Grandma as Assistant Editor

Next page of the scrap book - Loraine Gunzendorfer was named the Assistant Editor of  El Susurro, the annual publication of Monterey High School.

Susurro:  whisper, murmur, or rustle

One of my first genealogical purchases several years ago was a copy of the 1915 El Susurro, so I took this opportunity to dust it off and look through it again.

El Susurro - 1915

This is not an original copy but was reprinted when I ordered it.  I sure wish I'd come across Grandma's original but this will do.

Here's the list of staff members, just like the newspaper article told us.

And the senior class of 1915.

Hallie Agnes Hitchcock, Helen Cole Thompson, Mildred Loraine Gunzendorfer
Howard Hatton, Maude Sophia Scudder, Lois F. Walter
John Elbert Hitchcock, Louis G. Vierra

Clayton Philip Salterbach, Alta Irene Lyons, Karl Dayton Klaumann
Wilhelmina L. Clark, Mary Pittman Salterbach, Grace Layton
J. Meyrl Pugh, R. Deane Smith

And some candid shots.  I think that might be Grandma highlighted in the center picture.

The freshmen even had a photo - what a large class!  Somewhere in this photo is my grandmother's younger brother, Wilton Gunzendorfer. 

I'm surprised he shows up in this class since they were only three years apart in age but he was clearly in this class as the write up said:  We entered High School with a class of forty. At our first meeting Wilton Gunzendorfer was chosen president; Grace Klaumann, vice-president, and Vincent Enea, secretary-treasurer.

And Uncle Wilt was on the 120 lb. basketball team!  I think he might be the young man holding the basketball - doesn't that ball look larger than the basketballs used today?


Line-up:  Forwards - E. McGowan, W. McGowan, W. Gunzendorfer; center - Pugh;
guards - J. Carton and H. Coleman.  H. Pickles, substitute

The seniors gave some advice to the underclassmen.

I wonder if little brother Wilton had trouble staying quiet during school because Howard Hatton wanted to advise Wilton Gunzendorfer to remember that "silence is golden" and practice it in future Student Body meetings.

And it looks like Loraine's heart might have been broken during high school since she wanted to advise all the girls to never allow their hearts to "go adrift."

Monterey High School moved into a new building about this time.

One of the entries in the publication says February 12th, we formally opened the new High School building.  Mr. Martin opened the program with a few remarks, turning the building over to us.  A musical program by members of the school was greatly enjoyed by our visitors, some of whome were quite distinguished.  Remarks were made by Professor Bentley, of Stanford; Professor Rugh, of the University of California; Mr. B.F. Wright, Mr. B.M. Carner, Mr. Schultzger, Mr. Kilkenny, Mr. Bromwell and Mr. Angelo Oliver.  The response for the school was given by Mr. Elbert Hitchcock.

There is so much in this book that helps give me a glimpse of what life was like as a high schooler in the early 1900's. 

Panama-Pacific International Exposition

Next up - Grandma (Loraine Gunzendorfer) went to the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco in 1915! 

Here's what the expo looked like in 1915.

Photo courtesy of wikimedia

And here's grandma's photo.  I sure wish they'd had telephoto lenses in 1915!

The expo was open February 20-December 4, 1915 and was held to celebrate the opening of the Panama Canal. However, many felt that it was an opportunity for the city to display its recovery after the 1906 earthquake. I found it interesting that a telephone line was established to New York so that those on the other side of the continent could hear the sound of the Pacific Ocean. The buildings were intended to be temporary and were made from wood, burlap, and plaster so they would be easy to demolish. The only building to survive today is the Palace of Fine Arts which was rebuilt in the 1960's.

Photo by renedrivers

It looks like the school kids went together but didn't all come back as planned.  It seems odd that they'd write about those who decided to stay in the newspaper - looks like my grandmother's younger brother, Wilton Gunzendorfer, stayed in San Francisco.  Uh-oh, was he a rebel?  Wonder what their punishment was?

She included this railroad ticket in the scrapbook - not sure if they took the train from Monterey to San Francisco or just used the train around town.

This ticket has seen better days!

Here's a few photos that I think were taken at the Exposition, although my google search didn't come up with anything similar. 

The more I explore the scrapbook the more I've learned that Grandma didn't stay in one place long!

 

 

A Pleasing Party

 

Back to my grandmother, Mildred Loraine Gunzendorfer's, scrapbook.

 

Grandma liked to party!  This place card was given to her at A Pleasing Party, Margaret Wright's dinner party at the Hotel Del Monte, April 30, 1914.

"We had a fine time at this party and all enjoyed ourselves to the fullest extent."

A very pleasing dinner party took place last night at Hotel Del Monte in honor of the sixteenth birthday of Miss Margarte Wright, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. B.F. Wright of this city.  All of the young guests were friends and classmates of Miss Wright and ranging between the ages of sixteen and eighteen years.  The table which seated fourteen, was tastefully decorated for the occasion.  Those present were Miss Mary Salterbach, Miss Hallie Hitchcock, Miss Effie Frenda, Miss Aileen Griffiths, Miss Helen Otis, Miss Eleanor Philps, Miss Tersita Johnson, Miss Alice Hilby, Miss Loraine Gunzendorfer, Miss Margaret Wright, Mr. and Mrs. M.W. McMen... and Mr. and Mrs. B.F. Wright.

Good thing I knew this was grandma since her name isn't very clear! 

Loraine included the coat of arms at the Del Monte.

And there were more parties.

Margaret, Helen, Hallie, Eleanor, Mary, Terry and I were invited to supper at Elfie's Sunday night -
Sept 20/14.  Afterward some of the boys came up and we "ragged".

Hmmm, wonder what "ragged" meant in 1914?  A slang expression?

This is a cute placecard.  She wrote that it was given at a "little luncheon Helen Otis gave in January".  The cut-out in the dark purple is L G (backwards), her initials.

And Grandma turns 18!



There is a miss named Loraine
To her eighteenth birthday just came
To tell any more
would to all be a bore
And when Earle left it gave her a pain

 

I sure would love to find out more about these parties and maybe discover a picture or two.  I never know what I might find in all of these boxes so I won't give up hope!

Meet my Grandparents



Top (L-R) Edward Francis Fitzgerald, Clara Maxine Fitzgerald, Sheldon Hunter
Bottom (L-R) Mabel Viola McAboy, Geraldine Martin, Loraine Gunzendorfer, Sigmund Levy

Since today is National Grandparents Day, I thought I'd honor each of my grandparents in pictures.  The above photo includes my maternal grandmother's parents, Mabel and Edward Fitzgerald, the only great grandparents I had the pleasure of knowing.

Paternal Grandfather - Sigmund Levy - 1888-1968



Sigmund Levy - c. 1889

Sigmund Levy - c. 1918

Sigmund Levy - date unknown

Paternal grandmother - Mildred Loraine Gunzendorfer - 1896-1982

Mildred Loraine Gunzendorfer - 1896

Mildred Loraine Gunzendorfer c. 1897

Mildred Loraine Gunzendorfer - date unknown

Mildred Loraine Gunzendorfer Levy - date unknown



Loraine and Sigmund Levy
They loved to cruise!

Maternal Grandfather - Earle Martin - 1900-1986

Earle Martin & Geraldine Martin (my mother) - 1928

Maternal Grandmother - Clara Maxine Fitzgerald - 1903-1987

Clara Maxine Fitzgerald - 1903

Clara Fitzgerald Martin & Geraldine Martin - 1928

 

Clara Fitzgerald Hunter - date unknown
She always had a glimmer in her eye

And since Clara remarried, we had a bonus grandfather - Sheldon Hunter - who was Grandpa to us.

Sheldon Abb Hunter - 1895-1974



Sheldon Hunter - date unknown



Sheldon and Clara Hunter - 1974

Where has the time gone?  I remember these people so vividly - it's hard to believe they've been gone at least 25 years.  Thanks for the memories, Grandmas and Grandpas!

Sardines!

Pier at Cannery Row, Monterey, California
Photo by Jake Klingler

The next pages in the scrapbook takes my grandmother, Loraine Gunzendorfer, on a field trip to the cannery!


The school went on an excursion out to the cannery and I enjoyed seeing it in operation as I had never been to the cannery before.  Howard took us out in his machine.

Hmmm, wonder who Howard is?  There was a Howard Hatton in her class - wonder if it could have been him?

The machine might have looked something like this.

1914 Model T
Photo by Dave Hamster

The cannery was apparently Pacific Fish Company in Monterey, California as Grandma included this label in her scrapbook.

Pacific Fish Company was the first major cannery in Monterey and was located on Ocean View Avenue, which is now Cannery Row.  The cannery began operation in February, 1908.  Canneries were a booming business during that time - in 1915 all canneries produced about 75,000 cases of sardines and by 1918 they produced 1,400,000 cases. 

Grandma brought home this little souvenir from her excursion.

 

 

I'm not sure why it would be better to know more about sardines but I guess this is proof that the more you know, the better.

I love this photo of the girls waiting for some event.  I don't know if they were at the cannery or even if these were her school mates but it was tucked in on this page so I'll just have to guess it was that day.  I find it odd, though, that there are 10 young women and it doesn't look like there are enough places at the table for all of them to sit.  But the table does look lovely!

Loraine Gunzendorfer, seated at head of the table

I love learning about Grandma's adventures!