08/28/09
Where do you live now? reno nv
How many years were you in the desert? 13 in r/c then lancaster
Are you willing to help with pictures? as soon as i can
Are you willing to help with stories? always
Comments:
as a teenager in ridgecrest my best friends were Alice Antu and Byran Gangstee Byran had a datsun truck we would fill it with the money from returning soda bottles i think it would take $2.25 at terribles. We rolled the truck going to the haystacks. Growing up in r/c was great had a few issues being Patti Paquins baby sister. It was nice having 2 sisters we always had a place to party. my other sister Debbie Murray waas married to Reid Murray. Patti is still there so are her daughters Heather and Lynda my baby brother also Mark Mccoy. If anyone knows how to get ahold of Byron or knows anything about him please get ahold of me love to here from him. Also David Ayers contact me.
08/27/09
Where do you live now? Lompoc, CA
How many years were you in the desert? several
Are you willing to help with pictures? don't have them anymore
Are you willing to help with stories? really don't have any
Comments:
I came across this site because I was planning a trip to Ridgecrest and Trona to look at what the area is like now and to view Searles Lake again. I spent all of 1967 and part of '68 out on the lake preparing small solar evaporation ponds which led to the the large existing ponds on the lower part of the lake. I haven't been there in many years and since I'm nearing the end of the trail, I like to look back a little.
I lived in Ridgecrest during that time and remember places such as Pat & Charlies"s where I hung out most of the time, playing in the lone card game in the bar, playying pool also and , in general, enjoying the place. As I understood it, Charlie was Merle Haggard's uncle and he came by once in a while. There was not a lot else to do then but I sure liked wandering around the desert in my spare time prospecting, looking at old mines and just generally observing. I plan to visit sometime this fall and it looks like I'll hardly recognize the place
08/10/09
Where do you live now? Los Angeles
How many years were you in the desert? 19yrs; Born & Raised & graduated Burroughs 1982
Are you willing to help with pictures? Sure.., I'll look for some.
Are you willing to help with stories? The only thing I can do is help colaborate a story.
Comments:
First off., congrats on putting this site together., I stumbled onto it looking for highway signs. (grin)
I’m Jeff., son of Susan & Gary Fisher. I was born and raised in China Lake/ Ridgecrest, after my 19th birthday I joined the Navy for 6 years., then went to college for a BS in Engineering from Fresno State. (By the way.., Mr. Thigpen’s teachings in HS for programming HP calculators were very helpful in my classes in logical thinking for most of my college computer courses.) The time in the Navy was often thought of as:
"It’s not a Job It’s a Vacation.!". I joined the Submarine Service for a little over a year I served on a Diesel Boat (USS-567 Gudgeon). After which I then volunteered for the Deep Submergence community and served on the DSV-3 Turtle, (a 3-man Deep Submergence Vehicle), where it really got fun.., sometimes scary, but mostly just fun. (Basically we were the guys the Navy would dispatch to locate scientific discoveries on the bottom of the ocean and occasionally locate a downed aircraft at which time we would either assist in the recovery procedure or if it were small enough just bring it to the surface.) After college I took a job in Los Angeles.., where I work and live as a Land Survey Engineer.., for the past 14 years. (Wow, it's been that long..? Where'd the time go..?) (grin)
08/04/09
Where do you live now? Willamette Valley, OR
How many years were you in the desert? My parents were Donna Bentham Blair and Ty Blair 1939 to 1959
Are you willing to help with pictures? The few I have, I have already seen published.
Are you willing to help with stories? I would only be a second-hand source.
Comments:
The years my father, Ty C. Blair, lived at China Lake (1943 to 1959) always held a special place in his heart. His face would just "light up" with enthusiasm as he would regale different stories of the beginnings of the Naval Ordinance Test Station and its surrounding community. Ty first arrived in 1943 while serving in the Navy. He loved sports and was instrumental in building and establishing the baseball fields and programs at the base. He and many others were instrumental in some of the big names of the day coming to the base to hold fundraising events. My parents left the base in 1959 to relocate to the bay area, near San Jose. He passed away in 1999.
My mother, Donna Bentham Blair, enjoyed growing up in Inyokern and Trona. Her school days in Inyokern and high school days in Trona are some of her favorite memories. She has declared that she was the first paid Librarian of Ridgecrest (1940). The family's grocery store called Bentham's Corners established a branch of the Kern County Library inside their store. My mother set up the books and filing system. The customers of the store enjoyed the convenience of groceries, gas, library books, and postal services in one location. These are fond memories for my mother. The friendships that she was afforded during those years have held a special place in her heart all of her days.
07/03/09
Where do you live now? Washington
How many years were you in the desert? 20
Are you willing to help with pictures? I'll try
Are you willing to help with stories? sure
Comments:
My parents moved us to China Lake in '48,from Pasadena. It was a great place to grow up..We had the freedom and safety to roam all over the place that City Kids NEVER got to experience..We lived in a TINY green trailer in Navy Boy Trailer Park?, then into base housing..I remember:dodging the gray patrol trucks to climb THE FENCE and run across C.L.Blvd to Reed's Dept Store to buy handfulls of bubble gum and candy,Sneaking through the FRONT GATE with friends in my car trunk, $1 a car night at the Drive in, Watching the shooting stars, Summer school and swimming all summer long, Mr Van Essen in 6th grade, Cruising the BLVD from A&W to Foster's Freeze back and forth. Wolf Man Jack, .I am gratefull to my parents and all the others and our efforts to help keep our country free...WE ARE FREE, BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE..Oh,and Bauer's Burgers, The BEST hamburger in the World.
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