Carl Schroder married my grandmother Ane Gregersen in

1895. Their first child, my Mother, Anna, was born in 1897.
Shortly after her birth, her grandfather Gregersen, having
recently lost his wife, was quite elderly and was suffering
from cancer. He hoped to return to the old country before he
died. He asked Carl and Ane, with their baby Anna, if
they would go back to Denmark with him. They were
willing to go and help him in any way possible. Once there,
her grandfather lingered about
! three years before he died.
This left Carl Schroder vulnerable to be inducted into the
Danish army for this two year mandatory period. He was to
report the following week. Little Anna at that

10
time was only three years old. Brother Rudolf was born
just after his father, Carl, was inducted into the army.
After completion of his service, the little family of four then
returned to the USA. My Farmor’s younger brother had
written that a blacksmith was needed in the town of Luck,
Wisconsin, so they traveled to Luck, rented a house, and
started work as a blacksmith. A third child, Anita, was
born, so now they were a family of five. Morfar continued
work as a blacksmith until he learned there was a need for
concrete blocks used for building round silos. With a
friend, they formed a concrete block business. The
business went well. He was then ready to build a house for
all the children. The last child born in 1910 was called
Margaret.

World War 1 started in 1917. The children’s grandmother died

in 1918. Then some of the children moved on. My Mother
moved to Askov to work in the bank. It was there she
met Holger Pedersen, a time when he was wearing his army
uniform. He was the eldest son of Rasmus and
Helsigne Pedersen. My Mother fell for Holger, so later that
year they were married. My sister Barbara was born 1921,
and I was born, 1924. However, after much discussion and
advice with her minister and her Aunt Sarah, my Mother left
my Father in 1928 and took both children to Minneapolis
where she was immediately able to find a job and a small
apartment.

Beginning school was a problem

! for me. The teacher noticed
my inability to speak English. My Mother explained that
Harlan thought everyone spoke Danish, until it was clear
that Harlan needed to learn English in order to play with the
other children.

11
Meantime, the concrete block business in Luck, Wis. went
quite well for Morfar. Then in 1929 and 1930, things
began to fall apart. A number of silos were still not paid for
completely, and when statements went out and never paid for,
this finally lead to the end of his block business. He sold his
house for one half its cost. He and son, Rudy, bought a
small 80 acre farm in Forest Lake, Minnesota. They were
able to buy five milk cows, and two horses. Some
machinery was left on the farm.The milk, corn and grain as
well as a little garden, made them a living, so life went on
for Morfar and Rudy. My aunt Margaret and we children
would spend all of the summers on the farm and then return
to Minneapolis in the fall. One year there was little rain. The
next year, a full drought. The corn grew less than two feet
high and was not enough to harvest. Milk was slim, so
hard times were coming.

Our Morfar had a cousin named Morris who owned a

restaurant in Minneapolis and occasionally visited the farm.
He was aware of the drought affecting the crops, so they
talked about the difficult times. Prohibition made it nearly
impossible to keep his restaurant open. Morris and his wife
had to pay the Chicago thugs (Al Capone) five dollars a
gallon for their bootleg schnapps. Their little Danish
restaurant served traditional Danish food, often with
schnapps or beer. However, the five dollar per gallon was
much too expensive. So Morris asked Carl, if he remembered
their childhood in Denmark when making potato schnapps
(akvavit). Carl remembered! but said it was illegal in
America. Morris replied, “Carl your farm is failing from
the drought, and we can no longer keep our restaurant
12
open. If you be very careful, keep the still in the barn, and
being located a good mile from your nearest neighbor, you
should be okay. You can use well water for a small plot of
potatoes. Maybe we could help each other out.” Carl
already had a plot of potatoes ready to dig up. So Rudy
fixed up a still while the potatoes were cut up into small
pieces and placed in a container for fermentation, run
through a still, filtered twice and filled in one gallon bottles.
All for one dollar per gallon.

All went well. Morris kept their restaurant, and Morfar kept
his farm. Their pigs grew fat on left over fermented
potatoes. Morfar was having eye problems, so off to an
eye doctor in Minneapolis who ultimately declared he
had macular degeneration and “at your age, there is not
much we can do”. For a few years, this partnership worked.
However, Morfar’s eyes were failing fast. Rudy had to help
his father with most of the work. One day the neighbor lady,
living one mile north had become a member of the Woman’s
Temperance League. She had noticed an odor coming from
the Schroder farm. She notified the county sheriff. Next
morning Sheriff Hansen, an old friend of Carl’s stopped by.
“This can’t go on. I’ll need to fine you $200 this time.
Also, this has got to be the end of your schnapps adventure.”
By then, Morfar was mostly blind. Rudy had to help his
father with nearly everything. There was one solution to move
the still from the barn to the cellar in his house, move the
potato patch and bury the fermented potatoes. This worked
for a time. Morris was happy but Morfar was still
wary. Sure enough, the sheriff ! came by with Olson, the
Swedish Revenue Officer, who was much smarter than the
Danes. It was obvious that the operation of the still was
working. This became the end

13
 14

Sister Barbara and Harlan.

!
Family of four on steps of Harbor House
Rasmussen’s Harbor House in
Willow Brook.

of both restaurant and farm. A large

fine broke their bank. All they had
left were the cattle and the
machinery. Morfar
insisted that Harlan k e e p t h e
c a l f . My Mother said “No, you
can ’t keep it in the apartment,”
so it sold to a neighbor. At the time I
was seven years old when I made
my first dollar. Morfar moved to
Luck with his younger
brother and died in
1940. Rudy joined the army and later moved to Santa
Barbara, California and worked on the building of the
Cachuma Dam.

In 1936 my mother and children moved to our Aunt

Sarah’s farm in Solvang, California. In a short time,
mother found a good job and rented a small house for $10.00
per month in Santa Barbara. Our house is still located on
Anapamu St. near Garden St., close to the Courthouse. The
little house is one of the few still standing in the
neighborhood. I had a paper route to help us out. By fall I
attended La Cumbre Jr. High School with my boy friend next
door. We liked riding our bikes around Flying “A” Studios.
A little north, was a small air field which is now a golf
course. Not far away
was The Samarkand
Hotel
which had foreclosed that
year. Many hotels
in
Santa Barbara had to
c l o s e d u r i ng t h o s
e Depression years.
Eighty four years later,
the old Samarkand
Hotel is long gone but
in its place is
!
now The Samarkand
Harlan, Anna and Barbara
Retirement Community
which has become our last home. When I was in
my early teens, my mother sent me to the Atterdag
Danish Lutheran Summer School in Solvang. Attending
the summer school was a cute little Jensen girl. Never did I
think we would one day be together forever.

15
Our little family of three was very close, so when
Mother announced that Hans Rasmussen, an old family
friend, had proposed to her and that she had accepted and
were to be married in the fall of 1940, I was very upset!!
We would be breaking up our little family. We had
always agreed that Mother would never marry unless we
all agreed. After much nonsense from me, my older and
wiser sister took me aside. “Don’t be so selfish and think
of Mother”. Hans Rasmussen was born in Denmark, a
very kind and thoughtful man who I grew to love. Soon
after, we moved to his lovely house near the harbor, south
of Los Angeles. Hans died of prostate cancer in 1944.

After school started, we had a sad occurrence happen. A

new boy who had just started school, named Olson, had
recently arrived from North Dakota. His father had just
started night shift at the shipyards. Olson lived about eight
blocks north of our house. We became fast friends that early
semester, and met occasionally at our homes. Fall was
football time at our Junior College, located about three miles
toward the harbor. Four boys from our neighborhood, and
my friend Olson joined us. Night time came sooner this time
walking home. We had just passed Morland’s Mortuary
across the street from the train tracks. We boys noted how
close power poles were to the tracks. A freight train was just
passing by, so I started to run and see if I could keep up
with the train. I heard Olson say he was going to jump on,
since he hated the extra walk home. Olson then jumped on,
swung out and hit the power pole and slid under. My
!
friends were terrified and all ran home. The freight train
passed. I ran to Mr. Morland and told him I would go and
tell Olson’s mother.

16
I was then alone. I walked across the tracks looking for
Olson. It was very dark when I found him. He was
obviously badly hurt, battered head, leg jammed into the
ground. So much blood. I asked if he could hear. He just
moaned. I said I would go to his mother and tell her what
happened, but meantime, one of the conductors had picked
up Olson ’s leg. That was too much for me. I got on my
bike and hurried to his house, nearly four miles away. I woke
up his mother and told her that her son was in an accident and
that I believed he had been taken to the local hospital.
Frantically, Mrs. Olson had to find a neighbor to take her to
the hospital since her husband had taken the car to work at
the shipyard. Fortunately, Mr. Morland finally came by to
take her to the hospital. Olson died later that night. We boys
were pallbearers for his burial.

!
Harlan and Rover with ’36 Ford
17
1940, Junior High was ending. I still had a dream of
becoming a forest ranger. It was then I had begun drawing
my idea of a ranger’s house as well as some other imagined
projects. I started going to High School in 1941 at the Junior
College, a time when all High Schools were joined together
with local Junior Colleges. Thirty percent of the students
were of Japanese ancestry. Gradually we all became
well acquainted. One student in particular studied
together with me. His name was Kaito and his sister wrote
beautiful poems. His older sister, named Inez Tugori,
was a top student at UCLA. Her parents had recently sent
her to Japan for advanced education. After Pearl Harbor,
Inez Tugori became the notorious “Tokyo Rose” whose
voice was heard over the radio for propaganda news.
After the war was over, Tokyo Rose was removed by the
military and returned to the USA where she ultimately
settled in Chicago. Kaito and I had always been interested
in radio. First crystal sets, then peanut tube receivers and
later we learned the Morse Code leading us to becoming
amateur radio operators.

December 7th, 1941. Pearl Harbor. First I had to look in our

atlas to find out that it was in Hawaii and not that far
away. The following Monday, we went to our usual train
station to catch our red car to school. At the station we were
greeted by five or so American Legion Veterans about 40 -
50 years old. They advised us to be sure and “Beat up the
damn Japs at school”. After arriving at class, we were
immediately told to go to the! auditorium for an assembly.
The principal spoke to students about the need to treat every
one with respect. We students were all relieved to hear this.
Not all adults felt the same. Shortly after our government
ordered all Japanese to immediately sell all their

18
 Japanese Interment Camp 1942

property and report to temporary housing at the race track

and on to permanent quarters at various camps in the desert.
Later, we learned that part of Congress was very much in
agreement with sending the Japanese in to Internment Camps.
The military was also in agreement. Lt. General DeWitt said
that “American Japs were our enemy. The governor of
Idaho announced that “Japs lived and bred like rats. Some
were murderers and thieves.”

Shortly after, Kaito and all the others left, I went to his house
to say good by. Their total neighborhood
! was empty. Kaito
had gone to an Internment Camp with his family. An Army
guard told me to leave.
19
The war was now on, childhood was over. At school, all
male seniors were excused from their last semester to become
involved in the war effort. Coastal shipping was being
devastated. German submarines were sinking over 100 ships
in the first two months on the east coast. Japanese
submarines sunk five ships the first week on the west coast.
One of the U boats shelled Ellwood Refinery just north of
Santa Barbara. A lone merchant ship that had just departed
Honolulu was sunk with all hands. Japanese balloons
carrying explosives were floated at high altitudes
directly to the west coast. Various fires were started with
one fatality. A month after Pearl Harbor, American planes
flying over the Los Angeles area, were thought to be
Japanese. There was much confusion, and one radio
commentator suggested, they could be Japanese planes.

At the Los Angeles harbor, three merchant ships were

loading various cargoes. The first officer asked me to come
aboard and look around. I saw the radio room, bridge and
various quarters, including the engine room.

Two Danish ships were also in the harbor. My family had

invited some of the officers for dinner. They told us that
their radio officer had received a message from
Denmark to “return immediately to a Danish or German
port.” Denmark had recently been occupied by the Germans.
The Danish ships, not wanting involvement with the
Nazi ’s elected to change ownership to the British and
sailed instead for the allies. One
! of the Danish ships was later
sunk by a German submarine.
20
At 17, I was signed up as an ordinary seaman for the
Merchant Marine, but chose to continue working on my
Radio License. A harbor guard advised me to go to Pier 12,
where an old tied up lumber ship called the “Martha
Buener ” was where a Commercial Radio School was
being held and sponsored by the American Communications
Association. I immediately went aboard to begin studying
for a commercial radio license the following weeks. I had
about one month of class before I was out of money getting
to Pier 12, by hitching a ride and a long walk. Fortunately,
Hans Rasmussen let me drive his old studebaker while
I took classes instead at North American Aviation, I
quickly obtained a job in the radio department, filling new
24 volts batteries with electrolyte. After that I found a 1936
Ford which the dealer agreed to finance. It took some time to
pay off. In the fall I left North American and went back to
the ship for more classes. Near Christmas I mastered my
Morse Code and Advanced Radio Theory, passed my
exam and received my commercial license.

I was now ready for a ship. I received my first call from

Seattle, shipping out as a wireless radio operator.

!
21
 2
Merchant Marine

Few people know about or understand the American

Merchant Marine. Throughout history there were always
people who followed the sea. Today’s merchant ships with
all types of cargo sail throughout the world. In times of
major conflict, our government requisitions all American
ships for the war effort. Prior to WW2 and during the
Economic Depression, seamen experienced difficult times.
Some of the shipping companies were of little help with
the poor conditions, bad food and low wages.

In 1936, a general Seaman and Longshoremen’s strike

was formed. Two unions, one on the west coast called
SUP (Seaman’s Union of the Pacific) and on the east
coast called NMU (National Maritime Union). The
unions stopped all shipping from American ports. Of
those striking members, a few were agitators and
communists, but most were hard working men trying
to make a decent living. However, columnists such as
Westbrook Pegler and Walter Winchell wrote scathing reports
of the communist influence in
! our Merchant Marine. After
PearlHarbor, all seamen went back to their ships. No more
discussion of communism was encouraged.
22
 Liberty Ship 1943

The existing and returning seamen provided massive support

for the new generation to become able bodied seamen, from
wipers to boiler men. Older ships, deck and engine
officers also returned, some with disabilities, some over
seventy years, volunteered. Newly trained deck and
engine officers came primarily from the academies, others
from private institutions, and later the government trained
younger recruits. Older ships from WW1 were brought into
action. Thousands of new ships were being built. Men
were badly needed to run these ships. Those returning
officers and seamen provided the expertise needed to
make an efficient Merchant Marine. During the conflict,
from late 1941 to late 1945, over 730 of these ships were sunk
by enemy action. Of the total of 230,000 volunteer seamen,
over 9000 were killed and 11,000
! wounded. 3.1 million tons
of cargo were sent to the bottom.
23
During the first of 1943 I received a call from Seattle that
radio officers were needed for immediate sailing. I joined
two of my friends who were driving from San Pedro to
Seattle. We arrived in less than a week. My first ship was a
brand new liberty ship at the Portland shipyards. I had a
chance to check out the radio equipment, take a trial run
down the Columbia River to Astoria and back to the
shipyard. I stayed at the Multnomah Hotel where I met
Mr. Kaiser, who greeted all of the ship’s officers. The ship,
SS Flavel was named after the ex Governor of Oregon and
christened by the elderly Mrs. Flavel. We sailed the next day
with a rough sea to Seattle where the ship was turned over to
a Russian crew, “lend lease”, and then sailed to
Vladivostok, Russia. My next ship was also a brand new
liberty ship named the SS Flaling. The same procedure
occurred for this ship, sailed to Seattle and functioned as a
troop ship.

My next ship, the SS Waipio, was an old freighter, built in

1917. Most of the officers were old timers, well over fifty
and mostly Scandinavians. We loaded about 100 military
troop specialists, including their equipment in temporary
quarters below deck. We also loaded two large barges and
other military equipment. We sailed the following day
along the Canadian and Alaskan coast to Bristol Bay. The
weather was not good that time of the year. We unloaded all
the troops, barges and other equipment to a military base on
Amchatka in Bristol Bay. We then returned along the coast
to Seattle. The concern on that trip was when our armed
!
guard sailor, stationed as a lookout on the aft gun, saw a
surfaced submarine following us. It’s quite possible the
armed guard just saw things. At any rate, Captain Hansen
called the engineer to increase speed. A submarine can’t
equal our

24
 WW1 Cargo Ship SS Waipio

speed on this heavy sea. Upon arrival in Seattle we quickly

re- loaded and headed north again. Our destination was not
known until Captain Hansen announced that our destination
was Attu, the far western end of the Aleutian Islands. It
would take about 8 days, but first we stopped at Dutch
Harbor to form a convoy. The army had just recently fought
a terrible battle against the Japanese who had occupied
Attu some three weeks earlier. There were 550 American
and Canadian casualties and almost 2000 Japanese. The
adjacent island of Kiska was also occupied by the Japanese,
but during the night they had boarded large submarines
and returned to Japan. Not aware of this evacuation,
American troops landed on Kiska, ready for another battle.
!
Unfortunately, there were 100 casualties, mostly from
friendly fire or booby traps. We unloaded some
equipment

25
required for the remaining troops, then sailed to
Adak, somewhere in the middle of the Aleutian chain,
for more unloading.

It so happened I was having trouble with my wisdom teeth, so

a friendly army dentist took them both out, by doing this in
his recently assembled dentist tent. Adak was to
become a permanent military base. We returned to Dutch
Harbor and noticed considerable harbor damage. A few
months earlier, Japanese aircraft, stationed on a carrier,
had flown off and dropped torpedoes on ships in the
harbor. Fortunately the US Army had broken the Japanese
code, so Dutch Harbor was prepared with anti-aircraft guns
and shot one Jap plane down. During our return trip, a
heavy storm made us seek shelter in Prince William sound.
Shortly after dropping anchor, I received an SOS. A new
Liberty ship was breaking up and sinking. Other vessels came
to the rescue. Only six men were lost. During and after the
war, twelve Liberty ships broke up due to bad welding and
inferior quality steel. We departed the next day. As we

!
Harlan’s sketch of Attu Islands, Alaska.
26
 Map of Alaska

neared Cape Elias in southern Alaska we heard another SOS.

An older freighter had run onto the coastal rocks under
foggy conditions. The ship was lost and all the crew were
rescued. After the war, and when I was still sailing on a
Liberty ship, I met the third mate, who was on the old
freighter that ran on the rocks in Alaska years ago.

The SS Waipio needed some repairs that would take a few

weeks. We were then selected
! to make the Arctic run to
Point Barrow. This was an annual event during an ice-free
summer. Since 1900, only one cargo ship per year made this
trip. The Point Barrow
27
 Skin Boat Point Barrow

!
Eskimo family Point Barrow Alaska
28
 Nome, Alaska

trips included about eight eskimo village stops, including

Nome and Kotsebue. This was the summer of 1943. All
the villages needed oil, coal, food and other necessary items.
Skin boats were used to unload, as our ship had to anchor in
deeper water, about a mile from shore. This took over two
weeks, as weather often moved in. I went ashore to help with
their radio equipment.

Point Barrow is about three miles north of the village of

Barrow, Alaska. A shipmate asked if I wanted to walk the
three miles north to Point Barrow. I said “OK let’s go.” The
beach was full of small rocks which were hard to walk on. We
then returned to the village where the elderly Mr. Barrow
had lived for thirty years. We asked if we could borrow his
skiff. He said “absolutely, and
! have a good trip.” Mr.
Barrow was the author of “Thirty Years Below Zero”. We
headed north for the point, arriving some hours later, pulling
the skiff ashore. We saw what appeared to be

29
a large bear, but instead it was a Canadian dressed in furs.
He asked if the big boat had arrived and if hopefully we
could help him with his bent heavy axel he was carrying. He
had walked all the way from the McKensie River in the
Yukon. He stayed aboard the Waipio for a few days and was
full of stories. The axel was fixed and we rowed him to Point
Barrow and wished him well.

The ice was moving in. There was not much time to
finish unloading. The first mate asked if we would please
help unload. It took two solid days and nights to finish
the job with all hatches open and winches working. The
eskimos, including wives also helped. When saying good
by, the eskimo artist gave me a skin with his art work. His
name was Agaput, a well known artist in the north country.

All of the eskimos were extremely friendly. I gave them my

last box of chocolates. We sailed south to a few more
villages, and then one more week in Nome, Alaska where
there were a number of stores, shops and a large
military airport for American pilots to transfer aircraft to
the Russians. From there they could fly to Moscow and the
Russian and German front. Thereafter, we were on our way
to Kotsebue, Dutch Harbor and then Seattle, arriving ten days
later. It took over two weeks in the shipyard for more
repairs. I instead took the train to see my Mother, Sister and
Hans. It was good to be with them again, even for such a
short stay. !
30
Back to Seattle, the good ship Waipio was ready to go, only
this time our cargo was not known. Our orders were to go
to San Francisco where a harbor pilot would direct us, first
under the beautiful Golden Gate bridge and then on to the
Pinole area near Richmond. Our ship was located quite far
from the town. The army had tightly restricted the area, since
ammunition was stored there, ready to be loaded on our ship.
I took about a two mile walk to Pinole where there was not
much to see but lots of security checking to get back to our
ship. We now had a full load of aerial bombs for the B29’s
bound for Japan. In the morning, we departed, sailing under
the Golden Gate bound for Pearl Harbor to join another
convoy heading for the Solomon Islands. We saw our first
Japanese fighter flying over our ship at 5,000 ft. This
continued each day, assuming it was a reconnaissance
mission. Our ship then sailed west to the Admiralty Islands for
a final unloading. Our destination was Pearl Harbor. Upon
our arrival, we loaded more food and equipment for the
more westerly islands in the South Pacific. A quick unload
and then back again to Pearl Harbor for a cargo of
pineapples and then back home to Seattle.

This time Captain Hansen told me they would again be

headed for the North country. As much as I liked the eskimos,
I wanted something new, so it was a good by to all the gang
on the old Waipio. I contacted the shipping office and was
soon on the train to Portland. My new ship was a tanker,
still moored in the shipyard named SS Winnabago. I spent
some time helping with the installation of the radio
equipment. I was fortunate !in having the pacific tankers set
us up at the Multnomah Hotel.
31
Within a few weeks, we had the ships christening and then a
trial run to Astoria and back. Among the new crew, the
second deck officer was Gordon Hahn, who was to become
my close friend and ultimately best man for our wedding.

The SS Winnebago then headed south to El Segundo,

California for an offshore loading of aviation gas. No getting
off the ship which was often the way it was working on a
tanker. In the morning, we departed El Segundo and
headed again for Pearl Harbor where Gordon happened to
meet his Navy brother, John. After a short visit we again
formed a convoy and headed for Port Moresby, New
Guinea where Gordon met his other brother, Kenneth.

Later these two brothers both became heavily involved

with politics in Los Angeles. Gordon became a City
Councilman and

!
T2 Tanker
32
Kenny, the LA County Supervisor. Later, Kenny’s
daughter Janice Hahn became a member of the US Congress
and is now serving as the LA County Supervisor of the 4th
District just as her father once was. Kenny was the
harbor pilot in Port Moresby, so he took us out to the
harbor entrance where we finally said our farewells.

Our next destination was Noumea on the island of

South Caledonia. Our Captain Jensen rarely left his cabin, but
this time he came up to the chart room with his
calculations to enter Noumea. Gordon had done his
navigation. He checked the Captain’s but it was incorrect.
Gordon also asked me to check his calculations and I agreed
with Gordon. Had we continued on the Captain’s course,
we would have hit the rocks. The captain, who was over
seventy and quite gentle, just looked at us and said “Gordon,
you’re in charge” and left the chart room. Afterwards, the
chief mate told us that four months prior, Captain Jensen
was sailing his empty tanker towards Aruba. A German U
boat torpedoed his ship, which threw the Captain from the
bridge down to the lower boat deck. It broke his arm and
some ribs. He asked the mate to head towards the shoals.
The engine was still running. One half hour later they were
stuck on the shoals. There were some casualties, most made it
to shore. Pacific tankers were so pleased they could now
save the ship. The Captain and others needed medical
support before going back to sea. Captain Jensen was
assigned to our ship, the SS Winnebago. Over seventy and
with his earlier injuries, it was understandable, there was
reason to believe he might be! a little off in his navigation
skills. We arrived in Panama about twenty days later.
Captain Jensen left us there. He was a good person
33
who had gone through a lot. A new captain was assigned.
After clearing the Panama Canal we sailed on to
Aruba. While approaching, we saw a tanker high on the
shoals. It must have been Captain Jensen’s ship.

Aruba was a small oil island owned by the Dutch and located
off of Venezuela. Just a few shops, bars and a large refinery.
After loading aviation gas, we departed for the Canal and
another plus twenty days to Noumea. Then we joined
another convoy west to encounter a Japanese sub being depth-
charged. Massive naval fighting was going on at Leyte Gulf.
We discharged our cargo at a military facility far short of
Leyte.

Because the US Army had occupied Layte Gulf, our

procedure for these Aruba trips was to deliver aviation gas
and to tie up at the large cargo dock to discharge. After a
number of these adventures, we again brought aviation gas to
Layte until an army colonel came aboard and said that
they were filled up with aviation fuel but badly needed
diesel instead for trucks, tanks and generators. He also said
that each night recently, Japanese bombers at high altitudes
had bombed this facility, but not with much accuracy, as
many bombs fell in the bay. “Observe that mountain over
there. A little man in a tree is looking at your big tanker full
of gas. You can bet word got to the Japanese bombers to try
and hit that dock area. I suggest you anchor out to 100 feet
deep about two miles. I’ll try to take less than a third of
your cargo”. So immediately! we left the damaged dock and
anchored about two miles as advised. We stayed up until
midnight and the high altitude bombers arrived. We watched
heavy bombing and were glad we were anchored out and
not at the dock. Japanese

34
bombing went on each night. The colonel came aboard in
a week and said he could now store about a third of our cargo.
We docked and spent only the day unloading. The colonel
said to dump the gas and bring him diesel. Unloading a huge
amount of aviation gas is a tricky business. No smoking.
We must have killed thousands of fish. All that gas should
have been used for B24’s in their bombing of Japanese
territory.

With an empty ship, we again arrived at Panama City

through the Panama Canal, then Colon, and on to Aruba for
diesel. By mid-summer we were again heading for Leyte
with a full cargo of diesel oil. Arriving early August, the
colonel was pleased to get the diesel. The bombings were over
and all was calm again.

The SS Winnebago was again headed to the Panama Canal

when we heard on the radio that Hiroshima and Osaka had
been aerial attacked with the atomic bomb. This would surely
be the end of the war. Next day I received a message to
change our course to Alabama. We arrived there August
30th, 1945, the day of the Japanese surrender. We tied up
north of Mobile, Alabama. All hell had broken out. Shops
had closed, all ship yard workers left the yard. Immigration
staff and guards had joined others to celebrate the end of a
long war.

The next day, four of us from! Los Angeles elected to buy a

1939 Ford and drive to L.A. With the guards and immigration
people gone, we loaded the car with a few left over
guns as a remembrance or keepsake of this terrible war. In
addition, I had also acquired an abandoned little dog who had
been with me on my last ship and whose name was
“Alderberen,”, came along

35
with us. We said our good bye’s and off to Los Angeles.
Before long, we had tire problems. We stopped in Louisville,
Mississippi where we had to obtain some ration stamps,
about a 5 block walk. So we took the dog and found the
ration-lady’s house. She gave us all the ration stamps we
needed but also informed us that there was a lot of rabies going
around so to watch my dog. While walking back to our car,
Alderberen (named after a star for our navigation) suddenly
fell down having a seizure. Ultimately, we all thought this
looked like rabies. A number of children were around, so I
was advised to put Alderberen away. So, with a 4 x 4 lying
in the field, I finished him off. I felt really bad having to do
that. We went to the sheriff’s office and told him what
happened and he said it might just only have been a heat
stroke that caused the seizure. Sadly, we all sat at the counter
of a little restaurant having burgers, waiting for our four new
tires. A kid walked in, and said to his Mom behind the
counter, “there ’s the murderer who killed the little dog!”
That was all I needed to make me feel worse than ever. But
with our new tires, we had to drive on to Cisco Texas for
dinner and a night’s rest. On to Flagstaff for another night
and then to Los Angeles. I dropped them off at Gordon’s
house where two of the boys parents were there waiting, so
here were lots of greetings and good bye’s as well. Then on
to my Mother’s home where she and my sister were there
waiting. Hans had died in 1944, yet things were good at home
and I was glad to be there again. Lots of stories to tell.

During the latter part of the war, President Roosevelt prepared

a Merchant Seaman ’s type !of GI Bill. The military was
equally disapproving. Much of this disapproval was due to
assumption of communist influence by the Merchant
Marine. Later they

36
 Gordon, John and Kenny Hahn

became aware that Merchant Seamen had endured

greater casualties per capita than all of the other military
services. Most of the younger men hardly knew of left
wing politics or communism in general.

!
In 1988, a group of retired seamen sued the government
over their denial of Merchant Mariners receiving the GI
Bill along
37
with all of the other military services. The outcome of
the lawsuit for all wartime Merchant Seamen amounted to
benefits of the GI Bill and War Veteran’s status. Many
of the elder seamen had passed on. The younger men
were now in their sixties and did not need benefits for
schooling or housing. The one great benefit was health
assistance from the Veteran’s Administration. I personally
receive Hearing Aids and some price reduction on
medications.

!
38
 3
Yugoslavia

Without the GI Bill, I needed more sailing time for

education and for assisting my family. Hans Rasmussen had
died recently, no pension those days, so more help was needed.

The war was over September 2nd, 1945. A time for peace.
Living on the west coast, I signed on to a coal freighter
bound for the Adriatic Sea and on to our destination of
Trieste, Italy. It was reported that German mines were still
evident, so an Italian pilot boarded us, guiding us to an
anchorage south of our destination. During the stormy night,
a British tanker signaled us that loose mines were spotted
near our anchorage. Shortly after that signal, we saw mines
floating our way. They came within 10 feet of our ship and
exploded on the cliffs behind us.

Later, on the bridge, I noticed smoke coming out of the

vents. The first mate asked me to join him, so down the hatch
we went. Our cargo of coal was burning and the crew
came out with hoses. The !chief engineer came from the
engine room to say the bulkhead between the boiler room
and coal burning cargo was buckling from the heat. More
water was directed with the announcement that “With
rough weather, and a cargo of

39
shifting coal, fires can happen.” We finally made harbor
in Trieste. The British fire brigades finally extinguished
the fire. Italian workers, trying to keep warm had dug too
deep. The warm coal walls collapsed. Once again the
British fire brigades had to help the men out. Some were
injured, ambulances took them to a hospital. We would
have to stay in Trieste a little longer. Al Boken, my third
mate buddy, said that his parents from Buffalo, New York,
were aware his ship was going to Trieste. His parents had
emigrated from there after WW1. They were aware that their
homeland had been in Slovenia, but now Tito, a Croation
Communist had taken over most of the Balkan States. It
would so please them if he could just have a look over the
border fence and see how their old homeland still looked. Al
was very interested in doing that to please his parents, so
he asked me to go with him.

(A little Balkan History): 1941 - Germany invaded and

occupied all six Balkan nations, from Slovenia to Serbia
and Croatia. Massive enemy fighting from the Chetnik
rebels and partisan fighters from the Balkan nations.
There was also infighting between many factions. Serbia’s
Mihailovich and Josip Brox (Tito’s Communists). After
the Soviet red army arrived, Germany retreated after
much bloodshed. Stalin supported the Communist Tito, in
order to form the Socialist federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Milhailovich of Serbia was executed for his opposition to
the Russians and support of Germany. Tito could now form
the six Balkan countries into a united Yugoslavia. He was
not happy the USA and Britain ! had refused to give him
Trieste as part of his new empire. It seems only fair that
the Balkans had helped defeat Germany. Italy was allied
with

40
Germany, and later surrendered to the allies. This
disagreement remained. British troops were ready to
defend the Italian territory. This happened when Alfred
Boken and Harlan Pedersen stepped over the line.

We dressed warmly and brought sandwiches. At 3 am we

were off the ship and on our way to the border. The
distance was longer than expected. We met a peasant
who spoke Al’s language. He told us to go three more miles
to the border. If we walked up that cowpath, in about one
more mile we would be in Yugoslavia. We followed his
instruction, but still no border, so we kept walking. From the
top of a hill looking down to a valley below, we saw a
small village named Prepenico. (no longer exists). We
needed to get some refreshments. The village looked
completely closed up with all windows boarded.
“Al, I think we’re in Yugoslavia. Let’s get back to the ship.”

So we started up the hill heading towards Trieste when we

heard some shouting coming from the village. Ahead, we saw
machine guns pointed at us. Two young soldiers yelled for us
to stop and put our hands up and keep quiet. They took our
wallets and watches, poked us with their guns and motioned
us back to the village. One soldier told us to sit on the ground,
the other young soldier went up some steps. When he
returned, we were told to start walking inland. Al inquired
“Where are we going?” They answered by pushing their
guns in our backs. We walked about five miles. I noticed
!
their guns slung over their shoulders seemingly more tired
than we were. I whispered to Al there was a steep cliff on
our right and woods on the other side which might give us
a chance to push them over the cliff and run into

41
the woods. Al turned white at the thought. So much for my
bold adventure.

Towards dark, we arrived at a stone structure. The

soldier’s motioned us to enter the building and up some
stone stairs. I noticed a woman with a child sitting by a
fireplace cutting up what appeared to be an onion. It was
obvious food was short. We entered a smallish room and told
to sit on a bench while they left after closing and locking a
heavy door. I looked out of a 10 inch square window. The
sun had set. Was this going to be our last day? In a little
over an hour, in came a young officer and about five
guerrilla men with gun belts over their shoulders, Russian
stars on their hats.

The officer started with me. My Italian was so bad that

he switched to Slovenian and spoke to Al. At first he was
harsh, obviously trying to find out why we were in his
country? Were we spies? Where were we from? The
interrogations went on for nearly an hour. I noticed the
guerrillas were scowling. After a period of time, the officer
seemed to listen more carefully, asking many questions,
seemingly more relaxed as were the men standing as
well. Al was telling them about his parents leaving the old
country for a new start in America and about a Slovenian
friend who had helped them settle in Buffalo, New York where
it was easy to get work in the steel mills. It wasn’t long before
there was a small house and then in 1922 little Alfred was
born. His father had joined the! union and later was able to
buy a car. There were good possibilities for them in
America. Later his father became a union official. He
described that Mr. Pedersen and himself were officers on a
coal ship docked in Trieste harbor.

42
His parents urged him to look over the border fence for them
to see their old country. Furthermore, Al described how we
had picked the wrong path by ending up in Prebinico and
suddenly greeted by their two soldiers.

The young officer then stood up, shook our hands and
said “Stroval”, meaning “God be with you” and the soldiers
wished us well. The officer then ordered the soldiers to take
us close to the border and with smiles and farewells we
were on the dirt road heading to Trieste. By then it was
past midnight. The moonlight helped us find the way. To
avoid problems with the British guards, we should leave the
road and they would show a way to sneak us over. We
followed them to a dry creek bed, listening for awhile, but
no sounds. Again, they said good-by, wishing us luck.
Across the creek bed, we ducked behind some rocks, waved
to the soldiers and headed back to the ship. We arrived just
after 8 am. Had breakfast and slept.

In a few days, we departed heading south to Bari, Italy. At

the time, few people knew of the year old disaster at Bari.
Just before Christmas, 1944, 130 German junkers came in
from the east. 30 allied merchant ships were crammed in to
the harbor. Unbeknown to everyone, one of these liberty
ships had 2000 mustard gas bombs. Army intelligence had
false knowledge that Hitler was making available a similar
type gas, having been gassed in the first world war. Hitler
had no wish to use gas in this war. Not knowing that the
Germans were not preparing for
! gas, the American and British
military in any event, wanted to have mustard gas available.
The liberty ship with mustard gas secretly kept it. Only two
army officers and the ship’s captain knew of

43
Bari disaster

Bari disaster.
!
44
the secret cargo. Unfortunately, the ship also carried
munitions. When the 130 Junker 88’s arrived, all hell broke
loose. 30 ships sunk. Our secret ship was hit first.
Their ammunition exploded, all hands were killed,
including the captain and two officers. Mustard gas had
spread all over the harbor. Medical people wrapped the
wounded in blankets, not knowing the deep blistering was
from mustard gas. Some three days later, army high brass
who knew of the shipment notified local medical folks
who then knew what to do for the remaining wounded.
Many had died due to improper procedure. In all, nearly
1000 seamen and civilians were casualties.

When we arrived in Bari, much devastation remained in

the harbor. We tied up to an open dock and began loading
artillery, trucks, tanks and military goods. In three days we
were ready to sail. Approaching the straits of Messina, I
received a message. One of our liberty ships hit a mine near
Civitavecchia, on the west coast of Italy. The ship went
down with the loss of two seamen. The rescued crew were
in a hotel, ready to sail with us to New York. It was another
stormy crossing. Took about seven days to get our artillery,
trucks and tanks back to New York, a good bye to all of
our shipmates, cleared customs and then greyhound bus
home.

!
45
 4
Grandview

After my Yugoslavia adventure, I spent a little time with

my Mother and Sister, who resided in their recently
purchased craftsman house in Los Angeles, close to the
University of Southern California. While there, I took the
opportunity to visit the dean of the USC School of
Architecture. The school was going to be full of over 130
returning war veterans, most of them will have transferred to
something else later in the semester. The Dean suggested that
I go to a junior college and to go heavy on math, physics and
language. He said “in two years time I predict that we will
have an opening which will allow you to spend most of your
time on architecture and engineering.”

It was mid-summer. Once again I needed more money, so it

was in New York that I found a liberty ship ready to depart
the USA for a round trip to Civitavecchia, Italy. I met the
captain, who introduced me to two immigration officers
who told me they had an issue with a recently arrived
passenger named Adriano Simonetti. He had arrived with
his family the previous week.! His wife and children cleared
customs, however, Mr. Simonetti was being retained by
immigration as “persona non grata”. His wife, Dorothy and
children, were desperately ready to depart

46
because of her dying mother. Due to some
domestic disagreement, they failed to say good by. Off they
went without saying a word. Adriano was crestfallen.
Would he ever see his family again? Immigration placed
him on our ship, which was returning to Italy. The captain
asked me if I was willing to watch this man. “We don’t need
any problems on this ship.”

The tugs were on standby and then we sailed with the tide.
I asked Mr. Simonetti if he would care to see my radio
room before we went on to dinner. We discussed his concern
of losing his family and how he had become “persona non
grata”. During the next evening, Mr. Simonetti explained
how he and Dorothy fell in love in 1938 on their European
tour. They wanted to get married, however he was already
married at the time and working as an architect for the
Pope. All hell broke out after his divorce, and when he was
removed from the Vatican and when Dorothy called her
parents who were both very opposed over her wedding plans
when the father said “Don’t ever come home with an Italian”,
he is not welcome here.

Dorothy and Adriano were married late 1938 before the

war started. A Red Cross message arrived about 1942
saying her father had just died and to please come home as
soon as possible. At the end of the war, Dorothy was able to
secure an American freighter, sailing to New York.
Because Adriano was unable to enter the states, I told him
!
I would be willing to meet Dorothy during my drive to
Grand View College. He was much relieved by this
offer. Our discussions from then on were much about
architecture, as he knew about my plans for USC. We
arrived in Civitavecchia and

47
 Harlan and Mr. Simonetti

went on to nearby Rome. There, Adriano showed me

many wonderful historical buildings throughout the city.
He treated dinner at the famous Excelsior Hotel. Mr.
Simonetti then offered me the opportunity to return to
Rome to live in their home and attend the famous Rome
School of Architecture. However, Grand View and USC
was in my future this part of my life. I was so impressed
!
by his wisdom and willingness to
48
share. Thinking back, Adriano had influenced me to
pursue architecture for my life’s work.

I returned to our ship ready to sail the next day. The

captain thanked me for spending time with Mr. Simonetti. It
was much appreciated. Once the cargo was unloaded we
departed about noon and arrived in New York within five
days. I said good by to my shipmates and went on to Los
Angeles by Greyhound. I still had my 1936 Ford which my
sister Barbara had kept in good shape. After visiting both
my Sister and Mother, I stopped briefly at Dorothy’s in
Berkeley. She had been on the phone with Adriano, so all
was fine and she thanked me for my help. The Simonetti’s
finally ended up residing in Mexico City. My next
adventure was on to Grand View College in Des Moines,
Iowa.

Grand View felt much like home since my father, uncles

and aunts all graduated from GVC in the early teens. It was
fun to greet all the new students who had also just arrived.
Most of these students were from Danish families, and
some spoke Danish. A few were returning veterans. Back
then it was like an old folk school of yesteryear. The teachers
were all outstanding. One of my favorites was Mr. Hurley,
who taught math and physics. We shared interest in ham
radio, so with my previous experience he let me help him
install a 20 meter antenna on the school’s rooftop.

!
My first year at GVC introduced me to some students
who became lifetime friends. Also, there was an attractive
student named Evelyn, who became my girlfriend. We were
good friends

49
 Grandview College, 1910

throughout the year and

Harlan and girlfriend.
! had Danish backgrounds,
she helped me with my
Danish, that had gone
lacking
during my growing up
years. She finished the
first year, then left to find
work to help at home. I
also took a r t c la s s e s a
t Dra k e University,
thinking that might help
me with my
future in architecture.
Even though many of us
over
time more town students
not of Danish ancestry came to Grandview, so
future generations would be changing. However, during
those early

50
years, the Danes prevailed. My future sister-in-law, Inger,
and her future husband, Wilmer Larsen both attended and
within a few years were married after they graduated.
Furthermore, unbeknownst to me, my future wife would be
attending GV as well.

Another friend, Carlo Petersen, a seminary student

from Denmark, had arrived in the USA and finally Grand
View in somewhat of a strange way. Carlo had been a
cadet aboard a Danish tanker. This was a two year
requirement by the Danish military. His ship departed
Denmark just before the German occupation, December,
1939. The radio operator received orders by the Nazi’s to
return immediately. The captain refused. That became a
ship without a home with our young cadet aboard. Their
ship made many trips to Venezuela for a full load to New
Foundland and on to Britain. This went on until Pearl
Harbor and when America entered the war late in 1941. By
this time, the captain had collected millions of dollars in oil
profits which were kept in his safe and to be ultimately
returned to the Danish embassy in Washington. The ship
then loaded oil to deliver to Sidney, Australia. Once there,
Carlo met a family who invited him for a Christmas dinner.
Their 16 year old daughter, Gloria, was much impressed by
this young cadet.

The ship then returned to Aruba via the Panama Canal.

The captain told the ship’s officers that before reaching
New Foundland they would! be stopping in New York
to load supplies, undergo some ship repairs and to take a
little shore time. The captain would then travel to
Washington and give the money to the Danish embassy. The
ship then took a full cargo of

51
diesel in Aruba, sailed across the Gulf of Mexico and then on
to the east coast of Florida.

Then it happened! Two torpedoes from a German u-

boat slammed into their tanker. The sub surfaced and fired
into the wireless room and the antennas to avoid any
emergency signals. The ship settled immediately. Diesel oil
spread over the water. Seamen who were not killed by the
explosion jumped into the burning oil and swam quickly
away. Carlo and the other engine cadets reached a ships’ life
boat with a number of men who were already aboard. They
looked for survivors, and found a few. The captain and
first mate had been on the bridge, so they perished with
the explosion. All the surviving men, ultimately made it to
the beach. The embassy’s money stayed with the sunken
tanker. Carlo vowed he would never sail on a ship again. He
finished his first year of seminary at Grand View. From then
on, all the seminary students moved to Chicago. After
seminary, Carlo was sent to the Seaman’s Home in New
York for his first assignment. He served many congregations
and ended up at the Lutheran Church in Solvang, California.
By now, nearly 50 years had gone by when a tour bus from
Los Angeles to San Francisco stopped for the passengers to
see this attractive Danish village. Stepping off the bus was
a lady and her husband who were traveling from Australia.
The lady remembered a Christmas long ago when a young
Danish cadet was invited from a Danish ship. She
remembered him saying how much he hoped to become a
minister and how cute he was. She looked in a phone book
and guessed this Carlo was! indeed a minister in the
Lutheran Church. She called, and Carlo answered. “Gloria
who?” He then recalled this cute little 16 year old Gloria. He
said, “I’ll be at your

52
bus in three minutes.” The driver was anxious to move on,
but Carlo and Gloria shared a few long ago remembrances.
The bus had to depart, so they said their good by’s leaving
him thinking she was just as pretty as she was so many years
ago.

Once the semester was about over, we all took our final
exams. Mr. Hurley suggested I take my math exam the
following year, having the summer to really brush up.
Most of us would be returning in the fall. I would miss
Evelyn, but she had to get back to work to help her family at
home. We students had our final dinner and most had
something to say about how wonderful it had all been.
The next morning, a few of us were on the bus going to Los
Angeles. Sister Barbara picked me up at the station and
drove me home. My Mother said there was a phone call
from the shipping agent that there was another ship looking
for me. But meanwhile, Uncle Rudy had built an
upstairs room for me, since Barbara was going to be married
that summer to a childhood friend from Askov, named
Ejvind Henriksen some time in July. The room was perfect for
me with plenty of room for a desk, bed and drafting table for
my future architectural drawing.
I drove to San Pedro, met the mate who showed me a full load
of lumber bound for South Africa and leaving the next day.
So we had a good dinner together as a family that night
and in the morning, sister Barbara drove me to my ship. I
wished her a “good wedding”and that I was sorry I couldn’t
be there when she walked down the aisle.
!
I then signed the ship’s articles for the SS Charles Crocker, one
of the older 1941 ships, carrying a heavy load of lumber in
both the

53
hole and on deck. We sailed that afternoon down the coast
of Mexico. Trouble started with the engine. We slowed
down to about two knots. The captain thought we might
have to call a tug from Panama but the chief engineer told us
the problem was a failed thrust bearing which he was able to
replace. We arrived at the Panama Canal five days after
departure. After passing through the Canal we ended up in
Colon. Then on to Trinidad for more fuel and then south
along the coast to French Guiana where we saw the
navigation lights of Devils Island, at a time when I had been
reading “The Devil’s Island”, a book by Hagel. Our last light
was from Brazil, then the long stretch to Cape Town. We
unloaded our first deck load of lumber before going out to
see the sights. From there we unloaded more lumber at Port
Elizabeth, East London and Durbin.

Apartheid was very evident in South Africa. Never have I

seen such cruelty towards people of color. At Port
Elizabeth we received a message that said after our last
unloading, “proceed to Maputo in Mozambique for a load of
coal to take to Dakar in French Africa.” This was another
long trip. I would really be late for my second year at
GVC. During our trip, two of our young seamen had it out
with each other and were ready to fight. Our captain
warned there would be no fighting on our ship. Upon
arrival in Dakar while waiting for the coal dock, our seamen
went ashore and began fighting. A black immigration
officer said “Stop!” I don’t know what you do in your
country, but in our country, there will be no fighting.”
!

We unloaded during the week and sailed for New York.

I telegraphed Harry Jensen, our Dean at the college, that I
would

54
be a little over a month late. Harry said, “No problem, will
see you then.” We tied up in Staten Island. I took a ferry to
New York and the Seaman’s Mission where Carlo was still
in charge. He had my coat which I had sent from Des Moines.
It was good to see him again. Then it was back to Staten
Island and time for our payoff and saying good by. I took
a Greyhound to see Evelyn in Muskegon and then finally
back to Grand View. I had four bottles of wine from Africa.
Alcohol was not allowed at GVC, but Harry Jensen just
looked the other way. All of the bottles were from France.
A fine time was had by all.

Time went fast that year at Grand View. I had Christmas

at home with Mother, Barbara and her new husband, Ejvind.
My new room was all finished and ready for my USC
years. I will always remember GVC as a wonderful
experience. After my final dinner and good-bye to all, this
was one time when my grades were all A’s. I went on to
New York. I needed another ship to pay for my schooling.
Another Liberty ship was ready to depart with a full cargo of
building materials for war damage repair. Our destination
was Trieste again. There, I had dinner with Primo Canera,
heavy weight champion of the world in 1938. He told me that
he and his mother hid in the mountains to avoid being
drafted in Mussolini’s army. Primo had many stories to tell
about his fighting days and now he wanted to come to
America. I had seen a movie called “The Harder They Fall”
with Humphry Bogart. It reminded me a lot about Primo. He
called once while I was at USC. His hope was to wrestle on
TV. Primo was aware of my ! palm reading. So he extended
his hand, which was twice as large as mine. His palm said
many things, I said all his new American life would be just
fine. (He died eventually

55
 from diabetes). Our
ship returned to
Galveston.W
e received our pay,
and
then another good-
bye to my ship
mates.

I took a bus to Des

Moines to pick up
some of my gear
and s t a y e d w i t h
Primo Canera o u r minister for a
few days. I then
bought a 1939 Ford
to drive
home to Los Angeles
after visiting Aunt
Margaret and my
cousins in Minnesota. While there, my Father had heard of
my arrival and would like to travel to Stockton with me.
This driving trip included visits with two more Pedersen
aunts in both North Dakota and Montana. Then we drove
further south to Boise, Idaho to visit my Father’s younger
brother before we drove on to Stockton, Calif. to drop off my
Father. This was the first time we had seen each other for
!
about seven years, so it was a good time to get together again.
56
 5
USC/ Korea

It’s now 1948. I’m back from New York. USC begins. Time
to sign up. So I’m off to see Dorothy in Berkeley. Her house
was quite elegant so I assumed the mother left plenty of assets
for the family. Dorothy was home and waiting. Adriano had
called her a number of times wanting first to greet and thank
me. Dorothy also thanked for helping Adriano get out of his
slump. All was well. Being “persona non grata”, he could
never come to the USA. The family were able to live
together in Mexico City.

Starting USC was difficult in the beginning.

Understanding Philosophy was a challenge. However, the
professors were very helpful. Structural Engineering was
quite difficult, but understandable, but my most
interesting class requirement for two years was ‘Man and
Civilization.’
During my second year, school fees were going up. My
mother needed a little extra help, so back to sea again. I
spoke to the Dean about the !possibility of being a little late
for my third year. The Dean replied, “Good Luck and smooth
sailing”.
 I shipped out from San Francisco on the SS Marine Snapper,
a new C4 large cargo ship with limited passenger
accommodations

57
 USC

owned by the United States Line. The trip was to be around

the world, starting from the west coast to New York.

I was listening to English on high frequency China when a

voice broke in, saying the victorious North Korean army was
invading south Korea to liberate the country from the
imperialist “running dogs” of the capitalist nations. At this
time we were 200 miles from Incheon. I immediately
contacted Captain Troxal, told him what I heard, and that
we might be heading into some trouble. He asked me to
!
contact the ship’s owners in San Francisco. They responded
with having no knowledge of any invasion in Korea and to
please keep them informed. At the

58
time, we were navigating the many small islands into the
shallow harbor of Inchoen. As we were approaching, a
Norwegian ship the SS Reinholt was departing with many
hundreds of adults and children aboard. After anchoring,
our shipping agent boarded with the alarming news that
the North Koreans were actually invading and to look north
to see the advancing artillery. The harbor was only about
60 miles from the border, and advancing North Koreans
were somewhere in between. An American military
officer came aboard the following morning and asked
permission to bring aboard 200 US training troops. YAK
Chinese fighters had been spotted near Kimpo airport, near
Seoul, so the need to evacuate them and bring them to our
ship was a possibility. He would contact us on 600
meters. Our agent informed us that over sixty American,
British and other civilian foreigners also would need
passage out. No one was permitted ashore. Captain Troxal
then asked me to go ashore, contact the local radio station,
advise him of any knowledge of enemy location and to
monitor 600 meters.

I hailed a shore boat. While loading, I noticed a tarp

move slightly. I picked it up, only to find Mansky, one of
our ship’s sailors, trying to hide so he could go ashore.
“Mansky, I shouted. This is nuts. The North Koreans are
about to invade the city.” When we arrived at the dock,
Mansky took off and said nothing. He was never heard from
again.

!
I walked from the Incheon harbor to the railroad tracks.
Much confusion with many refugees piled up on flat cars
hoping to head south and away from the advancing
enemy. Suddenly, some South Korean army officers were
forcing the refugees off

59
 SS Marine Snapper

the flat cars and forcing reluctant troops back on board,

then heading north to establish some opposition to the
invading army. The one word “Tanco” I assumed, was
enemy tanks. I walked through a sorry town where most
structures were small. On the outskirts I saw large antennas,
which located the radio station for me. The only person
there spoke no English. We then used “Q code” which he
did understand. Q code is a method all foreign radio
operators can use to communicate. He understood the
urgency of the American officer who needed to be contacted
on 600 meters regarding our ship’s urgent need to depart
immediately. Also, any knowledge of the enemies’
location. I returned to the! Marine Snapper, telling the
captain of our radio meeting and Mansky’s leaving the ship.
We waited
60
an extra day, expecting the US troop officer to contact us, but
he never did.

It was noon, after taking on board over sixty people. Most

were British, French Nationals, Chinese, Dutch and
Americans. Many of the British were employees of British
Petroleum Co. Aboard American ships, the law was
absolutely “No Guns.” Much trouble evolved with the
British. The captain sternly repeated, there would be no
boarding with guns. It felt like a mutiny. Finally, many
guns were thrown into the water. Our ship then cleared the
harbor as well as the islands. I was at my transmitter when
I heard a powerful code signal calling for another ship in
the Inchoen harbor. I called him back that no ships
remained in Incheon.. He called me back with a more
powerful signal asking me to identify our ship. At that
time I did not know if he might be a North Korean War
vessel or perhaps one of our own. So I signaled back that we
were the SS Marine Snapper heading out. He signaled back,"
thank god we found you. We are the USS Mansfield, a USS
destroyer here to rescue you back to Kobe, Japan.”

Shortly after, a group of Incheon passengers entered my

radio room, all of them asking to send their messages to many
foreign countries. Most had no money. Messages
were sent to American, Britain, France, Holland, Formosa
and Japan via “MAC” Radio, San Francisco. Radio
frequencies were not always available. After many hours, I
was able to contact them all.! I was about to give up but
more passengers arrived. Rest had to wait.
61
In the morning, a slight middle aged Chinese man came
in (almost the last man to board before we departed Inchoen).
He said he had no money but needed to send a telegram to
Formosa. No problem, just give me the message and address.
He thanked me and asked if I would listen to his story. Go
ahead, I said.

He lived in a nice residential area in the hills above Seoul.

That morning, a neighbor came to his house asking if he
had heard the latest news that the North Koreans had
invaded South Korea. An American ship was still in the
harbor and would be leaving soon. The neighbor would drive
he and his family to the harbor. His wife, heavy with child
in addition to two small children, said she was physically
unable. However she told her husband, who had no choice
because he was part of the national Chinese Government, that
he would be killed. She urged that he go, and come back. He
said that his neighbor drove him through Seoul and stopped at
both the Chinese and American embassies. They were empty.
No people, burned papers in the courtyard. All had long
departed. Then they drove to the harbor. A flat tire
stopped them. Just then a full jeep, with over ten Brits
hanging on, all of them with guns, recognized him and said
to hang on. No baggage, no room. The Brits threw his bags
away, one with papers, the other with clothes and money. He
hung on while they drove on, hoping to catch the ship. Did
he survive, was the question?

It took about 2 1/2 days of ! sailing, escorted by the USS

Mansfield before arriving in Kobe, Japan. The arrival dock
was loaded with news reporters, asking all types of questions.
(Did we run into the enemy? Why the delay? Who was
lost?). One reporter had a

62
San Francisco newspaper with USS Marine Snapper might
be missing. The capital of Seoul fell after we left. The
North Koreans advanced to the southern part of Korea, near
Pusan. I assume General MacArthur took over.

The official Korean War began June 25, 1950. A short history
of the Korean War follows.

After the USS Mansfield rescued the SS Marine Snapper,

June 1950, North Korean forces captured Seoul and Incheon.
Their forces were extremely brutal to the local population.
The North Koreans’ rapidly advanced to the Pusan area,
Southern Korea. The American troops landed in July, were
unable to push the enemy north.
American land forces landed in Incheon to the surprise of
the North Koreans. The victorious American, British and
other allied nations, advanced north to the Chinese border at
the Yalu River. Chinese troops then entered the war. The
allies were driven south to the 38th parallel, where a
temporary 1954 truce still remains. American casualties
were 40,000 killed, 103,000 wounded. 400,000 South
Korean troops were killed. It is estimated that 2,000,000
civilians perished in this conflict.

We sailed on to Formosa, Philippines, Hong Kong,

and Singapore. Then up the straits of Malacca to India.
We had some strange events occur there. In Singapore, I
!
met a young lady radio operator on a Norwegian ship.
Because we were soon departing, we agreed to use morse
code to contact each other. We were both going to Bombay,
India and agreed to have dinner there. Shortly after our
arrival, her ship docked just a mile away

63
so I wrote a note about our dinner date that I would pick her
up at 7 pm. I gave the note to a man standing on the dock,
wearing a long, clean, white robe, looking as if he needed a
hand out. He spoke good English. I handed him the note,
then noticed all fingers were cut off. He took the note and
came back shortly with her note of regrets. She was due to
lead a group of their passengers to Hyderabad.

I then asked him how he had lost most of his fingers? He

said his father was a train master in a small village, about
200 miles north of there. As a child playing near the
station, a train was approaching and I was running by the
track and slipped and fell with the train running over my
fingers. I would love to go back to my village, but the train
cost would be well over $100. My purser friend, who was
with me at the time, each agreed to give $50, then the purser
got food from our galley. So, with $100 and a package of
food, he thanked us so much, we wished him luck while
feeling good about ourselves. The next morning, a crew
man said there was some one at the gang plank. I went out
on deck, saw a stranger, who said he was a police officer
who had just caught our fingerless man with a package of
food and $100, claiming it would cost more money to free
him.
That was enough! “You’re no cop!” You don’t have a
stinking badge, you’re both scam artists.” Off they went!

That same evening, I noticed some foul smelling smoke.

!
I wandered about five blocks along the ocean shore. I saw
dead people stacked like cordwood burning. I learned from a
worker that only at night the dead from the city were burned
during the

64
day, hence the foul smoke. I understand this was a gross
custom some seventy years ago.

We departed the next morning and nearing the Oman

the following day, our prop must have hit some heavy
object. Suddenly the ship began to vibrate. The captain
slowed down and I telegraphed Karachi just north of us. They
had no large dry dock, but would dive under the ship and
have a look. They did what they could, then informed us
that Genoa, Italy had a large dry dock to fit our size. The
Karachi workers helped. The vibration had lessened, so
back to mid-speed. Passing Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and on
to the Suez Canal and on through the Mediterranean Sea,
to Genoa. We had five lovely days in that beautiful city.

The propeller was removed, a large object had indeed

caused damage. The Italian workmen welded a new
section on, balanced the prop and we were ready to go.
From Genoa to Portugal more ballast and cork. Then New
York, heavy customs and payoff. A good bye to our
shipmates, my purser friend drove me to the New York
airport. As I remember, we stopped in Ohio, Missouri,
Colorado and finished off at North American Aviation, Los
Angeles.

!
65
 6
Anne Marie

The year is 1951. I’m back to my third year at the USC School
of Architecture. Still the same, but more advanced
classes. I probably learned more that year from my teacher,
Cal Straub and his assistant, Emmet Whimple. They were
extremely capable teaching Japanese and contemporary
architecture. I learned much from them during the school
year.

During the summer, I worked for a hospital architect,

named Reiner Nielsen. He was not liked much by his staff,
but was very capable in hospital design. For my fourth
year at USC, our professor was the famous architect Gregory
Eames. Another very capable designer who taught our class
that year. During the summer, working again with Reiner
Nielsen. As much as we often disagreed, I learned a lot
about how hospitals work from him. In our last and final
fifth years at USC, our Professor was William Pereira, of
Pereira and Luckman, a well respected architectural firm.
They designed the 48 story TransAmerica Pyramid
building in San Francisco,! the CBS and NBC TV
Studios in Burbank, California and the LAX airport building
in southwest Los Angeles. As capable as they all were, we
seldom saw them in our class, so we did much of our design
work alone.

66
Some years later, Del Beckhart and I were to be interviewed
for two large Los Angeles City College design projects.
As we entered the elevator, there stood Mr. Pereira along
with the well respected architect Paul Williams. We
introduced ourselves as well as to Mr. Williams. I don’t
think Pereira remembered me, however he said he did. Mr.
Pereira looked rather ill. He died of cancer that same year.
After we were all interviewed, Del and I won both projects.

Some of we seniors were interested in learning how to sail a

small sailboat. Together we bought an old, 26ft. Beat-up
boat. We repaired some broken hull frames, gave it a paint
job, but the sails seemed to be okay. We named the boat
“Johanpasnipen”, taken from a Swedish song that I crazily
suggested. The others went for it. We never did get the 5
horse power engine running properly. This lack of an
engine meant we had to use the sails exclusively. We finally
mastered the art of sailing by often sailing

‘Johanpasnipen’
67
 to Catalina or doing
short harbor cruises
along with plenty of
beer.
D u r i n g the la s t
semester, a third
year s t u d e n t n a
me d Fr a n k G o l d
Harlan and Frank
b e r g would
often see
what we seniors
were up to. We
became friends with Frank. He often heard about our boat
and asked if he too could learn to sail. He soon learned, so
along with the beer and many good times, he also became
a good sailor. One day Frank said that he did not like the
name of Goldberg anymore. He said it was too Jewish. We
tried to convince him that Goldberg was a good name and
being Jewish, he was one of the chosen few. (More on this
later).

Just a few months remained before graduation. I happened

to receive a dinner invitation from Mr. Aage Jensen from
Pasadena, an old friend of our family. When I arrived,
Anne Marie, the Jensen’s youngest daughter, was also there.
Before the war, we had both attended Danish Summer Camp
in Solvang in the late 30’s. Now
! we would meet again. This
was a moment I will never forget. From being a young child
at summer camp, and now 20, Anne Marie was bright, witty
and beautiful beyond words. We didn’t take long to start
dating. I still had to finish up at USC. Graduation was three
months away. This gave Anne time to come to many senior
functions, and meet my class mates. Anne

68
 Anne Marie, and Wedding Day with
sister Inger and Gordon Hahn, 1953

69
Wedding
! Day

70
loved to sail our boat. We had many good times together.

What did Anne think about going to Denmark? Maybe

even buying a boat? With Anne’s fathers approval, we
were soon engaged. Our marriage was on graduation day,
June 20, 1953. Anne’s sister, Inger, was maid of honor, our
best man was my old wartime shipmate, Gordon Hahn, and
brother-in-law Will Larsen and Norman Kergaard, both
classmates from GVC, were ushers. The wedding was held at
our Danish Lutheran Church in Los Angeles. Many friends
and family came, including our Los Angeles County
Supervisor, and many others. We left town for a short
honeymoon north of Santa Cruz and on to Nevada City,
Lake Tahoe and home. We settled in a small pulldown bed
apartment, near USC. We both worked to save for our
Denmark trip and our boat dreams. Finally, I stayed with
Reiner Nielsen’s architectural firm and Anne went to
work at Occidental Insurance Co. in Los Angeles.

While preparing to sell our USC sailboat, I became quite

friendly with a lady whose boat was tied up next to us. She
was about 70 years old, spry and quite anxious to talk
about her future adventure. We had lunch a few times, and
I heard of her future plans. She had a quality 32 ft sailboat
which she kept in very good condition with lots of gear,
radio and a good engine. Her plan was to sail to Hawaii
and then on to the South Pacific islands. I was gone a few
days, but when I returned, she had departed the day before.
About three weeks later, there! was an article in the paper
regarding an elderly lady who had badly injured herself
some 300 miles off the Mexican coast. She was rescued by
the Coast Guard and was taken to the hospital in San

71
Diego. I can only assume she was my old dock neighbor off
on her long adventure.

By early spring, we had saved $4,000, enough to book

passage on the SS Bremen. Anne’s parents saw us off on our
train trip to New York via Minnesota, to spend a few days
with my sister Barbara and family. Before departing, my
grandfather ’s brother Fred had a problem. “While you’re in
Denmark, perhaps you could help?” In late 1938, Fred met
a pretty young 19 year old Swedish girl. Fred was nearing
40 at the time. Because he was embarrassed by the
difference in age, he changed his age to 32 years. From
then on he retained this age difference for many years.
Now, nearing 80, with no one believing his real age, Social
Security informed him that if he could obtain a copy of
his baptismal certificate at the church where he had
belonged, it would be acceptable. His birth home and church
were located in a small village in Jutland, named Sparkjaer.
We told Fred we would do our best.

!
72
 7
Denmark

We departed Minnesota within a few days, then on to New

York. A short visit in New Jersey with Anne’s aunt Kristina,
and then we boarded the SS Bremen for Denmark. A smooth
trip on the Atlantic, arriving Sweden early May. Then a
train and ferry, arriving “København.” There to our
surprise, were Anne’s parents, who had flown over from
Pasadena so they could over time introduce us to all of their
Danish family. I’m so glad they came to help us sort out
all their brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles and cousins.
Some in Copenhagen, many in Odense, on the island of Fyn.
Then on to Aarhus, Jutland where Anne’s father, Aage
Jensen was born. Further north would be Løgstør, Jutland
where Anne’s mother was born. While we were staying with
Aage’s Sister, Karen, we walked to the harbor to see what
was available. In a short time we found the perfect sailing
vessel, a former pilot boat. It was named “Mumme”, built
in l917 in Northern Jutland. She was 36 ft. long, 8’ beam,
sturdy and all oak construction, marconi rigged with main
sail along with large jib. She was beautifully built with
interior paneling, large spaces, galley, forward quarters with
two bunks and head. Gas engine ! needed work. The boat
was owned by Selmer Jensen and Mortensen. Mumme
was formally owned by the Japanese
73
 Map of Denmark

embassy in Copenhagen. After a few short cruises and

much discussion, we arrived at a price of $2,000.

Denmark was invaded by the Germans in late 1939. There

was little opposition. Denmark, having a population of
under 4,500,000 people and a small army, with no great
attempt to resist, so was taken! over. Selmer Jensen told us of
an event that “Mumme” had during the occupation. The
head Gestapo of
74
Germany, Dr. Himmler from Berlin came to visit Werner
Best, head of the German occupation. Himmler wanted the
Jewish problem in Denmark solved. Werner Best was well
aware of what that meant. Similar problems in other parts of
Europe were solved by annihilation. Werner Best advised the
prime minister, who in turn told the local rabbi of the
impending problem. Most Jewish people considered
themselves Danish, having lived mostly in Copenhagen for
hundreds of years, partially integrated with the Danish
population. (My Gregersen cousin was married to a Jewish
woman) and should not have been a problem. But it became
a problem for her, often leaving her frightened when the
Germans troops were patrolling her neighborhood.
The rabbi forcefully explained of the impending danger.
The local Danish population arranged secret transportation to
small villages north of the city and near a harbor. The
Jewish people were housed in schools, hospitals, and
private homes. Then various fishing boats, plus other
vessels were gathered at specific times. On selected dark
nights, the Jews came quickly to the boats and were sailed
21 miles to neutral Sweden where arranged housing was
provided for the remainder of the war.

Our boat, “Mumme” accommodated some 14 people per trip,

all 4,600 were saved. At the end of the war, all their
property was returned and life ultimately came back to
normal. Today, a wonderful marker has been placed in
Copenhagen square from the Jewish people to the Danish
people.
!
75
 8
Mumme

We loaded provisions and worked on Mumme until she

was ready to sail. There was a man on the docks who often
helped us. His name was Ingvar Olafsen. He had rigged
Mumme for over ten years, kept her in shape and often
helped the owners sail. When we realized what a
knowledgable person Ingvar was, we asked him if he would
join us for a two or three week cruise. He gladly joined us
and took the forward bunk. Ingvar was a god send. He
knew the Danish waters well, and was such a pleasure on
board.

Shortly after departing, our engine failed. Ingvar said, “it’s

now what sailing is all about, with no engine to worry
about.” We had much more fun by just sailing Danish
waters, port to port, seeing all of the small villages with small
docks and places to buy food and beer. At the end of
summer, good bye and thanks to Ingvar. Our engine was
now ready for major work. Anne and I then sailed to Strip
Motor Yard for a full overhaul.
!

After a long spell of looking for a place to live, we found a

quaint little villa in Odense in a pleasant neighborhood on the
island of Fyn. We had time for a trip to far off Sparkjaer
regarding Uncle

76
Fred’s age problem. It was raining when we boarded the train
for Jutland. After stopping at our destination arriving
in the afternoon, it was raining lightly. We entered a very old
Inn where four old men sat smoking their long pipes, some
reaching the floor, wearing suspicious looks. An elderly
woman seated us and asked what we wanted. We ordered
some “smorgasbord” (open sandwiches). We asked if she
knew of a Fredrick Christian Schroder. Out came a lame,
elderly man inquiring, “who is asking? ” I volunteered
that Carl was my grandfather and Fredrick was his
younger brother. The old man smiled and pointed out the
window. He said, “if you look just across the tracks you
will see an old house with a partly caved in thatched roof.
That was the old Schroder house and will soon be
removed, and so will this Inn. Your Uncle Fred and I
tended sheep on the hill back of the house.” By now, we were
family.

Progress! I believe the old Schroder’s came from

Schlesvig Holstein during the Danish/German war. Carl was
born later, ultimately emigrating with siblings to Canada.
We asked where the church was and saw that it was about
500 meters nearby. The rain kept to a drizzle. Finally, they
smiled, we thanked them and off we went, arriving at the
Lutheran Church which was about 200 years old. We
knocked at the door, but there was no answer, so we went to
the side office. There sat a young pastor, about 25, who spoke
good English, asking how he could help. I explained how we
needed old baptism records from about 1890. Within a short
time, the pastor had the old! records of Fredrick Christian
Schroder, born in 1890. He then handed me a certified copy
to send to Fred so he could begin getting his Social
Security. He then asked us to walk with him up the hill to
an

77
 Mumme

ancient burial ground where he gave us an old stone once used

to skin animals. With our many thanks, we hurried to catch
our 4 p.m. train to Odense.
!
78
 9
Odense

Back in our little apartment owned by a very elderly and

friendly couple, Mr. And Mrs. (Hr. og Fru) Christian
Rennebaek. They generously loaned us bikes, also
how to use available transportation. Time for us to find
jobs. Anne found one first working as a book keeper at
Thomas B. Triege, a motor/export firm. With a letter of
recommendation from an architect in Pasadena, I got a job
with Boch/Hansen/Staermose, a firm that had just started
designing Denmark’s largest hospital. When at USC, my
final school project was a hospital, so that was
fortunate for me. Work went well for both of us, using
bicycles to get to work until the weather turned too cold with
snow. We rode the local bus for the balance of the winter.
Our jobs were pleasant because we made many friends but
also when spending visits and holidays with family. Odense
was a friendly, small city and known for being the home of
H.C. Andersen, the fairy tale storyteller.

We had an early spring with surprising snow, when a few

!
friends from work joined me to sail Mumme from Strib
Motors to Odense, about a 5 hour cold trip with plenty
of chili and schnapps to keep us warm. Our USC friends,
the Pollocks from

79
 Above: Odense House in later years.
Below: Hans Christian Andersen childhood home

80
our last year at USC joined us in Odense. Mumme was
now ready for our planned summer trip which started in
Odense, and around Denmark on to Germany, and into
the Baltic to Bornholm, north along Sweden to Gotland west
of Latvia. The weather was generally good however some
powerful wind and difficult sea conditions did occur on
our way to Finland’s Aaland in the Gulf of Bothnia. We
tied up at Marieham, Aaland where customs wanted our
passports. Then the local paper wanted an interview.
“Not many American boats come to Aaland”, they said.
After our rough crossing, we cleaned our disrupted cabin
before being interviewed by a local reporter. Then all
joined for martini’s.
From Finland to the beautiful city of Stockholm, where
we stayed a few days. Afterwards, a ten day sail down the
Gøte Canal to Gothenborg. There the girls took a train and
ferry to Odense and Dick Pollock and I sailed the remaining
way home. Anne and I continued sailing that summer
with two good friends who came all the way to Denmark to
sail with us. By late August we were back at work. We were
contented with our jobs and with our Danish friends and
family. We actually gave a little thought of staying and living
in Denmark. However, in October a pleasant surprise from
our doctor, who announced to Anne, “Congratulations Fru
Pedersen, you are pregnant.” We could expect our first child
in July.

We worked until November, sailed Mumme to

Copenhagen, shipped her to San
!
Pedro, California, bought a
used VW Beetle in Hamburg, Germany and had it shipped to
New York. Finally, many sad good bye’s to our entire
family and friends and Odense.

81
8!
1
 10
Back Home

After a stormy crossing, difficult for Anne, we arrived in

New Jersey where we stayed with Anne’s aunt Kristina. I
found our new Volkswagen at another dock, connected our
battery, and a longshoreman gave us a push. The motor
started. Back to Anne, listening to Dave Garroway’s
morning TV show announcing a warning of an
approaching weather front. With Anne made comfortable
and after good-bye’s made to her aunt we also received a
phone call from Inger. Their parents had just arrived in
Seattle, so “see you soon, and drive carefully.” We took off and
stayed north so we could stop and visit my sister’s farm
in Minnesota. The weather was reasonable to begin with, but
there was snow in Ohio and Illinois. Our little VW was
perfect, considering the weather we were facing. Three
days later we arrived at Barbara’s farm in Circle Pines,
Minnesota. The following morning, driving to a VW dealer
in the twin cities, I drove slowly because there was ice on the
streets. I stopped at a signal, however, a school bus behind
me slid hard into the rear end of the car, pushing the
engine into the back seat while shoving me into another car
in front. This unfortunately !totaled our “Hamburg” VW.
After the fallout, no injuries, so after seeking a car dealer,
there was one near new VW in the show
82
room. Thanks to our car insurance, I was able to replace
the damaged one and drive this other one back to the farm.

While still at the farm, my sister took me aside. Her doctor

said she had cancer, and an operation was due very soon. The
doctor also told her this could be familial, advising that
her brother should also be checked. With this sad news we
still had to travel on after visiting Askov to see my uncle,
see the house where I was born and greet a few other old
timers. My sister died a few months later. By then, I had
followed what she told me to do, had an exam and I was
okay.

So, back on the road again, first to Fargo, North Dakota. I

found a garage for our new VW. Temperature was 10
degrees in the morning. We were both comfortable in our
VW. We drove on to Montana, hoping to arrive at Lewiston
by evening. Suddenly, our VW stopped. We were out of gas.
Still newcomers with the gas gauge. I kept Anne warm with
blankets and started to walk back to our last town in
freezing weather. Within one mile, a pickup truck stopped,
drove me back to our car. He had a gallon of gas in the back of
his truck, which was enough to help us drive back to town for
a fill-up. The man at the station said, a small valve down
between our seats would give us about a gallon reserve.
Little did we know. Helpful folks in Montana. Then on to
Lewiston, where we found a garage, then a nice hotel
downtown and a good dinner. Afterward, a recent
movie. Rarely do we remember ! old movies, but this one we
will never forget. Humphrey Bogart in “The Desperate
Hours.”
In the morning, with a little better weather, we took off to
drive the balance of Montana, Idaho and Washington.
Altogether,
83
about 5,500 miles from New Jersey via Minnesota to Seattle.
We reached our final destination, the home of my brother-
in-law Will and sister in law, Inger. Newly arrived were
Anne’s parents from Pasadena. It was a big family reunion
after our nearly 2yrs. Stay in Denmark. Both Inger and Anne
stood up at our dinner that evening and announced they
were each pregnant. Their parents, gasped!

After our good by’s in Seattle, we were off to Pasadena

via Portland and Palo Alto to see more cousins. We finally
arrived in sunny Pasadena. We found a decent
apartment in South Pasadena. Barbara arrived July 1, 1956,
our first delightful child. She was named after my sister
Barbara, who had so recently passed away. I found an
architectural position in Arcadia, studied every night for
my state boards, passed the oral portion, received my
California License, number C2300. The architects in Arcadia
asked if I would consider joining them. It was a nice offer,
but I had other ideas.

!
 84

Architectural License
 11
Doris Day/Fair House

The seniors in our class had mostly gone their ways.

During 1956, Fred Dinger and I had long talked about
forming a partnership of our own. We both worked for other
firms. Now it was our time. Together we formed Dinger
and Pedersen Architects, AIA. Our office was located in back
of a law office in Temple City, California. With limited
funds, we constructed a back entry to our first office. Roy
Shaw, a lawyer with a front office, helped us so much while
we were getting started, that we became long time friends.

Fred had a high school friend who had a possible lead. A

lovely lady who lived in Toluca Lake wanted to move to
Beverly Hills. Her name was Doris Day a popular singer and
TV actress. Her house in Beverly Hills was 5,000 sq ft.,
needing a complete remodel. First we agreed Fred would do
the design, and I would do the working drawings and
supervision. Doris Day was a delightful person, very
interested in our design work. She was also extremely
religious, studying the Bible every day. Occasionally
!
we had lunch and good conversations. We received Christmas
Cards from her for many years including her
satisfaction with the results of their home improvement.
85
Doris Day House. Dinger and Pedersen Architects AIA

!
Fair House. Dinger and Pedersen Architects AIA
86
After the Doris Day project, we were asked to design a
model home for the Los Angeles County Fair which was to
be held in Pomona, in 1958. The Fair officials knew of
my Denmark experience and thought that might be a good
idea for that year’s theme. As it turned out, our design was
not typically Danish, but the interior was furnished with
Danish teak furniture, throughout. In addition to our
design, we had to select a good contractor, a utility
company, light fixtures, wall colors, paintings, etc. It
was most important to select the proper Utility Co. Edison
Electric was a good choice for this particular Fair house.
They furnished all of the light fixtures, kitchen
appliances, heating and cooling with one of Edison’s first
heat pump’s. The unit was 4’x4’x6’. At the close of the
fair, Anne and I chose to buy it. But first it had to be
designed and built in three distinct parts so it could be
moved to our recently purchased lot in Sierra Madre. The
Fair House was a big success. Thousands of people walked
through the house at 75 cents/ person. Local and Los
Angeles papers gave us good coverage.

We had our new lot graded, some trees removed,

asphalt driveway installed. Then the foundations with
anchor bolts. Finally, the utilities and we were ready to go.
The three piece house was moved in, set down on the
foundation and bolted together. Next, all electric, water and
sewage attached. Thanks to Fred, for keeping the office
running while I spent the week under the house. Our new
neighbors on Lima Street were ! in shock, but grew to be
most impressed with the house, which is still standing in our
beloved Sierra Madre. The Edison Company was very helpful
in giving us a generous real estate loan.
87
Just prior to the Fair House project, our second and
delightful little Lisa was born in 1957. Three years later, in
1960, our third and youngest daughter Janet was born. Our
family was now complete.

Anne and the girls.

!
88
 12
Bizarre Twist

Dinger and Pedersen, AIA moved to Pasadena in 1954. We

had enough projects to maintain all of our expenses. Most of
these projects were rather routine. Our next architectural
design added a rather bizarre twist. We received a call from
the City Manager of Monterey Park. Would our firm be
interested in re-designing their old park. They needed all new
facilities, office and building concession stand, large work
shop, Men and Women ’s restrooms, and landscaping.
The Manager added a little extra requirement. There were a
number of close neighbors concerned about two old men who
lived nearby, who were often using the Men’s facilities
while children were playing around the same area. While
in the restrooms, the old men seemed overly interested
in the little boys. The Manager then asked if the
restrooms could be designed in a way to eliminate this
issue. After our years at USC, we were never confronted
with such a problem. However, while working on the
design phase, we would see what we could do.

About two days later, while! drafting some park details, I

was listening to an opera, when some high pitched voice
really annoyed me. So I turned the radio louder. The
office gang
89
yelled, “Turn it off”. That’s how a high frequency
oscillator came to the Monterey Park project. First, we had
the oscillator made to operate on a 120 volt outlet, which
became a ceiling light outlet. We experimented by obtaining
the proper frequency, if too high. Elderly people could
not hear it. At the proper frequency, it was very
annoying, and hopefully the correct one for this particular
project. The Monterey Park police department became very
interested in the hope that some pervert could hear this high
frequency oscillator and avoid this area. The Los Angeles
County Sheriff Dept. also became interested and
planned to use them throughout the county, with other uses
in mind.

We needed a proper name for our oscillator. That is

how “Perverter Diverter ” began. In time, other gadgets
became more popular than ours, but at least the attempt was
made. Other new jobs came to our office, including the
Solvang Danish Lutheran Home as well as the Parish Hall
for the Lutheran Church in Solvang. After that, a slow
period. For some months, Fred Dinger’s wife needed some
costly medical help. At about that time Jet Propulsion
Laboratory offered Fred a very good job as the lead architect
of their facilities. This was too much for him to turn down.
So, it was good-by to Fred. We stayed close friends, all of his
life.

The next morning, while cleaning up the Pasadena Office,

! Vegas called. Would we be
an official from the city of Las
interested in being interviewed for a large park project? If so,
one of their councilmen would be in Los Angeles at noon
the next day to interview me and another firm. We met the
following noon for
90
lunch at Julie’s, right next to USC. After much discussion
about the job, the councilman asked if we could walk
around the campus. We went to the Law School,
Engineering, Architecture and much more. About 4 pm he
asked me to dinner at Trader Vic’s in Hollywood. We met
at 7 pm, had a good dinner and more discussion about the
park project, after which he said he would not interview the
other party, so the job was mine. We were to meet the
superintendent the following week to discuss Doolittle Park,
a million dollar project, our firm’s largest one yet.

Doolittle Park, Las Vegas. Dinger and Pedersen Architects AIA

!
91
 13
Office Buildings

Our architectural projects were going very well. There were

more jobs to be had and more draftsmen were needed. We
selected our most experienced architects and long time
workers to our new association. Our new name for the firm
became Pedersen, Beckhart, Wesley and Stice. Ultimately,
“PBWS Architects”. This new name remains to this day.
My faithful and beloved secretary, Marge, was feeling ill.
Her doctor said cancer had begun to spread through her
body. A few days later, I drove her to the “City of Hope”
hospital. Marge was gone within two weeks.
Anne stepped in as my temporary secretary which was a
learning experience and a good one for her as well. With the
girls all in school, she also signed up at PCC for a course in
bookkeeping, but Marge had trained her to deal with
what else the job required until a full-time secretary was
going to be hired.

We were receiving quite a few larger, out of state

commercial projects, hence numerous architectural licenses
!
were required. Our first, was California, then Nevada,
Florida, Colorado, Arizona, Connecticut and Washington.
92
Most of these states required that I be there and be prepared
for a small exam. These projects lasted for a number of years.
Most of our local work were usually schools, junior
colleges and church design.

I was looking for property on the west side of Pasadena.

What I had in mind was land to build an office for our
firm and for leasing out space I found an old house and
sizable piece of land for sale by Huntington Properties
for $30,000. I phoned Huntington and accepted their
price. However, it needed re- zoning from residential to
commercial, so I offered $500 down, and after I completed
re-zoning, with the city, I would pay the balance. I held this
balance back until we had completed all of the design,
obtained necessary building permits, then selected a good
building contractor who received all construction bids. My
next task was to obtain a $200,000 mortgage loan.
Having become a Rotarian, the task was easier to receive
my Bank of America loan. I went to the Planning
Department, paid my re- zone fee, received our commercial
zone, and then finally paid the balance due of $29,500 to
Huntington. During construction, a large San Francisco
Engineering firm, asked for a ten year lease when it was
nearing completion. This firm would occupy the larger
portion of our building and the balance of space went to
PBWS.

During the following years our firm completed six

!
“Design Build” office structures but also kept busy with
our other architectural projects.
93
 John Wesley Hospital. PBWS Architects

Meanwhile, Jack Thompson, one of our neighbor

engineers would often spend a little time with me. He was
very interested in hearing all about our Baltic Sea trip. Anne
and I were often invited to their Buff,/Straub/Hensman
house which we both liked to see while enjoying dinner
together. After a few years Jack told us that they had sold
their home and had bought a 42’ sailboat, well furnished and
ready to sail to the South Pacific. They had obtained their
boat in SanFrancisco. The owner spent a month with them,
teaching all they needed to know about the boat and how to
sail. They had also taken navigation courses and more to
know about their 40 horse diesel! engine. The owner
sailed with them and their 19 year old son to Santa
94
Barbara. They had
previously notified Anne
and myself if we would
meet them in Santa Barbara
to help them sail to San
Pedro. The previous
owner returned to San
Francisco. We agreed on a
date in early March. We met
them at the harbor and were
ready to go.

First to Santa Cruz Island,

and a picnic with Jack and
family at Potato Cove. We
planned to sail to San Pedro
during the night, so we
departed just during sunset.
I was at the helm, when
Jack started to hoist the
main sail. It was getting
very dark by then, I didn’t
see Jack up forward until Above:Union Rescue Mission. PBWS
I heard him call our Architects
“Man Overboard”!!! I Below: Office Building. PBWS Architects
heard the splash, had to cut
the life ring so we could
throw it close to where Jack
fell in. I turned !
the boat 360deg, hoping to
return to where he fell in,
giving his son a flashlight while shouting, “Find your
Dad”! And that he did. I powered to his location, cut the
engine and
95
 Roxbury Park Beverly Hills. PBWS Architects

we all helped to haul him aboard. He was too heavy with

soaked P-coat and boots. We helped to remove them and all of
us gave a huge pull and got Jack aboard. He was barely
conscious. The water was very cold and hypothermia had
begun to set in. His wife, Betty, removed his wet clothes,
got him in to a dry and warm sleeping bag and laid close
together to keep him warm. Anne and I continued in the
dark to power back to Santa Barbara harbor, navigating
through that long string of lights before tying up safely
late at night. A relief to go to sleep after such a stressful
experience. In the morning Anne and I said our farewells and
Jack and family would soon be off to the South Pacific.
In 1998 Beckhart died of cancer. He was known
!
around Pasadena, since he was the president of the
Tournament of roses.
96
Peter Pitchess Correctional Facility, PBWS and NBBJ Architects AIA

(Our daughter, Lisa, was selected as one of the princesses on

the Queen’s float in their annual Rose Parade in 1976).
Wesley retired in 2016 and Stice retired about 2010. Greg
Sun is now managing partner of our PBWS architectural
firm of over 25 people.

Both of the architects noted just above were hired by me

years ago. Each had just graduated, and were bright and
extremely talented architects. Their leadership has expanded
our firm to a quality computer driven architectural business.

!
97
 14
Tehachapi

The children wanted some exciting change after school was

out during the summer. It so happened my partner, Gordon
Stice, had in-laws, (DeLos Reyes), who owned a one
hundred acre ranch in Tehachapi. They would be willing to
sell us six acres, while another neighbor made available a
larger portion. We ended up with fifty acres of land at a
5,500 ft elevation. The area was beautiful, with four seasons.
There were large oak and fir trees. Also a relatively level
meadow ready for planting. The overlook to Bright’s valley
below was beautiful.

First, our ranch needed water. A well contractor sought a

good location. The following day he had his rig on the ranch
ready to start drilling. By the end of the day, the drill was
down to fifty ft. With more than twenty gallons per
minute, he proudly announced, “I got you a Well”! The
following day, caseing was installed. We bought a generator
and well pump at Sears, so now we had consistent twenty
gallons of water/min., plenty for all of our needs.
!

With all of our extended family and friends, we

started construction of a simple farm type house. The
building had a
98
kitchen, a living room with fire place, a bedroom and
a bathroom. Upstairs was a MorMor bed room and an attic
area for the children ’s beds and belongings.. Morfar loved
the ranch and helped to paint the house. At first we had an
outhouse, but we soon outgrew that after the plumbing was
completed for our new toilet. Next, we bought a small tractor,
cultivator and plow. Soon we created a wonderful garden. The
children helped a great deal and shared in keeping it up.
During the summer months, Anne and the girls were living
there full time, keeping busy gardening, drawing &
painting, exercising, feeding animals, and sewing. During
their winter semester, I needed to be at the office, so I
drove to the ranch for 3 day weekends. Without power, or
phones for awhile, Barbara, our eldest daughter had a
wonderful idea.
“If Dad would teach me amateur radio theory and code, I’ll
soon get my amateur license. With Dad’s old transceiver
and our generator we should soon be able to contact Dad in
Sierra Madre with his 200 watt transceiver.”
It didn’t take long for our bright Barbara to get her
Beginners Ham License, WN6ESL. Now with my W6LUK
call, 100watts and forty meters, we were on the air. Barbara
contacted me CW, or Morse code, and we had a clear
signal from Tehachapi to Sierra Madre. Later in the spring
we had Edison power and a phone with power and a TV
antenna. The children would look forward to “Laugh In,
“HeeHaw” and other programs like Glen Campbell singing
folk music with his guitar.

!
Our house interior was cozy. Painted blue floors,
throughout, and a Persian rug in the living room area where
Anne had added tile around the fireplace for color and
design. Handsewn
99
curtains for all of the windows in the house as well as
kitchen cupboards and a handsome wood kitchen counter that
matched well with the round oak antique dining table
opposite from the antique wood cook stove which we
bought in old town Pasadena.

Spring was planting time for a good garden and lawn.

One summer we built a structure for a large plastic
swimming pool which we located by the house and
overlooking the valley. During spring, we joined the
neighbors in buying twelve yearlings which required us to
buy fencing at Sears. Later, during auctions, we had enough
monetary return to help pay for our roads. Later one fall,
we bought Babe, our first and only horse. She didn’t like
me, just about bucked me off, but Babe loved Anne and the
girls. They rode her all over. We held an October Fest for a
number of years. We would dig a deep hole, filled with rocks,
then covered a hunk of lamb with more rocks, then a fire,
which burned during the day. By early evening we had
delicious lamb, wine, salads and Anne’s home baked apple
pies. We built a large outside table with seats for about
twenty Sierra Madre guests. A good time was always had by
all.

The girls often had their girl friends brought up for a week or
so. To this day, those same girls still keep in close touch
with our girls and even a few have even visited us old
folks at The Samarkand. We kept the ranch until the girls
reached well into their teens. ! Boy friends became the reason
their interest in the ranch began to change. The DeLosReyes
family finally sold their part of the ranch. Age was getting
them, and there was need for

100
Top to bottom:
The Ranch.
Anne and garden.
Harlan and three girls.
Riding Babe
!
101
more medical help. They sold their property to five men,
all called Uncles, including a young son. At that time, our
17 year old nephew Ronald wanted to stay alone at our
ranch for the balance of one summer. We occasionally
drove up to check things out. All was fine. Ron watered
the garden and lawn and maintained the premises. He also
became acquainted with the new neighbor’s young son who
was about Ron’s age.
He also asked Ron not to go into their barn, as his uncles
were making “diamonds”, presumably a new method. He
and Ron would go to town together and have a beer. The
friend did the buying, even for groceries. One morning Ron
was listening to the news. The announcer said that a raid
was happening at a ranch in Tehachapi. It seems the
“uncles” were in the process of making and selling
quaaludes and other drugs and that the operation was a
big one. About six Federal agents had surrounded the
ranch. Ronald could secretly see the agents make their move
while arresting all five men, plus the boy.

For the next few years, we kept the ranch. We had our
usual October Fest with our family and friends until it was
time to sell and move on. We sold the ranch to our Sierra
Madre neighbors, the Burlinghams, who owned the popular
Raymond Restaurant in downtown Pasadena. We bought
the ranch land in 1965 and then sold the place in circa 1983.

!
102
 15
USSR/High Sierra

The year was 1967. Work was over for the day. I returned
home to Anne and the children. After dinner, I noticed an
ad in the Pasadena Star News. Very Interesting! The small
ad was for a very inexpensive 15 day tour to Moscow and
other cities behind the Iron Curtain countries. Reading down
the article I noticed the trip was being sponsored by
the “Union of World Architects. ” I called the American
Institute of Architects, ( AIA) the next day and asked if they
had any more information about the ad. They explained
that the UWA was sponsored by the USSR while making
an attempt to unite architects, whether communistic or
otherwise.
The AIA was not interested, but they encouraged me by
saying “Don’t hesitate to go, unless you are opposed
to their philosophy.” I asked Anne what she thought.
“Sounds like another great adventure. Let me ask Mother and
Farmor or one of our sitters, if they would be willing to
keep the girls.” Once that was resolved we decided to do it.

!
So, off to Moscow, with five other architects and four wives,
all from California. No other architects from the USA
attended this

103
 Anne and Harlan in front of Kremlin, USSR

experience. It seemed strange that we were the only ones

from America. We departed Los Angeles, spring 1967, landing
in Paris. Two days later we boarded the same plane, this time
with fewer passengers. Arriving in Moscow, we were
greeted by lovely Russian music as we entered the rather
ill-kept terminal. The workers did not speak to us.
Approaching the Intourist entry, a Soviet officer asked to see
all of our papers, money, and jewelry. “You will be going to
the Peking Hotel”. We replied, “Our vouchers say the
Ukraine Hotel!” The officer responded, “When in
Russia, do as you are told”. ! We then boarded a bus, which
drove us about twenty miles to our destination. Along the
104
way, the driver pointed out a marker, explaining it was
the location where the invading Germans came the
closest to Moscow in 1942.

The Peking Hotel appeared prewar. The clerk, who spoke

some English said that it was built shortly after the war. It
was a little shoddy. Our first dinner in Moscow was a
bowl of Borscht, potato and cabbage soup. It was late.
Anne and I went into a very small elevator. A very large
man with a big stomach, carrying a bag of fish, pushed us
into the elevator. As soon as the door closed, he placed his
arms around us and said,, “I love Americans”. The fish bag
pressed up against us leaving us a little smelly after he
quickly stepped out. We went up to our floor, and there sat
a heavy woman sitting at a large table. She checked our
passports and in Russian motioned us down the hall to
Room 310. The room was small. A picture of Lenin was
hung high up on the wall staring down at us. We both had the
feeling that the room was bugged. We got up fairly early
to join our American architects who by then were beginning
to become our friends. Our first day we were off to stand in
a long line at the Kremlin to view that famous embalmed
body, Vladimir Lenin.

In the evening that same day, we were standing in another

long line to be seated in one of the few available restaurants.
We had a number of JFK 50 cent pieces which we gave to a
few people standing in our line. A friendly, but officious
man, motioned us to follow ! him into the restaurant. We
were seated in a booth across from a young couple. It felt to
both Anne and I that this seating was a kind of set-up. The
couple spoke only Russian, so we drew pictures of the
world, and our location. Then he too
105
drew pictures that lead us to understand he was a
structural engineer. His pretty wife was with child. He then
ordered more wine. I drew pictures of buildings so he could
know that I was an architect from California. He ordered a
delicious lamb dinner and more wine. It was getting late, so
we exchanged addresses. I attempted to pay, but our new
Russian friends would not let me. So, we all had warm hugs
before heading back to the Peking hotel. This was another
experience of warmth and friendliness in communist Russia.
Another day our Intourist guide toured us through some
recently built apartment buildings, rather crudely built but
still ready for occupancy. We were also treated to the
viewing of some amazing Russian art at their museum
which was crowded with people.

From Moscow, then on to Warsaw, Poland. More interesting

old structures, but it was a side trip to Chopin’s summer
residence where we sat in a beautiful garden with many
other visitors while listening to a pianist playing such
lovely music by this famous composer. Because the
piano was inside, we were hearing this music as if it was
Chopin himself who was playing. The following day, only
some of our group went on to see Auschwitz, where the
horrific history of the Holocaust occurred.

The next day we landed in the Ukraine. There was a feeling

of unhappiness in Kiev. Large, dark buildings, with very few
people on the streets. On to Budapest, Hungary, a beautiful
city with seemingly more !contented people. We heard
such wonderful violin music in various eating establishments.
We spent two days walking through the city of Buda and Pest.
Anne and I noticed a certain amount of damage on the facia of
buildings. Much of it
106
was bullet holes. That evening, talking to our very
knowledgable Intourist guide, we asked about the damage.
We noticed how she closed up, saying only that she was non-
political. We knew that the people of Budapest had revolted
against the communist leaders of Hungary the year before.
Russian military moved in with tanks to secure the city.
About 500 people were killed, the revolution temporarily
resolved. Thousands of Hungarians fled to non-communist
areas. Many found refuge in the USA.

From Budapest, a Russian plane flew us to

Prague, Czechoslovakia. This was where the UAW were to
have their convention. As the only five delegates from
America, we sat at separate discussion tables of four. My
table had a Mongolian, Vietnamese, Russian and Myself.
Our earphones translated their language to English. This
made it easy for our discussions, which as not always about
architecture. After our discussion the young Vietnamese
architect came over to shake my hand and said how much
he enjoyed my opinion. I suspect he felt that I was opposed
to that war, and that peace would soon come to our two
countries. He then gave me a small aluminum toy
airplane, made from an American fighter that had been
shot down in Hanoi. We said good-by and I thanked him for
the toy.

After our discussion period, our wives met us at a

large convention hall. First we had cocktails until about 8
pm, then our American group! was seated with the Russians.
A delicious dinner was served. The Russian delegation was
most friendly. Some spoke a little English. We tried to
discuss a little architecture. The Russians were very
interested in our buildings and how our architectural firms
were set up. The Russian
107
system was all made up of government employees. I felt some
of their envy, however there was no discussion about
communism. Then there was a sketch time with our
Russian friends which was so much fun. It seemed to Anne
and myself that they were more relaxed and willing to
engage and be friends when they were out of Russia. I
assumed the heavy hand of Stalin remained among them. It
was soon time to go back to our hotel, so a good-by to our
new Russian friends while wishing them well.

In the morning we were on a train to Yugoslavian, Belgrade.

It’s leader, Tito, had broken with Stalin’s Russia and was no
longer a part of the “Comintern Association”. Belgrade was
much more relaxed, since Tito had instituted a more
Democratic and Socialistic form of government. We
spent one day touring around a different, but interesting
city. There was a Serbian type dinner and dancing later in
the evening. The next day we boarded a French plane to
Paris and then back to LAX, returning to home and our
children.

Anne and I loved to hike in the High Sierras, often for a five
day period. First we drove from the Fresno area to about
5,000 ft at Lake Edison. We parked our car and hiked the
balance of the day to Devils Lake, at about 7,000 ft. No
other hikers at this elevation. We set up our camp with a
small tent. I fished, while Anne prepared drinks and dinner.
No fish this time. After dark, and feeling very tired, we
!
crawled in to our sleeping bags. We kept warm and dry in
our tents while heavy rain came about midnight.
108
The following morning, we were off to another high
and beautiful small lake. Bench Lake was surrounded by
towering snow-capped mountains.
Still no other folks in these high altitudes. Our early hikes
were on the western side of the Sierras. Hiking trails were
more gentle on our side.

The next year, we drove to the Eastern side. We selected

areas north of 5,000 ft. Bishop. We selected a parking area
off of the highway and from there hiked to a lake at about
7,000 ft. We camped with a few other folks, which made it
not so lonely. In the morning, we were off to another 9,000
ft. elevation, not far from Mt. Whitney at 14,500 ft. These
elevations were more strenuous and took more time. Some
years before my Father in law Aage Jensen died, he and his
younger friend, Gunnar hiked to Mt. Whitney.

The previous year, we had spent Christmas 1975 together

with the Larsen’s, Anne’s sister’s family in Palo Alto. We
were talking about hiking in the Sierras. I suggested a hiking
possibility that Inger and Wilmer meet us on the west
side at Bench Lake. “Anne and I will hike up the east side
and meet you on August 28th, 1976.” They agreed to do it.

We began our Eastern side hike, five days earlier than where
we planned to meet. Carrying enough food to last, our hiking
packs were 25 pounds each. Off we went, Up and Up
!
until we encountered the John Muir Trail as planned. We
continued to hike until evening, when we reached a point
from the trail, looking due west 180deg, with two 10,500 ft.
mountains with an
109
area between about 9,000 ft. No trail exists, so it was
cross country west for about three miles to Bench Lake.
Meanwhile Inger and Wilmer were taking a pack horse
with rider and supplies to Bench Lake and were going to be
there to greet us.

From the Muir trail, we had our last coffee and biscuits.
We packed up and departed, thinking we should be at Bench
Lake by early afternoon. Cross country was much more
difficult than expected. At some areas we climbed up three
ft and slid back two ft. We went on, hour by hour , so
by late afternoon, I spotted the top elevation. By then
Anne is crying. I took a picture of her, and said, “it’s all
down hill from here. The terrain was much easier on the
West side. We saw Bench Lake.

Bench Lake in the High Sierra’s

110
Something red at quite a distance. Anne shouted, “that’s
Inger and Wil’s tent”. So, on we go. Soon we hear Will
calling our names. By evening, we’re having martinis and
steak by the fire. During the night, we were treated to a
heavy thunder storm. Will had placed their red tent in a
slight swale, which meant the rainwater had soaked the tent
inside. Early morning they came over to our tent, completely
soaked. Wilmer was able to start a fire sitting nearby
enough to help dry some of their gear. Then we hiked back
by Devil’s lake and another ten miles to their car by Edison
Lake. We arrived at a small Inn with sleeping rooms and
dining room. After dinner that evening the announcement
was made on TV that Elvis Presley had just died. For years
we have linked the day of his death with our hiking trip.

Our friends had picked up our car north of Bishop so

the Larsen ’s drove us home. That was nearing the end of our
High Sierra adventures.

!
111
 16
Cessna 63609

I had always had a desire for flying. I took an evening

Ground School class at Pasadena Junior College. After that,
Flight School on weekends.

Sixty flight hours and months later, I became a licensed

pilot. Later, Instrument and Commercial Endorsement. I
took Anne flying to Solvang in a Cessna 152, departing El
Monte airport. She was uncomfortable and not used to such a
small plane, so it didn’t take long before she too wanted to
learn how to fly to get over the fright. On to Ground and
Flight School and when she was fully capable of flying,
“would Anne agree to fly with me”?

During good weather and the summer months, flying

became our passion. First to Northern California, then on
our way to Alaska, stopping to visit our friends in Port
Townsend for a boating excursion. They also advised us to
stop at Orcas Island not far away from their Olympic
peninsula. We immediately fell ! in love with this beautiful
island. At a later date we would return and find out about
property for retirement living.
As time progressed, we flew to Alaska and the Yukon
Territory. During the Yukon trip we flew further north to the
North West

112
 Anne and Harlan with 63609

Territories and landed in Inuvik, near the Beaufort Sea

(Arctic Ocean). From the Yukon, south and east across
Canada. Our Cessna 63609 made about 500 miles before re-
fueling. We flew 800 to 1,000 nautical miles per day.
This included Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Reaching Ontario we landed in Prince Albert to spend a
few days. At the hotel restaurant we met a young lady. We
became quite friendly. She had a summer cottage by a lake
about 100 miles north and would be pleased if we would
come up for a BBQ the next evening. We rented a car to drive
to the Lake. There was another couple. Together, we had
such a pleasant time until we noticed storm clouds
gathering. The radio broadcast said, storm and heavy
winds, mostly around the Prince Albert area. Driving
south, the highway near the city was covered with debris,
!
power poles down and there were power outages. We
must have had a powerful wind. We got to our hotel.
Lights and elevators were
113
 also out. In the dark,
we made it to our
room. What about our
plane?

We were up early and

to the airport. What a
mess we encountered.
Wrecked airplanes all
over the field. We
finally found our
plane. We were one
of the few not
damaged. What a
break. I was grateful
to have tied it down so
well. I looked at our
charts. Hudson Bay
After the storm, damaged airplanes.
was about 1,000
miles north of us. I
was very aware of
Hudson Bay and the
Danish explorer, Jens
Munk who in 1619
sailed from Denmark
to find
the elusive Northwest Passage to the Orient. Munk
unwisely departed Denmark in mid-summer. Ice had totally
blocked his route. Hudson! Bay was partly ice free,
enough to locate his vessel in the southern end of the bay.
The crew hauled the small ship near what is now Churchill.
Having studied about Jens Munk at GrandView College, I
very much wanted to see the marker defining his landing
so many years ago. During the winter, most of his crew
died of scurvy. In the spring, the three

114
remaining men hauled their vessel back to the Bay and
returned to Denmark.

I wanted to fly to Churchill and see the marker. So Anne

and I flew north and east to the mining town of
Thompson. We fueled up and looked for a hotel. There were
only three, all were filled except the last one with one room
left available. So we were glad to get that one. We had a
fair dinner and then off to bed. During the night, in
the room above us, a
couple were humping
away, so much so, sleep
w a s i m p o s s i b l e . By
morning, Anne needed to
sleep and read some
more, so “if you don’t
mind going alone, I’ll
stay here, but be Jens Munk marker.
careful.” I

!
Jens Munks ships from 1600.
115
started at daylight, arriving Churchill by noon. I asked
about Munk’s marker. They said it was across the inlet, but
with the tide so low, I would have to wait six hours. That
was really the end of my Munk adventure other than having
seen where all of this happened so many years ago.

Back to Thompson and Anne. One more night in a much

better hotel and dining facility. Thompson was a
fairly new community, serving many of the miners. Back to
Prince Albert and one more night in our nice hotel. We were
now going to be headed easterly.

Just north of Lake Superior, we landed in Thunder

Bay, overlooking this beautiful lake. We spent the afternoon
picking blueberries. We found a very nice hotel and had a
good dinner. In the morning, we took off for WaWa,
Ontario. By noon, we were within fifty miles of WaWa. I
called the airport tower about weather conditions. The
tower said heavy overcast above two hundred ft. Within a
few moments, our Cessna was in the overcast. I pulled up to
avoid hitting a possible TV tower. By trying to gain more
altitude, I was about to stall, which could cause a spin.
Anne looked at my pale face and knew we were in trouble.
Then I “heard” my old instructor say “Keep your head out of
the clouds and on the instruments”. I quickly looked
down, saw my problem, leveled our plane and gently
turned back and out of the overcast. That was not our only
problem. By returning back to Thunder Bay, I said with
some concern, “I’m not sure !we have enough fuel to get us
there.” So by flying over the highways, we would have a
good chance of a landing spot. I reached our speed in the
hopes it may save a little of our
116
fuel. Finally, we saw Thunder Bay ahead. I called the tower
and told them of my fuel shortage problem. They replied,
“runway straight ahead.” After landing, we taxied to the
pumps. I think we were using fumes by then. The young
man said, “you were totally empty, so we filled the two tanks
with 80 gallons of gas.” We tied up 63609 for the night, very
thankful for what our old instructor taught us. So, back to
berry picking for a few days, waiting for the weather to clear
up. Soon it was clear skies, so off we flew again going east.

Shortly before Quebec, we landed in Salisbury, Canada for

fuel. The young fellow fueling our plane said we must be
brave going to Quebec. We actually understood what he
meant. When I had called Quebec City Tower, the response
was all in French. I asked the operator again, if he would
please speak English. He answered briefly, “runway 160”
then back to speaking French again. I saw no other traffic,
so landed on 160. Then I asked the Ground Frequency
Operator to please advise directions to fuel and tie up. He
answered in French, only. Finally a person near the ramp
motioned the proper direction. We filled up with fuel first; a
young man helped us with the tie-up, speaking English and
saying “people in Quebec don’t care much for the
Americans.”

The taxi driver took us to a fine hotel where the lady

attendant, speaking only French, gave us a key and motioned
which way to our room. Then down to the DiningRoom.
!
An attractive waitress, speaking English said, “pay no
attention to those Quebecies. They want to secede from
Canada, but are getting nowhere. ” We ended our day with
a good glass of wine and a
117
delightful French dinner. \The next morning we walked
about town, enjoying attractive old architecture. Some wood
buildings were over 200 years old and well kept up. Most of
Quebec City was very pleasant with occasional but
unattractive signs about the Americans.

After our Quebec City adventure, it was back to the

airport. Still no English, but runway 160 looked good.
Wind was very light, so I taxied to the runway, asked the
tower for approval, we received an OK, and off we went. It
was our desire to fly to New Foundland, but 900 miles over
water was a little too much for our 63609, so Halifax, Nova
Scotia became our next destination. On a later date we
flew commercially to St. John’s, New Foundland to see,
during our war years, where the many hundreds of
merchant ships gathered to form convoys to Iceland,
Britain and Mermansk. Their cargos had consisted of oil,
munitions, food, military supplies, and much more. Russia
was in bad need of train engines and large scale train
tracks, airplanes, and munitions.

In 1942 to 1944, more than 400 of these ships were torpedoed

by German submarines with the loss of many lives.
Fortunately, British Code breakers broke the Nazi code
(Enigma) which provided the knowledge for the British and
American Navies to confront the German submarines ability
to locate ships at sea. At the beginning of the war, Winston
Churchill and President Roosevelt met at St. John’s New
Foundland to outline their !many needs for ships, oil and
food. A second front was insisted by Stalin. A final post of
interest was Signal Hill, located near St. John after years of
attempts to receive or send a spark signal.
118
Marconi became
famous for
receiving
his first spark
signal f r o m C o r
n w a l l , England
Convoy 1942
in 1901.
Within five
years,
ships were being
equipped with
Marconi spark
transmitters and
receivers. My Convoy (above). Torpedoing of U-Boat
first by German Submarine
ship, built in
1917, h a d a s p
a r k t r a nsm i t
t e r co n v er t ed t
o a c o n ventio
n a l receiver
(radio) and
transmitter.
Back to Nova Scotia
and our own airplane. We drove to Charlottetown to
see Alexander Graham Bell’s first 1876 telephone. After
years of working with his !severely deaf wife, Dr. Bell
devised a later model which was displayed in the Bell
Museum.
Back to the USA, we cleared customs at Bangor, Maine, and
our first stop was Bar Harbor for a lovely overnite in a B&B.
South to Williams, to spend the night with my cousin, then
down the Hudson River, past the Roosevelt complex, Hyde
Park. Soon large buildings became visible. Our charts
indicated a corridor for small planes at an elevation of 1000 ft
top, and 500ft, bottom
119
 World Trade Center

along with staying within the boundary along the Hudson

River Banks. Suddenly we saw the World Trade Towers.
People seemed to be waving at us on those very top floors.
Then the Statue of Liberty appeared shortly after the
Verrazzano Bridge. We landed at Charlotte, South Carolina.
A beautiful city with much history and a lovely B&B. After
that, Kill Devil Hill to see the Wright Brothers first air craft.
On to Atlanta to visit old friends from Sierra Madre. After
Atlanta, we fueled up and flew west to Oklahoma,
Albuquerque and home, with fueling stops and lunch
between major night stops.
The year was in the early 1980’s Business was good. PBWS
had expanded to about forty architects and draftsmen.
Computers and the CAD system took over the office. By
then, I was at the office part time and getting ready for
retirement. Anne and I had built
! our last Sierra Madre house
on Oak Crest Drive. It was a contemporary, Spanish
Colonial design with plenty of room for the children, who by
now were in high school.

120
 17
Sierra Madre/Orcas

The architect Wallace Neff was a man I much admired.

There was a particular detail that Neff was so good at. I
mentioned this to a friend at work that it was too bad Neff was
gone. The friend said, “Wallace has not gone. He’s near 90
and lives in an Assisted Living Home here in Pasadena.”
Later that week, I looked up the Assisted Home. The nurse
there said, “Yes, Mr. Neff is in the adjacent room and sleeps
most of the time and is not too lucid”. So, there in room 100,
lay white haired Wallace Neff sound asleep.
I gently woke him. He opened his eyes, smiled and said
“We must go to lunch”. I had one of his books along and
asked if he would sign it. “Oh, yes,” said Wallace and
“We must go to lunch.” But first I had a pen for him to
sign. He picked up the pen, started writing Wallace, and by
the time he was beginning to write Neff, he was sound asleep
again. So many of the older architects from our younger days
are now gone.

!
Our daughters were going to be at different stages of
attending Pasadena City College. First, Barbara continued her
schooling at CalStateLos Angeles and then for her Teacher’s
masters degree

121
 Lisa, Barbara and Janet

she attended CalState Pomona University. After that she

began teaching English in the Los Angeles School district.

While attending PCC in 1975, Lisa was chosen to be one of

the princesses in the Annual Rose Parade, riding in the
queen’s float down Colorado Street. We were very proud.
She went on to USC and later UCLA for exterior design and
architecture.

Janet took her college courses at University of Santa Cruz,

after which she took advanced! Art Courses at the
Pasadena Art Center College of Design. After graduation
she moved to New York and found work in publishing
houses, as a children’s book illustrator.

122
Anne also graduated from Pasadena Junior College and went
on to Grand ViewCollege in Iowa. Later, turning 50, she
went on to Cal State LA. and finally 1 1/2 years at Scripps
College in Claremont.

I also attended Grand View College and then 5 years

of architecture at USC, all after I became a war veteran. I
graduated in 1953. All of this family schooling took
some dollars. Fortunately, I was far enough along in my
architectural firm to handle it all.

I went through the chairs at the Pasadena/Foothill

American Institute of Architects (AIA), and finally became
president in 1976. Then on to Vice President of the California
Council of the AIA in San Francisco. All this involvement
meant many flying trips up north.
Long ago, in 1857, the AIA was first started by thirteen
architects in Washington DC. After our annual AIA
convention in Philadelphia in 1976, Anne and I took the
train to Boston to see the new city hall, designed by Kalinman
and McKinnell in 1962. We took the subway from our hotel
to the acclaimed City Hall. The time was nearing 5pm
when we crossed the street and entered the building. An
officious looking man asked what we were looking for. We
said we needed a map to show us the Freedom Trail. He
then asked where we were from. We said Pasadena,
California. Descending a stairway from the balcony where
!
he was standing, he asked if we knew Sierra Madre? We
explained that we were actually from Sierra Madre. He
then asked us to follow him to the elevators, introducing
himself as
123
Boston’s Mayor, Kevin White. He said, “Please come on
the elevator with me up to the third floor.” He opened the
door to reporters from CBS, NBC and others, all of
them asking questions about the current race problem in
Boston. The Mayor then asked to give him a few minutes,
because “this is the first time I’ve met people from my
hometown.” We went into his spacious office and closed his
door. He told us he had spent his youth as an orphan at the
catholic Monastery. We responded that our home was
situated right across the canyon from that Monastery and
could view it every day. He inquired why we were in
Boston and we told him that I was an architect and we were
attending our annual AIA Convention in Philadelphia. We
came to Boston to see your famous City Hall. We were
asked many questions about Sierra Madre, and then it was
time to go.

!
737 Oak Crest Drive, Sierra Madre.
124
He thanked us and wished us a good time in Boston,
then offered us his private elevator, and to go through Parking
which would lead us to the Freedom Trail. We thanked the
Mayor, went down his elevator but were unable to open
his private Parking Door. Back we went, opened his door to
be met by all the reporters in his office. The Mayor silenced
everybody, and said, “Here is this famous architect with his
lovely wife, unable to open a simple door.” An aid came
back with us, opened the door and showed us where the
Freedom Trail began.

Orcas Island had also been on our minds. We took the

next break for Anne and I to fly to the island. The owner of
the lot we had looked at earlier wanted $80,000 for his
property. The San Juan Islands were going through a slow
period with very few property sales. I offered $40,000 for
his 5 acres. We settled for $41,000 for this beautiful property
which had a clear view of all of Eastsound water view as
well as the village itself. Surveying came next, so that I
could begin designing our summer house which we would
be calling the Tower House.

Back to Sierra Madre to tell our daughters and extended

family of our purchase and future plans. The girls were
ready for college and we were ready for another adventure.
It didn’t take long to get our affairs in order. The girls
soon found local apartments, jobs and independence. We
kept N63609 while still needing to go back and forth in this
period of change. !

Just before our departure, my partner, Del Beckhart, heard

that LA County was about to build a multi million
dollar, 1700 capacity prison in our supervisorial district.
Del knew the Supervisor and asked if PBWS could be
considered. The answer
125
 Tower House, Orcas Island.

was yes, however there would be five or more firms to meet

the County Selection Board for interviews. Included were
two large firms from Los Angeles. Two from Chicago, and
one from San Diego. We called NBBJ in Seattle and they
would be pleased to join us, as they had considerable
experience doing prisons. One of their partners would fly
down for our interviews. PBWS included Del, Gordon,
myself and a partner from NBBJ. We gathered for our
interview. We all felt good about our presentation. The
Board called the following !week. They had selected two
firms, PBWS and a large local Los Angeles firm. We
126
were to meet in three days at 11am. We arrived a little early.
As we entered the Board room the other firm was leaving.
They greeted us and said “Hope you have limited
success.” The following day the chairman of the Board
called me with the good news that PBWS with NBBJ were
selected for the County Prison Project. This meant my
involvement for at least the next six or more months. The
new project would include three county prison personnel,
NBBJ for all preliminaries, structural and shared supervision.
PBWS would then complete all working drawings. This
meant many flights between Seattle and Pasadena.
Within the year, all the many conditions were solved. The
project was now on its way. We informed our girls of our
latest change of plans. Anne and I would soon be on our way
to Orcas Island.

1988 was close to Social Security time. By 1990, my

partners let me go, with the understanding that I would
return when needed. Our partner, Del Beckhart was elected
President of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses in 1993. Later
that year Del died of cancer.

!
127
 18
Trawler/Askov

After finally settling into our new Orcas Island Tower House,
it took me a little time to erect my ham antenna. W6LUK
was my call sign, and with a 100watt transceiver, I was again
on the air. Orcas Island was in a good location to contact
Russia, as well as the east coast of America and Europe.

Brian Ashley, the builder of our house was intrigued with

my style of design. Later he phoned and asked me to talk
to Roy and Ruth Nutt, a wealthy industrialist from
Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Brian had yet to meet
them but understood they wanted an architect to design their
new home on Orcas. I called Mr. Nutt and said I was
interested, so he described their fifty acre Westsound site.
We met at their apartment in Seattle. An attorney checked
my contract, made a few adjustments and agreed to my fee.
The house was to be over 4,000 sq. ft. I explained that
over 4000 sq ft. would require fire sprinklers. After a short
discussion they agreed on a little less to satisfy the
requirement. The Nutts were ! easy to work with. Their
house was to become my first architectural project for a
client on
128
Orcas. So much for retirement and what kept me involved
for the next thirty plus years.

Within two months, I presented a complete set of

preliminaries for their approval. Everything was fine.
Complete working drawings and a building permit
followed. I called Brian, who was to become their builder
so as soon as we got the permit we were ready to go. Ruth
called about a month later. Roy had died suddenly. It was
cancer. After a short period of grieving, Ruth said that
together with her children, they wanted to proceed. She
also said, “Roy is gone, but we live on.” I continued to
work on the structural portion in Sierra Madre. To make
contact with our engineer, I would often fly my Cessna
from Orcas Island to ElMonte, California. The Orcas
airport was often shut down, due to overcast. However,
having an instrument rating, I would contact Whidbey
Island Tower and get clearance. At 4,000 ft. I was free of
overcast over the Straits of Juan de Fuca or at times cleared
by Whidbey Island, having total visibility over Olympia.
I would land before dark in Medford, Oregon, fuel up,
check into a small hotel near the airport, have dinner, and
later a good night’s sleep. Up early the next day, take off for
Nut Tree Airport near Davis, California. Fuel up, have lunch
and take off again, arriving El Monte later in the day. Lisa
was often there to meet me or get me to the Structural
Engineer and PBWS. This was a typical trip. Later we flew
PSA out of Seattle.

!
Brian and his partner did an excellent job building the
Nutt House, which was just .000 sq.ft. under the required
4,000 sq.ft which is the thickness of a coat of paint. Ruth
Nutt was quite
129
active in the community. She was also on the Board of
Trinity College in Connecticut, and generous in giving a
million dollar donation to the Seattle Art Museum. Ruth
ended up with Alzheimers, having her daughter as her daily
care giver. Bob and Maria Nutt, both teachers on Orcas reside
in the caretaker house while the main residence where Ruth
resided still remains.

Meanwhile I had been looking at boats in the various marinas

on the island. I sketched out some ideas when a neighbor
suggested Kris Martinson, who was an excellent boat
builder in

!
Askov steel hull.
130
Westsound. I met Kris, and he was interested. He suggested
I see Bill Garden, the well known marine architect, so he
called him first since they knew each other. Bill lived on a
small island off of Sydney, Vancouver, Canada. He invited
Anne and I to come over. It was winter and quite cold,
but we caught the afternoon ferry to Sydney. We found a
little hotel with dining, had dinner and overnighted. Late
next morning we were waiting at the Sydney dock, when
along came Bill Garden in his 1922 Merlin Boat emerging
from the dense fog before we got aboard to continue on to
his small island. Bill was very friendly. After landing at the
dock, we went to his old 1922 house. It was warm and
inviting. He checked my amateurish boat sketches and
made a few suggestions. He took us out to his large
elaborate shop with all of his tools. We were quite familiar
with most of his work and I told him we were looking to have
a steel hull Trawler. He said, “I know just what you want,
and I’ll have a plan ready in the morning”. Anne and I took
a long walk to check out where the steel boat builder was
located, and who would be contacted as soon as the drawings
were completed. We overnighted and just as we ordered
breakfast, Bill Garden came by to show his design. It was just
what we wanted. We thanked him for staying up all night,
just for us. Then we were off to the steel boat builder, gave
him the drawings and he gave us his quote which I
thought was very fair. Anne and I observed his small shop
with a very nice looking hull underway. We caught the
afternoon ferry for a very rough and cold crossing.

!
The next day we checked with Kris. He requested the steel
man with his heavy equipment should install our 150 horse
power diesel engine in his steel shop which was located just a
few blocks
131
 from the Sydney airport. We made quite a few trips from
Orcas. I never cleared customs in Canada, but always at
Friday Harbor upon our return to the USA. More trips to
Sydney followed, so our steel trawler was well on its way
before being shipped to
Orcas on the ferry. When
that day came we were very
excited! The truck arrived with
our steel hull and unloaded at
Kris’s boat barn.

Then the work began. Kris

and his builders, Nick and
Bill, had worked on many
wood hulls. This was their
first steel hull and deck, but
all else was wood. After all of
the wood-work was finished,
Anne and I painted much of
the interior and the name
“ASKOV” on the bow. Kris
and his workers did
exceptionally fine work while
I
Anne painting locker in Askov. was often sent to a boat
chandler in Seattle for
ship fixtures, compass,
radar,
!
hydraulic systems, anchors, etc. The day came when the
boat was loaded onto a truck and taken to the Westsound
Marina, placed under the hoist and down into the water.
Kris and I spent many days becoming familiar with the
equipment. First, the diesel engine and then hydraulic and
anchoring and so much more to learn.
132
Because there was a Power Squadron Group on the island
for boaters, I took advantage of all things mechanical,
also navigating, becoming familiar with local waters around
the San Juan Islands and on up the coast of British
Columbia. Later, I became president of the Squadron,
since my years in the Merchant Marine gave me some
familiarity with navigation.

The date was July 14, 1990 for the Christening of our
beautiful boat, ASKOV. The Danish name comes from the
small town where I was born in Minnesota. Many people
were invited, including our extended family and close friends
from California. It was a fine event with our minister, Mark
Trotter from Sierra Madre giving the boat a blessing. Our
friends from Vancouver, Canada brought along the famous
conductor, Murray Adaskin,

!
Askov being lowered in the Sound.
133
who wrote the music to be played for the Christening,
bringing along a few musicians for an ASKOV rendition.
The site was the Orcas Yacht Club Marina overlooking the
harbor and the crowd gathered for the event and for delicious
food and wine. It was a special day.

Finally, 700 gallons of diesel, water and provisions were

loaded onto the boat. Our first trips were in local island
waters, testing our abilities. After a few weeks of
cruising around Friday Harbor and beyond, Anne said,
“Let’s just go north”. Our first night was Galliano Island
where there was good crabbing. Then Nanaimo, which
was a very interesting town and known for it’s coal
supplying harbor. We continued north, past many islands
and small towns including Campbell and Powell River,
then on up to Blind Island, Fort McNeal and Hope Island.
From there, west to Cape Scott. Aware of the dangerous
Triangle Islands which were just northwest off of the coast
and known for its record of many ship wrecks in that area due
to continuous rough weather. Rounding Cape Scott, we went
on to Sea Otter Cove on the west side off Vancouver Island,
Anne and I were glad to arrive at this seldom used anchorage.
It was a good one, so while Anne was preparing dinner, I took
our skiff to look around. There was a collapsed structure on
shore, so I tied up to see what else I could find. The building
had some rusted machinery inside. Outside, it
appeared at one time to be a field for planting, but now
only covered with dense ten foot growth.
!

The following morning we continued south and east to

Winter Harbor at the next Inlet on the west side of Vancouver.
We tied
134
up at the dock, bought some groceries and I took the
boardwalk along a number of homes. There were flowers
around one well kept little house. A lady outside greeted me
and asked if I was on a fishing boat? I told her my wife and I
were on a steel trawler named ASKOV, just below her
house. She remarked how attractive it was and wondered
where we had bought such a boat which then had me
explaining its origins. I remarked about her flowers and told
her we had just arrived from Sea Otter Cove and had seen
some old, rusted machinery and a partially collapsed
building. She responded that many years ago, her father
had built a boat and lived in that structure. His plan was to
sail away from this lonely area. She gave me a small book
called “The Cape Scott Story”. I thanked her for her gift and
her friendliness. The Cape Scott story was most interesting.

In 1929 six families from Denmark had heard about

the Canadian Government wanting people to establish and
settle on the Northern part of Vancouver Island. The
Danish families were very interested. They were contacted
by the Agricultural Department explaining their generous
proposal. The location was the farmland around Otters
Cove, slightly inland from Cape Scott. In the summer, they
were boated up to the area which appeared a little lonely
but a beautiful time of year. The Department explained
that the government would offer five acres per family and
more acreage later. During this early period, they would also
prepare temporary housing, tools, boat, tractor, sacks of
grain, garden and flower seeds. Groceries, mail and other
necessities would be shipped! on a monthly basis. If all
went well, a dock and road to Winter Harbor would
be furnished. School could be a possibility in Winter Harbor.
The
135
 Askov with steadying sail in Alaska

Danes were anxious about their new adventure. The six

families were thirty in all, including their children. By early
spring, the government ship was loaded with all the supplies
plus having extra men to help them for the season. All went
well during the summer. Some planting of gardens
and the tractor of cultivating, temporary housing, a motor
boat to travel to the Harbor. The families continued to work
during the winter, but there were difficulties with the boat
engine. Then the tractor broke down. About Christmas
time the weather turned very bad. The government ship did
not arrive. Heavy rain continued for months. They were
soon short of kerosene. Illness came with the cold, then
the death of one child. The ship finally arrived with
more supplies and the boat and tractor were repaired.
Another summer arrived, the crops grew, but there
!
were problems with deer and some bears. Loneliness and the
lack of availability for school became a major problem.
Finally, the
136
illness of one of the mothers. Most of the group decided
to leave. When the bigger ship arrived, all equipment,
including temporary housing was barged to the ship along
with those departing. The end of “The Cape Scott” story.
Anne and I stopped by Otters Cove on our way back. It
felt strange and lonely and so silent after all of those years.

Our next place going south on the west side, was Nootka
Sound with a light house at the entry with a small native
village nearby. We anchored for a few days, visited the
lighthouse keeper and some native village people, while
learning some interesting history. In 1794, George
Vancouver from England met with Salvador Fidalgo from
Spain in Nootka Sound. They met to settle a boundary for
their European countries. As I best recall, Spain included all
of the West Coast up and including the San Francisco area.
England had the territory from the Spanish line north to
Russian Alaska. Most all of that changed in the later years.
We couldn’t help imagining those sailing vessels in this
sound which has not changed much since then.

Going south, we visited a number of native villages. Anne

was very interested in handmade Indian basketry and hats.
Their weaving has long been a unique type of art work. By
inquiring around, we found an elderly weaver named Lina
Jumbo. We asked her if she would weave us a particular
pattern for a basket. She was happy to do it and over time and
a few months later we paid her and she sent the basket with a
!
lovely note.
By then, she had told of hardships in their isolated
villages. Drugs and alcohol and loneliness. She told us about
losing her husband on a fishing boat and later a son dying of
drug addition.
137
Keeping in touch as we did, we had become friends. We
loved her basket and it remains here with us at The
Samarkand among some other treasures we display in our
apartment.

We continued down the west side of the Vancouver Island.

It was both interesting and at times we had rough seas,
particularly when we were exposed to the open Pacific ocean.
Entering into the Esperanza inlet, we sailed to a town called
Tahsis. We had been told I had a Gregersen cousin in the
area. I found him owning a large dredging rig which was
used at Friendly cove. I had not seen him since the time in
Solvang, California when we met as children some 50
years ago. His name is Danny Gregersen. We had a
good dinner with lots of talk about our childhood days. In
the morning, it was back to Esperanza Inlet and south to
Tofino. We bought fuel and supplies, then visited an
interesting native museum. Among all of the craft work, we
spotted a number of beautiful items, some woven by
Lina Jumbo. We sailed past the Barkley islands and
docked at Bamfield, where a large building housed the phone
lines coming from Europe. We spent the evening at a
delightful place for dinner and in the early morning when the
Straits of Juan de Fuca were calm, we continued east and
south until late in the day when we turned into Sooke
Harbor, a well known and famous inn and eatery. The food
and ambiance was outstanding. With remaining light, we
left for Victoria and tied up in front of the Empress Hotel.
We spent two days discovering this delightful small city.
! We cleared customs at Roach
Finally it was time to go home.
Harbor and then on to Orcas Island after a most
interesting and ambitious trip. There was the usual clean up
on Askov, before heading home to our Tower House.
138
Later that fall, Anne suggested we consider a road trip going
to Taos, a lovely town north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. This
was a trip we would often take in the fall of the year and a
little change from our recent trip to Alaska. I had been
reading in the National Geographic of the near
abandonment of the towns along highway 83, extending
from South Dakota to Oklahoma. There was one particular
town, just north of Nebraska called Ardmore which once
had a bank, many stores, an auto agency, doctor and a
newspaper office. A train used to stop at the small station
twice a week. Calvin Coolidge was known to have visited for
a short time in 1924. After reading about Ardmore and all of
the nearly abandoned
towns along Route 83, we
saw all the stores were
gone, the train was re-
routed and most homes
had been stripped of
fixtures, with only a few
remaining usable. The
town water tower was still
standing.
We continued south on
#83, passing small Ardmore, Nebraska.
towns !

w h e r e o l d e r fo l k s
remained and where the
youth had moved on to better job locations. The growing
fields were mostly taken care of by Hispanic laborers working
for large agriculture companies. We learned they worked all
the way from the Dakotas as far down as Texas. We
encountered fast food
139
truck stops at major highway crossings, as we did at Hwy
#80, Liberal, Kansas, situated on the border of Oklahoma and
Texas. We had dinner at a nice restaurant there. It was
nearing election time and we listened to certain table
discussions, some indicating right wing voters. Even our
waiter said he did not want a black president.

In the morning the weather had moved in while we

were heading for the high country toward Taos, New
Mexico. It began to lightly snow at 6,000 ft, but cleared
up when we reached Taos. We rented a cute little casita
with an adobe fireplace called a “kiva”. We spent four days
in Taos, seeing a lot of art work, inviting us to buy one
painting which now hangs in our apartment at The
Samarkand. We traveled west by Salt Lake City and on
home to Orcas island. Winter came with a vengeance.
Our daughter, Janet wanted us to come to Brooklyn for
Christmas, so we flew on Alaska Air and arrived in sub-zero
weather. Janet and Tom arranged a wonderful Christmas
with little Graham, our fourth grandchild.

Finally, back to Orcas where there was more sub-

zero temperatures and wind at over 70 miles, enough to
destroy many trees. Anne had gone to the mainland one
morning, but the ferry was unable to return because of the
large seas, so I slept in the living room by a wood stove. I put
in a lot of wood, only to fall fast asleep until morning when
the temperature was only 7 degrees. All of our pipes froze, so
more problems to confront. The ! weather gradually abated
and Spring approached with enormous tree damage to be
cleared up.
140
 19
More Projects

It was now 1994/1995. Because our Tower House was

relatively small, Anne felt we needed more room, a better
kitchen, a place for her loom and a more contemporary
style for this other house. So I got started on new
preliminaries of three interlocking pods, with a pond to keep
our house warm with a heat pump. We knew of a five acre
parcel costing $100,000. The deal was made on this
property with a wonderful view to the Westsound Harbor.
Our portion of this old property was farmed some years ago by
the parents of our seller who was now in his seventies. As a
child he tended sheep for his parents in this location.

I took the ferry to Friday Harbor and went to the

Building Department. Brian was no longer available, so we
had found another builder with lots of experience and
knowledge. We were fortunate in selling our Tower House,
while an excavator dug our !pond for plants, fish and heat
sink, as noted, to be used for our new home. We planted
trees, a garden and we had a small barn built mainly for
storage and workshop. We also bought a John Deere Tractor
so we could mow our four acres of grass. We

141
 West Sound House, Orcas Island.

became addicted to mowing and would each virtually insist

it was “my turn”. Our beautiful Westsound house was
finally complete. Winter came early that year, enough so
Anne and I took the ferry to the mainland and drove to
Seattle. We stayed for a few days at the Washington
Athletic Club where it was good and warm.

When summer came, we were ready to take Askov for a

trip north to Alaska. Our friends, the Kempe’s asked if we
could join them in sailing our boats to the Queen Charlotte
Islands some 50 miles off the coast of British Columbia. We
!
agreed to meet them at Prince Rupert later. But first
we sailed along Vancouver’s Inland passage. We spent a
few days in Ketchikan,
142
then Petersburg where many Norwegian ancestors still
live. Going north, against a stiff wind, we pulled into an inlet
off the main channel and dropped the anchor hoping all
would be well sheltered. During the night, I noticed the
boat was slowly moving east towards the channel. Reaching
100 ft depth and 300 ft of anchor chain, we stayed up all
night with our engine running to make sure we were
staying in place. While this was happening, there was a
small sailing craft which had been close to us which was
now out in the channel. I heard his radio distress call.
An Alaskan Coast Guard came to his rescue, but before they
got there he lost his sail boat to the rocks on the other side
of the channel. Morning came, weather was now calm. We
discovered eel grass near our first anchorage which had
provided no hold, so moving toward the channel that night
and doing what we did with the motor running, held our
boat in place until early morning when we left.

On to Juneau, Alaska, an interesting capitol with so many

things to see including the wonderful new Library and one
of their lovely art galleries. From there, north to Skagway
where many early miners arrived in the late 1800’s
looking for gold in Canada’s Yukon Territory. (Some
years earlier, Anne and I landed with our Cessna on
Skagway’s landing strip.). We sailed on to Haines, where we
visited the daughter of Anne’s long time childhood girlfriend.
Her daughter is now married to Greg Rasmussen, chief
engineer of the Alaska State Ferry system. They loaned us
their car so we could drive on from Haines only road to the
Yukon. We had such a delightful! time with them. We
almost hated to leave. Westerly from Haines, we went on to
Gustavus and then on to Glacier Bay. There is a two mile
inlet
143
leading into the Glacier. Anne and I dropped our anchor
to spend the night. Large chunks of ice broke off
periodically keeping us awake. In the morning, little
icebergs passed by us but never hit. Pulling up anchor, we
continued to the inlet entrance and just before arriving, Sue
and Carl, our long time friends from Port Townsend were
waiting for us in the middle of the inlet. We tied up
together. Sue had a cake on board to celebrate both Anne
and Sue’s June birthdays. What a surprise, and fun to visit.
Carl had monitored our radio and knew of our location. We
continued on to Sitka for fuel and to see the interesting
Russian Church in mid-town.

Our plan had been to sail to Prince William Sound via

Yakutat, then Kodiak and Dutch Harbor and if all went well, a
small peek at the Aleutian Islands. However, after 10 miles
north in the Gulf we encountered 30 foot waves,
frightening Anne and concerning me as well. So it took
some timing to turn our boat around. At Baranof Island,
south of Sitka we saw a deep inlet to anchor for the night.
In the morning, our engine would not start. I had failed to
cut the batteries the night before. The radio worked okay. I
called for assistance. There was a quick call back from a guy
on a fishing boat about 12 miles from our inlet. He would be
there in about 6 hours. The fishing boat arrived with just one
man aboard. He had been fishing all day and night. He tied
up to us, unloaded a 12 volt battery and the engine started
immediately. Anne asked him to join us for dinner and
wine. He was most thankful and so were we. He would return
to Sitka in the morning. I gave! him $100. He gave us a 30#

salmon. We had a most interesting evening together.

144
Now to Prince Rupert to meet the Kempe ’s. The
Queen Charlotte Islands was our goal. Because of the weather,
there was some resistance to be leaving, so we waited for 3
days before we decided to depart. In the morning, going
about 7 knots, it took us nearly 8 hours, detouring to the
north and to sail to the Charlottes. Sometimes it was
pretty rough. We had dinner together on Askov and in the
morning we rented a car to see the famous Golden Spruce
tree known for its unique color and stature. Historically,
many Haida natives have mainly owned the island and known
for their art work. They were not particularly friendly.
About 150 years ago they were notorious for raiding the San
Juan’s, including Orcas Island where they were looking for
female slaves and killing the males. We drove back to our
boats and had dinner in town. One of our goals was to go
to Ninstints on Anthony Island, the southern end of the
Charlottes to view the many totem poles and other
Haida historical remains. Some had been removed for
display in the Vancouver Historical Museum. From there,
the Kempe’s sailed along behind us to Rose Harbor at the
southern end of the Queen’s where we docked for 4 days
because of a powerful storm from the west. Anne and I were
tied to a heavy buoy and other boats were tied to Askov with
heavy lines. We departed finally on the 5th day when we
had sun and calm seas. The Kempes and Pedersen’s had
100 miles to reach the tip of Vancouver Island. We departed
late that afternoon, then sailed all night into mid- morning.
We both avoided the Triangle Islands before
approaching Cape Scott. We dropped our anchors in Sea
Otter Cove to observe a bear with cubs on the shore. We had
!
a good night’s sleep and in the morning I told the Kempes
the Cape
145
Scott Story. We then continued down the coast, visiting
many of the locations seen before.

When departing Nootka Sound with the red buoy that

was clearly evident, I must not have used my brain, for I
kept the buoy on my right side but suddenly, a sickening
sound when we slammed onto a flat rock. Sophie, our cat, was
thrown across the galley, Anne was hanging on, and our
table dishes went flying below. I immediately cut the engine.
I looked aft. We could not see the rock, so I assumed the prop
was okay, then went below and found no indication of water
then up to the bow and saw the big rock about 3 ft.
underwater. Now what? I called my cousin, who would
come over shortly if he was in the area. We sat for a time,
and considered options, imagining what damage we might
have had. What seemed longer than it really was, there was a
soft thump. Then another and another. We realized the tide
was coming in enough so the boat suddenly began to float
freely off the rock.
What made this incident all the more surprising was the date.
It was June 29, 1995, Anne’s birthday. Forty years prior, we
were sailing down the Gøta Canal with our friends, the
Pollock’s. When crossing Lake Vaneren in Sweden, we ran up
on a rock as well. Small wonder this boating experience
called for a special birthday toast the end of that day. Because
the date we sailed up on a rock in Sweden was June 29, 1955.

Our next stop was Uclulet just

!
south of Tofino. I recalled a
small boat yard with a powered winch. I asked the owner if
he would pull our boat up, because we had just hit a rock
and wanted to see if we incurred any damage. He agreed,
but just for an hour
146
since the tide was moving out. Up we went. I stood on the
bow, the owner was at the winch. He yelled and said if
ever I hit a rock, I would want a steel boat like yours. You
have no damage, but just a scrape. Here is a power grinder
and a little paint. I’m having dinner at the house and will
be back in 45 minutes. I took his big grinder, smoothed
the surface, and Anne painted the scraped area. When back
in the water, I gave the owner $100. We sailed to a small
restaurant and had martinis before dinner. Then on to the
Straits of Juan de Fuca. We met the Kempes at Sooke
Harbor for our final meal. They continued on to Orcas
Island and we again spent our last night at the Royal
Empress Hotel.
We were home again, always to remember,

“Red Right Returning”

to keep the red buoy on your right!

Back to Orcas and reality again. Time to clean the yard. I

didn’t seem to have my normal energy. The following
morning I asked Dr. Shinstrom to renew my medical flying
certificate. He gave me the normal exam. All seemed to be
okay, but he asked about my energy again and whether I had
any pain in my arm. I told him, that I did once in awhile. He
tore up my medical certificate and made an appointment with
a cardiologist in Seattle.
When the time came I saw a Doctor Pederson at the
!
Swedish Hospital for an angiogram. The final results were
that I needed a 4 way heart by-pass. Dr. Pederson said we
can operate next Friday, but I was tempted to tell him
“that’s my haircut appointment and they are hard to get on
Orcas.” The by-pass

147
was going to require a long artery from my leg, so we arrived
at the Swedish hospital on time for this early morning
operation.

I don’t really remember much from that point on. It was

about a week in the hospital, then another week in their
recovery rooms. When back on Orcas I was quite weak for
awhile, but within a few months I was back to near normal.
We then sold our beautiful boat, Askov.

Anne and I realized our Westsound home was beginning to be

a little much for us. We thought perhaps a small house on an
acre would fit our aging needs, as we were contemplating
winter and early spring in Santa Barbara. We were at a
gathering at a friend’s house, when a man who was new in the
area, asked the hostess if any one there knew about boats.
The hostess looked at me and said, “Here’s your man”. His
name was Alan Schulman. He wanted a small power boat
and instructions on how to use it. Also, how best to cruise in
these waters. It wasn’t long before we became good friends.
Together we would end up buying a 24 ft. SeaSport. Alan
said, “If you will maintain the power boat and teach me
how to use it, I alone will pay for the $80,000
SeaSport ”. We had some wonderful trips around our San
Juan Islands. After more instructions, Alan proudly said,
“Pretty good for a Brooklyn Boy”, feeling good about his
new sailing ability. We took a 5 day trip up to Powell River
and surrounding Vancouver Islands. Our boat was well
!
equipped for this type of cruising.
Later that summer, Alan discovered on the internet a
Marshall Catboat. He asked about its availability and told
about a year.
148
David Will, Harlan and Alan Schulman

!
Alan’s Catboat
149
He asked if I could teach him to sail. No problem. So, the
next year the expensive catboat arrived all the way from
the East Coast. My friend, David Will who built most of
my design projects sailed with me from Anacortes to Orcas
Island. The Marshall people on the east coast built a
marvelous boat. It had two bunks, a small galley, head and
storage space with a small 40 horse diesel. Knowing I was an
architect, Alan asked me if I was willing to design their
home and guest house. Also, a master plan of roads, power,
barn and sewer. A 500 ft deep water well was already in.
This was a big project. I replied,” If David Will could be the
builder, I would be honored to design your house”. I drew
sketches of the projects during the winter. When Alan
returned to Orcas after the winter months, he was very excited
to see the progress I had made. During the fall, I completed
the working drawings and then off to the Building
Department. While all of this was happening, Alan heard
that Anne and I were thinking of buying an acre of land for a
small cottage. Alan said, with his 16 acres, a meadow lot
could be made available for as long as you like, maybe
forever. Essentially, he said,”You and Anne build and pay
for your house. Whenever you choose to leave, I will pay
for the house. Harlan will provide all of my architecture
and David will be the builder”. We had a real estate attorney
provide us with the agreement. It was a time when real estate
had really gone up the previous year. We sold our beautiful
Westsound House for a good price while designing and
having David build our new and last final house on the
Schulman Meadow property.

Alan was ready to learn about sailing on a small sailing

boat. I was somewhat familiar with a cat boat. He liked
what he saw.
150
He arranged the cost and delivery. It took a year to build
and trucked to Anacortes on the mainland. David Will and I
sailed the new boat to our new dock on Orcas Island. The next
period of instructions were much more difficult. With the
different rigging of a catboat, it took some time for Alan to
learn. The boat was really a dream. There was a 40 horse
diesel engine. A small refrigerator, galley, bunks and
storage locker. Most of Alan’s boat education was around
the San Juan Islands. Later that fall, I alone sailed to
Canada. The cat boat was a joy to sail. Anne set me up with
a weeks supply of Chile and ice cream, my favorite. The
weather was calm. I made it to a number of Canadian
islands.

Winter was due, so Anne and I drove to Santa Barbara. We

had been looking for a small apartment, until our
daughter Lisa found a small bungalow on Sola Street. The
price was fair, so we both shared the cost with Lisa and Joe.
Later, we added a second bath and revised the kitchen. The
next winter, a lady attorney badly wanted this house and was
willing to pay a very good price in a time properties were
selling high. We had been looking for something in upper
east and found a lovely 1921 craftsman house on Padre Street
which Lisa had noticed and urged us to come down and
look at it. Anne flew down to have a look, they sent pictures
and I agreed to what was to become our plan to live part time
on Orcas and part time in Santa Barbara. This became our
winter home until we entered The Samarkand. While all this
was happening Lisa and Joe, the well known movie director,
!
became owners of a house located above the Riviera. It was
of French Colonial style which they wanted to change
to a Spanish Colonial design, which took almost a year to
resolve for various
151
 Final House, Orcas Island.

approvals from the Building Department and the Santa

Barbara Cultural Committee. This became a massive re-
habilation, removing much of the original house and to
re-design it to Spanish colonial. Ken Rideout, the
contractor, placed a trailer on the property while it took him
at least a year for the building process. The house was
featured on the Pearl Chase Historical Home tour well after
it was completed. It was in that house we used for the reunion
of my 1953 class at USC. We were 20 of us altogether which
included architects and wives. Frank Gehry was the most
well-known of all of us. On another occasion, Anne was
celebrated for her 80th birthday there when a long table
was set up under the large arbor below the swimming pool for
!
well over 40 guests which included mostly family and close
friends.
152
 20
Volunteering/Mentoring

Soon after Anne and I moved to Orcas, I was asked to

supervise the building of the Medical Center. The Seattle
architect, having completed the drawings, wanted to
supervise the project once a week, plus air fare, all equaling
a large payment for his time. Instead, the Medical Board
asked me if I would give some weekly time as a donation to
the Medical Center, which introduced me to how things get
done on Orcas Island. It translated into a year of weekly
supervision and was my first volunteer project on Orcas.

Later, my friend, Bob Maynard asked if I would come to the

old 1920’s director’s house at Four Winds Camp. The house
was in bad shape and not being used. The first and founding
director, Ms. Brown, began Four Winds Camp about the late
1920’s. She passed away a few years ago. The current
director had $100,000 for this project. “Would you donate
your architectural time for this remodeling?” I was
interested in doing this one and told them I would be
pleased to give my time as ! well. Camp Four Winds
Children’s Camp is a well-known and respected camp, and
known universally. This 200 acre property is located by a
153
beautiful inland bay next to Jones Harbor. The
project amounted to a total re-hab, including kitchen, library,
improved heating and roof. Along with my other projects I
was asked by a new director, Joanie Starr, to help with a
few other camp projects. One day she asked me to lunch to
say they needed new Craft Court buildings. The existing
ones were old and had dry rot. This became a large project of
two new buildings, each more than 2500 sq. ft, and a large
concrete court yard of nearly 10,000 sq.ft. This needed
county approval, as zoning had never been applied for.
Also, a building permit and Indian midden approval,
required by a state inspector. This inspector from
Olympia arrived by boat. I drove him to camp and $3,000
later, with a lot of digging, we received our certificate.
The zoning needed me to contact all neighbors within 200 ft
of four winds property. Finally, a trip to Friday harbor
for our building permit. The design went on with Joanie’s
approval. A contractor was selected and work began. Within
8 months, the project was finished. That was not all. Joanie
had other ideas about a totally revised Health building
at the completion of the Craft Courts. When I was invited
to a Four Winds Camp Board meeting Joanie had been
removed and a new director was in charge. To my surprise,
Alan Schulman, my old friend, had become chairman of
the Board. During the meeting Alan knew that all my
projects had been volunteered. He said that all of our
grandchildren would be given scholarships for all of my
donated time. This was great for us, since the camp
charged $4,000/month per child. Our grandchildren
were just the age to attend the! camp. This was the beginning
of a wonderful time for our four grandchildren, Ruthie,
Henry, Graham and Lottie. As they grew older the two
154
boys and Lottie stayed on to be helpers. Lottie and
Graham became assistant counselors. Thanks to Alan, for
including our kids with their children, Hope and Hanna.

While inspecting the new Health building, a young

looking woman, in her 60’s asked how she could help. Her
name was Amy Fields, a board member and an ex-
camper herself. By helping, she meant that she had a
Masters in Architecture from the University of Oregon.
She explained that after her graduation, she worked for
a short time for an architect. Then her father and brother
were both killed in an airplane crash. Amy was unable to
work for some time. The following year, she married and
moved to Dubai. This marriage did not last long. Following
her divorce, her mother died, which caused more delay in
her life. It had been a period of some twenty years since she
had received her masters in Architecture.

She shared there is a method called “Intern

Development Program” where graduates, for various
reasons, had to leave architecture. This program is
provided by NCARB (National Council of Architectural
Registration Board).
I was aware of this program. It would require 5,000 hours
of mentoring by a local licensed architect. She asked if there
was any hope that I would be willing to mentor her in this
program. It would mean another long period for me to
teach Amy all the aspects of architecture. Her home was in
!
Portland, however she made trips to Orcas each Board
meeting and months between. While we were in Santa
Barbara, Amy flew down periodically. My mentoring
consisted of presenting her prints of my various projects,
explaining all the details. Then visiting all the various
155
job sites and having the various builders explain
their construction methods. Amy was good with her
computer, so CAD was used for all of her drawings. She was
especially good at math. This helped for the Structural
Engineering portion of Architecture. I have by now spent
about 8 years showing Amy all of the above. She has passed
all the required tests and has only about 100 hours of various
types of mentoring before she will become a licensed
architect.

At the beginning of our mentoring project I was about 86

years old. Amy and I then made a covenant that she would
receive her architectural license by the time I reached 95
years. Today, I am on my way to being 95 years and Amy
has now 30 hours left to complete the project. When that time
comes, I’ll let you know.

!
156
 21
Grandchildren/Ancestry

After all these years, our daughters have presented us with

two beautiful granddaughters and two handsome
grandsons. This chapter is devoted to all four of you. Now the
adventure begins.

One of your first adventures, included summers at Four

Winds Camp on Orcas Island. Then grade school in Sierra
Madre, then High School where your mother (or Aunt Lisa)
became a Rose Princess and before all of you were going off
to college. Part of this chapter is meant to enlighten you
all to your Danish ancestors. This may be many years
before you become interested enough to visit your Danish
heritage in beautiful Denmark. Therefore I have included
some old maps, and a water color painting of
Engbjaergaard in northern Jutland, DK. Much has changed
since your Mormor and Morfar were first married, and when
we ventured out to work, sail their boat and live in
Odense, Denmark in 1954/1955. It was our intention to stay
in Denmark longer, however! Aunt Barbara had a better
idea by wanting to be born in the USA.
157
 Ruthie

!
Lottie, Henry and Graham
158
 Map of Denmark, home of your ancestors

Mow to the enlightenment of who your ancestors are.

Mormor has many relatives on her side and will reveal those
in another format. There are many on my side, that go
back some hundreds of years. I had two cousins, Bitten
and Anna, who were administrators in the local hospital.
They lived with their beautiful Jewish mother in Skive,
Denmark. Their father, Peder Gregersen had passed on.
Cousin Bitten spent much time investigating our family
background and sharing it with her family. The family
background goes back some ! hundreds of years. Names
changed between generations. I was so impressed that Bitten
could retain the sense of family from generation to
159
generation. She became aware that the little church, located
on the estate of Engbjaergaard was known to have a Bishop
buried under the alter. She also discovered that the
Bishop was distantly related to our family. Engbjaergaard is
located near the town of Lemvig, in Northwest Jutland. (See
map). Bitten then had the family names of our distant
relatives who had occupied Engbjaergaard so many years ago.

1776 -1829
Gregers Engbjaer Sorensen, had three wives.
1. Else Nielsdatta (owner of Engbjaergaard
2. Boletta Ingstrup (mother of only child, Jens)
3. Sidsel Marie Pedersdatta

1808 - 1862
Jens Gregersen, married Margrethe. Gregers, eldest,
inherited Engbjaergaard and lost it by gambling.
Peder Ingstrup Jensen, second child, was able to retain
the property for a period of time. Ultimately exchanged
the property for a place called Overgaard in Tøjslev
Parish near Skive. The family name, had then changed
to Gregersen.

1842 - 1900
Peder Ingstrup Gregersen married
! Ann Jensen Møller. The
pair had a very successful business at Tøjslev. Both in Real
Estate and farming. They had six children.
 1. Jens Møller married Sofie Madsen. Children,
Halvdan, Albert and Magnus
2. Ane Margrethe, married Carl Schroeder. Children
were Anna (My Mother), Rudolph, Anita and Margrethe
160
 3. Jens, Married Anna Møller. Children were
Ingstrup, Asger, Kristense, Ingelke and Halvor.
4. Anna, married Frodedal. Children were Kirsten,
Peter, Johannes, Knud, Friedrich, Ingeborg and Elizabeth
5. Peder, married Hedevig Heide. Children were
Bitten and Anna
6. Sara, married Mads Madsen.

That about sums up all the ancestry from my Mother’s side

of the Gregersen family. There is not much available
from my Father’s side of the family except what is
included in another chapter. The Ancestry review is meant
for our grand children to

!
Engbjaergaard watercolor
161
enjoy, and when the time is right and any one of you might
be considering a trip to Denmark.

Now that I am approaching 95, I feel free to offer my

predictions as to what work or interests our grand children
will be pursuing even after I am gone. At this writing, our
eldest Ruthie who graduated with honors from
UCRiverside a few years ago will still be involved with the
law at some level. Robert, her partner, is a Mechanical
Engineer and he may be learning more about architecture
now that he has just received an Architectural book to study
after having received my drawing of a home similar to Lisa’s
house on Orcas Island and one day build a house in the Los
Angeles area for both of them. Then there is Henry, who is
now living in Philadelphia where he is script writing for a
small film studio in Brooklyn, New York. Henry will be
arriving in Santa Barbara for a visit this mid January,
2019. Graham is finishing Bard College this new year. He
has been following and studying his interest in
Immigration and suitable for the government, possibly the
State Department or ultimately with a foreign consulate since
he is bi-lingual. Lottie is now involved with film school in
San Francisco after which she will move to Los Angeles and
perhaps with her father’s help, become involved with film
work where it all happens. She also has a dream that when
the time is right she would like to build a little house on
Orcas. This will require Morfar to help with design.
So these are my predictions I envision for all of you
wonderful grand children along
! with your ancestry that
one day will be important to know about. Enjoy.
162
 22
Bauhaus/Stroke

My final project started on Orcas Island a few years back,

ca. 2011. At that time Anne and I would be wintering in
Santa Barbara, with the balance of our time at our house on
Orcas. In 2010 we received a call from a Mr. Mark Mertens.
He said that he had seen our Orcas house in the meadow and
admired it very much. He had our number in Santa Barbara
and would like very much to visit. “My partner and I live in
Pasadena and will be driving up next weekend. ” I told him
“fine and see you then.”

Mark Mertens arrived with a rather attractive woman

called Kristiina who is originally from Finland. Mr.
Mertens had recently purchased a 20 acre waterfront property
for $1.9 million on Orcas featuring a 1940 shingled style
house among other buildings on the property. He added he
also owned a jet airplane with private pilot and would be
flying up to Orcas island the following weekend and would
Anne and I join them. We replied we would and we did.
!
Saturday was a clear day when we departed Santa
Barbara. It took us only 2 1/2 hours to land at the
Eastbound airport where his car was waiting so we could

163
drive directly past our house and then on to the Mertens
20 acres. We viewed the entire property. The old house did
indeed need major work. Other buildings had some issues.
An old structure 10 ft. from the water should be replaced,
however the county allowed a new building could be built on
the same site as the old one. We had dinner on Orcas and
were back in Santa Barbara in only a few hours.

First on the agenda, a number of smaller projects for

the Mertens. Mark wanted a large addition on the old 1940
house as well as some considerable re-modeling so the drawing
began. He inquired what he could expect for costs. A little
under a million dollars. I then obtained a building permit
and the project was ready to be built. At that point it was
late in the year 2011 and Anne and I were ready to drive to
Santa Barbara.

During the winter, Mark called and suggested we meet

for breakfast in Ventura, a half-way drive from Santa
Barbara. Mark’s interest or understanding of his Orcas
projects, lasted for just a short time. He preferred talking
about boats. The next week we met again since I had
prepared sketches of a Cat Boat for him. Mark said, “I really
like that”, so about $400,000 later, he ordered a Cat Boat,
originally coming from the East Coast where the firm that
owned it had sold the rights to a firm in Port Townsend,
Washington, just across the Straits of Juan de Fuca from
Orcas Island. We spent several weekends discussing how to
! where best to sail in the San
sail a gaff rigged Cat boat and
Juan Islands. Later, that same year at our Ventura
meetings, Mark asked if I could design a Bauhaus.
164
 Harlan and Mark Merton with brand new catboat.

Being a contemporary architect, I replied, “I would be

honored to design a bauhaus for you.”

The term “Bauhaus” was a German Movement designed

to overcome the baroque style of the Arts &
Architecture throughout Europe. The movement
incorporated Crafts, Weaving, Furnishings, Paintings, and
ultimately Architecture. The architects Walter Gropius,
Mies VanderRohe and others were leaders in this
movement. All kinds of contemporary architecture of
today evolved from that movement. Frank Lloyd Wright
was an early American believer in the Bauhaus
Movement in the early 1900’s. Our senior lecturer in
architecture at USC was Richard
! Neutra, a very contemporary
architect and a 1910 student at the Bauhaus. During that
winter I designed a complete set of preliminary bauhaus
drawings, 50 ft back from

165
the ocean and 70 ft of large window glass facing the water.
The construction was steel, concrete, laminated wood
with wide flange steel beams to span the flat roof. I then
ordered a survey for grading, property lines, building site
location and elevations. The 50 ft. set back from the water
was in accordance with the existing rules. The Building
Department ordinance announced that at the end of March,
2013, residential building setbacks should be 100 ft back
from the water.

In the late fall of 2012, Anne and I drove to see Mark

Mertens new Cat Boat in Port Townsend. It looked good,
but it had a long way to go. We continued on through the
Olympic Forest and by evening arrived at the Quinalt
Lodge on Hwy 1. It happened we were almost the only
guests, so we had a martini and a good dinner, and an
overnight. It was raining heavily in the morning when we
drove all day to Yachats, Oregon where we planned to meet
friends for dinner. I noticed during the last few miles I had a
tendency to let the car wander more to the right. After
arriving, we parked and walked into the Adobe Hotel
where we agreed to meet in the restaurant. Towards the end
of our dinner, things did not feel right with me. I had
trouble getting up and standing, so my friend helped me
out to the entry. We said good night and Anne helped me
up the stairs to our bedroom, assuming my weakness for being
over-tired. I slept solid for nine hours, but in the morning, I
said to Anne, “I’m in trouble”. Quickly she gave me some
aspirin, packed us up and drove 40 miles to the Peace Health
Hospital in Florence. I could ! still walk, but leaning
heavily on Anne when we entered Emergency. After
hours of undergoing tests, scans, and
166
MRI, the pictures indicated there had been a stroke, which
was confirmed by a neurologist in Eugene, Ore. We were
warned to stay another night in Florence since one stroke
can sometimes follow the other. By then, Anne had called
Lisa first and then Inger & Will who were expecting us to
arrive Santa Rosa for a couple of days, which was
cancelled. Instead, Lisa flew in to Eugene where we
arrived about the same time next day. I was made
comfortable in the back seat of our car and Lisa then took over
the wheel. There I sat (no doubt in shock) until we arrived at
the Harris Ranch, California where we overnighted. I had
slept the night and by the afternoon we arrived Santa
Barbara. Ultimately, the Neurologist Dr. Alois Zauner set
me up for a private room at the Cottage Hospital where I
was put to bed. Many tests were given there as well
including an angiogram which set me back for a couple of
days. I was up and walking with a physical therapist and a
new walker during the days I was in the hospital and soon
after, a more intense Physical therapy program was
recommended for the following month. First of all, learning
how to walk straight again, then assistance with my
speaking, writing and other physical problems. My face
was drooping slightly on my right side and my emotions were
fragile. Anne and the girls helped so much with my
inability to write. Printing was so important to my
architectural drawing! Gradually my walking improved,
first to the corner of our street and then round the block and
beyond.

!
Mark Mertens came by to check me out. I told Mark that I
was a “wounded bird” and unable to do the Bauhaus. He
looked at me, pointed his finger and said,”If it takes two
years, you will be designing my Bauhaus.” I was a little
down that day, so his
167
words picked me up. About mid-February I got
the preliminaries to a local structural engineer. I was drawing
a little by then, and soon had a Building Department set
ready to submit before the end of March, 2013. That
summer, Mark had selected a very capable contractor, named
Paulsen. I gave him a full set of drawings and spent time
going over all of the details. By fall, Mark asked Paulsen,
what the bids amounted to. They were over $2,000,000 by
then, and not finished for a total cost. Mark said, “STOP !
There is no way I’m spending that much money. How can
you reduce the costs?” Paulsen answered that the flat roof
steel and laminated wood was killing us. How about
using wood roof trusses. So the following week, without
asking me, Paulsen had a wood truss contractor’s bid with
a suggested design. On the Internet I saw the truss design
along with other design changes by Paulsen. Never, in my
70 years, had a contractor, without my knowledge,
create such a monstrosity. I told Paulsen how unhappy
I was with his attempt to re-do the Bauhaus. He did not
respond.

During the winter, Mark and Kristiina drove up to have

dinner with us. I told them of my concern over the
bauhaus. Mark called me a week later and said they had
a “Come to Jesus Meeting”, by wanting my original
Bauhaus design. Also that since I was no longer on Orcas
and living in The Samarkand, Kristiina would like to
help. He claimed she had much experience in
architecture, exterior and interior design while living in
New York. Several of the ! many changes made by
Kristiina were quite good. Paulsen phoned me each week,
so I could make those changes on 15 new, smaller sized
sheets, now

168
that my drafting board at Samarkand could hold only one
half sized sheets.

A rather large change was made by Kristiina when the

bauhaus was relocated back from my original location of 50
ft. from the shoreline to a new 70 ft with a new elevation of
55 ft. There was obviously some good reason for this
change. It did provide reason for a large, elevated deck
with a concrete and stone recessed support.

Fiinally, I had a couple of opportunities to visit the site

and observed a number of excellent changes and some I
would have done differently. But, all in all, Mark and
Kristiina now own an outstanding bauhaus.

Merton’s Bauhaus inspiration.

169
 23
Education and Art

We are a creative family. We credit our parents for

this inheritance. Anne’s father and brother, Uncle Erik,
were each fine oil and watercolor painters and book binders
as well. Her mother had a fine sense for domestic design,
whether it be in her artful cooking or interior furnishings.
My Mother, in her younger years, did oil painting and
as her children grew, she became accomplished in several
versions of fiber arts.

During childhood, our daughters were all interested in

drawing and sketching. Barbara did wonderful mature figure
drawings as a child, but later turned to teaching English and
Spanish. Ever since childhood she has written poems and
continues to do so. Now that she’s nearing retirement, she
has taken to painting again with an Hispanic flair, having
lived in Enseñada, Mexico for! several years. As a young girl,
Barbara came down with Type I diabetes, which she has
endured and lived with all of her life, but she has never
stopped keeping her hand in creative arts.

170
Lisa, our middle daughter, began drawing when she was
only four years old. She continued her interest in drawing
during her school years. As a young adult, with proper
instructions, she has become an excellent artist. Her work is
displayed in galleries both Santa Barbara and on Orcas
Island. Lisa and her architect father designed a complex of
buildings where she now lives on Orcas. It includes a two
story guest house, barn and garden building and her one
story private residence just recently completed. Lisa is
now in the process of starting a design business on Orcas.

Janet, our youngest daughter began drawing along with

her sisters. Her first job was editing and designing a
weekly Los Angeles Catholic newspaper. After
graduating from the University of Santa Cruz, Janet
completed two years at the Pasadena Art Center where
she majored with honors in illustration. Shortly after
graduation, Janet drove to New York City and has lived and
worked as a designer and illustrator of children’s books for
over 30 years. Presently she teaches art classes online
through the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.
She is active in the art scene in Brooklyn where she exhibits
and sells her paintings, along with giving workshops
locally. She and husband Tom live in a wonderful
brownstone house located in Park Slope.Their son
Graham has just graduated from Bard college in upstate
New York.

As children, Anne and her! sister Inger were taught to

speak, write, and read Danish by their father. Anne recalls
the times when she accompanied her Dad when he went
out to sketch plen aire. Today, Anne has nicely advanced
in her oil and
171
watercolor painting after attending many workshops when
they retired to the Northwest. She was educated at
Pasadena City College and GrandView College in Des
Moines Iowa. Later, when the girls were all in High School,
she went back to school and majored in English in both
CalState Los Angeles and Scripps College in Claremont,
California. Recently at our campus Art Show here at The
Samarkand, Anne sold 3 paintings.

I began sketching as a teenager and on into my Merchant

Marine sailing days. Later, after the war, I took an art
class at Drake University while attending GrandView
College in Des Moines, and then watercolors during my 5
years at USC. I continued painting and drafting and also
taking some outdoor watercolor classes after retiring in Santa
Barbara. I have continued to sketch into my Samarkand years.

Paintings and sketches by our girls, Anne and myself in the

color ‘gallery’ of our work on the following pages.

!
172
 24
Samarkand History

Indians that occupied the Santa Barbara area for well over
a thousand years are now called Chumash. They were
peaceful hunter gatherers, producing lovely grass woven
baskets, clothing and housing. Europeans visited the area
ever since the 1500’s. Spain claimed our west coast by late
1600, then Mexico occupied the area from 1782 until
California became a state in 1850. The name Santa Barbara
was noted by Spanish ships when they named the channel
between the Chumash area and the islands, Saint Barbara.
Later, the Spanish missionaries renamed it Santa Barbara.

After California joined the United States in 1850, a

particular Spanish land grant was platted and organized to
become the city of Santa Barbara. The original location of
the Samarkand was used both for agriculture and as a cattle
range. By 1900, much was accomplished. In 1913, a 30 acre
portion of this property was sold to a Mister Payne Hopkins.
His goal was to build a school for boys and to call it
“Boyland”. The buildings were well designed, with a
large pond for the boys ! to play. In 1917, Hopkins
violently rejected our entering WWI, thus violating the
government espionage act. Hopkins was ultimately convicted
to

173
 Samarkand Hotel, 1928

spend 10 years in a federal prison. That was the end of

Boyland. Later, Hopkin’s mother bought the property and
added a large two story elegant hotel with a Persian
motif and calling it “Samarkand”. All the guest rooms
had fire places. The other rooms, such as the dining room,
were designed with the same Persian theme. The pond was
changed into a small heated hotel pool, while tennis courts
and golf were included. There was some monetary success
for the hotel in the early twenties until the newly built
Biltmore Hotel became far more popular. In 1929 the
economic Depression began. The Samarkand Hotel
attempted to remain open until its foreclosure in 1936.
It remained closed for a few years.

Before the start of WW2, the military assumed ownership of

the hotel. They added additional rooms, lecture hall and
officers quarters. Army air corps trainees arrived from the
!
western states, including pilots, navigators and gunners. The
recreation facilities remained, including the pond, golf, and
kitchen. Military buses delivered the advanced recruits to the
new Santa Barbara airport.

174
This hotel facility remained for over a year after the war.
During the war, the name remained, but it was called
Samarkand Military Training, and the Army Air Corps was
changed to US Air Force.

After the army departed, the owner removed most of the

facility and sold portions of the property to approximately
its current size. By 1955, local business men bought the
facility with the intention of having a retirement home. In
1966, the Evangelical Covenant Church purchased the
property. Only a few of the original buildings remain. All
of the new structures for the new Covenant Retirement
Home have followed the vision of the Spanish Colonial
design that typify Santa Barbara. Many oak and magnolia
trees remain and also remaining are the large blue p l a n t va
ses from the original hotel. The name,
“Samarkand” (Land of our Heart’s Desire) has kept it’s title
for these 100 years since the beginning of the Persian dream.

Today, Samarkand consists of more than 30 buildings. 22 are

for the residents. Others are for “Smith” Skilled Nursing,
Brandel Hall for Assisted Living, and Heritage for memory
loss. Also attached, is a pleasant chapel. The Commons
consists of our outstanding Dining room and Library. The
food is exceptionally good. Wine must be furnished by
the residents. The Administration Building is mainly for
our staff members. The Life Center houses many functions
including a Gym, Wellness Clinic, “Nu-2-U” thrift store,
!
Activity Room, and the popular Mountain Cafe which is
for In and Outside dining. The east and west plaza
buildings house many functions including Activity
Office, Art Room, History Museum, Tech Lab, and a
175
Hair Salon. The current costs of entering The Samarkand
will vary with the date of entry and size of Unit. Anne and I
bought our two bedroom apartment in 2016 for a total, one
time charge of $450,000. Additional monthly fees for
dining, cleaning, building and site maintenance for
two people can be approximately $5,000/month subject
to annual increase at 2%. Additional monthly personal fees
have to be added as well. The residents vary to about 75%
women and 25% men. Many activities are available,
including water Aerobics, Yoga, Balance and Strength
Exercise, Tai Chi, Art Shows, Music, Lectures, Buscapades
for outings, and opportunities to volunteer and serve on
various committees.

Finally, the general friendliness among residents and staff

define The Samarkand. We all feel fortunate to be in such
a special place.

Sanmarkand today.
176
 25
My Last Chapter

It’s about time I call this autobiography project to an

end, however I just want to share some of my recent
thoughts and issues from this 95 year old amateur. I’ve
been having a continuous brain fog condition these past
five weeks. Before that, it was only occasional. Brain fog is
a kind of cloudiness in my head. My Samarkand buddy, Mel
Marks, who is older and wiser than me, calls it, “cobwebs in
the attic”! It’s more intense at times, enough to keep me
totally confused and depressed. I discussed this with my
doctor and medical staff at the VA, however there is no
solution or conclusion.

My technical skills are over with. It’s hard to understand that

less than 75 years ago I was chief radio officer aboard many
merchant ships. As to technology, the best I can do is read
our emails and keep up with the New York Times online,
using my Apple Laptop. My next issue is hearing and
memory loss. More than a year ago it didn’t seem to be such
a problem. Now, in the past year, I’m attempting to avoid
large groups of people, opting !for a more quiet area where it’s
much more acceptable. I have good hearing aids which I
received from the VA but forget my right ear, which is
virtually not functioning. Now, sitting across the

177
table in a quiet space I can hear Anne and others okay.
My memory loss is the other issue, which is becoming more
evident. I can remember what happened 80 years ago, but I
am at a loss about dinner last night.

After my stroke seven years ago, I have done very well. The
fear of falling, which I have done a few times, is still there
and the other fallout is the lack of control of my right
arm. If I am holding a cup of coffee in my right hand and
some one startles me by suddenly walking into my space, I
will always jerk and spill my coffee. This can only be
avoided by using my left hand. The latest condition is
emotional. Some weeping can occur when I’m touched
with sadness or moved by a loved one. This can be quite
embarrassing. Anne has now edited and typed my hand-
printed autobiography.

I have collected many of our photos from our old albums,

some from as far back as 100 years. During WW2, photos
were not allowed. Other statistics were no longer available,
so instead I used Google for verification, including some
photos as well. Dory Turk, our good friend and expert on
the technical skills it takes to do this, has been a huge help.
Our daughter, Janet, will be arriving this summer for a
month long visit. She is highly familiar with what it takes
to go through the procedures in finishing up my
manuscript.

!
“Bed, Bath, & Beyond” is a logo for a well known
department store. I am tempted here to change that logo
idea to “Birth, Death & Beyond”, which allows me to ponder
over those words. When our time comes, can we expect
something wonderful,
178
recycled, or nothing at all? Both Anne and I were baptized
and confirmed as children. During my teens I became fairly
religious and when at sea during the war, I still said my
evening prayers. After we were married, we belonged to a
local Methodist church so our children could have some
exposure to Sunday school. Years later, we were members
of an Episcopal Church on the island. Some years later we
evolved to becoming Unitarian’s. Their goal is to treat
neighbors as you would yourself with compassion and
love; the importance of peace and social justice and equity for
all, still similar to our other churches and faiths.

According to astronomers, some 600 billion galaxies

surround our earth. It’s quite possible that the number is
infinite. If that is so, our “Beyond” is also infinite. If the
departing spouse is acceptable or certified to be part of the
great beyond, they will let us know. Just stay tuned.
The spouse remaining and our girls, will obviously
experience sadness, so a good reason for a final blessing for the
departed. At our old church on Orcas Island, there is a
columbarium made of a long stone wall in which there are
small burial boxes for those who have passed. The location
overlooks the beautiful waters of Eastsound and the great
Pacific. One of those boxes will accommodate both
spouses.
I still have a few sayings from my teen years, which I still
recall:

!
1. There are stories within stories, which are always
within another story that would build on stories that are
real, illusion
transient and permanent. We should keep these stories
as seriously as we take our lives, but never really believe
them.

179
 2. “He who knows not and does not know he knows not,
is a fool, ”shun him”

He who knows not and knows he knows not

is a child, “teach him”

He who knows and knows not he knows,

is asleep, “wake him”

But he who knows and knows he knows,

is wise, “follow him.”

3. “Never promise anything, not anything at all. Never in

spring say you’ll love me in the fall, because when spring
comes
around, you never, never will. But when you say you love
me, say it only for tonight, then if you should change your
mind,
my heart won’t break, not quite.”

4. “Some people say, sorrow is greater than joy,

but I say to unto you, they are inseparable,
! you at your board,
when one sits with
the other is asleep upon your bed.”
This is now the final end, “Good Night and Good Luck”

180
 Epilogue

Recently my good friend, Dolf May of the Samarkand, gave

me a book called “Indianapolis”. I was somewhat aware of
the tragic history of her being torpedoed and sunk a few
weeks before the end of the war. I believe it was not made
public for some time.

The cruiser, “Indianapolis” was sailing from Guam to Leyte.

On July 30th, 1945, a Japanese submarine commanded by
Captain Hashimoto was also cruising the same area. At
midnight, slammed two torpedoes into the “Indy”. She
sank within 12 minutes, dumping over 900 survivors into
the water. Before sinking, the radio operators claimed
they had sent SOS and position. No distress calls were
ever received by any ships throughout the South Pacific.
Of the nearly 900 survivors during their 4 to 5 days in
shark infested waters, less than 317 survived before rescue
ships finally found them. This is one of the worst naval
disasters in American history.
At the same period, our tanker the SS Winnebago
delivered 2000 tons of diesel to a Leyte dockage. We were
asked to return from Aruba with more diesel for the planned
invasion of Japan. We departed Leyte near the end of July,
!
setting an easterly zigzag course by Guam Island and directly
to the Panama Canal Zone. (All ship’s logs are long-gone).
While in Panama, we were directed to sail directly to
Alabama. After a few days in Mobile,

181
Japan signed the armistice documents. September 2, 1945
became the official end of the war.

Working backward with location and ship’s speed, it’s

very possible our ship arrived in the general area of the
sinking either before or after the end of July. While
underway, we always kept 24 hour watch on both high and
low frequencies, but received no distress calls. It was
possible that our ship may have been in the vicinity of the
USS “Indianapolis” disaster, so close to the end of the war.

USS Indianapolis

!
182
18
!
3
 MY LIFETIME OF PRESIDENTS

Calvin Coolidge Herbert Hoover Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman

1923-1929 1929-1933 1933-1945 1945-1953

Dwight Eisenhower John Kennedy Lyndon Johnson Richard Nixon

1953-1961 1961-1963 1963-1969 1969-1974

Gerald Ford Jimmy Carter Ronald Reagan George H.W. Bush

1974-1977 1977-1981 1981-1989 1989-1993

18
!
4
Bill Clinton George W. Bush Barack Obama Donald Trump

1993-2001 2001-2009 2009-2017 2017-

Manufactured in the United States of
America by Sterling2019
- Pierce East
Rockaway, New York
Book and cover design

Brooklyn, New
York

!
Janet Pedersen /185
11th St. Productions
 Studio

by Anne Pedersen

Piñas en Venta

by Barbara Pedersen
Santa Paula Lemon Groves

by Lisa Pedersen
Tulips

by Barbara Pedersen
 Barn Party by Harlan Pedersen

iPad Sketch

by Harlan Pedersen

Brooklyn Storefront
by Janet Pedersen
 Enchanted Lane

by Anne Pedersen

Gold is the New Green,

by Lisa Pedersen

Alone, Together
by Janet Pedersen